Friday Five: November 29, 2024
It's officially Christmas now.
One of my favorite traditions is Christmas Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace. My in laws and I have done so many teas around Denver and we all agree the Brown Palace has the best overall selection of tea and food. The only negative would be their booking system. We have to call 6 months in advance to get a spot and even then we have missed out in past years. If anyone is from Denver and goes to the Brown Palace every year around Christmastime please give us tips on how to get a coveted spot guaranteed every year.
There is nothing more quintessentially Coloradan than prepping Thanksgiving dinner looking out the kitchen window while fresh snow falls and deer play in the front yard. This is a true story.
Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year all because of one dish, well I guess it’s more of a condiment. My MIL’s cranberry relish. Thanksgiving dinner might as well be called Cranberry Relish dinner because not a single bite goes into my mouth without it. I found an almost identical recipe online if you’d like to try it for yourself.
We have a garage door on our house! The level of excitement this plain white garage door gave me really showcased my age.
If you have followed my account for even a short amount of time, you have come to know that I’m not a big drugstore product user. Maybe an occasional mascara or my beloved Burt’s Bees chapstick, but that’s about it. Well, my go-to source for hair product recommendations, Abbey Yung, has been raving about Dove’s Intensive Repair shampoo and conditioner for over a year and I finally bit the bullet when I saw a bundle of the product at Target for $7.49. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, I bought shampoo and conditioner for less than my favorite iced matcha latte at Aviano. I went into my first wash with very low expectations knowing if I hated it I didn’t really lose out on much.
I could not believe how soft my hair was in and out of the shower. The shampoo made my hair and scalp feel clean but without a million tangles and the conditioner softened and smoothed my hair in less than a minute. Usually I have to let a conditioner sit for multiple minutes to achieve half the level of soft I felt with the Dove. I have fine hair with medium density and it didn’t leave my hair feeling weighed down. If you have fine hair that is thin I’d probably skip. Thick hair gals should definitely give this affordable shampoo and conditioner a try!!
What I Watched
Man on the Inside (Netflix) - If you need a lighthearted, a bit silly, and warm show to watch, this is it. Ted Danson is a retired architecture professor who lost his wife to Alzheimers. His daughter encourages him to take up a hobby to fill his time and he answers an ad from a private investigator who needs an elderly person to move into a retirement home in San Francisco to help find a thief. The ending was a bit underwhelming, but I still enjoyed the overall feel of the show. It ends with a lead into a second season and I hope Netflix moves forward with it.
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey (Netflix) - JonBenét Ramsey’s cold case is one I will never miss a special about. This Netflix doc was done really well and I learned new information I hadn’t in previous specials. It might have even convinced me that Burke didn’t do it.
Great British Baking Show (Netflix) - I loved this season of Bake Off. I won’t spoil the ending, but I was really happy with the winner and as always it was such a heartwarming watch.
What I’m Reading
With family in town I didn’t get much reading in at all. BUT I did delete Candy Crush from my phone, so hopefully I’ll have something to put in this section next week.
It’s Black Friday and the biggest shopping weekend of the year. I would be remiss not to mention my shopping content. You can see all my gift guides here, they have been called “The best gift guides ever” and I won’t dispute that. My Black Friday sale content is a bit smaller this year on purpose, but you can find that here. Lastly, my Top 5 of 2024 for skin, makeup, hair, and fashion are here. Happy gifting!