Friday Favorites, 9.29.23.

 

Happy Friday, friends! I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika for today's favorite blog post of the week. I hope you've had a great week! I will jump right in, starting with this first picture. My bestie and I went out for protein bites and Diet Coke last night after church. Well, I had a Diet Coke, she had a latte. These things are so good! These nights are always my favorite, when we can sit and catch up.

It's always my favorite thing to see Christmas lights hanging in a son's room. I never sneak pictures of their spaces, but I couldn't resist this one when I walked by the other night. This is Jonah's room, and something funny about him is that he rearranges his room every few weeks. 

This quiche is a favorite of ours! I always make two of them and Todd will eat on it while I'm gone this weekend and first part of next week. 

I found this yogurt at Aldi's a couple of weeks ago, and it's a new favorite! I really like particular brands of Greek flavored yogurt. 

It was a favorite for Todd coming home to find out our neighbor had trimmed this tree that sits on our property but hangs over their backyard. He had planned on going over to do it for them, but now he doesn't have to! 

The early morning and evening weather is my favorite! I sit out there with the dogs on most days while they explore the backyard.

Lastly, this is my favorite reminder to myself. I've been letting my quiet time slip lately, and I miss it when I don't spend that time with the Lord each morning. This is such a great reminder for myself as I navigate through each day. 

Did you catch my other blog posts this week? I'll link them below.

Saturday was a bonus post day, and is titled Welcome, Fall. 

Monday was my weekending recap post. 

Tuesday was all about the books I read in September!

Wednesday I linked up with some other bloggers for What's Up Wednesday. 

And I joined in again for another link party on Thursday with Monthly Musings.

Tell me something good from your week! I'd love to hear from you! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the September's edition of Share 4 Somethings, where we'll talk about things we loved, things we learned, things we read, and things we ate and/or enjoyed. Additionally, on Wednesday October 4th, it'll be time for the Currently link party; we'll be talking about the things we're currently loving, excited about, watching, seeing, and observing. I'll be out of town for a few days, so because of that, I'll only be seeing you here on Saturday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week. I'm scheduling the two link parties to post before I leave town, and I'll be back to posting again on Friday in time for Friday Favorites next week. Thanks for reading my blog, friends! Love to all. 

Monthly Musings

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm linking up with Holly and Patty for this blog post; because I'm posting it early in the morning, I'm short on time and am only answering a couple of them. I'll jump right in!

My favorite fall tradition these days takes place on Halloween night. We sit outside in our driveway and hand out candy, so that our dogs will stay calm. We always use that night to visit with neighbors, as well. It's always a fun night!

When the boys were little, our favorite thing to do was to visit a pumpkin patch that's local. We would have a bonfire, take a hayride, and leave with pumpkins. We always did this with friends, and it was so much fun! The place we loved to visit was Tom's Farm. (Here's an old blurry picture from those years. You can see that it was open field with spots set up like this for bonfires. We would roast hot dogs and s'mores, the kids would play in the many areas available, they'd play cornhole, then we'd go on a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick ours to take home.)

My favorite fall fashion pieces are things that are oversized and comfy. Think sweaters, sweatshirts, ponchos...those are always what I lean toward. I suppose this say about me that I love things that are a little "bohemian" in the way of personal style. 

My favorite fall movies are the Nora Ephron movies! They're lovely and familiar and cozy, and I watch them over and over again. Think You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Father of the Bride, etc. I love the Falling in Love Hallmark channel movies, and I watch Gilmore Girls on repeat. 

What's your favorite part about fall? I'd love to hear! Thanks for reading this late in time blog post today, friends. Love to all! 

what's up Wednesday

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm joining in with Sheaffer and Shay for today's blog post. I'll jump right in!

What we're eating this week:

I made plans to cook three times this week, and to have leftovers for one of the nights. I made smoked sausage with potatoes in the air fryer for one night, I made quiche for us for another night, and tomorrow night we'll have chicken of some sort. It's nothing exciting or earth shattering. This weekend, I had my favorite food truck, which was delicious.

One of these will still be around when I leave town this weekend, so Todd can have that one night for his dinner. 

 

This was their steak street tacos. It is so good that we had it twice over the weekend! 

What I'm reminiscing about:

I'm reminiscing about the trip to Cape Cod I took last year with my sisters Lisa and Debi. We had the most fun for the small amount of time we were there. We had to cut our trip short because of a disaster that my sister Lisa had at her house while we were gone, but even still...we managed to have a blast.

We stayed in the Craigsville Beach area of the Cape, and visited Chatham, Provincetown, and Nantucket while we were there. It was such an amazing trip that still feels like a dream! 

