Author: jgalvinwhite

Posted in Blog challenge

Bloganuary 1.6.24 -Gifts

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Saturday!

I hope your weekend is off to a great start.

One of the Bloganuary topics this week was:

I wrote this Let’s Look post a couple of years ago about Love Languages.

“Acts of service” continues to be the best gift I can receive…especially from my immediate household. haha

I still really appreciate help picking up, doing the laundry, unloading the dishwasher, etc.

Taking things off my plate is definitely the best gift I could receive.

As far as other gifts…

To be clear, I have everything I need. I don’t need material things. Of course, I appreciate the gesture and thoughtfulness of receiving a gift, but I tend to buy what I need.

That being said, I love cards. I’ve always appreciated a card, a written note, a sticky note saying “Have a great day” and more.

Travis is known for his “bubble letters” which I love.

I don’t get flowers very often, but I do love them!

Kind of like with the cards, I appreciate sentimental gifts…

Sorry to mention it again, but these pics of the kids were my favorite Christmas gift this year. They were such a lovely surprise, and they were perfect!

A few years ago, Travis gave me this burlap print with our address and the year we moved into this house. It’s not anything I would have asked for, but it’s an example of something thoughtful that I see every day and love.

I also really love traditions like receiving two hanging ferns for the front porch as my Mother’s Day gift.

We went to Julep Farm because Trav gave me a gift card to the restaurant there. An “experience” is always a thoughtful gift.

The gift of self-care is always nice.

Years ago, Travis gave me a gift card to the med spa where I now go monthly for my facials. I appreciate having that 45 minutes to an hour every month to take care of myself.

He’s also given me gift cards for manicures/pedicures which I can always use.

Last year for my birthday, Travis gave me a gift card for a massage. Again, that’s not something I typically buy for myself, so I appreciate him “forcing” me to take a break and relax.

This year for Christmas another one of my gifts came in a cute gift bag…gift cards for a massage, dinner out, and a night at a hotel. It was all very thoughtful and unexpected.

Travis and the kids taking the time to think about me and tell me I can take a break and have some time for myself is beyond thoughtful.

So, the gift of self-care really is appreciated!

What’s the greatest gift you could receive?

I will have another post tomorrow — I’m sharing my recent Amazon purchases…buckle up!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#189}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday.

How was your week? Our week had a little of everything: downtime, productivity, activities, school and more.

I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for the first Friday Favorites of 2024.

Here are some recent favorites:

Last week, in my Christmas Recap, I shared that my favorite Christmas gift were these photos of the kids that Trav had his brother take as a surprise gift for me.

Later, my brother-in-law sent me the digital copies of the photos including a link to all that he took.

Travis had the best ones framed, but I love them all.

Both kids:

Hayden:

Hadley:

I love seeing Hadley’s sweet and silly side, Hayden’s focused side, and both of their personalities when they are together.

Over break, Hayden and friends went to a local basketball tournament. One of UK Coach Cal’s recruits was playing, so he was there and the boys got a picture with him.

They also got a quick pic with Reed Sheppard on this way out.

The boys were pretty excited.

Hadley has been asking for a room refresh, and my friend, an interior designer, put together this inspo board, and Hadley opened it on Christmas morning.

Over break, Travis took advantage of having some time off, and painted Hadley’s room after Hadley purged trash and donations. Then, we went ahead and ordered quite a few things including a new bed, bedside tables, and vanity. Hadley and I went out shopping for lamps, bedding, and other odds and ends. Everything we ordered arrived while we were on break, so we’ve continued to put her room together piece by piece.

The rug arrived this week, and it really tied everything together.

We still need to decide on wallpaper and a few other things, but her room is probably 80% finished, and she loves it.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Over break, I wanted to watch The Last Thing He Told Me and Lessons in Chemistry, both on Apple TV.

After Christmas, when I wasn’t feeling well, I settled in to watch them both…Travis watched them with me too.

I’ve read, and enjoyed the books, and I thought both series did the books justice. I highly recommend them both.

I had a few after Christmas purchases, including this sweater/jacket from Amazon. I love the gold double zipper detail.

Also, it seems that this could be dressed up or down. I wore it out to dinner one night with jeans and sneakers. It can also easily be worn with leggings….and I will definitely wear it to school with pants.

Y’all –it’s 49% off and less than $20!

A few weeks ago when we were at Target, these ice cream bars caught my attention. They are so good…10/10 recommend (and a saw a few other flavors at Target too)

Favorite Mom Meme:

It was time for these kids to go back to school!

Weekly Recap:

I started the year off strong with a blog post every day:

2023 Recap
12 months of Dessert
Currently
Bloganuary: Colleges

This weekend I hope to continue Bloganuary with a Saturday post, and then on Sunday I’m sharing my Prime Purchases for the month because on Monday we have our first Share Our Lives (formerly Not Just a Mom) post of 2024.

Share Our Lives:

I always love starting the year off with some (re)-introductions….and a look at the jobs I’ve had will be fun too.

We’d love to you have join us for this link up on the second Monday of every month.

What are your weekend plans? I’ve still felt crummy all week. My sinus infection is better, and I don’t have a fever, but I’ve still felt achy, tired, and run down. I’m not sure what’s going on. I actually had a Covid test on hand, so I went ahead and took that to rule it out…but maybe I have some other kind of lingering virus.

Thankfully, we don’t have much going on this weekend, so I’m hoping to kick this crud to the curb.

See you here tomorrow on the blog!

Posted in Blog challenge, Me, School

Bloganuary 1.4.24 – Colleges

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Today I’m sharing my first “Bloganuary” post. Yesterday’s WordPress topic was “what colleges have you attended?”

At first I thought this topic might be boring, but then I realized that I had a journey/story for each part of my college career.

University of Missouri:

University of Missouri (KC):

When I graduated high school, I was really uncertain about where I wanted to go or if I even wanted to leave home.

My “homebody” tendencies started early, and I wasn’t much of a “risk taker.” I was really comfortable living at home, working part-time at a dentist office, and sticking with my surroundings. Ultimately, I decided to stay home and attend UMKC which is a smaller branch of the University of Missouri system. Looking back, I still think this was the right decision for me. I was able to ease into college while being in the comfort of what I already knew at home and work.

That being said, I had always liked the idea of going to a bigger college, and in the spring of my freshman year, I applied to University of Missouri-Columbia. (MIZZOU).

University of Missouri (Columbia):

My sophomore-senior years were spent at MIZZOU. Again, the timing really worked well for me. I’m glad I waited to go until my sophomore year. I lived in the dorm that year, so I was able to experience that. I do wonder if I’d gone to MU my freshman year if I would have joined a sorority, but I did make some great friends living in Jones Hall!

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was a middle school Language Arts teacher for over 30 years. Also, I loved to read and always had great English teachers. So, I never once changed my major. I was always going to be a high school English teacher. I couldn’t wrap my brain around working with elementary aged kids (they seem so needy…haha), and I just felt like older kids would be a great fit.

I graduated in four years with a B.S. Secondary Education: English (grades 9-12) in May 2002. I feel very fortunate that I entered adulthood debt free thanks to my parents paying for college (and I helped a bit financially by staying home the first year, earning a few college credits while in high school, and even managing the front desk of my dorm as a junior to have free room and board).

I loved CoMo, and stuck around one more year for my first year of teaching.

Rank 2: University of Missouri

I moved to Kentucky after my second year of teaching and started my first Master’s degree after teaching for three years. In Kentucky, the pay scale is by rank. So, teachers earn more every year with experience, but they also move on the pay scale with their rank. With a B.S., it’s Rank 3 pay. One Master’s degree is Rank 2, and then an additional Master’s gets Rank 1 pay. In my district, there is also Rank 1.2 (PhD).

Anyway, I knew I wanted to start on my Rank 2 before we had kids. I was living in Lexington, but the University of Missouri had an online Master’s with a focus in literacy. Literacy had always been something I was interested in. I also knew that having that focus could be of benefit to me as I grew as a professional. I started that program in the fall of 2005.

All of the courses were online, but I really enjoyed having the flexibility of the program and there was no commute! I think I typically took two classes each semester, but maybe I took three one summer?

In May 2008, I earned my M. Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, Focus: Literacy which got me my Rank 2.

I’m so thankful for that degree because right after that, I took a job as a Literacy Coach in my school building and really enjoyed that work.

Rank 1: University of Louisville

The Literacy Coach position came about because the district I was in was a part of a federal grant called Striving Readers. It was a three year grant with partners at the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning in Louisville and the University of Louisville.

As a part of the grant, I had the opportunity to earn a reading specialist degree which would give me my Rank 1. I delayed the start of this work because Travis and I had just had the kids.

Then, my school was able to add an additional year with the grant. Knowing that it was “now or never” and this degree would be paid for, I realized I should go ahead and take advantage of this opportunity. I started working on the degree when the kids were about a year old…I think!

That time period is a blur, and it was a lot of work…but much like my Rank 2, all the courses were online, and I had such great support from my mentors at CTL and U of L.

I enjoyed working on the courses and completing each Capstone. I’d much rather write a twenty page paper than take a test!

In May of 2012, I earned my M. Ed., Reading Specialist, May, 2012, Rank 1 through U of L.

Again, that degree is one of the main reasons I’m able to work as an interventionist today. Both of my Master’s degrees have really led me to wonderful opportunities, and I appreciate that I’ve been able to work in my school in a capacity besides as a traditional classroom teacher.

I know college isn’t for everyone, but I always say that no one can take away your education. Also, through the years, these degrees have enhanced my knowledge and expertise as well as allowed me to better support my family and my future.

So–those are the colleges I attended.

I’m still a big MIZZOU fan, but I can’t cheer for the U of L Cards in my house…haha

I will cheer for the CATS with the rest of the fam.

Posted in Currently

Currently

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, it’s back to school I go, but first…

I’m linking up with Jennifer for this month’s Currently post. Today, I’m sharing what I’m currently loving, resolving, looking forward to, doing to stay cozy this winter, and cooking.

Loving:

I’m really loving my Christmas gifts.

I asked for these Air Maxes because I wanted an updated neutral tennis shoe. Hadley and I were out shopping in early December, and I tried them on. I figured they’d be an easy suggestion for a gift from Travis.

I’ve worn them quite a few times already, and they are very comfy.

Last year, Hadley helped Travis picked out some perfumes for me. Well, these three lasted me exactly a year, so I asked for them again!

This clip on tray was a suggestion I gave my mother-in-law when she asked for gift ideas.

It clips right on to the couch, and is the perfect spot for my beverage, phone, the tv remote, etc.

I actually asked for it to use at the other end of the couch that doesn’t have a side table, but old habits die hard. I like this end of the couch.

Resolving:

I don’t really do resolutions, but I do appreciate the start of a new year and getting back on track with all the things.

For the second year in a row on NYE, we chose, at random, three words for the year…and this year my “focus” words are: faith, forgiveness, and growth.

Like the past couple of years, I’m resolving to read 40 books. In 2022, I read 41, and last year I read 38, so 40ish seems like a good goal.

Looking forward to:

…a calmer January!…and my birthday is right around the corner.

Doing to stay cozy this winter:

The Christmas decor is put away (except for our tree – I will get to that this weekend). I did decide to leave up a few winter decorations mostly because I still want the pretty glow of lights. At least for January, I’m leaving up my two Walmart trees and the little village that I got from Kirklands this year.

A blanket is another perfect way to stay cozy this winter.

Cooking:

The past couple of weeks have been a hodge podge of eating whatever we have on hand, eating leftovers, or eating out…

The first thing I did to start the new year was pick up a Kroger order!

Our dinner on January 1st was a new recipe…from TikTok! haha

I’ve saved a few recipes, and tried this Stuffed Manicotti recipe. It was good.

We had chili last night for dinner, and then we’re having leftovers tonight. I’m going to round out the week trying another new recipe: Million Dollar Chicken Rice-a-Roni Casserole for dinner tomorrow.

What’s something you are currently loving, resolving, looking forward to, doing to stay cozy this winter, or cooking?

Posted in Delish Desserts

12 Months of Desserts!

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, today is my last day of break, so I’m soaking up one more morning without an alarm clock and hope to get my house back into shape…it’s been a process!

Did you catch my “Year in Review” yesterday? I didn’t publish it until mid-morning, but I wanted to start the new year off with a post. I’m trying to get back in the blogging groove.

This time last year, I shared a year’s worth of movies that we watched.

In 2022, my friend and her daughter baked a cake every month, and I loved that idea as a focus for 2023. Hadley loves to bake, and I have a sweet tooth, so I thought that would be fun to do.

We started off strong, but some months I did the baking and other times, we both did. Also, we ended up making other desserts besides cakes.

Here’s what we baked in 2023.

