How was your weekend? Ours was good but non-stop! Right after school, Hadley and I left for Gatlinburg, TN for her last volleyball tournament of club season.
Crazy story! On Saturday, after her first game, I went back to the hotel for a bit. While I was sitting there, I felt the floor move/tremor…but wondered if I was crazy…and then it moved again. Well, once I went back to the convention center, I heard people talking about the earthquake in Knoxville! I guess there’s a first time for everything! Now, I can say that I’ve experienced an earthquake.
Hadley’s team played well, and we got home yesterday, late afternoon. Just in time for a nap! Trav cooked dinner, and the kids gave me a card and flowers for Mother’s Day. We made the most of the evening before preparing for the week ahead.
Anyway, it’s already the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting the Share Our Lives link up with some of my favorite bloggers.
This month’s topic is…how do you spend your birthday?
Well, I joke that my birthday is “my favorite holiday,” and my family is quick to humble me that my birthday isn’t a holiday. haha
Well, it should be!
Before I share about how I spend my birthday, I just wanted to start with that I really do love celebrating other people’s birthdays too. What a blessing it is to get older!
I hope my kids look back and appreciate all the effort from the birthday parties, balloons, presents, birthday streamers, cakes and more. I hope they always feel the love on their birthdays.
As I’m assuming it is with most, my birthday is just another day. That being said, I do feel the love.
I always appreciate a card for any special occasion.
Dinner out at some point is always special too. Some years, that doesn’t happen on my actual birthday due to the kids’ activities, but give or take a day is fine.
Jeff Ruby went all out for my birthday this year! haha
It was a delicious dinner…
…followed by cake! There must always be cake –whether it’s a cookie cake or a Bundt cake…I love cake.
One thing that made this past birthday “special” was that we had a snow day on my birthday! You’d think with a January birthday that would have happened at some point but in all my years teaching, I’ve never had a snow day on my actual birthday.
So, I took the time to start my day off with a Pilates workout followed by cashing in my birthday coffee coupon at Starbucks.
I really appreciate Facebook for holding on to many memories, but I especially appreciate it when everyone shares birthday wishes.
I always receive cards from family members, and I look forward to checking the mail that week!
January has always been one of my favorite months, and one of the reasons why is because of my birthday, of course.
Next month we’re talking about unique things about where you live. That will be a fun topic!
I hope you have a great week! The countdown is officially on…This is our last five day week of school!
How was your week? We had a really good one with a little bit of everything from family visiting to track and volleyball to a bit of downtime too.
As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
This post is rather short and sweet, but here are some favorites from the week.
Well, Derby was a rainy day, but it was still a good day. The kids had a track meet. While we spent most of it dodging rain drops, the meet did move quickly and the kids ran well.
Saturday night, we hung out at home and watched the Derby. My dad was in town, and then we also had my niece and nephew with us while my brother and sister-in-law went to a wedding.
Anyway, the kids had a great time watching the race….very intensely. haha
On Sunday, everyone came over to my house for dinner, and we got the traditional front porch pic with the Major!
We haven’t made much progress on the bathroom since last week as the guy working on it is out of town. With the pause on working, I did take some time to add in some “finishing touches” like hanging up of the hand towel, putting the hand soap on the counter, and putting down the new bath mat. I also had some time to go to Target.
While there, I saw this cute scallop tray….for only $10! I thought it might go on the counter top, but it looks perfect on top of the toilet. These little canisters are the perfect and practical addition as they hold Q-tips, cotton balls and shower steamers for when the shower is finally in working order!
With a new month, I made a few new book trackers and shared them on Instagram. They are saved in the May book tracker highlight if you’re interested in using one.
By last May, I’d been making them for a few months, so I had created a few more compared to the earlier months. This year, I’m just adding a couple of new ones every month. They are cute, fun to make, and an easy way to share what I’m reading. I always smile when others use them, share and tag me!
Track season is winding down, and it’s been nice that so many have been able to come and watch the kids. Trav’s sisters and mom have seen a couple of meets as have my mom and dad. My brother and his family came to watch the kids run on Tuesday night when the weather was finally nice! I hope my kids realize how lucky they are to have such a fierce support system!
Screenshot
Favorite Mom Meme:
With Mother’s Day on Sunday, this meme made me smile:
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
First Mother’s Day in 2010. Crazy how quickly time flies!
Oh what I wouldn’t give to squish those little cheeks again.
…and speaking of Mother’s Day:
Share Our Lives:
Wow! Monday is already the second Monday of the month, so we’re hosting our monthly Share Our Lives link up. This month’s topic is how you spend your birthday. We’d love to have you link up with us.
Did you catch my post yesterday? I was running a bit late finishing it up, but wanted to keep up with my blogging schedule.
Today’s post was meant for Monday, but that’s ok…there’s never a wrong time to share Amazon purchases.
Here’s what I bought in April:
Well, quite a few of my purchases were for the kids’ Easter baskets.
After Andrea shared these shorts, I ordered a pair for Hayden. At this point, I don’t think he can have too many shorts as he changes in his clothes a couple of times a day thanks to running, workouts, and school.
I guess you can also not have too many golf balls!
For Hadley, I put this hair wax stick in her Easter basket. She had mentioned it previously and how it would help with some of her fly aways.
I thought these towels would be perfect so she doesn’t have to use two bigger towels after she dries off in the shower. She’s been using this hair wrap towel, and it’s been perfect.
I got both kids these microfiber towels…and well, of course, they aren’t that exciting of an Easter basket stuffer, but they do come in handy. They are great for drying off after a wet track meet or golf game.
I was “influenced” by this dress when it popped up on an Amazon ad. I’ve already worn it a few times, and I love the style and the length. I know I will wear it to school with a cardigan and this summer as well. It comes in many colors, and FYI – I did size down one, and it fits perfectly.
I needed more of my eye masks, so I placed another order for another pack of my “go to” ones.
This soap holder has been the perfect addition to my shower. My bar of soap kept sliding off the glass shelf in my shower which was driving me crazy! Now the soap stays put.
The back sticks to the shower, and you push the center for it to stick. That being said, the back of it is flat and not a suction cup. The instructions say it can be removed using a credit card or something to get behind it to pop it off the wall. So far, mine has stayed put and is just where I need it, so I haven’t needed or wanted to remove it.
This pack of soap savers came were also just what I needed for the soap holder.
I’ve also placed a couple of orders for our bathroom update including this rug/bath mat:
…and these little plastic canisters. I actually ordered a three pack and a four pack because I wanted to use them in the new bathroom as well as in our other two bathrooms.
I’m obsessed with this little part of our new bathroom:
I ordered new shower steamers that the kids can use when they take showers. I’ve ordered this pack a few times, and I love how colorful and fragrant they are. I used the remaining canisters for cotton balls and Q-tips in my bathroom closet as well as in Trav/Hayden’s bathroom. I’m so glad I got plastic canisters rather than glass ones which is what I originally thought I wanted…because I’ve already dropped the lids on these a time or two…and nothing has broken!
What was your latest Amazon purchase?
{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}
This is publishing a bit late today (better late than never!), but I didn’t want to miss out on linking up with Joyce for this week’s Wednesday Hodgepodge.
Here are my answers for her prompts for the week:
1. Let’s compare this May to last May. What’s changed? What remains very much the same?
The hustle and bustle of “Maycember” is the same…
I kind of feel like I’m just hanging on from the busyness of school and our evenings with the kids’ activities. I’m kind of going day to day at this point and not really planning ahead very much.
A change from last May to this May is this time last year, the kids were wrapping up middle school … and somehow, their freshman year is almost over.
2. What’s something you may do this month?
Maybe we’ll get our summer planned out. Last summer, we had our big trip to Oregon and Washington all planned out.
While I’m fine not to have anything major going on, I do like to have a plan. I always want to plan a visit to see family in KC, I need to write down when the kids have their camps and other odds and ends. I hope we can find a few days to do some kind of travel.
