Thursday, August 22, 2019

Five on Friday - August 23, 2019

Oh boy - this has been the week after vacation and I'm needing this weekend! I love coming home from vacation and feeling all energized. But I'm also looking forward to having a few down days to catch my breath again. Before any of that, here's my five for this week~

1. Maple Creme Oreos
Guess what Walmart has - maple creme Oreos! I'm going on the hunt for them this weekend. Can you imagine the kitchen at the Oreo factory. Those guys have been on overdrive lately with all the different flavors they've been whipping out. This one though - it could possibly be my favorite.

2. Angel Has Fallen

Definitely on our list of movies to see is Angel Has Fallen. Starring two of my favorites, Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman, makes this one look pretty promising. Here's the synopsis from Fandango:

When there is an assassination attempt on U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), his trusted confidant, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), is wrongfully accused and taken into custody. After escaping from capture, he becomes a man on the run and must evade his own agency and outsmart the FBI in order to find the real threat to the President. Desperate to uncover the truth, Banning turns to unlikely allies to help clear his name, keep his family from harm and save the country from imminent danger.

3. Lifestride See This Shoes

Mama got a new pair of shoes recently and I'm so in love with them. I wore them to work for the first time yesterday and got tons of compliments. Don't you love when people notice you're wear something new! These babies are both stylish and comfortable. Grab a pair while they are still in stock. Click HERE and use code LS10OFF to get 10% off and free shipping. With a deal like that, buy a couple pairs!

4. Underbed Storage

I'm always looking for more storage space and these containers are a perfect way to utilize that wasted space that's under your bed. They have 4 wheels built in to make pulling them in and out so much easier. Tuck away those sweaters in the summer and shorts in the winter in this handy container! Click HERE to get a pair for yourself.

5. When I'm old.....

Okay guys - have a great weekend. I'm visiting with a couple friends tonight, hosting a wedding meeting tomorrow morning and then enjoying the afternoon with a couple other friends at the Midwest Salute to the Masters in Fairview Heights, Illinois. So much fun ahead! Pop in next week to hear more about our vacation in Ireland. See you soon!

Linking up with:

The Peaceful Posse

Amanda at Meet At The Barre
Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday

This post contained affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase. Thanks

Friday Favorites - August 23, 2019

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

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Thinking Out Loud about Vacation - Dublin Day 1 and 2

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday! So glad you popped in today and hope you link up below and share your latest post. Eric and I recently returned from a week long vacation to Ireland and that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.

Way back in February, Eric and I started talking about where we wanted to vacation this year. Barcelona was high on my list, but Eric really wanted to go to Ireland. Since 99.5% of the time we vacation at my top destinations, I thought it would be nice to let Eric's choice win out this year.

After deciding we would travel in August because it's one of the warmest months in Ireland, I started checking vacation packages on Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline. We found a deal fairly quickly that fell in our budget and travel specifications and booked it. I ordered the Ireland and Dublin travel books by Rick Steves. Then I let the trip sit. And sit. And sit. The thought of tramping around in the cooler temps and rain wasn't making me overly excited to plan our excursions until I could see the weather forecast closer to our trip.

By the way, I ended up booking on Travelocity going through Ebates (or Ratuken as it's now called). If your not familiar with Ratuken, check it out HERE. Every quarter I get a big fat check for doing nothing special other than clicking through their site when shopping online or in stores!

Both Eric and I had ideas of some things we would like to do while in Ireland and we literally sat down the night before our flight left and booked a couple tours outside the city of Dublin. More on those in later posts. Today I'm going to talk about our Day 1 and Day 2, which were spent in Dublin. And by the way, going to Ireland was a fantastic decision. We had a magnificent time!

Day 1
We landed a little late and headed straight to the hotel via number 700 Air Coach. Although a bit apprehensive about taking the bus versus a car service or taxi, we were willing to give it a try. For a mere 6 euros a piece, it was a wonderful option. Air Coach was easy to find at the airport and there was a drop literally right outside our hotel.

The Clayton Burlington Road was our home away from home for the week. After checking in and dropping our luggage, we headed out to explore the city. It was a short 15 minute walk to St. Stephen's Green. The park got it's start in 1664 and was originally a medieval commons.

We meandered down Grafton Street and let the sounds and sights sink in. Street musicians were everywhere and it was nice just to pause and listen to their talents. Flowers adorned many of the building, making them beautiful to look at.

Seeing the Visitor Center, we went in and purchased our Dublin Pass for the next day and also booked a tour for one of our open days. Eric and I both were looking forward to busting out of the city and getting to see the country side.

Our bellies were telling us it was time to eat so we wandered in a pub. The football game semi final was on the television and it was a fun atmosphere to enjoy our first meal in Dublin.

We closed out the day by getting some gelato and walking back to the hotel. The following day we were going to conquer Dublin!

Day 2
Dublin here we come! We were up and out the door early to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus. It delivered us to our first stop - the Guinness Brewery. I'm not going to lie, after visiting this is one stop I could have skipped. We have the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis and their tour is so much more than the Guinness one. The best part was the Gravity Bar located at the top of the building with a 360 view of the city.