January:

We started the year off making this Chocolate Chip cake.

Hadley did the baking and most of the decorating.

February:

In February, we made Shay’s Red Velvet Bundt Cake.

We were at Target and found an icing kit and sprinkles, so Hadley decorated it.

March:

With the help of my niece, Hadley made Andrea’s Lime Poke Cake. It was easy and delish.

April:

We didn’t end up baking a cake in April, but we did try two new dessert recipes.

Shays Fruity Pebbles Neiman Marcus bars were an unexpected hit! I wasn’t sure about the Fruity Pebbles, but they definitely made this dessert.

Hadley made these Peanut Butter Blossom bars for family dinner dessert. We put some candles in them to celebrate my mom’s birthday a couple of weeks early.

May:

As the month wrapped up, I realized we hadn’t made any desserts.

I decided to make “Strawberry Shortcake Trifles.” We baked white cake, cubed it, and put it in Mason jars. We layered the dessert with Cool Whip and strawberries.

June:

Hadley made Oven Baked S’more Bars, and they were so good. Seeing this pic makes me want her to make them again.

July:

I couldn’t wait to make “Chocolate Zucchini Cake” in July. I’ve previously shared this recipe that I got from a friend years ago. We used zucchini from our garden.

Sometimes I ice it with Cool Whip. Other times I just put a dollop on after slicing.

August:

In August, we made Shay’s Key Lime Poke Cake. I made it once last summer, and wanted to make it again. Serve it with a dollop of Cool Whip. It’s so good.

September:

I made Apple Cider Donut Cake, and it was a big hit. My brother actually made it a few weeks later, and we enjoyed it again.

October:

I made Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies the weekend before Halloween. I’ve made this recipe before, but this time the cookies didn’t turn out quite right. They tasted fine but were sticky. I wonder if I missed an ingredient? haha

November:

Of course, we made Pumpkin Pie in November and used the recipe straight off the Libby’s pumpkin can.

December:

Per tradition, we baked cookies in December. We made Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies (I add in 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract), and for the first time, Cornflake Wreaths.

Another tradition is having Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt Cake for Christmas Eve dessert.

It was a great year of baking!

I’m not sure what, if anything, will be a focus this year. I’m drawing a blank for now. Let me know if you have any ideas!

The past two years have been “forced family fun” via movies and desserts. haha

Posted in Blog challenge, Everyday Life

Year in Review 2023

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy 2024!

I’m kicking off the new year by recapping 2023.

If you want the quick recap, here you go:

January, February, March, April, and May 2023:

Summer 2023: June, July and August:

September and October 2023:

November and December 2023:

Like any year, we had our ups and downs, but overall it was a really good one. Here’s the more in-depth recap:

January:

Hadley and friends went to their first school-wide middle school dance.

Hayden played basketball for school.

I turned 43!

February:

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl!

The kids went to the Valentine’s Day dance at school.

I sent Valentine’s Day cards to family per tradition.

Hadley had her first dance competition of the season.

March:

We started off March by losing power for 5 days.

The kids ran in an indoor track meet.

April:

We spent a few days in Greenville, SC for spring break.

We celebrated Easter.

Hayden got his braces off after almost three years.

Track season started.

Hayden met one of his goals by running under five minute (4:59) mile and qualified for state in a few events. Hadley did too in the 400 m.

Travis and I spent an afternoon at Keeneland.

May:

Travis and I kicked off May by going to Oaks.

…and watching Derby at home.

Dance competitions continued…

…including ones on Mother’s Day. I still felt celebrated and loved 🙂

The kids wrapped up 7th grade.

The kids ran in the state track meet in Louisville to wrap up the month.

June:

Hadley had her dance recital at the beginning of June, and decided to hang up her dance shoes to focus on volleyball.

Travis and I made a trip to Julep Farm for a few days.

We also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.

July:

Hadley went to camp.

We celebrated the 4th of July, and Hayden ran his first ever 10k.

Hadyen went to running camp, and he loved every minute.

Hadley and I spent a week in Florida, and she brought one of her friends along for the vacay.

We went to KC for a bit to see family. The kids hung out there while Travis and I went to California for a few days.

August:

Del Mar, California…one of my favorite places.

The kids hung out with some UK athletes when we got home.

Volleyball Photo Day. Tommy Quarles | UK Athletics

We celebrated a friend’s birthday in Nashville.

