jgalvinwhite

Friday Favorites {#28}

Posted on June 19, 2020August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Whew! We made it to Friday. I spent so much time trying to get my life together this week that I’m exhausted 😉 I feel like this was our first full week of summer (at home) and maybe we are getting into a groove?

I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this Friday Favorites post.

Favorite Pic:

We sure missed Homer while on vacation. This sweet face greeted us on Saturday when we got home.

Favorite Moment:

We went to Evans Orchard and picked strawberries this week. We’d never done that before, so I thought it would be fun. This is the orchard we usually go to when we pick out our pumpkins and is about a 30 minute drive from Lexington.

The orchard decides how many quarts they have available for picking and at 5:00 posts the quarts for sale ($6/quart and limit 2 per order) on their website for you to pick the next day. Some days they have more quarts for sale than other days. That being said, I set an alarm on my phone for 5:00 Monday to buy the quarts for Tuesday. I know some have mentioned when they have limited quarts they sell out quickly.

Anyway, we arrived around 11:00 on Tuesday and went in to get our purchased quarts. Once we got to the strawberry “patch” we were assigned a lane to stay in to pick our berries. While we were there, there was only one other family. We took our time picking our berries in lane 7 and then went inside to purchase their apple cider donuts. #myweakness I didn’t realize they sold the donuts year round! I was only going to get on 6 pack, but Hayden talked be into buying two packs #twistmyarm

So, I shared these photos on Facebook and had a few people comment that they’d never seen a strawberry patch like this. Like I said, this was our first time going, so I knew no different! Each column of berries spins around, so you can find the best berries. Apparently, strawberries usually grow on the ground. #Imnotafarmer

We got our $6/quart worth!

Favorite Kid Quote:

I don’t necessarily have a favorite kid quote this week, but we did go see my brother and his family for my brother’s birthday. The kids played and had a good time together. They hadn’t really played together for quite some time. It was sweet seeing them run around and have fun together.

Favorite Shows:

Some new (to me) shows I’ve been watching are: House in a Hurry, Good Bones, and Alexa & Katie.

Earlier this summer, I stumbled upon House in a Hurry. Basically, the people are on a time crunch to find a home, so it’s kind of like a quick version of House Hunters. That being said, you get to know the people and their lives a bit more. A couple of episodes had me in tears. One man grew up in a one bedroom apartment with many family members, and he was moving his family to Arizona from California to cut down on his drive time to work, so he could spend more time with this family. Two of his three kids have special needs. Once they found their home, he was in tears with appreciation and relief.

Compare that to another episode where the couple had a $1M budget to move to Florida and the wife came off cold, controlling, and out of touch with reality! So there’s a mix, but seeing that tense episode made me appreciate the even more heart warming episodes that much more.

While in Florida, I stumbled upon Good Bones. I’ve heard of it, but just never watched it. Hayden and I watched some episodes, but then when I got home, I started on Season 1. I really like it.

Lastly, Hadley has always watched Alexa & Katie on Netflix. I knew the premise and had seen that the mom on the show is Tiffani Thiessen who I love from my Saved by the Bell days! Anyway, Hadley started the last and final season, and I watched a few episodes. So, now I’ve started season 1 and Hadley’s been watching it with me. We usually just watch one episode in the morning while having coffee (for me) and breakfast (for her).

Favorite Mom Meme:

Adulting. #amIright?

This meme made me laugh out loud! Thankfully, my kids are good sleepers. In the summer, I used to always threaten Travis to be quiet while getting ready for work as to let the kids sleep as long as possible. As they’ve gotten older (and thanks to sound machines in their rooms), they seem to sleep through most anything until at least 9:00…maybe even later if I’m lucky!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This sweet pic popped up my Facebook memories. Isle of Palm, SC. June 2013. Obviously, the hand holding is sweet, but for whatever reason, Hayden holding the little plastic boat slays me!

Flash forward to June 2014 and I planned ahead for a cute beach pic session when we vacationed at Folly Beach, SC. The kids were bribed big time with ice cream…and I’m not ashamed of it!

Weekly Recap

Here are my other posts from this week.

Thanks so much for reading. Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts too! Have a great weekend!

Currently

Posted on June 18, 2020June 17, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I’ve seen some bloggers do Currently posts about what they are up to or what’s on their minds. I found this list of verbs (not that I couldn’t think of my own…but #yeahGoogle) to use for a Currently post, and thought I’d give it a try!

So here’s a post about what’s currently going on and what’s currently on my mind.

I’m Currently…

Scheduling:

Orthodontics appointments. Both of my kids are due for their phase 2 braces, but Hayden is going first! He gets his braces next week.

Baseball practices have started up this week, so I’m now writing all of those dates down on our family calendar.

Lastly, Hadley’s dance studio has a few workshops this summer, so I’m signing Hadley up for a couple that she wants to take.

Appreciating:

This mild weather. The weather this week has been awesome. Of course, last week were hanging out in the hot weather of Florida, but truly Lexington weather has been so great this week!

I’ve been able to get my walks in without sweating too much!

Organizing:

My closet. It’s a disaster, and I decided to tackle it this week. By “tackle,” I mean keep moving it to the bottom of my “to do” list. Organization will happen this week. I hope. 😂

Reading:

Simple Wild on my Kindle.

Cooking:

I tried to choose a few healthy(ish) meals this week for dinner to get our family back on track. Upon our return home, we had very little food in the house, so I had to make a quick grocery order. I turned to Pinterest to find a few healthy(ish) meals that I had saved.

Sunday, we had this Chicken Broccoli Pasta and had leftovers on Monday.

Tuesday, I made this Weight Watchers Mexican Casserole. It was so delish!

Last night, we had salmon and Jasmine rice. I love that our Kroger has this option for cooking the fish in the oven. I just tell them what seasonings and ingredients I’d like, they put them in the oven bag with the fish. Then, you just bake the salmon in the bag. Easy clean up, and it’s delish. Both my kids, especially Hadley, love salmon!

Thursday night we are having steak/arugula/cheese flat bread wraps.

Ordering:

I ordered these books off of Amazon for the kids. Each year, I get the Summer Bridge Activity books for the next grade and have the kids do an activity or two a day. #mykidsloveme 😂

Hayden started reading the Harry Potter series with his teacher’s read aloud group. He read the first two with them, but then wanted to read the third book.

Lastly, I ordered Love Does for kids for the kids to read this summer.

Wondering:

About what the start of school will look like. We still don’t have any answers.

Sending:

A Father’s Day card to my dad. I always buy him a Peanuts series card, but there weren’t any this year. I’m hoping he will like the Tom and Jerry card instead.

Happy Father’s Day to the Major!!

Drinking:

I finished my 48 hour cleanse, but I was drinking these juices from Whole Foods.

Celebrating:

The library re-opening! Well, one of our libraries is now open for curbside pick up. I had one book to pick up. While this isn’t my regular library, I went ahead and drove to get it on Monday afternoon. We still can’t return books, so I don’t know how often I will have books to pick up, but I was happy to do so.

Also celebrating my brother’s birthday. We haven’t gotten together much lately, but it was good to get together and let the kids play and have a slice of cake.

Loving:

A touch of flowers around the house.

Laughing:

At Hayden’s tan lines from his glasses. I seriously never see him without his glasses on. Even at night, he tells me good night, puts them on his bedside table and then immediately puts them on in the morning before exiting his bedroom. On this day, he’d been outside playing and was a sweaty mess. He took the glasses off to wipe his face, and I laughed at his tan lines. The contrast doesn’t show up as great in the pics…but it’s funny in person!

Reminiscing:

About this pic of the kids from 2010. Facebook has it’s flaws, but I appreciate when the memories pop up! Hayden and Hadley are wearing hand-me-downs from another set of boy/girl twins. Peace. Love. Twins.

Side note: Summer of 2010 was one of my faves. I was actually dreading it because I wasn’t sure if I could cut it as a stay at home mom (Real talk: I can’t), but the summers always provide extra quality time with the kids that I don’t take for granted, even now.

That summer was really good. The kids were on an awesome schedule, sleeping 10+ hours at night and still taking two solid naps a day. That summer, they started to sit up, acknowledge each other more, smile and were actually pretty easy.

Enjoying:

Strawberry Shortcake. On Tuesday, we went to pick strawberries (more about that tomorrow), and then made the natural pit stop at Kroger to get whipped cream and yellow sponge cake shells. So good!

Strawberry picking was a fun experience.

Thanks so much for reading my first Currently post! See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

Take care,

Let's look, Travel

Let’s Look: Your Carry on Bag

Posted on June 17, 2020June 17, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Last week, Shay and Erika hosted their montly Let’s Look link up. The topic was “your carry on bag.” I believe the topic changed, and I wasn’t able to link up anyway, but thought of the original topic as I unpacked my carry on bag this weekend. So, I thought I’d share that…

Y’all, I’m a chronic over-packer. Driving, flying, being gone for one night or seven, I over-pack. I’m not sure why. I’ve tried to work on it. Sometimes, my thought is if I’m driving and bringing a suitcase, why not just bring the biggest suitcase I have? Also, I hate packing. For being “Type A” and pretty organized, I wait until the last minute to pack. I’ve been using packing cubes for a couple of years, and those keep my items organized and condensed but that’s once I get to actually packing. haha

The point of telling you how I pack is that my carry on usually gets some of the leftovers. Also, items that may weigh down my suitcase are also perfect candidates for my carry on bag. For example, my tennis shoes, my Revlon hair dryer brush, or books would be items that I’d possibly throw in my carry on bags whether I’m driving or flying anywhere. If I’m driving and know we’ll make a pit stop, I will also throw in my pjs and few products like face wash and moisturizer.

Anyway, here’s a glimpse of my most recent carry on situation.

I’ve had this bag for about four years; I found it at Target. What I love about it is that it can unzip to expand. I always keep it zipped while I fill up the bag thinking I won’t have to unzip it #sillyme, but then I eventually unzip it for my space if needed.

Ball caps or beach hats usually go in my carry on. This way, the beach hat doesn’t get squished in the suitcase, but the ball caps also come in handy if I just need one because my hair is looking sad after traveling. My sunglasses usually go in my carry on or purse as well just so that I can easily keep up with them.

I keep all my necessary cords and chargers in a baggie. I also include my Kindle and carrying case in the carry on as well for easy access.

This little zip pouch includes band aids, aspirin, Chapstick, cleansing wipes for Hayden’s glasses, etc. Hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes were a travel companion even before Covid 19.

I read a lot on my Kindle, especially when traveling, but I also bring a few books. Sometimes I read one book on my Kindle while reading another hardback book.

I also pack some of my favorites in my carry on like my favorite coffee mug and slippers. I just think about my suitcase getting lost and losing some of my favorite things. Not that I want my suitcase full of clothes to get lost, but the extra items can easily fit in my carry on.

So that’s a little peek at my travel carry on. What are some things you include in your bag when you travel?

Next month’s topic is Let’s Look: Your Summer Wardrobe. I believe they ladies said they are doing that post a bit early and moving it to July 1.

I hope you are having a great week.

Take care,

Health and Fitness, Tuesday Talk

Tuesday Talk: Back on Track After Vacation

Posted on June 16, 2020June 16, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

It’s the third Tuesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Ashley and Erika for their Tuesday Talk series.

Y’all, I’m not perfect…and find myself needing to get back on track often. Needless to say, quarantine life has caught up with me a bit. Combine that with a week of fun and sun (and fruity drinks), I really need to get focused on my exercise and nutrition.

Like many people, I turned to comfort food for most of March and April. That being said, I did a pretty decent job working out while at home. Of course, you can’t outrun a bad diet…but I did exercise most days or go for a walk to get most of my steps in.

For a few weeks, my sciatica issues came back making working out difficult. Also, unfortunately, sometimes my endometriosis sidelines me some days with discomfort making it difficult for me to find the energy to workout. So, leading up to vacation, I kind of threw in the towel.

Now, I’m ready to regroup and get focused again, and here are some of the quick ways I find focus again.

Post-Vacation Reset

I follow Amanda Nighbert on social media, and incorporate elements of her LEAN program into my daily life….again, some days I’m more on track than others, but I’m ready to get focused again. She’s shared many of these reset ideas, and I try to follow them to get myself back on track after being lenient while on vacation.

I don’t weigh myself after vacation. Like she has said before, if the scale says you gained 5 pounds, you didn’t gain 5 pounds of fat. It’s more inflammation and bloat from eating, drink, being off schedule, etc. Now, I’m not saying I don’t weigh myself. I just don’t right after vacation. I give myself a week or so to get back on track before seeing where I stand from a weight perspective.
Intermittent Fasting. I usually eat my meals from noon-7:30. To be honest, I don’t stray too far from that during vacation, but it’s an automatic focus as soon as I get home.
Increase my water intake. I do a decent job drinking water, but I know I don’t drink enough…especially on vacation. So, I make sure to get my Smart Water bottle and after drinking the water, I at least refill it twice to ensure I’m upping the ounces of water I’m getting.
Getting my steps in. I usually take my resistance bands with me on vacation and use them or do a few HIIT workouts. I know if I say I’m going to workout daily on vacation that I’m setting myself up for failure. So, I take an every other day approach. While in Florida, I took walks on the beach, but I also got in three HITT and band workouts. The other days, I just took it easy. So, post-vacation, I’d love to get right back into my normal workouts…but find it takes me 3-4 days after getting home to find the time to fit in an actual workout. I’m busy getting groceries, unpacking, making phone calls, etc. So, I at least try to go for a walk to get my body going again.
Whole food nutrition. On vacation, especially at the beach, I feel like I eat pretty healthy. It’s too hot to eat food that weighs me down, and I take advantage of seafood. In Florida, I had grilled fish or shrimp every night. The last night there, I did order lobster ravioli. It’s a rarity for me to order pasta on vacation, but I couldn’t pass up the lobster special! Snacking and the occasional dessert is what gets me on vacation. So when I get home, I make sure to make good food choices, cut out the snacking, and put down the desserts.

Secondary Elements

While important, I give myself grace for a week or so and focus on the above. Then, I get back to my full workouts, carb cycling, and tracking my macros using the My Fitness Pal app.

I also usually do a 24-48 hours juice cleanse + electrolyte water. There are some local juice places I like, but in a pinch, I pick up some juices from Whole Foods. I did a 48 hour cleanse Sunday after dinner until Tuesday at dinnertime.

Skin Care

Of course, while on vacation, I wash my face, use toner and my moisturizers. Unfortunately, even with following that routine and using sunscreen, my skin (face) still feels desperate for a refresh. I usually take my Timewise gel mask with me to use a few times, but when I get home, I add in my charcoal mask and use my facial steamer.

That being said, I lucked out and had my monthly facial appointment (this time: dermaplane #girlshaveyourface and I had credit, so I upgraded to the hydrafacial #carwashforyourface) yesterday. I felt so much better after that visit; my dry skin felt renewed.

So those are just a few ways that I try to get back on track. To be honest, the past few months have been hard to stay focused on healthy eating, but now that it’s summertime, I’m hoping I can continue making good food choices and getting in my exercise after this reset this week. I always feel so much better after a good workout and while making healthy choices with food.

Thanks so much for reading. Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts too!

Uncategorized

Deserted Island…

Posted on June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday.

I’m keeping it pretty short and sweet today as I’m trying to get back in the groove after getting home from vacation. I’m a procrastinator when it comes to unpacking, and of course, we had no food in our house, so I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday trying to get those things accomplished. Now, my Monday “to do” list includes all the things I didn’t want to tackle before going to Florida like scheduling appointments, finishing up school stuff…the list goes on and on.

Anyway, I saw this post on Facebook and then Trista posted it on her Instagram page. I thought the questions would be fun to answer.

You Live on a Deserted Island with…

One book:

Where the Crawdads Sing – I don’t think a book has made me look stop, reflect, and think about life from the perspective of a character since To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn’t want it to end.

My runner up books would be: Bread and Wine, Tuesdays with Morrie, and TKAM.

One kind of food:

Pasta! #givemeallthecarbs

My runner up food would be: Mexican

One TV series:

Golden Girls #duh

My runner up series would be: Friends or Designing Women

Also…

I saw a friend share this on Facebook and thought it was so interesting.

I want to be Pastel Nights, but I have a feeling I’m more Mint Stone.

So…what about you? If you were on a deserted island, what would your choices be?

I hope you have a great week!

Travel

Friday Favorites {#27}: Florida Vacation

Posted on June 12, 2020August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Like most Fridays, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for their Friday Favorites blog post.

We’ve spent the past week in one of our favorite places: Siesta Key, Florida.

One of Trav’s aunts has a vacation home in SK that she graciously shares with the family. We come here most summers, usually after baseball wraps up at the end of July. Well, once we received the email that baseball will start back June 15 and go until the end of August, we decided to go ahead and take a trip while we could.

Of course, given the circumstances, we didn’t make the decision lightly. We took comfort in knowing we’d have a familiar place to stay and could space out at the beach and even get carryout from our favorite restaurants if we didn’t feel comfortable dining there.

**Warning: lots of beach and sunset pics headed your way! 😉

The trip started off very rainy thanks to Tropical Storm Cristobal. Friday afternoon and all day Saturday called for torrential rains, and Cristobal wasn’t playing around! We did get a break in the rain both Friday and Saturday nights allowing us to check out the beach a bit and eat dinner outside.

The radar was fierce those first couple of days.

Friday afternoon we unpacked and got groceries while it rained. Before dinner, we walked on the beach.

Super cloudy skies but always good to get our toes in the sand.

As many times as I’ve been to Siesta Key, I’ve never noticed this little spot which was perfect for taking a picture before dinner.

Thankfully, his aunt’s house has a pool, so the kids spent lots of time in it…sometimes while it rained but mostly when the sun was shining!

Sunday called for more rain, but that never happened! That being said, the overcast skies included heavy winds. We braved the beach for a couple of hours anyway.

Hayden swims with his glasses. We should probably get him some prescription googles.

Travis is definitely the fun one on vacay. My kids know I like to sit and read my book. He’s the one to throw the football with Hayden and swim in the ocean with the kids. I do get in the ocean and love when the waves are calm.

They don’t know how lucky they are to have each other!

Monday morning, we went for a walk on the beach.

and then the sun came out! That being said, we’ve never arrived in Florida so pale! 😂 So, I spent most of my time making everyone reapply sunscreen! After Cristobal moved out, we couldn’t buy a cloud in we tried!

Truthfully, I’m glad that we are less maintenance now when packing stuff to the beach. Also, the kids can help carry what we need. Hayden’s happy just to bring his football and shovel. They love to dig holes!

We were still able to eat at our favorite restaurants. I will say that at some restaurants the servers had masks and other restaurants did not. There were social distancing signs and tables we definitely spaced out at our favorite places. Also, on the sidewalks of Siesta Key Village, many restaurants had additional seating even if it was just two top tables.

We are not people who stay at the beach all day. We usually go for a few hours, then come back to let the kids swim in the pool and then shower for an early dinner. We’ve always done that most days because if we can make it back to the beach for the sunset, we try to do that.

So, most days we had dinner at 5:00 allowing for less of a crowd and no wait. Also, we usually just get carryout pizza one night when we are too tired to get back out, and we did that on this vacation too. We made adjustments and sometimes had our bigger dinner meal at 3:00 Happy Hour and I took the kids to their favorite ice cream place at 5:00 rather than later when there’s usually a line out the door.

Our favorite restaurants that we make a point to eat at (sometimes more than once) are the Daiquiri Deck, Siesta Key Oyster Bar (Hayden and Travis had 24 oysters for $14 at their Happy Hour!), Owen’s Fish Camp, The Hub, Phillippi Creek, Rip Fire Pizza, The Lobster Pot, and we tried a new place to us: Big Water Fish Market. It was so good.

Hayden could eat his weight in oysters. Travis loves them too. Hadley and I do not!

We got to the Daiquiri Deck at least twice each trip.

As I said before, we hit the beach for sunset as many times as we can. The kids always oblige with a few sunset pics.

Seriously, nothing puts my mind right like a beautiful sunset.

or 5! 😉

I joked that Hadley was easy to find in the ocean because she’s the only one out there doing Tik Tok dances.

Once or twice on vacation, we even pack up to go to the beach from 6:00 or so until sunset. It’s not so hot, the beaches are less crowded, and we can relax without sweating! On this night, the kids came out of the ocean and had been playing some kind of question game.

Eventually, Travis started asking them geography questions…Hayden’s strength and apparently, Hadley’s weakness.

Hayden said, “Hadley, in middle school, I’m worried that you are going to fail history and geography class.” 🤣

On Tuesday, the kids and I went to the Siesta Key Market for a few things. The grocery cashier asked us what beach we’d been going to, and I said Siesta Key Beach (closest to our house) and he said we should try Turtle Beach which was only about a ten minute drive.

So, on Wednesday, we thought we’d give that a try. We found the beach easily, found a parking spot right by a beach access point and saw the most beautiful waters ever! The kids ooh-ed and ahh-ed, and Hayden declared Turtle Beach as his favorite spot.

The SK waters never disappoint as the Gulf of Mexico is gorgeous, but these waters were like nothing we’d seen before. Hadley said, “It looks like Hawaii.” None of us have been there, but she may be right 😉

While it’s a public beach, there are no life guards but the waters were pretty shallow like we are used to anyway. The sand was different–darker and reminded me of when we go to South Carolina beaches. Also, this beach had a steep decline into the ocean rather than just walking in like we are used to. That being said, the location, lack of crowds, and gorgeous water made for a perfect day.

Also, Turtle Beach lived up to it’s name. The kids saw a turtle when they went to look for the shower. By the time I got there, the turtle had moved into the trees and brush.

Real talk: Hadley was sitting there and I told Hayden to go sit by his sister. I couldn’t pass up that view or photo op.

Top left pic is what we saw as soon as we parked the car. The kids were excited.

We went back again the next day and there were hardly any waves at all. Also, we saw dolphins swimming in the distance. Well, Hadley & I saw them…Travis and Hayden kept looking at the wrong time!

Lots of family members take a pic (or force their kids to take a pic) in front of the palm tree in the front yard at the end of their trip. Each year, the tree seems to get bigger…the kids too!

While it was good to get away for a bit, especially after being home for so many months, we are still ready to get back to Lexington and see the Homster! We are thankful to be arriving home sun-kissed after another family vacation in one of our favorite places.

Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts too! Have a great weekend.

Me, Not Just a Mom

Not Just a Mom – Fun Facts

Posted on June 8, 2020June 4, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! It’s the second Monday of the month, so I’m linking up with Lauren, Ashley, and others for their Not Just a Mom series. This month’s focus is on Fun Facts.

When I started my blog last summer, I wrote this post introducing myself and then another post a few weeks later with some random facts about me. So, I will expand on those posts with a few more random/fun facts.

Facts about Me:

I make my bed every morning (or my husband does). I can’t sleep if the bed hasn’t been made.
My kids make their bed every morning too because #momsaysso
I have a shamrock tattoo on my left foot.
I love the Golden Girls and have seen every episode more times than I can count.
The original Parent Trap is my favorite movie.
I love to read.
I’m a dog person. #catsmakemesneeze
I’m an introvert. I don’t think I’ve always been this way, but certainly as I’ve gotten older, I’ve definitely become more introverted.
I always thought it would be fun to be a backup singer. I don’t want the spotlight 😉 (I can’t sing!)
Mayonnaise is my least favorite food of all time. I will not eat it!
I like ringing up my groceries at the self-checkout.
Thursday is my favorite day of the week.

So those are just a few facts about me! July’s topic is Girl Time. I’m hoping by July, I can say that I’ve seen my friends in person rather than via Zoom!

I hope you have a great week! I’m going to take some time this week to slow down a bit!

Thanks so much for reading.

Homer

Happy Homer-versary!

Posted on June 5, 2020June 4, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Today’s post is all about Homer! It’s our Homer-versary with him on Monday, June 8, so of course we need to celebrate him! 😉

I’ve shared previous Homer posts, but thought I’d share one more to celebrate one year with our Homer (AKA Pookie, Biscuit, Homster, and Pook-a-to)

We’d lost both our our beloved Boxers within a year of each other as of last spring. I wasn’t sure when my heart would be ready for another dog, but the practical side of me figured summer would be the best time to look for a dog. We’d never rescued a dog, but some friends and neighbors had mentioned the Petfinder app. I set my search for Labradors/Lab mixes within 100 miles. Travis wasn’t sure about having a puppy again, but I was the kids’ age when we got a new puppy, and I remember how exciting and memorable it was to be surprised with a puppy.

After searching the app for a couple of weeks, I realized how quickly some pups are adopted. So…when I saw this face, I did some quick convincing to Travis for us to apply for him.

His name was “Glorious” and his two brothers “Notorious” and “Victorious” were found abandoned on the side of the road. Tails of Hope Rescue in Cincinnati, OH nursed them back the health before making them available for adoption.

I submitted an application on a Thursday and the next day, Friday, I received the approval email while sitting in a summer professional development session! Needless to say, my lunch break turned into a stop at Petsmart with my friend to buy all the puppy goodies I thought we needed.

We surprised the kids on that Saturday morning with the news, and drove to get our pup. There was much debate about his name…I wanted to name him Sunny and nobody was having it! As we pulled into the parking lot, Hayden said, “What about Homer?” (As in the fact that Hayden loves baseball- Homer/ home run/ Homer Bailey) and we loved it.

I will always remember how excited the kids were when we finally had him in our arms. It was such a sweet ride home, and they were so excited to show Homer to everyone!

While he’s cute, he is a handful…and has been since day one! The number of things that have been #homered in our house are too many to count 😂

He loves to be near us which is so sweet and both the kids are obsessed with him. While the kids loved our other dogs, the kids were either too young to appreciate them or as the kids got older, our other dogs were slowing down and aging too. So, to see the love the kids have for Homer and the joy that Homer brings to our family is simply the best. Homer has definitely helped our hearts heal from the losses of Shiloh and Scout. I’m very grateful that we made the decision to adopt. He needed us as much as much as we needed him.

Now, according to my Shutterfly app, I’ve taken 400+ photos of Homer. I will just share a few faves 😉 (ok—“a few”=25!)

#spammingyouwithpuppypics 🐶😂

The number of bandanas I’ve ordered off of Etsy…too many to count.

Hayden requested Homer on his birthday cake.

Helping Hadley get ready for the Father/Daughter dance!

We guesstimate mid-March as his birthday.

Clearly, we are oobbbbsessed with our Homer. Good thing he is cute because he sure is ornery!

Homer “Glorious” White (as the kids call him when he misbehaves) 😂, you’ve certainly changed our lives for the better; we wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world.

Homer 6 months old Homer’s DNA Happy birthday Homer!

Have a great weekend!

Meals and Recipes, Trader Joes

Easy Lunch Idea

Posted on June 4, 2020June 2, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Y’all, it’s no secret that my love for Trader Joe’s runs deep! I put together some of my favorite ingredients with my Kroger staples and made this easy and healthy lunch that I now eat a couple times a week.

Ingredients:

Jasmine rice (Game changer for me. I’ve just discovered this rice and LOVE it) There are three microwaveable bags in this box.
Sweet potato (I cut into small bites, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with TJ Chile Lime seasoning. Then I roast the bits in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes)
Black beans (drained and rinsed)
Feta cheese (I’ve used other cheeses before as well like shredded mozz)
Protein (I use this short cut with Perdue Carved Chicken Breasts from Kroger and cut them into bite sized pieces) You could use steak or shrimp too, I’m sure.
Sriracha Ranch (or a drizzle of regular Ranch would be good too) Also, I’m not a fan of spicy food, but a little bit of this goes a long way and is delish!)

Instructions:

Roast the sweet potatoes.
Cook the bag of rice in the microwave.
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Then, I warm up the chicken and the beans in the microwave together.
Mix rice, sweet potatoes, beans, and protein together.
Top with Feta cheese.
Drizzle with Sriracha Ranch.
Enjoy!

When I make this, I can actually get about three meals out of it. So I make one serving in a bowl and divide the other ingredients into Tupperware for other meals. Then, when it’s time to enjoy those, I heat up the ingredients and top with Feta and the dressing.

What do you love from Trader Joe’s?? What are some of your go to lunches?

Happy eating!

Gift Ideas

Etsy Flower Pots

Posted on June 3, 2020June 1, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Wednesday! I shared an Etsy post recently about some of my favorite purchases, so I thought I’d share an update on the flower pots I ordered.

I ordered the 8 inch hand painted flower pot for end of the year teacher gifts. I had the pots personalized with each teacher’s name, and they turned out so cute. I knew I’d love them so much, that I also bought one for our back patio that was personalized with the word “home.”

We bought some flowers over the weekend and then gave the teachers their gifts on Monday.

Front side of my patio pot.

Back side of my patio pot. The detailed flowers are so cute and whimsy.

The kids with their gifts for their teachers.

and one outtake photo 😉

These are a super cute gift idea or would be a great addition to your outdoor space!

Take care,