Magical Moments and Gingerbread Houses

How I relish my weekends with this our tiny human. We still wanted to spend some time with her even though she is still recovering from a cold. So we decided to stay home and have a relaxing-ish day with her.

After eating her absolute favorite meal, mac-n-cheese, we decorated gingerbread houses from a kit. These two were so funny. I had to make a quick batch of royal icing since every time Mr. would pour a layer of icing from the kit there was her finger getting a scoop. Which of course grossed me out a bit .. I mean really how long has this icing been in the box. YIKES!! Once we were done with our houses and after a rousting game of tag, we were all ready to relax. We quickly painted our nails before settling down to watch Moana, which is a super cute movie if you have never watched it.

And that my friends is another wonderful and magical day with our grand-angel.

November

November was such a blur. With other family obligations we were not able to spend much time with munchkin. But when we did we ate fruit, told stories, laughed a lot and played in the grass [a blessing of being in the Southwest is the winters are nice]. Each moment with her is such a special time.

Three Books and a Show

Earlier this year I decided that I wanted to do theme books for my reading -- Jaws for summer and spooky for Halloween and a fun cheesy Christmas story for .. well .. Christmas.

During the spring I was at a Barnes and Nobel on the hunt for the elusive Jaws [my review] and I walked into the non-fiction murder mystery section. How? Well .. I am not too sure but I always seem to gravitate there no matter what I am looking for. While reading the synopsis of the selection I looked over and saw a few shelves of Heather Blake's Wishcraft series. Normally I would not be interested in such books but after I read the book descriptions I thought 'well at least these won't give me nightmares like some of the other horror books that have been recommended'. I put them on the reading list along with The Ruins, The Terror, Birdbox, The Shining and Pines [which by the way I saw the series Wayward Pines and man was it is addictive] and I will play it by ear and see what I would be in the mood for.

Well .. October came and while I was scrolling through the Libby ap I saw the Wishcraft series again. I was so pleased that the audiobooks were available and I thought 'perfect because with finishing a project [posting soon] I do not have time to sit and read'. I enjoyed listening to The Good, the Bad and the Witchy so much that I listened to The Good-Bye Witch and A Witch Before Dying all within a span of 2 weeks. The only reason I did not get to the other books is because they were checked out. Yes .. the series seems to be that popular and that is because it is a cute little book series. The main setting of the story is that there is a theme village in Salem, PA called The Enchanted Village where witches can live a semi-typical existence as store proprietors for unbeknown non-witch people. There are different types of witchcraft and skills among the community and Marci Merriweather is a wish-crafter - an ability to grant the wishes of other that she inherited from her mother. She and her Aunt run an event planning business named aptly As You Wish. Each book had a murder happen around or involving Marci which she felt compelled to solve. There was a bit of repetition throughout the book but besides that it was a nice read. I can say that I did like it better that the Aurora Teagarden book.

I am going to publicly admit today that I like Hallmark Mystery and some Christmas movies. There .. I said it. Yes, their movies are cheesy and overly acted but I do not care. I like to sit down to a murder mystery which is not bombarded with bad words or with gory realistic images. I like my sleep and sometimes those other shows just mess with my brain - especially when I binge watch.  Last year I was channel surfing and the Good Witch movie was to start so I decided to sit and watch since I wanted to kill a morning relaxing in bed. And well … that movie led to the another movie which led to another movie and eventually to the show which was premiering that night. The small town set up reminds me of Gilmore Girls but without the quick banter. The close knit mother/daughter dynamic, the romantic interest [with a son] who is no-nonsense but lovable and colorful townsfolk characters in a small and idyllic town that love their festivals. The series is a continuation of the movies but it is taking place 10 years after the last movie. Our female protagonist, Cassie, is now a widow raising her super smart and kind 16 year old daughter, Grace, in a Bed and Breakfast [yes .. really] she has two grown stepchildren, one is a freelance writer and the other has taken his father's profession of being a police officer. Cassie also owns a store with unique treasures named Bell, Book and Candle. The love interest who happens to live next door is Dr. Sam Radford, the new doctor who came to the small town to be more connected to his trouble-finding son, Nick, who is the same age as Grace. The town busy body is Martha, who was the Mayor's wife but is now the Mayor herself, who is VERY active in the community and it's goings on. Cassie's compassion and how she genuinely encourages others is what draws people to her. She uses her 'ability' to sense what others might need by giving them loving words and allowing them to find their own path. Even though the new season does not start until spring/summer Hallmark shows a 2 hour premier around Halloween. Also, you can stream the series on Netflix.

24 Years and Counting

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth
and height my soul can reach.
I love thee with the breath, smiles, Tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

All Black Wardrobe for my Minimalist Friends

If you are like me and the idea of streamlining your wardrobe sounds like a great idea .. then stay tuned. The principal is to help curate a closet of easily matching items to help with the morning hustle. The easiest way to create a capsule wardrobe is to choose a single color and use it as the primary color and maybe a second accent color. In most cases the main color is black because it can be found in all categories [dresses, jackets, shoes, tights, etc.] and the second color us usually white or grey but red or pink are also a good choice.

The Vivienne Files is a great resource for wonderful ideas-possibilities are endless

I would like to say that I have mastered the look of the all black minimal aesthetic but sadly I have not. Wearing head-to-toe black can be a bit tricky .. at my age one does not want to look like a goth reject or on our way to a funeral. Being that the Halloween season has started .. this might be a great month to try our hand at it and still fit in with the decorum of normal society.

Below are a few outfit ideas that should be suitable for both work or casual Fridays and weekend wear.

September 11th

5 Easy Ways to Celebrate July 4th

Whether you are Democratic or Republican, Liberal or Conservative our Nation should be celebrated. This year instead of treating this one day in the same down played ho-hum way as any other day .. let us take a moment a put a little more thought. Make today not just a night event but a whole day fan-fare that ends with a great light show!!

You can start and end today the same way .. with prayer. A prayer of thanks for where you get to live and for the many sacrifices that have been made to protect it. A prayer to watch over those who are here  A prayer of protections from those who wish to take away our freedom and security. A prayer to help heal and better ourselves.

One of the easiest ways is to show your patriotic colors. Wearing the red, white and blue is a visual way to show those around you that you support our Nation and it can be worn casually and at work.

Casual Outfit

Work Outfit

Wake up early and go watch your local Independence Day parade. Most town have some type of event to celebrate our Nation during the day. I remember watching parades as a kid and I was always so excited. Now thinking about it .. I do not really know what caught my interest but I was always memorized.

Saturday Evening Post July 1954

Decorate your home with banners, buntings, mini flags, different colors flower or/and pots or with just a simple wreath.

BHG

And last .. is if you are going to have a BBQ then put a little extra planning and make it theme. Even if you are not hosting an event have fun with the décor. This could be as simple as red and blue plates from the dollar store. You can also make blueberry and raspberry Jello with whipped cream or add angel food cake for a layered truffle. Or red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting with blueberries. The ideas are endless.

BHG

Now with your house decorated, you dressed in your colors and the party theme laid out you can truly celebrate with your family as a full day event that ends with poppers, sparklers and little prayer.