…and one of Hadley’s friend’s at her bat mitzvah.

We headed back to school in August…8th grade for the kids and year 22 for me.

Cross country ramped up with Hayden starting his 8th grade season, and Travis as the coach again.

September:

Hadley got back into volleyball in September.

The kids, more than the adults, attended the UK football games with friends.

Hayden won the district championship cross country meet.

October:

For fall break, we spent a week in Florida with friends.

Per tradition, we hit up the pumpkin patch.

Hayden ran in the state meet with a top 10 finish.

Hadley and friends went to the first cotillion dance of the season.

October means Keeneland with friends!

The kids were still old enough to have fun on Halloween.

November:

Club season started for running, and Hayden (and team) was off to a great start.

Hayden ran another sub five minute mile, and enjoyed being coached by his dad and his cousin.

School volleyball started for Hadley, and she loved it.

The kids turned 14!!

They had fun with their friends celebrating their birthday.

We headed to KC for Thanksgiving.

We celebrated Hadley at 8th grade night, and volleyball season wrapped up in early December.

December:

Club season continued, and Travis and Hayden traveled to Tallahassee, Florida. Hayden ran in a downpour, but achieved his first All-American status.

Hayden had one more race mid-December to cap off club cross country season.

The kids went to the second cotillion dance: Glitter and Gold Gala

Hadley started off break having so much fun with her friends eating pizza, ice skating, and having a Secret Santa exchange.

We continued Christmas traditions like baking cookies,

…sending Christmas cards,

…seeing the lights at the horse park, and…

…adding a new tradition into the mix: Operation Secret Santa.

Christmas Eve Eve we went to Louisville for Christmas with Trav’s family.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with dinner at home followed by church, and then hung out with friends for a bit.

Christmas day we were at home, and I got the sweetest gifts.

The week between Christmas and the new year was much like it is for everyone…a blur of days with a mix of lazy and productivity. Unfortunately, I was sick for a few days with a sinus infection, but at least I had the downtime.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends last night.

My “focus” words for the year are: faith, forgiveness, and growth.

We have a couple more days of break which we greatly appreciate. And… we’ve started 2024 off with a bedroom refresh for Hadley, so that’s been a fun focus this past week.

I hope you have had a great holiday season.

Last year, I participated in WordPress’ Bloganuary which means I hope to post all 31 days in January. There have been days this past year where it’s been harder to find time to write, but I do feel like January tends to be a slower month, so I’m up to the challenge!

Happy 2024…may it be the best year yet!

Posted in Blog challenge, Friday Favorites

2023 Blogging Recap and Fave Posts

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Wow, this week seemed to fly by. After Christmas on Monday, I spent a couple of days sick with a sinus infection. I’m feeling better now and was a bit more productive yesterday.

Of course, I have to wrap up the year with one more Friday Favorites link up with Andrea (and Erika), but today I’m sharing some of my favorite posts that I wrote this year.

A few stats from the year:

  • Posts: 240
  • Total words: 165,006
  • Average words per post: 690
  • Best day: Friday; Best hour: 8 am
  • Most popular day: March 14 with 928 views

I started this blog as a hobby in August of 2019. I’m always blown away that people read my posts.

Some all time stats include:

  • Views: 332.5k
  • Visitors: 90.9k
  • Post published: 945
  • Countries: Readers in 93 countries have read at least one of my posts. That will never not blow my mind.

While some big time bloggers have my annual views in a day, it’s just been fun to see this blog grow year to year.

I love when readers take the time to “like” or comment on a post. I really appreciate and enjoy interacting with my SM&ST readers.

Favorite posts from 2023:

Last year, I shared my 10 favorites posts. This year, I kept a running list throughout the year of posts I really enjoyed writing and sharing.

I ended up with a list of 20, and here they are in the order that I wrote them.

1.

I loved starting the year participating in WordPress’ Bloganuary (and I think I might do this again this year!)

Two January Bloganuary topics were ones I enjoyed writing.

Books that Changed My Life

2.

Bloganuary: Birthday Cakes…all the cakes I made the kids when they were little and our favorite birthday cakes now.

3.

Tuesday Talk: Slang…keeping up with the cool kids!

4.

Thursday Thoughts: Kids…and the stages of parenting kids when they were little and now as teens.

5.

