Five on Friday - July 1, 2022

Happy July!  Thanks for stopping by today to see what's on my five for today ~

1.  The Staircase

We have been watching The Staircase on HBO Max.  What a totally bizarre story!  It's inspired by a true story and explores the life of Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth).  Michael is accused of killing his wife (played by Toni Collette).  It's quite the twisted tale!  Have you seen this show?

2.  Suspects by Danielle Steel

Danielle Steel's newest novel was released this week.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~

Theodora Morgan is fashion royalty. Founder of a wildly popular online shopping service, she is one of the most successful businesswomen in the world, although she prefers to keep a low profile, especially over the last months. It was a year ago when the unthinkable struck her family, and her husband, industry mogul Matthieu Pasquier, and their son were kidnapped and held for ransom—a nightmare that ended in tragedy.

The case has gone cold, despite evidence linking the crime to Matthieu’s Russian competitors. Theo has reluctantly gone back to work running her company. On the flight to a launch party for one of her highly anticipated pop-up shops in New York City, she crosses paths with high-society networker Pierre de Vaumont. Theo politely invites him to her event—unaware that Pierre has been flagged by the CIA.

Senior supervising CIA operative Mike Andrews investigates Pierre’s suspicious Russian contacts and clears him to enter the country, but when he realizes that Theodora Morgan is on the same flight, he becomes concerned for her safety. Posing as a lawyer, Mike begins a covert mission—starting with Theo’s opening party. When Mike and Theo meet, their connection is instant, but Theo is completely unaware of Mike’s true objective or identity… or that the life she is rebuilding is in grave danger.

3.  Big Cheez-It Tostada and the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme

The ultimate collaboration is taking place between Taco Bell and Cheez-It.  The two new items on Taco Bell's menu are made with a giant Cheez-It.  Doesn't Cheez-Its make everything better?  The Big Cheez-It Tostada swaps the standard hard shell for a supersized Cheez-It.  The Crunchwrap Supreme is also made with a giant Cheez-It.  I just might have to check these out this weekend! 

4.  National Postal Worker Day

Guess what today is - it's National Postal Worker Day!  Today's the day to say a special thank you to the crew that ensures your mail is safely tucked away in your mailbox day after day.  Approximately 490,000 postal workers across the United States head out each day to get our envelopes and packages to us.  Let's show them a little appreciation today!

5.  Travel tip...

Have a wonderful weekend!  Eric and I will be celebrating this 4th of July at Fair St. Louis.  Sunday and Monday we'll be on the fairgrounds, selling Thelma's Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Eric started working for Thelma's almost a year ago and absolutely loves it!  This will be our first event - wish us luck.  Whatever is on your agenda for this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful time and stay safe.  See you next week.

What I Read in June

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of June!  So today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday I'm thinking about the books I read this month.  After I do my recap, you're invited to link up and share what you're thinking out loud about today.

June was a great reading month.  I'm a very slow reader and I managed to finish three good books this month!  Let's take look at them ~

I belong to a book club at our local library and this month's selection was The Survivors by Jane Harper.  I loved The Dry by the same author and was looking forward to digging into this book of hers.  

My rating:  3.5 out of 5

Honestly, The Survivors disappointed me a bit.  It wasn't as good as The Dry.  Not that this book was bad, it just didn't keep my interest as intensely as The Dry had and I was hoping it would.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...

Next up was Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.  I actually listened to this one and found every time I had an extra minute I was anxious to listen to more. There is a huge twist that literally made me gasp out loud when it happened.  Netflix already has the rights to make this book into a movie.

 

My rating:  4 out of 5

Amazon summary ~

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

The third book I read this month was the freebie from Amazon First Reads.  I choose The Brighter the Light.  I was excited to turn the pages and see what was happening next.  It was mildly predictable but still had some surprises.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon summary ~

When a shipwreck surfaces, old secrets are sure to follow.

Or so goes the lore in Ivy Neale’s hometown of Nags Head, North Carolina. When Ivy inherits her family’s beachfront cottage upon her grandmother’s death, she knows returning to Nags Head means facing the best friend and the boyfriend who betrayed her years ago.

