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Posted in Home Updates

Transformation Tuesday: Basement Bathroom Remodel

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Tuesday! I’m including a bonus blog post this week because the Facebook memory popped up on my feed from February 2019 when we finished our basement bathroom. I LOVE seeing the inside of homes and how people renovate, decorate, etc. And…I love a good before and after reveal of a space. I heart HGTV!

A little history on our house…When we were looking for a home five years ago, we had our eye on our current neighborhood. I loved the proximity to places, the schools were great, and an older home meant a bigger yard with mature trees. That being said, our neighborhood is filled with homes that new owners most likely renovate.

Truth: I didn’t even want to look at our current home. Travis dragged me here. We even casually looked at it three times before finally deciding to place an offer. As soon as we looked at the house the first time, Travis knew this was the home for us. I still needed convincing. Right around the time I felt ok saying this could be our home, our realtor called saying someone else was making an offer. I was shocked at the timing because the house had been for sale for a few months. You know what gets me motivated to make a decision? Competition! I wanted to outbid these people. haha. Really though, we couldn’t beat the bones of the home, the location, yard, schools, etc. Thankfully, it all worked out. We later heard that we bid less than the other couple, but we didn’t ask them to fix/update anything more than they already had and the other bidders wanted them to do so.

So, I’m lucky it all worked out since I was moving at a slow pace to make a decision. I have always joked that I wouldn’t have moved into this house if HGTV and Pinterest didn’t exist!

The basement had a small bathroom with a sink and a toilet. Old tile and dim lights didn’t make it an appealing space. We have a guest bed area in the basement as we do have visitors somewhat frequently, so it did make sense to finish this space, so our guests wouldn’t have to come upstairs to shower and get ready.

A leaky toilet is what made us finally decide to do the renovation of the bathroom. We realized the toilet had leaked which messed up the tile and even the laminate floors we had put down in the basement about a year after we moved in.

Travis was so excited to do the demo that I didn’t get the true “before” pics, but I can promise you that the space wasn’t much to look at. We are blessed to have a handy neighbor who has helped up lay floors in the sunroom, change our kitchen back splash, add shelves to the unfinished part of our basement, update the master bath and then this bath as well. Travis likes to work and help when he can on these projects…so, like I said, he did the demo on the bathroom. Travis and I made made the design decisions and our neighbor did so much of the work with some help from Travis. Overall, I think the project took about six weeks as our neighbor just worked on the space when he had the time.

Travis even helped jack hammer the floor!
I love the tile we picked out and I appreciate that our neighbor thought to ask us if we wanted little details like a tiled insert in the shower.
I was so excited to use subway tile in this space.
We had a hard time picking out floor tile. I was concerned the bigger tiles would be too big in such a small space, but we loved the design and color of this tile. It turned out great. Also, the space heater was another touch we wouldn’t have thought of on our own.

The finished product:

Another reason I wish I started the blog sooner…I could have posted this is real time and actually shared links, etc as well…but we did get most everything at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

This space is so nice and welcoming for our guests. Our master bath is so small, that I use it and Travis uses this basement bathroom now.

Our house, even after five years of living here, feels like a forever work in progress. I actually do think it’s a blessing we didn’t buy the house and just gut it…It’s been nice to live in our space and make decisions as we’ve wanted to. We even have plans for an addition (to expand the master bedroom and also have a bigger master bath and closet) but the time, money, and amount of decisions we’d have to make continue to overwhelm me. I’m not sure when we will make that a priority…That being said, my kids share the world’s smallest bathroom and they usually fight every morning…I’m starting to find the motivation to make some decisions. 😉

I hope you enjoyed a little peek into this update. I always love seeing people’s homes…especially updates and renovations. I may include a few more posts in the future to show the kitchen/living room space as well as the changes we made in the basement and the master bathroom.

I hope you are having a great week.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Holidays, Memes

February Monday Memes and Valentine’s Day

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Monday! There is seriously nothing better than a 3 day weekend (and no school on a Monday!) I’m combining two posts into one and sharing some funny memes and a few details from our Valentine’s Day.

