Friday Favorites ~ December 6, 2024

 Friday, oh Friday.  I am glad you are here and I will be much happier when the afternoon comes.  I have a morning event I'm not looking forward to, but I know I can make it through.  

Monday was a big day for me, not really a favorite, but it was another big day I made it through.  These are coming more often this month.  Thankfully, my spirits were still good after a hard moment, so I will call that a favorite that I have healed so much this year!

Tuesday, I worked and then attended an event with Jennifer at her church.  She had a beautiful table decoration! 

I also was able to see a dear friend who I use to work with at the travel agency.  We worked together for many years until the pandemic ended our travel career.  We worked in corporate travel, so that is very different from leisure travel.

Wednesday was a favorite to see my Spotify Wrapped Up for 2024. The music I have listened to has changed somewhat.  Huey Lewis and the News is my favorite, but I didn't listen to him as much this year.  Due to the nature of my year, the music I lisen to is different.  I did listen to Duran Duran a lot, who has always been a huge favorite of mine too.  Their music is different, so they made my top artist of 2024.  For the 2nd year in a row, Goodness of God by Jenn Johnson was my top song!

Wednesday was also the day I picked up my Jingle Jangle for the season from Trader Joe's!  There goes any self control I had for snacking.

Jingle Jangle is full of milk and dark covered pretzels, dark chocolate covered caramel popcorn, milk chocolate candies, dark chocolate enrobed Joe Joe's cookies and milk and dark chocholate mini peanut butter cups.

If you are wondering, I am still taking dance lessons!  I had my 4th private lesson this week and my youngest daughter took a lesson as well.  It was so fun to have her doing that too!

I had plans for Wednesday night, but they were cancelled and I wasn't mad about it.  I made this simple dinner for Brook and I.  On the back of the plate are what we called burger bites.  I sprayed a muffin pan and preheated the oven to 375.  I put a little bit of uncooked ground beef in each cup, sprinkled cheddar cheese and bacon bits on top and baked it for 20 minutes.  They tasted good and it was certainly easy to make.  The other 2 items are vegetable birds nest from Trader Joe's.  These are so good and also super easy to make.  I just drop these in the airfryer for about 10 minutes.  

Thursday was work and I went to a banquet/auction that night with some friends to support a non profit in town that helps expectant moms who need help with prenatal care. It was such a cold, windy day!

As 2024 comes to a close, this saying below was a favorite of mine!

I am hoping to rest and catch up at home this weekend, with the addition of a birthday party and lunch date.

Enjoy your weekend!

Share Your Shelf ~ December 2024

 Join in this month to share what's been on your shelf!

This month is a holiday feel good book.  It is a book about second chances at Christmas time.

"A feel-good novel as delightful and comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night, The Christmas Inn is bestselling author Pamela Kelley’s most heartwarming and magical book yet."

Doesn't this look like a cozy place to stay?  

I am a slow reader and especially in this stage of life and the holiday season too.  I am barely home long enough to watch a Hallmark movie, much less even read a lot.  I looked last night and I currently have 15 Christmas movies recorded.  I will be watching them until Spring!

Happy Thursday!

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Currently Hodgepodge ~ December 4, 2024

 Good morning!  I am linking with Jennifer for Currently and Joyce for Hodgepodge today.

Loving

I am loving having my daughter at home for her winter break from university.  We don't have many nights at home at the same time it seems with busy schedules, but I still get to see her and get a hug every day!

Looking Forward to

I am looking forward to 2025!  2024 was the year of hard changes for me and I am looking forward to 2025 being the year of more pleasant changes for me!

Buying

It's that time of year where when packages arrive at the door, I don't even know what is in the box.  Everything has been ordered now, so packages will be arriving this week and next.  

Hoping

I am hoping this time next year I am feeling more settled in life with a new place to live, finances and relationships.  I am hoping I can take care of myself to thrive the best I can.

Baking

I am baking Sourdough bread weekly and give away one loaf a week to someone.  I enjoyed the pumpkin sourdough version I made for Thanksgiving, but it is hard to beat regular fresh bread coming out of the oven.

1. What's the best $5 gift to give someone? 

I would give someone a candle for a small gift.

2. What's your favorite way to relax/unwind during the busy holiday season? 

My favorite thing is to sit on the couch with a Hallmark movie playing and looking at my Christmas lights!

3. How do you feel about gingerbread? Love it or no thanks? Are gingerbread houses a part of your holiday tradition? If you said yes, how does that look? Do you like ginger flavor in other kinds of dishes? 

I would vote no thanks on eating gingerbread.  I have not had success with making a gingerbread house, so that is off my rotation of things to do.  However, my daughter has done one the past few years. 

I do enjoy a ginger ale and often mix that with other juices for a drink.

4. December 5th is National Blue Jeans Day...will you be celebrating? Do you have a favorite brand? A favorite pair? Do you have a hard time parting with a favorite pair of jeans? Blue jeans-joggers-leggings-yoga pants...which one do you wear most often? 

I will not be wearing jeans that day due to I will be at work.  My favorite brands are Wit and Wisdom from Nordstrom or American Eagle jeans.  I have recently donated several pair of jeans to Madewell.  For each pair you donate, you receive a $20 off of regular price jeans.  It doesn't matter what brand you donate either, which is nice. I wear a mix of jeans and leggings out and wear joggers and yoga pants around the house.

5. As we head into this holiday season what's your biggest priority or goal for the end of the year? 

Whew, that is a loaded question for me.  My biggest priority for these next few weeks is to be flexible as our plans will look different this year and to be thankful in all I do that Jesus came in flesh on this earth.  I want to enjoy the season in the midst of the hard and different.  

6. Insert your own random thought here

After doing something hard yesterday, I bought myself some flowers.  I love the discounted flower section at Kroger!

