Friday Favorites Linky Party - April 30, 2021

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

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Thinking Out Loud Thursday - April 29, 2021

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I typically share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.

This week has been a bit crazy and I don't have an official post for you.  But I wanted to make sure if anyone wanted to link up they could, so please feel free to link your post and I'll make sure to visit every one of them!  

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Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - April 28, 2021

                               

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We appreciate you stopping by each week and participating in the blog hop.  Before we start our main event, let's take a look at our features from last week's party.  

Top Viewed

Living Room Spring Home Tour - Vintage Garden Style

Very Popular

Great Kitchen and Dining Thrift Store Finds

Editor's Pick

Instant Pot Strawberry Chicken Salad with Feta & Pecans

And, now, let's get this party started! We would love it if you would invite your followers to join us. When you do, remember to use the hashtag #WWBlogHop! 

Save

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

MY LIFE ABUNDANT [Tammy] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

PENNY’S PASSION [Penny] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

SIMPLE STEPS FOR LIVING LIFE [Cindy] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

STILETTOS and SHIPLAP [Tara] – INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

THE SNYDER FAMILY [Brittany] – INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

THE SHORT ORDER COOK [Angela] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

HAMMERS ‘N HUGS [Ahna] – FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

Be sure to grab our Specially Featured button if your post was featured this week to show off on your blog or sidebar!  

  Please TWEET our party ♥

• 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 by!
• 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 the title.
• 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 really good chance to be seen no matter when they arrive.

• Thanks! ♥

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Weekending - April 23, 2021

Monday.  Why does it seem Monday always rolls around so quickly?  It seems like the time from Friday when I get off work to when I'm driving in on Monday morning is a total of 24 minutes.  This seems to be the case even on weekends like this past one where I really didn't have a lot going on.  Here's the breakdown from our weekend ~

Friday night is a blur.  As I sit here typing, I cannot for the life of me remember what we did on Friday night.  I think it involved us sitting on the couch and me reading a book.  We got a new cabinet for the garage that needed assembling and Eric had the 73873847 pieces spread out all over the family room floor.  I was trying to be the good wife and not say too much about the fact that the pieces were driving me crazy because, in all reality, they weren't hurting a thing.  I'm happy to report that by the end of the day on Sunday, the cabinet was completely put together and proudly standing in our garage.

The weatherman totally nailed their forecast on Saturday.  They said we could get showers and Mother Nature made sure they were right.  The good side to the rain is getting to wear my favorite rain boots.  If you don't have a pair of rain boots you love, do yourself a favor and invest in some.  It makes rainy days a whole lot better!  It's so gratifying to stomp right through those puddles instead of walking around them.

Anuschka Ankle Rain Boot Women's Shoes • Anuschka • $62
Mist Rain Boot • Journee Collection • $69.99
Eastlake Allie Mid Rain Boot • Chooka • $49.99
x Martha Stewart Sprinkle Rain Boot • Easy Spirit • $79
Marble Print Waterproof Rain Boot • Bogs • $65
Women's Leopard Waterproof Chelsea Rain Boot • Sam Edelman • $59.99
Women's Original Tour Foldable Short Rain Boots • Hunter • $145
Kensington Chelsea Rain Boot • Cougar • $69.95
Wellibob Short Rain Boot • Joules • $64.95
Merry People Bobbi Rain Boots in Mustard • Madewell • $129.95

I was on a mission Saturday to find new dishes to use outside on our patio.  You see, I have this vision of eating al fresco under the lights on our outdoor patio.  I've convinced myself that having the perfect plates will make the entire experience magical.  There will be no bugs.  The temperature will be perfect.  My friends and I will be sitting around eating fabulous tapas (on my new plates of course) throwing our heads back in laughter.  As I tromped around from store to store looking for said perfect plates, my hope for finding them fell like the rain outside.  After exhausting all my favorite finding places, I went home and searched through Amazon.  Found the perfect ones and they are arriving on my porch today.  

Sunday was all about the wedding invitations I needed to get completed so I could deliver them on Monday morning.  I finished listening to Dirt by Mary Marantz as I was meticulously cutting the elements of the invitations.  Now I'm thinking I want to get a hard copy of the book because there were so many great quotes!  Mary's passages are beautifully written.  Here's a summary from Amazon ~

Dirt is a story about the places where we start. From a single-wide trailer in the mountains of rural West Virginia to the halls of Yale Law School, Mary Marantz's story is one of remembering our roots while turning our faces to the sky. From growing up in that trailer, where it rained just as hard inside as out and the smell of mildew hung thick in the air, Mary has known what it is to feel broken and disqualified because of the muddy scars leaving smudged fingerprints across our lives. Generations of her family lived and logged in those hauntingly treacherous woods, risking life and limb just to barely scrape by. And yet that very struggle became the redemption song God used to write a life she never dreamed of.

Mixed with warmth, wit, and the bittersweet, sometimes achingly heartbreaking places we go when we dig in instead of give up, Dirt is a story of healing. With gut-wrenching honesty and hard-won wisdom, Mary shares her story for anyone who has ever walked into the world and felt like their scars were still on display, showing that you are braver, better, and more empathetic for what you have survived. Because God does his best work in the muddy, messy, and broken--if we'll only learn to dig in.

