Five on Friday

One. Gravity - After perusing paint samples, comparing swatches and sticking those swatches on my walls... I do believe I've found a clear winner! Valspar's Gravity - which I discovered is also one of Valspar's top ten best-selling colors! So, I suppose I'll be spending some time this weekend adding a little "gravity" to my room!

Two. Snag Tights - I have to share with you that I've found what may be the best tights in existence. Normally I hate wearing hosiery/tights... any of that stuff because it's a battle to get them on and they're just an annoyance all day long! However, I live in Northern Virginia and it's Winter - and I can't wear leggings all day, even if I want to. I read so many rave reviews that I finally bit the bullet and purchased my own and y'all - they are THE BEST. 

They come in a multitude of colors (I got black, raspberry pie and colonel mustard) and they are the most amazing pair of tights I've ever owned. They went on with ease, stayed in place all day without squishing my guts and best of all - they are so very comfortable. If you need tights - I cannot recommend Snag tights enough - they are perfection! *chef's kiss*

Three. Room Things - Speaking of paint colors... all my other small editions have arrived, so my room will be ready to go once I get that paint job done! I ordered two small lamps from Wayfair to use on my nightstands, they're small and perfect and best of all - they are touch to turn on! My curtains arrived a week earlier than anticipated and I'm especially excited about those because they're yellow and the backs are lined with room darkening panels - which will be nice since the neighbors always have bright lights on late into the night! 

Four. Contagion - Hopefully I'll look back on this later in the year and laugh but have y'all ever seen the movie Contagion? Whenever I think about the coronavirus that was just yesterday announced by the World Health Organization as a "medical emergency" - that's all I can think about. 

If you've never watched Contagion - I'd definitely tell you to check it out. It's a really good movie! Although it might make you hesitant to touch anything... and might especially make the thought of the coronavirus a little more freaky!

Five. All the Feelings - A fellow blogger posted some personal thoughts about her life in a recent post and I'm always so in awe of her ability to share from her heart so freely. I am not someone who easily shares my emotions but when I read what she'd posted about starting the New Year and the fears she was feeling - it just struck me so completely because it's exactly what I feel - always.

I am scared to long for the life I've been longing for, scared to dream of what my heart and soul so desperately crave, scared to trust Him with ALL of it, scared to try, scared to keep being me, scared that I'm not enough, scared to hope..

I am trying my best to live this year with hope and allow myself to dream about things - because I usually keep those things pushed down and boxed up, because for me - hoping and dreaming have left me disappointed and heartbroken. Here's hoping this year might be different for me.

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Well ya'll - January is over! I know a lot of people talk about January lasting forever and usually I feel the same way but honestly, this month has seemed like it flew by! I cannot believe tomorrow is February 1st! 

January

Anticipations

Well friends - I; once again, can't say too much about anticipations for February. Yet again I have nothing on my calendar and so I suppose I'll just take in the month as it unfolds. 

Books I Read

The Gown by Jennifer Robson - A synopsis from Amazon that outlines the book better than I could: Told through the eyes of three compelling women, The Gown is a heartwarming story of friendship, resilience, and the power of heirlooms to connect people through generations, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. A I have to say, this book was excellent and I read it in just a few days. It's lovely and the story is compelling and touching!

The Giver of the Stars by Jojo Moyes - Perhaps my favorite read from this month; The Giver of the Stars tells the story of women who run a pack-horse library in rural Kentucky in the early 1900's. The characters are engaging, the story line is compelling and it's just an excellent read! I'm not surprised I loved this because Jojo Moyes wrote one of my favorite series: Me Before You.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - This novel is the follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale and follows three women who are more connected than they realize as they help engineer the fall of Gilead. It allows you to discover the fate of the main character from The Handmaid's Tale in the process and I found the book (much like it's predecessor) to be extremely fascinating!

The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones by Kim Renfro - I've had this book for a bit and finally cracked it open just a few days ago and I'm hooked. Although I hate the way the show ended, I do love reading all about the ins and outs of the show being made - and that's exactly what this is! 

Books on the Shelf

I still have plenty to read - I'm only about halfway through The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones and sitting directly under that, waiting to be read is The Ship of Brides - which I started last Autumn and never finished. But hey - I made a pretty nice dent in the stack of books with January!

Must See TV

The Witcher - This show was touted as the next Game of Thrones... and while I don't think it's that (nothing could be, honestly) I definitely found it enjoyable. The show follows three characters and their increasingly intertwined adventures: Geralt of Rivia who is the titular Witcher (that's a monster killer), Yennefer of Vengerberg, an extremely powerful mage and potential love interest to Geralt and Princess Ciri, who through fate is bound to Geralt for protection. The show was fast paced, funny and interesting and I'll definitely watch the already planned second season.

*I can also tell you that spellcheck does NOT like all those names and places... ha-ha!

Home Town - I just so enjoy this show... because I love watching them transform old houses into new homes and also; I think, because the way the people on the show are - I know those kind of people. They are all so like the sweet Mississippi people I grew up around and so the show feels a little like home to me. Plus - Ben and Erin are absolutely #goals - right?

The Man in the High Castle - The fourth and final season of the show feels... a little bit all over the place... granted, I'm not finished with the show as of yet. I've watched the first five of a ten episode season and the first couple were very hard to get into but the show finally began to pick up momentum around episode three. I'm quite interested to see how it all plays out but I have to say - the final two seasons haven't been nearly as compelling as the first two seasons. 

Must See Movies

1917 - This movie was absolutely stunning! The film is made so that it's one continuous shot from start to finish, following two soldiers as they cross enemy lines in an attempt to stave off the start of a battle that will leave the British casualties at staggering numbers. I was so engrossed in the movie that I jumped more than once and when the waitress came to collect our tickets (usually a sign there is about 25 minutes left on a movie) I was blown away that so much time had already passed. This film is excellent!

Knives Out - This movie was unique...perhaps that the best way to describe it? I was interested in seeing it after seeing initial previews, it received rave reviews and my own Dad even thoroughly enjoyed it, so I figured why not. The movie had some really good portions, there were some comedic moments...to be sure... but for the most part, it seemed to move so very slowly and it never 100% drew me in.

Marriage Story - Ooh boy, this one is quite the movie. It follows a couple as their marriage falls apart and while the story is compelling - the real draw here is watching Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson just act the mess out of every scene their in. The movie manages to be touching, funny and at times extremely sad...and I also imagine it's probably a pretty realistic view of what going through a divorce with a small child might be like. It was a really good watch!

Tasty Treats

How obvious is it that I started Weight Watchers at the beginning of this month? *snickers* I had some really delicious Broccoli & Cheddar soup the first week of January, just a day or two before I started Weight Watchers. I've also discovered the deliciousness that is Spaghetti Squash - so extremely tasty!

It's not to say that I haven't eaten some really tasty things this month - but I guess nothing was really very photo-worthy! 

Tunes & Talks

I'm still really enjoying the podcast "Catlick" - I cannot recommend it enough; especially if you're a fan of true crime, suspense and history. It's just hands down an excellent listen. I discovered the CBS Washington Nationals Talk podcast and its filled the void left when my other favorite Nationals podcast stopped making new episodes.

I've also been listening to a lot of instrumental music - so no changes there either. I suppose I'm a creature of habit.

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So - that's January completed then. At least, one more day and it will be completed. Normally January seems to last six years... but this year, the month of January has gone by pretty quickly!

Watson Wednesday

I have a few pictures today! Just some random snaps of Watson around the house - taking a little morning nap in front of the fire, "helping" me with my Bible study on a Saturday afternoon and lounging after some exercise.

An Idea!

Well - I didn't write a weekend recap yesterday because... well, it's not that I wasn't doing anything but I guess I just didn't think what I was doing was worth much of a report and honestly - I also have zero pictures from the weekend except nonsense and tons of snaps of my dog! 

I have been mulling over the idea of changing up my bedroom for a while now - it's been gray and yellow for some time and I really like that color scheme, but I wanted a little more. Plus - I've been meaning to paint my bedroom since I moved into it and never got beyond doing the two shorter walls a bright yellow that I now find I don't love as much... so I decided that while it's Winter and there isn't much going on, the time for painting was now.

After dinner out with my Dad on Friday night and some time spent perusing Home Goods and Books A Million, I came home and continued reviewing bedding on Amazon while chatting with my younger sister. I kept coming back to a medallion patterned quilt in shades of yellow, gray, mint green and black - and since I had reward points (dollars) built up on my Amazon Prime card - I was able to purchase the bedding for just $30! 

Buying the bedding got the wheels spinning in my head and after sleeping in on Saturday, doing some exercise and just a few things here and there around the house - I headed for Lowe's to look at paint samples. I chose several options to compare and then made my way to Hobby Lobby where I found new drawer pulls, a distressed lantern and a white wrought iron wall hanging to add to my new decor scheme - and then I joined my friends Danielle and Nick at The Alamo to see Rise of Skywalker once again.

