Recent Purchases 6

I always seem to get behind posting my recent purchases since I don't buy stuff all that often, but I had this post sitting in my drafts and then Black Friday happened and I ended up getting a bunch of things, so I thought I would share this post and then next week I'll share my Black Friday purchases!

Relaxed Side-Tie Performance Tee for Women in Maroon Jive:  The picture makes the side-tie look really knotted up but it's more relaxed and not quite so messy looking in person. It's in the athletic wear section but it fits and feels more like a regular shirt. It doesn't really have that dry-fit material like a real athletic shirt has; so I just wear it as a regular top. It comes in tons of colors and the fit is quite nice.

Luxe Polka-Dot Tank for Women: I have this tank in the black and white pictured above, but it looks like it's no longer available in those colors online. I have quite a few of Old Navy's luxe tanks because the material is so soft and comfortable. I just really like how these tanks fit. They're loose but not baggy and I like to wear them with a cardigan. There are so many fun prints too!

Luxe Printed Crew Neck Tee: I really like this tee! It's the same material as the tank but obviously is a crew neck with short sleeves. I like that the sleeves are a little longer and it just fits really nicely. I've been looking to purchase more of these but so far haven't liked any of their other patterns. It has a scoop hem which I like and overall it's just a nice tee!

Women's Semi Fit Mid-Rise Fleece Joggers: Since we've been going on so many hikes I got these to wear while we're out walking and so far they've been great! They fit nicely and while it hasn't gotten all too cold here, they've kept me nice and warm while I've worn them. 

Columbia Women's Snowshoe Mountain Omni Heat Waterproof Hooded Ski Jacket: I have needed a winter jacket for quite a while but just never got around to buying one. I picked up this particular one at the Columbia Outlet store, so this particular color is last years style. So far this coat keeps me nice and warm! It's water and wind proof, has plenty of pockets, a thermal reflective lining, and plenty of other features to keep you warm and dry during the winter! (This is the link to this years style if you're interested.). Columbia always seems to be a bit more affordable than North Face and my family has always had good luck with their coats. So overall I'm pleased with this purchase.

What have you purchased lately?

Five for Friday

Hello and welcome to my Five for Friday! I am Linking up with Bright on a Budget, Della Devoted, BYBMG and Andrea!

1. I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! My dad wasn't able to be home so it was just my mom, brother, sister, and I.

Everything we cooked turned out really good! I decided to try making jellied cranberries (like what you buy in a can. I used this recipe. I omitted the bay leaf and used cranberry juice cocktail instead of grape juice.) It was super easy to make and much better than anything you get in a can!

I've used a brine on our turkey the last couple of years and it always makes the turkey so good! (I use this recipe and I follow the recipe exactly except I use half the brown sugar.)

I made this mulled wine which my mom and brother really like. I don't like wine but this is actually pretty good. I wasn't sure what kind of wine to use the first time I made it, so after a lot of research I've found that Côtes du Rhône is the best kind to use. It was described as having a 'non-offensive flavor' so it works for us haha.

My mom also decided to try making a lattice pie crust! It turned out really nice! We used this tutorial and this recipe.

2. My sister had to work on Black Friday, so after Thanksgiving dinner we went to Target to walk around. We didn't really find anything, just a game and some candy. On Friday though, my mom, brother, and I went shopping. We went to the mall which was pretty busy, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be based on how full the parking lot was. My brother bought a few things and then we stopped by DSW so my brother could get some running shoes. I also got some slippers since my old ones were in pretty bad shape.

We then decided to go to the outlet mall which ended up being a terrible idea considering it took us an hour to go 1 mile. I wish I was kidding. The turn lane to get into the outlet mall was so backed up because all of these freaking idiots kept purposely getting into the wrong lane and then trying to shove themselves into the turn lane at the last minute. Literally people were crossing 3 lanes of traffic and sitting in multiple lanes blocking traffic so they could try to shove themselves into the turn lane. And since we were in the correct lane to begin with, it meant we were in the lane against the median so we were trapped and couldn't get out. Anyways. I get really frustrated when people don't obey the rules or follow the clearly stated signs. So yeah it took us an hour just to go barely a mile. Once we got into the outlet mall it took us a while to find parking, but we finally did and we walked around the outlet mall for a bit. My brother got a few things but I didn't find anything. I did get some stuff online though. I'm going to share that in a couple of weeks! Did you do any Black Friday shopping?

3. We saw Frozen 2 opening night and Mr Rogers movie the week of Thanksgiving and we really enjoyed both of them. Frozen 2 was cute but we all thought the plot was a little complex for a kids movie. I don't think most kids would understand it. But then again, kids don't go to the movies for an interesting and exciting plot! And also I thought the songs weren't as singable like in the first movie. In the first movie the songs were a lot easier for kids to sing along with but the second movie the songs were just a bit complex and not as catchy. There was just too much going on in them.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was a great movie. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but still a good movie. I think like most people I assumed it was going to be more about Mr. Rogers himself, but it's actually based on a reporter who did an investigative piece on him. Anyways, it was a good movie and we enjoyed it.

4. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we took my brother out to Virginia Beach since he hadn't been there yet. Surprisingly it wasn't windy so we walked along the waterfront for a while which was nice.

After going to the beach we drove over to Fort Monroe and walked along the water there for a while. We also walked over to the fort which we hadn't done yet. Unfortunately you can't walk through the fort itself, only by it.

5. In case you missed it, on Wednesday I shared my November Photo A Day pictures!

My November 2019 Photo A Day Pictures

It seems pretty crazy that November is now over and I'm on my last month of pictures! 

Color was the theme back in May, so doing a color theme again was kind of boring. I tried to be creative at first, but then I end up getting behind about halfway through the month and then I get a bit lazy with pictures. Anyways, December should be fun since it's Christmas themed!

(source)

My October Photo A Day Pictures

My September Photo A Day Pictures

My August Photo A Day Pictures

My July Photo A Day Pictures

My June Photo A Day Pictures

My May Photo A Day Pictures

My April Photo A Day Pictures

My March Photo A Day Pictures

My February Photo A Day Pictures

My January Photo A Day Pictures

Visiting Mission Concepción

One of the other missions we visited while we were in San Antonio was Mission Concepción. According to the National Parks Service website, the mission was dedicated in 1755. The NPS website also states that the mission, "stands proudly as the oldest unrestored stone church in America."

One of the unique things about this mission is that you can still see some of the original frescos, which are in some of my pictures in the middle of this post.  

Have you ever visited a mission or historic church?