Memes

Fact. I hate to clean. (I don’t mind to tidy up). Fact. I love a good glass of wine! 😉

This literally made me laugh out loud. I love my weighted blanket more than I probably should. I seriously miss it if I’m away from home and don’t have it.

FYI I have this 15 lb blanket in taupe from Blanquil. (When I bought mine, it was close to $120…I used a code to get the discount)

I feel like I need at least three of me to get everyone where they need to be as well as get all the chores and errands accomplished…and I even have a very helpful husband!

I saw this meme on Facebook. Rang true with me! haha

Valentine’s Day

Ok, for me not being a huge fan of Valetine’s Day, it may appear that I go all out for this Hallmark holiday. Travis and I have always been no gifts, give each other cards and try to go out to dinner…and that’s been our tradition for a long time. I guess once I had the kids, I stepped up my Valentine’s Day game, but I just pick them up a few things here and there in the couple weeks leading up to February 14th. That being said, I still usually follow the something they need, something to read, something they want + chocolate!

Each kid received a book, and some winter weather gear (gloves and ear muffs (Hadley))—because Target had everything on clearance…, a game (Hayden received a Mad Libs game that we played over the weekend–lots of fun (and great grammar practice!) and Hadley received a puzzle that we will do as a family). Lastly, Hadley needed new volleyball shorts and Hayden requested a video game. I ordered a Valentine’s Day plate/napkin set on Amazon and served them powdered donut holes for breakfast (w/ some strawberries), and they were excited.

I did break my “no gift” rule for Travis and bought him a new wallet…since his old one has been #homered. Found out yesterday that wallet #2 has already been #homered as well.

When the kids were little, I started taking their pic and ordering 10 cards on Shutterfly to send family. It’s an easy and cost effective way to spread the love…as well as one stop shopping.

I always look forward to the bubble letters Travis writes on my cards. #eighteenyearsandcounting #bubblelettersaremanly

In all honesty, we usually don’t do much for dinner on Valentine’s Day because someone usually has a practice or somewhere to be. Since Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year, leading up to a three day weekend….AND we had no plans!, I decided to decorate a bit for dinner. The paper hearts and straws also came from Amazon, but the other decorations I already had around the house. (I plan to save the extra plates, napkins, hearts, etc to use next year if needed!)

Travis did decide to pick up steaks on his way home…and we already had Bob Evans mashed potatoes (Hadley’s fave!) in the fridge and cheesy broccoli in the freezer…So steaks were a “fancy” element to our dinner (and Trav’s fave) and the potatoes and broccoli were easy element to heat in the microwave.

In 2008, Travis and I went to Napa Valley with some friends. One of our favorite vineyards was a small vineyard someone recommended while we were out there. So, it was an unplanned pit stop to Anomaly. We love their wine. We brought a few bottles home and saved them for special occasions. In December of 2009, after Hadley arrived home from the NICU, we opened one of the bottles. Then, we took a bottle with us to Charleston, SC when we celebrated our five year wedding anniversary in June 2010. The last bottle we actually took with us to Lake Tahoe in the fall of 2015 when we celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary. Y’all know I love my wine, so the fact we hung on to those for so many years (and even when we moved houses) is a big deal 😉 That being said, the wine isn’t cheap, but it’s so worth it…& perfect for special occasions.

We loved the Anomaly experience and scenery so much that Travis took one of the pics I took while we were there and had a family friend paint the picture as a gift for me; it now hangs in our living room.

Some friends recently gifted us another bottle as a thank you, and I was going to open it for my 40th birthday, but as I’ve mentioned, I came down with the flu. We decided to share that bottle Friday night–and I joked we could celebrate my 40th, the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.

After dinner we played the new Mad Lib game…we had a great time and everyone was in bed by 9:30!

