Well, I didn’t mean to not post yesterday especially since this post is one of my favorites to share every month…but the weekend got away from me, so here we are! Yesterday was the last Monday of the month, so it’s time to share some of my favorite memes I saw this month:
My work friend sent these first two in our group text…
The person “I want to be” sets her alarm for 5:50, and the “person that I am” hits snooze a couple of times!
Some days, I really do feel this way! What’s the reward for being a hard-working, competent employee? Being asked to take on more work…
Travis would never….haha!
Tell me it’s the last month of school without telling me it’s the last month of school:
Speaking of “eyes”….being a mom and a teacher of teens…I really need to keep my eyes in check!
Absolutely this is me, and the culprit to saying “It’s up to you” is typically Travis. Why does he have to stress me out like that? haha
Also the caption to this one made me chuckle:
This is why I need my quiet time in the morning:
“Receipts” as the kids say!
This is why I like the eye doctor and the dentist…they don’t weigh you and get you started off on the wrong foot!
I actually LOL’d at this one. We still occasionally do tornado drills, but yes …these days, we’d be home for any kind of inclement weather.
This!! haha
I hope your week is off to a great start…and that these memes provid you with a laugh or two!
How was your week? I’m not going to lie…this one felt like a doozy…so I’m definitely feeling TGIF!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Easter fun!…
…and a lovely Easter church service.
…followed by a great Easter lunch!
My mom visited us for about a week, and she was able to see a couple of track meets and a couple of my nephew’s baseball games. Plus, it was Easter weekend. She also helped by taking Hadley to her PT appointment, and even took the kids to school a couple of the days. It was a nice visit.
While she was here, we played Play Nine, and then Hayden randomly wanted to play BINGO. I think he has a future at church halls and senior living centers! He was very good at calling out the numbers.
Hayden and I went to my nephew’s baseball game on Monday night. I miss the baseball days! It was a fun game to watch and my nephew did a great job.
We’re making progress on our hall bathroom! The guy doing the work is our neighbor, and the hold up isn’t him! We’ve done a bad job with our ordering timeline. The shower tile finally came in, and he got a start on it yesterday. Our vanity should be in soon, and we have someone coming to do the wallpaper (I think!) early next week.
The track season continues…The kids ran on Tuesday night, and both of them ran well. Hayden’s fastest 1600m time is 4:47, and he’s been chasing his 4:40 goal. I know he’s been frustrated, and Tuesday night, he ran lights out! I haven’t seen him run so confidently or so smoothly in quite a while…and he ran 4:40, placing 3rd! He had a big smile on his face.
Hadley ran the 200 and 400 and was close to her standard times, even winning her 400 heat and coming in 4th overall. She’s still going to PT for her calf, so I think she was pleased with her runs and it had been a couple of weeks since she’s raced.
Travis was excited to start this new Netflix docu-series about horse racing and the races leading up to the 2024 Derby. We’ve watched the first couple of episodes, and he knows/is acquaintances with some of the guys. One of his clients provided some commentary in the episodes we’ve watched. I’m sure we’ll keep watching this series when we have time.
Have you seen the “send later” feature on your texts?
Screenshot
This has come so handy for me. At 6:00, when I’m sipping my coffee, I usually try to get my day in order and often think about texting the carpool or other people I need to respond to, but don’t want to do so that early in the morning. So, I’ve been creating some of the texts and then scheduling them for 8 or 9 in the morning. I really appreciate this feature right now!
Favorite Mom Meme:
Ok, Hadley really isn’t a diva like this, but this one still seemed kind of relatable, and I did chuckle!
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts this week; I always appreciate my blog readers!
Well where has the month of April gone?! Remember when January felt like an entire year? Now, it’s almost May!
Since it’s the last Thursday of the month, I’m linking up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings.
This month’s topic is…spring hosting, decorating and gardening.
1. Do you celebrate Easter, Passover or another holiday in the spring?
We celebrate Easter. I love the tradition of dyeing the eggs, and we had a lovely morning at church followed by lunch at my brother’s house.
2. Do you plant a garden? Any tips?
For a couple of years, we did plant a garden, but we haven’t the past few years. It was fun getting cucumbers and peppers out of the garden to use for meals and snacks.
3. How do you decorate for spring?
I always put a few Easter decorations out a couple of weeks before Easter. Then, I change out my door hanger, garden flag, and a couple of decorations for Oaks/Derby.
4. Desserts that just say spring to you?
Once the warmer weather hits, I think of strawberry shortcake as a light, easy and delish dessert.
I’ve made Shay’s Fruity Pebblebars, and they are a fun treat too!
5. Favorite spring flowers?
I love all flowers but especially hydrangeas, tulips, and peonies. The cone shaped “panicle” (I had to look this up!)hydrangeas (top left pic) bloom in our yard, and I love cutting them and putting them in a vase in the summer.
One of our neighbors has a huge flower garden, and she cuts flowers and puts them in tiny vases to share (bottom right pic)…and then we just return the vases to her.
6. Best tips for hosting spring events?
I wish we hosted more, but if we do have people over, I do prefer to do so when it’s “patio weather,” and going outside is an option. I just like people to be able to spread out and not feel confined in the house.
As far as tips, I’d say keep it easy, ask people to help and bring a side dish or dessert, and just go with the flow!
7. Favorite beverage or cocktail that makes you think of spring?
In the spring and summer months, I lean more towards a White Claw or the Trader Joe’s canned Rose’. Sometimes at the pool, I will get a skinny marg. Well, now I want it to be pool weather after seeing this pic!
Like I said above, I’d love a vegetable garden, but we just don’t have a ton of space for it. After seeing my neighbor’s flower garden, it’s so pretty, and that would be fun to have in the yard.
9. Favorite Easter candy?
I love these dang Cadbury mini eggs. I did notice that my Kroger didn’t seem to have the mini bags this year. So, I did buy a couple of bigger bags, and that was our Easter treat the past few weeks.
10. Marshmallow Peeps? Gross or yes please?
Peeps are just ok…I also put some in the kids’ Easter baskets, but I don’t even think they care much for them.
Well, Easter is over…and before we know it, it will be Memorial Day weekend!
Hello and happy Wednesday! I hope your week has started off right!
I’m linking up with Joyce for Wednesday Hodgepodge.
Here are my responses to this week’s prompts:
1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Picnic Day. Will you celebrate? Do you enjoy picnics? Dining out of doors picnic or otherwise? What are three or four things I’d find in your picnic basket?
National Picnic Day sounds lovely! Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be having a picnic today. Maybe I can pack one of my “adult lunchables” and pack some snacks for lunch today.
I enjoy picnics, but I don’t think I’ve been to one recently. During Hayden’s baseball years, at the end of the season, we’d have a big end of season celebration that was potluck/picnic-ish. That was fun to decorate and bring lots of different apps, sides and desserts.
As far as dining outdoors, once the weather is perfect, I love to sit on our patio or a restaurant patio for dinner.
In my picnic basket, I’d bring watermelon, charcuterie items like crackers, cheese and salami, and some chocolate chip cookies.
When the kids were little, sometimes we’d have lunch on our covered front porch in the summer. It was just something different to do, and I’d put a blanket down on the porch, and we’d eat our PB&J sandwiches, chips, and fruit.
2. A time recently where you felt ‘antsy’?
I feel antsy when things aren’t in order and right now that is more often than not. I feel like “Maycember” has hit early. We truly have something every night of the week and even sometimes until late in the night. I finished up this post at 10:30 last night!
On top of that, we’ve had busy weekends, so even that time feels hectic. I need to get caught up on laundry, or mail is piling up, or things I need to do for the kids like sign them up for things make my “to do” lists overwhelming. It will get all get sorted out, but I’m officially in the part of spring where I have a “take this off my plate now and move it to my official summer ‘to do’ list” #workingtitle haha
I feel antsy driving on the highway at night…which thankfully isn’t very often. Last Friday, Hadley, my mom and I drove home from Louisville late, and it was fine, but I just felt like I had to concentrate the whole time. I just don’t love the long stretches of highway at night especially when there’s a lot of traffic or if there’s construction. We didn’t leave Louisville until 10:00, so the whole time I even was thinking about how late (11:30), we’d get home which made me “antsy.”
3. As the saying goes…’when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ Do you like lemonade? When did you recently need to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking?
I do like lemonade but rarely have it. Hadley orders it quite a bit at restaurants.
This isn’t that big of a deal, but during track season, a couple days a week, both kids are at track at the same time. Hadley doesn’t go to track every day because some days she also has club volleyball practice. Anyway, there are times where it just makes more sense for me to stay at school rather than go home. While I often can’t wait to get home and sometimes am at home for 45 minutes to an hour before going back to get the kids, I’ve also just stayed at school and made the most of the time. I go make copies, get caught up on grading, read my Kindle, work on a blog post, run an errand close by, or even bring my tennis shoes and get some steps in. Pretty soon, the kids will be able to drive themselves home from all of these things, and I will take too much time on my hands.
4. Recently five ‘celebrities’ made a brief (11 minute) foray into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. Did you hear about this? Your thoughts? If money were no object is this something you’d like to do someday?
I did briefly hear about this but not all the details. My immediate thought was “no.” haha I wouldn’t want to go in a rocket or even into space.
If money wasn’t an option, I’d buy a private plane. In the past, when I’ve said that, Travis tells me it’s more fiscally responsible to lease a plane. Why’s he trying to tell me how to spend my fictional money?!?
5. Favorite thing about the ‘space’ you’re sitting in now?
*I took this prompt – as “space”/ “season” in my life:
Right now, it’s the downhill slide to summer. That being said, I don’t necessarily want the summers to come so quickly anymore. While the kids had a great freshman year, the passing of time is really getting real!
I will say that I can appreciate that the kids are more independent and reliable/responsible. I can sit in the car, give them my debit card, and they run into Kroger for a few things. Or, if they have to be at a track meet an hour and a half before I have to be there, I can drop them off and they don’t need me to manage their every move. I can do what I need to do and come back later to cheer them on. That being said, I apparently have to remind Hayden at the end of every meet to make sure he has hasn’t left his track jacket at the finish line!
*physical space* – I finished typing this post at my kitchen table while eating dinner at 10PM. I’m tired 🤣
6. Insert your own random thought here?
Sooo random, but this little soap dish is saving my sanity.
When we re-did our primary bath a few years ago, we made design decisions thinking that one day, we’d put a primary bedroom addition on our house and the current bathroom would become Hayden’s. So, instead of doing tile with a couple of inserts for soap and shampoo, we just have the microfiber stall with a couple of small glass shelves. Well, the dang soap slides off those shelves all the time which drives me crazy! I saw @christineonpoint share this soap dish and these “soap saver” sponges, and I purchased them immediately!
How was your weekend? Ours was busy, but also Easter filled, and I’m recapping that today!
On Friday, I shared a look back at Easter in the past…
and…thankfully, they kids still oblige with our egg dyeing tradition.
Saturday night, cousins joined in on the fun.
My mom was in town, and she had the genius idea to tape off parts of the eggs before dyeing them. We had one egg that looked like a watermelon and another one Hadley put a cross on it. Anyway, it was a good thirty minutes of fun.
Sunday morning, I hid the eggs around the house. The kids still think this tradition is somewhat fun, so I’ll take it!
I still love putting together their Easter baskets. In their baskets, I put lots of candy. I also gave them both a Raising Canes gift card, and I put Chomps beef sticks in Hayden’s basket and an Alani in Hadley’s basket. Next to their baskets, I put a couple of other items like a golf shirt and golf balls for Hayden and a tennis skirt and hair towels for Hadley. They appreciated it all!
Then, we headed to church. It was a beautiful service as always.
(We were a little early, and I took this pic before everyone piled in…we were elbow to elbow by the start of service!)
Afterwards, I took that kids’ pic…
Unfortunately, the cherry blossoms were out last week, but not this week. I guess that’s what happens with a later Easter. I still love the pics of the kids…looking so grown up!
…and we got a family photo which I always appreciate.
We went back to the house to change, and we headed to my brother’s house for Easter lunch. I made thisGraham Cracker Pudding dessert that I haven’t made in quite some time. I got the recipe from Trav’s mom, and it’s one of my faves.
My sister-in-law had the table set so nicely…
…with a bunnies, flowers, and personalized place settings…
Lunch was so good, and then we took a couple more family pics with my mom and the grand kids.
The little kids did a front yard egg hung, Trav and Hayden left after a bit to do yard work, and Hadley and I hung out at my brother’s house for most of the afternoon.
Usually, we travel to E-town to see Trav’s extended family, but this year worked for us to stay home. My mom was in town, and I appreciated my brother and sister-in-law inviting us over! It was a lovely Easter Sunday.
Wow! Where did this week go?…I really feel like April is flying by.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Well, this week’s favorites are pretty short and sweet…
Stromboli is my first favorite! When Andrea shared this meal idea, I thought it would be a great option for last Saturday’s dinner! I’ve never purchased this dough before, but I let two loaves defrost, and then I followed her instructions and made two cheese and pepperoni strombolis.
They were a hit for dinner and then we had leftovers for lunch on Sunday. I will definitely be making these again and will try some different ingredients too.
After a little break, the kids are back to running. They had a meet on Tuesday night. Both of them are also running this weekend, so on Tuesday, they only ran one relay each. Hayden’s 4×800 team came in 1st and Hadley’s 4×200 team came in 4th. Great relays for both of them. Hadley’s calf is bothering her a bit, so hopefully that doesn’t turn into something more.
Really, we haven’t been up to much else, so today, I’m also taking a look back on Easter through the years…
Because having high schoolers makes me nostalgic…here’s a little…
…Easter edition:
The cherry blossoms at our church are always so pretty, and we’ve gotten Easter pics there for the last few years:
2024:
2023:
2022:
2021:
2020:
Of course, Easter 2020 looked a bit different for all of us. We were home, but we still dressed up for Easter brunch and a front yard egg hunt!
2019:
2018:
Easter egg hunt fun at Trav’s aunt’s house:
2017:
Well, we took the front porch pic and then Hayden told us he wasn’t feeling well. He ended up having a fever, so I stayed home with him while Trav and Hadley traveled to E-town for Easter with his family.
2016:
2015:
The first Easter in our current house…
2014:
I loved this dress that Hadley wore…and I love those little cheeks.
2013:
Too cool for school! The Easter Bunny left sun glasses and water bottles that year…haha
2012:
Really struggling to smile in 2012…haha!
2011:
Oh! They were on the move this year…into everything, and clearly not willing to both look at the camera at the same time!
Yesterday, I shared a quick recap of our spring break trip to Isle of Palms, SC.
As I started to unpack, I do what I’ve been doing at the end of most trips…putting together what I actually wore to show myself that those outfits would fit in a smaller suitcase…and then I keep telling myself that maybe one day I won’t over-pack on a trip. That being said, I pack a medium suitcase, so it’s not like I go completely overboard. I still swear by packing cubes to keep me organized and free up some space in my suitcase.
I do have a few packing lists that I use depending on where I’m going, and I update those lists once I return. I also give a list to the kids, but they tend to be pretty minimal as to how much they pack. Most the time we are traveling by car, so I don’t feel bad having my medium sized suitcase.
Once I pulled out the clothes I did wear, I tossed them in this laundry basket because I wanted to snap pics in the outfits.
Maybe in the future, I can use this laundry basket as a gauge on whatever fits in the basket will fit in a smaller suitcase!
The condo we stayed in didn’t have a full length mirror and this Fashion Files idea only came to me once I went to unpack my suitcase. Please forgive my hair in most of these pics as I snapped them after my Saturday morning workout.
I’m linking up with Kellyann and Jill for Fashion Files.
