I love Sundays, but even more so with no school on Monday. I’m stopping by for a quick Sunday Bloganuary post.
I saw this graphic on social media, and I always like thinking about what I would keep when I see these different graphics…(I think this one was tied to Seint makeup since one of them is the 3D foundation)…
There are a lot of great ideas on here, but for me, I think I’d keep:
Books: You know I love to read!
Coffee: The best way to start my day.
Free Shipping: I appreciate Amazon Prime and all that can be on my door step in a day or two.
I’m a girl who has always loved her birthday. I think that’s why I’ve always tried to make my kids feel special on their birthday. That being said, I don’t need a lot of attention…it’s just that it’s nice feeling appreciated and celebrated.
I always say that for my birthday all I need is a card and a cookie cake. Truly, I have everything I need, so these two things are literally the icing on the cake.
Knowing that my birthday was on a Wednesday and Trav had a meeting to go to and then later the CATS were playing, I was fine with going out out to dinner on the weekend and then having a low-key night at home on my birthday.
Sunday, we went to Jeff Ruby’s and had a nice dinner.
Wednesday morning when I got to school, I had a lovely present on my desk. Leaning into my love of the icon glasses, how great is this candle?
I received a couple of other cards throughout the day…
…and two of my friends got me this sweatshirt. Y’all, I swear I don’t drink Diet Coke that often, but apparently it’s my identity. haha!
When I got home, my mailbox was full of lovely cards from my mom, Gma, and aunt. They made these, and I always love receiving them.
My dad always tries to find a Snoopy card, and this one plays music.
Trav’s mom also sent me a card, and when my brother and his family came over, my niece gave me a homemade card. She’s very into making cards and notes lately.
My friend stopped by before dinner to drop off a gift from her and a couple of friends…these are the softest PJs, and I’ve worn them every night since receiving them.
Wednesday night, Trav and the kids gave me their card. The bubble letters game remains strong!
They also gave me a Frost Buddy for fountain/iced drinks and a “warmie” sweatshirt that’s fleece lined. I wasn’t expecting either of these things, so they were a birthday bonus!
My brother and his family came over, and they gave me these cute heart icon glasses. I have so many fun glasses to drink beverages out of now!
Then, it was cookie cake time!
It was a great birthday, and I felt the love! (Thanks for the birthday wishes on the blog too…I appreciate it!)
Shew! We’ve almost made it to the weekend. We had a good week, but I felt so tired all week…and a little run down. The cold weather is back, and it certainly feels like winter.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are my favorites from the week:
I’ve seen others share these Drizzilicious rice cakes, but I think they are mostly at Sam’s/Costco? Anyway, when I was at TJ Maxx last week, I saw them in the snack aisle, so I bought a box. They’ve been a great “sweet treat” to pack with my lunch this week.
Amy shared about this hydration brand, and I spotted a little three pack at Target last weekend. She suggested mixing with Fresca. I had the watermelon flavor this week, and it was so good…very refreshing.
Wednesday was my birthday, and we went out to dinner on Sunday night. Jeff Ruby’s “spoiled” me again with my name on the menu.
Trav and Hayden split a steak, Hadley ordered the salmon, and I got sushi.
Why do my babies look so grown up?!
When it’s your birthday (or any other celebration), you get dessert and a photo. Besides the cupcake, we ordered cheesecake and creme brulee.
I’ve been trying to “refresh” a few spaces, and I saw these candle sticks (tall and short) at Target that I couldn’t pass up. I thought they were just my style and a fun mix and match. I also updated a couple of frames in the house including the one on the kitchen buffet that I found at TJ Maxx.
I feel like we’re back to being all over the place as far as schedules are concerned and with the kids being able to drive themselves, we’re not all together after school very often. We all went home at the same time on Monday which was nice.
Wednesday evening, we celebrated my birthday and I opened a few gifts, and then my brother and his family came over for cookie cake.
It was a nice evening, and we had the UK basketball game on one TV and the Mizzou game on the other. Both teams came out on the winning side.
Favorite Mom Meme:
This meme definitely fits one of my kids more than the other…but it rings true.
Today, I’m starting a new series since I look back on this blog as a kind of scrapbook/snapshot of my family’s lives and activities.
