Thursday, September 24, 2020

Five on Friday - September 25, 2020

Whoop, whoop - it's Friday! I'm so ready for the weekend. How about you? Are you ready for the last weekend in September? I'm thankful that you're starting off the weekend by stopping by to catch my five. So with no further ado, let's get to it ~

1. Hallmark Countdown to Christmas
Hallmark announced their Countdown to Christmas movies for this year and I can't wait! It's nice with all the cancellations and postponements this year, Hallmark is coming through with new happy-ending movies. Not even a pandemic can keep them down! The fun begins October 24!

2. International Observe the Moon Night

Once a year NASA hosts the International Observe the Moon Night and it's happening this Saturday, September 26. It's a time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. The timing is based around when the Moon is around first quarter when there's excellent viewing opportunities. There's a live event on Facebook that begins Saturday at 6:30 CST. We are going to be tuning in!

3. The Return

Nicholas Sparks has a new novel coming out on Tuesday. Who doesn't love a good Nicholas Sparks' novel? Here's the summary from Amazon ~

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.

Tending to his grandfather's beloved beehives, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding.

Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road. Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues -- until a crisis triggers a race to uncover the true nature of Callie's past, one more intertwined with the elderly man's passing than Trevor could ever have imagined.

In his quest to unravel Natalie and Callie's secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness . . . and that in life, to move forward, we must often return to the place where it all began.

4. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Rolls

They're back! Trader Joe's has seasonal pumpkin rolls that are delicious and they are currently in their stores. We had some last year and my only regret is I didn't buy enough to last all year long. I'm making a special trip there this weekend and stocking up.

5. In the good ole' days....

Now let's get this weekend started! We have great weather on the way, then the bottom falls out. It's supposed to be in the 80s today through Sunday, then the high on Monday is 60. I'll be spending time this weekend trying to find some warms clothes to wear to work next week. Pop in next week to see what else we were up to this weekend!

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home

Friday Favorites Linky Party - September 25, 2020

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Saying Goodbye to RBG

Hello there! Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something that's on my mind and invite you to link up below to do the same.

Today I'm thinking about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Putting all politics aside, RBG was one of the great legal minds of our time. She was wise and witty, powerful and humble. She was a champion for women and a role model to so many.

She will be the first woman to lie in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court and the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. capital.

We loved the movie On the Basis of Sex, which was based on her early life and cases. Actress Felicity Jones plays RBG and portrays her spirit and spunk from 1956 when she was a first-year Harvard Law School student. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch!

I love a good quote and she has so many. Here's a few of my favorites ~

And probably my favorite, which is so appropriate for the times we are living in right now ~

One of the podcasts I try to listen to daily is called Here's Something Good. In their episode on September 21, titled Ruth Bader Ginsburg, In Her Own Voice, they play an excerpt from a speech RBG gave in 2015 at the Seneca Women tribute to the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. She talks about the advice she got from Justice O'Connor when being nominated to the high court. The whole episode is only 6 minutes - so worth a listen!

Rest in peace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. You fought the good fight and will remain in our history forever. Thank you so much for what you gave us!

Now it's your turn - what's on your mind today? Link up and share!

Monday, September 21, 2020

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - September 23, 2020

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! Hope your week is off to a great start. We have some links today that can make it even better! Before we start our main event, let's take a look at our features from last week's party!

Top Viewed

My Favorite Farmhouse Fall Decor

Very Popular

Easy Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

5 Ways to Use Rub n' Buff

Decorating a Table with American Country Antiques

Editor's Pick

Pickle Dip Roll-Up

Fall Apple Tiered Tray

And, now, let's get this party started! We would love it if you would invite your followers to join us. When you do, remember to use the hashtag #WWBlogHop!

DUCKS ‘N A ROW [Sinea] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

ECLECTIC RED BARN [Beverly] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

ENGINEER MOMMY [Jennifer] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

LeCULTIVATEUR [Emily] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

MY LIFE ABUNDANT [Tammy] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

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SIMPLE STEPS FOR LIVING LIFE [Cindy] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

STILETTOS and SHIPLAP [Tara] – INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

THE SNYDER FAMILY [Brittany] – INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

THE SHORT ORDER COOK [Angela] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

HAMMERS ‘N HUGS [Ahna] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

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Weekending - September 18, 2020

Is it just me, or do Mondays get here real quick? It seems like it was just Friday and now here we are starting a new week.

The highlight of the weekend was celebrating my dad's 82nd birthday on Sunday! If you know my dad at all, you won't believe that he is 82. He is as active as a 30-year-old! We have cut way back on visiting this year due to COVID, but I just couldn't let his birthday go by without spending some time with him and the rest of my family. So Sunday we drove to my parent's house and saw the whole gang!

The little ones are getting so big. My nephew just had his fifth birthday, so we delivered his birthday gift instead of sending it in the mail.

We spent the day outside pushing the kids on the swing and watching them ride their bikes.

It was a spectacular day! Happy birthday Dad! So glad we got to spend some time with you to celebrate your special day.

Saturday night we have our small group meeting from church. We've been meeting outside so we can social distance. It was chilly enough Saturday that we had a fire pit going!

When we got home, we had our first mug of hot chocolate for the season. That did the treat for warming us up!

In between all the fun, we've been watching the heck out of Life in Pieces. We are loving it!

I was so sad to hear about the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She played such an important role in our history.

And that is a wrap from the weekend! Hope you had a great one too!

Friday, September 18, 2020

Five on Friday - September 18, 2020

Happy Friday! Who's looking forward to the weekend? I've got both my hands raised over here! Let's get right to my five for today ~

1. The Speed of Now - Part 1
Keith Urban's new CD releases today and the songs he's dropped early are pretty darn good. I'm excited to hear the rest of the sure-to-be hits. Did you see him hosting the ACM Awards this week? He's so charming. This CD has 16 songs and is available HERE. Happy listening!

2. Hershey Vampire Kisses

Halloween is probably going to look a little different this year, but we can all celebrate Hershey's new Vampire Kisses. Bite down in one of these chocolate morsels and inside you'll find red vampire blood (which is really strawberry creme)! And the foil wrapper has little bats. How adorable is this! I'm going to Target for a bag because they will be too cute for my candy dish at work.

3. The Book of Two Ways: A Novel

One of my favorite authors has a new book coming out on Tuesday. Jodi Picoult's The Book of Two Ways: A Novel is summarized on Amazon like this:

Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.

Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.

But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.

After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.

As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?

Does this sound like a great Autumn read!

4. Leopard Print Belt

With the temperatures cooling down, soon the long pants will be a staple in outfit selection. Why not add some pizzazz with this adorable leopard print belt! The price can't be beaten and it's getting great reviews on Amazon. Just what I need to spruce up my fall wardrobe. Do you need one too?

5. Once a mother, always a mother...

We are ending the week on a very high note - our nephew and his beautiful wife had their first baby yesterday! We've enjoyed seeing all the pictures and can't wait to meet him in person. With COVID it might be a while before that happens. We're also headed to my home town this weekend to celebrate my dad's 82nd birthday. Pop back in next week for the weekend rewind. Have a great one!

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday