Five on Friday - December 12, 2025

Oh my goodness—I'm so excited to wrap up work today because a girls’ weekend is on the horizon! Three friends and I are piling into the car and heading to Galena as soon as we all clock out. Before I shift into warp-speed prep mode, let’s take a look at my Five on Friday ~

1.  The End of an Era Docuseries and Final Show

If you haven’t had your fill of Taylor Swift yet, there’s a new 6-episode docuseries dropping today on Disney+! You can watch the first two episodes now, with two more arriving on December 19 and the final two on December 26. Here’s the description:

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era” is an illuminating docuseries on Disney+ that gives an intimate look at Taylor’s life as her tour made headlines and thrilled fans around the world. In addition, the series spotlights performers, family members, and friends – including Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, and Florence Welch – offering never-before-seen insight into what it took to create a phenomenon.

2.  Ella McCay movie

We've been seeing the previews for the Ella McCay movie and it definitely looks like a movie I want to see!  It opens today.  Hopefully we'll have time to relax at a movie in the coming days!  Here's the summary ~

An idealistic young woman juggles her family and work life in a comedy about the people you love and how to survive them. “Ella McCay” features an all-star cast including Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Spike Fearn, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, Joey Brooks with Albert Brooks and Woody Harrelson. The film is produced by James L. Brooks, p.g.a., Richard Sakai, p.g.a., Julie Ansell, p.g.a., Jennifer Brooks.

3.  Kevin Costner Presents:  The First Christmas

I am so looking forward to watching the new special hosted by Kevin Costner. The show takes a deeper look at the incredible journey of Mary and Joseph as they face the hardships, trials, and triumphs leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. It promises to be a beautiful and inspiring way to reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas. The special was released this week on ABC, and I can’t wait to sit down and experience it.

4.  Holiday Earrings

If you’re looking to add a little extra holiday sparkle to your outfits, these adorable earrings are the perfect festive touch! They come in several different styles, and honestly—they’re all so cute it’s hard to choose just one. I ended up grabbing the snowflakes, and they’re even prettier in person! Such a fun way to dress up any holiday look.

Available HERE

5.  How's your advent calendar doing?

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope to see you back here next week. I’m taking things day by day right now, doing my best to stay ahead of the holiday to-dos—but honestly, I’m loving every minute of the season. We’ve got this… let’s get through it together!

Decking the Tiers with Gingerbread Cheer

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday! This is my little space to share what’s been on my mind and to invite you to link up and do the same. And today, I can’t stop admiring our newly decorated tiered tray—decked out in the cutest gingerbread theme!

I’m loving our gingerbread-themed tiered tray in the kitchen window! This year I pulled it together using only decorations we already had—no new purchases needed. Thankfully, Hobby Lobby has carried gingerbread pieces for the past few years, so I’ve been able to collect a fun assortment to use.  

Let's take a look at each level of the tray ~

Our kitchen window is big enough that I can truly have some fun with the layout. I get to sprinkle the decorations all the way across, giving each little gingerbread piece its own moment. It feels like the whole window turned into a tiny gingerbread village!

I’ve had so much fun putting this gingerbread-themed tiered tray together, and I’m so glad I could share it with you today. It’s amazing how a few cute pieces can make the whole kitchen feel festive. Wishing you a season filled with cozy moments and a dash of gingerbread magic!

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - December 10, 2025

 

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers, including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more.

A friendly reminder to our guests that, as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, then be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature! 

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.

MEET THE HOSTS

1. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X
4. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
5. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
6. Angie – SALT PRAIRIE | IG | PINTEREST 

HIGHLIGHTS LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

DIY Simmer Pot Gift

8 Books to See the World More Clearly

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Jenga Block Snowman Ornaments

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way, your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Five on Friday - December 5, 2025

Happy Friday, friends! I’m so glad you stopped by today. Another week has flown by, and I’m excited to share a fresh roundup of five things that caught my eye, made life easier, or simply brought a little joy. Let’s jump right in!

1.  Jay Kelly
I am a sucker for anything George Clooney.  His newest movie, Jay Kelly, is out on Netflix this week and I'm hoping  to carve out some time this weekend to watch it.  Here's the summary ~

Jay Kelly is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup. It follows a friendship between a famous actor (Clooney) and his manager (Sandler) as they travel through Europe and reflect on their life choices, relationships, and legacies.

