Weekending - December 6, 2019

Happy Monday!  It's extra happy for me because I'm on vacation this week!  Eric and I decided to seek out some Christmas cheer, so we are in Branson for a few days enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday.  But first, let me rewind to the start of the weekend.

On Thursday night Eric and I ventured to the Fox Theater to see Wicked.  I know Thursday wasn't quite the weekend, but it was close enough to count.  Wicked is one of my all-time favorites!  It's playing in St. Louis until December 29, so if you're in the area it's a great thing to do.

Saturday I hosted a brunch for my friend, Debbie, who turned 60 years young.  It was so nice spending time with her daughter, daughter-in-law and her friends that I rarely see.  It was also nice to be able to celebrate a great friend!  Debbie and I have had a lot of fun over the years and I'm looking forward to even more happy memories.  I'll be doing a separate post on all the birthday festivities, but I'll share a picture of the party attendees with you now.

Sunday morning we were up with the sun to drive to Branson, Missouri.  Silver Dollar City has become a premier spot this time of year because of their Christmas lights.  Their Old Time Christmas display boasts over 6.5 million of them.  We soaked in all the holiday goodness the park had to offer.  Eric even convinced me to ride one of the roller coasters!   

Before the sun went down and the lights came on, there was plenty to see and do.  We watched several of the artisans at their craft and enjoyed a holiday show in the saloon.

As soon as dusk arrives, the lights come on and the magic happens.  We so enjoyed just walking around soaking it all up. 

There is even a lighted parade!  People lined the street early to get a glimpse of the lit floats and characters. 

Silver Dollar City is open through January 1, so if you are looking for a family destination between now and then, check them out.  Between the shows, artisans, rides and food there's something for everyone in your entire family to enjoy regardless of their age!

After a full day at the park, we headed to our home away from home for a couple days - Big Cedar Lodge.  If you haven't stayed here, you should really treat yourself and book a room!  This place is totally amazing.  We are staying in a one-bedroom cabin.  I'll be doing a separate post on Big Cedar because it truly deserves one.  I'll leave you with our view from the baloney. 

Linking Up With:

Five on Friday - December 6, 2019

Hello Friday!  Thanks for stopping by to check out my Five on Friday.  I love pulling together five of my favorites for the week and sharing them with you.  Here's the five for today ~

1.  Happy St. Nicholas Day
Did you set out your shoes last night to be filled by St. Nicholas?  I'll be honest, when our son Ian was little, St. Nicholas would sometimes forget the night before and instead Ian would get a little surprise when he got home from school.  December 6th is also known as The Feast of St. Nicholas and is widely celebrated in Europe.  I'm definitely down with celebrating with a feast!  However you celebrate, enjoy this special day!

2.  Honey Dispenser
With the weather getting colder, I'm finding myself drinking more and more hot tea.  And what makes the hot tea extra yummy is the honey I add to it.  We all know that getting honey out of jar can be a bit aggravating - but check out this dispenser!  It pours from the bottom so the honey is always ready to pour out the bottom.  Ingenious!  Keep your honey fresh in this no-drip container.  Not only would this be great for honey, but also for anything that pours.  Think maple syrup or chocolate.  I want one!  Or three!  Get yours HERE.

3.  PerfeCore Facial Mask

The stress of the holidays is upon us and we don't have to take to laying down!  Well, unless you decide to lay down while using this amazing mask!  Amazon has this mask on special sale right now so pop over and get one for yourself and every women in your life.  Here's the description from Amazon:  

• NATURAL TREATMENT: The ultimate pain therapy. Get instant restoration for acute and chronic ailments. Soft touch over the face cover is included - perfect for sleeping. The included reusable gel packs are great for first aid or for home, school, or office use.

• HOT AND COOLING POWER - A great remedy for muscle and joint swelling, headaches, to reduce dry tired eyes, TMJ, migraines, bruxism. No more black under eyes! Use as a therapeutic aid for sleep conditions. Gel beads form a custom contoured fit even while frozen, chilled, or heated.

• CONVENIENT AND SIMPLE TO USE - Store in the refrigerator or freezer and use when needed. Microwave for heat therapy. Quick heating and cooling, but holds temperature effectively. Can also be used post wisdom teeth surgery, plastic surgery, for fever, shoulder, neck, back tension.

• SOFT LINING WITH SMALL HOT COLD PACK - Soft cover for home spa luxury and comfort to soothe and protect. Use to naturally shrink pores, calm acne prone skin, or for pore opening before a deep clean and makeup application. A beauty product essential.

• SAFE, EFFECTIVE, TRUSTED – All PerfeCore products are carefully made at a FDA Registered facility. PerfeCore ensures a safe and regulated product backed by an 18 Month Guarantee. Recommended by Doctors, Physical Therapists, Sports Trainers, and Chiropractors. FSA Eligible Items Only.

4.  December Dairy Queen Blizzard Flavor

A lot of people are loving the December Blizzard flavor at Dairy Queen.  It's Peppermint Hot Cocoa!  They are whipping together their famous vanilla soft serve with pieces of candy cane, chocolate chunks and chocolate fudge.  Then they're topping it off with whipped cream and more pieces of peppermint candy.  Sounds like to perfect treat to enjoy after driving around to see all the Christmas light displays!  Merry Christmas from Dairy Queen.

