March Favorites

Ah the end of another (stressful) month at my house! But there is hope and spring in the air! So time to share with you some of my favorites for the month of March.

I can't help but start this favorites post with something good to eat. I got a bag of toffee in my monthly subscription box from a local boutique. This was a bag of awesome toffee from Toffee To go. Delicious! Was mouth-watering milk chocolate with toffee and roasted almonds and coverered with walnuts on top. I ate every single piece of it myself. Didn't share with a single soul!

I have used Clinique products for years. But I haven't tried this one before. It is also delicious. It is a moisturizer in the form of a gel that goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. It is not greasy. A little goes a long way. A full size bottle of this is more than I want to pay at one time but I got a smaller size at Ulta for only $5. What a bargain.

 If you are like me (and many older women) you have disappearing eyebrows. Mine are due to years and years of plucking them into a really find line. Which is no longer in style. (not that I give a hoot about being in style). I've tried many brow pencils, powders, and creams over the years but this simple little cream has become my current favorites. Plus I got it at the Dollar Tree. So it only cost me....wait for it...a buck. Yep. And it stays in place all day long. Goes to prove you don't need to spend a lot to look fabulous.

Justin

Spring brings back the birds. And this month I have two favorite pictures of birds. The one on the left is a picture of Justin. He is on duty. They found this bald eagle while on patrol. It had an injured wing and couldn't fly. So they rescued it and called in Wild life specialists to repair the wing and allow it to heal before being released. The wing span is 8 feet. Can you imagine. Justin says he's playing "dead" in this picture, but he is very much alive. Cool, huh? 

Then there is this darling little

From the spirit world

guy who flew onto my back patio and spent the day pecking at my window. Have you heard the legend of the Cardinal? Supposedly they are bringing messages from the sprit world. Brought me comfort anyway. 

Last, but not least, is my Spring/Easter mantle. It has brought me much joy in the month of March. The top picture is a Happy Easter wooden banner that I bought at Target (we no longer have a Target store in Hutchinson...it closed) last year for $3. The little blue ball lights I have had for a couple of years. They, too, came from the Target Dollar Spot. I think they were $5. I bought the wooden spring and Easter words at Target this year. $3 each. The adorable little teddy bear was a birthday gift from Justin many, many years ago. The ceramic bunny is from the Dollar Spot last year ($3) and the bowl of eggs with spiky sweet gun balls sit in the middle of my dining room table. Harley and I gathered the little gum balls from my cousin's sweet gum tree while we were in Oklahoma for spring break. Love them. 

That is my favorites for the month of March. What has been your favorites this month??

An American Marriage-A Book Review

I listened to this book with my Audible subscription on my phone app. I absolutely love Audible but I am thinking of dropping the subscription because I can get so many books with my Kindle Unlimited subscription and I don't really need two subscriptions. The Audible one is $14.95 a month. 

This book was narrated by Sean Crisden and Elisa Davis. Both had strong, rich African-American voices. (Is that still politically correct to call them African-Americans? To me they are just 'black' but I don't want to offend anyone in our easily offended culture we live in today).

This book is one of Oprah's Book Club selections, which I don't normally like to read, because she selects such dark books. An American Marriage was not really that dark.

The story starts out with a young, newlywed couple who are living the American dream. She is an artist and he is a rising young executive. They have had the normal tensions in the beginnings of married life. One night, while staying at a hotel, their door is kicked in by the police and Roy is arrested for the alleged rape of a fellow guest in the hotel. He is not guilty of the crime but he is found guilty and sent to prison. While he is in prison, his wife, Celestial, takes comfort in the arms of her childhood friend,Andre.

After five years, Roy's sentence is overturned and he is released from prison. While in prison he meets his real father and loses his mother in death. When coming out of prison he has to face the fact that his wife moved on even though she did not divorce him. 

The characters are well developed. Most of the story revolves around Roy, Celestial, and Andre and each chapter reflects the story from their point of view. The plot is a timely plot but doesn't really dwell on the facts of prison life. More about the feelings between the characters.

I was pleased with the ending. It left me happy for the characters.

I want to read other books by this author. I will give this book ****. I don't think I will forget their story. .  

Currently

Outside my window...

Outside my window is a gray, gloomy day. But I am not complaining. We need the rain and we have been getting a bit. The sun will come when it is ready!


Pondering..

I am pondering what makes family be the way family is. If anyone can answer that question for me you will win today's prize. Those of my family who are reading today might (or might not) know what I am talking about. Enough said.



Watching...

I missed my favorite TV shows this past week due to our road trip. I watched Survivor yesterday (On On Demand). Any Survivor fans out there?? Today I hope to catch up with my favorite Thursday night shows.


Reading...

I am reading a YA book, P. S. I Still Love You, by Jenny Han . It is the middle book of a trilogy. My book club read the first book last year. We are reading the third book in April. So I am trying to get the second one done before I start the third one. I just finished listening to An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. It was a good book. I will review it for you soon.  

 
Planning....

I'm still thinking about a road trip in June. Haven't yet decided on days. I'll probably go by myself as plans with the cousin is not going to work out. And I haven't heard whether I will have company yet, or not. 


What's in the kitchen...

Monday...Chicken Cordon Blue
Tuesday...Beef Pot Pie
Wednesday...Tomato soup & grilled cheese
Thursday...Chicken and stuffing casserole
Friday...Salad
Saturday...Yet to decide
Sunday...Depends


A quote to share...

Photographing...

One of Harley's senior pictures

A selfie from Darian

Trying on this year's prom dress

Water tower in Lamont, Oklahoma

Thoughts...

Harley and I went on a road trip last week during her "final" spring break from high school. We drove to Oklahoma to visit my cousin and his family. We left on Tuesday and had brunch with Justin, Heather, and Paige in Wichita before hitting the road. It is a four hour drive and the day was nice. We went out to eat in Muskogee that evening for dinner. A Chinese buffet that proved to be very good. On both Wednesday and Thursday we shopped the thrift stores. Fun!! On Friday we went to a huge Dollar Tree (ours here is small) and the Mall. And Saturday we headed home, stopping again in Wichita to eat dinner with Justin, Heather, and Paige. We had a good time. It was good to get away from home. Now looking ahead to a birthday, prom, and two graduations. Plus, helping Harley move!! Good times ahead. What have all of you been up to these past few weeks?? 

Happy Easter!!

Currently on a Tuesday

Outside my window...

A few days ago we were sure spring was here. A beautiful, sun-shiny kind of day with a temp of 70*. The the north winds kicked in and today it is only 52*. That is how spring is in Kansas. Up and down until summer....

Pondering..

I'm thinking about my dinner. Harley is gone today so I can eat whatever I want. I am having baked roasted garlic, butter salmon (she hates fish) a baked sweet potato (she doesn't like these either) and steamed cauliflower (she does like this, but too bad) I have poured myself a glass of Saracco Moscato D'Asti wine while dinner cooks. Yum! A happy granny here.(This was on Sunday and it was delicious)  

Watching...

Sunday I was watching a NCIS, Los Angeles marathon. Most I have seen. Some I have not.

Reading...

I'm still working my way through Into the Water. It has finally picked up and I am enjoying it very much. I finished The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons on Audible. It was very good. The story is about the disappearance of Suzanne Lombard, ten years earlier. Suzanne was the daughter of a United States Senator, who is currently the Vice President of the United States who is running for the office of President. To Gibson Vaughn, Suzanne was like a sister. He is now an ex-Marine and an Internet hacker. He is asked by the former head of the senator's security detail to look into the death on the tenth anniversary of her disappearance. It is fast moving and very well written. These are my kind of books. Check it out on Audible! I had the book with the Audible so if I feel asleep I could find where I last remembered.



Creating...

An Easter mantle

Planning....

Don't you just love spring. So much to plan. A road trip or two. Some flowers for outside. Some cleaning and organizing for inside. So much to plan. 


A quote to share...

Photographing...

Practicing her prom makeup

my March bouquet

A final thought...

Spring brings hope, doesn't it?

Hope things will get better!

Here's hope for all my family and friends!

Currently....

Outside my window...

Oh my gosh is it windy today! The sky is clear and a beautiful blue. But the winds....
We are having wind gusts up in the 50 mph range. I have had two bird feeders blow down. And a stray black basket blew into my backyard. I chased it down and will find its owner when the winds die down. It is kind of scary because it was just a year ago we had wild fires all around us. So I hope people are really paying attention to burning, welding, cigarettes, and etc. 