What I'm loving:

The cool mornings and evenings! I'm also loving our home all dressed up for fall. I wrote about that Saturday, in my annual "come on in" fall home tour. I'd love for you to check it out for yourself! 

What we've been up to:

Most of you know that my guy recently bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He's been loving going on long rides at night and on weekends. I'm so happy for him, that he has a hobby like this to look forward to and be excited about each day. Every man needs a hobby. I've been managing to have a bit of fun myself, and have been thinking about my upcoming trip to Colorado, and I'm dreaming of a weekend trip to Nashville soon. My best friend and I want to go there to see our friend who lives near there, and we have a great opportunity coming up at the end of  October. I'm not sure we'll be able to make that time work, but even still, if not then, we'll go for a weekend in November. 

What I'm dreading:

I am always dreading Thursdays again! A long time ago, I used to hate that day of the week, then that changed. I'm back to disliking it again because it's the day I have to get the bookstore's bank deposit information ready. I do not love doing this in my job, but I know the more I do it, the less I'll dread it each week. It's never gone smoothly yet, so that's why I dread it each week.

What I'm working on:

I brought work stuff home to do last night. I had to make an order for the bookstore, and it's always easier if I can just do it from my laptop at home. I'm also working on bookstore notes that I'm collecting from its previous proprietor. Most of it's already written down, but when I write things out on my own, it helps me to remember things more. It's a lot of information to remember! I'm keeping #allthethings in that green three ring binder. The notebook on top of the binder that you see is where I keep my running to do list for each day that I'm there to work. You'd be shocked at how fast I forget to do things when I get busy. I love a great list, do you? 

What I'm excited about:

I'm excited about so many things! Fall weather is supposed to hit my area in the next week or two, and I am excited for nights with a fire, or sitting by the bonfire. I'm excited about the upcoming things I'd love to do, the holidays, making new memories....there's a lot. I love to have something to look forward to, and having my personality type is a huge help in that. I always have something that I'm happy or excited about, but the source of my joy comes from Jesus. 

What I'm watching/reading:

Because it's fall, I am watching Gilmore Girls on repeat. This is my favorite show of all time, and it's comforting just to have it on in the background. I also love the "falling in love" movies on Hallmark right now.

As for reading, I shared a post yesterday about the books I read in September. It's been nice being able to read outside lately. 

What I'm listening to:

I have some jazz music playing over my tv as I have it on a background on YouTube. I shared a post about this last week, and you should check it out! 

What I'm wearing:

I'm not really wearing anything new, because it's still super hot here right now. I have thrown a jacket on with my outfit a time or two, though, which feels fun and fall-like. 

I've worn a poncho a time or two, jeans with a white shirt and black third piece, and the same dresses I've been wearing with a cardigan or a denim jacket. I'm still wearing sandals, with the occasional pair of Hey Dudes or my new sneakers thrown in for good mix. I've also pulled out my new, darker shade of lipstick a time or two, which you know I always love. 

What I'm doing this weekend:

I'm flying to Denver Colorado on Saturday with my sister Trish. We're taking a sisters trip to see our other sisters who live near Denver. We're so excited! It's the perfect time of year to go there, because the leaves will be peaking. We're spending a whole day in Breckenridge while we're there and I plan on loving on my great nieces a whole bunch. I can't wait! 

What I'm looking forward to next month: 

Todd and I are celebrating our 27th anniversary in October! Time flies when we're having fun! I'm also looking forward to Halloween...not because we celebrate it with decorations, but because we spend that night outside with candy, talking to our neighbors. It's always such a fun night, and one we look forward to each year. 

What's something you're looking forward to next month? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

the books I read in September

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope this finds you well. I read some excellent books this month! I hope you're inspired in your reading. I'll jump right in!

First up is this book by an author that's new to me. 

Hallie and Jack decide to give a dating advice a try. After meeting once, and running into each other a few more times, they decide to try this together as friends, to see how each one does. They make this work by going out on dates to the same restaurant, leaving at the same time when their dates are over, and going out for tacos to talk about it after each date. Needless to say, they become fast friends. Discouraged by their dates, they make a wager to see which one of them will find love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with. 

I could not put this book down!

Next up was this extremely creepy book by a favorite author.

Have you read books by this author? They never disappoint! This is the story of a convicted criminal out after serving her term in prison, who is down on her luck and goes to work as a house maid for a prominent family. But after that first meeting with the mistress of the family, things start to change. She's accused of things she hasn't done, she's given clothing then is later on accused of stealing them, she's accused of trying to poison their daughter....who is telling the truth here? Who is lying? And why? You should check out this quick, albeit very creepy, read!

