Weekending - January 6, 2017

Oh my -- this weekend felt good!  We were off work last Monday, making it a 4-day work week.  A 4-day work week that felt like 25 days!  Friday night could not have gotten here any sooner!  We decided to stay in, eat pizza and watch a movie.

The movie we decided on was Mr. Church.  I had wanted to see this movie when it came out, but we missed it in the theaters.  I was thrilled when Amazon picked it up - and it was free with Amazon Prime!  Eric and I both loved it!



Here's the summary from Rotten Tomatoes, "Set 1965 Los Angeles, Mr. Church begins with a stranger arriving on the doorstep of 10-year-old CHARLOTTE "CHARLIE" BRODY and her single mother MARIE BRODY (40), who is battling breast cancer. They soon learn that the quiet man, HENRY CHURCH (40), has been hired by Marie's recently deceased former lover to cook for them and help maintain the household. As Mr. Church's time with the Brodys extends from months into years, he becomes a father figure for Charlie during her formative years, nurturing her love of literature and making a lasting impact on her life. Even as Mr. Church tries to keep his own life separate from the Brodys, he eventually learns that the connection he feels to Charlie is what family is all about."  Eddie Murphy delivered a magnificent performance!  Have you seen it?  What did you think?

Saturday we were still in the movie watching mode so we headed to see Hidden Figures in the morning.  Great film!  Highly recommend you see this one if you haven't already.  Great story and the three leading ladies were wonderful.  Kevin Costner also brought it.



That evening I had girls night with my friends Tracy, Sherri and Carol.  For years, we have celebrated Christmas in January.  Best decision ever!  We can truly have a relaxing evening and share all our stories from our varies Christmases.  Tracy hosted this year and she fixed an amazing chicken dish!  We exchanged gifts, drank wine, laughed and made plans for 2017.  There's just not many things that are better than spending time with true friends.

Sunday after church, I ran my errands as quickly as I could so I wouldn't feel bad plopping myself on the couch to watch The Golden Globes.  They didn't disappoint!  Did you watch?  Here is some of my highlights ~

Favorite Dress on a Pregnant Lady

Natalie Portman nailed it!  The dress didn't cling to her stomach, she didn't have to worry about her boobs falling out and the color is great.

Favorite Couple

Did you see John Legend opening the door to the limo for his lovely wife?  How sweet!  Then the interview with Ryan Seacrest -- Chrissy saying to John to tell Ryan her favorite line from his movie.  They were just adorable!  I think they truly like each other.  

Best Line on the Red Carpet

Milo Ventimiglia saying his tux "moves like smoke".  You apparently don't want your clothes to crinkle like paper, but rather you want it to move like smoke.  Nice analogy.

Best Marketing Idea

Bryon Cranson went into various airport bookstores along his book tour, purchased one of his books and wrote a note inside.  The book was free to the person that opened the book and saw the note.  Kind of makes me want to run out to the airport and go through the books to see if there is one in St. Louis!  

Now, here we are at Monday.  Boy, the weekends sure go by fast!  I have a few things brewing for posts this week.  One is a scrumptious mac and cheese recipe.  It will be coming at you tomorrow and you don't want to miss it!  

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

More Pieces of Me

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!

Five on Friday - January 6, 2017

Hello everyone!  We've made it to Friday!  I have to admit, early in the week I didn't know if I would.  But then again, half the week I didn't even know what day it was.  I'm glad that this first week back to work after the holidays is behind us!

My five for today spans the whole weekend.  Two of my items are actually for Sunday, but we can all use a little advance notice on things, right?!?

1.  Golden Globes
Award season is upon us!  The Golden Globes, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, is this Sunday! Our TV will definitely be tuned into NBC at 8 PM Eastern on Sunday evening and I'll be judging every dress the camera lands on.  Do you get into award shows?  I'm a bit behind in seeing all the nominations, but it will still be fun to watch.

2.  VitaFusion Women's Vitamins
At one of our girls nights, the subject of vitamins came up and two of my friends mentioned they take these gummy vitamins.  My next trip to Sam's I picked some up and oh my goodness - within a week I could definitely tell a difference in my energy level.  Wish I had started taking them long ago!  If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get healthier, you might want to add these to your shopping list and start taking them yourself.  You can also get them from Amazon HERE.  And did I mention how great they taste?!?  Just like getting candy.

3.  National Bubble Bath Day
Sunday is a fun little holiday - it's national bubble bath day!  So before you plop on the couch to watch the Golden Globes, take a nice, long bubble bath to get all relaxed.  I have to admit, I rarely take a bubble bath.  But when I do, I always love it.  Guess that's something I should try to do more of.  Are you a bubble bath type of person?  If so, Sunday is your day!



4.  Hidden Figures
This movie has been getting a lot of hype and it's finally released.  Definitely on my want to see list.  Have you heard about it?  Here's the story line from Mover Insider, "Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big."  It's too bad that John Glenn passed away in December before the movie was released.  I wonder it he got an advanced copy.



5.  Watch out....

One more thing I'd like to mention to you - earlier this week I had an opportunity to pop in Eckert's to see their new ice skating rink.  So cool!  The rink itself is a synthetic material so no actual water is involved in the "ice" rink.  That means when your kids are skating around and fall, they won't be coming off the ice all wet.  Which also means when they are done skating you can enjoy Eckert's Country Store and Restaurant without having to change your children's clothes into dry ones.  Wins for everyone!  This activity will be available until February 26 so check it out if you are in the area!

Hope you have a great weekend!  I have a get together with my girl friends on the agenda - fun times! We are also planning to take down our Christmas decorations.  Yes, we still have all five trees up and it always makes me a little sad when they come down.  I also have a couple birthday parties in February that I'm helping with the decorations so I'm hoping to get a start on that.  What's on your agenda?  Whatever it is, hopes it's fun!

