Penny's Passion

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - November 22, 2023

Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you are here.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more.

A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, then be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature!

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.

MEET THE HOSTS

Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
Denise –THISISMYEVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED

The Best Homemade Gingerbread Syrup

VERY POPULAR

Christmas Tree Skirt Ideas

Breakfast-Sausage-Egg-Cheese Scramble

EDITOR'S CHOICE

How to Make a Christmas Pillow from a Kitchen Towel

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please. Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party!

Monday, November 20, 2023

Weekending - November 17, 2023

Last weekend was about as perfect as a weekend could be! Here's the summary ~

We got back from our cruise on Wednesday and Thursday was my actual birthday. Eric sent me the most beautiful flower arrangement to work! It was absolutely stunning.

Friday night our small group from church met. We have been studying The Ping Life: How to Pick Up the Signal When God Is Calling book, which is written by our pastor Shane Bishop. So glad we had the opportunity to explore this book with a wonderful group of people!

Saturday morning we had some errands to do to get ready for the final birthday celebration we were hosting in the evening. Eric had a great idea for breakfast - American Kolache! I'm a lover of the savory ones. It was a great way to start the day!

Saturday evening we celebrated my turning 60 with a group of special friends at Boarding House Bistro. I'll be sharing all the details from the party in a future post. Huge thank you to Eric, Ian, and Kayla for pulling this party together. It was wonderful spending the evening with some of my favorite people! Can't wait to share all the details with you!

After church on Sunday, we had lunch with friends. Then the ladies headed off to see The Nutcracker performed with the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra. The costumes and sets were magnificent! What a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Now we just have a few days of work before Thanksgiving is here! My goal for this holiday season is going to be present and enjoy every minute. We have some great plans already in the works! Hope you do too.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Five on Friday - November 17, 2023

Friday came fast this week! We returned from vacation on Wednesday and were back to work on Thursday. Just in time for my Five on Friday! Here we go ~

1. The Crown

It's back for the final season! Netflix dropped four episodes yesterday and the next six will be released on Thursday, December 14. This season will cover the events from 1997 to 2005. I'll probably have these four episodes watched before the end of the weekend and will be anxiously awaiting the next six episodes coming in December. This has been a great series and one that Eric and I watch together. We will be sad to see it come to an end.

2. Julia

The second season of the HBO Max series Julia was also dropped yesterday. We loved the first season and can't wait to dive into season two. Julia and Paul's escapades are so fun to watch. There will be no binge-watching because they are releasing an episode each week for the next eight weeks. I hear some of it is about their time in Paris, so now I'm even more intrigued to watch!

3. The Little Liar: A Novel

Mitch Albom's newest book, The Little Liar, was released this week and it went straight on my to-be-read list! Here's the summary ~

Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis never told a lie. When the Nazi’s invade his home in Salonika, Greece, the trustworthy boy is discovered by a German officer, who offers him a chance to save his family. All Nico has to do is convince his fellow Jewish residents to board trains heading to “new homes” where they are promised jobs and safety. Unaware that this is all a cruel ruse, the innocent boy goes to the station platform every day and reassures the passengers that the journey is safe. But when the final train is at the station, Nico sees his family being loaded into a large boxcar crowded with other neighbors. Only after it is too late does Nico discover that he helped send the people he loved—and all the others—to their doom at Auschwitz.

Nico never tells the truth again.

In The Little Liar, his first novel set during the Holocaust, Mitch Albom interweaves the stories of Nico, his brother Sebastian, and their schoolmate Fanni, who miraculously survive the death camps and spend years searching for Nico, who has become a pathological liar, and the Nazi officer who radically changed their lives. As the decades pass, Albom reveals the consequences of what they said, did, and endured.

A moving parable that explores honesty, survival, revenge and devotion, The Little Liar is Mitch Albom at his very best. Narrated by the voice of Truth itself, it is a timeless story about the harm we inflict with our deceits, and the power of love to ultimately redeem us.

4. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Where are my Hunger Games fans? Are you excited about the newest movie opening this weekend?? It's been a minute since I read the book, so I'm sure there will be lots of parts I'll re-remember when seeing it play out on the big screen. Here's the summary ~

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

5. Old age...

Have a fabulous weekend! We are celebrating my birthday one more time, then the festivities will be put to rest and I'll have to get used to being 60! Pop in next week when I'll be talking about the weekend and some of our cruise details. Hope to see you then!

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - November 16, 2023

Thanks for popping in today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same.

We are just getting back from a cruise with our son and daughter-in-law to commemorate my birthday. This is a milestone year for me and we are celebrating big! I know age is just a number, but when the candles cost more than the cake, it does make you appreciate life even more.