Besides basketball games, Travis and Hadley went to the Dad/Daughter Dance on Saturday night and then yesterday we went tubing at Perfect North with friends. (I will probably post about both of those fun activities later this week 😀)

I hope you had a great weekend. The sun finally came out and it looks like the temps are on the rise again! It almost makes me wish it was spring…but I’d love at least one more pretty snow (and snow day!) before everything starts to bloom.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#15}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Friday! and… Happy Valentine’s Day. I can’t believe February is halfway over! As always, it’s been busy around here, but we’ve also had time to squeeze in some favorite activities, spend time with one of our favorite visitors, and even enjoyed some of our favorite meals this week.

Like all Friday Favorites, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea.

Thanks to an unexpected four day weekend last week (due to low attendance in our district for the flu + it snowed last friday), we were able to have some extra fun. My mom (GG) was in town, we had snowman pancakes, the kids played in the snow, chose Taco Bell for lunch, and then we went to a local pottery painting place and the kids each chose a plate to paint. They’ve been wanting to go the the Mad Potter, so I figured a snow day was a great day to let them choose something to paint. They did most of the painting themselves, and both were proud of their finished products. We can pick the painted pieces up today, so I know it will be a favorite activity for the week to see their creations in person.

Boo bleeds blue!
Sis loves rainbows

Some of Hadley’s favorite people cheered her on during her basketball game on Saturday.

Hayden, GG, cousins Wyatt & Layla

I swear, we have some activity almost every weeknight. I do enjoy cooking, but it’s so difficult with at least one of the kids having something almost every night. I rely heavily on my slow cooker and Instant Pot, but I thought I’d change things up a bit…and leading up to Valentine’s Day let both kids choose their favorite meal for dinner.

Monday–Hadley chose salmon as her favorite and added Trader Joe’s Shells and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese as a side dish. Mac and cheese has always been a favorite of mine, so we combined our favorites. Travis cooked dinner while I took Hadley to her evening activities. Our Kroger has the baking bags for fish–where they put whatever fish you’d like in the oven bag and I always have them add butter, dill, and lemon. You bake in the oven, serve, and throw away the foil bag. Easy dinner clean up is especially appreciated on an busy Monday night.

Tuesday–Hayden requested pizza. We love the DiGiono’s thin crust pizzas, and Hayden loves the four meat one, so I baked that and we had strawberries and bagged Ceasar salad. Again, a late night of activities, so it was nice to keep things simple.

Wednesday–I decided to try this recipe from Andrea at Momfessionals. She shared the Creamy Rice Casserole recipe a few weeks ago, and I’d been wanting to make it. It seemed hearty, easy and delicious…and it was….so good!! I loved it so much that I was so excited about having some for lunch on Thursday.

Thursday — The kids had an event at their school with dinner provided…no cooking + family fun = Win. Win.

Friday— I’m still not sure what we will have for dinner tonight. We are certainly not going out, so we will either get carry out from somewhere, or I may make breakfast for dinner.

And…don’t worry—Travis had his favorite…steak… when he and I went out to dinner last Saturday night for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. The Blue Heron always has great food.

We enjoyed one of our favorite activity nights at school.

And, of course, a favorite school activity is the Valentine’s Day party / exchange. The kids aren’t having a big party at school with activities, but they are still exchanging Valentines and having a sweet treat in the afternoon. They were to bring a decorated box for the exchange. These decorated boxes couldn’t show the differences in Hayden and Hadley’s personalities more if they tried. Over the top vs simple. #thisismylife While Hadley decorated her box last week, Hayden said, “I’m just going to write my name on the box.” I figured he’d throw at least a heart or two on the box…but I guess he was serious about only putting his name. haha

Bonus fave: Flashback Friday – February 2015

This has always been a fave pic of mine. So little and so cute…and Hayden’s shirt always cracks me up (especially since I joke he will be living with me when he’s 30 😉 #mamasboy

Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts! I hope you have a great weekend!

And…Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Clothes, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Y’all, we’ve made it to Wednesday. It’s the second Wednesday of the month which means I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s Let’s Look.

This month’s focus is Let’s Look: Your Winter Wardrobe.

Well, until last week, it really hasn’t felt much like winter. Also, after the holidays, I eased up on spending money, so some of the clothes that I’m wearing on the regular are ones that I’ve already posted about. I thought I’d still share because I am still loving these “Winter Wardrobe” pieces.