Sunday morning after coffee, church and lunch at the Greene Turtle - I pulled everything off my walls, filled in the nail holes, taped up my paint swatches and decided that Gravity by Valspar is going to be the winning color. I still need to sand the covered nail holes and go buy the paint - but the room is well on it's way! I've put the new drawer pulls on the bedside tables, the bedding arrive yesterday, the new lamps will arrive tomorrow and my curtains will be along next week... 

So - I suppose I'll be spending a portion of this upcoming weekend painting walls! I'm pretty excited about making my room a little bit brighter and more cozy! 

The Year of the Rat

Did y'all know that 2020 is the Year of the Rat? I don't actually pay too much attention to the Chinese New Year or the Chinese Zodiac... beyond knowing that I was actually born in a Year of the Rat (1984). So - I suppose 2020 is perhaps special since I am (technically) a "rat" and this is the Year of the Rat. 

My Mom keeps saying that 2020 is "my year" - not sure what makes her thing that but I'm hoping she's right about that. I just thought I'd share some snaps from the end of 2018 when we went to see the Chinese Lantern Festival of Lights and I snapped some pictures by my "rat". 

Happy Lunar New Year!

The ABC's of Me - The Update

I do; from time to time, look back on some of my old posts and I stumbled on this one from 2013. I thought for the most part if would be fun to update this one... if any of the ABC's did; in fact, serve to be updated. I shared some snaps below - the one on the left is me in 2013 and the one on the right is me near the end of 2019.

A - Available or Married? *sigh* I'm still available. I suppose that's all I'll say on that one for now.

B - Book? I am currently reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and I'm so close to finishing it!

C - Cake or Pie? I am 95% a cake person but I do really love Cherry Pie! :)

D - Drink of Choice? Coffee! The drink of choice is always coffee.

E - Essential Item? It's my iPhone. I know that's so cliche but it's just the truth! So much of my life is operated and accessed through that thing... so that's just how it is.

F - Favorite Color? Blue!

G - Game to Watch or Play? Baseball! Washington Nationals baseball is always my favorite game to watch... I'm not big on playing games but I do like "word" style games like Scattergories and Apples to Apples... and I also like Game of Thrones Clue!

H - Hometown? Complicated... because which town is a person's home town? I was born in Lompoc, California... I was raised in Collinsville, Mississippi and now I live in... Northern Virginia. *wink*

I - Indulgence? Y'all... I really, really like eating peanut butter with chocolate chips mixed in... And it's an indulgence because I'm currently on Weight Watchers and I try to save points for the evening where I can have peanut butter and chocolate!

J - Job? I work at a Wealth Management Firm, placing trades on the stock market and managing money. I would have never in a million years imagined I'd be doing this, but I really love my job - so there you have it.

K - Kids & Their Names? I have a fur baby named Watson. He's the best.

L - Life is Incomplete Without? Music! Music! I love music and I think it would make me a little crazy to not have music in my life in some form.

M - Music Group or Singer? Ramin Djawadi; he's a composer and I honestly listen to more Instrumental and Classical music than anything else... but as he's neither a music group or a singer, I'll also say Queen - because they're just the best. Duh.

N - Number of Siblings? Just the one little sister.

O - Oranges or Apples? Neither. I like orange flavored things and I like apples cooked in things, but I do not like them on their own.

P - Phobias/Fears? I don't like heights or flying. Flying probably ranks at the top of that list though.

Q - Favorite Quote? At present, I rather like: "You either exist in a state of shame about not fitting into society or you embrace what you have"- Gwendoline Christie (And trust me, being a single 35 year old... I know a thing or two about not fitting in).

R - Reason to Smile? The sun is out today and while the month of January normally seems to last for six months, for some reason this year it's flown by... and I suppose that makes me smile because I don't typically enjoy January and February.

S - Season? Christmas! I mean, honestly - Christmas is a season unto itself but if we're being traditional here... then it's Autumn!

T - Tattoos? Not a single one and I have no plans for one because I'm not a huge fan of needles and I don't know that there's anything I love enough to have it memorialized on my body.

U - Unknown Fact about Me? Hmmm... I won the Spelling Bee in 6th and 7th grade and ended up at the county Spelling Bee in 7th grade.

V - Vegetable You Love? Broccoli! Corn! I like lots of vegetables... and writing about them makes me want one of those vegetable pizzas made with cream cheese and crescent rolls. *drool*

W - Worst Habit? I second guess, overthink and analyze every situation to death. Absolutely to death.

X - X-Ray(s) You've Had? I used to get an X-ray every year on my spine because I have (had) scoliosis.

Y - Your Favorite Food? I don't know that I could choose a favorite food... I love so many things. Italian food. Mexican food. Bread. Good food is life and I can't choose favorites.