2.  Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas

In this very busy time of year, we can easily forget the reason for the season.  It's not too late to start reading a daily devotional.  Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas is free with Kindle Unlimited!

Enjoy more peaceful moments this holiday season with Jesus Listens—for Advent and Christmas. This devotional collection of prayers and reflections from Sarah Young's bestselling Jesus Listens® and Jesus Calling includes Scripture verses, and words of hope from God's heart to yours.

This inspirational holiday devotional is ideal for:

     - Anyone longing to draw closer to Jesus during the Advent and Christmas season.

     - Those who are looking for comfort, calm, and peace in place of the holiday bustle.

     - Families who want to cultivate a tradition of Advent prayers and devotions together.

This full-color prayer book includes:Prayers, reflections, and Bible verses based on the Christmas story and prophecies of Jesus' birth.
Stunning seasonal illustrations, making this holiday treasure a beautiful gift or keepsake.

As you pray Scripture throughout this holiday season with Jesus Listens—for Advent and Christmas, you'll experience not only God's answers, but also how prayer connects you to God, changes your heart, and brings peace and joy to one of the greatest celebrations of the year.

Available HERE

3.  Light-Up Football

Are you on the hunt for the perfect gift for the tween in your life? Check out this light-up football! Who doesn’t love something that glows in the dark—kids and even a few adults included. This fun pick is sure to provide hours of entertainment and might even lure your kiddos away from their screens long enough to get some fresh air and exercise. It’s a great holiday gift idea, and it’s also one of those handy items to keep tucked away for a last-minute birthday surprise.

Available HERE

4.  Stash Holiday Teas

Take a look at these adorably named holiday teas from Stash! This festive variety pack includes six different boxes, each filled with 18 bags — that’s a grand total of 108 cozy cups of tea. With both caffeinated and caffeine-free blends, there’s truly something for everyone.  They make a wonderful gift bundle as-is, or you can break them apart and tuck individual boxes into stockings, gift baskets, or teacher gifts. Of course, you could also keep the whole set for yourself and sip your way through the holiday season, one delicious cup at a time!

Available HERE

5.  Staying Fit...

Have a wonderful weekend! We just got back from a trip to Oklahoma, where we soaked up all things Pioneer Woman and even visited my cousin — someone I hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years! It was such a special trip, but now I’m definitely feeling a little behind on all the Christmas prep.

This weekend will be all about catching up, decorating the house for the holidays, enjoying dinner with friends, and taking in a PBR event. Busy, but in the best way! See you next week!

What I Read in November 2025

Hello! Can you believe we’ve already hit the first Thursday of a new month? This one snuck up on me! Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday. As I do every first Thursday, I’m sharing a look at what I read last month. Here we go ~

That's Just Not True by Erica Ligenza Gwynn

I have been a fan of Erica for years now and follow her on Instagram and blog Coming Up Roses.  When I heard she had written a book, it immediately went on my to-be-read list!  While I believe younger women would get more out of this book than I did, I still enjoyed it very much.

Are you feeling burned out by hustle culture? Weighed down by expectations? Stuck in indecision? Overwhelmed by, well, practically everything? It's not just you. A generation of Christian women are caught between being told they can and should "have it all" and an inner terror that, with one wrong move, it will all come crumbling down. Erica Ligenza Gwynn has lived in the constant tension of being told she is too much yet never enough. After too many uncomfortable years, she finally discovered the key to living free: recognizing and rejecting worldly lies and replacing them with God's truth.

In That's Just Not True, she shows you a better path forward through the noise. This book is an anthem for true freedom, helping you spot lies you didn't even know you believed or that the world sells as "empowering" even though they leave you feeling empty. Lies like
· If I'm not hustling, I'm lazy
· It's happening for everyone but me
· I am enough
· I will never be given anything I can't handle
· My feelings are my truth
· I'm in control and can "manifest" my dream life
· I'm too messy/broken/damaged to be loved
· and more

Begin replacing those lies with God's truth today and find wild freedom in living out your God-given callings with authenticity, purpose, and joy.

