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Wall Pops!

Posted on April 22, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

So, our master bedroom has been the one room in the house that we’ve neglected. I’d kind of been holding off making decisions until I knew what we may do about an addition to the master bedroom. I think we are putting a “pin” in that for now, so I decided to move forward with a refresh to our bedroom.

This past weekend, Travis and I spent about three hours Friday night wallpapering a wall in our bedroom. Y’all, we’ve lived in our house for five years and only over this past Christmas break, we moved the furniture around a bit. We moved the bed and took off the mirror of our dresser to allow space for the television. Now we can see the tv from our bed easier and there’s more floor space when you enter our bedroom.

I follow Michelle (@ellerydesigns) on Instagram, and she’s often talking about Wall Pops. Wall Pops has peel and stick floor tiles and wallpaper. She updates her mantle seasonly with the NuWallpaper, and she’s used the floor tiles in various spaces in her home. So, I felt comfortable purchasing and attempting the wallpaper. (Also, she often has a Wall Pops code that she shares with her followers!)

I purchased three rolls of the Shiplap NuWallpaper which is exactly what we needed for this wall. Each roll was $35 on sale (usually $50), so that was a good deal. Along with the wallpaper, I did purchase the smoother and utility knife (less than $5 total) to make sure we had what we needed.

First and foremost, we are novice (very novice) wallpaper hangers…even the peel and stick kind of wallpaper. 😂I’ve seen Michelle post her videos, and I watched a You Tube video of a woman hanging her wallpaper, so I did think it would be easier than it was. Travis thought it would be a one person job. At least in our case, it was definitely a two person job. Honestly, the trickiest part was matching up (the best that we could) the lines. For example, after hanging the first strip, we realized the lines that matched up best were at the end of the roll. So, we unrolled the entire roll to find what would match best. Smoothing it out wasn’t a problem…and we can attest to the fact that the strips can be removed easily because we had to do so many times! haha.

Once we got the hang of it, we kind of got in a groove, but it definitely took longer than we thought. I think we worked on it for about three hours stopping for a few minutes here and there. Besides matching up the lines, the end piece where the walls meet was rather difficult (for us) as well.

All I know is the lady in the You Tube video wasn’t sweating and saying the occasional cuss word! 😉 When I shared the before and after pics on Facebook this weekend, I joked that we are apparently at the phase of quarantine where we decide to test our almost fifteen year marriage by hanging wallpaper on ONE wall! haha

FYI one roll provided about two strips with maybe a bit extra.

Overall, we were very pleased with the outcome, and it was a very cost effective transformation.

Before:

The entire house was painted this tan/yellow color, but, like I said, our room was the only room that hadn’t been painted.

After:

The next morning, the daylight, confirmed how much I loved the final outcome. Also, we had thought about putting the wallpaper on a longer wall in our room, but I am glad we went with the smaller wall. The final outcome added just enough “pop” in the room for our refresh.

Then, on Sunday, Travis (and Hadley!) painted our other three walls Repose Gray which is what we used in most of our main living spaces in our house. I also found some new bedding for us from Chip and Joanna’s Hearth and Home line at Target. Lastly, I hope to hang a few pics of the kids’ artwork in our room for a gallery wall…and then this refresh will be finished!

Even though the project took a bit longer than I thought it would, I would still do it again. I was thinking of maybe letting Hadley pick out a design she’d like on ONE wall in her room 😉

I hope you are having a great week!

Take care,

Me, Tuesday Talk

Tuesday Talk- Why I started a blog

Posted on April 21, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Happy Tuesday. Y’all, I’m linking up with Erika and Ashley for my first ever Tuesday Talk. I’ve been reading Erika’s blog for years, and the third Tuesday of the month she links up with Ashley for a Tuesday Talk about whatever topic they want to talk about it. So, I now read Ashley’s blog too! And…she’s fun to follow on Instagram.

