Weekend and Prime ~ 12/5/23

 Happy Monday morning to you!  I hope these next 4 weeks are ones you can soak in all the holiday things, while also not staying in a busy mode.  I also hope that where things are hard in life, you can look to Jesus as we remember He came into this weary world to give us hope.  May Christmas be a kind reminder of that to us all. 

I am sharing a little about my weekend and a few Prime items today.

Last week, my daughter went to run errands with me after I finished working at home.  We went to Trader Joe's, because I had not been there yet this season.  As we walked in, I said, "Lord, please let there be Jingle Jangle."  This is what we saw right inside the door!  Let me vouch for our family and say, we love this stuff.  We finished this faster than I would like to admit.  I have one more saved for the week of Christmas & am trying to keep it hidden from us all!

This same day, I had a flat tire and ended up getting 4 new tires.  Thankfully, we were safe and was able to go run errands in my daughter's car when mine was unavailable.  After dropping off my car, I got a hot chocolate from Biggby Coffee, which is a chain coffee shop, but new to our area.  It is very good and also has cute holiday cups.

I also got my Spotify Wrapped notification for this year.  This is where they show you who/what you listen to the most in a year.   I clearly have needed some inspiring music this year.  And, I love that Huey Lewis always makes his way into my top artists!

Friday night, we went to the Christmas parade.  I saw one of our favorite bloggers, Jennifer, there.  I love that we are not only blog, but real life friends too!

After the parade, we drove through the town square.  Jennifer has mentioned it being a little Hallmark town, and she is right!  

Saturday, I did some random cleaning & organizing at home and a grocery run to Aldi.  I hadn't been there in a few months, so it was fun and I did a Kroger run on Sunday after church.  Overall, it was a good, low key weekend.  

Now for a few Amazon Prime items, linking up with Tanya.  I don't have many things to blog this month because a lot of my purchases are Christmas gifts.  

During Black Friday, I did buy my favorite electric rechargeable lighter.  This week, I have a gift exchange with the ladies from my church.  We are suppose to bring a $15 favorite gift.  I am bringing this lighter, along with a Christmas candle I bought at TJ Maxx.  

I can't believe 2 months in a row I have featured a dog toy on Prime Purchases!  However, there is a dog in our house now and there are very few toys he hasn't chewed his way through.  This dog chew toy has proved to withstand his puppy chewing phase.  On a side note, last month's toy bone is holding up well too.  

Many more Amazon items coming next month to share!

Have a great start to your week!

 

Friday Favorites ~ House Tour 12/1/23

 Hello December!  Today for Friday Favorites, I am sharing one of my favorite things...decorating the house for Christmas!

This year, all of my pictures were taken at night. 

For lights this year, I added lights inside my windows and I really like this look.

A close up view of one of my favorite things I bought while living in Colombia.

This tree on the kitchen counter has our decorations from South America on it.

Yes, that is Jingle Jangle on my kitchen counter.  I tried this last year and it is my favorite!

From the banister, I have the stockings I used for the girls when they were little.

This is a door hanger that my grandmother made years ago and we lots of these in my house as a child.  I have this one hanging on a hall closet & it is a sweet reminder of her.

Other little touches are some Christmas soaps by the sinks and a few things on our back porch to make it feel festive.  A lot the decor, I will leave out through January as I get so use to the twinkling lights in the house.  

Thanks for the visit to one of my favorite December posts & hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Monthly Musings ~ November

 I am linking up today with Patty and Holly for the Monthly Musings link, all about the holidays!

1.  Favorite holiday traditions?

I like to put out decorations the week before Thanksgiving and decorate our tree Thanksgiving Day.  Other traditions are looking at holiday lights, making cookies, watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas movies....all the usual things.

2.  Favorite holiday fashion?

I do like a festive sweatshirt/sweater/jewelry this time of year, but don't have too much in wardrobe.

3.  Favorite holiday recipes?

Cranberry Pineapple Punch

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

This one sounds good to try this year...

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

4.  How do you celebrate the holidays?

Typically, we have a Christmas Eve gathering with my side of the family & attend a Christmas Eve service at church.  Christmas Day after opening presents, we go to a brunch at my parents and spend the rest of the day at home.  Christmas night, we eat pasta and watch the movie, The Nativity Story.  This year, however, we are going out of town, so our schedule will change.

5.  Do you go see holiday lights?

Yes!  This is something I like to do every year.  This is a house I shared recently that is in our neighborhood.  Each year they have a different theme.

