Five on Friday - December 23, 2022

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!  Or if you're a Seinfeld fan, Festivus!  Are you ready for the big day?  I've been playing this whole month day by day and I'm definitely running out of days.  Lots to do in the next few days, but let's start with Five on Friday ~

1.  Jack Ryan and Emily in Paris

Two of our favorite shows dropped new seasons this week.  Perfect timing!  Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime) and Emily in Paris (Netflix) are going to be my entertainment for the next week while I'm off work.  We expect cold weather so it's perfect for cuddling on the couch, fireplace roaring, and these shows on the television!

2.  Champaign Bottle Earrings

New Year's will be here before we know it.  Look at these adorably fun earrings to help you celebrate!   Pop these on and you will be ready for the ball drop.  They would also make an adorable hostess gift.

3.  Wassail

Six years ago I shared the recipe we always use for Wassail.  It just wouldn't be the holidays at our house without a big pot of wassail warming on the stove.  Add a little brandy and you have the perfect cocktail to sip on a cold winter night.  If you're looking for a warm drink to serve your guests (or yourself), try this drink!  Get the recipe HERE.

4.  Daily Wisdom for Woman

I love starting a new year with a new devotional book.  For 2023, I chose the Daily Wisdom for Woman devotional collection.  Starting each day by reading a short devotional sets the tone for my day and brings me comfort.  How do you plan to start each day next year?

5.  Please remember...

Have a wonderful holiday!  I'm so excited to be sharing the holiday with our family and having a few days off work.  Now, I need to get back to wrapping and cooking.  Hope to see you back here soon!  

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - December 21, 2022

Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you are here.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, 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

1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

Holiday Thrifted Luncheon Table

VERY POPULAR

Craft Room Organization:  Painting

Decking the Halls with Christmas Collections

EDITOR'S CHOICE

13 Gift Wrapping Ideas

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

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Five on Friday - December 16, 2022

 I'm so excited to kick off the weekend!  This week has been full of holiday festivities and we're carrying that right over into the weekend.  Tonight we're hosting a party at our house and then tomorrow we're picking up our niece and nephews so they can spend the night at our house!  Before we officially kick off the weekend, let me share my five for today ~

1.  Avatar:  The Way of Water

After 13 years of waiting, the sequel to Avatar is now in theaters!  It's a real time commitment to watch it because it's 3 hours and 12 minutes long!  Apparently, this is the second installment of five Avatar movies.  You have a year to see this before the third one hits the theaters in December 2024.  Here's the summary of the current movie from Fandango ~

Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

2.  Reuseable Silicone Straws    

Okay, these straws really intrigue me - they split open for easier cleaning!  They can be used for hot or cold drinks.  The 8-count packages come in multiple colors.   Santa might want to drop a few of these in stockings this year!

3.  The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2023

There are a few people on our Christmas list that we love getting The World Almanac and Book of Facts.  I'm betting there might be a few hard-to-buy-for people on your list that it would be good for too!  The good news is if they like it, you're set for life because a new one comes out every year.  See all the predictions for 2023 inside this treasure trove.

4.  10 Things to Tell You

After a year's hiatus to write her book Share Your Stuff, I'll Go First, Laura Termaine is back podcasting!  10 Things to Tell You is a fun, upbeat podcast that comes out once a week.  Each episode is about an hour long and is full of interesting information.  She starts every episode by saying she has 10 things to tell you and you have 10 things to tell.  I'm so glad she's back!

5.  My prayer...

Have a great weekend!  I'll be back next week to recap all the exciting stuff we did over here.  

2022 Christmas Card

It's the holiday season and I love getting the mail this time of year!  Pulling down the lid to the mailbox and seeing holiday cards from friends and family inside makes me so happy!  Since I don't have many of your home addresses, I'm sending you our card via this post today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

For the last several years, I've elected to make our cards.  This year was very simple, but I love the end result!  In case you are interested in getting into card making, let me share some of my techniques ~

The front of the card was embossed using my Cuttlebug and an embossing folder.  I've had my embossing machine for years and (knock on wood) I've never had any problems with it.  It makes cardmaking a breeze!  

After finding the message to go on the inside, it's simple to lay out the cards on an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock.  Each piece of paper makes two cards.  My handy paper cutter slices them in half.  I carted my paper cutter and cards to Des Moines with me last week and worked on them in the hotel while Eric was at his company meeting.

Another tool I love is the scoring board.  It helps put the perfect crease down the middle of the card allowing it to fold in half.  

I use spray glue to connect the paper together.  After years of trying every kind of adhesive, I've found the spray to be the best.  Pair it with the handle and it makes for fast gluing!  The handle is really key.  We use it for paint, glue, really anything that comes in a can.  

Another one of my favorite tools is the brayer.  This is not what this tool is made for, but it works wonders for rolling over the paper you are gluing together to help form a strong bond with the glue.  It's supposed to be for inking stamps.  Maybe someday I'll get around to using it for its' intended purpose!

Put it all together and you have the final product!  Merry Christmas friends.  I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.

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

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Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - December 14, 2022

Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you are here.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, 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

1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

2022 Christmas Tiered Stand

VERY POPULAR

How to Use Blue Christmas Decorations

Book Review | The Christmas Spirit

Editor's Choice

Easy Eggnog Cookies

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

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Twelve Days of Christmas

By this point in the holiday season, we've all probably heard no less than 10 renditions of the beloved Twelve Days of Christmas song.   But did you know there's a theory claiming this song was used to secretly pass on the ideology of Christianity?  

