Tuesday Talk ~ April 9, 2024

 I am joining up with Joanne for Talking About it Tuesdays and recapping a fun weekend I had!

It was a great weekend overall for me, but I just have pictures from Friday night.  

I worked Friday morning from home then went to see the Grizzlies (our NBA team) play that night with a friend of mine.  We had seats right at the courtside!

My oldest daughter brought home 2 of her youth girls, who are more like little sisters to her.  They had never been to Memphis before and were excited to go see a game.  I didn't sit with them (we all got our tickets seperately), but I of course did go say hi at the beginning of the game so I could hug my girl and then rode home with them afterwards.

The Grizzlies have not had a good season, but they did win Friday night!  Sadly, most of our favorite players were on the injured list.

I was so happy to see my girl!  

After the game, we walked on iconic Beale Street and went to the Peabody Hotel.

Saturday, I cooked breakfast for them and then we went to a few shops and to lunch.  They had to get back on the road so they could be in town for church Sunday morning.  It was a super quick trip, but still such a fun time!

Saturday evening, I met some ladies from church to go see a production of Aladdin Jr. at a local school.  One of our friends' daughter was in this elementary production.  It was so cute.

Sunday morning, I had nursery duty at church, planted a few things in my pots outside, and then met up with Jennifer for dinner.

I am also looking forward to a weekend ahead next weekend!  

Share Our Lives ~ April 8, 2024

 Happy Monday!   I'm linking up with these bloggers to share favorite make up and hair products this month.  

Favorite Make Up Products:

e.l.f. Sunscreen/Primer

This has become a staple product for me every day underneath my makeup.  

e.l.f. stick blush

I switched last year to stick blush and I don't think I will go back to the powder.  This brand works well for me.  I have also used the Tarte stick blush and really like it to, but only get that when it is on sale.

Julep eye shadow

I use this eyeshadow most days.  I have also switched from powder eye shadow to stick.  It applies better for me & seems to have more lasting power for me as well.

As far as foundation and mascara go, I rotate between different brands, so I don't have any brand loyalty there.  

Favorite Hair Products:

Hair dryer

I love using this style of a hair dryer to dry and style my hair.  I just ordered this new one this week.  

Heat protectant

Before I use the hair dryer, straightner or curling tool, I always use heat protectant and this has been my go-to brand lately.

Hask dry shampoo

A few years a go,  a friend introduced me to this brand for dry shampoo.  It is the only brand I use now.  If you need to find a good dry shampoo, try this one!

Tomorrow I will come back with my weekend re-cap!

Have a good Monday!

Currently ~ April

 Good morning!  Today I am linking up with Jennifer for April's Currently series.

Loving

I love Spring weather in the South!  We often feel like there are 2 seasons in a day though, so the key to dressing is layering for me.  

 Looking forward to

I am looking forward to seeing my oldest dauhter this weekend, even if it is less than 24 hours!

I am looking forward to a girls trip this month!

I am looking forward to a day women's retreat with some ladies from my church.

I am thankful to have several weekends already full of fun things!

 Buying

I shared Monday my recent Amazon Prime purchases from last month.  I also ordered these items from Walmart.com.

This dress is under $11!!

I bought this dress, but in a different pattern.  It is under $10.  I didn't feel like this was flattering to me, so I will be returning it, but it is a cute dress.

Lastly, I bought this dress, which is under $15.  It was cute but there were large gaps at the arms, so I will be returning this as well.  Walmart.com does have a lot of cute dresses and summer tops and I think they have a better selection online vs. in stores most of the time.

 Planting

I don't do a lot of planting until May here, because we have been known to have a freeze in April.  I will spend some time cleaning the yard until then.  While in Louisiana, I did get a cajun Hibiscus and a few other plants for an outdoor flower pot, but I probably won't be planting much in the ground this year.

 Cleaning

My neighborhood is having a yard sale in May, so I am going through some items to sell, which always leads to some cleaning up of areas.  My cleaning is pretty minimal these days.  I keep up with laundry, dishes and cleaning the countertops, with an occasional vacuum.  It was great having people over last week which motivated me to clean!

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday Talk ~ Easter Weekend 2024

 I am joining up with Joanne for Talking About it Tuesdays.  Today I am sharing about my Easter weekend trip to the deep south.....Louisiana!