The Zella Half Zip is a fave…I wear it going to the gym, with jeans, and I’ve even worn it to school with black pants. The one I have appears to be sold out, but this option looks quite similar and just as comfy!

I’m still loving the Longline Turtleneck sweater (I have it in pink and in gray) as well as the Thread and Supply Wubby Fleece Pullover. I have it in charcoal, but it also comes in a “milk” color.

Since we’ve had a pretty mild winter, I’ve gotten so much use out of my lighter weight coat that I bought in the summer during the Nordstrom sale. Again, this seems to be sold out, but I’m sharing because hitting up the Nordstrom summer sale for winter items always feels a bit odd…but I’m so glad I bought this Quilted Utility Jacket. It was regularly priced at close to $90 (I believe), but I got it for $60. I’ve worn it almost daily during the fall and this mild winter. My favorite part is the front two pockets—perfect for sticking my car keys and my phone in them if I don’t want to drag my purse place to place.

So, I’ve read Mallory’s Style Your Senses blog for quite some time (and I also follow her on Instagram as well). About a year ago, she started her Shop Style Your Senses shop. Business must be booming because after a few months, she moved from her home office to a warehouse…and then just recently shared that she now has an app for the the store. I’ve ordered a few dresses from her shop this past summer and loved them. Recently, she posted so many cute athleisure wear options…I snagged the Heather Gray Crew Neck Pullover, and I love it. I wore it a few days in a row last week. I also recently purchased these earrings and wear them daily! I know you’ll find something you love from her shop!

Speaking of winter wardrobe, it finally snowed in Kentucky last week. It was a pretty three inch snow. We were already out of school due to low attendance because of the flu, but since there was snow on the ground, I made my traditional snowman pancakes for the kids’ breakfast on Friday. We always have pancake mix on hand, and I tend to have the other ingredients in the kitchen because Hayden loves a side of bacon (the microwave kind!) with everything, and we are always fully stocked with mini marshmallows for Hadley to add to her daily hot chocolate. #theyliveablessedlife Also, #momhack but I often make more pancakes than we need and either put the leftovers in the fridge or the freezer for future breakfasts.

After pancakes, it was only a matter of time for me to get in my cardio (AKA helping the kids get on their winter weather gear!) They received new snow bibs for Christmas from their Gma. I was afraid they wouldn’t get to use them this year. Thankfully, we tend to be on a mostly every other year rotation–this year snow bibs, next year they will probably need boots, etc.

The kids lasted outside for quite some time with their friends!

Homer loved the snow! I guess he is part Husky. He had lots of fun running laps around the backyard! He enjoyed his first real snowfall!

About a minute after I took this photo, he snagged my slipper right off my foot and ran around the backyard with it for a few minutes #baddog

Next month’s Let’s Look is about the inside of your purse! Good, that gives me a month to get my purse organized! haha

Make sure to check out Shay and Erika’s posts as well!

I hope you are having a great week.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Meals and Recipes

Monday Meals: The Major’s Chili

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Monday! After an unexpected four day weekend, we are ready to hit the ground running this week…..at least I think we are! Well, what choice do we have?! haha. The weather was actually cold enough last week (and it finally snowed on Friday!) to make chili, so I made my dad’s chili. I thought I’d share the recipe with you.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped (I usually use 3/4 of a big white onion)
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2, 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained
  • 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 16 oz jar thick and chunky mild salsa
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles
  • 1/2 c apple cider (I sometimes use apple juice if I don’t have cider)
  • 3 Tblsp. chili powder
  • 1 Tblsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tblsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp salt

Instructions:

  • Heat oil in a large pot and add beef, chopped onion and garlic and cook until beef is browned and cooked through.
  • Drain any grease.
  • Stir in all other ingredients
  • Boil, then reduce and let simmer and cover
  • Stir frequently for 1 hour.
  • Enjoy–serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, crackers, etc.
  • **The other night, I made this and let it simmer about 15 minutes and then put it in the slow cooker on high for 1 hour. Then, we ate it when everyone got home from their basketball practices.
Of course, this recipe freezes well too.