But then a winter gale uncovers the shipwreck of local legend—and Ivy soon begins to stumble across more skeletons in the closet than just her own. Amid the cottage’s clutter are clues from her grandmother’s past at the enchanting seaside resort her family once owned. One fateful summer in 1950, the arrival of a dazzling singer shook the staff and guests alike—and not everyone made it to fall.

As Ivy contends with broken relationships and a burgeoning romance in the present, the past threatens to sweep her away. But as she uncovers the strength of her grandmother and the women who came before her, she realizes she is like the legendary shipwreck: the sands may shift around her, but she has found her home here by the sea.

Have you read anything good lately?  I'd love to hear what your favorite reads have been.

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 - June 29, 2022

 Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and thanks for stopping by! I hope your week is off to a great start. 

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

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

Please follow the hosts on at least 1 social media channel!

1. Ahna - HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Anne & AnnMarie - SIMPLY 2 MOMS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
   
3. Bev - ECLECTIC RED BARN | IG | PINTEREST
4. Cindy - SIMPLE STEPS FOR LIVING LIFE | FB | IG | PINTEREST
5. Christin - MY HOMIER HOME | FB | IG | PINTEREST
6. Emily - LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
7. Jana - HARVESTING HOME | FB | IG | PINTEREST
8. Penny - PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
9. Sinea - DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
10. Tammy - MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST
11. Tara - STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST

Today's Features

Top Viewed

Thrifting Bonanza

 Very Popular

Beautiful Lakeside Cottage Summer Home Tour

Very Popular

All American Mantel

Editor's Picks

Patriotic Holiday Assemblage in Vintage Tin

Best Amazon Prime Deals

Be sure to grab our Specially Featured graphic below if your post was featured this week, and hyperlink it to this post on your blog or sidebar. We love showing you off!

Let's Get This Party Started

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Weekending - June 24, 2022

This weekend was one of pure rest and relaxation for us!  Here's the recap ~

We had purchased tickets to see the new Elvis movie Friday night and were both excited to see it.  The movie definitely didn't disappoint!  Two thumbs up from both of us.  Austin Butler has Elvis's mannerisms down pat.  

My latest order from my new favorite Etsy job, ADVdesigns, arrived on Friday.  I love the personalized note that comes with each order!  See the blue star ones - those are going to be perfect for the 4th of July!

Saturday we spent most of the 100-degree day floating around in our son and daughter-in-law's pool.  It was so peaceful!  I love my new Kindle Paperwhite that I got for Christmas this year.  Honestly, I haven't used it a ton, but it's perfect for reading outside.  It's also waterproof, so if it would happen to fall in the water it wouldn't have been a big deal.  

I was reading the book The Brighter the Light, the free book I choose from the June Prime First Reads list.  If you haven't picked your book for June yet, I recommend this one.  Sometimes the free books don't really excite me, but this month was an exception.  

We grabbed pizza for dinner and settled in on the couch to watch Jerry and Marge Go Large.  It's currently streaming on Paramount Plus.  Have you seen the previews?  It's really cute!  The movie is inspired by the true story of retiree Jerry Selbee, who's smart enough to find a loophole in the Massachusetts lottery.  Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening deliver solid performances and it was fun to see Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) in it too.

The heat of Saturday gave way to a stormy, cloudy Sunday morning.  We lounged around in the morning and then decided to take a little road trip south to have lunch at The Blue Owl restaurant in Kimmswick, Missouri.  Kimmswick is a quaint little town full of shops, a winery, and the famous Blue Owl Restaurant.  The owner, Mary Hostetter, has been featured on The Oprah Show, The Food Network magazine, and Midwest Living magazine just to name a few.  She was actually working the hostess desk when we arrived on Sunday!  

Even though lunch filled us up, we had to spring for dessert!  Eric decided on the butterscotch pecan pie and I got a piece of carrot cake.  So good!

Inside the restaurant, there's also a bakery.  Everything in the case looks fantastic!

After lunch, we strolled around the town a bit checking out several of the shops.  Then we drove to the nearby Mastodon State Historic Site.  There is a museum inside the visitor's center that houses displays, artifacts, exhibits, and an interpretive video.  This site is also home to three hiking trails.  We made a note to visit again in the fall when the leaves are turning.  