Have a great day friends & join us tomorrow for Share Your Shelf of the books you have read lately.

Tuesday Talk ~ Thanksgiving 2024

 I so enjoyed my holidays and enjoyed having a few days off work.  I hope you did as well!

Wednesday morning, I did work from home, but then we went to my parents to eat pizza and visit with family.  I was able to meet my newest great niece, who was 1 week old in this picture.  She is a precious little thing!

I have had 2 great nieces born this year and 1 great nephew.  These are the mommas and grandmothers (note....the baby in the middle belongs to the momma 2nd from left. the other 2 are the grandmothers, my sister-in-law and sister).

Y'all know I'm crazy about these 2 little munchkins!

Here they are with my great nephew, my daughter and my niece who stayed with us from Tuesday-Saturday last week.

Thanksgiving morning, I watched the Macy's parade and decorated the Christmas tree, with some help from Brook.  I made strawberry pretzel salad and pumpkin sourdough bread to take to the Thanksgiving meal.

The turkey my niece cooked was so good!  

Everything on my plate was delicious!  I love Thanksgiving food!

This is my niece and her baby who was born this summer.  They live in Richmond and were here visiting so I gave her an early Christmas present.

Elvis Presley bibs!  .....side note, her name is Preslie!

My big sister, big brother (we are Irish twins) and me

It was a fun day with all the kids and visiting and eating!

The hugs were pretty amazing too and they provided lots of laughter! These are my girls with 3 of my great nieces.

Me and silly Millie!

My niece and daughter

These are my parents with my oldest daughter.

My great nephew, nephew and brother

Thank you for the prayers.  I had a tearful moment the day before, but the actual holiday was good and I was thankful to be with people who are also thankful for me.  

Enjoy your day!

Hello Monday ~ December 1, 2024

 

Welcome December!  November is my favorite month of the year, but I am glad for December to be here too.  My goodness, where does the time and years go?  I am not sad to see this year go, but I have had more growth this year than I ever anticipated, so I am thankful for that.  

Here is a little weekend update and I will be back tomorrow with a Thanksgiving recap. 

I purchased Color Street real nail polish strips at a recent Christmas market & gave them a try.  I am 5 days with these on now and there is just a minor chip, so I am pleased.  These are an easy peel and application to the nails with no damage.  They are actually removed with regular nail polisth remover because it is real nail polish.  I bought a few other colors too and hope I have found a new way to do my nails! 

Friday, I went to a few stores with my daughters and my niece and it was crazy with full parking lots and long lines at the stores. I came home and finished all my Christmas shopping, with the exception of a few gift cards, online.  Once all the gifts arrive, I will begin wrapping.  My oldest left late Friday night, so it was a short visit with her again.

Saturday, we took my niece to the airport and we went to see my parents, who weren't feeling so great.  Brook and I picked up some lunch to go then met friends for the afternoon showing of Wicked.

My lunch was healthy and delcious - zuchinni noodles, kale, sweet potates, onions and peppers

We loved Wicked and the cinematography really stood out to me.  Everyone who had a singing role was so talented, which is sometimes hard to find in musical films.  

Saturday night, I went in my full on casual wear to hang out with Jennifer for a few hours.  Her sweet Chloe really is such a sweet dog!

Speaking of sweet dogs, I had my old dog back home for the week as we kept him for the holiday week.  While it was extra work, it was fun to have him around for the week.

I went to church Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day at home.  I did laundry and it felt good to just be at home and feel a little more caught up on the little things. I made soup for lunch and this simple pizza wrap for dinner.  

I sprayed my pan with oil, sprinkled it with mozzarella cheese and put a healthy/keto tortilla on top.  I let the cheese melt then flipped the tortilla.  I spread a little pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni and more shredded cheese in the center then rolled up the tortilla.  It was a good quick snack/dinner.

I am back to work today and will face a few more hard things this week.  However, I know I will make it through when I think about how far I have come and other things I have survived.

Happy Monday & December!

Hodgepodge ~ 11/26/24

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  Linking up for a THANKS edition of Hodgepodge with Joyce. 

1. Talking turkey...are you cooking the turkey this year? Does ham belong on a Thanksgiving day menu? When it comes to gravy do you pour it over your whole plate, skip it altogether, or land somewhere in between? Cranberries-homemade or jelled right out of the can? Do you look forward more to the main course, the savory sides, or the desserts? 

My niece is cooking the turkey this year.  We have ham at Easter and at Christmas, but not at Thanksgiving.  I am not a gravy or cranberry eater, so if these are available, I will pass on both.  I am looking forward to a good turkey, because I don't eat it that often.  I do love dressing and all the sides!  

2. Holiday movies...tell us your favorite and what it is about the film that makes you love it. Is it the film itself or a memory it stirs? 

I love Four Christmasas, Elf, Christmas Vacation, The Holiday and then the Hallmark/GAC Christmas movies.  I love laughter/feel good movies this time of year, or really anytime of year!

3. A favorite way to give back and help others? 

I enjoy that my job is a way to give back and help others every day.  This week, I hosted the dinner we served at our local children's hospital.  I am thankful to be serving there every month.  

4. Name a place or setting you encountered this month that made you feel grateful. 

My birthday party this month was one of the most special nights I have had.  Being in a room listening to people encourage me made me feel so grateful for having such a strong support system here through the hardest season of my life.

5. Knowing what you know today, if you could redo yesterday what would you do differently? 

I would probably clean up my room so I didn't feel as scattered and messy today when I look around the room!

6. Spill your own random thought here. 

I would love your prayers as my girls and I experience our first Thanksgiving without my husband/their father with us.  My brother and his family are in town and we are looking forward to other family time though.  

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for this blog community of friends and wish I could give you each a hug!