i'm back ... and five on friday

Finally it's Friday.  It's been crazy around here lately, so I haven't been posting very regularly. Things are starting to slow down, so I hope to be back to 3-4 posts per week. I'm jumping in with Five on Friday today to catch up on what's been going on around here. Let's jump right in.

Fun news!! I'm going to be doing macaron classes this summer. The first one will be on June 8th. If you're local and want to grab a spot, follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all the details. I'm really excited about the classes and so thankful for the opportunity.

We're leaving for our annual family vacation in a few weeks. I cannot wait to get away for a while and just enjoy my family. Relaxing is the only thing on my itinerary. It's our last big family vacation before my niece goes off to college in the fall, so it's kind of bittersweet. I'm looking forward to getting some good quality time in with her. 

I found this cute top at Dress Barn earlier this week. I had a few things to return and this caught my eye on the sale rack. Of course I had to get my sister one too. I'm packing mine for our upcoming trip. It looks perfect with jean shorts and sandals or my navy Tieks. Casual but still a little dressy. 
 

We're having a back yard project done when we get back from vacation. The pic above shows what we're going for.  It has to be scaled down a bit in size because our back yard is a good size without being huge. My cousin's husband is making this happen and I told him my only must-haves are the tin roof and that the swing fits a twin size mattress. I'm excited to see our back yard transformed and am already planning my summer naps. Yep, I'm old and exciting. I'll share the process on the blog once the project is underway. We're also adding a fire pit and eventually a storage shed. The storage shed may be a Father's Day surprise.

 

And now for book news... I have a few food magazines packed for our trip and also downloaded some new books to my Kindle app. I've talked about Karen MacInerney's Dewberry Farm series here before and she also has another cozy mystery series, The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries. I'm about to start book 2, Dead & Berried. I don't like this series as much as Dewberry Farms, but I'll give this second book a try before I give up on it. I'll keep you posted. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

- Tonia

five on friday

Happy Friday! It has been quite a week for me. I had an allergic reaction to a sulfa medication and spent Sunday in the emergency room and Monday and Tuesday on Benadryl & steroids. Fun, fun, fun. I'm feeling much better now and looking forward to the weekend. I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Let's jump right in. 

I ordered this shirt from Nordstrom last week.  I love a cute thermal shirt and especially love this shade of blue. It's also available in red if you need something cute and casual for Valentine's Day.  It's on sale right now, so grab one for yourself.

I'm going to be busy this weekend making my red velvet macarons for Valentine's Day. I'm going to try making heart-shaped. Follow along on Instagram to see how they turn out. I'm Tonia_thc. 

There's some big changes coming up in my life next month. I'm anxious, excited, full of hope. Just ALL.THE.FEELINGS. I got a new life planner from Erin Condren to help stay organized, plus lots of fun stickers.  I can't wait to get ready for my next adventure. I'll share more about that in the next few weeks. 

And now in book news... 

I got my advance reader copy of Raspberry Danish Murder in the mail a few weeks ago and just finished it up over the weekend. It's the latest in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. It's one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I've been reading it from the very beginning. That said, I was very disappointed in this latest book. The previous book was quite a cliffhanger and this new one did not really focus on that or wrap it up...it actually kind of ended with yet another cliffhanger. It might be time to wrap this series up, but just because I feel invested after 22 books, I'll keep reading. 

I guess I actually just have four things to share this week, so I'll stop here. Hope you all have a great weekend! 

- Tonia

five on friday

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Let's jump right in. 

We're having movie night for the youth at church tonight. I'm really looking forward to it. The kids will have a great time and it gives the adults a chance for some additional fellowship time. I love our church family so much. God is definitely working and moving at our church. Tonight we're watching The Prince of Egypt. 

 

I've been using Lancome Renergie lately for my skin. I definitely needed something that helps with firming. It's a little pricey for me, so I'm trying to make it last. Any product recommendations out there?  

I got a few new pictures for the living room that I need to hang, but I have the worst trouble hanging pictures and photos. I heard good things about these Gorilla Hooks. I'll be using them tomorrow so stay tuned for how well they work. 

I was looking for a simple storage solution for our back hallway and saw this on Pinterest. It's only a photo - no actual product to purchase or a "how to". I think it would be pretty easy to replicate, so I'm going to show the picture to the handiest person I know and see what she thinks - my momma. ;)   Kirklands has this that's similar, but I don't think it's designed to hang on the wall, which is what I like most about the original.

And in book news...Mike got me this book for Christmas. It has lots of good information about plants, vegetables, etc. and some interesting stories, but not much new information. The illustrations and pictures are great though. I might try to do a cross stitch from a few of the drawings. 

That's all for today. Coming up next week I'll be talking about my Valentine red velvet macarons and other goodies, plus sharing information on how you can join The Hillbilly Chicks book club. Have a great weekend!

- Tonia

five on friday

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!! I'm so ready for the weekend. I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Let's jump right in...

We've been playing a family game every night before Landon's bedtime lately. Our favorite is this Alphabet Go Fish game from Peaceable Kingdom. The cards are big, bright and sturdy and it's a great way to review letters while still having fun. 

I'm taking my niece out to dinner tonight to celebrate her 18th birthday that happened while we were out of town. I gave her a choice of several restaurants and Red Lobster won out. I wonder if endless shrimp had anything to do with her choice. 

I ordered this cozy cardigan last week and it arrived a few days ago. It's so warm and cozy, perfect for cool fall days. I chose the cocoa color but think I may need one in black too.  

My sister is hosting a little Halloween gathering tomorrow evening. I'm making mummy dogs and, of course, Halloween punch. This is one of my favorites - we actually served it at our wedding.

And now in book news... I'm expecting an early copy of Joanne Fluke's Raspberry Danish Murder soon. If you've been reading here for a while, you know the Hannah Swensen series is my favorites in cozy mysteries. I believe this will be book 20 in the series. If you're looking for something new to read, start from the beginning with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. 

Have a great weekend! Next Friday I'll be kicking off All Things Thanksgiving. 

five on friday

Hooray for Friday! Goodness, what a week it's been. I'm looking forward to a relaxing, but fun and busy weekend. I'm linking up with Five on Friday this week. Here's a peek at what's going on around here. 

Mike & I are headed to the beach next week for our anniversary getaway. We'll be celebrating 19 years of wedded bliss. How have we been married that long?! I truly can't imagine a day without him by my side. I give God all the glory for our marriage and the love that keeps us happy and strong. We're not making lots of plans and will just go with the flow most of the week. I did make dinner reservations at one place - Wicked Tuna. I cannot wait to get to that Ahi Tuna. Yum!

I have a confession to share with you all. I am crazy about these Go-Mart potato wedges. Yep, gas station food. We went to see my mother-in-law Wednesday evening and the Go-Mart we pass is one of the few that still sells them. Any time we drive past, you can bet I'm stopping. And I may or may not have emailed the home office to get a list of all the locations in WV that have them. Mike got tired of me stopping to run in every Go-Mart we passed if we were traveling. They are just that good. If you're a local and want a copy of that email, just let me know. 

 

Ya'll know about my pajama addiction for Landon. Well, this time I bought some cute pajamas for mommy. These owl print pajamas are so soft and fit perfectly. They are packed and ready to go on our anniversary getaway. I also got this because sometimes it's fun to be fancy.

 

Landon loves Mad Libs and the Charlie Brown Halloween special, so I picked these up at Walmart earlier this week. He still struggles a bit with his reading, so we're working really hard to encourage him and make sure his self-esteem doesn't suffer. We'll be adding a few more new books to our Halloween collection, so I'll probably do another post to share those.

And now for more book news... If you've been reading here for a while, you know I love cozy mysteries. I got an advance copy of Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier, the latest in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. I've been saving it for fall and it's packed in my bag and ready for beach reading. For our fall getaways, I always like to read an autumn or Christmas-centered mystery and holiday recipe magazines or cookbooks. It really puts me in a festive spirit.  If you're looking for a new series, give this one a try. Be sure to start from the beginning so you can watch Lucy's family grow up as the series goes on.

 

Have a great weekend! If you want to see snippets of our getaway, follow along on Instagram - I'm tonia_thc.

five on friday

Hooray for Friday! We're on vacation next week and have a few fun day trips planned. School starts back up in a few weeks (BOO!!!), so we wanted to sneak in one last week of family fun. I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Let's jump right in. 

We're going out for pizza with the family this evening. Frank's Pizza in Montgomery is one of our favorites. Landon likes sausage and cheese, so we'll get that and one with everything. I haven't had pizza for a while, so I can't wait. 

We're headed to Durbin later in the week to ride "The Durbin Rocket". Landon is so excited. His last train ride was when we rode the Polar Express a few years ago, so he's really looking forward to this. It's two hours round trip, which I think is just perfect. And the train itself is powered by a very rare steam locomotive – Old #3, one of only three operating Climax geared logging locomotives on earth! You can read more about the train here.
 

Did you shop the Nordstrom sale? I got just a few things and have to say not much tempted me this year. I did get this shirt in ivory and black, this throw in pearl blue for the family room and two of these signs (one for my sister). The signs weren't part of the annual sale, but they were still marked down almost 50%. Oh, I also went back the next day and ordered these jeans. 