I’m glad I went ahead and made this last week (and we got two nights of dinner out of the recipe)….the temps will be back in 50’s this week!

I hope you have a great week.

Thanks for reading,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#14}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Friday! It’s been a soggy, cloudy week around here. It’s also just been the weirdest week. It legit took us all a couple nights in a row of going to bed by 9pm (all of us—well, the kids and me) to recover from our hectic and then exciting (GO CHIEFS!) weekend. Then, Wednesday evening as I was driving home from volleyball carpool, I get a phone call from a random number…Well, it was our school district saying that because of the high level of absences due to flu, they were cancelling school for Thursday and Friday. I’m so thankful we are all healthy (but, remember, the flu took Hadley out for a couple days and myself for an entire week a few weeks ago. #sowevepaidourdues I’m hoping Travis and Hayden continue on the healthy train!) It’s been nice to have a couple extra lazy mornings, and I’m ready for a slower paced weekend…

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

FAVORITE PIC

Honestly, it’s a little tough to choose one fave pic. In Monday’s post, I recapped our weekend. I loved lots of pics from last weekend—Hadley at the District Science Fair, Hayden’s Kobe tribute (in permanent marker on his Mambas), Hadley’s chorus performance, etc…but these four cuties in their Chiefs gear was definitely a sweet pic. That being said, three of the four cuties had no clue what was going on during the game, but Hayden sure did!

Cute cousin crew

The Chiefs pic reminded me of this early November 2015 when there were only three cutie cousins basking in the glory of the Royals World Series victory.

FAVORITE KID QUOTE

I forced Hayden to go to bed at 11pm on Sunday….he was still very pumped up after the Super Bowl win. As I tucked him in, he said, “Mom, I hope this Chiefs win isn’t a dream!” So cute. When the Chiefs won the AFC game, Hayden said, “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this!” I told him that I technically had been waiting my whole life for the Chiefs to go to the Super Bowl. haha Fifty years in the making! I hope he always remembers this victory…and I hope there are more big wins for the Chiefs in the future.

FAVORITE CLOTHING ITEM

I’ve been wearing my favorite Nordstrom turtle neck sweaters on repeat. They are easy to wear to school but also with leggings to be more casual on the weekends. I’m also still wearing my Thread & Supply Wubby Fleece Pullover , also from Nordstrom, especially on the weekends when I don’t want to wear a coat somewhere. It keeps me warm going to and from kids’ sporting events, etc. I linked them in a previous Friday Favorites post.

I’m also waiting on a Stitch Fix order to arrive. I receive orders about four times a year, and always end up keeping a couple items. The past few orders, Narci has been my stylist!

FAVORITE FOOD

It was finally cold enough outside to make chili for dinner this week. I usually use my dad’s recipe. I plan on sharing the recipe on Monday for Monday Meals.

FAVORITE MOMENT

Y’all, having kids in elementary school continues to be a walk down memory lane. They were so excited to receive their recorders this week. I was having a flashback to elementary school and playing the recorder in music class with Mrs. Young.

I played Hot Cross Buns for the kids, and they thought I was the coolest mom ever. Travis basically called me a nerd. haha

FAVORITE MOM MEME

I saw this meme last week and literally laughed out loud….because it’s the truth. I even walk into a room and can’t remember what I am looking for!

BONUS Favorite

Once I wrapped up my “Dry January” of no purchases from Amazon or Nordstrom, I purchased this blanket. We “needed” one more for the living room and this one is soft, fuzzy, and cute. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t think through the fact that Homer would think the fuzzy decorative pom poms on the blanket were chew toys. Ugh! Nothing is Homer proof.

Also, Wednesday’s post included my favorite Valentine’s Day decorations around my house.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you have a great weekend. We are looking forward to two basketball games and a cookie decorating class.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Holidays, Home Decor

Valentine’s Day Decorations

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Once I take down my Christmas decorations, I love the fresh look of a clean house. So, when February rolls around, I tend to keep the Valentine’s Day decorations pretty simple. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite decorations with you.

