Five on Friday - April 19, 2024

Friday rolled around super fast this week!  I'm getting ready to go on a week-long work trip and, boy, the last few days went by way, way too quickly.  Let's see what five things I managed to put together for today ~

1.  The Tortured Poets Department

Remember back on February 4 at the Grammy's when Taylor Swift announced she was going to released a new album?  Well, today is the day!  The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor's eleventh album, is out for all to hear!  The album is comprised of 17 songs,  two of which are duets.  One of the duets is with Post Malone and the other with Florence and the Machines.  Can't wait to take a listen!

Available HERE

2.  National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day

Make the most of this national day - clean out those medicine cabinets!  Get rid of all those leftover drugs you knew were supposed to finish, but didn't.  Expired aspirin?  Today's the day to toss it out!  But disposing of unwanted drugs isn't as easy as flushing them down the toilet, possibly contaminating the water supply.  Instead, use a handy drug and deactivation disposal kit!  

3.  Funny Story by Emily Henry

Emily Henry's newest book releases next Tuesday!  I'm going to preorder it as a gift to myself for working so hard and being away from home.  I loved her book titled Book Lovers and I'm hoping to like this one just as much.  Here's the summary ~

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Available HERE

4.  Hard Miles

If we have a spare minute this weekend, I'd love to catch a movie.  Hard Miles is opening today and it sounds pretty inspirational.  Here's the summary ~

A strong-willed social worker at a youth prison assembles a cycling team of teenage convicts and takes them on a transformative 1000-mile ride. Inspired by the life of Greg Townsend and the Ridgeview Academy Cycling Team. This is the story of how these troubled young men found another gear.

5. Think about it...

Enjoy your weekend! It's supposed to be a little chilly here so I doubt we will be doing a lot outside. Hope to see you back next week!

Let's Go Places Tiered Tray

It's Thursday and I'm so happy you stopped by to see what I'm thinking out loud about today! I'm excited to share our latest tier-tray design.  

I had been antsy to find a new theme and when I saw these travel things at Michael's I knew I'd found it!  

We printed wallet-size pictures from a few trips we have taken with our son and daughter-in-law.  They added a personal touch to each tier of the tray!

A gold plated airplane tops off the tray!

The large print in the back of the window screams "Let's Go Places".

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Rounding out the window is a globe reminding us of all the places around the world we would love to visit.

Seeing the pictures from previous vacations definitely puts a smile on my face every time I look at the window.  I'm already thinking of additional pictures I want to add to the window! 

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - April 17, 2025

 Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more.

A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, then be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature! 

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.

MEET THE HOSTS

1. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
4. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
5. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
6. Denise –THISISMYEVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

Pineapple Bread Pudding

Free Printable Books I've Read Tracker

VERY POPULAR

Crescent Roll Peach Dumplings

DIY Repurpose Thrifted Glass

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Sparkling Limoncello Cooler

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries 

will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Five on Friday - April 12, 2024

What a week!  We kicked off the week on Monday with an eclipse party!  It was such a fun day and I'm already looking forward to the next eclipse coming through here in 2045.  

Now we're suddenly at Friday already and it's time for Five on Friday!

1.  Recycle Your Eclipse Glasses

Are you hanging on to a pair or two of those sexy eclipse glasses?  Want to put them to good use?  Recycle them!  Astronomers Without Borders is collecting them to redistribute to other parts of the world that will be experiencing an eclipse.  Click HERE for a list of collection partners that will vet and store your used glasses.  

2.  Dairy Queen New Dipped Cone Flavors

Dairy Queen is making summer even sweeter this year with their new and returning cone flavors!  You can pick from the confetti dipped cone, cherry dipped cone or the not-so-secret peanut brittle crunch cone.  All of them sound pretty delicious to me!  Which one do you want to try?

3.  Stanley Mother's Day Quencher

Stanley just released three new cups that, for the first time, are flanking a beautiful floral design.  They are here just in time for Mother's Day!  The quencher comes in frost, sherbet (shown below) and blue spruce.  You can pick from the 30-ounce or 40-ounce sizes too.  As of this moment, they are all available at the Stanley website but act fast if you want one because you know how quickly these things sell out!

4.  LaRoy, Texas

Laroy, Texas looks like one of those movies that is the perfect blend of silliness and suspense.  And one that both Eric and I will enjoy!  It opens today and is definitely going on my to-be-watched list.  Here's the summary ~

Broke and depressed, Ray (John Magaro) is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip (Steve Zahn), he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.

