jgalvinwhite

What’s Up Wednesday

Posted on October 30, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I can’t believe it’s the end of October already (and that Halloween is tomorrow!) I’m linking up again with Sheaffer and Shay for What’s Up Wednesday.

Sheaffer Told Me To

Mix and Match Mama

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK:

This has been kind of a random week. We hosted our neighborhood’s family pumpkin carving, so I made chili on Sunday afternoon. We had those leftovers for Monday’s dinner. Tuesday, I made a random recipe that popped up on Facebook: Creamy Parm Tomato Soup (with tortellini) from delish.com. We will have those leftovers tonight.

For Halloween, I always host a few friends as well as my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids. Every year I make chili as well as Mix and Match Mama’s Chicken Tortilla Soup from her Simmers cookbook. That recipe is one of my faves to make…one of the key ingredients is Ranch Style Beans which I’ve always easily found at Kroger …until last year…I was so bummed when Kroger didn’t have them. (I even looked on Amazon because Amazon has everything but I refused to pay $20 for six cans of beans haha) I usually make that recipe at least ten times between fall and winter, but last year only made it a few times and tried to make it work with other beans. PLOT TWIST: My Kroger now brought the beans back, and I am legit buying five cans at a time! (I’d buy more, but I don’t have a pantry!)

WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

The kids’ Halloween costumes through the years…Did you see last Friday’s Flashback Friday post??

Flashback Friday

WHAT I’M LOVING:

As I mentioned in last week’s Three Things post, I started a new position at my school as a reading interventionist. I won’t have big classes, so this is a luxury to have a classroom. While it was a pain to move all of my stuff #Imapackrat (and shout out to Travis for helping me move everything), it’s nice to have a fresh start.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:

I don’t get to see my Tigers play very often since we live in CATS country, but every other year the Tigers make the trek to Lex, and we usually go. After a long week and a soggy forecast, I stayed home while Trav and the kids went (they cheer for the CATS) for a soggy first half. I think I made a good call by staying home…as my Tigers appear to be on the struggle bus.

We hosted our neighborhood family pumpkin carving on Sunday. It’s a neighborhood tradition that a neighbor of ours started a few years ago. She moved, so I did my best to carry on the tradition. We live in a great neighborhood filled with kids and awesome neighbors.

We are KC Chiefs fans, so Hayden wanted #15 for QB Patrick Mahomes. Hadley wanted her initials carved in the pumpkin because …well, she’s a southern girl!

What was supposed to be a quick trip to Target to buy a friend’s birthday gift and to return some leggings, turned into a Hadley fashion show. She didn’t let me look while she chose an outfit and surprised me. She’s a hoot.

We are between some of our sports and cross country and soccer wrapped up last week. We have a week off (or so) before basketball starts up soon.

WHAT I’M DREADING:

I don’t know if dread is the word, but October-December about take me under. I know it shouldn’t be that way and even when I simplify things, it’s just still hectic. Halloween, kids’ birthdays, holidays + travelling for holidays, and Travis very busy with work…not to mention just normal daily life with a full time job and two busy kids, October-December time frame just maxes me out.

WHAT I’M WORKING ON:

I’m still working on getting settled in my new job. I had to help the new teacher transition into my (former) classes, grade 120+ essays my students turned in the last week I was with them, a couple of school visits (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and just getting the logistics figured out for this new position. I do best with a routine, so it’s difficult for me to not have that structure set just yet, but I’m working on it.

WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:

I’m exciting about trick-or-treating with friends tomorrow. We have two families we’ve trick-or-treated with for almost ten years. Then, we’ve added in a few more families as well as my brother’s family. It’s always a fun evening trick-or-treating, eating chili and catching up with everyone.

WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:

October book review will be out tomorrow. I read four books this month.

I’m not currently watching much. I’m not really back in a routine with tv watching. Per tradition, we watched It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as a family the other night.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

In the past month, I’ve started listening to two new podcasts. Three local Lexington news anchors/reporters have started a new podcast called The A Block and I love it. It’s a bunch of girl talk but also light and heavy topics. You can tell the three ladies are friends who have a lot of fun together.

I had to take a quick road trip recently, and I listened to the Bardstown podcast on my drive to and from (and then I had one more episode left, so I drove the long way home on Friday to finish it!). The topic had me hooked. Within a matter of a couple of years, Bardstown had five different murders take place. A Louisville reporter tackles the topics with interviews that are interesting and heartbreaking. The episodes are pretty short (and so interesting) and they fly by!

WHAT I’M WEARING:

Star sweater from Amazon

amazon star sweater

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:

in between sports, birthday party planning, Girl Scout field trip

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

The kids turn 10! How is that even possible?

The beginning of the birthday outfit tradition.

I will save the tears for when they actually turn 10. They are growing up right before my very eyes…but what a blessing that is, right?

I hope you are having a great week. See you back here tomorrow for this month’s book review.

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Meals and Recipes

Monday Meals: Bev’s Simple Chicken Pasta Soup

Posted on October 28, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

RUN…DON’T walk (sorry not sorry about the shouting!) to your nearest grocery store to pick up these six(ish) ingredients and make this recipe. One of my favorite food bloggers, Bev Weidner, shared this deeeelicious recipe on her blog (Bev Cooks). Simple Chicken Pasta Soup. I made it, we all loved it, and we got two dinners out of this meal!

Ingredients

2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
20 oz chicken thighs (about 5 pieces)
1-2 Tblsp dried Italian seasoning
4 c chicken stock (I bought an extra can if needed and used it for night 2 when I reheated the leftovers)
2 (14 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups spiral pasta (I used a bit more)
5 oz baby spinach
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan (for garnish)

Instructions

I’m going to let her do the rest of the talking because: 1. She’s the pro. 2. She’s hilarious. 3. Her food pics are stunning. Recipe linked below.

Simple Chicken Pasta Soup

Also, if you missed the Friday Favorites post from back in September, she’s also one of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow (especially her Insta Stories!) (link below)

Favorite Instagrammers

I know you’ll love this meal. It’s hearty and healthy all in one bowl! (and you’ll love her—go give her a follow!)

Have a great week.

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Flashback Friday, Holidays, Kids

Flashback Friday: Halloween

Posted on October 25, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I seriously wish I’d started blogging sooner….then, I wouldn’t have to have Flashback Fridays to get all of my pics in one place! haha. Since Halloween is next week, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane with the kids’ Halloween costumes through the years. I only cried twice while writing this post!

2010

Hadley as a jack-o-lantern and Hayden as a skeleton.

2011

A friend mentioned that the kids should be M&Ms for Halloween but have H&H on their chest…and I loved that idea. Insert homemade costumes by GG.

2012

Fireman Hayden and Princess Hadley

2013

Hands down my favorite costumes ever. I clearly remember Hayden saying he wanted to be Batman and Hadley chimed in that she’d be Robin. Seriously, it was her idea. Love love love this costume combo!

2014

We had just moved into our new house, and thankfully the kids were very decisive on what they wanted their costumes to be…as I didn’t have time for them to change their minds! Hayden was Captain America because he was at the age to love all things superhero …and Hadley was obbbbsessssed with all things Frozen, especially Elsa.

2015

This year seemed kind of random…Hayden as a ninja and Hadley has a Pink Power Ranger! The neighborhood has never felt more safe!

2016

Hayden was Luke Skywalker and Hadley a bumble bee. Funny Hadley story about Hadley’s costume. Her older cousin had given her the striped bee dress as a hand me down for play clothes. I remember Hadley wanting to look up costume ideas on the computer. At one point, she showed me the computer and said she wanted to be a bee. She remembered she had the hand me down costume when she saw a picture of a woman in an adult version of a bee costume that said, “Buzzed!” 😂I couldn’t quit laughing…

2017

2017 was another costume favorite of mine for both kids. I thought Hadley was so cute in her Super Girl costume, and Hayden was his favorite baseball player…Mike Moustakas of the KC Royals. The price of Hayden’s costume was $0…so no wonderful I loved it so much.

2018

Last year, as we drove home from our October fall break, the kids started discussing costumes. Both were pretty definitive with their choices as last fall Hayden decided to play soccer again…hence the Cristiano Ronaldo costume. From the back of the car on that ride home from South Carolina, Hadley said she wanted to be an 80s party girl…and I said, “Oh, an 80s girl…” She said, “No, mom….an 80s parrrrttty girl!” I laughed and wondered what that costume would entail…as always, Amazon for the win!

Time sure does fly. Where have my babies gone? Any guesses what they will be this year?

Bonus Flashback!

My brother and me in 198?…

Cheerleader and Care Bear ❤️😂

I hope you have a great weekend! We have soccer, UK football game, and neighborhood pumpkin carving on tap!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Three things

Three Things

Posted on October 23, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

One of my favorite posts that Andrea does on her Momfessionals blog is when she posts three things about each family member. It’s usually a little update on school, activities, etc. So…I thought I’d give that a try for my family.

Hayden is into all things sports. He loves to play sports, he loves to watch sports, and he even loves sports stats! He’s been known to write down the entire schedule for NFL teams or keep score for the baseball games that he plays at home. Cross country wrapped up this past weekend at the state meet, he has one more weekend (I think!) of soccer, and then it will be time for basketball to start up!
Hayden loves to read. It makes my heart so happy that he enjoys a good book…or five! I hope his love for reading never ends.
He is quiet but so observant…doesn’t miss a thing…and is so inquisitive.

Here’s Hayden at the state meet. His time qualified him to run in the 4th grade championship race where he placed 26th out of 373 runners! I was so proud of his effort!

Hadley is always on the go. I’ve always said, since she was a baby, that her feet hit the ground, she starts her day, doesn’t stop moving, and passes out at night. She doesn’t move when she sleeps…I think she’s too tired from being so busy during the day.
Hadley loves to be involved and is very social–from dance, to Girl Scouts, to cross country, to chorus to basketball…and on and on and on…She’s also the best friend…she tries pretty effortlessly to be very inclusive. She’s never met a stranger, and she certainly doesn’t get that from me. I stand back in awe sometimes at her outgoing nature.
She has a heart of gold. Hadley is so helpful (usually without much prompting). She’s silly, sassy, smart…and simply the best.

Here she is in the state meet last weekend. Like Hayden, her time qualified her to run in the 4th grade championship race. There were 327 runners in her race, and she placed 25th…with a smile on her face.

This has been a big week for me as I’ve started a new teaching position at my school. I’ve left the classroom as an English/Language Arts teacher to now be a reading interventionist. I’ve done similar work before at my previous school, so I was excited when this opportunity presented itself. I will work with students who read below grade level as well as students who need help with study skills and closing content gaps in learning.
I feel like Trav’s job keeps him forever busy, but September-November seem to be the busiest time in the horse industry. I don’t know how he does it all. There are weeks he doesn’t get a day off, and then this year he added “Cross Country Coach” to his plate. I’ve never met anyone who enjoys their job as much as Travis does (or talks on the phone more than he does ;))…and, of course, he loved coaching the kids this cross country season as well.
Homer—well he’s still cute and still a handful! He’s seven months old, into everything, chews on random things, runs laps around the backyard, and is fun to snuggle with, of course!

Proud Dad alert! One more cross country pic with coach and kids (and their hardware!)

One more pic…

The kids had some of their biggest fans at the State Cross Country Championship…more family visiting to cheer them on.

I hope you enjoyed this first Three Things post…See you back here on Friday…for a fun Flashback Friday!

Have a great day!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Memes

Monday Memes: October

Posted on October 21, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

After a busy weekend and rolling into another busy week, I thought I’d keep today’s post short, sweet, and funny. I live for memes!

It’s finally feeling like fall, and this meme literally makes me laugh out loud…because it’s true!

Kids’ activities…am I right? Thankfully, my kids aren’t too wishy washy on what they want to participate in, but I feel like there’s always some kind of sign up sheet for something…

I always have big dreams of healthy eating on Sunday when I place my Click List order, but by Thursday, I’m reminding my kids to open the fridge for a snack or two rather than binging on Pringles.

There isn’t a chore I hate more than doing laundry. I’m really good about starting it, really bad at leaving it sit in the dryer for days, and even worse about putting it away. I do find that it’s easier to wash all of Hadley’s clothes in a load, all of Hayden’s in another, and then do Travis and my clothes later. The kids tend to have a full load to wash each week…especially Hadley…girlfriend, changes her clothes a few times a day. #killingmeslowly I usually get away with doing my laundry every other week or so. Once the kids started coming home with a sitter after school (rather than stay at the after school program), they now have more chores…one of which is to put away and hang up their clothes…which tends to be a Tuesday chore. I think they probably listen to the sitter better than they listen to us, so I appreciate that she handles this chore on Tuesdays.

Me. Always. Forever. Amen.

With a very hectic week of school for me last week, on top of a busy Saturday with state cross country meet, and Hayden’s soccer game, Travis and I almost didn’t cash in on having a free sitter (my mom was in town) for Saturday night dinner out…but we did. That being said, everyone in my house was in bed by 9:00 on Saturday, and I spent Sunday trying to get my life together and get organized for the week. If you are keeping track, I still don’t have my life together (haha), but at least I always feel better starting the week with a solid plan.

One more funny…

The kids took a government test in class…both received a good grade, but I had to laugh at Hayden’s test…The correct answer was all of the above , and, well, Hayden did circle all of the above. 😂

I hope you have a great week! Happy Monday,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Friday Favorites, Self-care

Friday Favorites {#5}

Posted on October 18, 2019August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

It’s finally Friday…this has been a doozy of a week for a variety of reasons. All I can say is T G I F! #praisehands

I’m linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea for another Friday Favorites.

Alittlebitofeverything

Grace and love

momfessionals

I’ve chatted with a few friends lately about nail polish…I always have my nails painted. Always. So, I thought I’d share some of my faves.

I paint my nails once a week, and once every six weeks or so, I treat myself to a gel manicure that lasts two weeks.

I’m pretty basic with my nail polish….for years, I wore Bubble Bath by OPI and would occasionally change up the shade of pink I’d wear. For the past six months or so, I’ve pretty consistently worn Funny Bunny by OPI thanks to Living With Landyn’s recommendation.

In the fall or winter, I will use a darker polish occasionally on my fingernails but more often on my toes…I like OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark, How Great is Your Dane? and Taupe-less Beach. I hope to try Krona-logical Order some time soon…another Living with Landyn recommendation.

My trusty lineup is below:

Bubble Bath, Let Me Bayou a Drink, Lisbon Wants Moor, It’s Pink PM, Beyond the Pale Pink, and Funny Bunny

Andrea at Momfessionals, shared about the Seche Vite base and fast drying top coat. I now swear by these. They definitely help my *at home* manicures last longer.

Pretty random favorites, but my mom is visiting, and she bought me this cute new travel coffee mug. #englishteachersunite and sent these cookies via my Grandma. When they last visited, my Gma brought these pumpkin cookies that she found at Tuesday Morning. She sent three boxes with my mom…and this box didn’t last long #IblameHayden

I heart school artwork ….especially artwork that involves pumpkins. Hadley painted this in class, and I just love it….certainly a favorite of mine.

A little 1:1 time with Boo while he did his homework was a favorite this week. I was able to pick the kids up from school one day this week which is a rarity….Thankfully, they didn’t need my help with math homework (haha), but he was supposed to read this story aloud to me, and I loved having the extra time with them.

It’s a miracle! Somehow, my friends and I have made a point to go out to dinner two months in a row…on a school night! #rebels I enjoy my much needed time with my girlfriends, and we tried a new(ish) restaurant here in Lexington…Agave and Rye. It was so good….I had the Easy Ranchero Taco – fried egg, salt and pepper tator tots, queso, aged white cheddar, salsa, cilantro, and I 86’d the sour cream (hashtag: I hate sour cream) This taco was out of this world (and the marg was great too). I honestly hope to go back as soon as possible. There were so many tacos I wanted to try!

That’s a wrap on this week….this weekend the kids finish up their cross country season at the state meet, Hayden has a soccer game, and Trav and I hope to go out to dinner one night since GG’s in town to stay with the kids.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Traditions

Pumpkin Patch

Posted on October 16, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Happy Wednesday! I touched on it a bit in Monday’s post, but going to the pumpkin patch in the fall is hands down my most favorite family tradition.

Through the years, we’ve gone with family, with friends, and with just the four of us. We were limited on time on Sunday before Hayden’s soccer game, but we made it to Evans Orchard for about an hour and a half on Sunday. Rather than wait in the long line to buy tickets for the activity area, we just took our time looking at pumpkins, getting our hot apple cider and apple cider donuts, and enjoying the nice weather.

I love that Evans Orchard changes the picture backdrop each year, and I’m even happier that my kids know the way to my heart is a good family photo. #hushupandsmile!

Trips to the orchard used to just be Travis and myself, and we haven’t missed a year at an orchard since the kids were born…and here’s the collage to prove it! 2010 – 2018.

2019 pic!

The weather was perfect on Sunday. Some years it’s soooo hot and last year was freeeeeezing…I couldn’t believe it. The weather was so cold that I almost broke tradition, but of course, I’m glad I didn’t.

Hadley always asks me to take the photo in portrait mode #diva

My favorite part is seeing the pumpkins in various sizes, shapes, and colors. I swear when I was a kid these kinds of pumpkins didn’t exist.

We learned a long time ago that one 6 pack of donuts isn’t enough, so we at least buy two!

I don’t remember this photo op last year at Evans Orchard, but I loved it. And, what I loved more was Hadley said, “Mom, take our picture by the truck!” #girlaftermyownheart

Hot apple cider and pumpkins…what more could you ask for?

And, lastly, a pic with my two pumpkins. They sure are getting big! They each chose a great pumpkin to carve, and we will do that closer to Halloween…Don’t get me started with pumpkin carving…someone always ends up crying. haha. Why do my kids overestimate their parents’ pumpkin carving skills?!

That’s a wrap on our traditional pumpkin patch visit. What are your favorite fall traditions and activities?

I hope you are having a great week,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweetea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Weekend Top 5

Posted on October 14, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Why do the weekends always seem to fly by?! Per usual, we had a busy weekend filled with athletics, but we also had a few other fun activities too.

My dad was visiting this week, so the kids were excited for him to pick them up from school on Thursday and Friday. Hayden later told me, “I love when Major picks me up. AND I love the smell of his car!” 😂 #cigars

Also, when my dad visits, he always requests a pic of him with all the grand kids on the front steps…each time, the pic gets easier to take because the know which step to sit on and know to sit and smile ASAP.

From oldest to youngest: The Major (haha), Hayden, Hadley, Wyatt, and Layla

If you know anything about the state of Kentucky, you know they love their basketball team. Travis took the kids to Big Blue Madness Friday evening. Both kids loved seeing both the men and women basketball players as well as the coaches…BUT Hadley loved watching the dance team the best! She showed me their dance routine when she got home.

While they were gone, I had a glass of wine, read my book, and binge watched Shark Tank with my dad. #winwin

When we were dating, Travis took me to Big Blue Madness once and back then it started at midnight. Full circle moment taking the kids. Memories I know they will all cherish.

Lots of UK activities this weekend as Hayden and Travis also went to UK’s football game with their exciting win over Arkansas! (Missouri won their game too!)

Saturday morning started with another cross country meet. It’s been fun to see the kids and their teammates improve each week. This was the first meet with much cooler weather, so the kids actually looked like they enjoyed running during this race. haha.

Both kids had top 10 finishes with Hadley placing 7th out of 100 3rd/4th grade runners, and Hayden placed 5th out of 123 runners for the same age group. AND…so exciting….BOTH the 3rd/4th grade boys and girls teams finished in 3rd place and brought home a trophy.

Running is in my kids’ DNA (#notmysideofthefamily), and I preach to them how fortunate they are that running comes so naturally to them, but again, it’s always so awesome to see the team come together and cheer for one another. Each runner reaches some kind of personal goal each week which is amazing to watch.

And, what’s better than two top 10 finishes?? Having so many of their fan club there to cheer them on. People who have family who live nearby tend to take for granted grandparents, cousins, etc who can just pop in to watch the kids or attend athletic and school events. In our lives, most visits are planned around the opportunity to see a ball game or field day.

Quite the cheering section: Cousins, the Major, Mamaw, and Uncle Connor

Hayden had two soccer games this weekend. This team is so fun to watch play together. They won on both Saturday and Sunday, and Hayden was one of the players of the game on Saturday. More soccer next weekend!

It’s no secret that my favorite time of the year is fall. We make it a point to go to the pumpkin patch every year. We go to Evans Orchard and we usually have time for the kids to run around on the hay bales, go down the slides, feed the animals, and play on the inflatables, but this year we were on a time crunch…so we went to the orchard Sunday for about an hour to pick out our pumpkins to carve, get our hot apple cider and apple cider donut fix, and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Bonus…

I made pumpkin muffins Sunday morning. I used the mix from Trader Joes, and it made 18 muffins! The kids love these as much as I do!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready to tackle the week!

Have a good one,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Travel

Fall break: Part 2

Posted on October 11, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Did you read about Part 1 of our fall break in Asheville?

Fall break part 1

Part 2 of our Asheville trip entailed glamping. By last Friday afternoon, we were settled into our tent and sipping on White Claws while the kids ran around. I was really pleased with how nice the facilities were and the area was so pretty. Like I said, we’d be to Asheville many times and even hiked in different areas like Chimney Rock, but Pisgah and Lake Powhatan were new to us. My friend Krista found this location, and the pictures online certainly do it justice.

After a little while, we decided to hike down to the lake. It was a little over a mile or so, and it was good for the kids to run around and for us to get our bearings. We were gone a little over an hour and then decided to make dinner.

Yes, I said, “Hey kids, turn and look at the lake!” but Hadley’s arm around C just shows their naturally sweet friendship.

After we returned from getting the lay of the land, we started dinner. We were hungry and didn’t give our fire time to roar, so we ended up having hot dogs and hamburgers rather than the original plan of the foil packs with chicken and potatoes. Then, it was time for s’mores and ghost stories.

Hayden’s turn to tell a ghost story. “It was a dark and stormy night…and I ended up sleeping bed with my mom!” haha

This is going to sound stupid—but I didn’t realize how dark it would be…and so early. Thank goodness for our flashlights and lanterns…but even still, we were in bed by 9:30.

I woke up to this view the next morning…and a huge dip in temperature!! Friday was in the 80’s and Saturday was in the low 60’s and a drizzle rain most of the day. I am a fan of the fresh air, but I also am wise enough to pack my allergy medicine!

I spent a few minutes on the porch sipping my coffee before we got the day started.

Travis went on a trail run #showoff while the moms read , and the kids ran around and then played games. Go Fish for the girls and Chess for the boys!

Just a few pics of our manly men manning the fire as well as some of our food. Saturday morning breakfast included sausage, bacon, and pancakes on the cast iron skillet. #howdidthepioneerwomendoit ?!

After breakfast, we all went on about a 3 mile trail hike and ended with us by the lake. The evening before, we went to the fishing pier, but that morning we ended up on the beach. The kids were so awesome on the hike! They were usually way ahead of us and in charge of the map. We stayed on the blue trail, and they had fun finding the mile markers.

After the hike, we cleaned up and headed to Asheville to have a late (3:00!) lunch at the Wicked Weed Brewery. We usually go there when we are in Asheville, and the food, beverages, and atmosphere never disappoint. Hadley went to check on a table option while we waited, and I ended up checking on her…what was taking so long was she had found the free pretzels and was stocking up for the rest of us while we waited. haha

After lunch, we walked around for awhile and even ended up getting coffee and hot chocolate before heading back to the camp site.

We were all pretty full from lunch, so we just ate snacks and more hot dogs for dinner followed by more s’mores and ghost stories. Then, again, another early bedtime of 9:30 or so.

We woke up the next morning around 7:30, packed up, and left by 9:00. We had fun but were ready to get home, start laundry, see Homer, and sleep in our own beds!

I’ve only been camping one other time (besides my Girl Scout days when I was in elementary school) When Travis and I had been dating for almost a year, we went camping for one night near Columbia, Missouri where we lived. We had a great time, but even then, with just the two of us, it took so much effort, planning, and packing! I’ll never forget as we drove home from that camping trip in the spring of 2002, he turned, looked at me, and said, “You passed the test!” haha…Listen, I’m not high maintenance, and he (and my friends and family) know that…I love the outdoors. I will hike, bike, paddle board, etc…eat hot dogs, s’mores, and all the things…I just prefer to sleep at a Marriott! I struggle with needing to be in control, and it’s hard to control all the things in nature, so it takes me a minute to let that character trait of mine go. That being said, I would definitely do this again. It definitely did take a lot of planning and preparation (and I think my friend did most of that!!), but the effort was worth it in the end. It was a great as a family to unplug for awhile, let the kids run around, and see what the world has to offer. And, it was certainly fun to go with another family who we are great friends with!

These memories will last a lifetime, I’m sure!

Hadley slept most of the four hour ride home!

That’s a wrap on Fall Break, Part 2! We went from novice campers to somewhat novice campers!!

pisgah glamping

I hope you have a great weekend,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweetea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Let's look, Meals and Recipes

Let’s Look

Posted on October 9, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

It’s time for this month’s Let’s Look with Shay and Erika. This month’s focus is yummy fall recipes. One of my favorites is…Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta…and guess where I got the recipe? YEARS ago from a Kroger coupon pack they sent me in the mail. I make this a few times a year but only in the fall…

Ingredients:

8 oz whole wheat penne (I usually use the whole box)
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 Tblsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. low sodium chicken broth
12 oz pumpkin puree
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a medium skillet, brown sausage and set aside.
In a skillet, over medium heat, add oil and saute shallots and garlic for 3 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth, pumpkin, cream, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and simmer 8-10 minutes to thicken.
Stir in cooked penne, sausage, and cheese.
Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese.

The four of us typically get two nights out of this meal!

I bet I’ve had this recipe card for 10 years!

Other fall recipes I love are pretty simple: pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, chili and soups!

Since I shared a recipe, it got me thinking about grocery shopping and then this memory popped up on Facebook. Feels like a lifetime ago that I often had both of the kids with me at the grocery store pushing that dang car cart while other customers looked at me and said, “Well, bless your heart!” 😂

Funny story about this picture. I would often give the kids an apple to keep them entertained while I shopped. I’m 99% sure this is the time that when Hadley went to hand me the core of her apple, I asked Hayden where his apple was…and he said, “I ate it. I ate ALL of the apple!” Core. And. ALL 😬 Those diapers were fun to change for a few days. Ugh.

I wish Kroger Click List (grocery pick up) would have been around when the kids were little. It’s a life saver now, but it would have been so nice to just pick up groceries rather than be in the store for an hour with two little ones. I’ve done grocery pick up for almost five years, and I can’t imagine going back to the old way I shopped.

A few years ago, I bumped into a friend in the store and she had a printed list of what she usually gets. I loved that idea, so I do that now and just add in what I need. I have a running list on the side of my fridge when we run out of things, but before I place my weekly Click List order, I get out my template and circle what we need for the week. I typed this out once a couple of years ago and add/delete as our needs change. To make it, I looked at a Click List order that I had placed and categorized what I bought, so making the template didn’t take me very long. Our regular items take up a couple of pages, but at least it’s all organized for when I sit down to place my order. I have extra lines in each section to write in other needs, and I cross our items we don’t need that week. Here’s one of the pages:

Grocery pickup has been a life saver. It still takes me time to plan meals and place the order, but at least I don’t have to spend as much time in the store, and if I forget something, I don’t mind running in the grocery on my way home to pick up a few things since it’s only a few minutes of my time.

Also, every other week or so, I stop in Trader Joe’s and meander around to pick up things and plan meals on the fly…and I enjoy doing that knowing I have my basics at home. Also, occasionally, I will go to Aldi’s and pick up a few items just to mix it up and get some good deals on items.

Next month’s Let’s Look is focused on entertaining ideas …odds are that I will share some of my kids’ birthday parties. I can’t believe they are almost 10!