Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #104

Hello all! Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week! I say this at the end of every month, but this month flew by. The next month will be packed with activities so I’m looking forward to a few more days of calmness before it gets crazy. I have been starting most mornings but taking a short walk to cut some flowers and it’s such a beautiful, but slow way to start the day, get some fresh air and bring some of nature indoors.

Here’s a look at some of the things I have been loving this week as I link up with with Erika and Andrea

I Am Celine– I have enjoyed Celine Dion’s music and was sad to learn when she announced her illness last year. Her new documentary “I Am Celine” is now on Amazon Prime. I really loved getting a behind the scenes look at her life before and after her illness. I also loved hearing some of her iconic songs throughout the documentary. Definitely worth the watch if you are a Celine fan. 

Summer Dress– I got this dress from Ann Taylor earlier this summer and wore it to both to work and for a wedding. It is such a perfect outfit for a summer wedding or shower. It’s bright and cheery and light and flowy too. Perfect for an afternoon or evening out. I wore it with wedges and hoops, but you can wear it with studs and stilettos. 

Wow Volumizer Spray– I got sucked into an ad from Pinterest and saw this Wow volumizer spray online and decided to try it for myself. It works great and I have definitely seen a difference in my hair when I do it up for work. I typically just put a pumps in my hair right before I style it and it gives my hair volume for several hours.

One True Loves– I read One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid a few years ago and blogged about it here. I really loved the book and was excited to learn it would be made in a movie. I finally got around to watching it and really loved it. I think it stayed pretty true to the book. They did a great job with casting as well. Watching movies or tv shows based on books can be hit or miss, but I would consider this to be a hit. You can watch it on Hulu.

The Perfect Couple trailer– Speaking of books being made into series or movies, the trailer for The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand came out last week and I can’t wait for the series to come out on Netflix in the fall. I blogged about my thoughts on the book here. It’s all about a couple whose daughter is getting married but someone ends up murdered during the wedding weekend. I can’t wait to see how the book compares to the series. You can watch the trailer here.

That’s a look into what I’m loving this week. What are some things that are catching your attention this week? Have a great weekend!

Categories
Recommendation Roundup

Recommendation Roundup #1

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I’m kicking off a new series today called Recommendation Roundup where I gather and share a variety of things I’m reading and watching. You may see me talk about a series I watched or a book I read in a Friday Favorites post or a Currently post, but this series will be one spot where I share my recent top recommendations for the series. Don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing what things I’m loving week by week, but this series that will come out every few months will be a one stop shop for recent favorite things. 

Here’s the first recommendation roundup. 

For the book lover:

Taylor Jenkins Reid books. Like so many other readers, I have fallen in love with Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing. I love that several of her books are in the same universe, meaning you could be reading one book and then there’s a reference to a character from another book. Such a creative way to tell a story and to find little Easter eggs in the books. 

So far I’ve read

Daisy Jones and the Six

Malibu Rising

Carrie Soto is Back

One True Loves

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

(I can’t choose a favorite since they were all so good and have their unique storylines. But, I do have to say, I have loved seeing Daisy Jones and the Six come alive on the big screen. I can’t wait for One True Loves to come out soon.)

Rebecca Serle books. I’ve read a few of Serle books and I love how she ties family, love friendship and finding oneself all in one. I also love how she usually has a twist in her books too. She has a way of writing that once you start, you can’t put it down. 

So far I’ve read:

In Five Years

One Italian Summer

Colleen Hoover books. I just started reading some of Hoover’s books but I have found myself hooked with her thriller themes and intriguing way of writing. There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to stop reading since a storyline was getting intense, but couldn’t put it down. Even after reading the books, I still think of the endings.

So far I’ve read

November 9

Verity

It Ends with Us

For the binge watcher:

Downton Abbey (PBS) – A classic period piece with two movies that follows. This series follows a family who’s male heir dies and it’s up to the family to find a husband for one of the three daughters within the family. The series follows the wealthy family in England through ups and downs, war, love, marriage, loss, friendship and new decades. I was hooked on this series and equally loved the movies.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – A series that I have watched for years. It starts with five interns on the first day working in the hospital and follows them through residency and eventually becoming attendings. There’s love, loss, death, drama, lots of crazy, unexpected plot twists, natural disasters, characters coming and going, but after over 20 seasons, it’s still going strong.

This season is off to a great start!

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)– This follows a woman who takes a chance on becoming a stand up comedian in the 1950’s. The costumes are fantastic, the one-liners are too funny and the scripting keeps you on your toes. After watching this series, you will wish you were back in New York City in the 1950’s.

Emily in Paris (Netflix)– This tells the story of a young girl who moves to Paris for a job and ends up falling in love with the city. I drool over the fashion, Emily pulls off outfits that I couldn’t pull off. There’s some love triangles, cute one liners, gorgeous Paris scenes and of course lots of finding oneself. 

Outer Banks (Netflix)- It may seem like a teen drama and it is, but once you start, it’s hard to stop until you see if a group of high school friends discover buried treasure. Just when you think, things can’t get crazier, there’s another twist. Definitely a fun show to have on in the background.

