Five on Friday - March 4, 2016

It's here!  It's here!  Friday has arrived and I couldn't be happier to see it.  I've been chancing my tail all week and I'm looking forward to having a couple days to just breath.  We do have a pretty full agenda for Saturday and Sunday, but it's some fun stuff which always makes it seem better.

Hope you enjoy my five today!

1.  Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
When I was out of town coordinating a conference a little bit ago, we had Josh Cabernet Sauvignon wine served at dinner.  Loved it!  Since then, I've seen it pop up a couple different places so I guess word is getting around that it's pretty darn good.  I like my wine smooth and this one was like silk sliding down my throat.  Winemaker’s Notes: "Rich, aromatic dark fruits and baking spices delight the nose, yielding fresh plum and blackberry fruit, violet, dried fig, vanilla bean, and Chinese Five-Spice. The wine is layered with smoky and sappy maple wood, roasted almonds, and hazelnuts and finishes with fine, firm tannins."  Now doesn't that sound yummy!  I just might be stopping by tonight to pick up a bottle.  It's been a long week -- I deserve it!

2.  Lemon Cookies
Last Friday when I came home from girls night out, Eric was baking up a batch of these refrigerated lemon cookies.  Oh.My.Goodness! They are DELICIOUS!  You see, Eric works in a grocery store so when something new hits the shelves he is usually bringing it home for us to try.  These were a hit!  Apparently they are only out for a limited time, but I have every intention of writing a letter to Pillsbury and asking begging them to keep them in the stores year round.  Just in case they don't respond positively to my letter and take them away, you better grab some if you see them.

3.  Kiwi Express Shine
Have you ever looked down at your shoes and thought, EEKS - what happened to the toes of my shoes!  I do that quite a bit in the winter when I look at my boots.  Eric found this magic wand.  Just swipe it over your shoes and they look like brand new.  Quickly.  So on my way out of door I do a little swipe swipe and just like that, my boots don't look like I just walked through a battlefield.

4.  Wilton Gold Color Mist
Check this out -- just in time for St. Patrick's Day we have this gold mist.  I'm thinking of so many possibilities for this stuff.  You can spray it on chocolate, icing, ice cream - anything really.  



Check out these Oreos that look like gold coins.  Wouldn't they be fun for St. Patrick's Day?!?  

5.  Let's Get Lucky.....

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I'm headed to a wine tasting tonight.  Tomorrow Eric and I are grading papers for a spelling bee and then Sunday we're taking Ian and Kayla out to dinner to celebrate Ian's birthday.  Hope you stop back by on Monday to hear the details.

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Hill Collection

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home

High Five for Friday
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution
The Evolution of Mom
Why Girls Are Weird
Ins and Outs

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

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - March 3, 2016

It's March guys -- when did that happen?  March is a big month in our family -- our son, Ian, has a birthday and so does our brother-in-law and one of our nephews.  There's St. Patrick's Day and this year Easter.

Today I'm doing some thinking out loud about St. Patrick's Day.  I have to admit, with St. Patrick's Day and Easter falling so close together this year, I almost skipped decorating for the day of green.  But in the end, I decided to let St. Patrick's Day have it's due and am preparing to do a really speedy turnaround on March 18 to pop up Easter.  What about you?  Are you decorating for both holidays this year?

Here's a peek at how the mantle turned out this year.  

I had made the LUCKY blocks a few years ago.  (I did a post about making similar wood blocks HERE.)  Guys, they are so super simple to make!  The helpers at Home Depot will cut the blocks whatever size you want and all you have to do is paint them and stick on the paper.  I cut the letters out with my Silhouette Cameo.  Man, do I love that machine!

The fabric banner is new this year.  I whipped one of these up for our Halloween mantle and it looked so cute I decided to do one for St. Patrick's Day this year.  

I always like to add a little something in the frame we have sitting on the guest bathroom sink.  This subway art free printable can be found HERE.

My friend, Carol, created a couple masterpieces for my front porch and I'll have to show you pictures of those later.  I haven't made it home from work before dark to snap any shots of them.  But the weekend is coming and I'll make sure to take some pictures and show you on Monday.

So that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.  What's on your mind?  Vanessa over at X-tremely V and I would love to hear from you.  Link up below and share with us your favorite post(s) from this week.

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Hodges Podges

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

While I'm Waiting

The Deliberate Mom

This is How We Roll

Love the Everyday
Party at My Place

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

Weekending - February 26, 2016

Hi guys!  Here it is Tuesday night and I'm just now getting to my weekend recap.  This weekend was so welcomed!  I couldn't wait for the weekend to start on Friday ~ and I enjoyed every single minute of it.  Hence, why it's Tuesday night and I'm just getting to the recap!  :)

Friday night we had girls night out.  Sorry, not a single picture was taken.  Sherri, Carol, Tracy and I met at Wasabi for some sushi and lots of chatting.  One thing we always do is bring a prepared agenda to our girls night.  We don't want to forget any of the important topics we need to cover!  Just love getting together with this group of friends!

