Friday, May 18, 2018

Five on Friday - May 18, 2018

Happy Friday! Are any of you as excited as I am to watch the Royal Wedding this weekend?!? I'm not excited enough to get up at 2 in the morning to start watching, but I am excited enough to tape it and watch when I wake up. Before all the festivities begin, here's my five for this week ~

1. Royal Wedding Tea
When I was in Kansas City last weekend, my friend Linda served me some of the Harney & Sons Royal Wedding Tea. YUM!! Wouldn't this be a fun tea to be sipping on tomorrow morning while watching the wedding. It's available at Barnes and Noble.

2. Book Club

This movie looks hilarious! It's been on my list to see since the first time we saw the previews and it opens this weekend. Here's the Fandango summary, "Diane is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage. Vivian enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon is still working through her decades-old divorce. Carol's marriage is in a slump after 35 years. The lives of these four friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous "50 Shades of Grey." From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter their best chapter yet."

3. Fountain for the Bird Bath

I have been toying with the idea of trying one of these solar fountain pumps in our bird bath. Doesn't it look adorable!! Because it's solar, you don't have to have an electric line running to it and it would keep the water in our bird bath from getting all slimy and gross. For $20.49, I think the investment would be worth it. Want one? Click HERE to check it out.

4. The Outsider

Are you a Stephen King fan? Well, if so, you'll be excited to hear his new book, The Outsider, is being leased on Tuesday, May 22. Here's the Amazon summary, "An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can."

Want to get yours pre-ordered? Click HERE to purchase and have it the day it's released.

5. Becoming older....

Have a wonderful weekend! Tonight I'm headed to the Cardinals baseball game with some friends from work and then for the rest of the weekend I'm hanging around the house trying to get caught up on some things I've let fall behind. I think it's finally safe to switch out my winter and summer clothes. Pop back in next week to see what I got accomplished and my thoughts on the Royal Wedding.

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
5 on Friday

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

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Friday Favorites - May 18, 2018

Happy Royal Wedding Weekend! My feature today is all about having a watch party for the big event. Enjoy!

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

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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

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!

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - May 17, 2018

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday! We have jumped right into summer over here and I'm thinking out loud today about some household things that should be done to prepare for it ~

Change Your Ceiling Fan Direction

Did you know that in the summer your ceiling fans should be turning in a counter-clockwise direction and at a higher speed to get the breeze going.

If your ceiling fan is spinning in the wrong direction, there should be a small black switch near the base. Simply hit that button and your fan should start turning in the other direction.

The cool thing about using your ceiling fan (pun intended), is you can set your air conditioning about 4 degrees higher with no reduction in comfort when you have a fan in motion.

Programmable Thermostat

Do you have a programmable thermostat? If not, you should definitely consider putting one of these babies on your wish list. Our favorite is the Sensi (available HERE). This model was named the Best Overall smart thermostate of 2017 by USA Today's Reviewed.com.

It will allow you to save money on air conditioning (and heating too) by programming your schedule so your air is not running when you don't need it to. If your schedule changes, you can adjust the temperature remotely with your smart phone. So cool - literally!

Check Your Hot Water Heater Temperature

Did you know that your water heating accounts for about 18% of the energy consumed in your house? One way to control the cost is to turn down the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees. No reason to have the water so hot it scalds your hands!

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

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Hello everyone! This is my very first week being part of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop team. I'm so excited to be joining this great group of bloggers and I think you will enjoy all the links shared below. Now on with the fun ~

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to this week's party. We have great news! Two new bloggers have joined our team of co-hosts: Emily from LeCultivateur and Penny from Penny's Passion. We are so excited to have them with us. Please be sure to visit their blogs and welcome them to the crew! Last week, these were the posts you viewed most...

Most Viewed

Orange Creamsicle Pie - I Dig Pinterest

Very Popular

Doughnut Bundt Cake - Our Table For Seven

Patriotic Banner & Free Printables - Penny's Vintage Home

Cupcake Potholder Tutorial - The Apple Street Cottage

Editor's Picks

Kindness Rocks - A Fun And Frugal Life

So let's get this party started! This week, if you have not already, we would love it if you'd visit our blogs and subscribe by email!

Co-hosts of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Simple Steps For Living Life

Penny's Passion

LeCultivateur

Please TWEET our party ♥ Use the hashtag #WWBlogHop
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!
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 what number they are?
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 chance to be seen no matter when they arrive.
Thanks! ♥

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday, May 14, 2018

Weekending - May 11, 2018

Happy Monday! What a weekend! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day. I had more to celebrate than just that special day -- we enjoyed celebrating a graduation too.

On Friday, I drove across the state to Kansas City to celebrate a college graduation. My friend's daughter, Haley, earned her Master's and it was exciting to share in the festivities with her family. She has worked hard to earn her degree and we are so proud of her.

