Friday Favorites!

I’m so happy it is finally Friday! I’m really looking forward to a weekend of relaxing. I’m going to a company picnic Saturday and then a pool party Sunday. Excited to see what you are all up to through all the link ups. 

People.com featured an article about a sweet 6 year old boy who sadly lost both of his parents recently, but is going around town just trying to make people smile, caling it the Smile Experiment.

A friend of mine is raising money for the 2015 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Chicago at the end of next month, and if you feel so inclined please donate here.

Hi all,

I’m writing to you today to ask you to consider donating once again to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. You’ve all very generously helped me in this effort in past years (many of you annually!), for which I am so grateful. You are my all stars!

Thanks to you, the Chicago Walk raised over $750k last year. Those funds don’t just go to research in finding a cure, but also to supporting the caretakers, the educators and the public policy initiatives that make a difference in the fight against this awful disease. This year we have a bigger goal of $1m and the Walk is only 9 weeks away!

You can learn more about the disease from this quick Alzheimer’s Facts & Figures video.

To donate again this year: act.alz.org/goto/megfertig

(You can also join my team at that link—anyone is welcome!)

Thanks for taking the time to consider this & please feel free to forward to anyone who may be interested.

xoxo!

Glamour Magazine posted an excerpt from Minday Kaling’s new book, Why Not Me? And I love her even more. I think she’s a fantastic role model for hard work, humor, minority girls, and females in comedy. She is so real and easy to relate to. I can not wait for her new season on Hulu and her new book! I absolutely loved her first book, Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me?

Allure featured 6 Bachelor  alums and they talked about their beauty routines while on the show and I always find it interesting to hear about make up because I never wear makeup and am so clueless about it.

I can’t get over how cute these books are that they sell at Buckingham Palace. I want them for my future children! Those illustrations are too cute. 

Friday has become the day of the link ups. Here are the wonderful women I’m linking up with each week:

A Little Bit of Everything Blog, Grace and Love Blog, and Momfessionals

A.Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness, and The Good Life Blog.

 The Farmer’s Wife, September Farm

Fitting It All in Blog

 Life in Leggings

Meet @ the Barre

Astleigh with the Pick

Running 4 Cupcakes

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Monarchy – The King Who Saved the Crown

The British royal family is one of the longest, still ruling monarchies in the world. They are an incredibly famous family and have a long standing history. I decided to watch a four part series simply titled, Monarchy. This is part one.

I am amazed that there is so much footage of Queen Elizabeth’s parents generation. There is a lot of footage of her as a child with her family. It’s really sweet to see her as a child and think of how much history she has witnessed in her many years of life.

Her father, Prince Albert, who as a King was known as King George VI, had his coronation filmed for the first time and it was screened in theaters around the country.

The events leading up to WWII are documented. The British people grew to love King George and his wife Queen Elizabeth I. They boosted morale and stood by their country. They refused to leave the palace even after a bombing. The Queen started a sewing group in the palace to set an example. The family also rode bicycles to save fuel and gave up some land on their estate to farm.

At 18 Princess Elizabeth joined the services and did her part. She volunteered as an ambulance driver and learned to maintain vehicles and was a competent mechanic.

King George’s brother, Prince Edward, the one who gave up the throne for love, moved to France and never again lived in the UK. This doc also went over his role during the war and his controversial visit to Germany.

After the war Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece got married in a grand ceremony. She was just 21 years old. It also went through her early days of marriage and motherhood. She gave birth to the next heir, Prince Charles. Prince Philip continued working as a naval officer where he was stationed in Malta.

Sadly, Elizabeth’s father, King George VI had a short reign, dying after the end of the war, thus thrusting then Princess Elizabeth into the position of Queen.

Next Wednesday, I’ll review part two of the doc called Coronation Britain – Making of a Queen.

Monarchy – The King Who Saved the Crown

Britain’s Royal Weddings Documentary

I really enjoy watching documentaries of all kinds. I love learning about current events as well as the past. I am immensely interested in The Kennedys, politicians and their families, and the British Royal Family. I have watched numerous documentaries of these topics among others.

YouTube has some great docs. The quality isn’t always great but I love that you can watch full documentaries there. Most recently I watched Britain’s Royal Weddings which was a two part documentary. It chronicles the evolution of the royal weddings and how TV allowed millions to witness these grand events all over the world. It goes as far back as the wedding of the Queen Mother in 1923 to Prince Albert up until Prince Charles’s second wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Prince Albert, 1923

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, 1947

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1960

Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, 1973

Prince Charles and Princess Diana, 1981

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 1986

Prince Charles and Camilla, 2005

The documentary interviews many people who were there at the weddings and they talk about their involvement and personal memories. It’s super interesting and has lots of great footage. If you’re a fan of weddings and the British royal family, I’d highly recommend this doc.

Britain’s Royal Weddings: Episode 1

Britain’s Royal Weddings: Episode 2

Celebrate by Pippa Middleton

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan on the royal family (and all things British, hello British accents!). So of course I had to read Celebrate by Pippa Middleton. She is the infamously gorgeous sister of Kate Middleton. The book is a party planning guide for all 4 seasons. And while some critics have been a little harsh in their reviews, saying that the tips are too simplistic, Pippa says that she wanted it to stand the test of time and for it to easy for everyone to follow and do.

“Celebrate, my book on entertaining, has been a labour of love. I have put my heart and soul into it, obsessing over every detail. I could have written a book that showcased the most extravagant or elaborate of occasions – after all, I spent three years working for an events company planning parties – but I wanted to produce something that was achievable; something that people would have on their shelves for years; something that was not too fussy – just simple and comforting”

The pictures in the book are fantastic! (These are a few of the photos from the book) I loved seeing Pippa in different settings and to see her different outfits. She is truly stunning. The book offers recipes, games, craft ideas, decorations and lots of pictures. It’s a fun read and makes me want to perfect my party planning skills.

Next week I will have read and reviewed “A Love That Multiplies” from super sized family the Duggars.