Wednesday, November 27, 2019

What's Up Wednesday, November 2019 Edition


Soooo, how is it that tomorrow is already Thanksgiving? Where did November go? I know I say this every month, but, time really is just flying by. And, it wouldn't be the end of the month without What's up Wednesday, so, as always, I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay to share a peek into what's been going on in these parts.

What We're Eating

Despite my intentions to eat better this month, I have fallen victim to the siren call of carbohydrates; I prefer them in the form of bread, and, this month I've eaten plenty of it.

Staff of life, y'all!

I've also been enjoying the heck out of fresh pomegranates, which have finally hit the grocery store produce section. And, I did enjoy a delicious pasta primavera and an amazing artichoke dip at one of Queen B's favorite local restaurants, recently. The food was good, but the company was better.



I also got a chance to sample the wares from a new pizza place in Hooterville. The pizzeria was recently opened by a friend of mine and it is staffed solely by youth with special needs from within the community. My friend's mission is to give opportunities to kids who don't typically get the kind of support that need in order to be employed, and, I strongly support her efforts. Plus, the pizza is amazing!


What I'm Reminiscing About

Tomorrow is my birthday! I turn 51, which....wow. I still feel 30. Except for first thing in the morning. And, a few times during the day. And, at night...but, otherwise? Total spring chicken over here...anyhoodle, I'm reminiscing about the awesome surprise 50th birthday party that Hugh and the kids pulled off for me last year. It was an awesome celebration, with so many of the people I love in attendance. If a gal has to grow older, it certainly should be surrounded by the people she loves.


What I'm Loving

I spent last weekend with Queen B! We did some shopping, grabbed pedicures, and took in a play at the community theater. I always love spending time with my girl.


What I've Been Up To

I spent one entire Saturday setting up my Christmas village. That was ten hours, up and down a ladder, bending, twisting, lifting, and cursing (quietly, under my breath). The effort will be worth it once the Man-Cub gets home for Christmas; the village was always kind of our "thing", and, I struggled mightily to contain the cords and to plan the mini-metropolis without him.


What I'm Dreading

Yeahhhhh....already sort of dreading the day that I have to take down the village and Jenga it back into the boxes in which it is stored. Not exaggerating; puzzles are NOT my thing.


What I'm Working On

I'm slowly working my way through a professional online photo editing course. I also have an idea for a set of mini-sessions that I would like to offer, so, I am on the hunt for a location that will meet my needs and vision.

What I'm Excited About

I am one of those odd people who really gets excited about cooking a full Thanksgiving meal, and, tomorrow is my day. Thanksgiving is the second of only two days of the year that I don't mind getting up before dawn (Christmas being #1, I mean, obviously). I get up that early so that I can savor the peace and quiet of the kitchen before the chaos ultimately ensues.

What I'm Watching

Hugh and I finally caught up on our DVR line-up, including the last season of Yellowstone. I enjoyed it almost more than the first season.


I've also started watching Dolly Parton's Netflix series, Heartstrings. I love me some Dolly, not gonna lie.


Of course I'm also watching cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies....like, a lot. But, it's ok! I follow up the smaltz with a cleansing dose of Snapped or whatever murder mystery the fine folks at Dateline feel the need to investigate. It's called balance.

What I'm Reading

I finally finished When We Believed in Mermaids.


 It was really good, and, now that I have a little more time on my hands, I might have to read it back through. This is the synopsis from Amazon:

Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news…
Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.
After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.
Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.

I also read The Noel Diary


It was a pretty quick read, but a good one. The synopsis from Amazon:

Bestselling romance author Jacob Churcher hasn't been home for almost twenty years—not since his mentally ill mother kicked him out of the house when he was just sixteen. When a lawyer calls, days before Christmas, to inform him that his estranged mother has passed away and left her house to him, Jacob returns not just to settle the estate but to try and reconcile with the past and the pain and abuse he experienced as a child. Also, maybe cleaning out her house will be slightly less depressing than spending the holidays alone, watching re-runs of Christmas classics.

But as it turns out, the house holds more than just difficult memories, Jacob’s mother had become a hoarder and he must excavate through two decades worth of clutter. As Jacob digs through the detritus, like an archaeologist, he uncovers many puzzling items including a diary left by someone named Noel, a young woman he has no recollection of, who stayed with Jacob’s family during her pregnancy. That’s not the only echo from the past. Jacob has an unexpected visitor, Rachel, a woman looking for the mother who put her up for adoption thirty years before. United by their quest to make sense of the past and rewrite their futures, Jacob and Rachel begin a search for Noel. Along the way they find more than they possibly imagined, including grace, forgiveness and a chance at love.

Currently, I am reading If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisters. 


It's really disturbing. I wonder what it says about me that I can't put it down? Don't answer that. The synopsis from Amazon:

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.
For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.
Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil—and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today—loving, loved, and moving on.

What I'm Listening To

Sirius XM rolled out the Hallmark Music Channel and I've already heard Baby It's Cold Outside approximately one million times. I'm not complaining; I find Christmas music to be soothing. Thanks to carols, I've cut my road rage by 50%. I reserve my right to the remaining 50% as it is directed at the idiots who fail to utilize the passing lane for its' intended purpose. It's called a passing lane for a reason, people!


What I'm Wearing

I wish I had a better answer, but all I can think of in this moment is the bra that I am wearing, and, not because it's a great bra, but, because it is clearly trying to kill me. Whatever genius came up with the underwire needs to be strung up by his toes. And, yes, I'm confident it was a man.

What We're Doing This Weekend

I'm planning to draft the service of both Hugh and Queen B; there is a tree to decorate, lights and garlands to be strung, and halls to be decked!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

Christmas!!! The Man-Cub will be home on the 19th of December and we travel to Mayberry for Christmas on the 23rd. My side of the family will all be together, which hasn't happened in a few years. I'm really excited about the gingerbread house decorating and ugly sweater competitions that we are planning, as well as to the traditional making of popcorn balls.

And, that's it for this edition!


2 comments:

  1. I'm not quite 50 yet (it's just two and a bit years away) but these lines are my life: "Wow. I still feel 30. Except for first thing in the morning. And, a few times during the day. And, at night...but, otherwise? Total spring chicken over here." I fell down a few stairs this past weekend and it's like, my body is totally rebelling over here. Gah.

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  2. All three of those books sound amazing!

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