5.  Thought...

Have a fantastic weekend!  The weather is supposed to warm up here and I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time outside.  I also have a new project I'm working on.  My friend Debbie and I are launching a card-making endeavor.  She's a great watercolor painter!  I'm using her original painting to make cards.  Hopefully we'll have some together in time for Mother's Day.  See you back next week!

Sedona Girls' Trip - Day 4

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm wrapping up a recent trip to Sedona.

We woke on our last day in Sedona to another cold, cloudy day.  On the agenda for the day was going to a vortex, visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and stopping at the Montezuma Well on our way back to Phoenix.  

On the way to those places, I had to snap a picture of the McDonald's in Sedona.  Notice something different?  It's one of the seven McDonald's that does not have golden arches! 

If you look up things to do in Sedona, you will see a lot about energy vortexes.  These are referred to as energy centers or power spots.  Now, I'll be honest - I didn't feel any superpowers when we were standing by the vortex, but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous!

From the vortex, we headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  The chapel was completed in 1956 after 18 months of construction.  This place was so beautiful!  Nestled at the top of a hill, the church is listed as one of the ten most beautiful churches around the world according to Architectural Digest.  

Inside is as stunning as the outside.  When you stand on the brass plate of feet and look up, you see Jesus looking right down into your eyes.  So, so moving!

The day was winding down and we were spending the night in Phoenix before flying out the next day.  On our way from Sedona to Phoenix, we stopped at Montezuma Well.  This place was a bit disappointing to me.  Not as beautiful in real life as the picture lead us to believe it would be.  

Our final dinner of the trip was at Roaring Fork.  Great way to end a girls' trip!  If you missed the other summaries from the trip, click the day to see what we did ~

Day 1          Day 2          Day 3

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - April 10, 2024

 

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more.

A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, then be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature! 

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.

MEET THE HOSTS

1. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
4. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
5. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
6. Denise –THISISMYEVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

It's Time to Prepare Your Garden

Vintage French Seed Packet Garland

VERY POPULAR

Dreamy Pineapple Orange Cake

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Italian Cream Soda

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries 

will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Five on Friday - April 5, 2024

Here we are on the first Friday in April.  Thanks for stopping by Five on Friday today.  Let's jump right in ~

1.  Krispy Kreme Eclipse Doughnuts

Monday is a big day around here.  The solar eclipse is going to be passing right through our area!  Krispy Kreme and Oreo has teamed up to celebrate by bringing us a special total solar eclipse doughnut.  Yes, please!  They are only here for a short time so grab them while you can.

2.  National Caramel Day

Today is National Caramel Day!  I have been wanting to make some homemade caramel for a while and today just might be the day I do it.  The method I'm going to try is to take a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, remove the wrapper, place it in a large pot, fill the pot with water so that the can is submerged entirely, place the pot on the stove over high heat, and let it boil for an hour or so.  The longer it cooks, the thicker and richer it will become.  The key is to make sure the can stays completely covered with water.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

3. Pop-Tart Crunchy Poppers

Okay fellow Pop-Tart lovers, we have a new snack to try!  Pop-Tart Crunchy Poppers are making their way into stores and I can't wait to give them a try.  Crunchy Poppers come in two flavors:  Strawbery Crunch and Frosted Brownie Crunch.  They are individually packaged making them a no-prep, no-mess snack.  The price tag is $3.99 for a 5-count box and $6.59 for a 10-count box.  

4.  Table for Two by Amor Towles

Did you read The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, or Rules of Civility?  The author of those books, Amor Towles, just released his newest book Table for Two.  This one is a bit different.  Table for Two contains several short stories.  I really liked The Lincoln Highway so I'm curious to read this one.  Here's the summary ~

Millions of Amor Towles fans are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood.

The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise that operate at the heart of modern marriages.

In Towles’s novel Rules of Civility, the indomitable Evelyn Ross leaves New York City in September 1938 with the intention of returning home to Indiana. But as her train pulls into Chicago, where her parents are waiting, she instead extends her ticket to Los Angeles. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood” describes how Eve crafts a new future for herself—and others—in a noirish tale that takes us through the movie sets, bungalows, and dive bars of Los Angeles.

Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting fiction.

Available HERE

5.  So true...

Hope you have a great weekend!  We have a landscaping project going on and a few other outdoor things that I hope we can wrap up this weekend.  Oh, and there are all the Easter decorations we still need to take down.  See you back next week!