This whole theory is new to me and I find it so interesting.  In case it's new to you too, here's the list symbolisms ~

• The Partridge in the Pear Tree is Jesus Christ.
• The 2 Turtle Doves are The Old and New Testaments.
• The 3 French hens are Faith, Hope, and Charity, the theological virtues.
• The 4 Calling Birds are the four gospels and/or the four evangelists.
• The 5 Golden Rings are the first five books of the Old Testament.
• The 6 Geese A-laying are the six days of creation.
• The 7 Swans A-swimming are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments.
• The 8 Maids A-milking are the eight beatitudes.
• The 9 Ladies Dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
• The 10 Lords A-leaping are the ten commandments.
• The 11 Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful apostles.
• The 12 Drummers Drumming are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.

If you add all those items up, the total number of gifts would be 364.  The gifts are cumulative, so you'd be getting a new turtle dove every single day and so on.  PCN Bank tracks the prices of each item and this year the total is $41,205.58.  

Here's something else I hadn't really thought of - the twelve days actually start on Christmas day and go for the 12 days after Christmas, which represents the coming of the Magi.  This puts the last day on January 5, which is also known as the Feast of the Epiphany.

Now that we've talked about the song, I'll be humming it for the rest of the day!  How about you?

Five on Friday - December 9, 2022

Hello there!  I'm writing to you today from Des Moines, Iowa.  Eric had a work event so I took vacation and tagged along.   I packed up 89 hours of stuff to do to keep me entertained for my 6 hours alone in the hotel room yesterday.  Even though I didn't tackle everything I brought with me, it was absolutely glorious to have part of the day to relax and be away.  One thing I did get accomplished was my Five on Friday post!  Here it is ~

1.  Empire of Light

From the minute I saw the previews of this film, I knew I wanted to see it!  Plus I'd go see anything Olivia Colman and Colin Firth were in.  It's been a minute since we've been to the show.  I'm hoping we can fix that over the weekend and catch this one.  What's it about?  Quoted from Fandango, "Set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a compelling and poignant drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, from Academy Award® winning director Sam Mendes."

2.  Bonine

If you've read my blog for a hot minute, you've heard me talk about Bonine.  But since many of you may be traveling over the holiday, I thought it was worth mentioning again.  This is a magic pill for me!  Later in life, I started experiencing severe motion sickness when I was riding in a car.  A friend suggested Bonine and it's been a miracle pill.  Now I don't experience any symptoms of motion sickness in the car and I can even read while we're traveling!  If you or someone you know has motion sickness, I highly recommend Bonine.  

3.  Star Projector

Do you have a star gazer in your life?  A star projector could be a perfect gift.  This gadget is a 4-in-1 device that's a combined projector, nightlight lamp, white noise machine, and music player.  What kid wouldn't love this in their room!  Let them drift off to sleep looking at the stars.  Sweet dreams!

4.  Calls to Santa

Let the kids dial-up Santa and leave a message with their Christmas wish list!  His direct number is 605-313-4000.  Then you can listen in and hear exactly what they are wishing for!  

5.  Hmmm...  Party anyone!

Weekends are at a premier this time of year.  Hope this one is everything you want it to be!  See you next week.

What I Read in November 2022

November was a fast month and not a lot of reading happened, but I'm sharing what I did read today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

Jodi Piccoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan's new book, Mad Honey, was high on my list when it came out in October.  It floated to the top of my to-be-read list and past others that had been there for a while.  This book was a real page-turner for me!  Make sure you read all the way to the very end with the authors' notes.  Click HERE  to watch a cool clip with Jodi.  Here's the book summary from Amazon ~

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past and what we choose to leave behind, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here and the bestselling author of She’s Not There

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can trust him completely. . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in Ash, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Next up is In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park.  Wow.  Talk about an eye-opener!  I listened to this book and hearing Yoenmi tell her story was impactful.  In Order to Live was our library book club selection.  At our meeting, the discussion was lively and interesting.  I choose to open the meeting by showing Yeonmi's TED talk, which was only a little over 10 minutes long.  It was a powerful way to bring her voice into our discussion.  

Here's the book summary from Amazon ~

In In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories. She tells with bravery and dignity for the first time the story of how she and her mother were betrayed and sold into sexual slavery in China and forced to suffer terrible psychological and physical hardship before they finally made their way to Seoul, South Korea - and to freedom.

Park confronts her past with a startling resilience. In spite of everything, she has never stopped being proud of where she is from, and never stopped striving for a better life. Indeed, today she is a human rights activist working determinedly to bring attention to the oppression taking place in her home country. Park’s testimony is heartbreaking and unimaginable, but never without hope. This is the human spirit at its most indomitable.

Matthew Perry documented his life in his new book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.  Friends is one of my all-time favorite shows and I was a little nervous about reading the book.  I didn't want to not like Matthew Perry after reading it!  Happy to report that I still like him.  He's very honest about the mistakes he's made in his past and took total responsibility for them.  Here's the book summary ~

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.

Three good books in November - I'll take it!  Usually, the days between Christmas and New Year's are ones I fill with reading.  Do you have any suggestions for books I should move to the top of my reading list?

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 - December 7, 2022

 

Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you are here.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, 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

1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

Winter on a Tray

VERY POPULAR

Easy 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge

Let’s Enjoy the Holiday Season! (Tips for Shopping, Decorating and More!)

Editor's Choice

The Easiest Cranberry Sauce You'll Ever Make

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter