Life Lately

Hello! How’s your week going? We’re hanging on around here, but I’m very excited because today is the first day of our (short) fall break! I will take what I can get. Today, I’m sharing some bits and pieces of what we’ve been up to, so it’s just a little bit of some Life…Lately.

I had a Bath and Body Works coupon (two, actually) to spend, and when I parked outside right by the store, this Lexington mural caught my eye. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed it before, and it looked so pretty on a beautiful Saturday. When I left the store, a family was taking a photo in front of it. So fun.

Speaking of Bath and Body Works, here’s my haul:

I knew the three wick candles were on sale, and I had a coupon for 20% (or maybe 30?) plus a coupon for a free small item.

I purchased Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin body wash, Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte lotion for Hadley, Marshmallow Fireside candle (one of my favorite scents!) and Pumpkin Apple hand soap for my bathroom.

Next time I got to BBW, it will be for Christmas fragrances!

This Kroger pumpkin roll was an impulse buy a couple of weeks ago, and now I’ve picked up a couple more. It’s the perfect fall dessert, and doesn’t last long in our house!

I won a book! I got a notification on the Goodreads app about a give away for the Christmas in Peachtree Bluff book. I received an email a couple of weeks ago that I won one of the copies! It arrived this week, and I plan on reading it in November before sharing some previous Christmas reads before the holidays. I love books by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

I was so excited to get this new mirror from Wayfair. (The app says it will be back in stock soon, if interested) This wall in our living room has been blank for 7+ years now, and I’ve always wanted a mirror there. I saw one years ago that I loved at Hobby Lobby but never got it. When I checked out Hobby Lobby recently, I didn’t see any that I liked, so I searched Wayfair next. This one was on sale and just my style. What I’d really like to do is put some ship lap on that wall and then hang the mirror, so that’s a project I may move up on our “to do” list. For now, I just have it sitting on the antique chest.

…and I love how it looks with the glow of my pumpkins and candles.

Another new item that arrived this week is this new rug (the Rachel) from Boutique Rugs. We’ve had the same runner rug in our hallway for a few years, and Travis, of all people, mentioned that it’s always bugged him how short it was. So, when Tina (@to_mimishousewego) shared her Boutique Rug code on Instagram for some of her favorite rugs, I went for it. BR was having a FALL60 sale, but Tina had MIMI70! Even better. The rug is going down a different hall, but I moved it here for the photo with better light.

I try to keep it pretty light-hearted around here, but we’ve had a rough couple of weeks. Our family has either been sick or in quarantine for the past two + weeks. Unfortunately, Travis was the first one diagnosed with Covid and was very sick for a few days. Four days after Trav’s symptoms, Hayden started having symptoms, and four days later, you guessed it…it was Hadley’s turn. My people have taken turns living in the basement, I’ve been wearing a mask non-stop, and it’s been a crazy couple of weeks with some sleepless nights and lots of stress. I knew vaccinated people could still get Covid, but I didn’t realize how sick they can still get. My kids were a couple months shy of being eligible for their vaccine. Thankfully, the kids had pretty mild symptoms (low grade fever, headache, and congestion) and after a few days and some medicine, Travis turned the corner. Travis finally went back to work Monday, Hayden went back to school Tuesday, and Hadley can resume normalcy tomorrow (with school on Monday). It’s been hard, and this mama is tired, but very grateful for all the love and support from family and friends over the past couple of weeks.

If you need Covid care tips, well, I’m ya girl: I’ve never been so thankful to have a basement for immediate and easy isolation. I wore my mask at all times, and served all food on disposable plates, bowls, and cups that they would throw away on their own in Kroger bags. Once Travis and Hayden were both in the basement, I bought basement snacks and breakfast items. The basement fridge came in handy for Gatorade, water, fruit and lunch meat. I disinfected the house and basement many times a day and even bought fabric disinfectant for couches and chairs, especially in the basement. And needless to say, stock up on the Clorox wipes! Also, all the vitamins are necessary: C, D, Zinc and whatever else you can get your hands on. I hope I never have to be the expert on this topic again!

Also, the school work, y’all! The kids’ teachers have been great and the amount of work is manageable, but it’s been full time job helping our kids get caught up, especially with the end of the quarter drawing near and them missing ten days of school.

Speaking of the generosity of others, we’ve had lots of fun and thoughtful porch packages from lasagna to Trader Joe’s faves, to margaritas and wine, to milkshakes, groceries and more, we’ve felt the love. While I could still go do what I needed to do, I still worked some days, helped the kids, tended to the sick, and more! We are so appreciative, and thankfully, the worst is past us now.

Just in time, I was able to get my Covid booster on Monday as well as my flu shot. Walgreens came to our school to give flu shots and added the booster as an option. Y’all, just like with the second vaccine, this one DID. ME. IN. Big time. Like this post was going to be for yesterday, but I was down for the count all day Tuesday and still didn’t feel 100% yesterday. Still, I’m thankful to feel like I have the extra protection now given what we’ve been going through.

I did rally for Hayden’s last regular season cross country race Tuesday night. I honestly physically didn’t feel like going, but I didn’t want to miss it. I showered beforehand, and the fresh air did me some good. Hayden always gives his best effort, but this race was a test after missing over two weeks (He was able to run some at home), three races, and running while still congested. As if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t tie his shoes tightly, and ran half the race with one shoe! 😆 It wasn’t his fastest time, but he still did great, and the boys team placed with their best score of the season!

I started fall break off right last night. I picked up a London Fog tea (thanks to a gift card from a friend), and was in my pjs by 4:18 PM. My neighbors are used to seeing me on my porch in my pjs these days! 😂

Weekly Recap:

I’m going to take tomorrow off from blogging, so no Friday Favorites for me, but here are my posts from this week:

Also, Monday is our Not Just a Mom link up and the topic is: How We Handle Busy Nights. I know my answer: on a wing and a prayer! 😉

I hope you have a great rest of the week, and I will see you back here on Monday!

Take care,