Saturday morning Eric brought me breakfast in bed before he headed off to work.  My husband knows me well -- he brought me a bag of Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy potato chips and a diet Mountain Dew.  It was fantastic!  When he brought up the chips and showed me the flavor, I was a bit skeptical.  Good thing I tried them, because I'm here to tell you they are delicious!  Have you tried them?  I know Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy potato chips aren't your standard breakfast, but I'm not your standard breakfast eating kind of girl.  The lady that dreamed up the flavor, Hailey Green, won a million dollars in the Lay's Do Us A Flavor contest.  Darn, why didn't I come up with that idea?!?

I busted through my To Do List the rest of the morning and into the afternoon.  Then my friend Rachel came over and we watched the last two movies on my list of Best Picture nominated films that I hadn't seen yet -- Spotlight and Brooklyn.  It's always a goal of mine to see all the Best Picture nominated films, but I usually fall one or two short.  This year -- goal accomplished!  Since I'm writing this after seeing the Oscars, I can say I'm pretty shocked that Spotlight took home the statue.  I thought it was a great movie, just really didn't think it would win.  We rented it from Amazon Prime.  Love Amazon Prime!

Sunday after church we met our friends Sharyn, Eric and Audrey for lunch.  Canyon Cafe was our meeting place and the food was so yummy!  I still had Audrey's Christmas present.  You can look at it like I'm late for last year, or extremely early for this one.  :)

Eric and I both picked tacos.  They were so yummy!  We will be headed back to Canyon Cafe again -- the chips were fabulous, food divine and they bring out the most wonderful little finisher.  White chocolate pecan tamales!

After lunch, we decided to run down to my hometown to visit all the new babies in my family.  Just can't get enough of them!!  Take a peek at their sweet little faces!  Yes, they make Aunt Penny melt.

Once home, we collapsed on the couch to watch the Oscar's.  I still have all the red carpet stuff taped.  Maybe I'll catch it before next year's show.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and your week is off t0 a great start.  Don't forget I'll be thinking out loud on Thursday.  Stop by and link up!

Five on Friday - February 26, 2016

Hey guys -- Happy Friday!!  I would be lying if I said I wasn't deliriously happy that the weekend is here.  I was out of town on business Monday through Thursday and I'm so excited to be facing a few days at home.  You know what else I'm deliriously happy about today - I'm the featured blogger over at H54F!  H54F is short for High Five For Friday - clever don't you think.  When I got the email yesterday saying they were featuring me I did a little happy dance.  Hope you have a minute to check it out.

Here's my five for this Friday ~

1.  New Buttons on Facebook
Ever want to express a feeling other than "Like" on Facebook?  Well, now you can!  Five new buttons were added this week that allow you to say Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry in just one little click of a button.  So, are people going to start getting angry now if you just "like" something instead of "loving" it?  Oh the pressure!

2.  Eddie the Eagle

I've been waiting for this one - it just looks so sweet.  Movie Insider sums it up like this:  "Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael "Eddie" Edwards (Taron Egerton), an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself - even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics."  Is it on your list to see?

3.  Oscars - Sunday Night

Roll out the red carpet because Sunday night the Oscars will be handed out.  If you're looking for a free, printable ballot, click HERE.  I've seen six of the eight best picture nominations and I'm hoping to see one more on Saturday.  How about you?  Will you be watching Sunday night?  And why do they have this on Sunday night instead of Saturday?  Don't these people have to go to work on Monday morning like the rest of us?!?

4.  Beautiful The Carole King Musical
My daughter-in-law, Kayla, invited me to see Beautiful The Carole King Musical with her last night and it was spectacular!  If it's coming to a city near you, I highly recommend you see it.  It has definitely moved into my #1 most loved musical spot.  "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" Carole sang.  Heck yes I'll love you tomorrow.  And the day after that!  Yes, it's that good!  

5.  Hope you have a good laugh this weekend....

Besides girls night out tonight, I honestly don't know what's going to be on my agenda this weekend.  Do you have big plans?  Hope you stop back by on Monday to see what I was up to.  Have a great one!

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Hill Collection

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home

High Five for Friday
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution
The Evolution of Mom
Why Girls Are Weird
Ins and Outs

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

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - February 25, 2016

I'm one of those people that loves a good celebration -- and I've been known to celebrate some pretty ridiculous things.  I'm also a sucker for checking out the "National Day Of" calendar frequently and using that as an excuse to celebrate.  Come on, who can't resist having a glass of wine on National Wine Day?!?  

Well, today happens to be the national day for three things I've blogged about in the past so I'm going to resurrect those posts for you to enjoy again.  That's what I'm thinking out loud about today.

First up is National Chocolate Covered Nut Day.  Back in December I shared a recipe for chocolate covered peanuts that I've been making for over 30 years.  One of my sorority sisters shared this recipe with me when we were living in the sorority house and I've been making them ever since.  Might just have to whip up a batch for Easter.

Click HERE to view original post

Today is also National Clam Chowder Day.  We love having big bowl of clam chowder on a cold winter day.  This is a super simple recipe and the taste is fantastic.  Perfect for serving in a bread bowl, or any ole' bowl for that matter.  My version of clam chowder can be found HERE. 

