Weekending - March 27, 2020

Hello there friends!  I had an epiphany this weekend - not everyone in our country is sheltering in place.  It's an odd feeling knowing that you will be staying isolated for an unknown period of time.  Eric and I typically are totally out and about during the weekend.  This weekend was completely different.  And honestly, I felt myself starting to have a bit of a hard time with it.

Last week I didn't really find a groove.  The weather, which was cloudy and rainy, certainly didn't help my mood! I'm determined to make this week better.  There are a million things to be grateful for in this pandemic time and we just need to stay focused on those.  How's everyone else feeling?  Are you currently sheltering in place?  

We had the most beautiful sunset on Saturday night.  This is an unfiltered picture I took off our front porch.  Definitely put a smile on my face!

We got our first puzzle of Pandemic 2020 completed.  I have a second puzzle waiting in the wings to pull out.  There's a puzzle company located in St. Louis, Puzzle Warehouse, that is actually hiring people right now because their business has gone through the roof.  Guess we're not the only ones fitting pieces together!

Speaking of puzzles, remember the letters I sent to my nephews and niece last week mentioned in my Thinking Out Loud Thursday post?  Well, on Saturday I reaped the reward from sending them.  My niece sent me a video clip of my great-nephew thanking me for his letter and some adorable pictures of him.  It really brightened my day!  So much so that yesterday I wrote him another letter and cut it into puzzle pieces with my Silhouette.

Saturday afternoon I had a zoom chat with some of my friends in Kansas City.  We started a book club a while back and decided to have our book discussion via Zoom this month.  Zoom is such a fun way to stay connected!  

For the third week in a row, we watched our church service online.  This week we actually had communion virtually.  I will be so grateful when our church family is all under the same roof again!  But I'm also very grateful that we have a way to stay connected virtually during this time.

We've been eating a lot of comfort food this past week.  Sunday night we even had dessert.  You might not recognize me when we come out of this because I'm probably going to weigh 50 pounds more!

Now it's off to conquer the week!  I'm going to fit in more walks outside this week and also come up with a meal plan.  The Easter decorations will also be coming out of the basement and into place.  Pop in on Thursday for a preview.

Five on Friday - March 27, 2020

We've made it to Friday!  What a week!  We are currently under order to shelter in place and all non-essential businesses are closed.  Eric is still working and I'm working from home.  What's your situation?  Whatever your situation is, I'm so glad you stopped by today to read my Five on Friday!  So with no further ado, here you go ~

1.  Ozark
Today's the day!  Season three of Ozark releases today and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  I'm so ready for something to binge this weekend as we shelter in place.  Eric and I both love this drama so it will be fun watching the 10 new episodes together.

2.  Concert Hosted by Elton John
Sunday night, March 29, Elton John will be entertaining us from his stay-at-home concert.  It's going to air commercial-free on Fox at 8 pm Central Time.  He'll be joined by Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, and Tim McGraw.  All of them will be performing from their homes.  The artists will be encouraging us to donate to Feeding America and First Responders Children's Foundation.  It sounds like a fun time!



3.  Walmart has new ice cream flavors!
If ice cream is one of your comfort foods, get ready to be comforted!  Walmart is introducing four new flavors for you to add to your cart:  Margarita Lemon-Lime Sherbet, Root Beer and Vanilla Float Ice Cream, Circus Cookie Ice Cream, and Mango Habanero Coconut Ice Cream.  Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it?  Which one would you want to try?  For me, I wouldn't mind sampling the Root Beer and Vanilla Float one.



4.  A Year of Us
If you're stuck in your home sheltering at home with your significant other, conversation may be getting a bit underwhelming.  A Year of Us book could help you out.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~

Deepen your connection―daily questions to help couples explore each other

Whether you’ve been together a month or 25 years, there’s always something new to learn about each other. A Year of Us is the couples journal that helps the two of you grow your connection through 365 days of insightful questions that explore your hopes, dream, needs, wants, and more.

Covering everything from the lighthearted to the heartfelt, this couples journal makes it simple to start new conversations with each other―every day of the year. Strengthen your bond by examining questions of finance, sexuality, hopes, dreams, and even hobbies. This will improve your mutual understanding and create an even more solid foundation for your relationship.

A Year of Us: A Couples Journal features:
365 days, 365 questions―What makes it hard for you to apologize? What were some of the most romantic moments from when you first started dating? Each entry offers a new opportunity to learn about each other.

A shared exploration―Reflect on yourselves and your relationship as you write in answers that can easily grow into full-fledged conversations that reach outside this couples journal.

Guided growth―See how the two of you change during the year with the help of opening and closing reflections that show you how this couples journal has affected your lives.

Communication is the key to every successful relationship, and this couples journal will help you develop that skill every day.

                              

5.  Wardrobe necessity...

This week I've had a couple Zoom chats with friends and have another one scheduled this weekend.  Really looking forward to seeing my friends' faces.  I might try a new recipe or two.  What's on your list to do the next couple of days?  Pop in next week to see what we were up to.

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday

Friday Favorites Linky Party - March 27, 2020

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

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Thinking Out Loud Thursday - March 26, 2020

Hello!  Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  Yes, it's Thursday.  I've been working from home since Tuesday and it's been an interesting adjustment.  Today I'm thinking out loud about some of the things I've been doing.

Thank heavens for Zoom!  I've connected with my friend Linda a couple times on Zoom and it's just great to see her face.  Tonight a couple other friends and I had a chat and it's so refreshing to connect.  What are you doing to stay connected to friends?

Reality hit me today that I would not be seeing my family at Easter.  I did a little online shopping through Amazon to get a few things for the kids.  Then another reality hit - not all Amazon items are shipping or being delivered with their usual speed.  I'm not complaining - they are doing their very best to get essential items delivered promptly.  I'm just reminding you that if you're a procrastinator like me, you might need to plan ahead a bit more than you're used to.  :)

Speaking of the kids in my family, today I sent each of them a letter.  A real, snail mail, letter.

The letter was written on a piece of cardstock and then I ran it through my Silhouette making it into a puzzle.  In a few days, the kids will get their envelope full of pieces and when they put them together they will see the note from me.  I've requested a small favor from each of them - write me a letter, send me a picture of themselves, color me a picture.   Hope they enjoy getting them and doing the favor I've asked of them.

I filled out our census information online this week.  The paperwork had been traveling back and forth to work with me for a week or so.  It felt good to cross that task off my list.  Have you filled yours out yet?  

I'll be back tomorrow with Friday Favorites Linky Party and Five on Friday.  Friday Favorites Linky Party is always full of links that give you new recipes and craft projects to try.  If you're looking for some new things to try during this slowed down time, pop in and check out the links.

Now it's your turn to share what you're thinking out loud about today.  Can't wait to hear from you!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - March 25, 2020

Welcome!

Our hosts just want to say THANK YOU to all those who contributed to last week's party and WELCOME to all the new bloggers who have joined our weekly blog hop. Please invite your blog friends and social network to join us.

Spring is officially here!! Even though we are in a different state of mind for a few weeks, the spring air is perfect for walks and enjoyment. Nature ignores the news of the world and keeps on showing us how beautiful this world can be.

Don't forget to use this hashtag #wwbloghop when sharing our party!

Let's get this party started!!

Top Viewed

Curly Crafty Mom

Very Popular

Our Clover House

The Kitchen is My Playground

Artful Homemaking

My Life Abundant

Editors Choice with a touch of spring

Craft Attic Resources

Lou Lou Girls

The Happy Housie

Comfort Spring Station

Thanks to our co-hosts who share our party on their blogs every week ♥ Please follow them and share our party, too?

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

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

HAMMERS 'N HUGS [Ahna] - FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST 

Be sure to grab our Specially Featured button if your post was featured this week to show off on your blog or sidebar!

