Author: jgalvinwhite

Posted in Holidays

All About Christmas…

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

fun, traditions, and festivities.

Happy Monday! How was your Christmas? We had a hectic but good one. Once school was out on December 16th, we started to pack in all things Christmas leading up to the 25th.

We baked cookies. Hadley made Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies, and Hayden made Peanut butter Blossoms.

I joked that the Life Essentials class sure is paying off. They basically did all the baking on their own.

I picked up a couple of cookies from one of our favorite cookie decorators. This is always a fun tradition.

Last weekend, we went to a couple of Christmas parties. Travis and I went to one that our friends always host. Then, last Sunday, Hadley and I went to a mom/daughter pj and popcorn movie night with friends. Hadley insisted that we match, and we so happened to have similar plaid pj pants…and Merry and Bright sweatshirts.

The mom who hosted had fun socks, popcorn, hot chocolate, (and wine) for us to enjoy while we watched Spirited on Netflix. The girls lasted half of the movie, but the moms finished it. It was a great night.

We went to the Horse Park for Southern Lights.

Hadley made a gingerbread house. Again, times have changed…she did this all on her own.

Hadley also went to a cookie decorating class with friends. It was a fundraiser for a friend’s little sister’s Girl Scout troop.

The tradition continued with the kids picking out a gift for each other. I took Hadley one day and Travis took Hayden one evening to pick those out.

We had dinner out on Wednesday night. This isn’t really a tradition, but we planned ahead to make a reservation, and I’m glad we did. It was a nice evening out.

Once we got home, the kids convinced us to let them open their gifts from each other. We figured, “why not?”

Then, we watched Home Alone.

And enjoyed some cake.

Earlier in the day, I made Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt Cake per tradition.

Speaking of Christmas movies, once break started, I got my movie watching game face on. I made a point to watch at least one Christmas movie a day.

I watched:

  • The Noel Diary (on Netflix)
  • Spirited (mom/daughter night)
  • The Holiday
  • While You Were Sleeping – Hadley watched this with me (and Hayden watched the last half) It’s one of my all time favorite movies, and Hadley had never seen it. While many may not think of it as a Christmas movie, it’s set during Christmas, and I watch it every year)
  • Christmas with You (on Netflix) – This one popped up in my feed. I crushed hard Freddie Prinze, Jr. in high school and college. This movie was cute!
  • You’ve Got Mail- Again, not really a Christmas movie but one I watch every year on break. Hadley watched it with me.
  • Home Alone– a family favorite
  • A Christmas Prince (on Netflix)
  • A Christmas Story– a Christmas Day tradition

Christmas Eve Dinner:

We had to celebrate our Christmas early, so I thought about trying something different and maybe just have appetizers instead of a full dinner. Hadley White wasn’t having that idea. So, we had our traditional salmon, Bob Evans potatoes, Caesar salad and then more cake for dessert.

Christmas Morning:

We had a nice “Christmas” morning. The kids slept in a bit. We opened gifts, stockings, and had a simple breakfast. Times sure have changed since the early wake up times with the kids along with Legos and Barbies for presents. That being said, it still was a great Christmas, of course.

I always look forward to Trav’s gift tags. He always writes funny things on mine. This year, Hadley elf helped him write them.

I didn’t know he’d ordered these watercolor images of the kids. They loved them, and I cried. We can’t wait to hang them up.

We had frigid temps and snow (like much of the country) so it was a good day to stay inside until we visited Trav’s family and then my family.

I always think of break as two halves – before Christmas and after Christmas. I really enjoy the week leading up to Christmas because we pack in the Christmas fun and traditions. Also, I like having the time to wrap presents, run errands, stay home if I want, watch movies, and more. After Christmas, it’s time to get organized, put decorations away, and at some point start thinking about school again. Anyway, I still have a whole week left of break, and we’ll make the most of it, I’m sure.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great week ahead.

*Linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday.

Posted in Holidays

Merry Christmas!

