The Friday Files

 Hello, dear friends.  I hope you had a good week.  Today the temps are supposed to get into the 60's!  Now that's what I call good walking weather!

We've got a couple of Open Houses on tap for the weekend.  Fingers crossed that I will have good news for you next week.  

In the meantime, here a few things that caught my eye this week.

You know how I enjoy a house with a story.

This is a good one.

One member of the RHOC cast split with her hubby and is drying her tears in this rental.

Do you need some easy, fast Weeknight Dinner recipes?

Click here.

Are you thinking of doing a master bedroom renovation?

Here are some great ideas.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the HGTV hosts of the past?

The answer is right here.

Are you thinking about taking your hallway up a notch?

Some great ideas can be found here.

I just put this docuseries on our watchlist.

Have you heard about the new Romeo & Juliet remake?

The scoop is right here.

And guess what else may be on the horizon?

Have you read or listened to The Dutch House?

If you listened to it like me, you know that it was read by the incomparable Tom Hanks.

I just finished reading this article written by Ann Patchett detailing her beautiful friendship with Hanks' assistant.

I put this movie on my gotta watch list.

And I can't forget the tissues.

Are you a Stephen King fan?

Here's an excerpt of his next book, and even I may read it.

Talbots

Talbots

Talbots is offering 25% off regular price items.

Talbots

Talbots

And 60% off markdowns!

J Jill

J Jill is offering 40% off markdowns.

J Jill

And 25% off sweaters.

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor

Great deal on this cute jacket.

Ann Taylor is offering 50% off select full-price items. 

Amazon

Amazon is including these bowls in Today's Deals.

MacKenzie-Childs

Amazon

Amazon

Great deal on this portable sunshine.

Amazon

And my favorite sheets are on sale too!

Until next time...

Say hello to my buddy, Laura of the fabulous Everyday Edits blog, and her sweet furbaby, Elliott.

Elliott currently resides in Colorado. Elliott was a rescue from the Chattahoochee area, where he and his five siblings were born in foster care 23 hours after their mum was rescued.

His birth mom now lives in Nashville, and Elliott wonders if he should have hedged his bets and gone to Nashville to join her.

Instead, Elliott flew coach courtesy of Frontier Airlines with his forever dad. He embraced the Colorado lifestyle with chilly morning temps, no humidity, trips to the mountains (with puppy Dramamine), and plenty of backyard friends and playdates with the deer, bear cubs, and wild turkeys.

Elliott has a visual impairment that has new friends asking, “What’s wrong with his eyes?”

Elliott gets more likes on Instagram than his mom’s decor tips, and he would love to get a gig with Chewy.com.

Thanks so much, Laura!

Stop by Laura's blog, Everyday Edits for some great tips.

If you have a cute dog, email me a picture with a short bio, and I would be honored to include your little furbaby on my blog.

Linking up with:

BFF Open House

Friday Favorites

Bloggers Pit Stop

Friday Features

Friendship Friday

Friday Favorites

A Binge-Worthy Hodgepodge

 

Hello, dear friends.  I hope you are having a good week. The weather has been chilly around here.  It's lucky that I have been listening to a great book - otherwise, I would skip my daily stroll.

Yesterday, I had a delightful lunch with my buddy, Susan, of Sophistication Is Overrated fame.  I forgot to take a pic so here is one from her book signing in December.

We enjoyed a two-and-a-half-hour lunch, of which most was spent laughing.  Susan is a hoot and a wonderful storyteller.  You can follow Susan and her sister, Babs, on Instagram here.

Today, I am linking up with Joyce who writes the questions.

Feel free to give your own answers in the comment section.

1. Have you done more binge-watching this past year than in 'normal' years? 

Yes, we have done a lot more binge-watching.

Any plans to break that habit in 2021?

Maria Archibald

Absolutely not!

I have finally found my niche in life.

If anything, I hope to perfect my binge-watching skills.

Tell us one or two shows you binged last year that you really liked.

 

I guess by my answer to the last answer you have sensed my overachieving tendencies in this area.  

I will increase the number you asked for by two.

You're welcome.

No extra charge.

* a bit off-color, but funny.

2. January 26th is Australia Day. 

Have you ever visited or lived in Australia? 

No, I have never had the pleasure of visiting Australia.

Have you ever tasted Vegemite, and if so what did you think?

 

No, I have never tasted Vegemite.

I have sworn off any food that contains the word "mite." 

Is a trip down under on your bucket list?

It is not on my list due to the length of the flight.

I do, however, have a few favorite Australian television shows.

I told you I was an overachiever...

We answered a question about travel three months ago (the October 21st Hodgepodge), but let's revisit now... where are you when it comes to planning or even imagining travel this year? 

I hope to travel to NYC if these two wild and crazy kids don't make a visit to Dallas soon. 

3. Something that zaps your energy? 

I am a habitual mask-wearer, but every time I throw on my mask, I feel exhausted by the pandemic predicament.

Something that energizes you? 

Spending time with these two and...

facetiming the Newlyweds.

4. On a scale of 1-10, what are your eating habits like these days? (1=all junk food all the time and 10= juicing every green thing in the frig) The healthiest meal you've eaten in the last week or so? 

I have done pretty well sticking to Weight Watchers.

The Mister, not so much.

5. What's your most often 'Back in my day....' thing to say?

 

Sticking with my newly-acquired, late-in-life skill set...

Back in the day, we used to have to get off the couch to change the channel, and we had to wait a whole week to see the next program episode.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Amazon

I just finished this powerful and unforgettable novel.

I highly recommend it.

Until next time...

Today I am featuring a long-time reader of mine, Joan, and her darling pooch, Jussi.

This is Jussi, our 5yr old lab rescue ‘living the dream.’ Jussi (Finnish for John (stole it from the Wallander TV series)) started life as a puppy of an elderly owner who kept him kenneled almost all day. Jussi never learned to play with toys or socialize with other dogs. When his owner passed away, the owner’s relatives left Jussi with the animal shelter from where we took him in.

Jussi has become very attached to my husband (which means I’m invisible unless I have food in my hands!). However, he’s very sweet, good-natured, and gets way too many treats!

Thank you, Joan!

If you have a cute dog, email me a picture with a short bio, and I would be honored to include your little furbaby on my blog.