3. Mother’s Day is approaching…in what way(s) are you like your mother?
I get a lot of my humor from my mom. I think my sense of humor is a good mix of both of my parents, but my “quick wittedness” I get from her.
I also think it’s neat that we are both educators. She taught 7th grade (bless her!) Language Arts for 31 years. I’m wrapping up year 23 teaching high school English.
4. Did you have a favorite book as a child? What was it and why was it a favorite?
I think I’ve shared this at some point before, but my favorite book when I was a kid was Madeline. I even had not just one, but two, Madeline dolls through the years. I’m not sure what drew me to that book, but it’s just one I always think of reading and loving as a child.
My mom, me, and my Madeline doll!
5. Are you more of a tortoise or a hare?
Well, if we are talking exercise, I’m a tortoise. haha
Unfortunately, with little downtime right now, I feel like I’m the hare. Running through this season of life.
I’m hoping that “slow and steady” does win the race. It’s almost summer, and I can’t wait for that!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
You know I love Trader Joe’s, but when I saw this “mamaroo,” I was like, “What in the world?” Not that it’s that hideous of an idea, but this two for one planter isn’t on my Mother’s Day wish list!
Well, this post is a bit late as it’s already May 6th, but I can’t let a month pass by without sharing the books I read. I always get so many great book recommendations from other blogs I read, so I hope it’s the same for you when I write this monthly post.
I had another great month of reading:
{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}
A Happier Life:
Summary:
Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.
1976: Rebecca “Becks” Saint James has made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.
As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations.
Quick Thoughts:
I read this one while sitting at the beach! Of course, that makes it even better.
This was a perfect fictional romance read. I loved the mix of characters in this one from Keaton’s family to the ladies in town to her love interest and more. The flashbacks with Becks provide another wonderful perspective. There are definitely some heavy moments and topics as the story progresses, but I truly enjoyed this book.
Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite authors. This is the 8th book of hers that I’ve read. The Summer of Songbirds is my favorite book of hers, and this one is a close second. I’m excited for the new book she has coming out soon! Just in time for summer.
I had a favorite quote that I highlighted in my Kindle:
Being the person who cares for others is an undervalued role in our society. But it is, I’ve found, perhaps the very most important role one can play.
No wonder us moms (and dads!) are so tired.
Rating:
The Sicilian Inheritance:
Summary:
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.
Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and prove her birthright. Flashing back to the past, we meet Serafina, a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly it isn’t long before a woman challenging the status quo finds herself in danger.
As Sara discovers more about Serafina she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother.
Quick Thoughts:
I think Amy recommended this one, and it was a page turner for me. This was a great mystery fiction book set in Italy. From page one of the book, you know that Sara gets in some kind of predicament while learning more about Serafina. The chapters from Serafina’s point of view were really interesting. This book had drama, love, suspense, and more!
Rating:
Audio books have continued to be a way that I get at least one more book read a month, and this month I listened to two books.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder:
Summary:
Everyone in Fairview knows the story.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
Quick Thoughts:
I’ve seen this book in my school’s library as it’s a young adult book. As I’m still learning, the narrator makes a world of difference, and this book had a great one.
It’s a longer book that I started in March and finished in April, so I did speed up the listening speed from time to time.
This thriller/crime book did hook me from the first page. I like the premise of a high school student doing a project and of course I knew Pip would solve the case!
Now, I want to watch the Netflix series. I’ve added it to my summer viewing list.
Rating:
Let’s Call Her Barbie:
Summary:
When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.
In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.
As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.
In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.
Quick Thoughts:
Well, I listened to most of this book while in South Carolina, and one day, I was out for my walk and listening to it, and saw this house…
I feel like Barbie would live there!
I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator was great, and I just thought it was so interesting. The mix of historical fiction, romance, the ups and downs of owning such a powerful company and in Ruth’s life kept me wanting to read more.