I whipped up the banner and the present embellishment with my Silhouette. I swear I don't know what I would do without that machine!

After the graduation ceremony, we ventured to Lidia's for cocktails and dinner. You might have heard of Lidia Bastianich - she's the founder and president of Tavola Productions which produces Lidia's Italy. She also has several cookbooks, which are now on my want list. I'd love to start with her book Lidia's Celebrate Like An Italian book that contains 220 foolproof recipes that make every meal a party. But back to the graduation dinner.....

Our party of twenty traveled to this former railroad house located just north of Kansas City's historic Union Station, that is now home to Lidia's, and began with cocktails. There is a lovely garden area for people to gather and the bar is great also.

Dinner and dessert were served family style. Believe me, no one walked away hunger!

With full bellies and happy hearts, we left the restaurant knowing that Haley was truly loved and her future looks very bright.

Saturday morning I met with a couple in Kansas City that I'm helping with their wedding. You know how much I love weddings, so this was a fun meeting! When that was over, I headed to my home town to pick up my mom. We were going to spend the rest of the day together doing fun stuff that moms and daughters do.

We did some retail therapy at the outlet malls on the way to my house, enjoyed dinner at Peel, more shopping and then went to see Life of the Party. It was close to midnight when we rolled back to my house, so I would say we were successful at squeezing in a lot of activity for the day!

Sunday morning, my mom, Eric and I went to IHOP to enjoy breakfast. I got my favorite pancakes - banana and pecan. They are not on the menu, but at my IHOP if you ask very nicely they will gladly serve them to you.

After breakfast, I drove my mom back to her house. It was great spending time with my mom over Mother's Day!

On my way back home, I stopped downtown to enjoy dinner with Ian and Kayla. They treated me to dinner at one of my favorites spots - Rosalita's Cantina. I tried their new Cauliflower Bowl with chicken (YUM!). We also had the fried ice cream for dessert.

What a great weekend! I was showered with Mother's Day gifts and spent the rest of the night on the couch watching Little Women and looking through my new cookbooks. Perfect way to cap off an already great weekend!

Be sure to check back in on Wednesday this week. I'm one of the new co-hosts for the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop. The hop will go live at 7 pm on Tuesday. Hope you pop back in, link your post and enjoy all the great things others are sharing.

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

B Loved Boston

Over the Moon

Hello Monday

Friday, May 11, 2018

Five on Friday - May 11, 2018

Happy Mother's Day weekend! I'm headed to Kansas City this morning for a special celebration. Haley, my best friend's daughter, is graduating with her Master's degree today and we just couldn't be more proud of her.

Before I head out, here's my five for today ~

1. Little Women
PBS will be presenting the first episode of Little Women on Sunday night. I'm so excited to see Masterpiece's adaptation of this classic! Here's PBS's summary of the first episode:
"Christmas, 1861. The March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – prepare for a Christmas without presents or their father, a Union army chaplain who is away at war.

Learning to appreciate the smaller things in life, the sisters strike up a friendship with their charming new neighbor Laurie, and his tutor John Brooke.

As autumn of 1862 sets in, the family receives the terrible news: Mr March has been taken ill in an army hospital in Washington D.C. The girls anxiously await news of their father’s fate, as their mother Marmee, accompanied by John, rushes to his side."

2. Villa Alena Moscato & Peach
A few weeks ago, a friend brought over a bottle of Villa Alena Moscato & Peach wine. Oh.My.Goodness! It is the perfect wine for the summer! Light and refreshing without being overly sweet. You can find it at Trader Joe's. Eric and I couldn't get to the store fast enough to load up. Have you tried it? I'm thinking it will be a great wine for sangria.

Image result for villa alena moscato and peach

3 Color Street Nails
My daughter-in-law, Kayla, introduced me to Color Street nails and they are just way too cool not to mention on the blog. These nail polish strips are super easy to apply and lasts longer than normal nail polish. And they cost less than a manicure! You can get them in solids, patterns, glitter -- you name it! Check out all the options by clicking HERE.

4. Life of the Party
The new Melissa McCathy movie, Life of the Party, opens today. From the previews we've seen, it looks pretty cute. Melissa's movies can be hit or miss, but I think we'll give this one a try. Here's what Fandango says about it, "When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime dedicated housewife Deanna (McCarthy) turns regret into re-set by going back to college…landing in the same class and school as her daughter, who’s not entirely sold on the idea. Plunging headlong into the campus experience, the increasingly outspoken Deanna—now Dee Rock—embraces freedom, fun and frat boys on her own terms, finding her true self in a senior year no one ever expected."

5. What every mom knows...

Hope your weekend is wonderful! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. If you haven't had a chance to enter the Mother's Day Giveaway (HERE), you better hop to it. The giveaway ends today!