Please TWEET our party ♥

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Weekending - March 20, 2020

In case you have been tucked inside for a few days and are losing track of what day it is - Today is Tuesday, March 24.  Hope you guys are all holding up okay under these different times.

Eric is still working at his work place and today I start working from home.  I'm so thankful that we have each other because I might drive myself crazy if I were doing this staying at home thing alone.  The weekend was actually fun because we rarely just hang out at home that much together.  I don't know if I'll be saying that after a few weeks! 

Here's how we spent the weekend ~

Friday night Eric had to work late.  I swung by my favorite sushi restaurant, Wasabi, and picked up dinner.  They happily delivered my order out to my car.

I was so excited to have my Sephora Play Box waiting for me when I got home.  For $10 a month, this little box of surprises shows up in my mailbox and brightens my day.   I was so glad to see a little can of dry shampoo in this month's box.  Believe it or not, I've never tried dry shampoo.  Now that I'll be spending some days at home, I'm going to give it a go. 

Saturday Eric was up bright and early to head to work.  I decided to make a quick trip to Sam's to stock up on a few things and get gas.  I was pleasantly surprised at the number of things they had on their shelves.  We are stocked and ready to hang at the house for a while!

When I got home, I couldn't resist watching a bit of the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas.  It was playing in the background as I worked around the kitchen.  Did you watch any of it?

In the afternoon, my friend Linda and I did a Zoom video chat.  I hadn't done one before and it was so easy!   It's a free service and lets you see who you're talking to.   This week I'm going to try to get my parents connected so we can have a video chat.

Saturday night we had one of our favorite comfort foods for dinner - Chicken Pot Pie.  After dinner, we started watching The Office.  It's so hilarious!  Years ago I watched every episode, but Eric hadn't seen them all.  It's been a great way to get some laughter in our lives.

Sunday we were both got to spend the day in the house.  The morning was cold and sleet was coming down.  What a perfect lounge-around-the-house day!  For the second week in a row, we enjoyed our church service online.   Then we got to work on a puzzle we had started.

I had a ham baking in the oven and the aroma wrapped around us like a big hug.  We turned the music up loud and had a dance party in the kitchen.  Highly recommend doing this!

Monday we both headed off to work.  Once there, it was decided that I'd finish the week working from home.  So today I start my new normal.  My computer is set up and I'm ready to go!  Hope your week is off to a good start.  Tomorrow I'll be hosting the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.  Pop in and see all the great recipes and ideas being shared!

Five on Friday - March 20, 2020

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone is practicing social distancing so we can get this virus knocked out.  I know it will be a bigger challenge over the weekend, but hopefully, everyone will use judgment.  One thing that is safe is reading blogs, so let me share my five with you today ~

1.  Stay at Home Book Tour
One of the activities I know I'm going to miss is going to the library to see a couple authors that had planned stops.  Anne Bogel, the author of Don't Overthink It, is hosting a Stay at Home Book Tour.  Every day next week a different author will be hosting Zoom events to chat about their book.  Here's the schedule ~

All events to take place the week of March 23; all times EDT.
Monday: Patti Henry, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, noon
Tuesday: Leesa Cross-Smith, So We Can Glow, 7pm
Wednesday: Anne Bogel, Don’t Overthink It, noon
Thursday: Kimmery Martin, The Antidote for Everything, 7pm
Friday: Ariel Lawhon, Code Name Hélène, 11am

Visit Ann's Modern Mrs. Darcy blog (HERE) to sign up.  I'm excited to see how the first one goes on Monday!

2.  Tips to Structure Learning from Home

My friend Linda, who is a retired teacher and instructional coach, added a fantastic blog post this week to her site that will help all the parents who are now facing homeschooling their children.  You can find it HERE.  It's packed full of resource links and helpful hints to make your experience good for both you and your children.  

3.  Hallmark Christmas Movie Marathon

The Hallmark Channel really stepping up and doing their best to keep everyone's spirits high.  This weekend they will be bringing back 27 of their "Countdown to Christmas" movies.  Starting Friday at noon and going until Sunday evening, you can curl up on the couch and veg on all the Christmas cheer you can stand.  Thanks Hallmark for doing the right thing!