After leaving Guinness, we ventured to a couple churches and then accidentally became extras in the filming of Normal People in the courtyard of Trinity College. Oops!

Ireland has a long list of film locations. If you're a fan of The Tudors, Christ Church might look very familiar to you.

We had a very satisfying lunch at Boxty and were ready to check some things off the list. The afternoon was filled by seeing the Temple Bar, City Hall, Dublin Castle, and Penny Bridge.

Most of the things on our list inside Dublin were checked off so we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. Day 3 was going to take us to Belfast. Pop in next week to see our adventures on that trip!

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

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - August 21, 2019

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!

Happy summertime!! Last week’s party was a great one! Here are some of the favorite posts which everyone really enjoyed -

So let's get this party started!

Thanks to all of our party hosts for making this blog hop possible!

Take a moment and follow us

BAKES AND BLUNDERS [Colleen] - FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

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

PENNY’S PASSION [Penny] - FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

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

STILETTOS and SHIPLAP [Tara] - INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

THE SNYDER FAMILY [Brittany] - INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

Simple party guidelines:

Please TWEET our party ♥
Add as many of your family-friendly posts as you would like to. No Etsy shops, adult sites or blog parties, please.
Visit others. Let them know you stopped by!
If you are NEW to Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, let us know in the comments so that we can follow you back. ♥ Help us find your posts – tell us the title.
NOTE: party entries appear in REVERSE. i.e. the most recent entry goes to the top! That way all of our guests will have a really good chance to be seen no matter when they arrive.
Thanks! ♥

So, now, let's get this party started!

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Five on Friday - August 16, 2019

Happy Friday friends! I'm coming at you from Ireland today. We are having such a great time and I can't wait to share all our adventures with you starting next week. But for now, here's my five for today ~

1. National Tell A Joke Day

Bring out your humor today and share a joke or two because it's National Tell A Joke Day! Need a joke to share? Here's a couple for you:

What do you call a fairy that doesn't take a shower? A stinkerbell.

Why do bees have sticky hair? They use honey combs.

Why did the golfer bring two pair of pants to the golf course? In case he got a whole in one!

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
Did you guys read the book Where'd You Go, Bernadette? I read it for book club a few years ago and am anxious to see what they do with the movie. The book was a bit quirky for me. Here's how Rotten Tomatoes sums up the movie:

"Based on the runaway bestseller, Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an inspiring comedy about Bernadette Fox (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett), a loving mom who becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family. Bernadette's leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery."

3. Smart Plugs
Eric picked up the greatest thing at Sams the other day - smart plugs! I am forever calling him after I leave the house to see if he can make sure I unplugged my curling iron. Well, now I just plug my appliance into this smart plug and I can turn it on and off from my phone. How cool is that! So, if I get to work and wonder if I actually turned off my curling iron, I can just check on my phone to see how good my memory was as I was rushing out of the house that morning. Brilliant! Need some? Click HERE to purchase your very own.

4. Taylor Swift - Lover
Hey all you Swifties out there - she's done it again! Taylor new album, titled "Lover", is coming soon and a few of the singles are out there for your listening pleasure. She made history by taking home the very first icon award given at the Teen Choice Awards. While accepting the award, she announced her new single "Lover" will be out today. If you want to pre-order the entire CD, click HERE.

5. It's back to school time....

Have a great weekend! Pop in next week to hear all about our trip!

Linking up with:

The Peaceful Posse

Amanda at Meet At The Barre
Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday

This post contained affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase. Thanks

Friday Favorites - August 16, 2019

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - August 13, 2019

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to our party! So, have you shifted your attention from summertime fun to back-to-school yet? Yes, many of you are looking at the first day of school because it is coming soon! I still miss the days of getting my son ready for the first day of school!

So what do you have to share with us this week? Let's first take a look at our features from last week's party, and then get right into this week's event to find out >>>

Fabulous Featured Posts

Garden flags and signs to beautify your home #flags #banners #gardening

Make Your Garden Extra Special - Ducks 'n a Row

How To Hand Stamp Book Bundles - Our Hopeful Home

One Dish No Boil Penne and Meatballs - Our Table For Seven

Tiramisu Cake Recipe - Hammers and Hugs

The Diet I Didn't Realize I Was On [Intermittent Fasting] - The Style Safari

Vintage Boho Style Decor Trend - Follow The Yellowbrick Home

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

And now let's get this party started!

Thanks to all of our party hosts for making this blog hop possible! Follow us?

BAKES AND BLUNDERS [Colleen]FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST l TWITTER

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

ECLECTIC RED BARN [Beverly] FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST I TWITTER

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

LeCULTIVATEUR [Emily] – FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST

MY LIFE ABUNDANT [Tammy]- FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST I TWITTER

PENNY’S PASSION [Penny] –FACEBOOK I INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST I TWITTER

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

STILETTOS and SHIPLAP [Tara] – INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST

THE SNYDER FAMILY [Brittany] – INSTAGRAM I PINTEREST