I picked up the XOXO at Home Goods last year, and it just sits on our living room bookshelf. The painted heart pallet is one of my faves! The stand in the corner of my kitchen usually holds a cookbook, but for fall, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, I use it to hold some sort of decoration. This heart pallet was painted by one of my friends.

Lastly, in another corner of my kitchen, I place a little heart dish with conversation heart candy (The candy never seems to last long!)

I replace my regular winter wreath with this cute heart door hanger that I got from an Etsy shop a few years ago. I love the simplicity of the white ceramic heart that I add to my entry way table each year.

Lastly, I keep the mantle simple with the XOXO banner.

I added this love sign yesterday after a pit stop at Michaels after school—all V-day items were 50% off!

I’m very aware that I treat Homer like the third child I never had. I’ve bought him a few scarves, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to purchase a heart scarf for him to wear. That being said, he doesn’t keep scarves on very long, but I figured maybe as the years go on, he will tolerate them?! Homer, AKA Pookie/Buddy/Biscuit, is a lover not a fighter! (unless you are Trav’s wallet or one of Hadley’s stuffed animals, and he will rip you to shreds!)

Two of my favorite valentines….

I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Travis knows that all I would like is a card and then we usually grab dinner out when we have a free evening. This weekend, my mom will be visiting, so she will watch the kids one evening while we go to dinner.

For Valentine’s Day, I usually pick up a few things for the kids. They like the heart shaped boxes of chocolates, and I always get them a book and another small gift or two. (I guess I should go ahead and figure that out!)

Since this year Valentine’s Day is on a Friday, I thought about putting together a little dinner for the four of us. I was thinking about asking each kid and Travis what their favorite meal would be and having a mix and match dinner of everyone’s favorites. Or, I may do breakfast for dinner or get carry out from somewhere, but eat on actual plates! #pretendtobefancy

What are your Valentine’s Day plans and/or traditions?!

I hope you are having a great week.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Weekend Top 5

Weekend Top 5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Monday. Shew…we had quite the weekend. The kind where I had to set an alarm on Saturday morning for the same time as I’d regularly get up for school. 😅 The kind of weekend where we were non-stop from the time our feet hit the floor until it was time for bed. I need a weekend to recover from our weekend! That being said, I thought I’d share some highlights…

I’m kind of cheating on the Weekend Top 5 and backing up to Thursday night. Hadley had her first chorus performance of the year, and she had been so excited for this night to come. The concert was called Snow Biz and the songs and dances were winter themed. She had such a great time, & always had a smile on her face. Sis doesn’t hate the spotlight 😂

The sweetest of friends
Snow Biz time!
I love a good winter theme …now, if only if would actually snow!

We were up early for the District Science Fair. Hadley set up her board and chatted with a few friends before the judging began. I sat in the stands while she waited her turn to talk to two judges. She did a great job. While only a few advanced to Regionals, I was so proud of her effort, confidence, and enthusiasm. I’ve been joking that I survived the 4th grade Science Fair 😂 We should probably start prepping for the 5th grade assignment now!

What would be a weekend without sports? Hayden had two basketball games, Hadley had one basketball game and a volleyball clinic this weekend.

Hadley and I missed Hayden’s first game, but when he and Travis got home, Travis asked if I had noticed Hayden’s shoes. Hayden’s just a sweet boy with a permanent marker and a pair of Mambas.

Their basketball league even had a “Thank You Kobe” sign which I thought was so sweet.

RIP Mamba
Basketball time!
Sunday volleyball clinic

It’s Girl Scout cookie time. I picked up Hadley’s first two orders on Friday after school. We are now needing to find the time to sort through the 400 boxes I picked up. Needless to say, she’s met her goal and we still have one more round of orders to place.

On Sunday, her troop had a cookie booth at Kroger for a couple of hours.

And…saving the best for last!