Since I’ve been able to post a bit more lately, I thought for my first Tuesday Talk I would just focus on why I started a blog and link some previous posts about myself. So…here we go…

I had been wanting to start a blog for quite some time. Like…I remember in spring of 2010 when I was sad about leaving the kids and going back to school, a couple of people mentioned blogging and how some actually make money doing so. I said, “What’s a blog?” 😂 Anyway, back to school (and to the sitter for the kids) I went…which was best for all of us! 😉 About five years later, I started reading Bev Weidner’s blog as well as Shay Shull’s blog and just loved the recipes, the humor, the family stories, the pictures, etc. As time went one, I found other blogs I loved to read and do so every morning.

Honestly, these blogs bring me joy. They’ve offered insight to topics I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. I’ve read posts and laughed. I’ve read posts and cried. Because of them, I’ve read books that have inspired me. I’ve cooked meals for my family that everyone enjoyed. I’ve started new traditions that are important to me. The list goes on and on.

Through the years, I’ve had people continue to tell me I should start a blog after seeing some pictures I’ve posted or a funny story I’ve told on Facebook. I just kept putting it off because I didn’t know how and wasn’t sure if I’d have the time to commit to it.

Last summer, I made it a priority. Another thing to do before I turned the big 4-0. I love that a blog is a way to share about my family (especially because lots of my family lives in Missouri), share books I’ve been reading, post funny memes, and tell my Homer stories! Also, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a creative person, but this is creative outlet for me. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m actually pretty introverted and somewhat quiet. The blog is a way for me to share my voice, in some respect.

I hope that people find me relatable, honest, funny, encouraging and more. That’s how I feel about the ladies’ blogs I read daily. I feel like I keep it pretty light and fluffy around here, but I do feel vulnerable at times with some posts. You just never know how someone may interpret what you’ve written or have an opinion about something you’ve shared. I definitely want my corner of the internet to be a place people want to visit for a book idea, a recipe, or to chuckle at the insanity that typically ensues at my house.

Thanks to all those who have followed my Facebook or Instagram pages. Thank you for those who subscribe to blog emails or for the readers who click the “follow” button on the blog. Thanks to those who read an occasional post or write a comment or even just “like” the post. It’s truly encouraging and uplifting to me. After only about 9 months of blogging, I’ve “met” some new (to me) bloggers through link ups, and continued to broaden the topics I try to write about. Also, I’m not in it for the money 😉 I still don’t even know how that works! This has just become a fun hobby for me…and certainly one I wish I had started sooner.

Again, thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for encouragement along the way!

Here are a few previous post about me and some of the favorite blogs I love to read.

Some additions to my favorite blogs since I did that post at the end of the summer (I think I reposted it yesterday by accident. Whoops! #Imstillanoviceblogger): Grace and Love, Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa, That Inspired Chick, , and Fancy Ashley. Some ladies post daily, others a few times a week, and some just once a week or so. I always love hearing what they have to say!

Definitely check out Ashley and Erika’s posts today too!

As always, thanks so much for reading.

Uncategorized

Favorite Blogs

Posted on April 20, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

After starting a blog, I realized there are many people who may not read any blogs…ever…so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites.

The first two blogs are ones that I have been reading for years…and I’m not sure how I stumbled upon either one…but I love them both.

Mix and Match Mama is one of my favorite blogs to read. The author is Shay Shull, and her brother Sean was one of the Bachelors on ABC. She’s the mom to four kids, two of whom are adopted. Her posts on adoption have really opened my eyes to that aspect of parenting. She’s certainly an inspiration as she shares her stories about all of her kids! Also, she has several cookbooks. Her cookbook Simmers is something I use at least once a week! I always thought using the crockpot was only for pot roasts (which isn’t a fave food of mine), but she has SO MANY wonderful recipes. Some of the recipes I’ve probably made fifty times! The King Ranch Joe (chicken recipe w/ corn bread), Chicken Tortilla Soup, Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes, and Beef Enchilada Tacos are all family favorites in my house.

