Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello friends!
One of my goals is to get back to a regular blogging schedule now that the holidays are over. I thought it would be a fun to take a look back at some of my most popular blog posts of 2024.
1) Amazon Prime Purchases - February 2024 - This Amazon Prime Purchases blog post was a popular one. I shared a new travel backpack and some nice bathing suits.
2) Three Ingredient Egg Bake - I posted this egg bake recipe after seeing it on Living on Cloud Nine. Andrea has a lot of awesome recipes posted on her blog. I am looking forward to making this egg bake recipe again.
3) Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins - I love finding recipes from bloggers that I follow. I was so happy when I found this oatmeal raisin recipe on the blog April J. Harris. These muffins are so easy to make and taste delicious. I can't wait to make these muffins again. You can also freeze these muffins and warm them in the microwave oven.
4) Adopting Our New Puppy - We adopted back in April our new puppy Lucy. When we adopted Lucy she was only four months old and such a fun loving puppy. Time has flown by so fast and we just celebrated Lucy's one year birthday back in November.
5) Trip to the Bahamas 2024 - My husband and I took a trip to the Atlantis Bahamas back March. We had a great time on this relaxing vacation and I'm hoping to go back there again this year.
6) Books I've Read - October 2024 - In this blog post I shared some of the books I read in the fall.
I hope you enjoyed taking a look back at my top blog posts of 2024. Thanks again for your sweet comments and blog friendships. Here's to blogging in 2025!
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello and Happy New Year 2025 friends!
It's the beginning of the month and I'm joining Jenn for her Currently link-up. This month we are looking at what we are loving, doing to stay warm, resolving, organizing, and wearing.
LOVING: I loved the holidays and spending it with family and friends. I had a busy December with getting ready for Christmas and I loved that my husband and daughter were available to help with everything. I had family over for Christmas day, went to a friend's holiday party, and I loved going to lunch with friends to celebrate my birthday. I had a nice birthday going out to dinner with my husband and daughter to one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the neighborhood. I had a quiet New Year's Eve going to a local pub and watching the ball drop on TV. I had a wonderful holiday but I'm also happy now that the holidays are over. I'm tired! LOL!
DOING TO STAY WARM: I tend to dress in layers to stay warm. I always wear joggers, a long-sleeved top, and a sweater, crewneck sweatshirt, or cardigan. I love wearing my pjs and bathrobe and curling up on the couch with a blanket to watch TV or read a book.
RESOLVING: I am resolving to eat healthier now that the holidays are over. I want to eat less sweets as I ate a lot of cookies and cake over the holidays.
This is the tray of cookies my sister-in-law made for us. We look forward to her holiday cookies every Christmas. My neighbor also gave us cookies that she baked for us.
ORGANIZING: I have organized and packed away our Christmas decorations. I have been organizing and going through all areas of the house. I have thrown away stuff and donated bags of clothes. It's a work in progress after being in our home for 30 years.
WEARING: When I work out I always wear leggings and a T-shirt. When I'm at home I've been wearing joggers or sweatpants, a long-sleeved top and sweater, fleece, or a sweatshirt. I dress in warm comfortable clothes when I'm at home.
What have you been up to and is currently new with you?
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Julie
Hello blog friends. The month flew by so fast and my husband and I took a quick trip to the city at the end of November.
I wanted to see the holiday market at Grand Central and to visit Bryant Park in New York City. It was a cold day and it felt so festive to visit these spots.
I was surprised to see ornaments on this pretty Christmas tree at Bryant Park.
The ice skating rink was crowded but it was fun to watch everyone ice skating.
All of the stalls were crowded with a lot of people.
Someone was nice and took a photo of my husband and I. This is right outside of Grand Central Station.
I love walking through Grand Central Station. We went shopping at their Holiday Market.
After shopping we decided to have lunch at Grand Brasserie.
My husband liked his steak sandwich and I enjoyed my cheese omelette and salad.
After lunch, we waited for our bus to go home right in front of the New York Public Library. I love the way they dress the lions with wreaths.
It was fun to do something festive in the city and we both had a good time.
At the beginning of December, I found this crochet Christmas tree set to make. I found it on Amazon and I was happy that the kit came with all the supplies I needed.
Here is how my Christmas tree came out.
I have it sitting on the window sill with the crocheted octopuses I made a while ago. You can read about them here.
Our new dog Lucy is getting so big now and she turned one years old in November. She loves to cuddle with me on the couch.
Lucy is a little crazy and funny. Here she is standing up on the back of the couch.
I laughed when I saw her just sitting on the stairs. LOL.
Here is a photo of my mantel decorated with a Candy Land village that my sister gave me right before she passed away many years ago. I put it out each year in honor of her.
This is my Christmas tree from last year. We did not have Lucy in our lives yet.
This is my Christmas tree this year. I don't have any glass ornaments on the tree. I put a lot of homemade and unbreakable ornaments on the tree due to having Lucy. I'm hoping next year will be different when she will be 2 years old.
I went to our friend's annual holiday party last night and I was pleasantly surprised when they brought out this cake to celebrate my birthday. The cake was so delicious and they got it from Costco. It's so thoughtful that they remember my birthday each year. My birthday is four days after Christmas - December 29th.
Thanks for all of your visits and support throughout the year. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
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See you all in the new year 2025!
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello blog friends. I can't believe how fast the holidays are flying by and soon it'll be Christmas.
I thought it would be fun to do a This or That Christmas Edition.
HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS:
1. Real Tree or Artificial tree? In years past we used to put up a real Christmas tree. We now use an artificial tree. It looks pretty and the tree doesn't need to be watered daily. I like the fact that I can put up the tree at any time. This year we put up the tree decorating it with non-breakable ornaments due to having our puppy Lucy. She has been so good and not going near the Christmas tree.
2. Hot Chocolate or Eggnog? I like hot chocolate with little marshmallows.
3. Wrapping or Paper gift bag? I tend to use both methods of wrapping presents.
4. Christmas cookies or Gingerbread houses - I love eating Christmas cookies.
5. White lights or Colorful lights? I happen to like both types of lights on my Christmas tree. I have a tree that I can change the light setting to both and it even has blinking lights (which I don't use).
6. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? I love Christmas Day.
7. Snowy weather or Sunny weather? For the holidays I like snowy weather if I don't have to go anywhere. The snow looks so pretty and festive.
8. Ugly sweater or Fancy holiday attire? I like to wear a festive holiday sweater with casual pants and boots.
9. Christmas carols or Christmas movies? I love both listening to carols and watching Christmas movies. I recently watched a Merry Scottish Christmas on Netflix which was good. I want to watch Our Little Secret on Netflix.
10. Secret Santa or White Elephant? I would choose Secret Santa. It's always fun to do with a small group of friends.
11. Christmas pudding or Christmas cake? I like Christmas cake or any type of holiday sweet.
You can play along and leave your answers in the comment section. What will you pick?
I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! 😊🌲
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello friends and happy December.
It's been a slow time for me to read books lately. I read a book I liked and then one I didn't like or finish reading. I'll share with you what I did manage to read.
The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger
Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.
At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.
At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.
I loved this mystery/thriller set in an old apartment in New York City. This mystery is fast-paced, scary, with many twists and turns. I couldn't put this book down.
Wreak the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
I'm a little disappointed as I wanted to read a Christmas-themed book for the holidays. I found this book a little boring and slow. I didn't finish this book and I returned it to the library on my Libby app.
I don't think I will get much reading done this month as it's a busy time of year with the holidays here. Have you read any good books lately?
I will share this post at the monthly book link-up party Share Your Shelf. It's held on the first Thursday of each month. It's run by these bloggers:
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Happy December friends! 😊🌲
I'm linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness for her Currently link-up.
This month we will share what we are loving, looking forward to, buying, hoping, and baking.
LOVING: I'm loving my Christmas cactus plant, which is starting to bloom. It was given to me last year by my Zumba instructor for my birthday. It was such a thoughtful gift and I love that I can admire it every day and think of my instructor. 😊
LOOKING FORWARD TO: I'm looking forward to enjoying the holidays. They go by so fast and I like to enjoy our holiday decorations and lights. Yay, I get to buy this month my Starbucks birthday drink!
BUYING: I will be shopping in the stores and online for Christmas presents. I especially love going into bookstores to buy books for my family. The Barnes & Noble store in Union Square, NYC, is one of my favorite bookstores.
HOPING: I hope our new dog Lucy will be good for the holidays. She is still a puppy and turned one years old on November 27, 2024. I bought couch slipcovers from Amazon. Now the couches will stay nice and won't have a lot of dog hair or dirt on them. I can throw the slipcovers in the washing machine and let them air dry. Wish us luck with Lucy! LOL.
BAKING: I am not a huge baker for the holidays. I'm given cookies from friends and my sister-in-law is a huge baker who bakes us delicious cookies every Christmas. I enjoyed baking these types of cookies when my daughter was little. Do you bake for the holidays?
What have you been up to and is currently new with you?
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Julie
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