Penny's Passion

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Five on Friday - March 11, 2022

It's Friday!  Who else is ready for a weekend?  Let's kick off the weekend with my five for today ~

1.  Daylight Saving Time
Brace yourself for losing an hour this weekend.  Daylight saving time officially begins at 2:00 am Sunday morning.  To be safe, we try to turn our clocks up before we go to bed on Saturday night.  Time usually feels a little off for a week or so, but I'm so excited for it to be light later into the evening!  


 2.  Two Chicks Cocktail
A couple weeks ago I was running through Sam's grabbing stuff for girls' weekend.  I spotted these Two Chicks sparkling vodka, pear, and elderflower cocktails and threw a couple 4-packs in my cart.  Best decision ever!  They are delicious!   I love their description, "Fragrant with flavors of lush juicy pear, this refreshing elegant cocktail is paired with a silky smooth vodka. The final hint of the velvety elderflower blossoms leaves an aromatic kiss on your palate. This cocktail defines relaxation.".  Now I'm on the lookout for the other flavors Two Chicks has out, but in the meantime, I'm going to continue to add these to my cart whenever I'm passing through Sam's.  




3.  Stanley Tucci:  Searching for Italy
For those of us who were looking forward to Season 2 of Stanley Tucci:  Searching for Italy to start on Sunday, March 13, we'll have to wait a bit longer.  CNN made the announcement earlier this month to postpone due to the Ukraine situation.  If you want to add a little Tucci to your life now, check out his food memoir Taste: My Life Through Food.


Danielle Steel's newest book was released this week.  Can you believe her books have sold over eight hundred million copies!  That's crazy!  She just keeps cranking them out.  Here's the summary from her latest ~
Jane Addison is an ambitious young woman with big dreams of owning her own company someday. At twenty-eight, she arrives in New York to start a job at Fletcher and Benson, a prestigious talent agency. Eager to impress her new colleagues, Jane jumps right in as an assistant to Hailey West, one of the agents in the literary department.

Hailey is dedicated to the authors she represents, but her home life is chaotic and challenging. After her husband’s tragic and untimely death, she was left widowed with three children to raise on her own.

Then there’s Francine Rivers, the stern and accomplished head of the literary department. Also a single mom after her husband’s affair with the nanny, she has overcome the resulting financial hardships, but only with unbearable sacrifice.

Compared to Hailey and Francine, drama agent Allie Moore’s life seems much more carefree and uncomplicated. She relishes her success and loves working with the talented actors they represent—until a passionate relationship with one of her rising star clients threatens to derail her career.

Merriwether Jones is the CFO for the agency. She appears to have it all—beauty, success, and a perfect marriage until her husband's jealousy over her career threatens to blow everything up.

Even though she’s a newcomer, Jane quickly realizes that there are damaging secrets hidden behind the doors of Fletcher and Benson. As one of the youngest employees, she has the least power, but is also the least willing to accept things as they have been for years. When she puts everything on the line to right these wrongs, the consequences will leave no one unscathed.

In this riveting novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of a group of remarkable women navigating the challenges of balancing their families, their personal lives and the high stakes of ambition at the top of their game.


5.  Oops...


Hope you have a great weekend!  We are hoping to knock a movie or two off our list of best picture-nominated films.  There are still four we need to see to complete the list.  I'm also going to do some planning for our upcoming Oscar party.  Fun stuff!  Pop in next week to see how it goes.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Thinking About the Oscars

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm thinking about the 2022 Oscar Best Picture nominations!


It's become a thing with me to try to see all the Oscar-nominated Best Picture films each year.  This year there are 10 up for the title and I'm currently sitting at having seen 6 of them.  I've seen the bolded ones below.  

Belfast
Coda
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

The lead contender to take home the statue seems to be The Power of the Dog.  Of all the movies we've seen on the list, that one is my least favorite.  Followed by Nightmare Alley.  If I were picking a winner from the ones we've seen so far, it would be Coda.  I'll keep you posted if my opinion changes after we see the last four movies.  How many of these have you seen?  Do you have a favorite?

The Award show will be aired on ABC on Sunday, March 27.  That evening fashion will be on full display as the actors and actresses strut down the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre.  I can't wait to see the whole thing!

For years, I hosted an Oscar party.  I really don't know why I stopped, but it's been a long time since our last one.  Too long.  So this year I'm rolling out the red carpet again and celebrating the award show with friends!  Now I just need to find some friends who love watching the show as much as I do!

Here are some of the things I'm planning to pick up from Amazon ~


Party planning is such a passion of mine.  Just the thought of getting things ready for this evening is giving me a charge.  And sometimes you just need something that will give you a little charge.

That's what I'm thinking about today.  What's on your mind?  Link up and share!


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Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - March 9, 2022

Join this week’s blog hop to find inspiration from dozens of bloggers for all things home and family including crafts, decor, DIY, fashion, recipes, fitness, gardening, travel, home improvement, and so much more!