My third book of the month was this short story by a favorite author of mine. This is a series of books, where each author writes a novella of sorts in it, so I read this in about an hour, maybe a little less. "Speak your truth", is the icebreaker that leads to unintended consequences for two strangers aboard a luxury yacht. I don't want to give away too much, but this book took a turn that I didn't see coming...because of that relationship, I do not recommend this book. 

Next up is Off the Map by Trish Doller. Carla Black's life motto is, "here for a good time, not a long time". For nearly a decade she's been traveling the world, mostly in her old hand-me-down Jeep that her dad gave to her. She's happy on her own and doesn't "do" love...and she never goes home. When the wedding of her friend takes her to Ireland, she meets Eamon Sullivan, a modern day cartographer who creates digital maps, but who never takes the time to explore the land he shares on them. When he and Carla team up, their great adventure begins, and that changes their future. If they choose, they finally both have a chance at love, something they never looked for before meeting each other. 

This was a good book, but it is very rated R. Just a heads up.

I loved The Match! Here's what Good Reads has to say about it:

Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it. Evie has epilepsy and works at a place that trains people to receive service dogs for their illnesses. She is always prepared for everything that life may throw her way...but she wasn't prepared to meet and fall in love with Jake, the single dad of her newest client. As you can imagine, these books are predictable, but they're oh-so-good! 

This book was the second in the series, and though it was good, I didn't care for it as much. Old time rivalries June and Ryan are thrown back together for a wedding. Each of them has secrets from their high school days...will they finally make amends, or will they continue to despise each other?

When Izzy is in her local Starbucks and running super late for her first day of work, she makes a decision that changes her foreseeable future. She stumbles into a man who then she realizes is her new boss. Though neither of them know that at the time, they find out soon enough...she and Blake have undeniable chemistry, but because of their work situation, they can only be friends. I'll let you read it yourself to find out more, but I liked this one a lot, in spite of it being rated R. I liked The Love Wager much better than this one.

 

And lastly, I read this book in one day. (You can read this free on Kindle Unlimited right now!) Helen has an idyllic life, or so it seems. She's married to Daniel, an architect who runs her father's old firm with her brother Rory, she lives in their beautiful old home, and she is pregnant with their first child. When she attends her first prenatal class, she meets Rachel, the quirky friend who keeps showing up wherever Helen goes. At first it seems coincidental...but is it really? This book was full of twisty turns and details, and had an ending I didn't see coming! This is what I did all day yesterday...I could not put this book down even for a minute. 

I'm excited to start my next book tonight! Tell me what you've been reading this month, I would love to hear about it! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

weekending things

 

Happy Monday, friends! How was your weekend? Mine was good, and I hope yours was too! I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's post. 

Did you know that I shared a bonus post over the weekend? I did. Here's a link to my annual "come on in" fall home tour. I'd love for you to check it out! Here's a little hint...

I had a great weekend. Todd and I went out on a date night Friday night, and we ate at the cutest little space where our favorite food truck sits at a new location in Memphis. This is Tacos-n-Ganas.

I didn't get a picture of the string lights they have hanging over the walkway, but not only is it adorable, the food is amazing! My favorite street tacos consist of a marinated steak that is thinly sliced. I pour the spicy sauce over them, and squeeze the juice from two limes over it as well. We take our own water, and Todd bought some beef consommé for us to share. I can only eat two of these, but just writing this sentence makes my mouth water. 

After dinner we went to Costco for mums and pumpkins!

I love how big the mums are. Here's to hoping I can keep them alive! 

I watched a couple of episodes of Gilmore Girls while Todd was riding his motorcycle after that, then I went to bed. I met up with my mom and sister on Saturday morning for errands and lunch. I needed to replace a couple of my travel size toiletries, then I wanted to look for some shoes. I found these from DSW.

I love these! I tried on a couple of different pairs, but these Dr. Sholl's brand were by far the most comfortable. I had a dress on when I tried these on, and they were really cute with it. I still want some new neutral flats to wear as well, but these will be good enough for now. 

When I came home after running around with them, I stayed put for the rest of the day. We watched football, I read, and made us dinner. It was a nice and quiet evening. 

I had church on Sunday morning, and got there by 7:40...and was walking back out by 12:15. It was a great morning of worship. I got to see all our boys that morning, and Drew came to sit in the bookstore with me for a while after church before he left for lunch. I was home for the rest of the day and read my book. Todd brought dinner home for us again, and we relaxed together for the rest of the night. 

It was a great weekend, and I am ready for this week! Because I'm traveling this week, I know from history that this week will fly by. I'm excited for it, though. How was your weekend? Tell me something good from yours! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!