Z - Zodiac? I'm a Libra, which is scales. Which is funny because I do like things to be balanced and fair. 

Watson Wednesday

When you just want to be warm and so you think that the best way is to get as close to the fire as possible.

Long Weekend Things

How is the long weekend already over? I mean - I suppose it didn't fly by or anything but it does feel like the weekend just started and it's already Tuesday! Granted; since it's already Tuesday, that means the next weekend will arrive a bit more quickly... right? 

Friday night my Mom and I had a little bit of a girl's night and popped into a couple shops (Hobby Lobby, Pier One, Target) before grabbing dinner at Chick Fil A. We went to see Knives Out at the theater at the local mall and we popped into Hallmark ahead of the movie - all the ornaments were 75% off and I scored FIVE ornaments for $24! Talk about a steal! I have feelings about Knives Out - but I'll share those in my end of the month post...

Saturday was a pretty chill day - there was absolutely nothing on the agenda and so I ended up sleeping in, getting in some exercise and reading quite a lot of The Testaments - all before lunch! It sleeted and snowed on and off throughout the day, so Watson and I took some very slow walks around the neighborhood... busting my butt was not on the agenda. 

I ended up spending the afternoon doing a little bit of this and that, honestly a whole lot of nothing but then again - I suppose Winter weekends are for doing a whole lot of nothing? After having chili for dinner (the perfect food for a crummy Winter day), I took a bubble bath and ended up finally watching Marriage Story on Netflix - which I thought was really good. All the awards for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansen!

Sunday was another pretty chill day - granted; I guess the whole weekend was chill, when I really think about it. I used my Chi Spin & Curl for the first time and discovered that it was going to be startlingly easy to curl my hair with the thing - it's maybe one of the best things I've ever bought! After church, lunch out and a grocery run - it was home for the afternoon where I read, exercised, cleaned out my dresser drawers and watched a little football here and there... 

I ended the evening watching the SAG Awards with my sister - her in Oklahoma and me here in Virginia - we text our thoughts back and forth but the thought most prevalent in my mind was that I didn't have to set an alarm for Monday!

I slept in on Monday *praise hands* and after just sort of sitting around a bit, I joined my parents for lunch at Olive Garden and then trailed them around as they shopped for new living room furniture. They ended up being successful at the final stop and once that was all sorted out, it was already late afternoon. I passed the rest of the day with reading, getting things ready for the work week and watching the new season of Home Town.

Apparently having a new hair tool that makes my hair curly seemed to inspire quite a lot of selfies this weekend - not entirely sure why! Regardless - there is one weekend left in January and then it's into another month we go. 

Five on Friday

One. Chi Spin & Curl - Does that thing look like a torture weapon or what? Ha! I have seen video after video of this thing in action and it would seem that it pretty much painlessly and with very little fanfare produces the most perfect and long-lasting curls. I couldn't resist the prospect of having really good hair... so I used some of my Christmas bonus to snag one.

So - here's hoping that the numerous videos of demonstrations that I watched are correct and I come out of this experiment with all my hair intact! Better yet - here's hoping I come out of this experience with fabulous curls! I'll keep you posted!

Two. Stitch Fix Update - I haven't talked about Stitch Fix in ages but I'm still getting them every month and recently my stylist has just been hitting it out of the park! I suppose one day I'll actually do another post where I'm modeling the clothes but that day isn't today... since I'm sitting at my desk at the office, have none of the clothes with me and yep... that's that.

  

 

I didn't ask for the cute moss green booties but they are adorable... would you believe I haven't even worn them yet though? I have this weird habit of holding on to new things and waiting for that perfect moment to wear them... it's weird, I know! The black dress is less impressive in the picture but has become a closet favorite - as have both the mustard and cranberry colored sweaters! The black pants are perfect for both work and play and the baseball tee is cute and comfortable!

If you've thought about trying Stitch Fix - feel free to use my link to try it out!

Three. Flashback Friday - A cliche turn of phrase but then again, that's exactly what it is. Apparently on this very day seven years ago - it came up a snowstorm in Mississippi and of course, like any good Southerner - I took a million pictures of the snow! I also apparently ended up going into work, which is probably more surprising than the snow!

Y'all know people in the South cannot function when it snows and yet - somehow it would seem that I had to saddle up and drive on snow and ice covered roads into town to put in a day's honest work. Perhaps I was just preparing myself for living in the Northernmost portion(s) of the South? Who knows. Either way - the snow is nice to look at!

