Friday Favorites (September 27, 2024)

 

Happy Friday Friends!  It is one of my favorite days all year!  It is BLACKOUT FRIDAY!  Woohoo!!

 

Just sharing a few glimpses of JOY from the week....then I am off to make things happen!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Monthly Musings: September 2024 Edition

 

Hi Friends!  Patty and I are so glad you are here!  We hope you will join us as we answer the following questions...

 

 So let's get to it!

 

 

1. What are your best tips for getting into a fall/back to school routine?

 

 Utilize that family calendar and take the time to study your new schedules- also meal planning helps a lot with this!

 

2. Please share your favorite fall recipes.  Crowd/family pleasers welcome!

 

Frito Pie is a popular one

Find a recipe HERE

 

 Chicken Pot Pie Bubble Up Casserole

Find it HERE

 

 and

Jimmy Fallon's Crock Pot Chili

Find it HERE

 

 

3. Favorite fall fashion staples? 

 

Leather pieces- an olive jacket- booties

 

 

 4. Favorite Part Of Back To School This Year?

 

The fun football and cheer events for sure!

 

 5. Do You Celebrate Homecoming Where You Are?

 

Yes there is a Homecoming Dance at WHS so we can't wait to see the kids decked out this year.  (This photo was Diana dressed up last year).  There is no official Homecoming Football Game if you can believe it.  Blackout tends to be the unofficial homecoming game every year!

6. Apple Pie or Apple Cider?

 

I would say cider and especially in my caramel apple cider martini.  You can find my recipe HERE

 

 7. Do the leaves change color where you are?  If so, when?

YES and we love them and typically late September into October!

8. Favorite Fall Sweet Treats?  Do you have any recipes to share?

This one is a crowd pleaser as far as the kids are concerned.  It is called "Ghosts In The Graveyard"  I believe it was a Kraft original recipe.  I have been making it for years.  You can find the recipe HERE

 

 9. Hayride or Bonfire?

Can I say both? :)

10. Movies that give you all the back to school feels?

 This is a tough one because if it was more of the Fall/Halloween feels I would say Hocus Pocus or You've Got Mail or even Hubey Halloween...but Back to School?  Ummm maybe Sixteen Candles?  Or Even Can't Buy me Love?

 So much fun!  Can't wait to see your responses :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What's Up Wednesday: September 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Friends!  I am in the middle of Blackout Week so don't even know how I put this post together but here we are!  It is my favorite linkup of the month so let's get to it!  We are answering the questions above...

 

 

 

 What We're Eating This Week

It is one of our "survival weeks" of the year so Robby B is in charge and it is going to be an easy one for him...

Monday Frozen Pizza

Tuesday Eating out at the Blackout Bash at Luna

Wednesday Grilled Cheese

Thursday Breakfast for Dinner

Friday Eating at BLACKOUT GAME

 

 

 

What I'm Reminiscing About 

 

Blackout Games of past and we are all praying for good weather- please help us do a NO RAIN dance ;)

 

 Last year it was a monsoon

What I'm Loving

High School Football Games again...brings back so many wonderful memories of so many different times in my life...high school...in my early 20's when my ex was a coach and my favorite, Zach's games :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 What We've Been Up To

 

 

 

We went back to school!

 

 

 

 We enjoyed the Cheer Kickoff Dinner

 

 Labor Day Weekend was full of all kinds of fun including Birthday Celebrations for Mama, Cheer Choreography, Walks on the Rail Trail and visits with Zach and Zoe

 

 

When Kayla picked up Eva from softball, we got to squeeze in time with her and Baby Sylvie :)

 

We are still loving Revitalize Nutrition and have ordered a few Blackout Teas for the cause!

 

We all showed for the first football game of the season to see our girl cheer!

 

Hockey is back on tap and the hockey moms are in full effect ;)

I have been working hard to generate some revenue both with my full time job and side hustle in real estate- it is slow and brutal...that's all I can say right now without fully unloading

There has been nothing like Friday Night Lights!

 

Diana started training at Revitalize!

 

 

There has been more hockey

 

We had a fun dinner with Bethany and Drew

 

Blackout Work is in full force

 

We said Goodbye to Clark

 

 

We started to decorate for fall

 

 

 

 Date Walks in the Neighborhood started back up 

 

 Mama had a nice little Friday Night with Suzanne

 

 

 

 

 

 Zach and Zoe got engaged!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!

 

 

Did I mention we are LOVING the football games?

 

 

and Softball and Hockey are in full force for Eva and we are there for it!

 

 What I'm Dreading

Nothing at the moment!

What I'm Working On

Too much to list and too much to mentally handle right now

 

 

 

 What I'm Excited About

The Big Blackout Game on Friday Night!

 

 

 

 

 What I'm Watching/Reading

 

We are still binging Friday Nights Lights (for the 5th time- ha!)

 

and my two books for September were

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine–a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.

Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he’s still the enemy.

Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word
with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

I did enjoy this although slow at times...really steamy and learned so much about hockey and that impressed my hubby ;)

and Natural Selection- a short story by Elin Hilderbrand

 

 

---

When her boyfriend bails at the last minute, a New York woman embarks on their couples’ cruise alone to find that maybe the person she was supposed to fall in love with was herself.

After a string of bad dates and no prospects, Sophia Othonos has finally hit the jackpot: an actual nice guy. When he suggests a romantic getaway, she’s sure they’re about to take the next step toward their future. A rustic cruise to the Galápagos Islands isn’t exactly her idea of a vacation, but Sophia is ready for anything…until her boyfriend has to cancel.

Now she’s all alone on a trip that was meant for two. Sophia finds herself at a crossroads about who she is, what she wants, and whether her relationship is really everything she thought. But if she’s going to suffer an identity crisis, at least she gets to do it amid the unexpected majesty of nature.

Eight days of wild, unobstructed beauty are enough to make anyone reevaluate their life. These islands are all about adapting to your surroundings—and change just might be what Sophia needs most of all.

 

 

 

 

 This was just OK for me

 

 

 

What I'm Listening To

 

Diana's Junior Year Playlist

 

 

It includes songs like "So High School" by Taylor Swift, "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, "Too Sweet" by Hozier, "Please Please Please" by Sabrina Carpenter and "Birds of A Feather" by Billie Eilish...this list will be added on to of course...so early in the school year

 

 

 

 What I'm Wearing

Workout clothes and professional attire depending on the day!  Oh and Blackout attire came out over the weekend :)

 What I'm Doing This Weekend

 

Friday Night is the big BLACKOUT GAME....Saturday will mean sleeping in and that night we are celebrating Laurel's bday...Sunday will be softball and hockey :)

 

 

 

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

 

All of the fun fall traditions

 

 

 

 

 What Else Is New?

 

Patty and I hope you will come back here to join us for Monthly Musings tomorrow...here are the questions we are asking...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Favorite Recent Amazon Purchase

Items for Diana and Tommy for Spirit Week-their class color this year is yellow- they are going to have fun :)

 

 What's Up With YOU?