Available HERE

Twice by Mitch Albom

This was such a sweet and charming story! I don’t typically gravitate toward anything with a supernatural twist, but this one completely won me over. The plot unfolded in ways I wasn’t expecting, and some of the turns it took were genuinely heartwarming. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you finish it.

What if you got to do everything in your life—twice? The heart of Mitch Albom’s newest novel—charmingly narrated by Mitch himself—is a stunning love story that dares to explore how our unchecked desires might mean losing what we’ve had all along.

When he is eight years old, Alfie Logan discovers the magical ability to get a second chance at everything. He can undo any moment and live it again. The one catch: he must accept the consequences of his second try—for better or worse.

He grows up correcting his mistakes and saving himself from adolescent embarrassments. He even takes foolishly dangerous risks, just to see what it’s like to come close to death, before tapping back to safety.

Eventually, Alfie turns his gift to his love life, studying his crushes and going back to make himself more appealing. In time, he falls deeply in love with Gianna, the woman he believes is the one. He seems to find contentment.

Available HERE

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

This was our book club pick for the month. I had just finished another Fredrik Backman novel recently, and I’m not sure I was quite ready to dive into another one so soon—he really knows how to pack in the words! That said, the story itself was engaging and held my interest.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

Available HERE

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

This was a solid read and definitely kept my interest throughout. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it one of my favorites, but it certainly wasn’t a bad book by any means. It fell somewhere in the middle for me—enjoyable enough to keep turning the pages, just not one that will stick with me for long.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers.

Available HERE

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - December 3, 2025

 

Welcome to the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers, including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more.

A friendly reminder to our guests that, as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, then be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature! 

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.

MEET THE HOSTS

1. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
2. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
3. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X
4. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
5. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | X | YOUTUBE
6. Angie – SALT PRAIRIE | IG | PINTEREST 

HIGHLIGHTS LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

Folded Paper Christmas Tree

Santa Hat Meringue Cookies

Citrus & Herb Flavored Sea Salt

Leftover Turkey Soup

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way, your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Five on Friday - November 28, 2025

Happy Friday! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had such a great day celebrating with family and friends! Are you out braving the shopping crowds today? Thanks for popping by Five on Friday in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. Let’s jump right in!

1.  Landman

Season 2 of Landman is officially here on Paramount+! Eric and I love watching this show together, so we’ve been counting down the days to see what twists and turns this new season would bring. We’ve already watched the first two episodes, and they absolutely did not disappoint. The story pulls you in right away, and we’re already eager to see what happens next!

2.  Family Friendly Games

Whenever we get together with friends, we almost always end up pulling out a stack of games. It’s one of our favorite ways to spend time together—lots of laughs, a little friendly competition, and memories we talk about long after everyone’s gone home. Right now, Amazon has some fantastic deals on a few of our go-to games. If you’re looking to refresh your own game stash or need a fun gift idea, these are definitely worth checking out!

Mexican Train Dominoes

Available HERE

Elimino!

Available HERE

Splendor

Available HERE

Ticket to Ride

Available HERE

Quixx

Available HERE

3.  Heated Gloves

Winter has officially arrived! The forecast is calling for snow this weekend, which sent me digging through closets to round up all our cold-weather gear. While I was taking stock of what we have, I stumbled across these rechargeable heated gloves and now I can’t stop thinking about adding them to our winter lineup. They look so warm and practical—perfect for everything from shoveling the driveway to outdoor walks. And honestly, they’d make fantastic Christmas gifts too!

Available HERE

4.  Clevefy Citrus Shower Steamers

Let’s be honest—these next few weeks are going to be a whirlwind of activity, and every little bit of calm and energy helps. One of my favorite ways to start the day on the right foot is by using a shower steamer. I drop one in as soon as I hop into the shower, and the refreshing aroma fills the whole space. It’s such a simple little ritual, but it makes a big difference. If you’re looking for a way to give your mornings a quick boost, these shower steamers are a game-changer!

Available HERE

5.  Wish List...

Enjoy your weekend! We’re heading to Oklahoma to visit the Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve wanted to go for years, and we’re finally making it happen. I can’t wait to share all the fun details when we get back!