Thursday Favorite Things #417

I'm so glad you stopped by today for another fun Thursday Favorite Things link party!  I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  My husband took several days off, (which is unusual for him), so we had a nice restful time off.

I took advanage of one Cyber Monday special this week -- I joined Weight Watchers.  I realize that holiday time is not the typical time of year to start the program, but I thought I'd better head off the holiday weight before it starts, (while trying to get this current weight off !) Plus, the deal was very good! (I'm not affiliated.)  So, you can be sure I'll be looking for those Weight Watchers recipes.

I don't have any decorations up at all yet.  Trying to get the holiday energy going, but I'm still running a little slow from our relaxing Thanksgiving break.

Christmas past

How to Improve Your Photography

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.

With the holidays upon us, many of us will be taking even more pictures than usual. And, we're hoping to capture some magic in those photos, aren't we?

In this post, I thought I'd give a little summary of some things you can do to improve your photography. (I go into a bit more detail in some of my other photography posts, but here I'd just like to touch on a few important things to consider.)

And, no, you don't need the latest and greatest DSLR (or any DSLR!)  With just a few tips, your photos will improve, whether you are using your phone or a pro camera.

A Holiday Hodgepodge and TFT #416

Welcome to another Thursday Favorite Things link party!

I saw these tags in the Target Dollar Spot a while back and shot a picture of them because I liked the layout of the lettering.  (Ha, I'm probably the only person that does that.) Not a bad idea though, right?  It's not like there are places online that have such inspiration (other than Instagram, Pinterest, and countless other places...  What can I say, I'm old school.)

Anyway, it got me thinking about all of the people I'm grateful for, and you all are a part of that. So, thank you for being here -- I'm grateful for all of you!

Holiday Cookie Preview and TFT #415

Welcome to the Thursday Favorite Things link party!  I'm so happy you're here.

As far back as I can remember, I've always had a huge weakness for cookies.  So at Christmas time, when my kids were little, I would bake batch after batch of cookies.  Not a huge variety of cookies, mind you, but usually just a few kinds--Chocolate Chip and, my mom's signature Christmas cookie, Butterballs. (Butterballs are actually more well known as Italian Wedding Cookies I believe.)  Sometimes I would make some sugar cut-out cookies too, because the kids loved to decorate those. (Not my favorite to make, but fun to decorate!)

I've slowed down on the cookie baking the last few years, as I've tried to tone down my pudginess and have tried to dramatically reduce my sugar intake.  (Also, gluten free flour is really expensive!)

This picture is from the late 90's. Check out the huge, ugly Christmas sweater with the leggings! (But this is probably something I would still wear today! Well, maybe not quite that ugly of a Christmas sweater.)

Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box Review: November 2019

I'm so happy today (on this gray, dreary SNOWY day--what the heck??)   to be sharing with all of you a review of the November essential oil recipe box from Simply Earth. (Plus a coupon code for $40 off a future purchase!  More about that at the end of the post!)

Simply Earth provided  the November box in return for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.  My review contains affiliate links. Thanks!

Once again, I was like a little kid when my Simply Earth box arrived.  I was so excited to show the  box to my daughter. Before I had discovered Simply Earth, I had gifted her some oils that she had requested for her birthday. (She's newly married and loves to use essential oils in her new home.)  When she saw the Simply Earth boxes, she was astonished at the value of them vs. the prices I had paid from another seller for the oils alone.

I only review products and companies that I genuinely love and appreciate, and Simply Earth has delighted me once again.

Fall Art and Craft Fun and TFT #414

Happy Thursday, and welcome to another Thursday Favorite Things link party!

My daughter and her husband celebrated their very first wedding anniversary this week.  A year, already?  I can't even imagine it's been a year.  They wanted a small wedding with just family. (No, they didn't get married, "under a tree" (long story),  but I think my daughter was happy anyway!) Aren't they the cutest?

Thursday Favorite Things #413

Welcome to our weekly Thursday Favorite Things (TFT) link party.  And, to those who celebrate Halloween, I hope you have a fun one!  I'm so proud of myself for waiting until yesterday to buy the candy for our trick-or-treaters. Usually I buy it too soon and eat too much of it so that I have to buy more!

Hope you have had a great week.  Sunny and I have had some nice, colorful walks in the neighborhood. She gets chilled much easier now and heads for the door faster than she used to.  (She'll be 14 on Saturday!)

Kidney failure?  What kidney failure?  Lively as a puppy, still.