6.  How do you decorate your house?

I am going to share my Christmas decor tomorrow!

7.  Christmas tree real or fake?

We always had a real tree until about 5 years ago and we got an artificial tree. When both girls were at home and I went back to work full-time, a real tree was just too much on me, so we got an artifical tree and I have really enoyed it.

8.  Favorite holiday treats?

I love the Rolo, M&M's and pretzels treat.

9.  Pet gifts?

We do have a dog this year and have bought him some chew toys.  My daughter put his paw in clay this week to make him an ornament.

10.  Tips to make holidays less stressful?

I would suggest to limit your activites and not overdo spending and going.  Enjoy the simple things at home and do what you love. Give your self grace and no obligation to go overboard just because everyone else is.

What's Up Wednesday ~ November 2023

Here we are at the close of November, about to welcome the last 31 days of 2023.  

Here is the recap of November....

What we're eating this week.......

Monday - chicken tacos w/avocadoes & healtheir cheese dip

Have any of y'all tried this?  Mix 1 cup of cottage cheese and blend with 1/2 cup of shredded chesse and a tablespoon of taco seasoning.  It is actually pretty good!

Tuesday - chicken pesto pasta with Rosemary sourdough bread 

Wednesday - hamburger & fries

Thursday - Chick-fil-A 

Friday - BBQ & veggies

What I'm reminiscing about........

I am always thinking back to the time when my girls were at home & while life was busy, it was simple and sweet.  I miss those days all the time.

What I'm loving.........

I loved having my girls together for a few days last week.  I am also enjoying looking at twinkling lights in the house.  I will highlight my Christmas decor Friday!

What we've been up to........

I have spent the last weekend & Cyber Monday doing  A LOT of Christmas shopping!  Honestly, I am so glad I am done with it all as I am tired of all the emails, ha!  Now to await all the packages!

What I'm dreading........

As much as I love the holidays, there are some feelings that come along with it that are difficult as well.  I am trying to stay positive and stay focused on God's promises I know to be true.

What I'm working on.......

I am working on some planning for a Christmas trip, which is pretty low key, but I am a planner no matter how small the trip is!  

I am also working on collecting coats for a coat drive my sister and I host each year.  We collect coats in memory of my great-nephew who was born into heaven in 2020. If you are interested in learning more, follow Callaways Coats on Instagram.

What I'm excited about......

I am excited about a few days off at Christmas.  My family is going out of town for a few days to unplug and hopefully relax and spend some good time together.  This is the first year we are planning a trip to be out of town Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with no other family.  We just need some downtime together, so hoping we can put our phones down and do just that! 

What I'm watching/reading......

A few things I have watched lately are Hallmark Christmas movies, SEC football, Virgin River, The Voice, the new episodes of The Crown and still working our way through Murders in the Building.  

I listened to 2 books on Audible this fall....Beth Moore's autobiography, All My Knotted Up Life and Becoming Free Indeed, by Jinger Duggar Vuolo.  

What I'm listening to.......

I am always playing catch up with podcasts it seems!  I am trying to keep up with Let's Read the Gospels each day & some weekly regulars are The Big Boo, Relationship Radio, and Therapy & Theology with a few others as well.

What I'm wearing........

It has been cold this week!  I have worn sweaters and pants most days to stay warm.  I also love a sweater/tunic with leggings and boots.

What I'm doing this weekend......

I don't have any concrete plans, but I may try to go to a Christmas parade and probably just catch up at home on all the little things.

What I'm looking forward to next month.......

I am looking forward to looking at Christmas decorations, listening to Christmas music & cooler weather.

What else is new.........

I feel like most of my time is spent working or watching tv these days, so not too much is new with me at the moment.  

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for Christmas decor on Friday!

 

Thanksgiving Weekend Wrap Up ~ November 27, 2023

 

Happy Monday!  It was so nice to have a few mornings free last week where I didn't have to work at home or the office.  I glanced at a few emails that popped up on my phone, but didn't respond to any and will tackle those this week.  

Here is a re-cap of our Thanksgiving week....

My oldest came home Wednesday and we went to the new Top Golf in Memphis.  It was fun, but none of us are golfers.  It reminded me of bowling, but golf!  After Top Golf, we went out as a family to our favorite pizza place.

Thursday morning, we watched a little of the parade.  By we, basically I mean me.  My girls have outgrown this so I have come to terms to lay aside any high Hallmark expectations of a family event of decorating the tree with Christmas music and/or movies in the background.  And that's okay!  By Friday afternoon, I finally got my my tree decorated.