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

With only a couple of days left until Christmas, I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

The past few years, I’ve sent two cards out because there are so many cute options. Also, I love sending them, but I hate waiting for them to arrive. So, I’m able to start addressing the ones from Walgreens while waiting on my Shutterfly order.

This blog (and the readers) bring me a lot of joy! I appreciate all of the comments and readers I’ve gotten to know in this Show Me and Sweet Tea space.

My hope is that everyone has a Merry and Bright holiday season….

…with warm wishes for a wonderful 2023!

I know the holidays can be difficult for some. Even in the best of circumstances, this season can be overwhelming and filled with many other emotions. I know quite a few people who’ve lost a loved one recently, and I’ve certainly been thinking of them this holiday season.

December is filled with so many traditions, activities, parties, and more. I feel like the hectic pace makes the time pass by quicker than I’d like, but I try to enjoy this time the best I can with my family. I hope you are able to do the same as well.

I can’t let the Christmas season pass by without sharing my most favorite Christmas card that Travis and I have ever sent:

Christmas 2009 was pretty special!

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday. Many bloggers take this time off, but I hope to have a few posts next week including some of my favorites: a blogging round up, the books I read this year, and a recap of 2022.

See you then.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

Posted in Holidays

Winter Solstice

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Winter Solstice Wednesday (#workingtitle)

It’s officially the first day of winter.

I love winter. (My dad will read this and shake his head). I’m not sure if it’s the holidays or the fact that I have a January birthday, but I have always loved winter. On top of that, January is one of my favorite months (Again, probably because of my birthday, but January also feels like a fresh start, and it is considerably less hectic than December.)

Here are five of my favorite things about winter:

Snow! Even better…a snow day! I love the beauty of freshly fallen snow. If it’s going to be cold, I want there to be snow on the ground. The kids (and Homer) love to play outside.

Sweater weather and flannel/fleece pjs!

Sweaters and pjs on repeat with the cold temps of winter.

Candles!

Don’t get it twisted, of course I love candles year round, but I love seasonal winter scents like peppermint, fireside marshmallow, and cranberry. They make the house feel extra cozy.

Comfort food! Bonus- I feel like meal planning is easier in the winter months because soups and chili are favorites in my house. Also, they provide leftovers which is another bonus. I use the slow cooker the most in the fall and winter which means getting dinner on the table quicker.

Celebrations!…followed by a fresh start. Of course, December is jam packed with Christmas festivities, and then I just love the quiet that January brings. It’s a time to start fresh, have a bit more down time, and ease into the new year.

What about you? What’s your favorite thing about winter? (if you have one) 😉

Posted in Holidays

Some of my favorite…

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

ornaments!

One of my favorite things about Christmas is putting ornaments on the tree. It’s always fun to open the ornament boxes and take a trip down memory lane. The kids always have a few faves, and I do too.

I will say that I wish that I’d done a better job through the years getting the kids ornaments every year. I’ve even been “bad” about picking up ornaments from places we have traveled. Maybe I can focus on that in the coming years. I just know when Travis and I got our first tree in December 2004, I was able to put a few ornaments from my childhood on the tree. I’d like the same for Hayden and Hadley. The kids definitely have ornaments because my mom is good about getting them for them, but I just wish I’d think of it throughout the year.

Also, I love the look of an assortment of ornaments. I don’t need the tree to be “matchy matchy.” That being said, both of the pencil trees are filled with neutral unbreakable ornaments because those are easy to put up in November when I pull those trees out. This year, I did add a few faves to the other pencil tree once we started decorating.

Here are some of my favorite ornaments on our living room tree:

My childhood ornaments.

I have quite a few from my childhood including the 1980 silver bell (that could use a good polishing), two angels (one of which I painted when I was a kid), and an ornaments from Mrs. Overby, my 3rd grade teacher.

While the one of Trav doesn’t hang on our tree, I love it (and look for it every year on his mom’s tree.)

From the kids…

The kids have made quite a few cute ornaments through the years at school. We always loved receiving those. The snow globes are faves and you can’t beat a salt dough ornament.