Weekending - March 4, 2022

Yes, it's already Tuesday and I'm just sitting down to write my Weekending post.  We had a nice, calm weekend and I'm still running late posting about it!

I worked from home on Friday and as soon as the workday was finished, I lit the fireplace, grabbed my favorite magazine, a cup of tea, my favorite cozy blanket, and settled in for the evening.  It was glorious!  


It's the season of Lent so Friday night Eric stopped at a local fish fry to pick up supper for us on his way home from work.  Are fish fries a thing in your area?  They are big here!  We dined in front of the television with the fire blazing.

Saturday I had two wedding meetings with couples I'm working with.  I'm so glad weddings are happening again and I have wonderful clients to help.  This is a side hustle for me and I love doing it!  My limit is two per year and I'm booked for this year and already have one for 2023.  

A memory popped up on Facebook Saturday and it made me a little sad.  It was from a few years ago when we were at baseball's Spring Training in Florida.  We had hoped to go back this year, but as you may know, the baseball players are on strike.  Striking over money.  To play a game.  I don't get it.  I know I don't know all the details, but one of the things is the minimum player salary.  That minimum is $570,500.  To play a game.  I don't get it.


I'm in a small bible study group and Monday night we were meeting at our house.  So Sunday I prepped some of the food we were having for dinner and set the table.  We're still rocking the Mardi Gras theme on the dining room table.  


One of the items on my to-do list was to order more free at-home covid tests.  Checked that off!  Did you get yours ordered?  If not, go HERE to get place your order.

Sunday night we went out to dinner to celebrate our son's birthday.  It's hard to believe that my baby is turning 31 this week!  


Hope your week is off to a great start!  I'm determined to have a productive week.  Here we go!

Friday, March 4, 2022

Five on Friday - March 4, 2022

It's Friday!  We got a taste of Spring this week with the temperature rising into the 70s.  Now I'm all anxious to get some Spring cleaning done!  Before all that starts, let me share my five for this week ~

1.  Batman Movie
Robert Pattinson will be debuting his Batman skills today when the newest Batman movie opens in theaters.  It seems like it's been a minute since we've seen something come out of Gotham City.  Here's the summary from Rotten Tomatoes ~
Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.
Next week is a very big week for Dolly Parton.  The book she wrote with James Patterson, Run Rose Run, hits the stands on Monday.  Monday Dolly will also be hosting the 57th Annual ACM Awards.  Today the song with the same name as her book will be released.  See - BIG week for Dolly!  Here's the summary of her new book ~
Every song tells a story.

She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.

She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire—a story that only America’s #1 beloved entertainer and its #1 bestselling author could have created.

There's still time to plan a festive St. Patrick's Day tablescape.  Amazon has a perfect set of 6 placemats that will jumpstart your table.  These would also make an awesome hostess gift if you're going to be dropping in on friends to celebrate the big day.

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I was recently gifted a new cologne by Jo Malone and it's so wonderful! The description says it all ~
Jo Malone's 'lively, spirited and totally joyful' cologne has been blended to capture the scent of the coastline. The rich blend of Wood Sage coupled with the mineral aroma of Sea Salt mimics crashing waves on rugged cliffs and a fresh sea breeze. It's a perfect reminder of the coastline for when you're in the city.

If you're in the market for a new scent, I highly recommend giving Jo Malone a try.  Their room scents are wonderful too!

5.  Need some support?


Hope you have a lovely weekend!  I have a couple wedding meetings and our small group from church is meeting on Saturday night.  And on Sunday we are going to celebrate our son's birthday!  There's some organizing on the list of things to do too.  Pop in next week to see how it went.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

2022 St. Patrick's Day Tiered-Tray

Hello there!  Thanks for stopping by today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm thinking about our St. Patrick's Day-themed tiered tray!

As soon as I turn the calendar page to March, I'm anxious to get out the St. Patrick's Day decorations.  I'm not going to lie, I threw this year's tiered tray together super fast last Friday.  My friends drove over from Kansas City and I wanted to get a million things done, decorating the tiered tray included, before they arrived.  Let's take a peek at how it turned out ~





Our tray sits in our kitchen window and we have plenty of room to spread the decorations out.  The wood chunks are thanks to my dad.  I needed some for a wedding I helped with a few years ago.  Since then I've found a million reasons to use them!



The little leprechauns all came from Hobby Lobby.  Every year I pick up a few and now I have quite the collection.




The vintage sign also came from Hobby Lobby.  This is reminding me I still need to pop in there this year and see what they have so I can add to my stash.


Overall I thought it turned out great considering the whole project came together in about 15 minutes!


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


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Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - March 2, 2022

 Welcome!

Join this week’s blog hop to find inspiration from dozens of bloggers for all things home and family including crafts, decor, DIY, fashion, recipes, fitness, gardening, travel, home improvement, and so much more!