None of my immediate people were home this weekend, so I went to Louisiana to see an old friend of mine and saw a few other friends along the way.

First, this is a friend of mine from high school who I hadn't seen in 10 years.  He is a good friend and we met at a coffee shop in Baton Rouge.

I then made my way over to Lake Charles, Louisiana and began eating all the cajun food.  First, was this appetizer of fried ravioli with a crawfish sauce on top.

This was the special of the day...canniloni stuffed with with artichoke and spinach, topped with a crawfish sauce.

Saturday morning, I met my new sister-in-law....this is a long story, but she was so kind and it was great to meet.

We met at a coffe shop and I ordered us some beignets.

Then my friend who I stayed with took me to shop for all the cajun foods.  I saw so many signs this weekend advertising "Cracklings and Boudin".  I bought a chicken, stuffed with crawfish.

Do y'all know what this is?  It is a deboned chicken, stuffed into a deboned duck, stuffed into a deboned turkey.  Apparently, all the cajuns had bought them for their Easter dinner.

Not sure I had ever seen these 2 products either.....

I am terrified of alligators, but wanted to face my fears and my friend took me to see alligators in the wild.  It was crazy how many we saw.  I clearly wasn't touching this one, but did get out of the car to pose, but was still a safe distance.

This guy was huge!  I was standing in the car with my head out of the sunroof to take this picture.  

I could not get over how many we saw.

We then took a ferry and drove over to a beach at the Gulf of Mexico.

Satruday night, we went out with some friends.  I had not seen the couple with us in 27 years.  These were friends who use to live in Memphis.  It was such a fun night.

I had redfish, stuffed with crab, and yes, topped with crawfish sauce.

We had more beignets, regular and cinammon beignets for dessert.  

The food was all so good and I didn't try to count a calorie.  I could not eat like this all the time, but my goodness, it was so good!

I went to church with my dear friend Easter morning and had lunch with her family.  It was a great weekend in the deep south and Louisiana culture!

Prime Puchases ~ March 2024

I am joining my friend Tanya for this month's look back at Prime Purchases. I bought more than I anticpated this month, but a few of the purchases are consumable, which always makes me feel a little better :).  

Mascara

In full disclosure, I haven't used this yet, but I read good things about it and it is under $3!

Retinol Moisturizer

I really like the nighttime moisturizer I have been using the past few months, but the packaging has not been the greatest.  I am trying this moisturizer at night, which includes retinol, and will continue using my e.l.f. moisturizer in the mornings.

Eye Cream

Following along with the same brand (which is new to me), I purchased this eye cream to use at night.  Anything to help reduce dark circles due to lack of sleep!

Phone Mount for car

I had been wanting one of these for a while and I am so pleased with this.  This is handy when I have to glance at my phone while driving & sure is helpful when on a road trip.

Tumeric Supplement

I have been taking this for a few months now.  I'll be honest, I don't see a ton of huge changes from taking or not taking supplements, but I do stay healthy and it makes me feel better knowing I am taking these.  

Gold hoop earrings

I have a few pair of random gold earrings I like, but I didn't have any basic gold hoops.  Now I have been wearing these almost every day and really like them.

Metal Chain Belt

After purchasing my new dress at Marshalls, I needed a belt to wear with it and ordered this one.  I got several compliments on the belt and will wear it with other things too.

Travel Mirror

This was a purchase for my daughter.  I have one very similar that I use while traveling.  She needed one for her bathroom at school.  She had a bigger one with a stand, but it broke, so she wanted to have something smaller and portable.  It is a great small mirror with 3 different light features.

Drawer Organizers

This was probably my impulse buy of the month.  I have some of these I already use in drawers, but this was such a good deal during the Amazon spring sale, I bought a set.

Portable Phone Chargers

I bought 2 of these chargers for my duaghters.  They come in so handy!

Hot Rollers

I bought these to try.....we will see how it goes.  Welcome back to the 1980's!

Dress

Last but not least, I ordered 2 dresses to see which one works the best for me.  This is option number 1.  The second dress has not arrived yet, but I think this style is so cute.

Whew, that is all for this month and I look forward to seeing all of your picks!