Pondering..

I could go on and on with my ponderings this week. Will we ever see an end to stupidity in the White House?? I think I will just leave it there for now.



Watching...

I've been watching The Voice. I have not quite figured out what it is all about but I am learning. And I downloaded the iPhone app so I can play along. (Like I need another time-waster on my phone). I love Blake Shelton. I'm all about his team. What's up with Kelly Clarkson? I'm not a fan. She seems a bit on the fan-ish side to me. Anyway, are any of you fans of The Voice. 


Reading...

I'm still reading Into The Water. I am listening to The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons. I mostly listen to Audible at night when I am going to sleep. I have learned to set my sleep timer for 30 minutes and then it will automatically shut off. This way I don't have far to look to find where I last listened. Works for me!!

 
Creating...

I'm working on my mantle for spring and Easter. Easter will be here before we know it. Can you believe how fast this year is already zooming by?


Learning...

I have signed up to get some vitamins in the mail. I'll tell you more about it later (after I have been taking them for a bit) So I have been studying a bit about different herbs, plants, and vitamins. You go to the site and tell them about yourself and they pick what vitamins and herbs they think you need. You can check it out here. I had a coupon code for 50% off or I probably wouldn't have tried it out. Do you take vitamins or any kinds of herbs?


Planning....

Harley and I might be going on a road trip for Spring Break. We haven't decided yet. She is just a couple of months away from high school graduation. I might be taking a road trip in early summer with my cousin too. Things are in the planning stages at this point. I think it will be fun. 


A quote to share...

What's on my camera...

I cannot believe I have nothing to share from my camera. I need to take some pictures!

A Final thought...

I am thinking about getting a dog. Don't know yet what kind I will get. I want a little bit of a bigger dog. One that I can walk on a leash. One that won't potty in my house. A girl, I think. Not crazy about those boys and the leg heisting. One that doesn't shed tons. I'm just in the thinking stages. I'll soon be going through the empty nest syndrome again. So maybe it is a dog I need! Thoughts??

That is Paige with her dog and the others are pictures from Real Simple.
I would love to have a dog like those
But they are $700 each
Yikes!!

February Favorites

February was a short month. And short months fly by. Actually I think all the months fly by now. I'm here to share some of my favorites with you for this month.

Fireside

First, I got this candle in a new subscription box I have signed up for. It comes from a little boutique in the 'little' town where Harley goes to school. A fun and fabulous place to shop. This month they included a small Wood Wick candle. Have you ever burned one of these? Oh my goodness. Such a treat. The scent I got was called Fireside. It has a cinnamon and wood smell. And the fun thing about these candles is the wick is made of wood. So, as it burns, it crackles like a fire. We enjoyed burning this candle on those freezing cold days of February. 

One of my favorite things about February was watching the Olympics on TV each night. I love the snowboarding, the Half-Pipe,  the Ice skating and Ice dancing. Even a bit of curling and Ice Hockey were thrown in. How about those Canadian skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir? Perfection on ice, in my opinion. The most beautiful performance I've ever seen. And who doesn't love Shawn White when he is doing the half-pipe? And I fell in love with the teenager, Red Gerard, who is the youngest snowboarding champion ever. Did you watch the Olympics? What was your favorite event?

I love finding new songs to love. And this month was no different. I found this song on a You Tube Lifestyle vlog I follow and I just can't stop listening to it. It is The One Who Saves Me by Loving Caliber:






Since I have started bullet journaling I am always on the hunt for good pens to use. I have discovered Le Pens. I bought this set from Amazon and I really like them. 

They have a micro fine point. They don't smear. And I can erase over them. (I like to do my designing in pencil first). And the colors are muted which is something I like for my bullet journaling.





I have wasted a fair amount of time playing games on my iPhone. Don't we all?? Anyway, I hope I am not alone. HaHa! My new favorite game is 1Line. I have already played through most of the levels. It is something I can do while watching TV. I hate my hands to be idle. This game is addicting.

My mug!

I have also been coloring this winter. It is so relaxing and I use some of the pictures in my bullet journal. Or in a frame. But, this coloring project is something Justin got me for Christmas. I colored the mug, baked it in the oven and it's my new favorite to sip my French Vanilla laced coffee. 



So there we have it! My February Favorites. What have been your favorites in the month of February?