Starting a new decade is exciting! I've heard it said life begins at 60, and I'm ready for this amazing chapter. Bring on the adventures, laughter, and joy! I'm so grateful for the journey so far and have had so many memorable moments to reflect upon.

I'll be sharing the details of the cruise soon. In the meantime, I need to unpack and get ready to return to work.

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

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Five on Friday - November 10, 2023

Happy Friday friends! Friday rolled around fast this week. Let's get right to my five for today ~

1. My Name is Barbra

At long last, Barbra Streisand's memoir is out! This is one I'll definitely get the audio version because she's the narrator and it has additional anecdotes and music that are exclusive to the audiobook. Here's the book summary ~

Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture.

In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and winning the Oscar for that performance on film. Then came a long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed. The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming. She recounts her early struggles to become an actress, eventually turning to singing to earn a living; the recording of some of her acclaimed albums; the years of effort involved in making Yentl; her direction of The Prince of Tides; her friendships with figures ranging from Marlon Brando to Madeleine Albright; her political advocacy; and the fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.

No entertainer’s memoir has been more anticipated than Barbra Streisand’s, and this engrossing and delightful book will be eagerly welcomed by her millions of fans.

2. Priscilla

We are falling behind on our movie watching and I'm adding one to our growing list of movies we want to see - Priscilla. This movie opened last weekend and the reviews are pretty good. Honestly though, I'd sit through any movie that was based around Elvis Presley. I'm not sure what the attraction is, but it's there! Here's the movie summary ~

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.

3. Thanksgiving Placemats for the Kids

Thanksgiving is going to be here before you know it. It's time to start thinking about how you're going to keep the kiddos occupied while you get the food on the table. These kid-friendly placemats will do the trick! They come in a set of 12, with two different designs. There are also fun games to play printed right on the placemat! Get a pack (or 3) to keep the minors at your Thanksgiving feast happily entertained.

HERE

4. National Sundae Day
Tomorrow (November 11) is a day I will happily be celebrating. It's National Sundae Day! Scoop up the ice cream and pour on the toppings! Add some whipped cream, and nuts, and don't forget the cherry on top! It would be the perfect day to set up a sundae bar and let the family go crazy with all their favorite toppings.

5. I really need to get in shape...

Have a wonderful weekend! We are continuing our birthday celebrations and are off on an adventure. Pop in next week to see what it is!

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

What I Read in October 2023

Happy Thursday! Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same. Today I'm thinking about the books I read in October!

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Unbroken was our library book club selection this month. It was an emotional book to read, but one I truly enjoyed. I haven't seen the movie, so the book held many surprises for me. An interesting fact we learned during our book club discussion: the book comes in a young adult adaptation. Some of the members had picked up that version by mistake. If you have younger readers, this version would probably be the better choice. Here's the summary ~

The incredible true story of survival and salvation that is the basis for two major motion pictures: 2014’s Unbroken and the upcoming Unbroken: Path to Redemption.

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

The Covenant of Water

Disclosure: The book is LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG! Like 736 pages long! I had been hearing a lot of chatter about this book and thought it would be a good one to listen to on my way to and from work. The audio version was 31 hours long. Honestly, I truly believe I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been divided into 2, or even 3, separate books. The story was very interesting, but I just got kind of bored with the story in several parts. With that being said, I thought the last 150 pages were excellent. Here's the summary ~

The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of the major word-of-mouth bestseller Cutting for Stone, which has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years.

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.

A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the difficulties undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. It is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

Penelope in Retrograde

This was a fun little read that made me laugh out loud at parts. It would be a great vacation read. Overall, it was a quick, entertaining read and I would recommend it. Also, it's included in your Kindle Unlimited subscription so you can read it for free. Here's the summary ~

Romance writer Penelope Banks can write the perfect love story, but when it comes to family, all she’s got is a rough draft. Penny shelved the idea of fitting in with her high-achieving family years ago, but when her new business venture—a romance bookstore—is at risk of closing before its doors have opened, she’s forced to ask for help from the one place she never expected. Home.

Penny’s prepared for the usual Thanksgiving lineup: her perfect sister, meddling nana, matchmaking mother, and workaholic father. The guest she didn’t anticipate? Her ex-husband, Smith. After an awkward rideshare with Smith leaves Penny questioning why the romance in her life exists only in her novels, Penny adds some fiction to reality and turns her father’s colleague into the perfect fake boyfriend.

With only four days to mend damaged relationships, and her bookstore’s future at stake, all the stars must align for Penny to finally write a happily ever after for herself and her family.

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

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - November 8, 2023