For the past few months I've been buying pictures and accents for our living room. Our walls have been pretty bare because I could never really find or afford what I wanted. I shared one picture last week and here's another set of prints I found at Country Door. I love the muted colors and vintage look. I got these for half price, which always makes me happy.  It looks like they are out of stock now, but they may be back soon. I'm hoping to get the room pulled together in the next few weeks. Then I'll share how everything came together.

 

And in book news this week... Yesterday I received an advance copy of Turkey Trot Murder, the latest in the Lucy Stone Mystery series by Leslie Meier. I've been reading this series for a while now and it's definitely one of my favorites.  It's set in Maine in a little town called Tinker's Cove and you really feel like you're there from the author's description. If you like cozy mysteries, give this series a try. 

Have a great weekend!

- Tonia

 

five on friday

Hooray for Friday! It's my birthday weekend (Sunday) and we're leaving for vacation later next week.  I'm excited to get this weekend started. I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Let's jump right in.

 

 

We're grilling out at my sister's house tomorrow evening. We're going to have hot dogs, a few yummy sides and my birthday dessert. My mom is fixing my favorite strawberry pretzel jello dessert. I LOVE the combination of salty and sweet. I don't know exactly which recipe she uses, but if you Google the name, lots of recipes/versions will come up.  Back to the hot dogs for a moment - we like ours with chili, slaw and onion. That's a true WV Dog. What's your favorite hot dog fixins'?

 

 

This little guy lost his fourth tooth yesterday. His teeth have been slow to fall out and he was so excited to finally loose a front tooth. How funny is that face?! Oh, he melts this momma's heart.

 

 

I treated myself to a little early birthday gift today. My go-to bag is my Vera Bradley Betsy in Very Berry Paisley. I wanted a small wallet to take on vacation instead of my larger one, so I found this cute little matching tri-fold on eBay. Brand new with tags and under $20.  I love a good deal!

 

I was in Target earlier this week picking up a few things we need for our upcoming beach trip. Besides our usual sunblock, I also picked up a bottle of Sun Bum.  It smells so good! I'll let you know how it works.

 

 

 

And now in book news... 

 

I like to use vacations as a time to read some old favorites and catch up on my magazines. Vacation is all about relaxing after all. That means my stack of beach books may look something like the picture above.   Book news will be back on May 12th with my top summer picks. 

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

 

 

 

five on friday

Happy Friday! We're kicking off spring break this afternoon....with snow. We're having the craziest mix of weather I've ever seen.  I can do without the snow, but I would like a thunderstorm that lasts for hours instead of a few minutes.  If only mother nature took requests.   I'm linking up with Five on Friday again this week. Here's what's going on for us right now...
 

I'm a little obsessed with Ancestry.com. I've been researching my dad's side of the family and it's truly amazing to go back and see records and stories about people you never got a chance to know, but still feel that connection to. The more you find, the deeper you want to dig.  If you've been thinking about researching your own tree, I definitely recommend it. Mike even has me doing a tree of his family. It really is interesting. 

I've been looking for an area rug for our living room.  I saw this allen + roth Kincora Beige woven area rug at Lowes and it's absolutely gorgeous. I think the colors would  work well in our room and the pattern is not too busy.  The price isn't too bad for an 8x10 size. I'm going to move our furniture around tomorrow to see if it could work. 

 

I have some Hilda cookie dough in the freezer, left over from Christmas. I'm going to use it next week for some fun Easter cookies.  I got these cute little Easter cookie cutters from Amazon last month and I can't wait to use them. Hilda cookies are very similar to Linzer cookies, but the dough has a cream cheese and butter base and it is so good and rich. My aunt's German mother-in-law passed down the recipe from her mom.  I like to use peach, apricot or blackberry jam. Check back next week to see the finished cookies. I'll share my dough recipe too. 
 

Landon can't get enough of watching "Sing".  He watched it at school last week and we purchased it on Amazon Instant Video that same afternoon. He loves singing along and performing.  Last night we downloaded the soundtrack. It's so cute to hear him sing along. He has such a good voice and some really good dance moves. We may just have to put him in dance class. My little Sinatra.

 

And now in book news...  I found a new cozy mystery series to try. The first book is Murder on Bainbridge Island by Dianne Harman.  It was a suggested title on Amazon, so I decided to give it a try.  The book is set in the pacific northwest and the main character has a catering business.  It's my first time reading this author and I'm hoping I enjoy the series.  I'll let you know!

Have a great weekend!