5.  Dieting in December...

Enjoy your weekend!  Eric and I are on vacation next week and have a few fun things planned.  Before we start vacation, I'll be hosting a birthday brunch for a friend of mine on Saturday and then we're helping another friend pack for a move into a brand new home.  Pop in next week to hear all about it.

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday

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

Friday Favorites Linky Party - December 6, 2019

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Christmas Three-Tier Stand

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house and that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.

One of the things I loved about our current home when we were looking for a new house was the windows by the kitchen sink.  For the first several years, I had it decorated the same for the entire year.  A few years ago I started changing out the decorations for the seasons and today I'm sharing how it looks for this Christmas.

If you've read the blog for a hot minute, you've seen some of the other ways my three-tier stand has been decorated.  For Christmas this year, we added some bottle brush trees and a couple new elves.

Each tier has special Christmas touches.  The decorations on sitting on the clouds of pillow stuffing on each layer.

Each side has a little Christmas cheer to complete the entire look.

The overall look is one that makes me smile every time I look at it!  I think even Santa would be impressed.

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That's what I'm thinking out loud about today.  Now it's your turn.  What's on your mind today?  Link up and share!

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Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - December 4, 2019

Welcome!

Our hosts just want to say THANK YOU to all those who contributed to last week's party and WELCOME to all the new bloggers who have joined our weekly blog hop. Please invite your blog friends and social network to join us.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and now its time to gear up for the Christmas holidays. How is the decorating going? Do you decorate before or after Thanksgiving?
Let's get this party started!!

Top Viewed

Penny's Vintage Home

Very Popular

Walking on Sunshine

My Hubbard Home

A Day of Small Things

Clover House

Editors Choice

Ducks in a Row

Thanks to our co-hosts who share our party on their blogs every week ♥ Please follow them and share our party, too?

DUCKS ‘N A ROW [Sinea] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

ECLECTIC RED BARN [Beverly] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

ENGINEER MOMMY [Jennifer] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

LeCULTIVATEUR [Emily] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

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• Thanks! ♥

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Let's Make Pear Cinnamon Tartlets

This time of year, for many of us the hustling and bustling is real.  Time is at a premium as we try to squeeze in as much fun as the holiday season will allow.  So when you need a quick appetizer to take to a party or share with friends, it's great to have a couple in your back pocket that look fabulous but are a breeze to whip up.  Today I'm sharing one such recipe with you!

Pear Cinnamon Tartlets

Here's What You Need

Phyllo Shells (found in the freezer section of your grocery store)

Jar of Pear & Cinnamon Preserves

Cream Cheese

Pecans

Here's What You Do

Let me just give a shout out to the Athens Phyllo Shells.  I try to keep a couple boxes of these in my freezer at all times.  You can put just about anything in them (pimento cheese, crab dip, chocolate pudding) and they make adorable little appetizers.  You can use them straight out of the freezer or you can pop them in the oven for a few minutes to make them a bit more crunchy.

For the Pear Cinnamon Tartlets, I popped them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes and then allowed them to cool.  I also put a couple handfuls of pecans on a separate cookie sheet and toasted them for a few minutes.

Spread a little dollop of cream cheese in the bottom of each cooled shell.

Then drop in a bit of the Pear & Cinnamon Preserves.

Top it all off with some chopped, toasted pecans.

And just like that you have a fancy looking appetizer that everyone will be raving about!  Enjoy!

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Cyber Monday - Let's Do This!

Happy Monday!  Who's ready for Cyber Monday?!?  My mom and I were out shopping on Black Friday, but I'm a long way from being done with my Christmas shopping.  Sooooo, I'm hoping that today I'll be able to add a few more check marks to my list.

I hope you guys are all members of Rakuten (formerly Ebates).  If you're not, sign up before you start your online shopping today to earn free money!  Sign up HERE and you'll get $10 after you spend $25.  It's so easy and I'm speaking from experience, the quarterly big fat checks are sweet!

Let me share a couple things I have my eye on ~

Loft
What girl wouldn't love some new Hunter boots!  I have a pair and love them!  I've got my eye on the cozy eye mask, earrings and slippers for gifts.

Earrings     |     Hunter Boots     |     Eye Mask

Short Rain Hunter Boots     |     Slippers     |     Coat

Cyber Monday: Free Shipping + 50% Off Your Purchase with code: CYBER . Valid 11/30 at 10pm – 12/3 at 2:59am.

Naturalizer
Shoes!  Rather you're looking at picking up a pair as a gift or for yourself, Naturalizer is offering free shipping and 40% off today.  Stock up!

40% Off + Free Shipping with code TAKE40. Valid 12/2 Only! 

Talbots
Get 50% off one item and 40% off the rest of your order.  Talbots has so many great accessories!  Surely I can find a few gifts on their site.

CYBER MONDAY is on at Talbots! Enjoy 50% OFF 1 item + 40% OFF the rest + FREE SHIPPING, no minimum.

Where will you be shopping today?  Good luck getting all the greatest deals and finishing up your shopping list!