Later in the evening, my friend Linda and I hopped on a Zoom so we could watch the Oscars together.  I was still sitting at my kitchen table working on the invitations with the TV on in the background.  We watched the lackluster award show from the beginning to the end.  Not a lot of exciting things came out of the show in my opinion, but it was fun watching with a friend and it was good seeing people getting back to something normal.  

This is a busy work week for me and it's wedding workday at my house on Sunday for the June bride I'm working with.  Crossing my fingers I hold it all together and make it through the week!  

Five on Friday - April 23, 2021

Hey there friends!  Can you believe Friday is here already?!?  This week flew by and I'm ready for a few days to catch my breath.  Let's start the weekend with me sharing my five for this week ~

1.  2021 Oscars  

The Oscars are Sunday night on ABC.  This is the first year in decades that I haven't tried to see all the Best Pictures nominated films.  As a matter of fact, this is the first year I can't even tell you which movies are nominated!  But, never the less, I'm excited to watch on Sunday night and see who wins all the top honors.  My friend Linda and I are planning to Zoom and share all our catty comments with each other.  Will you be watching?  

2.  Artic Cool

Even though we had snow this week, I know hot weather is coming.  We have a trip to Disney planned for July and I know it will be hot, especially since we will most likely still be wearing our masks.  Our daughter-in-law introduced us to Artic Cool shirts and we are going to give them a try.  The material is designed to keep you cool!  How "cool" is that!  

3.  Anthony Bourdain World Travel

Anthony Bourdain's final book, World Travel, came out this week.  I miss his shows and adventures.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~

A guide to some of the world’s most fascinating places, as seen and experienced by writer, television host, and relentlessly curious traveler Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania’s utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter—and many places beyond.

In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives readers an introduction to some of his favorite places—in his own words. Featuring essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid, World Travel provides essential context that will help readers further appreciate the reasons why Bourdain found a place enchanting and memorable.

Supplementing Bourdain’s words are a handful of essays by friends, colleagues, and family that tell even deeper stories about a place, including sardonic accounts of traveling with Bourdain by his brother, Christopher; a guide to Chicago’s best cheap eats by legendary music producer Steve Albini, and more. Additionally, each chapter includes illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook.

For veteran travelers, armchair enthusiasts, and those in between, World Travel offers a chance to experience the world like Anthony Bourdain.

4.  Chobani Coffee Creamer

I'm fairly new to the coffee scene.  I know - who doesn't like coffee.  I've only been drinking it for about a year and recently the creamer we used was discontinued.  Turns out I like creamer more than I like coffee.  So, I had been on a little sabbatical from drinking it until our daughter-in-law suggested we try the Chobani Almond Coco Loco Inspired Creamer.  It's delicious!  Now I'm liking coffee once again.  If you need to add a little flavor to your coffee, you should give this one a try!

5.  Poor husbands...

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  We are hoping to get some things done outside on the patio.  I also have 125 wedding invitations to finish before Monday.  That should keep me pretty busy!  See you back next week.

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home

Friday Favorites Linky Party - April 23 2021

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

<a href="http://www.simplysweethome.com/category/friday%20favorites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://www.simplysweethome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Friday-Favorites-Button.jpg" border="0" /></a>

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!

Be Our Guest!

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something that's on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same.

Last weekend we were finally safe to have a guest stay at our house for the weekend.  My friend - no, not just my friend, our friend came for the weekend and both Eric and I were elated to have her visit us!  This pandemic had taken away so many of the things we loved doing and one of those things was getting the guest room ready for weekend visitors.

Making sure our guests are comfortable and feel at home has always been a source of pride for me.  I love setting up our guest room with all the amenities of a hotel and the warmth of grandma's house.  Here are some ideas to up your guest room game ~

See that cute little bag?  It's filled with fun stuff for the guest.  When Linda visited last week, her bag had a makeup brush cleaning mat, magnetic bookmarks, water bottle, special hand cream, a sticker, and an air freshener for the car.  

The nightstand is a great place to put a few things your guest might need like a bottle of water, snacks, tissues, and a few light reading items.  We also have our wifi information framed so guests can easily get connected.  

We just added an Echo to the guest room.   The Echo device has quickly become one of our favorite things and we have them in several rooms in our house.  In our bedroom, we use it as an alarm, sound machine, and a source of getting information.  Why not let our guests be able to enjoy one too!

Because of my love for magazines, I always have a few to leave on the nightstand.  We also have a collection of books to rotate leaving out for our guests to enjoy.  

Books that can be enjoyed by just reading a chapter or two are ones I like to share.  No one is going to be in the room long enough to read an entire book, but they might like to read a chapter or two before dozing off to sleep.  Some of my favs are Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know, Don't Overthink It, I'd Rather Be Reading, and Brave Enough.  

Everybody gets the munchies sometimes at night.  With snacks right on the nightstand, your guests will be able to satisfy their cravings without having to search through your kitchen in the middle of the night.  A combination of a few salty and a few sweet things is perfect!

Now that we're vaccinated and more of our friends are too, I hope our guest room is occupied more frequently.  Anyone want to be our guest?

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

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