We’ve been counting down the days until the SUPER B O W L !!! ❤️💛 We watched the AFC Championship game at my brother’s house two weeks ago. After the Chiefs won, I told my brother that maybe I’d have a Super Bowl party. He looked at me like I was crazy, said to remember what we were wearing & where we sat for the game and to be back for the Super Bowl. 😂Hayden takes after my brother; he wouldn’t let me wash the Mahomes shirt and socks he was wearing as well as the shorts he had on, so he could wear them again for the Super Bowl.

I brought a couple apps and dessert for the big game. We are huge fans of Great American cookie cakes!

The cousin crew was ready to cheer for the Chiefs. ❤️💛

Let’s just say there was a certain 10 year old boy crying in the third quarter…but then his idol, Mahomes, started to turn the team around…& we all celebrated an awesome V I C T O R Y ! (During the last few minutes of the game, Hayden’s face was red and sweaty and he said, “I feel like I’m in gym class!”) He cracks me up.

And then…when I tucked Hayden into bed last night, he said, “I hope this isn’t a dream!” ❤️ Sweet sports loving boy.

I’m so excited for my home town, and there’s definitely “no place like Mahomes.”

I hope you have a great week! Ours is off to an awesome start with that big win! ❤️❤️

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in Books and Shows

January: What I’ve Been Reading

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

We made it to Friday! This week has seemed to never end. Actually, I feel like January has been the longest month ever! I saw this meme on Facebook and it’s the truth 😂

Well, it’s January 31st, and I read three books this month: A Woman is No Man, The Wives, and The Hate U Give. All pretty heavy/intense reads….especially compared to my lighter reading in December with a focus on holiday books.

A Woman is No Man

I will be shocked if this book isn’t one of my top 5 reads of 2020….and it’s the first book I read in 2020. #offtoagoodstart

Good Reads summary:

This debut novel by an Arab-American voice,takes us inside the lives of conservative Arab women living in America.

In Brooklyn, eighteen-year-old Deya is starting to meet with suitors. Though she doesn’t want to get married, her grandparents give her no choice. History is repeating itself: Deya’s mother, Isra, also had no choice when she left Palestine as a teenager to marry Adam. Though Deya was raised to believe her parents died in a car accident, a secret note from a mysterious, yet familiar-looking woman makes Deya question everything she was told about her past. As the narrative alternates between the lives of Deya and Isra, she begins to understand the dark, complex secrets behind her community.

My thoughts: This book caught my attention from the first page. The focus of the Arab culture and arranged marriages was so interesting to me. I loved the format of the book with chapters alternating Deya and her mother Isra. There were definitely some painful and gut-wrenching scenes to read, but I guess they were necessary to tell the full story. The twist in the plot with the note helped start putting together the pieces of the plot puzzle. This was a book I couldn’t put down even though it was definitely a heavy read.

The Wives

This book was a spur of the moment read. I follow Kristy Wicks on Instagram, and she mentioned her daughter had chosen a few books to start an online book discussion. So many people in the Facebook group for the book club were talking about how great the book was, so I actually bought it and downloaded it to my Kindle (I rarely buy books for my Kindle). I read the book in a few days.

Good Reads Summary:

New York Times bestselling author Tarryn Fisher delivers a pulse-pounding, fast-paced suspense novel that will leave you breathless. A thriller you won’t be able to put down!

Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.

My thoughts: It’s been awhile since I’ve read a good thriller/suspense book. The idea of the main character having multiple wives definitely hooked my interest from the start. The narrator is his second wife, Thursday, and I kind of just felt sorry for her. I kept thinking, “How does she have so much self-control as to not look up/find out more information about the other wives?” Well, it was only a matter of time! I enjoyed this book and it was suspenseful BUT the second half of the book didn’t sit right with me. Midway through the book there was a big shift…and after that, I wasn’t sure what to think about Thursday. Also, some of the plot from that point forward seemed rushed…including the ending. The book was good, and it was suspenseful, but I definitely liked the first half of the book way more than the second half.

Kristy and her daughter posted a book club discussion last week with a full summary (so…warning! if you click on the link below), their thoughts, and questions for their blog readers about the book.

