Reading Rainbow

 I have been on a reading roll! These are some recent books from the last month. Full disclosure I had two vacation like trips (sans children) in which to get some reading accomplished. When I am at the beach or pool with the kids reading does not happen.

*Home Wreckers by Mary Kay Andrews- Read this sitting by the pool in Jamaica. It was a delight! A bit of mystery, romance and historic preservation. I really enjoyed it! I was guessing right up until the end how the story would play out.

*Book Lovers by Emily Henry-I did not love the first book I read by Emily Henry, but was glad I picked this one up. It was a sweet story with a bit of predictability, but I would def recommend if you need some light reading.

*Sister Stardust by Jane Green-This was a wild story about a fictional former groupie. It jumps around a lot and prepare yourself to have to google a lot of celebs from the 60's. I needed to know more to follow the story. The descriptions of the dress and the drugs of the 60's were quite detailed. It was a wild time!

*The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey-This was a bizarre story that I think is historical fiction as they involved The Vanderbilt family and actual elements of history. I enjoyed the references to The Biltmore House, as that is a fun NC spot! The story was choppy with multiple points of view and story lines but it was sweet and a different book for this author.

*The Islanders by Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May- I listened to this with the kids on a trip to NC. It was delightful. Fletch and SS really liked it. There is a sequel coming out next week that I can't wait to check out. It is a children's story set on Dewees Island, which is just such a magical spot to begin with! The kids asked many questions about the area and the animals that are discussed.

Root Beer Baked Beans

3 bacon slices

1 small onion, diced

1 32oz can of baked beans

1/2 cup root beer or cola

1/2 cup of barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Chipotle Spice)

1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard

3 dashes of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Drain and crumble. Sauté onion in hot bacon drippings until tender. Stir together onions, bacon, beans, root beer, bbq sauce, mustard and hot sauce. Pour into a lightly greased 1 quart baking dish.

Bake Beans uncovered at 400 for 55 minutes or until sauce is thickened. 

This would be a fabulous recipe for a potluck or summer cookout. We served it with hot dogs. My kids have a new obsession with root beer, and I had it on hand. Everyone loved it.

 

Thoughts on Thursday

*I just finished The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews. It was darling and very much a Lifetime Holiday Movie in a book version. I enjoyed it!

*Need a free 2 hour parking pass for downtown Charleston? Here you go!

 *I made these no bake oatmeal bars on Sunday and let me tell you, they were really good! I have not been doing much holiday baking this year but it was fun to try something on a whim.

*Last night I had a quick little holiday happy hour with some friends at Lenoir. It was tasty and fun. 

*Kerr brought SS and Fletch these awesome reindeers from her childhood. Fletch loves his and asked me to take this picture. He is so naughty and then so nice. Very tricky child. Ha.

*Our friend surprised her husband with the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story. It made me laugh! I love driving past this at night! 

*The Amazon sweater I mentioned last week is still in heavy rotation. I tried the mock neck version and it did not work for me at all.

*This looks like a fun libation! My friend Lea sent it to me when we were discussing holiday treats. These White Christmas Margaritas also look delightful. Cheers!

Five on Friday

 1. I am hunting the MZ Wallace Tote dupe that I saw someone post on Instagram, and I can't remember who. It had the trolley sleeve to fit on your suitcase as a carryon. ANYBODY?

2. Just went to see House of Gucci last evening at the Terrace. It was a wild ride. I enjoyed it. The clothes! The bags! The soundtrack! We also had dinner and drinks at Kwei Fei and it was fabulous. Above is my drink the "9th Moon". It had a floral tequila and cucumber vibe. It was nice paired with the spicy food.

3. Already excited for this festival next year! Tickets are on sale now!

4. I rocked this turtleneck sweater over Thanksgiving and it is oversized and very comfortable!  I have the red.

5. This Marinated Christmas Cheese sounds amazing if you need a festive holiday appetizer this weekend.

Teacher Wishlist

Are you watching what is happening over at Things I Bought And Liked's blog? Also check her out on instagram stories, because that is where the roasting is happening!

So many teacher wishlists were posted and the needs are being met! It is magic to see.

I am inspired to share my sister's own Amazon Teacher Wishlist. She is a special needs teacher in our hometown in central NC. She will yell at me when she sees this. Hopefully she is behind on blog reading.

She works so hard for her students and they have a great need for classroom resources.

If you are in the giving mood this holiday season, consider buying something on her wishlist. Every little thing helps. I had to purchase a few of the books listed, because you all know how much I love to read!

Thoughts on Thursday

 

*Lisa Frank in the house! SS picked this folder for a group projection. I did not hate it.

*Why is this Lilly Pulitzer Dress perfect? (Minus the price tag)

*Matt bought a canoe! Here it is being water tested in our pool. He is very excited about this Facebook Marketplace find.

*I started strong with the holiday shopping, and then I stopped. I have a lot of buying to do.

*Stacy and Travis took me to the UNC v CofC game on Tuesday. It was fun to cheer on the Heels! I did take a lot crap for not sporting my CofC gear. But I have always been a Carolina fan! It was a fun game but I am geriatric and the 8:30pm start made for a late evening.

*I made this recipe for Cheesy Sausage, Egg and Hashbrown Casserole from Southern Living last month. It was delicious and would be great for a family breakfast (we ate it for dinner with green beans!)

*My office gave blood last week. I highly encourage you to it if you can. I was stressed because my iron has not been high enough the past 2 times to donate. Well I prepped this time and ate red meat and leafy greens leading up the donation and I was able to donate! My goal was to do 5 donations this year, but only managed 3 (due to the iron!). Next year I am going to do 5!! I decided to include the office mates that donated in my number since I recruited them. So by default, I did 5 donations for the year.

*I am excited for Thanksgiving next week!!

Thoughts on Thursday

*Matt made this soup from Gimme Some Oven last night and it was delicious! We even used plant based meat (as SS is a vegetarian).  I will definitely be adding to the rotation!

*We are experiencing tidal flooding due to extreme high tides. It is insane and gives me anxiety.

*We went camping last weekend at Hunting Island State Park down near Lady's Island/Beaufort. It was cold but a lot of fun. I picked up these Transfusion (canned cocktails) to take and they were a fun treat! This portable battery pack is rechargeable and great for camping or jumping your car! We charged our phones and our speaker this way. The other new product winner was this small pump to inflate air mattresses and pool floats (if it is warm enough-it was not on our trip!)

*Also needs to be documented. The Perks as Beatles songs.

*Thanks to all of these Gift Guides on the Internet, I am underway with Christmas Shopping. I say it every year, but November speeds by.

*I am currently reading, Mixed Plate by Jo Koy and it is a great read. His hustle is admirable. His memoir is told with humor and appreciation for his family.