On our way home, we swung by Eckert's to get some of their freshly picked peaches.  Soon you will be able to pick your own at their orchards.

Sunday evening I caught up on reading a couple new magazines I received last week.  Magazines are still one of my favorite things to read from hard print.  

And that's a wrap on the weekend!  This week I'm going to finalize the plans for my niece and nephew's upcoming visit.  I also have some bridal shower invitations I'll be finishing up.  Fun times ahead!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  See you back here soon!

Five on Friday - June 24, 2022

Yay - it's Friday!  We are ready for a weekend over here.  There's not a single thing on our agenda for the weekend and I'm totally okay with that.  Let's get things started with my five for this week ~

1.  Elvis

We are Elvis fans in this house and are excited to catch the new movie about him.  It opens this weekend and would be a great date night activity.  Here's the summary from Rotten Tomatoes ~

The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley's rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis's life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).

2.  Beauty Brands Liter Sales

Beauty Brands Annual Liter Sale is happening right now so it's time to stock up!  Several of their most popular shampoos and conditioners are included and you can save up to 65%.  With the prices of everything going up, now's the time to stock up!

3.  2-Tier Organizer

My side of the bathroom sink had gotten totally out of control.  I purchased this two-tier organizer to help bring some order to the chaos.  It fits perfectly under my sink.  Now my makeup and everyday use items such as deodorant and lotion are safely tucked away.  My sink area is no longer a total eye sore!  Best purchase of the month!

4.  Meet the Moonlight

Jack Johnson is releasing his new 10-song album today called Meet the Moonlight.  This is his eighth album and his first full-length album in five years.  Today also kicks off Jack's tour of Meet the Moonlight.  St. Louis isn't on the list of cities he's visiting, but you can check HERE to see if he will be coming to a city near you.

5.  This is me...

Have a great weekend!  While I was writing this post, Eric purchased tickets for us to see Elvis on Friday night - exciting!  Over this weekend I'm going to do some planning for our niece and nephew's visit the first of July.  I like to keep the kids busy and have the days organized so we know the visit will go smoothly.  Hope to see you back next week!

2022 Patriotic Tiered Tray

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something I'm thinking out loud about and invite you to link up and do the same.  As we are inching closer to the July 4th holiday, I'm thinking about how glad I am that I actually got our holiday decorations in time to enjoy them before the holiday hit.  Today I'm sharing our three-tier tray.

The window spot in our kitchen has become the area we change up frequently.  It's currently hosting some of our 4th of July decorations.  It's amazing how much stuff we've collected over the years!  Here's how it came together this year ~

It would be hard for me to say which layer is my favorite, but if I had to pick I would probably go with the middle one.  I love the fabric-covered balls I picked up a few years ago.  My friend Linda and I stumbled upon them in the cutest little resale shop.  

The window area is large enough that we can spread items all the way out on both sides.

My favorite little Uncle Sam characters add a fun touch.  We picked these up at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

We love this one so much that it will probably stay up well into July.  Who says you can't celebrate the 4th of July for the whole month?

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 - June 22, 2022

 Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and thanks for stopping by! I hope your week is off to a great start. 

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

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

Please follow the hosts on at least 1 social media channel!

1. Ahna - HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Anne & AnnMarie - SIMPLY 2 MOMS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
   
3. Bev - ECLECTIC RED BARN | IG | PINTEREST
4. Cindy - SIMPLE STEPS FOR LIVING LIFE | FB | IG | PINTEREST
5. Christin - MY HOMIER HOME | FB | IG | PINTEREST
6. Emily - LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
7. Jana - HARVESTING HOME | FB | IG | PINTEREST
8. Penny - PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
9. Sinea - DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
10. Tammy - MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST
11. Tara - STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST

Today's Features

Top Viewed

Sunday in the Garden

 Very Popular

A Morning at the Flea Market

Very Popular

Tablescape…In Search of Roy Lichtenstein

Editor's Pick

Upcycle Vintage Chair Spindles into Farmhouse Flags

Taco Stuffed Avocado Bar

Be sure to grab our Specially Featured graphic below if your post was featured this week, and hyperlink it to this post on your blog or sidebar. We love showing you off!

Let's Get This Party Started

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter