jgalvinwhite

Sentence a Day: September

Posted on October 4, 2021October 3, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday! Today, I’m sharing a recap of this past month. It was the first full month of school, we had lots of activities…and then everything came to a halt.

9.1.21

At the beginning of the month, we celebrated Hadley with the You are Special red plate for making her school’s dance team.

9.2.21

On this day, I swung buy the library to pick up some books, we had breakfast for dinner, Hadley had dance, and Hayden had golf.

9.3.21

After a busy day at school, middle school Hadley wanted to go to my school’s football game to see her friends.

9.4.21

We kicked off Labor Day weekend with Hayden’s cross country meet, followed by Hayden’s golf match and Hadley tailgated with friends.

9.5.21

We had a lazy rainy Sunday with IHOP for brunch and soup for dinner.

9.6.21

On Labor Day, I got caught up around the house, the kids went to the pool for a couple of hours, and we grilled out for dinner.

9.7.21

It was back to school, grocery pick up, and a cross country meet for Hayden.

9.8.21

Hadley was excited for her first middle school dance practice, and then we had no other evening activities! Hallelujah!

9.9.21

On this day, more golf for Hayden, and more dance for Hadley.

9.10.21

After school on Friday, I had my monthly facial followed by…

Hayden’s end of the season baseball party (with special guest UK pitcher Alex Degen)

9.11.21

Wow! The 11th marked twenty years since 9/11, a cross country meet for Hayden, and then family fun at the UK/MU game.

9.12.21

On the 12th, Hayden had his last baseball tournament, and Hadley had her final bridging ceremony as a Girl Scout.

9.13.21

On Monday the 13th, we went to Hadley’s friend’s volleyball game!

9.14.21

The kids had an early morning ortho appointment, Homer got his allergy shot, and Hayden had a cross country meet.

9.15.21

This day was rainy, and we had no evening activities; I decided to get a pedicure after school and chose a fall-ish color for my toes.

9.16.21

This was a busy day from start to finish with school, golf for Hayden, the kids attended their school’s football game, we had leftovers for dinner and then the kids had some homework to do before bed.

9.17.21

This was my favorite kind of Friday when I picked up pumpkins at Kroger and my favorite garden center.

9.18.21

On Saturday, Hayden had a cross country meet, a golf match, and I decorated the front porch and then had dinner with Hadley.

9.19.21

On this Sunday, we went to church, I finished a book, and the Chiefs were on Sunday Night Football.

9.20.21

It was a rainy Monday with lots of driving: errands after school, I picked Hayden up from cross country practice, I took Hadley to dance, and ended the evening just hanging out watching KC Royals on TV.

9.21.21

Another rainy day, and I spent the evening getting my inside fall decorations finished up.

9.22.21

We had more rain, soup for dinner, and my mom came to town.

9.23.21

*This is when life slowed down a bit.

The kids were quarantined due to a Covid exposure, and my new Amazon fall pillows arrived.

9.24.21

I picked up donuts for breakfast, the kids did school from home, and my mom and Gus came to visit.

9.25.21

This was an unexpected lazy day that started with a rainy morning,

a beautiful afternoon with MU football on TV, and UK football on in the evening.

9.26.21

On this day, my mom went home, and the weather was so pretty that I finished up the front porch.

9.27.21

I stayed home with the kids all day, and they continued to do school at home.

9.28.21

I went to school, Hadley was home to check the mail when her new sweatshirt arrived, and I ended up going on an evening walk.

9.29.21

My new mirror arrived!

9.30.21

On Thursday, I went to school, Travis stayed home with the kids, and we had a sweet drop off from friends.

As you can see, the end of the month was kind of a blur and also felt like the movie Ground Hog’s Day all at once. It sort of felt like the wheels fell off the September bus! Thanks for hanging in there with me 🤪 I’m sure October will be better.

Tomorrow, I’m sharing my September Amazon purchases.

See you then,

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#85}

Posted on October 1, 2021September 30, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! Even more importantly….Happy October 1st!

I start getting serious about fall on September 1st. The autumnal equinox is September 22nd, but October 1st is the most official day for me because the weather should start cooling off, and the leaves on the trees will start changing soon.

Well, my first favorite is pretty obvious…

…but I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika to share the rest of my favorites this week.

Homer looking so handsome is a favorite. Although I felt like he was judging me during my workout.

*Funny Homer story: When I make pancakes, I always make a couple of little ones to give him. I made some on Wednesday, and put them on everyone’s plates. Well, I turned around and saw him sitting on the rug in the kitchen just looking at me (kind of like in the photo above). He was waiting patiently for his pupcake! I just know it. Hadley and I were laughing, and I can’t believe I almost forgot to make him one.

Another favorite was a visit from my mom’s dog Gus (and my mom). Gus is a good front porch visitor.

My front porch (and other decorations) continue to be a favorite. They bring a smile to my face when I pull up to our house.

Hadley made me this cute note! #shegetsme

Favorite Moment:

Saturday morning was dreary and I was tired. I needed some quiet in the chaos of life, and I loved my morning view.

Favorite Clothing Item:

Even though my Tigers keep losing, I’m loving my new MIZ sweatshirt from Sweet Momma Blair Etsy shop. I bought Hadley a sweatshirt from them last year as well as my KC Chiefs sweatshirt. You should check out the shop!…especially my Missouri and Kansas friends.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Am I right?!

That being said, I’m still fussing at them no matter how many countdowns I give them!

Favorite Amazon Purchase:

Is Hadley my daughter or what? She’s been a trooper this week, and I know she loves a seasonal sweatshirt as much as I do. This one from Amazon is so cute! We ordered her a women’s small, and she’s loved wearing it with shorts and leggings.

One more fave:

We received a couple of sweet porch drop offs. Our friends know us all too well. Hadley said, “Well, mom, the wine must be for you!” Treats for everyone!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This 2011 flashback is giving me all the feels. My kids used to love these motorcycles, and Hayden looks “bad to the bone” with his paci and bunny! 😂

I remember he was home sick this day which is why he was still in his pjs. We’d gone outside for some fresh air. Such a cutie!

Weekly Recap:

This week, I’ve shared some memes, my fall decorations (AKA my most favorite post of the year), and the one book I read this month along with what the kids have been reading too!

Monday Memes

Fall Decorations

September Books

I hope you have a great weekend! I’m looking forward to some cooler temps this weekend, and I might even make my first batch of chili! #Imsobasic!

{this post contains Amazon affiliate links…}

September: What I’ve Been Reading

Posted on September 30, 2021September 30, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! As this month wraps up, I’m sharing what I read this month.

Well this is probably my saddest post to date. I read one book. One. I thought about saving this book for my October book post, but I like to share as I go. To be honest, I just haven’t had much of a desire to read lately. There’s been too much going on, and I’ve been too tired at night to even think about reading. I find myself choosing an episode of The Golden Girls before bed rather than reading a few pages of a book.

So, without further adieu, here’s the one book that I read:

Yoga Pant Nation:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Summary:

Jen Dixon of Overland Park, Kansas—fearless mother of a fifth-grade boy and two thirty-something daughters—is used to juggling a lot, from her mission to become a spin instructor, to stepping in as the most acerbic class mom ever (again), to taking care of her two-year-old granddaughter. But when the PTA president throws her a mandate to raise $10,000 for the fifth-grade class, even unflappable Jen is going to need more than her regular spin class to get her through this final year at William Taft Elementary School.

In the midst of new complications—organizing the class overnight to Topeka, an unexpected spin class fan in the form of her husband’s crazy ex-wife, and trying to navigate her parents’ sudden descent into apparent delusions—Jen hardly has the patience to listen to yet another half-baked idea (come on, ladies, another wrapping paper sale?) from WeFUKCT (We Fundraise Until Kingdom Come Team), her fundraising committee. But if anyone can get elementary parents to pull off the impossible, it’s Jen Dixon.

With her always irreverent and laugh-out-loud humor—boldly holding forth on those things you’re thinking, but would never dare say out loud—Laurie Gelman shines a light on the indignities and hilarities of modern parenting.

Quick Thoughts:

This is the third book in the Class Mom series. (Book 1: Class Mom, Book 2: You’ve Been Volunteered), and I enjoyed it. The main character is Jen, a sarcastic mom from a suburb of Kansas City. I mean, she could be me. I am her.

Kind of like with most books in a series, the first book is the best and then it kind of tapers off from there. I enjoyed Class Mom so much! I loved it, and have recommended it to friends many times. I’d still recommend You’ve Been Volunteered and Yoga Pant Nation, but book one is definitely my favorite.

In this third book, it’s nice to get an update on all of the characters. Jen, her children, her husband, and even some of her friends. With her son being in the 5th grade, she’s wrapping up her time at the elementary school with the same funny and sarcastic class mom emails that she delivered in the other books. I like that there’s that common thread of the emails in all of the books, and it really shows her personality. By the end of the book, there seemed to be a sense of finality for the characters and the plot.

I wonder if there will be a spin off for her time as a parent of Max when he goes to middle school? 😉

Rating:

I’ve downloaded The Wrong Family to my Kindle, so I’m hoping to get into it soon.

Since I did very little reading this month, I thought I’d take the time to share some books that my kids have read lately. I’ve never done that before, and maybe I have a reader or two with a tween who needs some books ideas!

This summer, the kids chose two books from their school’s reading list. I’ve shared before that Hayden is my big reader, so this wasn’t much of a task for him. Hadley has always preferred shorter reads, graphic novels, and daily devotionals. Hayden loves to read before bed, and I think Hadley prefers something shorter to read because her attention span tends to be, well, short!

Also, new to them, is Accelerated Reader. They now have to read books and earn AR points by the end of each quarter in their Language Arts class. While the summer reading was a choice this year, I didn’t give them a choice. (Funny story: I didn’t tell Hadley it was optional and when they resent the list before school started, she said, “Moooom! It says the reading was optional!” 😂Well, she ended up thanking me because she was able to take two AR tests the first couple weeks of school and have all her points for the first quarter!

Also, the kids have a reading class this semester (math enrichment next semester), and they read The Hunger Games. Hayden loved the book so much, he asked me to check out book two, Catching Fire, for him from the public library.

Here’s what they’ve read lately:

Hayden

Summer Book 1: Fantasy League by Mike Lupica
Summer Book 2: Strong Inside about Perry Wallace.
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
AR book: Lone Stars by Mike Lupica

Hadley:

Summer book 1: The Mother Daughter Book Club: Camp (She’s read other books in this series in 4th and 5th grades)
Summer book 2: Grace, Gold, and Glory by Gabby Douglas
The Hunger Games
AR book: Lila and Hadley by Kody Keplinger

What book suggestions do you have? …for me and for my middle schoolers? I clearly need some great reads to get me motivated again!

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

Holidays, Home Decor

Fall Decorations

Posted on September 28, 2021September 28, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! With September wrapping up and October right around the corner, I’m sharing the fall decorations at my house!

I think this is my favorite post of the year!

October 1st is like my Christmas morning. It’s seriously one of my favorite days of the year because it starts my favorite month! October is full of fun and no stressful holidays. We go to football games, the pumpkin patch, eat apple cider donuts, enjoy the wonderful weather and so much more.

My fall decorating style could best be described as “pumpkin, pumpkins and more pumpkins.” I’m the Oprah of pumpkins! …and if the pumpkins light up, that’s a bonus! 🤣

This year, I only purchased a few new things, but otherwise, this post is probably pretty similar to what I shared last year!

Front Porch:

My front porch is my favorite place to decorate for fall. When we purchased this home in September of 2014, I remember thinking how fun it would be to decorate with pumpkins and mums. I think I add more each year 😉

I’ve had the door hanger for years, and purchased it on Etsy. The doormat is a few years old, and I believe I got it at JC Penney. Lastly, a few pumpkins on our little porch table are so fun. The teal stand was something I picked up at Hobby Lobby last week.

I purchased these fall pillow covers (pack of 4) off Amazon after I realized how torn up my previous fall pillows were after six or seven years on our porch during the fall months.

Ta da! It was a pleasant surprise to tie the black and white checkered rug with the new pillows and W garden flag.

I usually purchase mums from the Mum Man who comes to Trav’s work, but I couldn’t resist the smaller yellow ones in the cute half peck baskets from Trader Joe’s. Then, I purchased larger mums that I put in the planters from the kids’ school. I picked up the shock top at Fresh Market.

As I previously shared, the pumpkins came from Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and my favorite garden center.

I really love how it turned out.

Entryway:

I keep it pretty simple on the hall entryway table. Some pumpkins, some fall faux flowers, and a tea light holder that I’ve had for years.

Living Room:

In the living room, I have one of my favorite light up (plug in) pumpkins. I also add the wooden pumpkin to where I usually have a candle.

I have the same pumpkin pillows that I purchased at Target last year.

I switch out my usual white candle for this orange one, add little pumpkins on our built in and switch out some of the decorative basket items for a few pumpkins. The orange, white, and green pumpkins came in a pack I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

This new round tray from Target is perfect for our coffee table with my favorite light up pumpkin from Michael’s that I got last year. This year, I picked up a fall berry candle wreath to put on the pedestal with a Bath and Body Works candle. This is where I sit most mornings and love the candle and glow of the pumpkin.

Office:

In our office area, I just switch out our usual pillows for the “Morning Pumpkin” pillows that one of my former students made me a few years ago. I also added a silver pumpkin to the table between the chairs.

Kitchen:

In the kitchen, I put this cute pillow on one of our chairs. I also added my pumpkin sign to the holder that usually has a cookbook in it. Lastly, I added a few small pumpkins and gourds to my fruit stand.

This year, I put a candle from Trader Joe’s in the spoon rest on my island tray. I love lighting it while I cook dinner!

This year, I changed up the kitchen table center piece. I purchased this runner from Amazon. Then, I moved in the long tray that usually sits on our coffee table, and kept some of our essentials on it like napkins and the salt and pepper. Then, I added a few more small pedestals from Hobby Lobby and mixed in some more small pumpkins and gourds. I picked up the melamine plates at Target a few years ago.

I’ve had this buffet in this location before, but recently it’s been against another wall. I decided to move it back over to its original spot for the fall season.

I basically set up the buffet exactly like I did last year with the burlap pumpkins on the cake stand, the white light up pumpkin, my favorite little pumpkin plates in the cabinet with a few other festive decorations.

Like in the front room, I switched out my white candles for these burnt orange colored ones. I added the pumpkin garland that I think I picked up last year. This year, I did purchase new leaf garland at Michael’s. I’d been using the same garland for over ten years, and it was just time for something new. Last year, I hammered two nails into the mantle to string the pumpkins. Much to my surprise, the leaf garland was able to hook on to the nails too! Perfect!

Sun room:

I don’t think I did much in the sun room last year besides add some fall items on the tray. This year, I put the pumpkin pillows that I typically use in the basement for the sun room couch and used the other two pillow covers from the Amazon four pack for the chairs.

I added a Bath and Body candle (from last year!) to the tray with a metallic pumpkin that I picked up at Target.

Homer approves!

I think last year was the first year I hung this wreath on the back door, and it’s so pretty.

I snapped this photo on Saturday. The morning was unexpectedly dreary, and I was tired. While sipping my coffee, I looked up and smiled at the view. It’s the little things!

Bedroom:

I only have one touch of fall in our bedroom. Like I mentioned before, I loved the living room pumpkin so much I picked another one up last year for the bedroom. I love falling asleep to the glow of this gorgeous pumpkin.

It may seem like a lot and so much to do, but it’s worth it for me. I’m a home body, and while I love a lit Christmas tree, the coziness of my fall decor is good for my soul. I feel like I can enjoy these decorations for a few months rather than a few weeks! We’ve had some unexpected extra time at home for the past week, and in the chaos of life, it’s been good for me to light a fall scented candle and enjoy the glow of a pumpkin or two!

