Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Because You Said So

I hate to admit it but I think I am very easily influenced.  Not when it comes to matters of faith or values or loyalty or anything of likewise importance, but if you suggest a book or a great mascara or a nice sweater to me, there's a pretty good chance I will try it out.  

Maybe that's actually not so embarrassing to admit?  Perhaps I am just being smart by letting others who have found their favorite items do the research work for me and I sit back and reap the rewards?  Yes we will go with that!  So without further ado, here are a few things I've bought or tried because you said so...

Suzanne recommended the Robert Galbraith mystery series (just learned they were actually written by J.K. Rowling!) and I can listen to them for free on the Libby app while I take my daily lunch walks and I am hooked.  The stories are easy to follow because they move a bit slow and are full of details and character development so if you realize you have not been listening for a minute (as often happens to me) you can quite easily catch up.  There are many books I have listened to with so many characters with unique names or story lines that move back and forth in time that I can't grasp unless I give it my full attention (which is hard to come by these days).

Nicole is always full of good book ideas, as she is a voracious reader, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Woman in the Library based on her recommendation.  This is another mystery book (I'm on a kick) about a murder that takes place in the Boston Public Library. Don't you love it when a book is set in your home state even if it is full of crime and murder?  Anyway this book is teaming with twists and turns and has a story within a story within a story that found me constantly trying to explain it to Phil because it was so interesting.

Grace from long lost Camp Patton days recommends her lucky finds on Instagram, and recently posted about this cardigan that I immediately purchased and loved.  She was right, it does look more expensive than it is.  I bought it in navy blue and it came with gold buttons instead of the ones shown in the photo.

I needed a new pair of running leggings for winter and Janae who is a real runner said she loves these.  That girl knows her stuff because these are the softest and most flattering and just-the-right-amount-of-compression leggings I have ever worn.  I went back and ordered another pair so now I own a pair in French Navy and Arctic Plum.

I was influenced by Cup of Jo's gift posts to purchase this bird puzzle.  Not sure who's going to receive it yet but it seemed like a cute gift that would be easy to give in a swap or to the puzzle lover in your life.

Ashley recommended this Vitamin C with probiotics and Jennifer suggested this Liquid Vitamin D that has helped her health tremendously.  I take both of these everyday, especially in the dark and cold months that are New England.

Any great finds you were influenced into lately?

Monday, November 27, 2023

Thanksgiving Recap: It's Giving Family, It's Giving Fun, It's Giving Thanks

 On Tuesday night, the college boys arrived home late after a long rainy drive from Ohio!  They appreciated the welcome home signs that Declan and Brendan left out for them as well as the homemade chocolate chip cookies :)


On Wednesday, some of us had half-days of school/work and others had Stay at Home Learning days.  Phil made a yummy pot roast dinner and the big kids went bowling.  I started the cinnamon rolls for the following morning, which came out delicious as that recipe always does.


We ran our own Turkey Trot and then headed up to my sister's house for Thanksgiving about an hour away.  Everybody brings a few dishes, this year we brought Pesto Meatballs, a Cranberry Pecan Kale salad and a Feta, Corn and Black Bean dip with fritos.  My brother-in-law cooked the turkey sous vide and while I don't like turkey, everybody agreed it was delicious and tasted like pork.



Super Scoopers

Thursday, November 23, 2023

GIFT GIVING GUIDE 2023

Here are the gifts we actually gave and received this year!!  I hope this can be useful to your own gift giving during this holiday season.  Happy Shopping!

{When you click on an image you will be brought to Amazon's site and if you purchase anything after clicking through that link, I will receive a small percentage at no cost to you, so thank you for supporting us in this way, you are the best.}