Linking up with:

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

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 
Why Girls Are Weird

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

Friday Favorites - January 6, 2017

Is it Friday?!?  This first week back to work after the holidays has been a bit of a challenge.  I swear I didn't know what day it was all week long!  But I'm pretty sure today is Friday so here's the Friday Favorites linky party.  Hope you enjoy all the features this week!

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively Homemade - Twitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLime - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin

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

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!

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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!

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 - January 5, 2017

Hey guys - Happy New Year!  How has your 2017 been so far?  I have to admit, I love the start of a new year.  It's such a clean slate to begin new things or revamp old habits.  So for this first Thinking Out Loud Thursday in 2017 I'm thinking about one of my true passions and how I'm going to improve it this year.

The true passion I'm thinking about today is my love for reading magazines.  If I could, I would subscribe to every magazine published.  My hearts does a little happy dance when I pull open the mailbox and see my monthly magazines inside.  A huge downside to subscribing to so many magazines is I have a very hard time parting with them.  This year I want to stay current on my monthly reading and actually throw the magazine away when I'm finished reading it.  What do you do with your read magazines?  

I am adding a few magazines to my subscription list this year because the deals on Amazon are just too good to pass up.  Here is a couple that are on sale for $5 for a whole year.  Oh my goodness, for $5 you are bound to get your money's worth!

One of my all time favorite magazines, Real Simple, totally disappointed me with their January cover and lead story.  Say Yes to Saying No -- what?!?  I a firm believer in saying yes!  What we need to do is learn to find joy in the act of saying YES.  Nothing great ever came out of a bunch of no-sayers!

           

This was the first edition for the new editor, Leslie Yazel.  She began her Editor's Note by saying how she recently refused to bake a pie for her daughter's school and how good it felt.  Woman -- you could have baked a pie WITH your daughter and had memories that lasted a life time!  That could have felt REALLY good!  Maybe instead of our first thought being how do I say no, it should be how can we make the task fun and joyful.

So, as you can see I've read my Real Simple January issue and now I'm tossing it in the recycle bin.  This year is off to a great start!

Now it's your turn -- what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up below and share.  I'd love to hear from you!

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at:

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Here I Scribble

This is How We Roll

Bows and Clothes

Friday Favorites - December 30, 2016

Happy Friday!  I'm still on a bit of a holiday break, but wanted to share the Friday Favorites.  Hope you have a wonderful New Year's!

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively Homemade - Twitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLime - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin

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

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!

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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!

And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Five on Friday - December 23, 2016

Here we are -- two days before Christmas!  It's about this time each year that I start saying to myself, "Next year I'm going to wrap the presents as I buy them."  Well, maybe next year that will happen because this year it definitely did NOT!  Today I'm off work and am going to tackle the bags and boxes I have stashed in the spare bedroom.  But that's okay.  We have enjoyed ourselves immensely over the last two week with parties and activities.  No time for wrapping.  Are you ready for the big day?

Before I get knee deep in wrapping paper and tape, here's my five for this week ~

1.  Skinny Taste Fast and Slow Cookbook
I had a very late add to my Christmas wish list - this Skinny Taste Fast and Slow cookbook.  With the new year fast approaching, I started thinking about how I wanted to eat wiser.  Amazon says, "Each recipe includes nutritional information, which can help you take steps toward weight and health goals, and many dishes are vegetarian, gluten-free, and freezer-friendly—all called out with helpful icons. Gina’s practical advice for eating well and 120 color photos round out this indispensable cookbook."  This cookbook could really help a girl out that wants to drop some pounds in the new year but not give up delicious food to do it.  Check it out HERE.

2.  Flip-It Bottle Emptying Kit
My friend Tracy turned me on to these babies -- they are special stands that hold your bottles upside down so you can get every drop out.  How ingenious is that?!?  It would be wonderful for your almost empty shampoo bottle in the shower or that last little bit of ketchup.  There's a video over HERE on Amazon that explains the whole story.  This kit needs to be a part of my life!  I wish I would have learned about them earlier because they would have so been on my Christmas wish list!

As a bonus, I'll let the QVC gals tell you all about it:

3.  Give Back Box Program

Got any Amazon boxes laying around the house you're wishing would be gone?  Here's just the thing to get rid of them and some extra clutter too.  "Amazon and Goodwill are teaming up to use empty shipping boxes and get rid of the clutter filling homes with the Give Back Box program."  Simply remove the items from the Amazon box and then fill it with the items you would like to donate.  Visit GiveBackBox.com to print a free shipping label. You can then drop the box off at the post office or schedule to have it picked up.  So simple!  Your donation goes to the closest Goodwill participating in the Give Back program.  

 4.  "She Believed She Could" Cuff
Need a little reminder that if you believe you can make it happen?  This engraved stainless-steel cuff from Nordstrom is just the ticket to serve as a reminder.  It would be fantastic to stack with other bracelets and is available in gold, rose gold, and silver.  Don't you just love it!?!  It would be great to have on your wrist to start the new year off right.  Check it out HERE.

5.  Christmas Tip:

Okay ~ I'm off to wrap, wrap, wrap.  Here's wishing you the happiest of holidays!  I'm so looking forward to having a few days off and relaxing with family and friends.  What are you looking forward to the most?  Whatever it is, I hope it happens for you.  See you soon!

Linking up with:

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

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 
Why Girls Are Weird

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

Friday Favorites - December 23, 2016

Here we are -- the Friday before Christmas!  This day got here really faster than I had hoped.  It is crunch time for holiday prep.  Hope some of the linkups help you with your planning!  I would also like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas!  Enjoy today's features ~

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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

Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively Homemade - Twitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLime - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin

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

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!

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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!

And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!