We took a walk and then later that evening, we went to a friends house for Thanksgiving dinner.  

Friday, I stayed at home and did Black Friday shopping via the computer.  Later Friday afternoon, we went to my sister's house for pizza because my brother came in town with his family.  We brought my niece home with us to spend the weekend with us.  These cousins are just 6 weeks apart in age and have been close since day 1!

Saturday, we went to my parent's house for our family Thanksgiving lunch.  

I made this dessert that Joanne blogged about this year.  It is a brownie base, then pudding mixed with whipped topping and oreos is layered on top and hot fudge sauce.

I loved seeing my oldest for a few days.  She left Saturday afternoon to drive back to Chattanooga.

I wore my new leather pants and boots I bought with birthday money.

My girls!

Here are 2 of my greats just watching older cousins play a game.

Below are 2 of my 8 greats!  It is so fun to have littles around at the holidays.

Sunday,  I went to church, we took my niece to the airport, then just relaxed at home.  The break was good, but sure went by fast.

Happy Monday friends!

Weekend Recap ~ November 20, 2023

 Good morning! I wasn't quite as early with my post today, but wanted to do a quick post this holiday week!

My weekend was good in the fact that my youngest daughter came home! 

I worked Friday until early afternoon and then finally went to a clinic to get some medicine for a cough I have had the past 2 weeks.  Brook came home and we went all out with dinner.  By all out, I mean, she made Ramen and I had a bowl of cereal.  Just keeping expecations low this season!

Saturday, she went with me to do my birthday shopping.  I make a list of stores that have birthday deals and ususally hit those stores in one day.  We went to Ulta, DSW, Sephora, Altar'd State, Madewell and Loft.

I was able to get some freebies and use my discounts.

I even heard my favorite Christmas song by one of my favorite artists!  This was the first day I listened to Christmas music.

We have a house in our neighborhood who decorates with a different theme each year.  This year's theme is the movie A Christmas Story.  Look at this yard! Notice even the flagpole to the left.

She went out with friends Saturday evening, so I was home alone (my husband has been out of town for a few nights now).  I watched 2 Hallmark Christmas movies in the background while I began decorating for Christmas.  I hope to have my tree up by Wednesday and decorate Thursday while watching the parade.

Do you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?  We have a Memphian who will be in the parade this year!  Drew Holcomb, a singer with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors will be in the parade this year.  He and his wife, Ellie Holcomb, are both performers and I know his parents.  

Sunday, I went to church, a book signing for a local author, visited with 4 of my greats, which was awesome, and back to church for a Thanksgiving dinner.

I work today through Wednesday afternoon, so that will be somewhat of a normal routine for me.  I will be back next week blogging, but with work and family events, this is my post for the week.

I do want to say how thankful I am for this blogging community of friends.  I especially want to thank you for saying a prayer on my behalf and would continue to ask for that as I come to my mind.  Quite honestly, I can say it has been the most difficult year of my life.  I am not seeing a lot of hope for next year, but will keep putting one foot forward.

I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday Favorites ~ November 17, 2023

 Happy Friday Favorites!

Today, I am sharing a few favorites from the past few weeks.

ONE

Last week, my co-workers had a little hot chocolate bar at work with donuts to celebrate my birthday.

They also gave me these fun presents, along with a Christmas candle for my desk, not pictured.

They know I like snacks and the El Arroys box is a puzzle, which I love!  My office roommate gave me the 2 disco pinatas.  These are perfect because I had just talked about needing a punching bag or a pinata!

TWO

Another favorite is treating myself to my favorite frozen yogurt, Menchies.  I redeemed by birthday credit to get this.  Speaking of which, redeeming birthday credit at stores and restaurants during your birthday month is a favorite of mine too!

THREE

I went to Chicago last weekend and did a recap of it here and here.  Classic Chicago view with the train track!

FOUR

I went to dinner with 3 friends Wednesday night and we celebrated my birthday, along with one other friend who has a November birthday.

FIVE

My youngest comes home for the holidays today!  Her school is on the quarter system, so she starts the Monday after Labor Day and ends the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  Because so many of the students come from such far locations, it would be so difficult for students to travel home for Thanksgiving and then back for a week before the Christmas break.  So I have her home until January!

I will probably bring out some Christmas decorations this weekend and catch up/clean a little bit around the house.  Do you have any big plans?  Have you decorated for Christmas yet?

Enjoy your weekend!