Four. He's Cute - It's not Watson Wednesday (thank the Lord it's not Wednesday...) but then again, in my life it's Watson Wednesday every day! I'm sort of obsessed with my little old man and I have to feel like if I think he's that cute, you might too!

He was begging for a bite of peanut butter last night - and what this picture doesn't capture is that he wanted that peanut butter so badly that he was shaking! This dog y'all - he's a mess!

Five. Maybe This is Petty - But if it is, you can mark me down as petty! This week has been wild with all the news coming out of the MLB with the Astros punishment getting handed down, coupled with further resignations within the Red Sox and the Mets - all due to this mess that is the Astros stealing signs. Apparently they continued to do so throughout the 2018 and 2019 seasons, into and throughout the post season...

Which means that when my Washington Nationals beat the Astros in the World Series - they beat them while they were cheating. That baseball banging off the foul pole in game seven turned that whole game around and we went on to win it all - so you better believe I'll be wearing my t-shirt with pride. And if that makes me petty - so be it!

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Here's hoping you have a nice weekend! Not sure what I'll be getting up to but Saturday may be a snowy and icy mess - so I may not do much at all. Who knows? 

Watson Wednesday

How impossibly cute is he? I managed to snag this little face he's making by chance - but I love it!

Five on Friday

One. Snow - Tuesday was something of a snow day, which was rather unexpected but I'll always take some extra hours of time at home... I mean, who wouldn't? It started snowing around 10:45 and by 12:30 we decided it would be best if we headed home from work - for reasons I cannot fathom, none of the roads had been treated. I didn't have any trouble getting home although the roads weren't great, but I enjoyed my afternoon of free time! 

The snow was thick and wet - so it stuck hard and fast to everything, turning the trees into works of art. I love the way trees look covered in snow and the way the whole world sort of hushes as snow falls... it's quiet and it's also quite magical. The picture of the lake below is from a neighbor as I didn't walk all the way to the lake on Tuesday. The rest are my pictures though.

I am quite thankful for snow blowers - my Dad was gifted one last year for Christmas and that meant when it finally stopped around 5, I didn't have to go shovel - just drive the little machine up and down the driveway and watch the snow blow off the path! I love it! 

Two. Weekend Things - Ooh man, I am glad to see Friday arrive! Anyone else? I'm popping out to the movies tonight to see 1917, which I've heard nothing but good things about and so I'm looking forward to seeing that. I'll be sleeping in tomorrow and then in the afternoon I'm going to a birthday party for a friend's daughter - it will be nice to see the friends in attendance and catch up - which isn't that what you usually do at a party for a one year old? Not sure what Sunday holds beyond church...

Three. Word of the Year - Do you all choose a word of the year? I heard of doing this years ago and from time to time I've chosen something but it's never really been a do or die sort of situation for me. I was reading Carolina Charm's blog and she mentioned a seven question quiz over at Dayspring that would give you your word of the year...

I popped right over and took the quiz and the word I was given was "Stand" and to be honest - I'm not quite sure what to do with that word yet. However, if you'd like to take the quiz, you can do so here.

Four. Royal Mess - I think I've made it known that I love all things related to the royal family and this week Harry and Meghan dropped a big ol' bombshell - they don't want to be senior members of the Royal family anymore. Well. My younger sister says she isn't surprised but I have to say - I was!

And it certainly seems like based on the multitude of news reports that have come out - the Royal family itself was pretty stunned too. I suspect we will never fully know the ins and outs of the decision but I have to say that in my opinion (which matters not a wit) it was all so poorly done. It seems like they've done nothing but create a royal mess of things.

Five. Love It - I normally really enjoy watching awards shows but I confess that I had no interest in watching the Golden Globes last weekend. I will also confess that I love this picture of Kit Harington and Rose Leslie on the Red Carpet - they are just my favorite! He would look good in a trash bag and she looks fabulous in that green dress... they're one of my favorite things to come from Game of Thrones.

Jon Snow and Ygritte may not have gotten a happily ever after (honestly - did anyone?!?) but hopefully Kit and Rose will continue to be happy! *swoon*

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It's the second week of 2020 and this year already seems off to a rather bombastic start - wouldn't you say? Onward we go and hopefully you enjoy your weekend! 

Watson Wednesday

The very first edition of Watson Wednesday for the New Year - what a joy! Okay, maybe I'm the only one that finds it's quite so joyous? Who knows? I do think he's quite cute to look at.

It snowed yesterday - heavy, wet snow that dumped from about 10:30 to 5:00 in buckets and when all was said and done, left the area with around 4-5 inches of snow. Watson loves tromping around in it and of course, I can never resist snapping his picture!