The Kids in the Kitchen cookbook is fun. We don’t use it often, but I usually let the kids choose a recipe or two to try ….usually a dessert, and we will make that on a Sunday afternoon. The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Baked Pizza Pasta Casserole, and S’mores Pie have all been a hit! (**You can find both cookbooks on Amazon.)

Also, on Mondays, she always includes multiple recipes for “Meal Planning Monday.” I usually get my groceries on Sunday, so I usually get a few ideas for the next week which is awesome because when the next weekend rolls around, I already have at least one dinner idea!

Besides cooking, she shares about her family, what she wears (which has led to my love of Nordstrom), books she’s read (I get so many ideas from her!), and about the awesome vacations she and her family go on. (She also owns the Mix and Match Travel Agency.) She posts daily (M-F) which I love, and she’s one of the first blogs I read every day.

MixandMatchmama

Another blog I’ve been reading forrrrevvver is BevCooks.com. Bev Weidner is hilarious! Like laugh out loud funny. She’s a Kansas City based blogger. She posts a couple of recipes throughout the week, and there isn’t one that I’ve made that I didn’t love. Then, on Friday, she always posts a “Friday Flotsam” with random pics and thoughts (and questions!) that always have me smiling.

She has also been on the Food Network show The Kitchen cooking various recipes and has an online Food Network show called Mom Wins with quick and easy tips and recipes your kids would love.

Speaking of kids, she’s the mom to boy/girl twins and started her blog before having the kids and struggling with infertility. I connected with her on that level but also the fact that she keeps it real…all of the time…the good, the bad, and the ugly of life.

Lastly, her Instagram stories are awesome. She’s just so funny and light hearted that it’s easy to connect with her. Recently, she’s started a “book club” where she reads books and shares about them with the viewers. I’ve gotten many recipe and book ideas from her along with a good chuckle or two!

Bevcooks

Momfessionals is another blog I love reading. Andrea is the author and mom to three kids and full time middle school math teacher. I believe she started her blog years ago as a way to keep family members up to date with her growing family, but she shares so many other aspects of her life like educational toys and games, recipes, and teacher resources.

She is so artistic and will occasionally post some of her drawings as printables for kids to color. At Christmas time, she had a whole village with various houses and buildings…they were absolutely incredible and a fun way to give your kids something to do as well as let them be creative as well.

She spends so much time with her kids. I can tell that she’s a very hands on mom but sets clear boundaries for her kids while also letting each one of her kids be individuals, and she definitely embraces that. One of her recent posts was about her driving three hours round trip to pick up a bearded dragon for her son!

momfessionals

Other blogs that I love to read but don’t read as often are:

Living with Landyn, Kristy Wicks, Cotton Stem, and A Little Bit of Everything

I know everyone is super busy but these blogs have added to my life–whether it’s a recipe, a parenting hack, a book idea, or looking at life in a different way, and I hope my blog can be a source like that as well.

One last thing–I started an Instagram acct for this blog– @showmeandsweettea To be honest, it may all be too much to juggle–Facebook, Instagram, blog, (and school is about to start!) etc…but I figure it can be a public acct and a way to let you know when I’ve created a new post.

Happy reading!

Memes

April Monday Memes

Posted on April 20, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How is it already Monday? How was your weekend? I think I feel like this weekend went fast because we were pretty busy. After wrapping up school on Friday, Travis and I started working on our master bedroom refresh…Wall pops wallpaper, fresh paint and some new bedding. Real Talk: he (and Hadley!) did the painting. I’m really good at overthinking which shade of gray comforter will best match the quilt I picked out for the bed! More details on that refresh later when it’s 100% complete.

I can’t believe we are five weeks (I think?!) into social distancing/staying at home/distance learning… Memes give me life while scrolling through social media as well as a chuckle or two. So…I thought I’d share some of my faves.

That being said, I upload funny memes to my post as the month goes on. I sat down yesterday to see what I’ve added to his post throughout this month…and, you guessed it….they are all social distancing/staying at home/distance learning themed.

I hope that’s ok. I guess in a few years, I will look back on this post, and it will be a time capsule of thoughts and feelings for April 2020.

Netflix: I’m almost halfway finished with season 3 of The Crown. That means in the past few weeks I’ve watched all of season 2 and started season 3. I’m getting used to the new cast. I really like the new (older) Philip. Travis and I also started watching The Stranger and the first two episodes intrigued me. Also, we finished Tiger King last week (and truly binge watched it–which is unlike us….finishing all the episodes in a matter of days). I have no words. Speechless. Up next, I’m know Travis is dying to watch Ozark season 3.

Any other Netflix suggestions? Let me know. 🙂

Y’all, I thought Target was closed. You know back when they closed Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx (tear!), HomeGoods (sob!), etc…Well, I thought Target was closed too! For like a whole month…that’s what I thought…until I saw someone post about what they’d picked up at our local Target. Anyway, I’d been on the hunt for some new bedding (and a few other essentials from Target), so I did venture to Target on Saturday. I kept my (social) distance and thanks to Chip and Jo, I found what I needed and got out ASAP! I got my Target fix for now…but back to staying put at home.

Not only do I talk to myself (as well as walk into a room and not remember why…), I now tell myself inside jokes 😉

We still haven’t heard if we will be returning to school this year or not. I’m afraid the writing is on the wall…so there may not be a car line of parents in May, but come August, people will be lined up in the dark at drop off!

I honestly was just starting to think about Mother’s Day and just the month of May, in general. Both my parents have May birthdays, so I was thinking about what I could buy online, etc…and then I saw this meme! Made me laugh.

I saw this on my friend Lauren’s Instagram stories, and I about spit my drink out with laughter! 😂I’ve been on a few Zoom calls with school (and one with my friends this weekend!) and actually those Zoom calls haven’t been boring!

And, a final thought…on a more serious note… I’ve said it before, but now that we are settled in this routine, I know my family will look back on this time and treasure it. I know we don’t have it rough for one second. I’m a homebody, so it’s not a stretch for me to want to be at home anyway. (But…I can’t wait for the day when I don’t feel like I need to take a shower after running an errand!)…but again, we are safe and sound, have food in our fridge, technology to keep up with school and family, and most importantly have our health.

Honestly, my mind drifts to students who are home in an environment that is unstable with various stresses and worries. There are so many kids who want to be at school because those are the best seven hours in their day. It’s where they get a decent meal, where they have someone who encourages them and lifts them up, and where they can put their worries aside for a bit of time.

So…

I hope you have a great week. Week 3 of distance learning…Here. We. Come.

Take care,

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#23}

Posted on April 17, 2020August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy FRIDAY! Week two of distance learning went a bit smoother this week which was a relief. That being said, the weather was either rainy/overcast or chilly. So, we didn’t do a great job of getting outside as much as we usually do. Hopefully, we can do that this weekend.

As with all Friday Favorites posts, I’m linking up with Narci, Erika, and Andrea. Make sure to check out their posts too!

Here are some favorites from the week:

Favorite Pic:

We made the best of a different Easter for us which I wrote about in Wednesday’s post.

The kids did a great job of going with the flow for Easter, and I love this pic of them.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Hayden loves Homer so much. So, when I walked in the living room Saturday morning, I said, “I can’t believe you and Homer aren’t snuggling.” Hayden said, “Homer wants some social distance.” 😂 Funny but also sad that’s a term that’s so common right now. 😢

Also, the kids shared their favorites last week, and their answers are simple, sincere, and funny.

Favorite Clothing Item:

About a month ago, I bought this Universal Thread sweatshirt at Target. I purchased the camo one and then a few weeks later, I ordered it in blush. The quality is great and it’s so comfy…Fun fact: It can be worn with pjs, sweatpants…and probably even jeans that button…but I haven’t tried that outfit look yet 😉 Bonus! It’s only $20.

Favorite Food:

We made one of our favorite meals recently and then one of our favorite desserts for Easter.

Favorite Moment:

Like I said above, it was hard to get motivated to spend lots of time outside with the dreary weather and cooler temps.

Also, about a year and a half ago, my back did me in…a trip to the doctor and he said I had sciatica. Thankfully, with some meds and some rest it went away…until recently.

My back started bothering me about a week ago and by Monday it was to where I could barely sit for long. So, I had to pause on my normal workouts but was determined to at least go for a short walk every day. I’m glad I did. Even in the cold, 37 degree weather we were having Tuesday, I was able to see so many beautiful blooming flowers. My bundled up walk felt more like February, but the beautiful flowers reminded me it is springtime in the bluegrass state!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Ain’t this the truth?! haha

I recently joked that you know it’s math time at our house when Homer puts himself in the kennel! It’s usually the last subject we do (and maybe I need to rethink that) and math isn’t necessarily a strength of mine…so the struggle tends to be real when we are trying to focus on how to use a protractor while measuring angles!

Favorite Kid Activities:

For science this week, the kids were to construct a 3-D object made out of recyclable objects that they could find around the house. Honestly, they found all the items and came up with their vision of constructing robots all on their own. We had to help a bit getting some parts to stay together, but I loved how they turned out. Hadley wanted to add hair with the leftover Easter basket grass, and Hayden did too. Of course, Hadley had to accessorize with a bow and sunglasses! Hayden added the Nike swoosh.

I know Hadley is missing her dance classes…mostly based on the number of Tik Tok performances I have to sit through on any given day. To balance out the Tik Tok (and, for the record, she doesn’t have an account), thankfully her dance studio is offering some online sessions. On Wednesday, she took over the sunroom for an hour long ballet, tap, jazz class.

Bonus: Flashback Friday

This memory popped up on Facebook, and it made me smile. I don’t remember where she got that dress, but I do remember her walking into the kitchen telling me she was going to wear this dress when she gets married. Awe. So sweet!

Well, that’s a wrap on this week! I hope you have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.

Thanks for reading!

Delish Desserts

Delish Desserts- Graham Cracker Pudding Recipe

Posted on April 16, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I was digging through my recipe box (which I don’t use very often) and stumbled upon a favorite dessert that I hadn’t made in a while. I thought it would be perfect for our Easter dessert.

Trav’s mom gave me this recipe years ago, and I think she typically uses strawberry filling. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of fruit fillings, so I use the pudding option!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
3 Tblsp. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1 – 8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. whipped topping
1 box vanilla pudding and pie filling
1 box chocolate pudding and pie filling
**(Instead of pudding, you could use 2 cans strawberry pie filling)

Instructions:

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a small bowl.
Press into the bottom of a 9×13 dish.
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping together (I used my hand mixer)
Put on top of crumb mix in your dish.
Mix the pudding (I used my hand mixer) in a small mixing bowl (**Each pudding box called for two cups of milk—but I just used two cups total)
Put on top layer of your dish.
Chill.
After a couple of hours, I spread the remaining whipped topping on top of the layers kind of as an icing. We also had mini chocolate chips, so I sprinkled some of top of the whipped topping.
Enjoy!

My helper. It’s always fun to lick the bowl!

I hope this recipe is one that you’ll enjoy…It only lasted two days at our house! See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

Take care,

Holidays

Easter

Posted on April 15, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday. As I mentioned in Monday’s post, our Easter looked a bit different this year (as, I’m sure, was the case with most everyone!) We did take advantage of beautiful weather on Saturday for an egg hunt in the front yard. Thankfully, it didn’t take much convincing for my kids to put on Easter clothes for some pics before the egg hunt. I guess I was technically bribing them with candy, and somehow taking the photos took twelve minutes longer than necessary! haha.

They certainly are growing up on me! I did ask them that morning if they even wanted to do an egg hunt…I just didn’t know if they were “too old” for that now. They both said, “We will never be too old for candy!” (And, bonus –a few eggs had a dollar bill or two in them!)

Before quarantine began, I had seen Erin post about this Amazon dress that she had bought for all four of her girls. I bought one for Hadley, and it’s so cute and such great quality…and only $18! She can definitely wear it more than just on Easter Sunday.

Hadley’s dress from Amazon

Some outtakes from our Easter pic sesh:

We usually go to Trav’s aunt’s house in Elizabethtown where there are lots of kids and a big egg hunt, so I thought the kids would still want to do that. I thought this activity would take five minutes. Well, it took more like 20 minutes because Travis did such a good job hiding them! On two eggs each, I put a star, a rectangle, and a circle and told them they could get one of each of those. Those were the ones with money in them, and the rest had candy.

Picture with Homer!

And, then…we had a pleasant surprise with a family friend stopping by as the Easter Bunny. We heard a knock on the door, and Hadley said, “Mom! There’s an Easter Bunny at our door!” It was the highlight of their Saturday.

After lunch, we dyed Easter eggs in the sunroom.

Then, we decorated Easter cookies. There are a few local ladies who have their own cookie businesses, and I love when they offer cookie kits. This kit came from One Smart Cookie here in Lexington.

There’s no such thing as too much icing! (Just ask my kids!)

We always leave the eggs out for the Easter Bunny to hide as well as some carrots if we have any. Then, this year, we also left him a cookie! As you would expect, Homer ended up stealing the cookie off of the plate, so I had to leave a different cookie for EB.

The kids know that the Easter Bunny hides the hard boiled decorated eggs and brings them some candy. The rest of the goodies come from mom and dad.

I try not to go overboard and thank goodness for Amazon and other online shopping. Every Easter, the kids get new spring/summer pjs, flip flops, a swimsuit and a few other goodies. I try to be practical and purchase things they will need for summer anyway plus a few other surprises.

Easter goodies from mom and dad, in house egg hunt and a pic of the replacement cookie after Homer ate the bunny one.

After the indoor egg hunt, we had breakfast (pancakes & bacon) followed by a game of Jenga and then watched our church service online. Last year’s service was so beautiful; we certainly missed being there in person this year.

The rest of the day was spent lounging around. It was cold and rainy which was perfect weather for reading and movie watching.

We ordered Easter dinner from a local place, Minton’s, and it was so delish.

We had ham, potatoes gratin, brown sugar glazed carrots , brussel sprouts, and cheddar biscuits. For dessert, we had graham cracker pudding cake (I will share the recipe tomorrow) that Hadley helped me make.

We pulled out our China for dinner…& by that I mean that I had to go find the other place settings besides the two I have on display in my cabinet. 😂We found them in the garage, so clearly we don’t use them very often.

Once I put the napkin rings on, I wondered if I could make a cute name tag. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a little bunny tag, took white paper and put it up to my computer screen to trace the small bunny. Then, I outlined the bunny using black marker, and used some raffia to tie a bow. Hadley wrote our names and glued a little cotton ball to the tail. Then, I attached them to the napkin rings with a small piece of tape. Quick project that turned out so cute.

Using what I had, I made a quick centerpiece using the tray from our coffee table, candles and holders I keep in our cabinet, one of my bunny decorations, grass from the kids’ baskets and some of our dyed eggs.

I love trying to use what I already have in my house to add little touches here and there.

After dinner, we played a couple more rounds of Jenga, enjoyed our delicious dessert and headed to bed pretty early since Hadley had woken us up at 6:50 ready to start the day 😂(which is very unlike her! She tends to sleep in!)

Of course, we missed being with family on Easter but it was also nice to just be home as a family…since holidays usually have us driving here, there and everywhere.

See you back here tomorrow with a delicious dessert recipe.

Thanks for reading,

Home Updates

Transformation Tuesday: Master Bathroom

Posted on April 14, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

The home renovation posts continue with how we updated our Master Bathroom. This is the bathroom right off our bedroom (obviously!) It’s very small. Travis and I have lived in three houses together and never shared a bathroom until this one (as far as for getting ready purposes). Once we updated the basement bathroom, he did move down there as he moved his clothes to the closet down there as well. So that freed up some space and is a time saver in the mornings!

Anyway, as I’ve mentioned before, we have plans for an addition. If/when that happens, this would become Hayden’s bathroom. So, the updates are quite nice, but we did keep in mind that some day teenager Hayden may have this bathroom, so we didn’t totally bust the budget with super fancy upgrades.

Before:

The pics from the listing aren’t the best, but you can see there’s a small linen closet with a closed in shower, and then toilet and vanity are to the bottom right of the photo.

Also, random note—I don’t think I mentioned it in previous posts but all of our interior doors were very dated. We lived with them that way for quite some time because, as we learned, hanging and painting doors is tedious and somewhat expensive work. A couple of years ago, we finally had that project completed with new doors and handles. (Older doors that we had throughout our house pictured above…updated doors in the demo pic below)

As with most of our previous updates, Travis did the demo, we both made design decisions, and then our handyman neighbor completed the detailed work.

Here’s where the pieces of the puzzle started to get put back together…

We went with gray and white tile and gray vanity to keep the same color scheme throughout the house.

I had forgotten all the decisions that have to be made in these renovation projects until I looked at this floor pic…We even had to choose the grout color! (And at one point, we had to decide which way the tiles looked best–vertical or horizontal)

After:

As with most of the work we’ve had done, we purchased most everything (lights, tile, vanity, shower, etc.) from Lowes or Home Depot. I was trying to shake my gray colored trend and truly thought we’d get a white vanity, but saw this one and loved the counter top. Again, I love the mix of grays and whites.

This curved shower door was such a vast improvement. The bathroom looks so much bigger! Our neighbor, who did the work, pointed out that we could get the plastic insert with detailing to look like tile, and I’m glad we went that route. It elevates the look a bit.

I wish I could remember the wall color but I wanted a light color for the bathroom but also a cool toned color. All of our other walls in our house (besides the kids’ rooms) are Repose Gray or Pavilion Beige.

The two drawers of the vanity have been so helpful as I’m able to store so many more items that I used to have to put in bins and other shelves. The vanity (and the linen closet) provide all the storage I need as well as storage for towels, medicine, and other necessities for the family.

The whole project took a few weeks and we were very pleased with the outcome.

As far as major updates, we only have our hall bath left to complete. It’s the world’s smallest bathroom with a less than ideal set up as both kids use it to get ready in the morning! haha

Previous Home Renovation project posts 🙂

Thanks so much for reading. See you back here tomorrow for a post about our Easter.

Take care,

Meals and Recipes

Monday Meals: Chicken Marinade & Orzo

Posted on April 13, 2020May 15, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Happy Monday. I hope you had a great weekend as well as a great Easter. Of course, our Easter looked pretty different this year, but we made the most of a gorgeous Saturday for an egg hunt in our front yard followed by dyeing eggs and decorating cookies. Yesterday, we a day spent in pjs watching our church service online, calling family to say “Happy Easter,” and spending time relaxing most of the day.

Although the weather is supposed to be cooler here in Lexington this week, we have been grilling out quite a bit. I don’t typically love chicken on the grill, but if we do grill chicken, we either slather it with BBQ sauce or use this marinade. I made this last weekend and remembered what a family favorite it is.

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (or tenders)
6 gloves of garlic, minced
Parsley, chopped
1/4 c. Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

If I use chicken breasts, I cut them into smaller pieces, almost the size of tenders.
In a bowl, put minced garlic, zest and juice of one lemon, chopped parsley leaves, salt, pepper, mustard, olive oil and then mix into a paste.
Put chicken in the paste, mix together, and then refrigerate until ready to grill.

Chicken mixed in marinade, ready to refrigerate.

A perfect side dish with this chicken is one of my favorite orzo dishes that I found on Pinterest years ago. Even my kids love it!

Ingredients:

1 c. uncooked orzo pasta
1/4 c. butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tblsp. chopped, fresh parsley
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 Tblsp. milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook orzo according to package directions until just tender, about 10 minutes; drain.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Stir cooked orzo into butter.
Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Gradually add milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Stir in parsley and salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.

I hope you have a great week! I’m about to wake up two kids for week two of virtual/distance learning ! Wish us luck!

Thanks for reading, and happy cooking!

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#22}: Kids Q&A Edition

Posted on April 10, 2020August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Shew! We made it to Friday. As with every Friday Favorites, I’m linking up with Narci, Erika, and Andrea, so check out their posts too!

Honestly, this week was a huge adjustment as it was our first week of virtual learning along with me working from home. First and foremost, HIGH FIVE to all the educators out there busting it to make school as easy, seamless, and meaningful for their students (and the students’ parents!) as it has been. I have been BLOWN AWAY with all that my kids’ teachers have done. The best thing is the daily 10:00 Google Meet class meeting. I know my kids love seeing their teachers and their classmates.

Also, HIGH FIVE to all the parents out there working AND helping their kids with their school work. I’m a teacher, and this has been a MAJOR learning curve for myself as a high school educator as well as now a teacher to two 4th graders! We will get through this, but I’m certainly looking forward to a nap later today followed by a glass of wine! 😉

For this edition of Friday Favorites, I decided to ask the kids some of their favorites. The age of 10 has been a fun one. They still need me but are also pretty independent. Needless to say, we’ve had lots of time together recently, and I thought this would be a great time (and a great age) to take note of some of their Favorite Things…

Hayden’s Favorites

Favorite color: blue
Favorite book: The Hatchet
Favorite TV show: Garfield
Favorite food: bacon
Favorite game: Madden 20
Favorite animal: dog (specifically the Homster!)
Favorite outfit: shorts and a t-shirt
Favorite subject at school: Social Studies
Favorite sport: basketball
Favorite breakfast food: Oatmeal and Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite holiday: Easter
Favorite vacation: Grand Canyon and Dodgers game in LA

Other Questions and Answers:

What do you want to be when you grow up? basketball player
What’s one thing you’ve learned at school this year? measurements in math
Name one thing you do really well. Sports and reading
Describe your best day ever. Saturdays because I can chill.
If I could choose a different name, I would choose…Cooper (Fun Fact: He was almost named Cooper)
When I’m with my family, I like to…watch TV shows and laugh with them.
What’s one thing you like about your sister…She’s fast.

Hadley’s Favorites:

Favorite color: teal
Favorite book: Mother Daughter Book Club Series
Favorite TV show: Alexa and Katie series
Favorite food: tacos
Favorite game: Diary of Wimpy Kid 10 Second Challenge
Favorite animal: monkey
Favorite outfit: athletic shorts and tank top
Favorite subject at school: Spelling
Favorite sport: Dance and Cross Country
Favorite breakfast food: Waffle with Nutella
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite vacation: Los Angeles

Other Questions and Answers:

What do you want to be when you grow up? An elementary school teacher
What’s one thing you’ve learned at school this year? How to do long division
Name one thing you do really well. Being sassy
Describe your best day ever. Going to Disney World
If I could choose a different name, I would choose…Mackenzie or Addison (Fun fact: She was almost named Addison)
When I’m with my family, I like to…go on bike rides or have a game night
What’s one thing you like about your brother…nothing really, but he can be sweet when he’s not awkward.

Even if they fight too much and some days drive me crazy, I know I’m blessed beyond measure with these TWO! And, Happy National Sibling Day to them as well.

Thanks for letting me share some favorites of my two favorites.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Easter.