Click HERE to view original post

Last, but certainly not least, it's also National Chili Day.  Chili is one of my favorite winter things to fix on the weekend.  I love to have a big pot of chili cooking and know that we'll have left overs to take for lunch the following week.  Our version of chili can be found HERE.

Are you planning to celebrate any of these three today?  What's your favorite National Day?  

Link up below and tell us what you're thinking out loud about today.   Vanessa over at X-tremely V and I would love to hear from you.  Link up below and share with us what's on your mind.

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Hodges Podges

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

While I'm Waiting

The Deliberate Mom

This is How We Roll

Love the Everyday
Party at My Place

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

Weekending - February 19, 2016

Sunday night got here pretty quick this weekend!  We had absolutely gorgeous weather here this weekend.  It was such a gift to have a couple days of 75+ degree days.  Oh my goodness, it makes me want Spring to get here.  Let me run a little recap of my weekend past you.

Friday night I worked late....again.  This is becoming a habit I need to break.  Work carried over to Saturday, but the good part was I brought work home with me and I was able to sit outside for a bit, working, enjoying the sunshine.

Before the afternoon was over, I did manage to wash my car.  It had so much dirt and grime on it from driving during the snowy days you could barely tell what color was hiding underneath.

It's a goal of mine every year to see all the movies nominated for Best Picture.  This year there are eight nominees and to date, I've seen 6.  The two I have left are Brooklyn and Spotlight.  
Late Saturday afternoon, I met up with my friend Rachel to see The Big Short.  The whole concept of this movie is so intriguing (the collapse of the housing market).  Great acting and I can totally see why it was nominated.  I have to admit, when I watch a movie with Steve Carell cast in a serious role, I have a bit of a hard time taking him seriously.  I keep thinking Michael Scott is going to pop out.

After the movie, it was on to my friend Janet's retirement party.  One of our friends from work hosted a lovely cocktail party to celebrate Janet's new phase in life.  It was catered by The Social Affair.  If you're in the St. Louis area and looking for a caterer, you should keep them in mind.  Check out their creations ~

Shrimp and Grits - Oh My!

 

It was so fun having lots on friends together celebrating this milestone of Janet's life.  You might remember, Janet and I sat next to each other for 18 years.  It's different at work without her sitting across from me, but I'm excited for her to have the freedom to see more of her family and days filled with all the things she loves doing.

Sunday wasn't as warm as Saturday had been, but it was still a nice day. This was the first Sunday Eric had been off work in weeks.  We celebrated by going to church together and then having lunch with Ian and Kayla.  Great way to spend the day!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I'm out of town on business until Thursday.  Then the real fun will begin ~ Kayla invited me to see Beautiful The Carol King Musical and I can't wait to see it!  Have a fabulous Monday friends!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

More Pieces of Me

Bella and the City
The Quinntessential Mommy
How To Get Organized At Home
Over the Moon
This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!

Let's Get a Little Crabby

I have a thing for Crab Rangoon, but making each individual little rangoon isn't my favorite thing to do.  So when I ran across this recipe for Crab Rangoon dip, I knew I wanted to give it a try.  We whipped up a batch the last time Ian and Kayla came over -- everyone loved it!  Thought you might enjoy it too so I'm sharing the recipe with you today.

Here's What You Need

2 cups crab meat (I used Crab Classic)

2 blocks (16 oz.) cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 green onions, chopped

1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbls. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic power (not salt like is in the picture)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Here's What You Do

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for a minute.

Chop the green onions (including the green stems).  

Mix chopped green onions, crab meat, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, powdered sugar, garlic power and lemon juice together.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  

Serve hot.  You can dip crackers, fried wontons, pork rinds, or my favorite, Stacy's chips.  It tastes pretty wonderful!  

Let me chat about the crab meat I used for a minute.  My favorite is Crab Classic.  You can find it in the refrigerated seafood section of your grocery store.  Crab Classic is my go to crab meat for tons of reasons.  

Crab Classic products are made in a 100% gluten-free facility and is certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association.  It is made from wild Alaskan Pollock and King Crab meat.  If you would like to check out this product in more detail, hop over to their website at http://www.trans-ocean.com/crab_classic.html.

For this recipe, I purchased two bags of the crab meat and had a bit left over.  The bag is resealable, so I just sealed it up and popped it in the frig.  The next day, I tossed it on my salad for lunch.  It's only 80 calories for 1/2 cup serving!  

Just look at this goodness!

There's a recipe on the back of the package for Real Simply Seafood Salad.  I'm definitely serving it at my next luncheon!  Do you have a favorite crab meat recipe?  Would love to hear about it.

Linking up with:
Pint Sized Baker
Mandy's Recipe Box

Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop with The Dwelling Tree

Green Fashionista and Martinis & Bikinis: Recipe Swap Eat Drink & Be Mary: Delicious Dish Tuesday Love From The Kitchen: Tuesday's Table The Diary of a Real Housewife My Own Home Caleigh's Kitchen Tuesday Talk Pennies into Pearls Simply Sweet Home

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