For the podcaster

The Simplified podcast -Emily Ley and her team put out episodes once a week where they offer ways to simplify and automate your life. They cover topics like friendship, family, cleaning, organizing, schooling, relationships, holiday prep, summer fun and more. It’s such a fun way to find ways to make my life simpler.

That’s my recent roundup of recommendations. Some of my all time favorite things. The next time you are searching for something new to read or watch, I hope this provides some suggestions. Happy hobbying!

Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #31

Hey guys! Happy Friday or Fri-YAY! I hope you had a great first full week of March! This week was filled with work, doctor’s appointments and getting outside as much as I could.

The second part of YOU season 4 came out yesterday, so I’ve been making my way through that and plan to watch more of it this weekend.

Even though, I’m working this weekend, I have some fun activities planned which I’m excited for. Today, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites. Here’s some things I’m loving this week!

Where the Crawdads Live– I’m so late to the party on this movie, but I watched Where the Crawdads Live a few weeks back and really enjoyed the movie. I heard about the book, but never got around to reading it. The movie kept showing up on my recommended watch list on Netflix and decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did! Without giving too much away, it tells the story of a young girl accused of murder in a small town. The girl is an outcast to the town, so many people have already set their minds on if she committed the crime or not. The movie goes back and forth between the past and present. I was worried it would be a little dark, but found the story to be enlightening, beautiful and a story about life and death. Now, I want to read the book!

Etsy Finds– I am a huge fan of Etsy and have purchased some recent gifts from small businesses. I love how unique every item is, how you can talk to the shop owners and the best part is that you are supporting local businesses. If you are looking for unique and timeless gifts, I would highly recommend Etsy! I’ve had such great luck for anniversary gifts, birthday gifts, just because gifts and Christmas gifts! Definitely recommend checking them out.

Blueberry Muffin Recipe-I’ve been on a baking and cooking streak and have been trying new recipes left and right. I tried this new blueberry recipe and loved it! The muffins were full of flavor and so moist. I made them for my family and they were a big hit. I have Pinterest to thank for this recipe.

The best blueberry muffins I’ve made!

Daisy Jones and the SixDaisy Jones and the Six came out on Amazon Prime last week and I have been devouring this mini series. I couldn’t wait to watch the series after reading the book last summer. It’s been so cool to see the characters I fell in love with come to life on the screen. From the music to the costumes and casting, this has been such a fun show to watch. You don’t have to read the book to enjoy the show, but it’s been fun to compare the two. 

One True Loves trailer– Sticking with Taylor Jenkins Reid, the movie, One True Loves, based on her book is coming out soon and I’m so excited to see it. I really like the casting so far and the trailer looks really good and promising for a great movie. You know it’s a good Friday when you have two TJR favorites!

Whew, that was a jam-packed Friday Favorites and a good mix of things I’ve been loving. Tell me, what are some things you have been loving recently or looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below! Have a wonderful weekend!

Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #16

Hello hello and happy Black Friday!

I hope you had a great day yesterday with family, friends or loved ones. I had a wonderful day with family, visiting, eating, relaxing and watching the parade.  Our family always decorates the day after Thanksgiving, so that’s what I have on my agenda for today along with some fun treats and appetizers for dinner.

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for a weekly edition of Friday Favorites where I share some of my favorite things from this week. 

Here’s a round up of some of my favorite things. 

First Snow-We had our first big snowfall last week/weekend. Although it was not pretty to drive and work in, it was beautiful to sit inside and read, watch a movie or turn on a fire and look at. Some of it has already melted due to warmer temperatures but I know it will be back soon. Seeing all the big, white, snow flakes gets me in the holiday spirit even more.

New Wall Flower Scent- Speaking of the holiday season, I swapped out my wallflower scent this weekend for this festive scent. I had been using eucalyptus and mint and swapped it out for fresh balsam. It smells like Christmas. Between the snow, decorating and new scents, I am ready for December 25…well I still need to do some shopping but I’m almost there. 

Pretzel Bites-I mentioned last week I picked up some fun snacks from Target and wanted to share another snack with you today. I got these chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel bites from Target and they are the perfect sweet and salty treat. You only need to enjoy a few to be satisfied. These would be great to enjoy on their own or a fun addition to a charcuterie board. 

One True Loves– I’ve been reading a lot of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I’m just finished the Seven Husbands of Elena Hugo and will be sharing my thoughts on it soon, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk about One True Loves. It follows the story of a young woman who loves her husband when his flight goes missing, it takes her a while, but she moves on and meets someone else, she’s happy and engaged until her husband is found and returns home. It’s up to her to figure out who her one true love is. This story is about love, loss, growth and finding yourself. I breezed through this book in four days. In fact, I finished the last hundred pages in one sitting. A cute, love story with a twist.

The Santa Clauses on Disney Plus– And because I can’t stop talking about the holiday season…have you seen The Santa Clauses series on Disney Plus? I loved the original movies and I couldn’t wait for the series to come out. I love the Easter eggs to the original movies tucked throughout the series. This is a great family-friendly way to kick off the holiday season.

That’s just a look into some of my favorite things this past week. I hope you have a relaxing weekend and wonderful kick off to the holiday season. Happy Friday!