I love the snowman family hand print.

Also, we used to make an ornament every year to give to the grandparents, and I always had them make one extra for our tree. One year, we made the little present to give to family.

Other faves:

My grandpa used to carve, and he made the Santa ornament. We all have one. Last year, my friend gave me the Betty White ornament, and I love it. My dad’s cousin who hosts Christmas Eve, always gives us a nice glass ornament. I love the cardinal one, but we’ve received so many beautiful ones through the years.

Of course, I love the “first Christmas” for the kids, and this was the main gift I gave in 2009! The kids were one month old, and I couldn’t really do much shopping. We have a few other “first Christmas” ornaments for them, and I also love our wedding ornament someone gave us.

My mom cross stitched this ornament…

Newest ornament

Shutterfly helped me out with a few new ornaments this year, and I decided to get one of Homer because we don’t have one for him!

What about you? What’s your favorite ornament on your tree? I plan on having blog posts the next couple of days, so come on back!

Posted in Memes

Monday Memes

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday! I can’t believe it’s the Monday before Christmas. We’re definitely in full on break mode which makes for the best kind of Monday.

The month wouldn’t be complete without a few laughs thanks to some memes.

To keep it festive and fun, all of these memes are holiday related.

My aunt sent this in a group text, and I literally LOL’d.

Haha…truth!

Actually, this meme has probably been true for at least the past couple of weeks…

Classic Christmas with Nutcrackers.

Well, this is actually close to true…but I know how it goes with chocolate Advent calendars.

Me…yesterday. (I’m very behind on my Christmas movie viewing…so my goal is to watch at least one Christmas movie a day this week. Yesterday, I watched The Noel Diary on Netflix.)

Of course, the kids sleep in a bit later now that they are older, but even when they were little, I’d set an alarm to get up early and have that quiet time before they woke up.

I sent this one to a few of my friends. I try to be the gift that keeps on giving 😉

Food for thought. haha

I think I see this one every year, and it’s funny.

So, these are a few of my faves! I hope you have a great week full of holiday fun.

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#139}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! We made it! After today, we’re on a two week break.

This week has been filled with many tests at school for my kids, activities, science fair projects and more! I feel like we had to plan out every second of our evenings for studying, schoolwork, and activities. Anyway, we made it to the weekend (and break for some).

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

Here are some favorites from the week.

While it’s not a favorite that the volleyball season is over, it’s been a favorite to watch Hadley play these last couple of months. I told her that I’ve never been happier that she took a leap of faith and tried something (newish) to her. This team was so fun to watch, they supported each other, and they all improved so much!

Trav’s work had their Christmas party on Saturday. The kids let me snap a pic before we left…

…and then we got a pic with Santa at the party. It was a nice evening, and Travis has been at this farm for 15 years. They always speak a bit about the employees at the five, ten, fifteen, etc. year milestone. Of course, we’re proud of all of his hard work!

Both kids needed others to help them get their science project data. Hayden chose to focus on resting heart rate/heart rate of kids who play various sports. Hadley baked cookies for three different times to see which time makes the “best” cookie. So, the runners were able to eat cookies after that part of the science experiment. No cookies before running!😆

They finished their projects last night. We are happy to check this off our list.

I had told Travis not to worry about outside Christmas lights because I’d been striking out finding my Trader Joe’s garland and just really hadn’t had the time to tackle the outdoors. Well, I found some on Friday after school, so I told him I changed my mind about wanting lights outside. Thankfully, he obliged and took creative license with the extra strand of garland. He put in on the railings and added lights there too. I’m glad we made this happen. Now we are festive both inside and outside.

Look who was comfy and cozy inside…looking oh so merry 😂

I don’t have a pic, but on Tuesday the hospitality and culinary arts classes hosted teachers for lunch. We had a choice of two dishes that were served with salad and dessert. Well, I didn’t know that it was going to be such a formal occasion. I arrived to a dimly lit classroom, a hostess who seated me, black table cloths, tea lights, and fancy dinnerware. My vegetable lasagna was so good, and it was the best experience. I told them that the ambience was “giving proposal vibes” and that they’d outdone themselves.

Narci shared that she was making Santa pics again this year. Even though my kids are older, I still love putting these in frames during the holiday season.

The package included three images, and this one is my fave!

Y’all. The fact that I have wrapped presents this “early” in the season is some kind of Christmas miracle and certainly a favorite. I love having a little something under the tree now.

When Amy shared her Christmas traditions post, I remembered how much I like the idea of displaying our Christmas cards from previous years. Anyway, I need to find some of those, but in the meantime, I went to put a few cards in our card basket, and decided to pin a few on the arches that I have on the entryway table. It’s a festive touch and nice way to see some of the cards. Maybe next year this is where I will put our cards from years past.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This was basically my Monday. (kidding, kind of)

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

How cute is Hadley elf in 2015? Never trust a toothless elf! 😉

Weekly Recap:

I blogged all week. Here are my posts:

Not Just a Mom
Holiday This or That
Let’s Look
Blog Challenge Part 3

What are your weekend plans? We have a few festive things going on including a couple of get togethers, possibly some cookie baking, and I would definitely like to watch a holiday movie or two.

See you back here on Monday.

Posted in Blog challenge, Me

Blog Challenge Part 3

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Thursday! How is your week going? Our evenings have been a bit less hectic which has given the kids some time to work on their science fair projects and study for tests. For them, unfortunately, it’s a glimpse into the next few years with end of unit assessments as the semester wraps up.

Anyway, today I’m writing about a couple more topics for the…

So far, I’ve shared posts one and two…

Today, I’m taking a look at topics #6 and #7.

6. Three personality traits I am proud of:

Yikes! Why is it so hard to write about myself?

The first personality trait that popped into my mind is that I’m loyal. I’ve kind of always been a “quality over quantity” girl as far as friends go, and that’s certainly even more true as I’ve gotten older. I’m not over the top with my emotions, but if you need me, I will be there.

I try to bring humor to most situations. So, I guess I think I’m funny. I’ve always said that I think my humor is a mix of both of my parents. I can be sarcastic but quick witted. I try to lighten the mood when I have the chance to do so.

I think I’m a thoughtful person. I try hard to remember birthdays, check in on friends, say thank you and more. I know I’d want people to do that for me as well. So, you know how it goes…”treat others how you wan to be treated.”

**Honestly I struggled with this a bit…It’s difficult to write about myself!

7. 10 favorite foods:

Now this topic isn’t difficult for me to write about. I like to eat!

I love…

  • cookie cake
  • chips and guac/queso
  • sushi
  • macaroni and cheese
  • Rice Krispie treats
  • gnocchi
  • small McDonald’s fries
  • mint chocolate chip ice cream
  • Taylor Farms Dill Pickle salad
  • mashed potatoes

What are some of your favorite foods?

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

Posted in Holidays, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for the last Let’s Look of 2022!

This year, we’ve looked at:

  • How you organize for the new year in January.
  • What you eat in a week in February.
  • Your faves from high school/college in March. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
  • How you plan/do date nights in April.
  • Your hometown in May.
  • Go to summer lunches in June..
  • How you keep healthy in July.
  • How you do ‘every day’ cleaning in August. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
  • Organize your closet in September.
  • Select your Halloween costumes in October.
  • Where we shop for our moms in November (I overlooked the date and missed this post)

This month’s topic is: how you host holiday parties.

Well, my answer is short and sweet. I don’t. {😂}

I decided to take a twist on this topic and share how we holiday.

Holiday Parties:

There are always a few parties that we attend. Trav’s work always has a Christmas party that is lots of fun. It’s family friendly and Santa is there.

Our friends always host a party in mid-December with neighborhood and school friends’ parents. There’s usually a beer tasting, live music, a specialty cocktail, great food, wonderful friends, and more! It’s always a fun get together.

Through the years, we’ve also attended my work Christmas party when we can, cookie decorating with moms and kids when the kids were younger, ornament exchanges, various “cookies with Santa” and more. One party that I miss is our neighborhood Christmas party. We used to have a progressive one with one house for apps, one for dinner, and one for dessert. Covid killed that one, but I hope we can bring it back in the future. It was always so fun.

Merry Christmas x 6:

Here’s our Christmas break down…

For many many years, I didn’t miss a Kansas City Christmas. Even once the kids were born, we were able to go most years. The first KC Christmas I missed was 2009 when the kids were one month old. Obviously, it was the best choice to stay home rather than drive nine hours (longer with babies) in the car.

A few years ago, we started going every other year.

Anyway, on the years we went to KC, the kids would write a note to Santa asking him to come a bit early, and our elf would take it to the North Pole. We’d celebrate the morning of December 22nd or 23 depending on our schedule. Then, we’d head to see family.

On the years we stay home, Santa comes on Christmas Eve, of course.

Thankfully, this has worked for our family quite well.

That being said, when we do go to Kansas City, we end up having a total of six Christmases! Six.

  • We have ours at home.
  • We celebrate on December 23rd with Trav’s family (We do this every year regardless of staying home or traveling for Christmas)
  • In Missouri, we go to my dad’s cousin’s house for Christmas Eve.
  • We spend Christmas morning with my dad.
  • Christmas afternoon with my mom.
  • Christmas evening with my Gma.

See…six Christmases! It’s a blessing, but it’s busy.

Let’s Look:

There’s always a variety of food and activities at each of our Christmases…

Christmas at home:

For our Christmas at home, I usually make a nice dinner for Christmas Eve or Christmas depending if we are staying home or not. Hadley always request salmon, and I make the green beans everyone loves along with Bob Evan’s mashed potatoes. We always make Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt Cake for dessert.

Again, whichever day is our Christmas morning, I still always try to keep it pretty simple with cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. There have been times I’ve made monkey bread or a breakfast casserole too.

Christmas Eve Eve:

My mother-in-law always has lots of apps, and we usually have lasagna for dinner. Then we open gifts, followed by stockings. She’s the queen of baking, so there are lots of dessert options!

Christmas Eve:

At my dad’s cousin’s house, we always look forward to the salmon appetizer as well as other apps. Another cousin always make bacon wrapped jalapenos which are a hit. We always have a nice dinner, a gift exchange, and then usually play a board or card game as a family. It’s usually intense. haha

A favorite is Left, Right, Center!

Christmas morning:

At my dad’s, we open gifts, have breakfast (usually eggs, bacon, and mimosas (for the adults)), and then watch A Christmas Story.

Christmas afternoon:

Once we get to my mom’s we open presents and stockings. Then, by this point, we’ve already eaten quite a bit over the last couple of days, so she usually just has some snacks for us. Typically, we watch another movie and I end up getting a nap!

Christmas evening:

At my grandma’s, she has a couple of appetizers, then we open gifts. After that, she always has a nice meal (sometimes prime rib!), and her table is always so festive.

Shew! So, that’s a little bit about how we holiday. Honestly, there are times I wish I took the initiative to host a party, but between the end of the semester at school, kids’ activities, and just the general busyness of December, it’s nice to celebrate with friends, but I just don’t seem to have the energy to host!

I can’t wait for the 2023 Let’s Look topics. Until then, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.

Posted in Holidays, This and That

This or That: Holiday Edition

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I hope your week is off to a great start.

Y’all know that I love a good This or That post…

…so today I’m sharing this one (and my answers) that I found on Pinterest.

T or T Holiday Edition:

  • Real tree or fake tree: When we first got married, we bought a tree that lasted for years. Then, we purchased another artificial one and didn’t have great luck. So, for about six years now, we’ve picked out a tree at our favorite place.

That being said, you know I love my two pencil trees from Michael’s. They stay up November-January.

  • White lights or colored lights: I think one year we had colored lights on our tree (probably a request from the kids), but otherwise I do prefer white lights.
  • Matching pjs or matching Santa hats: Well, I don’t know about matching, but I’m all about Christmas/winter pjs for myself. The kids have kind of “out grown” that phase, but I still always buy them Christmas (plaid) pjs for their November birthday. I miss the days of little ones in cute Christmas pjs though.
2010
  • Angel topper or star topper: Neither…and for no real reason other than we never had either, and one year I purchased a big bow that we’ve continued to use through the years.
  • Santa leaves wrapped or unwrapped gifts: I grew up with Santa leaving unwrapped gifts, and that’s what we do. I remember when Travis and I first had this conversation once we had kids. I didn’t realize Santa would ever think to wrap presents. haha
  • Gingerbread houses or Christmas cookies: both. One evening, we usually decorate gingerbread houses. Honestly, I wouldn’t be upset if we didn’t do this, but Hadley, especially, loves this tradition. Now, the kids are old enough to do this themselves. Also, we bake cookies the week before Christmas. I find that we really don’t have time before break, so I just wait, and we usually bake the first day we are out of school.

Home Alone or Elf: Home Alone all the way. It’s one of my favorite holiday movies!

I’ll share this on Instagram. I’d love to know your answers!

Twelve more sleeps. I can’t believe it.

Posted in Currently, Not Just a Mom

Not Just a Mom

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

I can’t believe it, but it’s our last Not Just a Mom link up of 2022!

This year we covered …

This month’s topic is: loving lately

For this post, I’m sharing the first 5 things that popped in my mind that I’m loving.

You can’t beat Antique Candle Co candles, and during this season, I’m loving the ones I bought on Black Friday.

  • Spiced Cranberry
  • Winter Woods
  • Christmas Day
  • I also have Tree Farm that I bought during a previous sale.

I think Christmas Day is my fave.

I often have the Food Network channel on but especially during the Christmas season. I love Christmas Cookie Challenge. A Lexington cookie decorator was on last night, and I can’t wait to watch that episode.

You know I love the Royal family, so of course I’m watching the Harry and Meghan special on Netflix. I’ve always loved Will and Kate, but I like Harry too! Travis even wanted to watch this with me, and we watched two episodes this weekend. We just need to watch the third one soon.

I have two new social media influencers that I follow on Instagram, and they both make me laugh out loud.

@educator_Andrea and @hayderz have some of my favorite stories to watch. Andrea is a high school English teacher in California, and she is so funny. She makes a lot of reels talking about the differences between teachers/students in elementary, middle, and high. So much of what she shares and creates is spot on with education in America.

Hayden has some hilarious reels too, and many of them are satirical and sarcastic. He always says, “Good night” or “Good morning to…” and it’s always something/someone funny.

Anyway, they are both bright spots on the ‘gram.

I’ve been loving the glow of the Christmas tree in the morning, evening, and dreary days we’ve been having lately. The sun finally came out yesterday afternoon, and I think that was the first time in a week I’ve seen the sun. I love the coziness of the Christmas lights…especially in the morning when the house is quiet, and I’m enjoying my coffee.

My dress arrived from Shop Style Your Senses, and I love it. I wore it to Trav’s work Christmas party on Saturday night with my favorite dressy wedges. (I got them years ago from Nordstrom Rack.) I believe that it’s sold out in black, but I’m kicking myself that I didn’t order it in the wine color. I got it in size large, and it fits just right.

I wore it to church yesterday with my leopard flats.

So those are a few things that I’m currently loving. What about you? What’s on your currently loving list?

One more things to love! I love that I’ll be back each month in 2023 with these ladies again.

If you have blog, we’d love for you to join us on the second Monday of each month starting with January’s topic: an introduction of yourself and your blog. I usually start the year off saying “hi” and getting reacquainted with reader, and I love (and appreciate) that I have new readers throughout the year.

Please save our graphics and join us!

Well, we have five days this week, and then it will officially be break! Can’t wait.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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