Let’s Look: Fave Amazon Finds (close to 1,000 views)

6.

Puppy Love - A post all about the dogs I’ve loved in my life.

7.

Greenville, SC trip recap. We loved visiting this town for spring break.

8.

Workout Diaries all about my workouts in April.

9.

All about Oaks and Derby…a favorite tradition in May!

10.

Camp packing list . Since Hadley has gone to camp quite a few summers, this was a fun post of ideas of how she preps for camp.

11.

Not Just a Mom: How We Became Moms Not only did I love writing this post, I enjoyed reading all the other bloggers’ posts who linked up with us.

12.

A travel recap with the 50 states list. This was a blog post that I thought would be a quick one to write. Boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane through and all the states I’ve visited through the years.

13.

Hadley’s Hair Tutorial – heatless curls. Hadley showed us step by step how she uses the heatless curlers for her hair.

14.

Friday Favorites/Summer Recap in August. I love a good recap. We had a busy but different summer in 2023.

15.

TV Tuesday: Childhood TV Shows. This was a blast from the past. Also, recently, I’ve found Who’s the Boss? on Hulu, and I’ve loved watching those episodes.

16.

After a week at the beach, I shared a Fall Break Recap. We had fun in the sun with our friends.

17.

Tuesday Talk – All about the Holidays . I loved writing this post and thinking about how we celebrate holidays through the year.

18.

Right before Thanksgiving, I wrote a Thanksgiving Fun post about activities, recipe, tablescapes and more.

19.

I shared all about the Shutterfly ornaments that I ordered with the kids’ Christmas and Santa pics through the years. It was a fun trip down memory lane.

20.

I also had fun with the ABC’s series – summer, fall, winter.

Bonus:

I loved our trip to Julep Farm, and that trip recap is filled with so many pretty pictures and details about that beautiful property and surrounding areas.

Weekly Recap:

A week of recaps…and one more favorite post that I write every year is when I share the books I read and my top 5 favorites…

Christmas Recap + Memes
2023 Books

I have one more “recap” to go! Come back on Monday when I take a look back on 2023 as we kickoff 2024.

Until then…Happy New Year!

Posted in Books and Shows

December Books + TOP 5 books of 2023

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello…and happy Thursday.

It’s crazy to think a week from today, we’ll be back in school. Ok, enough negative talk…today is all about the positive. One of my favorite posts of the year is sharing the books I’ve read and my top 5 faves.

December Books:

Well, I was on a roll with reading but struggled in November and even December. While I usually read Christmas themed books in December, I was still reading (and finally finishing) Demon Copperhead from November. Then, I read Just Mercy with a group of students at school. I was able to read a couple of winter/Christmas books, and I really enjoyed them too.

This month I read:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Demon Copperhead:

Summary:

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

Quick Thoughts:

This book was long, but it definitely sticks with you when you are finished. I did feel like it dragged in parts and was sometimes hard to keep some of the minor characters straight. The David Copperfield connection is an interesting twist on telling this story.

Rating:

Just Mercy:

Summary:

An unforgettable true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to end mass incarceration in America — from one of the most inspiring lawyers of our time.

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to defending the poor, the incarcerated, and the wrongly condemned.

Just Mercy tells the story of EJI, from the early days with a small staff facing the nation’s highest death sentencing and execution rates, through a successful campaign to challenge the cruel practice of sentencing children to die in prison, to revolutionary projects designed to confront Americans with our history of racial injustice.

One of EJI’s first clients was Walter McMillian, a young Black man who was sentenced to die for the murder of a young white woman that he didn’t commit. The case exemplifies how the death penalty in America is a direct descendant of lynching — a system that treats the rich and guilty better than the poor and innocent.

Quick Thoughts:

While this book wasn’t on my list, students in a class I work with regularly were reading it, so I decided to as well. I know the movie is popular which is a connection most students had, but the book was very powerful. I liked that Bryan Stevenson shared many stories besides Walter McMillan’s, driving home the message about wrongly condemned, minors in the juvenile justice system, and the death penalty.

Rating:

Meet Me in London:

Summary:

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her over the holidays—a girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion…something to keep his mother from meddling while he focuses on the business.

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed, will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…?

Quick thoughts:

This is a cute Christmas read set in London. What’s not to like?

Rating:

Lovelight Farms:

Summary:

Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Quick Thoughts:

This is book #1 in the Lovelight series, and it’s a cute premise for Christmas (although some there are some not so G rated parts).

Rating:

Recap of 2023 Books:

My goal again this year was to read 40 books, and I fell short of that goal…but it was still a solid year of reading.

Here are my Goodreads stats:

  • 38 books read
  • 13, 399 pages read
  • The shortest book I read (The Sixth Wedding) was 76 pages.
  • The longest book I read (Demon Copperhead) was 560 pages.
  • Average book length n 2023: 352 pages

My 2023 Reads:

Another year of reading here, there and everywhere.

January:

  • Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories
  • The It Girl
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures

February:

  • Carrie Soto is Back
  • The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post
  • Bridge to Terabithia

March:

  • Spare
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time
  • Majesty

April:

  • The Husbands
  • A Quiet Life
  • Night
  • The Secret Bridesmaid

May:

  • Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
  • The Paris Library
  • Daisy Jones and the Six

June:

  • The Soulmate
  • All the Days of Summer
  • Double Decker Dreams

July:

  • Meet Me at the Lake
  • Endless Summer
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • Summer Stage

August:

  • The Five-Star Weekend
  • Hello Beautiful
  • The Sixth Wedding
  • Hotel Laguna

September:

  • The Block Party
  • Look For Me There
  • The Senator’s Wife

October:

  • Mad Honey
  • Before We Were Innocent
  • Coronation Year

November:

  • Demon Copperhead

December:

  • Just Mercy
  • Meet Me in London
  • Lovelight Farms

Top 5 books of 2023:

This year, I started off strong and I always feel like I read some of the best books early in the year. While three books a month is a pretty good average for me, I had a few months where reading was slow. I always enjoy creating a summer reading list, and seeing what books I can get read with a bit of extra time off.

Before I share my Top 5 reads of 2023, these books deserve honorable mention recognition. Here are they are in the order that I read them:

  • Daisy Jones and the Six
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • The Five-Star Weekend
  • Hello Beautiful
  • Mad Honey

Here are my 5 favorite reads of 2023 …

Remarkable Bright Creatures

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

A Quiet Life

The Paris Library

Coronation Year

Previous Top 5 Books:

2022
2021
2020
2019

What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

Happy reading!

Posted in Holidays

Christmas Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Ours was really good, and today I’m recapping how we wrapped up the Christmas season.

Also, this month, I didn’t get a share a memes post, so I’ve sprinkled a few holiday memes in today’s recap…for a few laughs.

On Friday afternoon, we delivered the toys and food boxes to five Operation Secret Santa families.

We were assigned families in a specific zip code, so deliveries only took about an hour. The kids (and Trav, when needed), put the gifts on the porches, knocked and then hopped in the car.

The kids had a good time with this, and it was a meaningful experience that I hope we can participate in again next year.

On Friday night, Travis and I went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Once we got home, the cousins exchanged gifts. It was a nice evening.

On Saturday, we headed to Louisville around 1:00 for Christmas Eve Eve at Trav’s mom’s house. There’s always lots of food, the kids play games, and then we open gifts. It’s a long day with lots of people, but it’s always a good time.

Since we weren’t heading to KC, we were back in Lex by noon on Christmas Eve. I baked Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt cake while Trav prepped prime rib for dinner.

We ate dinner…

…before heading to Christmas Eve service at church. It’s always a beautiful service ending with Silent Night by candlelight. After that, we went to our friend’s house for a bit and were home by around 10.

I was starting to feel run down with a cold, so I headed to bed once we got home. The kids went to bed not too far after, but Travis was up late putting together a few things…

Courtesy of my dad, Hayden got a new bike, and we got Hadley a new desk/makeup table for her bedroom.

I was up around 7:30. While I was fairly confident the kids would sleep in, I wasn’t sure how long, and I had a few Christmas things to finish up.

Then, I did get some quiet time by the tree before the kids woke up. Hayden was up first at 9:15, and he woke up Hadley.

While this meme is relatable, I did just keep most everything unopened in boxes until I could wrap it. I think I wrapped more presents than usual this year because once they were wrapped, I could put them by the tree and the kids would have a harder time sneaking a peek!

We had a really nice morning. Hadley was excited for her “room refresh” that my friend helped put together, and Hayden was really excited for his new shoes.

Travis strikes again with the gift tags…haha

My very favorite gift was this one. Hadley did the wrapping:

…and inside the three packages were the best gifts ever. Of course, I cried.

I’m sure you’ve picked up on this, but Hadley’s easier to get a natural pic of whereas, Hayden is more hesitant…so I pick and choose when I bug him for a photo.

Anyway, Trav’s brother is a phenomenal photographer, and Travis and the kids went to his house last week for this photo session. I knew they were going there, but obviously didn’t know why. Hayden definitely didn’t leave the house in that button down shirt! Anyway, I can’t wait to find a place for these once I get all the Christmas decor put away.

Homer had a great Christmas day too!

After we face timed with KC family, we had brunch (Krusteaz cinnamon coffee cake and Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast casserole) and then Homer and I watched the Chiefs game. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was nice to have downtime at home to just relax.

Unfortunately, on Christmas, I started to feel worse, and knew my cold was turning into a sinus infection.

We all just hung out most of the day, and then we ended the evening watching National Lampoon Christmas Vacation before heading to bed.

We’re on a every other year rotation for going out of town, and it’s always hard not seeing family on Christmas day. We appreciate the extra time at home, but it still feels odd not seeing my family.

Overall, I’d say we had a really good Christmas season filled with lots of activities, traditions, baking, and more.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and got a prescription, so hopefully I will be better soon.

This week, I’m still hoping to share the books I read this year as well as a blogging recap to finish up 2023!

I hope you have a great day,

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#188}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was a good one, and we’ve started out break just as busy as when we are in school. Hayden has had basketball, Hadley has had volleyball, and we’re trying to squeeze in last minute holiday fun before we run out of time to do so!

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

This is Friday Favorites: Festive Edition!

Here are some favorites from the week:

This is my first ever Pink Lily purchase…how cute is Hadley’s “Merry” sweatshirt?

Over the weekend, my Life in Lilac candle arrived. The gold Holiday Dreams candle is so pretty and festive.

Hadley and friends started off break having the best afternoon on Wednesday. There are close to twenty girls who are all really good friends. One of the moms is a SAINT and organized an afternoon with pizza for lunch, a Secret Santa gift exchange, and then ice skating!

What a sweet group of girls!

They had the best afternoon.

Hadley and I baked our last batch of Christmas cookies yesterday afternoon. Once she got home from volleyball, we made Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies.

They turned out perfectly.

(Hayden and Travis were in Louisville for most of the day at the UK/UL basketball practice before the big rivalry game last night.)

This sweet memory from 2014 popped up…Hayden told me he was wrapping gifts for kids who weren’t getting lots of presents. Such a sweet sentiment…

…and yesterday afternoon, we participated in Operation Secret Santa. We’d never done this before, but you sign up for a shift to shop for kids from the donated items and then deliver the presents.

No photo evidence, but Travis and Hayden were there too; they shopped for two of our five families before Hayden headed to basketball practice.

Let me tell you who is a really great shopper: Hadley White!

She was so good about prioritizing what each kid should receive and keeping it all organized.

We’ll deliver to the five families today.

Last night, after the Kentucky game was over, we *finally* made it to the horse park for Southern Lights.

I think this is the 19th year that we’ve gone to see the lights.

Social Media Faves:

Tis the season for all things festive…

This bookshelf looks right up my alley!

Y’all, this is what my Instagram search looks like. I get sucked into cookie decorating videos…haha.

That being said, I stumbled upon “The Folding Lady” (@thefoldinglady) on Instagram, and her reels are mesmerizing. Check her out!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Relatable….and now I’m sharing my Christmas cards on the blog (see below) before friends and family get them in the mail. I’m just getting it done however I can.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Weekend Top 5
2023 Workouts
The ABC’s of Winter

Merry Christmas!

I feel like a theme this year, but especially these past couple of months, has been living day to day and doing my best to get accomplished whatever I can whenever I have time to do so.

Apparently, that “lifestyle” is now applying to my Christmas cards…that finally arrived…yesterday. (*sigh*)

So, I will be working on getting those out today…and I guess most will receive them by December 26. It’s the thought that counts, right?

That being said,

Merry Christmas…

…from my family to yours…

I know the holidays aren’t joyous for all. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are sad, sick, anxious, and/or struggling this season.

I have some posts planned for next week, so see you then!

As always, thank you for reading…and Merry Christmas.