I wanted to be comfortable. I wore a pair of my SSYS scallop hem leggings, my Amazon sandals, black SSYS tank and Amazon cardigan. (This “apricot” color cardigan was a new purchase…I now own it in four colors, and I love it so much! This cardigan was actually the MVP of the trip as I wore it the most!)
In regards to the sandals, I’ve had them for almost four years, and I wear them more than my actual Birkenstocks. I think I will buy another rose gold pair this summer as these have been worn so much that a new pair is probably a good idea. (I did size up to a 10 from my regular size 9)
For dinner that night, I wore my black SSYS Sophia set and the same tan cardigan. These sandals are from Target last year, and they are the “nicer” pair that I turn to the most for wearing when “dressing up” a bit.
Tuesday:
For my Tuesday morning walk, I just wore the same leggings and black tank from the drive on Monday as well as a sweatshirt.
For time on the beach, I wore an Amazon swimsuit that I’ve had forever (This seems to be the same one, but with more patterns), an Amazon cover up (I did size up to an XL in case it shrinks a bit in the wash), Havaianas rose gold flip flops from Nordstrom (I have two pairs of these, and have had them for years), and my hat is from Etsy.
For dinner with friends, I wore this dress from Target that I’ve had for a couple of years, the tan cardigan, and Target sandals.
Wednesday:
For my Wednesday morning walk, I wore SSYS leggings and SSYS long sleeve frill neck top. My Nike Air Maxes aren’t my usual walking shoes, but I brought them because they are my faves to wear with leggings.
On Wednesday morning, Hadley and I went out for breakfast (well, more like brunch!). I came home from the walk a bit sweaty, so I changed into navy SSYS scallop leggings, an over-sized Amazon t-shirt, my SSYS “shacket,” Amazon sandals and my Coach cross body purse.
Later that afternoon, my friend and I walked around a few shops and got a drink and I wore the same leggings and a sweatshirt I brought.
Once back to the condo, I showered and put on this outfit (SSYS leggings and tank, Amazon cardigan) to hang out on the balcony and read for a bit.
For dinner, I wore my new Amazon short sleeve sweater, Old Navy kick flare pants, SSYS shacket, and Target sandals. (Y’all – I only paid $14 for both of my sweaters, but a couple of colors are $9.99! This is such a great closet staple!)
Thursday:
For my Thursday morning walk, I wore SSYS leggings, pink SSYS frill neck tank and Target scuba material jacket.
Thursday was the best beach day. I wore my Amazon one shoulder swimsuit under my Amazon cover up. For this trip, I did buy a new beach hat. I still love my Nordstrom one that I’ve had for years, but this was does have a strap…
…which is sometimes needed with the beach winds!
Also, my Amazon sunnies are still my favorite shades to wear. Plus, if I lose them, they are very inexpensive to replace!
For dinner, I wore this SSYS dress along with the MVP of the trip…my cardigan!
I wore the same strappy Target sandals that I wore with “nicer” outfits.
Friday drive home:
For the drive home, I wore my Old Navy kick flare pants and my new “Charleston” sweatshirt, as well as my Amazon Birks. I like to be comfy on car rides.
This photo is actually me right when I got home, started unpacking, and thought to myself “I wish I had documented what I wore on vacay!” haha
In this post, I am missing an outfit or two–but just shorts for lounging, a sweatshirt, and my other pair of Old Navy kick flare pants. Also, I packed three pairs of PJs, but only wore two. While it’s obvious that I packed enough clothes and didn’t really repeat an outfit, I do wish I’d packed this set. It would have been perfect for walking around the shops and just hanging out on the condo balcony.
Our condo did have a washer and dryer, so we did laundry before we came home. It was nice to open our suitcases and just put clean clothes away.
What about you? Are you a good packer? I am glad that my kids seem to not over-pack, so I’m the only one with suitcase issues.
Signed, a permanent over-packer,
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Today, I’m sharing a little vacay recap about our time in Isle of Palms, SC last week.
We’ve been to IOP a few times through the years, but the last time we were here was summer of 2021. The Charleston area is a pretty easy drive from Lexington, and I do think Isle of Palms is such a pretty area.
Hadley left for Charleston on Saturday of break, and she had a couple of fun days with friends before we arrived.
Travis had the “all clear” to go out of town a couple of days after his surgery. He was just under strict orders – no hot tub, pool or ocean. I did drive most of the nine hour drive, and we arrived at our condo around 5:00. It was so cute!
…and had a great view!
It was pretty blustery on Monday, so we had some time to unpack and get the lay of the land.
That evening, our friends brought Hadley to us, and we hung out for a bit before heading to dinner at Acme Low Country Kitchen. It was a great seafood meal!
Our friends headed back to Charleston, and we went back to the condo and watched the NCAA Championship basketball game before going to bed.
Tuesday morning, I woke up to this view:
And…I’d slept solidly for over eight hours. I really didn’t realize how exhausted I was. From being worried about Trav’s surgery to being up early on Saturday to get Hadley going to driving most of the nine hours on Monday, I was thankful for some solid sleep! I slept great all four nights we were there!
Anyway, I spotted Trav outside and we had breakfast.
Coffee with this view was something I won’t take for granted.
I really wanted to make sure I got my steps in while on vacay, so Trav and I went for a walk, and then I went a bit further and closer to the water.
Then, it was a beach day! In my family, I’m the one who likes the beach the most. That being said, I love the view…and am fine not getting in the water.
When we decided on this trip, we knew we’d be rolling the dice a bit in regards the air temp. The week before we were there, IOP was in the 80’s, but for the three days were were there, it was 70 degrees. There was also more of a wind than I was expecting, but Tuesday and Thursday were great!
Hadley joined me on the beach for a bit, and then our friends who were staying in Charleston made a beach afternoon of the day.
Hayden’s never been the biggest fan of the beach, and this trip confirmed it for us. I had to convince him to come down and hang with us…he brought a golf club and some golf balls and chipped around the beach.
Again, another reason we chose this location was we knew we had friends nearby, Hayden could golf, and we could all kind of do whatever we preferred during the day. And, with the condo’s great location, even sitting on the balcony or in the living room and seeing the water provided a different view for a few days.
My friend and I had a 5:00 marg!
…and the sun started to set a bit.
On fall break, it’s dark by 6, so it was nice to have more daylight for longer on this trip. That being said, sunsets over the Atlantic aren’t the same as sunsets over the Gulf…but I’m not complaining!
We met friends for dinner at Islander 71. We’d never been there, but the food was great and the restaurant had wonderful views of the water. My kids have known these kids since they were five, and while they go to different schools, they live in our neighborhood…and it only took us going on vacay to have dinner with them twice! haha
Wednesday morning started with coffee and breakfast and then another walk.
It was pretty windy this day, so I walked on the beach for a bit before finishing my walk inland looking at all the pretty houses. Maybe one day I’ll hit the jackpot!
This pink flamingo house understood the assignment!
Trav took Hayden golfing, so it was just Hadley and me for breakfast. I’d spotted the Sea BiscuitCafe, and texted Hadley to see if she wanted to got there for breakfast. I walked back to our condo as she was getting up, and we headed that way.
As we walked in, I realized it was cash only…and thought I had to go back to the condo for money. Well, I turned around to see an ATM in their parking lot. haha How convenient…I bet that gets used a lot.
We had a great breakfast…
…and then explored a few shops before our friends arrived at the condo.
The friends staying in Charleston had planned on going home on Wednesday, but the girls convinced the adults that they should stay an extra day. We had space, so they checked out of their hotel and headed our way.
Trav said Hayden played well on a tough course. He almost made his first eagle.
With such a windy day, we actually didn’t do too much in the afternoon. We hung out for a bit, sat outside, and then we walked around for a bit.
Then, it was dinner time, so we headed to Mt. Pleasant for pizza followed by ice cream on Sullivan’s Island.
After that, we came back and played a couple of rounds of Play Nine.
Thursday morning, the other family headed out early…so early and so quietly, that I didn’t hear them leave!
Like the other mornings, we just eased into the day.
Trav took the kids for a workout at a nearby track while I went for my walk.
Then, Hayden settled in for the day to watch the Masters golf tournament. He’s really into golf lately.
Meanwhile, I headed to the beach. We walk past the pool to go to the beach, and I realized the pool was heated!
I always pick up a couple of seashells when we go on a beach vacay, and I have a glass jar in our sun room where I keep them as a nice memento of our beach trips.
Trav had ordered me an umbrella for the day. Our condo came with a credit, so we had four beach chairs (not the fancy ones…just normal fold out ones) for our stay as well as two bikes. I needed the umbrella because I’d gotten a little bit too much sun on Tuesday…and I knew I wanted to stay out there as much as possible on our last full day.
On spring break, I finished reading a book, got about halfway through another book, and even finished listening to a book! That’s my kind of relaxation!
I got up every once in a while to walk by the water…truly, one of my favorite things to do!
Hadley and Trav joined me on the beach, and Hadley snapped a couple of pics.
I stayed at the beach from 11-5 or so, and then came back to the condo to shower and hang out for a bit before heading out to dinner.
The kids let me snap a pic…
…and thanks to Hadely’s selfie skills, we got a great family photo with a pretty backdrop!
I was thankful we got a few family pics when convenient as I don’t think my kids will fully understand how much I treasure capturing those moments.
Then, we headed to Sullivan’s Island to go to the highly recommended Mex 1 for dinner with our friends from night 2!
The tacos and pineapple marg hit the spot!
Love this sign!
We did go get ice cream before saying bye to our friends for the evening. We’ll see them back at home soon, I’m sure. Once we were back at the condo, we took about thirty minutes to tidy up and pack up. Then, “forced family fun” with a game of Play Nine. So many of our friends love and play this game. It’s a good one if you need an Easter basket idea! We also love Racko.
Then, it was bedtime!
Friday morning, we set our alarms for seven. Trav was ready to roll, and I told him to slow his roll! I wanted one more cup of coffee on the balcony enjoying the sunrise.
We packed up and headed out around 8:15.
Until next time…
We had a pretty easy drive home. Another perk of Lex to IOP is that it’s around a nine hour drive (stops, included). So, we were home by 6, and I was mostly unpacked and settled by 8.
Tomorrow, I plan on sharing what I wore on vacay, and have now added another sweatshirt to my stack! I couldn’t resist this “Charleston” one even though I wish it said “Isle of Palms.”
Like most trips we’ve taken, this is just what we needed. If Trav hadn’t had surgery, this probably would have been a Sunday to Friday trip, but having the weekends on either end of our spring break is my preference, and provides us with a good mix of downtime and productivity. Also, I think I’ve done a good job “managing my expectations” through the years…and now that the kids are older, I kind of let them do whatever their preferences are, but with that, I get my down time with my toes in the sand and an ocean view.
If we had one more day, we would have made it to Charleston. This is the first time we’ve gone to SC and not going to Charleston for shopping or dinner. That’s ok; I know we’ll be back!
Well, of course this Monday “hits different”…as I’m sure I’ve hit snooze a few times. That being said, after today, we only have five Mondays left in the school year!
Our spring break was great, and I will share a little recap later in the week. Now, on to today’s business.
Today, I’m co-hosting with some of my favorite bloggers for our monthly Share Our Lives link up.
Free time? What’s that? haha!! Just kidding. Honestly, as busy as we are in this stage of life, I know it won’t always be like this…and then I will have too much time on my hands.
I like how this topic is broken into two parts…creative outlets and free time.
Creative Outlets:
This blog is quite a creative outlet for me. Planning posts, writing posts, and sharing my thoughts and my life with readers is definitely a creative part of my life.
Another creative outlet for me is coloring…which makes me sound like a five-year-old! I miss the days of coloring with my kids, but a couple of years ago, I started coloring a bit. It just feels so simple and therapeutic. That being said, last fall is when I really took some free time to sit and color. These coloring books and markers from Amazon are my faves.
Cozy Girl is one of two that I have, and there seem to be many to choose from if interested.
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I haven’t colored as much as I had been but in my Callie Danielle planner, I color the pages for each month. I just colored the pages for April yesterday.
I know being creative and generating ideas or designs for spaces or home updates is something some people love…not me! Right now, we’re planning for the bathroom, and I feel paralyzed making decisions in the shower tile section of stores! haha
Once we returned home from South Carolina, our floor tile was installed, so it’s nice to see that progress!
(Poor lighting, but we like it!)
Free Time:
I like to start my day with quiet time as I’ve shared time and time again. Just me, sipping my coffee, scrolling my phone and watching the news before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.
I love reading when I have free time. I’ve really gotten into audio books which has surprised me. One thing about the audio books I’ve been borrowing from the library is that I feel a time crunch to finish them. So, I’ve made sure to only borrow ones when I truly know that I have time during the two week check out to listen to them. I’m almost finished with Let’s Call Her Barbie, and I’m loving it. I had to wait my turn, but it became available right before spring break which was perfect timing.
Another part of my free time is exercising. I was kind of in a funk at the end of 2024, but I started 2025 strong in January. Febrary was so so in the workout department, but I’ve found my groove again in March and April. My current goal is three days a week for workouts and two days for walks, and I’m trying to get 8,000 steps a day. We were in Isle of Palms for three full days, and I walked every morning, and got 8-10,000 steps every day.
I still do the (Beach) Bodi workouts or go to the gym and workout on the elliptical, but with the great weather lately (and me wanting to listen to audio books), I’ve been walking a bit more than I have previously been. I can’t wait to for summer when I hope to get back to reformer Pilates.
Of course, some of my free time is also watching TV whether it’s Southern Charm, Real Housewives, The Rookie, or even shows on Netflix. TV tends to be the last thing on my list when I have downtime, but I like watching it when I have time. I’m making a summer show list when I have more time to watch tv. Give me all your best recommendations!
Well, all good things must come to an end. Today is our last day of spring break. Of course, we have the weekend left, and I need it!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week.
The first favorite is that we’re a week out from Trav’s surgery, and he’s doing great. He’d been having A-fib episodes, so we’re hoping the heart ablation will put those at bay. My friends were a huge help last Friday…from school pick up, track meet drop off, dinner and cookie deliveries, prayers, and texts, we felt the love and support.
Now, on to spring break…
This week, we spent a few days in one of our favorite places…Isle of Palms, SC (and the Charleston area). This vacation was only a “go” if Trav was feeling up to it, and it worked out for us to leave for SC on Monday.
We had friends who’d planned on staying in Charleston, so Hadley rode down with them last Saturday, so she’s had a couple of extra days of fun.
It was pretty blustery when we arrived on Monday afternoon, but by Tuesday, the sun was shining and it was less windy.
I’m sure I will do a more formal recap although with being there three full days, we didn’t do a ton and tried to relax as much as possible.
We’ve been to this area a few times through the years. The last time we were here was 2021, and it’s been great to be back.
Here are a few favorite pics from the week:
Coffee with a view.
Fun with friends:
…and family…
Sunshine & reading:
Favorite Mom Meme:
Turns out kids don’t pick up after themselves on vacation either 🤣
On this trip, the kids each had their own rooms and they definitely settled in like they were at home. Haha
They’ll help get everything picked up and tidy before we leave today.
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
We’ve visited Folly Beach/Isle of Palms/Charleston quite a times through the years. This pic from our first visit with the kids in 2011 will always be a fave. I actually have it in a little frame in the kids’ bathroom.
Our monthly Share Our Lives link up is on Monday. This month’s topic is…creative outlets/free time. We’d love for you to link up with us and/or read our posts.
Well, while it did feel like a long wait for our spring break to arrive, now it’s mid-April with about six weeks of school left! I’m grateful for the weekend to get my suitcase unpacked, do laundry, meal plan and prep for the week ahead.
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