Five on Friday - September 27, 2024

I'm so happy it's Friday!  We have a great weekend ahead and I'm glad it starts soon.  First up - Five on Friday ~

1.  Halloween Movies

In just a few days, October will be here—Halloween month! Freeform is kicking off the spooky season with its 31 Nights of Halloween movies.  Grab the snacks and settle in for some fun Halloween!  

2.  Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

Counting Miracles came out this week and will surely by Nicholas Sparks's next big hit.  It's going straight on my TBR list.  If you're a fan of Sparks' signature blend of romance and drama, this new release will not disappoint! Here's the summary ~

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.

Available HERE

3.  Nobody Wants This

Netflix has just dropped a new series called Nobody Wants This, and all 10 episodes are available to stream now. If you're searching for your next binge-worthy show, this might be it! I'm especially excited because it stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody—two of my favorites. Bell plays a podcaster, while Brody takes on the role of a rabbi. I can't wait to dive into this one and see what unfolds!

4.  Best of Buble

Michael Bublé's latest album drops today, and I'll be playing it on repeat all weekend! The collection features 21 tracks, including two brand-new, never-before-released songs. Have you caught him on The Voice? He's absolutely charming—so sweet and funny!

Available HERE

5.  Halloween movie time...

We are headed to the Sting / Billy Joel concert tonight.  It's in an outdoor venue and it's supposed to be raining, but I'm determined to go and have a great time with my friends.  Then Saturday and Sunday we're hosting our 2nd Annual Putt Putt Golf Tournament.  Our friends TW and Logan are coming into town and we, along with our son and daughter-in-law, are going to putt our little hearts out all over St. Louis!  Great times ahead!  See you next week!

2024 Fall Mantel

Welcome!  It's time for Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Let's dive in ~

The calendar has marked the turn, and now fall is upon us, quietly settling in with its cool breeze and changing leaves.  Our mantel made the change this week and today I'd like to share it with you.

This year we decided to pile on the pumpkins!  We laid out a garland strand of eucalyptus and put a strand of lighted leaves on top.  Then carefully layered in the pumpkins.

The leaf-shaped string lights give off such a beautiful glow when the room lights are off, and I absolutely love the ambiance they create!

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 - September 25, 2024

 

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are so glad that you stopped by.

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, 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

1. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X
4. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
5. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
   

TOP VIEWED

Brie and Pear Puff Pastry Bites

VERY POPULAR

Ultimate Halloween Cake:  Chocolatey Red Velvet

The Charm of Toasted Pecan Peach Crisp

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Heirloom Tomato Jam

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

London - Day 3

Hello!  Today I'm sharing Day 3 of our recent London trip.  It's so fun going back and looking at all our pictures.  If you missed Days 1 and 2, you can see it HERE.  Now, on with Day 3 ~

We had purchased the Go City London Pass because we knew we wanted to see many of the attractions they offered.  We started the pass on our third day in London by visiting the King's Gallery and Royal Mews.  Both are located at Buckingham Palace and were literally right across the street from where we were staying.  

Photography was not permitted in the King's Gallery. To be honest, we moved through it rather quickly. While it was interesting to see the collection of royal portraits, I don't think we would have missed much if we had skipped it.

The Royal Mews was a must-see for me! It serves as the monarch's main stable and oversees the road transportation for the entire royal family. Located at Buckingham Palace since 1825, the tour featured several iconic royal coaches and even a state car.

The coronation carriage was also on display.  Since King Charles's coronation wasn't that long ago, I imagine this carriage was dusted off quite recently!  The Gold State Coach was built in 1762 and has been used for every coronation since William IV's in 1831.  

After the Mews, we traveled to Windsor via train.  Windsor is about an hour outside of London and worth the trip.  Getting there on public transportation was smooth and easy.  So many things happened at Windsor like the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth.  I couldn't wait to walk the grounds of Windsor!

We were able to visit inside the St. George's Chapel and the many rooms inside the castle.  On the tour is also the area that burned in 1992 and was restored.  There are a million things to see at Windsor!  Queen Mary's Dollhouse, many famous paintings, and the chapel are just a few of the things to see.  This is another location where no photos were allowed inside.  

After roaming around Windsor, we were hungry!  It was a short walk from the castle to our restaurant choice of Browns.  

Browns has an interesting background.

One of the things we ordered was the watermelon duck salad.  So good!  

After our meal, we ventured across the Thames River to Eton.  Eton is the town where Prince William attended school.  It's an adorable little area!

When we were finished exploring this area, we took the train back to London and called it a day.  We had walked just over 6 miles and had seen so much history.  It was a great day and we were excited to see more the rest of the week!

Five on Friday - September 20, 2024

Whew - the week is almost over!  Welcome to Five on Friday.  I can't wait to share my five things with you so let's go ~

1.  Super / Man:  The Christopher Reeve Story

We already have our tickets to see the Super/Man:  The Christopher Reeve story on Saturday.  It's only playing in movie theaters for one day, so if you want to see it get your tickets!  Here's the summary ~

The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today. Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care - all while continuing his career in cinema in front of and behind the camera and dedicating himself to his beloved family.