I didn’t start blogging until 2019, so there are many years that aren’t captured fully. This year, I think I’m going to try and write Throwback Thursday posts focusing on an entire year…
…starting with January 2010. Honestly, I guess these posts will focus mostly on the kids, but I think it will be nice to have some sweet memories in one place.
The kids were born in November 2009, and so much of those first couple of months is a blur. ha!
The kids were born a few weeks early, and Hadley was in the NICU for a couple of weeks. That, coupled with the fact that they were born in late fall/ early winter and we didn’t want to risk them getting sick, I stayed home for almost 18 weeks with them.
Honestly, being a stay at home mom to twin babies was hard…with a capital H. More than once, I told Travis I was going back to to school the next day! That being said, I’m glad we stuck it out, and things did get a bit easier/more predictable once they slept through the night (at around 10 weeks, I think), and we got Hadley’s acid reflux and Colic under control.
Here’s a look back on a few favorite pictures during that time. (I took way less pics back then!)
These outfits were a fave and had the little animals on the bottom. Precious.
I know in the pic above that both kids look serious, but Hadley looked serious for the first year of her life. Now, she is the easiest going kid, but man oh man was she a tough baby. Like I said above, she had acid reflux and Colic which had her in a tizzy most of the time. We’d hold her and massage between her little eyebrows trying to get her to relax. Hayden was so chill, and I was grateful that I had at least one easy baby.
The babies spent a lot of time in their Boppy’s! I would often prop them on the couch and hold bottles for them at the same time.
I remember buying these little monogrammed onsies off Etsy, and they were a fave. I think I still have them somewhere.
Believe it or not, I actually remember the day I took this pic. My mom was coming to visit, and the weather was bad. Trav had to drive to Cincinnati to get her, and I got the kids dressed, so they’d be ready to see GG.
They spent lots of time on the play mat. Hadley hated, hated, hated being on her back.
We had lots of time to hang out for photo shoots. Notice that Hadley is on her stomach…truly the only way she was happy for months on end.
Trav’s brother took these pics, and I love that they are in black and white. Again, we had lofty goals for a little photo shoot, but Hadley fussed and fussed, so we could only really take any when they were on their stomachs and eventually sleeping.
Hadley on the right with her paci (AKA our life saver)
It really was a difficult phase, but it was a sweet one as well.
It’s already the second Wednesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for the first Let’s Look of 2026.
The first topic of the year is …things we outsource without regret.
Groceries:
I immediately thought about how helpful it is that I do grocery pick up and delivery.
The number one thing I outsource is groceries. I’ve done grocery pick up for probably twelve years now, and I can’t even remember what it’s like to be at the store for hours. Of course, it still takes me time to meal plan, make a list, and order, but it’s so nice pulling up and having my order placed in my car. Trav or myself still end up going to Kroger at some point in the week for a few things, so oftentimes, that’s when I pick up produce that I’m picky about or anything we’ve forgotten. I find that now I enjoy shopping a bit more when I do have to go into the store. I also enjoy shopping other stores like Trader Joe’s and Aldi because I don’t really have a list or a plan when I go there.
Also, I’m now going on my second year subscription of Kroger delivery, and it’s been so helpful. I typically use it two to three times a month if I need to have a few things to start the week or make Sunday dinner. Other times, I schedule a mid-week delivery to get us to the weekend.
House cleaning:
Another thing we outsource is having the house cleaned. We have someone clean the house every other week which is such a treat. While it does take some effort to pick up to prep the house to be cleaned, there’s no better feeling than coming home to a clean house.
Yard work:
We used to have someone mow the grass, but now we have Hayden. haha!
Homer:
Trav (& sometimes the rest of us) walk him, but if he needs a bath and a trim, we take him to a groomer.
Teens:
I’m currently outsourcing my teen drivers to run a few errands for me, including Kroger and Target pick ups. Hadley is really good at this, and Hayden has been helpful going to pick up food we’ve ordered for lunch or dinner.
School work…mostly math:
Speaking of teens, we’re thankful to have a few hands on deck to help with math if/when needed. It’s the one subject I literally haven’t been able to help the kids with since 4th grade…& Trav knows when to step away too. Haha
Christmas cards:
One thing I don’t outsource but think of doing every year is when I order Christmas cards, it would be nice if they could be addressed and sent straight from the source. It just seems like an added expense that I don’t feel like paying in the already expensive month of December. If you have any tips/tricks for cutting down on the time it takes to address envelopes, please let me know!
Well, today is my birthday, and I’m off to school to spend it with a hundred teens! haha
Hello and happy Tuesday! Yesterday was fine, but it felt like the longest day…like how is today only Tuesday?!
Today’s Tuesday Talk is a bit random, but I’m sharing about my new fave obsession: icon glasses…and a little tip that Amy shared with me.
I first saw icon glasses in the fall when, I believe, it was Anthropology had a few with ghosts and pumpkins. Then, they started popping up everywhere, but seemed like some were more expensive or hard to find.
Flash forward to Christmastime, and I was at Target, and saw a few cute ones, and I bought the Christmas tree and gingerbread man. Not too long after that, I was”kicking myself” for not getting at least one more because they were then sold out.
Amy shared that she saw some at World Market, so I went there and got the holly and candy cane glasses.
They’ve been fun to use to drink my iced coffee, but I’ve also used them for other beverages too.
Here’s my current line up :
Christmas themed…
Valentine’s themed…(one from Target and one from World Market)…
…and this cute flower one that I got at World Market to use in the spring.
These glasses have now become my entire personality! haha
Remember in the 80’s when McDonald’s had drinking glasses you could collect?…I feel like this is my version of that.
You know I’ll continue to check back and maybe add one more for summertime and then I definitely want to round out my collection and get a couple of cute ones for the fall.
Amy also shared, via an Instagram reel, that Yeti lids fit on icon glasses. Say what?!
It’s true!
Now, disclaimer ….I’m finding that some of the glasses are bigger/wider which means the lid doesn’t fit snugly. The lids I got don’t seem to work on my holly, gingerbread or tree glasses…but they fit perfectly on the others? Anyway, I still think it’s fun because I can take the icon glasses on the go if I want.
How was your weekend? Overall, ours was good. I tried to savor a little downtime because the next couple of weekends will be busy.
Did you catch my posts on Saturday and Sunday? It’s been nice having a little more time to blog lately.
Anyway, it’s already the second Monday of the month, and I’m co-hosting the Share Our Lives link up with some of my favorite bloggers.
We’re kicking off 2026 with the topic…ways to stay warm in the winter.
Well, I’m going to focus on staying warm inside because if it’s too cold, I don’t plan on being outside. haha
Here are a few things that came to mind:
I have been an iced coffee girl lately, but I do still love a warm cup of coffee to start my day.
We don’t turn on the fireplace very often, but we will when it’s really cold outside. I know lighting a candle won’t keep me warm, but it can make us feel cozy…which is warm adjacent in my opinion.
I love a soft blanket to keep me warm. These blankets were one of my Christmas gifts, and they’ve been a great replacement for the ones we had in the living room. Bonus- Hadley received a towel warmer as one of her gifts, and we can use it for blankets too!
I would say wearing a robe can help keep you warm, but I only wear a robe after a shower/before I’m getting ready. That being said, I love flannel pjs in the winter! My faves the past couple of years are Walmart’s Joyspun brand.
You’ll catch me in a sweatshirt or fuzzy, Sherpa pullover as often as possible!
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I’ve very particular about socks and don’t like wearing them unless I have shoes on. I hate for my feet to be hot and only wear ankle or no show socks. It has to be really cold for me to put socks on at bedtime, but I do have some cute fuzzy socks to keep me warm if needed. I prefer the kind that are no-slip #thisisover40haha
My fave slippers that I’ve had for years aren’t available anymore, but these seem similar in style and Memory Foam detail.
How do you stay warm in the winter? Our temps were warm the past couple of weeks, but we got a little bit of snow yesterday. I think we’re in for a colder week ahead.
Next month, we’re talking about binge worthy shows!
Pinterest is kind of like Target to me. When I go to Target, Target tells me what I need to buy. Sometimes, when I get on Pinterest, ideas pop up for things to write. haha!
We’re not quite to the halfway point of January, so I think it’s not too late to share some January bucket list ideas.
I saw this list, and realized that I’ve already done a few of these…
Make a homemade soup, make a batch of chili: I love soup and chili season. We have soup at least once a week November-March.
Try a new hobby: I finished cross-stitching a few ornaments, and I still have one to go…and a couple other little projects too. This is a fun hobby that I’ve picked up again.
Set goals: My main goal for January is to stay consistent with working out…and be mindful of what I’m eating. Starting this week, I’m going to go back to tracking in My Fitness Pal.
Try a new type of workout: I went to Solid Core for the first time after Christmas, and I went to another class yesterday. I felt less like a fish out of water yesterday!
Create a 30 day workout calendar: I haven’t really done this, but I am planning my workouts out every week and will continue with the Bodi program I’ve been doing.
Work on a home improvement project: We aren’t doing anything major right now, but I have “refreshed” a few things…new pillow covers, new picture frames, etc.
Declutter your closet: Well, my closet isn’t in horrible shape, but I should go through it. That being said, I went into the new year having purged almost every other part of the house (kitchen cabinets, island, office cabinet, etc)
Make a reading list: I always have a reading list going. After reading “lighter” holiday reads in December, it’s been nice to read a few “meatier” books to start the new year.
After Christmas shopping sale: I did hit up a few after Christmas sales. I picked up a cute Christmas pillow for 60% off at World Market.
Watch a winter movie: I was able to watch a few favorites over break.
Read a productivity/self-improvement book: I picked up a book at a bookstore on fall break, and I hope to start reading it soon.
Get cozy socks/slippers: We’ve had warm temps, but it will be colder this week…which means I will get out my cozy socks.
Organize a bookshelf: We have lots of shelves in our basement, and I put my books down there. On a whim, I decided to organize them by color, and I love it.
With still a couple weeks left in January, I hope to cross a few more of these off my list.
When I shared that I’m trying to blog every day in January, Joanne suggested Marsha‘s 10 on the 10th link up…I’ve never participated, so I’m excited to do so today.
This month’s prompt is…
When I first saw this prompt, I thought it would be difficult to do…and it kind of was hard to come up with ideas. I guess this is the opposite of a resolution! haha I gave it my best shot…
Here are 10 things I won’t be doing in 2026:
Eat more fiber: For years, I’ve tracked my protein off and on as I know that’s important for weight loss, but now I’m hearing more and more about fiber. I know fiber has its benefits, but I don’t know if I can track one more thing. That being said, one of my “go to” ideas for lunch on low carb days are “Carb Balance” tortillas…and it’s always surprising to me to see that they have 17 grams of fiber!
Read books that are longer than 300 (or so) pages (or listen to super long audio books): When I’m reading on my Kindle, I guess I don’t really know how long a book is until I download it, but 300-350 pages is what holds my attention span. (Even better if it’s a shorter book) I’ve also noticed when checking out audiobooks on Libby, I like to see that a book is nine or less hours in listening length. I often listen to a book on 1.5 or 1.75 speed, but if a book is longer than nine hours, I don’t know if I will have time to finish it in the two week window that I get to check it out.
Quit scrolling before bed: I know that it’s bad for our brains to scroll phones or read a Kindle, but I do both of those things and I rarely have trouble falling asleep. At this point, those moments tend to be some of the only ones I have for mindless activities.
Walking 10,000 steps: Listen, I’m not mad at that idea and there are days I get 10,000 steps, but a more realistic goal for me is 7,500 steps in a day. Most days I leave school with 5,000 steps, so evening activities and workouts typically get me to 7,500. That being said, since the workout program I typically do is 25 minutes, I usually try to walk outside or on my walking pad for 15 minutes after the workout. At that point, I’ve definitely gotten to my 7,500 goal (or more!), but attempting to get 10,000 steps in every day would make me feel like a failure.
Give up on the Chiefs and the Royals: Us Chiefs fans are in uncharted water this season without the Chiefs in the playoffs. I hate that Mahomes is injured and Kelce might retire, but I have to hope that next year will be better. When you are also a KC Royals fan, you also always hope the next year will be better.
Clean up my Gmail: Why do I have so many unread emails and very little storage? I can’t keep up! It’s very unlike my type A personality to have over 200 unread emails on my phone (my personal email…not my school email), and even Trav will do a double-take and make a comment about my out of control inbox. A few years ago, “something had to give,” and apparently it was my Gmail inbox!
Watch Stranger Things:I have nothing against this show, and I know it’s been on for years, but I feel like it’s all I’m hearing about and I just don’t have interest in watching it…which leads me to…
Learning Mahjong: This is also all the rage, and I just don’t think it’s something I’m interested in. Mostly, I think I feel this way because it seems like there are a lot of rules. haha! I will never say never about Mahj, but as of right now, it’s a no for me.
Wear long or chunky socks: I have some fuzzy, cozy fleece socks, but I can’t do the athletic or chunky socks over leggings. I’m a below ankle sock girl through and through.
Drink energy drinks: I’ve always been a “no energy drink” girl especially when “energy drink” meant Monster. haha! Now, there are so many options with many cute cans to tempt you…Alani, Bloom, Celsius, etc. Occasionally, I will have an afternoon coffee and I love a Diet Coke, but I don’t even drink those very often.
Shew! We made it to the weekend. As much as I dragged my feet going back to school, it’s been good to get back into a routine…and it’s been nice seeing my students again.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Today, I’m sharing a few favorite Christmas gifts I received.
First and foremost, I don’t need anything, but of course I appreciate all that I received. I give some ideas, but I also have some very thoughtful family members 🙂
I had seen this “I love Diet Coke” sweatshirt at Old Navy, and never purchased it. So, I suggested it to my mom and Gma as an idea, and my Gma got it for me. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it, so once I opened that gift, I immediately put it on. I’ve worn it to school, and so many students commented on how much they like it. Compliments from teens? Can you believe it?
My Gma also gave me some Betty White stamps. I loved using them to send out our Christmas cards this year.
I try to be practical with gift requests sometimes too…I knew we needed a couple new blankets for the living room, so I suggested these Sherpa ones as an idea. My mom got me two, one for each ottoman, and oh my…they are better than I expected.
I’ve never felt one of the popular Lola blankets, and I’m guessing those blankets are heavier, but these are oh so soft and seem like they’d be similar to that brand. Hadley has already claimed one as hers….which is now a constant battle! haha
I give these a 10/10 rating!
My mom is really good about finding perfect random gifts (and I don’t mean “random” in a bad way…I mean it in a thoughtful way)…anyway, she got me some pencils with my name on them! Also, they are “left handed” pencils…meaning when you hold them, the name faces that direction.
These are perfect for school, and I won’t be sharing them with my students. haha
I also got some of my favorite eye gels from her too. I’ve already used up this whole pack since Christmas.
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I suggested this fleece when my mother-in-law needed gift ideas, and I have zero regrets. I’ve already worn it quite a few times. It’s the perfect thing to just throw on with leggings, but I’ve also worn it with jeans too.
My niece made some of the girls in the family a few things…like this pretty key chain…
…and this bookmark. I love both so much.
Trav has always been a good gift giver, but having a teen girl really has worked out to my benefit in the gift receiving department.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m loving my new tennis shoes…
Trav and Hadley spent some time in Sephora choosing a few perfumes they thought I’d like. So far, I’ve loved all three.
Hadley went to one of my favorite boutiques and picked out these pretty gold hoop earrings for me. I wear these stud earrings nearly every day, but I’d suggested a pair of hoops because sometimes I do change things up, especially if I’m dressing up a bit.
Truly, I felt the love this holiday season.
Mom Meme:
Tuesday was tough for the kids, but we made it!
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Bonus Fave: Go Tigers!
I’m not very popular in my house this week. My MIZZOU Tigers came to Lexington to play the CATS…and they won! Trav and Hayden went to the game, and they came home kind of grumpy! I was invited too, but I had a hair appointment that had me getting home right at game time. Honestly, I don’t love a hostile environment anyway…haha!
I’m proud to be a Tiger!
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Weekly Recap:
I’ve kept up my (self-induced) Bloganuary challenge of blogging every day in January.
We have our first Share Our Lives link up of 2026 on Monday!
Our topic is – Ways to Stay Warm in the Winter. Well, we’ve had temps in the 60’s the past ten days, so it’s been pretty easy to stay warm! Anyway, I’m looking forward to the link up, and we hope you’ll join us.
I’m ready to have a great Friday at school and then have some down time this weekend. After this weekend, I feel like we get pretty busy with kids’ activities.
I hope to continue blogging this weekend, so see you back here then!
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