This was a book that wasn’t on my radar until Sarah shared it, and now it’s probably one of my favorite reads of the year.
Also, the editor notes at the end was very interesting to hear how all the characters ended up once the story was complete.
Rating:
Next month, I will share some of the books I hope to read this summer!
Another week down and another weekend on the horizon. I’m ready for it.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Last Saturday, I was in Louisville with Hadley for her volleyball tournament, but Travis and Hayden were in Lexington for Hayden’s track meet. He’s kind of hit a “plateau,” not making much progress with this times despite his training, and I know he’s been frustrated.
I shared last week, that he had a PR in the mile and he did the same on Saturday in the 3200m. I can’t tell you how much it seems a weight was lifted off his shoulders having run two really good races and making progress toward his goals. I know not every race will be that way, but he was due, and I was happy when Trav sent this pic and told us Hayden’s time.
I stayed home on Sunday, but a friend sent me a couple of pics and a video of Hadley serving. Thank goodness for the live stream, so I could watch her two games on Sunday.
Y’all, I was influenced by Athena (@lifeandlightstyled)…
How cute is this little rug? I’ve had a black and white checkered one for a few years and I was just thinking how I need to replace it.
Honestly, I still don’t understand Walmart shipping, but I ordered the rug Friday afternoon, and it was on my porch by Friday evening! While I was at it, I ordered the brown striped one too for the fall and winter months.
My Target also had the “hello” door mat that Athena shared, so I placed a pick up order, and my porch refresh was cute as a button by Saturday!
An up close look…
I love a moment for scallops!
…speaking of scallops…When we were at my brother’s house for Easter, I saw this cute little lamp. My sister-in-law had a couple of them, and I thought they were so cute. I’ve always wanted one for our front hall table as there’s no outlet for a traditional lamp. I’d saved a few to an Amazon list, but just never ordered one. This one is from Walmart, and it’s sold out…but she had a third one that she hadn’t really used, and gave it to me! I love it so much.
I tried to find it to link it in case it comes back in stock, but I can’t find it on the website…which is a bummer because I’d love another one.
BTW – she also has this blue and white one that I’ve seen shared as well, and it’s so cute too…and in stock!
Circling back to the front porch, we moved two of the chairs that were in the sun room to the front porch to replace the ones we’ve had for over fifteen years. The lovely weather, the lilac bush, and the swivel chairs have been a great way to spend evenings recently.
We’re making progress on our hall bathroom update. Truly, it’s basically back together, but there’s a few little things to complete.
Trav has been helping our neighbor who has been doing our bathroom update. Well, Hadley was tasked with painting the baseboards…and she understood the assignment. haha
You know I’ll share a whole before and after, but the wallpaper went up this week, the vanity was installed, as were the sconces. The biggest highlight is that we now have a working toilet! It’s the little things over the pretty things at this point!
The mirror is the “chef’s kiss” to this wall.
Remember last week when I shared that Trav and I have been watching Race for the Crown with the races leading up to last year’s Derby?
Well, we sat down to watch episode 4, and in that episode, they were at the Derby draw where the post positions for the races are announced. Trav said, “Remember, I went to that last year? Maybe I’m in this episode.” Well, yep –there he is!
He’s going to be so difficult to live with now…haha!
On Wednesday night, Trav went to a Derby week dinner with work, and he came home with some food and some flowers. He made a big deal about “bringing me home flowers…” even though I’m pretty sure they were just the table center pieces.
I put them in this cute vase that I have, and they smell so great.
Favorite Mom Meme:
I feel so seen!
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
Today is Oaks and tomorrow is Derby. I don’t think I’ll never not share this pic of the kids in kindergarten. At school, they’d made their own Derby hats.
This pic of Hadley playing dress up with my (borrowed) accessories is so cute too.
Unfortunately, this year I’m not going to the Oaks like I have the past few years. I love that tradition, but with the iffy weather and just a lot going on at school, I opted out this week. Maybe it will work out to go next year.
There’s truly nothing like Louisville and Churchill Downs the first week in May!
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