(Bonus: all the decorations fit into one big tub and one zip up storage bag for the pillows!…that way Travis can’t grumble too much when I need help lugging them up from the basement 😉)

Do you decorate for fall??

I hope your week is off to a great start! Happy fall, (y’all) !

{this post contains Amazon affiliate links…}

Memes

Monday Memes

Posted on September 27, 2021September 26, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Well, since it’s the end of the month, I’m sharing some of the memes that have made me laugh over the past few weeks! I hope they start your week off right!

1.

It does feel like the holiday wheels are in motion once all things pumpkin begin!

2.

#awkward I often feel like I should have said more or said too much when meeting someone new…

3.

#teamILoveNaps

4.

6th grade pre-Algebra, y’all! 😩

5.

Besides my own passwords, now the kids have some that I need to know. Also, I feel like my school computer always forces me to change my password at the most inconvenient time!

6.

I used to be so good at parallel parking in college. Nothing makes you fit your car in the tightest space possible like being five minutes late to class. I can still parallel park, but don’t feel as accomplished with this task as I used to!

7.

Am I right?!

I’ve also heard people mention having “trust issues” thanks to trainers telling them it’s the last round or “one more minute” only to add in a bonus exercise. 🤣

8.

I live for coffee. I could give up any beverage but not coffee. I love nothing more than starting my day with a couple cups. It’s the little things in life!

I hope you have a great week. I can’t believe it’s almost October. That’s my favorite month of the year!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#84}

Posted on September 24, 2021September 23, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday! I’m so glad that it’s Friday. This week turned out to be more than I expected it to be, so I’m jumping right in to this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here’s a peek at some favorites from the week.

Favorite Pic:

Well, even though the Chiefs lost in a heart breaker Sunday night, my favorite pic from the week is still sweet Homer in his Chiefs scarf!

Favorite Moment:

My favorite moment from the week has to do with all things fall. I finally got a few touches of fall throughout the house, and I’m pleased with how everything turned out.

One of my favorite decorations is still my light up pumpkin that I got at Michael’s last year. I loved it so much that I purchased a second one for our bedroom last year too. This year, I picked up the small autumn berry wreath to add to my pedestal with fall candle.

I tried something different with the kitchen table this year with a new runner, some new cute pedestals from Hobby Lobby and pumpkins from Trader Joe’s.

My front porch is coming right along.

This year, I picked up mums from Trader Joe’s because I couldn’t resist the great price, and they were in cute baskets!

I also ordered the big mums in the planters from the kids’ school, and they arrived this week as well. Lastly, my front porch pillows that I ordered off Etsy seven years ago, needed to be tossed. I ordered this four pack of pillow covers from Amazon and used two for the porch and two for my sun room chairs.

Favorite Kid Quote:

My kids got in trouble earlier this week for not meeting my bedtime curfew for them. After a couple of days of no Xbox, Hayden said, “Mom, the punishment doesn’t really fit the crime.” I laughed and asked where he heard that saying. He said his social studies teacher says that sometimes! Good to know he’s listening at school.

Favorite Clothing Item:

Did you seem my Walmart post this week? So many favorite clothing items that I’m wearing on repeat, especially the crew neck sweatshirts!

Favorite Food:

With the cooler temps this week, I made two of our favorite meals for dinner: Pizza Pork Chops and Shay’s Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Favorite Trader Joe’s Find:

Lauren shared about her Trader Joe’s candles. In all my years going into Trader Joe’s, I’ve never known they had candles. When I went there last week for some of their mini pumpkins and gourds, I asked one of the employees if they had any candles…and she pointed me in the right direction. The Honeycrisp Apple was the only one they had in stock; I picked up two! Y’all, it smells so good!

Favorite Fall Quotes:

I love these quotes:

Just my favorite ways to think about fall!

Favorite Mom Meme:

My Gma sent me this, and I laughed…and can relate!