4.   Aromatherapy Shower Tablets

Let's face it, the world is a little bit stressful right now.  I love starting my day in a relaxing way by popping an aromatherapy tablet in the shower.  As the tablet fizzes, a light scent fills the shower.  You will be able to feel the stress and tension melt away!  Grab some for yourself!  They come three to a box so you could also bust the pack up and give one to three of your friends.  

                       

5.  Don't do it....

Be wise and safe out there!  We will get through this challenging time as we all work together to contain this crazy virus.  Remember to support the small businesses in your area.  I'll be back next week to share some fun stuff with you!

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday

Friday Favorites Linky Party - March 20, 2020

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

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!

<a href="http://www.simplysweethome.com/category/friday%20favorites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://www.simplysweethome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Friday-Favorites-Button.jpg" border="0" /></a>

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!

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - March 19, 2020

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!

Hey friends!  This has been such a crazy week with all the coronavirus information coming at us at the speed of light.  Things are changing so fast it's near impossible to know what's happening.  I have friends who are all over the spectrum - those who believe it's still a hoax to those who are afraid to leave their house under any circumstances.  Honestly, I'm somewhere in the middle right now.  Currently, my work is still having us come in, so my daytime schedule hasn't changed.  But my after-hours life has definitely come to a screeching halt!

In an effort to not fall into a mindless coma watching television every night, I'm going to put together a list of things I hope to accomplish while the world has slowed down.   Here are a few things I thought of immediately ~

1.  Get my emails under control.
Right now I have 9,288 emails in my inboxes.  Too many!  I now have time to sift through and get rid of all the junk I've been waiting to view "when I have more time".  I definitely have more time now and should take advantage of it by cleaning out my inboxes.

2.  Learn to fold a fitted sheet.
Honestly, one of the reasons I wash the sheets and put them right back on the bed is because I don't know how in the heck to fold that darn fitted sheet!  Our spare pair of sheets never make it out of the linen closet.  Here's a YouTube video that does a great job demonstrating this task.  Come check out my linen closet in a couple weeks.  I'm going to have the best folds you've ever seen!

3.  Shred old paperwork.
This task definitely builds up and I put it off far too long.  Here's a list of when to get rid of paperwork from LifeHacker.com ~

Tax records and receipts (keep for seven years)
Pay stubs and bank statements (keep for a year)
Home purchase, sale, or improvement documents (keep for at least six years after you sell)
Medical records and bills (keep at least a year after payment in case of disputes)

4.  Organize my pictures.
I could be quarantined for the rest of my life and I'm not sure that would be enough time to organize all my millions of pictures, but I would like to get our latest trip pictures organized.  Getting a few of them printed would be nice too.  Plus looking through all those pictures is going to bring back so many great memories!  Just what I need in this crazy time.

5.  Dust the leaves on our fake ficus trees.
Definitely a job I put off is dusting our fake plant leaves around the house.  They are going to be shining when the quarantine is lifted and we have company over again.

What are some things you've been putting off that you might have time to do now?  We'll get through this time and hopefully come out better for it on the other side.

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 - March 18, 2020

Welcome!

Our hosts just want to say THANK YOU to all those who contributed to last week's party and WELCOME to all the new bloggers who have joined our weekly blog hop. Please invite your blog friends and social network to join us.
Don't forget to use this hashtag #wwbloghop when sharing our party!

Let's get this party started!!

Top Viewed

Chas' Crazy Creations

Very Popular

Hammers N Hugs

Ducks N A Row

The Curious Frugal

Scratch Made Food

Editors Choice

The Crowned Goat

Thanks to our co-hosts who share our party on their blogs every week ♥ Please follow them and share our party, too?

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

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

HAMMERS 'N HUGS [Ahna] - FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

Be sure to grab our Specially Featured button if your post was featured this week to show off on your blog or sidebar!

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!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter