Tag Archives: Weekends

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: A Week Off to Celebrate Thanksgiving

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Sunday Matters

Many of you have known me for a very long time and you know how much I love Thanksgiving! And for those who do not know… years ago we ditched the large formal gathering that most people have to enjoy the holiday with just the four of us, plus our pup.  Most of the time the kids stay in their PJs. We watch the parade. We snack. We eat. Sometimes we do a puzzle. It’s glorious.

With my new work situation, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take the week off again but the planets aligned just right and here I am!! I am reviewing my reading choices, thinking that I will be done with the Murakami any minute now.

Right Now:

I didn’t get to church on Thursday night. I wasn’t feeling all that great and wanted to take it easy to ensure that I was not sick this week. That means we will be hitting church this morning after I pour some coffee into me.

This Week:

My husband and I will be working the Thanksgiving dinner at one of the community centers this Tuesday. I need to make some stuffing for the meal and then we’ll be clearing tables and refreshing drinks.

Image result for tyler florence caramelized onion stuffing
Tyler Florence’s Caramelized Cornbread Stuffing – My FAVE!

On Thursday, I will cook all our favorite dishes, watch the parade, eat olives until I turn into one and just enjoy every minute of it. Last year my son had to work right after dinner (retail, ugh) but this year he works for the city so he’s totally off for the entire four days. We may hit Disneyland this weekend but if he can get next weekend off we may wait because Disneyland on Thanksgiving weekend is guaranteed to be a very challenging day.

Reading:

I am about the turn the final page of Killing Commendatore and it’s been such a good read. I have no idea what to read next but I have some books in mind. I feel like a foodie memoir would be good.

Watching:

The Walking Dead without Rick Grimes is not horrible. I’ll leave it at that.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse is over and out. It was SO good this season. I really enjoyed the storytelling.

New Things I’ve Tried:

Are you a cheese lover? I’ve tried Brie many times but it always has to be eaten with something for it to be really appealing to me but I tried this Triple Creme Brie from the market the other day and I could have eaten the entire wedge myself. It was just a hunk of cheese wrapped in cellophane  so there was no brand to speak of. I hope to pick some more up for the big meal on Thursday. I guess the keyword here is Triple Creme.

Grateful for:

I am so very grateful that my son does not have to work Thanksgiving day and that we can all be together.

What movies will you watch Thanksgiving day (if any)? I really like to watch Christmas Vacation as well as Home for the Holidays on Thanksgiving day.

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: Don’t Despair

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Sunday Matters

It’s been a challenging week. More heartache and frustration over the state of our country, the Borderline shooting hitting everyone far and wide, more brush fires and entire towns being wiped out north of us. How do you remain hopeful?

Well, it starts and ends with kindness. Be good to yourself and be good to others. Do a little something extra for someone and that dark cloud will dissipate. It’s nearly impossible to stay upset when you are making someone else feel good.

Right Now:

Last Thursday was full of bad news so we attended church that night. It was a nice, quiet service. Exactly what we needed. That means I am free this morning to do whatever I want.

This Week:

My campus is closed on Monday for the holiday so I am going to plan our Thanksgiving menu and figure out what I need to buy. I can’t believe how fast it’s coming up. Later that night, we are working Outreach and I may have to work one of the plays at the end of the week but other than that, it’s just work and rehearsals taking up my time this week.

Reading:

STILL reading Murakami.

Watching:

The Walking Dead is heading into a six-year time jump for tonight’s episode. I think it’s a really lazy way for the writers to get these characters into a more interesting story line. The characters are going nowhere. Something has to happen.

On a happier note, American Horror Story is holding up nicely this year. One more episode on Wednesday and this season is done.

I’ve been thinking about Christmas movies and feeling the need to pop one in.

New Things I’ve Tried:

I’ve been listening to podcasts on my way to work and I stumbled across The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. It’s faith-based but in my opinion, loosely so. Jamie invites a female friend to come talk for an hour. They talk about kids, books, marriage, work, etc. But it’s like you are listening to two friends at lunch. I. LOVE. IT. My book list has grown with all of the recommendations she has, plus I can relate to nearly every topic that comes up.

If you check it out, let me know what you think because it’s really good and I want every woman to listen to it.

Grateful for:

I’m going back to the basics here… I am grateful for the roof over my head, the friends I have, the opportunities I’ve been given and the food on my table. We are heading (quickly) into the “gimme” season and I am so over it.

My question to you this week, what special holiday activity are you looking forward to this year? For whatever reason, the holiday events are really numerous and wonderful this year and it’s forcing me to pick and choose what we do. Here are just a handful we are considering:

Holiday Lights at the Reagan Library (new this year)
Enchanted Forest of Light (we attended last year and loved it)
LA Zoo Lights
Festival of Lights
Santa Barbara Christmas Night Market 

I have more to list but you see my dilemma. So much fun and we have a Disneyland trip to work in there too. There are only so many days between now and Christmas and I want to do it all.