And this…I feel this one deeply.

Another Fave:

After three rainy days, yesterday was beautiful, and I was able to get out for a walk. I needed the fresh air.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

How about this memory from 2011? They look so alike in this pic….I’m either bribing them with a snack, or they might be looking at me like I’m a moron. #itstartedyoung

Weekly Recap:

I had three posts this week! I recapped the weekend, shared our Fall Fun List, as well as What I’ve been Wearing (all from Walmart).

Weekend Top 5

Fall Fun List

What I Wore Wednesday

What are your plans for the weekend? We have a cross country meet on tap and not much else. Remember when I said that last weekend, but ended up super busy? I think this week I actually do mean that we don’t have as much going on…and I’m here for it.

Thanks so much for reading,

{this post contains Amazon affiliate links…}

Clothes

What I Wore Wednesday (Walmart Edition)

Posted on September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How’s your week going? We are chugging right along. The temps have cooled off and it’s been pretty rainy, so I’ve been able to wear some of my new favorite Walmart finds.

I’ve never done a What I Wore post, but I realized that I have some recent purchases…all from Walmart over the past couple of months…so I’m sharing those today.

What I Wore Wednesday from Walmart

I think it was about a year ago that I realized Walmart has really stepped up their game. They have so many cute options at (obviously) affordable prices.

I’ve already shared this sleeveless v-neck dress that I purchased for only $9! I’ve paired it with one of my favorite light weight cardigans and sneakers as well as without the cardigan and sandals.

I had a Walmart return, and saw this crewneck that was hard to resist! I love the autumn gold color. It’s perfect for fall, and a great MIZZOU color 😉

I wore it to school one day last week with a tank underneath, my favorite white denim jeans, and my favorite Amazon sandals.

I loved it so much that I also bought it in the leopard print too. The under $12 price tag is hard to resist, and the top comes in over ten colors!

I paired it with some new jeans that Ashley shared recently. I wear sandals as long as possible, and wore my favorite rose gold Amazon Birk dupes.

Honestly, I’m not sure the last time I bought a pair of jeans that weren’t skinny jeans. I thought the distressing on these were fun and liked the cut hem. I guess flares are kind of back in style!?

Lastly, I was in need of a new in between seasons jacket…one that isn’t too heavy or too light. I saw this one, and loved the quilted pattern and hood! It arrived and is perfect for the cooler temps. I like that I can wear it to school or after a work out! (Mine is soft silver, but it comes in a variety of colors!)

(please excuse my spotty mirror!)

Honestly, I’ve been really impressed with Walmart lately. They are bringing their “A” game! I mostly order online because that’s easier for me, but they seem to have lots of items in stock in the stores as well!

Thanks for reading my first WIW (Walmart) post!

I’m taking some time to get caught up with life, but I hope to share Friday Favorites on Friday.

Take care,

{this post contains Amazon affiliate links…}

Everyday Life, Holidays

Tuesday Talk

Posted on September 21, 2021September 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Well, yesterday was a soggy day with cooler temps, and it actually felt like fall! That kind of weather is perfect for my post today! Since it’s the third Tuesday of the month, I’m linking up with Ashley and Erika for this month’s Tuesday Talk.

This is me…

Fall is my favorite time of the year! From the cooler temps to the leaves on the trees changing to it getting dark earlier (I know, I’m weird!) to sweater weather and more, I just love fall.

I follows @ashton.creates on Instagram, and I’ve shared some of her graphics in previous posts. The fall bucket list stopped me in my tracks. So many fun things in one spot!

Today, I’m sharing my family’s Fall Fun List. Now to be clear, I made the list…They will have to go along for the fun!

UK football games and tailgating: We are already off to a good start on this one. We went to the MU/UK game a couple of weeks ago, and we’ll go to other games as we can. Travis and Hayden usually go to most of the UK football games….Hadley likes the tailgating part!
Pumpkin Patch: That’s one of my favorite traditions, and I’m sure we will find a Saturday to go in October. The kids always pick out their pumpkins to carve and we snag a pack (or two!) of the apple cider donuts.
Halloween and pumpkin carving: The kids are getting older, but they still have a couple years left of trick-or-treating. I’m not sure what they will be this year, but Hadley mentioned being and angel and devil with a friend or be a cow girl. Hayden will probably throw on a sports uniform and call it a day. We always carve pumpkins and sometimes do so with our neighbors. Again, my kids are getting older (#sigh), but the carving tradition will carry on somehow.
Fire pit/s’mores: The kids had this on their summer list, but we never got to it. An autumn fire pit sounds like a better idea to me anyway.
Visit Ginkgo tree lane: Last year, since we were still doing virtual school, we took a recess break to walk down a road here in Lexington that looks like the yellow brick road once the leaves fall. I hope to by there again this year.
Bake pumpkin desserts: Pumpkin pie, pumpkin snickerdoodles, pumpkin muffins and more! Can’t wait.
Hike: Honestly, our weekends are so busy and I’m not yet sure of our fall break plans (if any), but I love a hike on a cool autumn day when the leaves are changing colors. I guess time will tell if we get this one done or not.
Make chili: My kids (especially Hadley) could eat chili every day! It’s one of my favorite things to make because it’s such a great comfort food and the leftovers are even better.

There are other things we like to do like check out the carved pumpkins at Transy, see the horses race at Keeneland, go to Oktoberfest and more! Hopefully, we can make most of these things happen.

Before I go, here are some of my favorite fall photos:

What are some things you like to do in the fall?

See you back here tomorrow!

Weekend Top 5

Posted on September 20, 2021September 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? Ours was a good one. I swear I always underestimate how much we have going on. If you talked to me on Friday, I would have said, “On Saturday, we only have a cross country meet and then not much on Sunday.” Well, I didn’t sit down all of Saturday. It was a just a “go, go, go” kind of day, and then Sunday I was really productive around the house and getting things in order for the week.

I’m not sure when I will catch a break, but I feel like I need one. Here’s a recap of our weekend with The Weekend Top 5.

When I say a highlight of my weekend was getting pumpkins, you’ll see how crazy I am this time of the year. I forgot my lunch Friday, so I stopped in Kroger to pick up a salad. As I walked into the grocery store, I saw they had the stackable “fantasy” pumpkins that I buy every year from my favorite garden center. These were really reasonably priced, so I went ahead and picked up a few.

I had always planned to go to my favorite spot after school, and still went there to pick up a couple of smaller pumpkins. The kids joined me since I had picked them up from school. Last year, there was apparently a pumpkin shortage, so my favorite place was pretty sparse. They were back in action this year!

I was happy to see that they had quite the variety of fantasy pumpkins, gourds, mini pumpkins, squash and more!

Then after I got everything put out on the porch Saturday afternoon, I went to Trader Joe’s for a few things for lunches and then bought a few extra mini pumpkins and mums at Trader Joe’s. I usually get mums from Trav’s work, but couldn’t pass up the mums in the cute baskets.

It’s sort of embarrassing how pumpkin obsessed I am but a mid-September Saturday is my black Friday 🤣 I’m not 100% finished with my front porch, but how about this cute moment on my front porch table?! I found this little stand and Hobby Lobby. It’s perfect for holding a cute little white pumpkin for the next couple of months!

Another highlight from the weekend was Hayden’s cross country meet. One of the kids’ friends came to cheer him on.

I won’t sugarcoat it…it was a difficult course on a hot day. He put forth his best effort. He was a little down after the race, but everyone ran a little slower and and rose to the challenge.

Hopefully, the temps will finally cool off and these runners can catch a break this week.

After the race, Hayden went and played in a golf match…and loved every second of that.

Hayden picked up dinner with a friend after golf, and Travis worked all day and wanted to stay in on Saturday night and have leftovers. Honestly, I wanted to as well, but Hadley wanted to go out on the town. She and I grabbed a quick dinner at one of our local spots. She caught me up on all the details of middle school, and then we all hung out the rest of the night with a decent bedtime. I swear that dinner on Saturday night was the first time I sat down!

I was up pretty early on Sunday morning, and decided to light my fall candle and finish my book. I didn’t get very far with my indoor fall decor, but the candle had me in the fall spirit!

I finished Yoga Pant Nation which was the third book in the Class Mom series. I still think the first book was my fave, but this one was great too and provided a lot of laughs.

A couple more Sunday highlights included church and Sunday Night football.

Per tradition, Homer let me dress him in the appropriate Chiefs attire. He’s become such a good boy! (besides the fact he’s not supposed to be up on that couch!)

He could be the official mascout of the Chiefs…Homer (AKA: MaHomer!)

For fun, here he is in September 2019 and September 2020.

I finished this before knowing the outcome of the game! I hope the Chiefs didn’t disappoint me. (*update: just woke up to the score 😩…thankfully, Homer still looks cute in his scarf)

So, there’s a peek at our weekend. I hope you have a great week. The temps are finally going to cool off a bit, and I’m here for it! See you back here tomorrow for Tuesday Talk.

Linking up with Heather and others…

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#83}

Posted on September 17, 2021September 16, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hey, hey, it’s Friday! We made it to the weekend. How was your week? We had a good one. This is the time of the year where Travis is very busy with work, so I’ve been extra busy taking the kids here, there and everywhere. It was a pretty normal week, but the kids also had an orthodontist appointment and Homer needed an allergy shot, so I felt like I was just driving from place to place!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Favorite Moment:

Hayden’s baseball team celebrated their season last Friday night. Even though we have a couple of tournaments left, they wanted to take advantage of the nice weather, and one of the coaches has a pool in his backyard! The boys ran around and then ate before meeting a pitcher on UK’s baseball team. Alex Degan is also the FCA representative for the the baseball team. He spoke to the kids about his sports career as well as his faith journey. Then, the coaches handed out trophies and awards before they had dessert and an evening swim!

Hayden’s team has been playing with the acronym SAFE in mind. Sportsmanship, Attitude, Fun, and Effort. We are so proud of Hayden because his coaches voted for him to receive the sportsmanship award. Hayden has had so much fun with this team, and any of them could have received that award. What a blessing that Hayden’s coaches saw that attribute in him and celebrated it.

We had a great night hanging out with the team and their families!

Favorite Pic:

I shared in yesterday’s post about Hadley’s troop wrapping up their Girl Scout careers on Sunday. It’s so sweet to see them all together. We all feel like these years have gone by in a blink. The girls deserved to be celebrated, and we had lots of fun doing so while reminiscing about all that they’ve accomplished through the years.

Favorite Food:

I made a quick trip to Trader Joe’s for a few things, and two of my fall favorites were in stock: pumpkin bagels and pumpkin cream cheese. Hadley loves the combo too.

Favorite Kid Quote:

We went to the UK/MU football game on Saturday. Dang it. My beloved Tigers were down early. After I said, “Ugh” Hadley said, “Well, be glad you’re sitting by me… I don’t understand football at all!” 😂 My Tigers made a comeback to tie it up late, but fell to the CATS in the end. I was happy that at least it was a close game!

Favorite Activity:

The UK/MU game was a favorite activity this week. After not being able to attend any games last year, we felt like we hadn’t been to Kroger Field in forever. We’ve been tail gaiting with the same friends, in the same spot for years. Some friends we see often anyway, but others we only see at the games.

I was outnumbered in my MIZZOU shirt…surrounded by CATS fans.

The kids had lots of fun before the game at the CAT walk. Later, Hayden and friends ran into a couple of basketball players, and Hadley took their pic!

Hayden was a crazy CATS fan in the game, and Hadley met up with her friend after the first quarter.

It was a beautiful night for some football. If only my Tigers could have won…

Favorite Mom Meme:

Two words: middle. school. 😅

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

On Wednesday, Travis and I celebrated twenty years of being together. We went on our first day on September 15, 2001. We went for a run on the MKT Trail in Columbia, Missouri followed by dinner at Bambinos.