2.  Starbucks Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte

Starbucks has a new drink out and man does it sound scrumptious!  Step aside pumpkin spice flavor - the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte is available now.  I'm hearing this latte is like homemade pecan pie in a cup.  It's made with blonde espresso, creamy oat milk and hints of browned butter and nutty pecan.  They finish it off with a sprinkling of pecan crunch topping.  How good does that sound!  It also comes in a cold version.  With the iced version, you also can get a layer of salted pecan cream cold foam on top!  I might have to try both to see which one is my favorite!

3.  The Third Gilmore Girl:  A Memoir

Attention, Gilmore Girls fans! A new book has just been released for you. The Third Gilmore Girl, Kelly Bishop's memoir, hit the shelves this week. Here's a quick summary ~

Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.

Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

Full of witty insights and featuring a special collection of personal and professional photographs, The Third Gilmore Girlis a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.

Available HERE

4.  Pumpkin Mailbox Wrap

Our mailbox is about to get a seasonal upgrade with a pumpkin-themed wrap! I love refreshing its look as the seasons change. Currently, it's decorated with sunflowers, but pumpkin season is just around the corner! These wraps are incredibly easy to install—just slip the vinyl over the top, and the magnets keep it securely in place, no tools are needed.

Available HERE

5.  How long would it take you to put this puzzle together?

Now let's get this weekend started!  We don't have a ton on the agenda.  Having just returned from vacation, there's a lot of catching up to do.  If you missed the recap of the first two days of our trip, you can catch it HERE.  I'll be back next week with more.  Hope to see you then!  Have a great weekend!

London - Days 1 and 2

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something I’m thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same. Today I’m reflecting on our recent vacation!

Last week we had a wonderful holiday in London! I’m going to record some of our activities here so we will be able to remember them and hopefully help anyone else looking for reviews or things to do in London.

We left St. Louis Friday afternoon, flew through Chicago, and landed in London on Saturday morning ready to start our vacation. Our son, Ian, was meeting us there and had landed just before we did.  It was exciting to be in London and also exciting that we were going to get to see the city with our son!

Our home for the week would be a flat we booked through Booking.com. Since our son was joining us, I thought it would be more comfortable to have some space larger than a hotel room. I found a 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat right across the street from Buckingham Palace. The location was perfect! With a full kitchen, we could have made meals in the unit. As it turned out, we ate breakfast in the flat each day but ate out for the other meals. Having a refrigerator, we were able to keep drinks and snacks on hand. There was also a washer/dryer unit if we needed it.

Upon meeting up with Ian, we picked a ramen place close to our unit for lunch and talked through our plans for the week. Our check-in time wasn’t until 4:00 pm, so we had a few hours to kill before we could get into our unit and drop off our luggage. 

It's true that phone booths are everywhere!  I couldn't resist getting my picture with one straight away.

After lunch, we spent the time roaming around Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park grounds.  The architecture was beautiful!

For dinner, we walked to Golden Union for traditional fish and chips. The walk was about a mile and it took us past Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. It felt good to be out and about stretching our legs after a long day of traveling. 

 We were treated to the most beautiful rainbow right behind Big Ben!

Golden Union offered several types of fish with their fish and chips. They even have plant-based options if that appeals to you. We landed on sharing the Haddock and Cod. It was so tasty! One of the reasons we chose this spot for fish and chips was they had milkshakes and that sounded pretty good to all of us. Turns out, only 1 out of the 3 of us loved their milkshakes. But 3 out of 3 of us loved the fish and chips!



After dinner, we had a leisurely stroll back to the flat while soaking up our surroundings.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early so we could get to the British Museum. Entry into the museum is free, but they encourage you to book tickets online.

The articles we were most interested in seeing were the Rosetta Stone, the Lewis Chessmen collection, and pieces of the Greek and Roman pantheon. Just roaming through the exhibits brings an awareness of how long the world has been in existence and how much history has gone before us. 

We left the British Museum in time to walk back to Buckingham Palace for our tour of the State Rooms. The Royal State Rooms are open to visitors each summer. This year you could book tickets from July 11 to September 29. This is a must-do if the rooms are available to tour while you are there! An audio guide was available free of charge and was very informative. I’m not going to lie, I was devasted when they said we would not be able to take pictures!

Every room was breathtaking! It was incredible to stand in the same spaces you see in royal photographs and reflect on the historic events that took place there.

Even though no photos are allowed inside, you can snap away once you exit the building.  The exit opens to the gardens in the back of Buckingham Palace.    

Reservations had been made weeks ahead of time for the Gordon Ramsey’s Savoy Grill restaurant. We wanted to indulge in Beef Wellington and Savoy Grill had great ratings. Dinner was mouthwateringly delicious!

As we meandered through the streets on our way home, we popped in Amorino for gelato. So scrumptious! And I loved the presentation! 

This trip was shaping up to be pretty amazing! I’ll be sharing additional activities from our trip soon.

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