Kristy wicks january book club discussion

The Hate U Give

I’m sure most everyone has heard of this book (or movie!). I may have been one of the last people to have read this book! I was prompted to read it because so many of my high schoolers have read it. It’s a young adult read that focuses on some hot topics and includes relevant and timely life examples.

Good Reads Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

My thoughts: This was a good read. I see why so many young adults/high school students would like the book. Unfortunately, I have students who live this life, who have seen things I will never see in my lifetime, and who have experienced these injustices first hand.

The book has classic elements for young adults like the characters, the setting, the language and the ongoing themes to hold the reader’s attention. This book definitely provides opportunity to spark conversation with not only young adults, but adults as well. I haven’t seen the movie, but my interest is definitely piqued after reading the book.

Those we my three January reads. I’m about halfway through with The Broken Girls, and it’s been a great read so far! I will share about it in February.

I hope you’ve had a great week.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Posted in What's up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Wednesday! It’s the first What’s Up Wednesday of 2020! Shay and Sheaffer are still hosting this monthly link up, so make sure to read their posts too!

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK:

I’m trying to keep it simple this week. Sunday was rather hectic, so I made Shay’s King Ranch Casserole. We love the King Ranch Joe recipe, so when I saw her post this casserole version, I made it. We had leftovers with salad on Monday night.

Tuesday, I made her Chipolte Turkey Chili recipe from the Simmers cookbook, but then I found it on her website to share with you. Wednesday nights are pretty busy, so we are having leftover chili tonight.

Thursday night’s dinner is kind of up in the air because Hadley has a chorus concert. We’ll either grab some dinner afterwards, or I will make simple pasta and red sauce for dinner.

Friday and Saturday nights we always get carry out or go out to eat. #mamadoesntcookontheweekend

WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

Honestly, just time flying by. I’ve blinked and my kids are halfway through with 4th grade. Next year is their last year of elementary school. How is that even possible?

It was the 100th day of school this week. This memory popped up in my Facebook memories. I’ve actually referenced this memory many times while explaining the difference in my kids. In kindergarten, the kids had to make something out of 100 pieces. Hayden spent hours (with a little help from Travis) constructing the football stadium out of 100 Lego pieces. Hadley layered 100 Skittles in a jar and called it a day! haha (To be honest, now that they are older, it seems like they’ve reversed these personality traits a bit. Hadley tends to take longer to finish, well, almost anything…and Hayden, unfortunately, tends to rush through some things that he should probably take more time on.) Side note: Where did my toothless littles go??

WHAT I’M LOVING:

I’ve seen some people share on their Instagram stories and blog posts about the Trader Joe’s Buffalo Style Chicken Dip, so I decided to pick some up earlier this week. It’s living up to the hype…it’s so good! I picked up the pita crackers as well as celery to eat with the dip. I figured celery could make it a good low carb option on the days I try to cut the carbs.

I meant to share this awhile back (hence the Christmas tree in the photo), but my kids (especially Hayden) have been loving this oatmeal. They had it at my mom’s house over Thanksgiving, and I found it at Kroger. Hayden eats it most morning from breakfast.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:

We’ve kept our sports rotation going with basketball for both kids, Hadley just started volleyball and is still doing dance, and Hayden has been prepping for the upcoming baseball season.

We’ve been fine tuning Hadley’s Science Fair project for the district competition this weekend. She’s so excited!

Also, we are looking forward to Hadley’s first chorus concert of the year which is tomorrow night.

WHAT I’M DREADING:

I’m not really dreading anything at the moment.

WHAT I’M WORKING ON:

I’m working on Friday’s post about the books I read in January. I was able to read three books; I’m almost finished with a 4th book, but I don’t know that I will get it read before posting on Friday. Make sure to come back and check out that post!

WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:

ALL of us are excited about our Kansas City CHIEFS being in the Super Bowl! We are ready to cheer them on this Sunday!

Mahomes and the Chiefs —#1 in our hearts

WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:

Reading:

Like I said above, I plan on posting my January Book Review on Friday. I’m currently reading The Broken Girls, but I don’t know that I will finish it in time for Friday’s post. I’ve been enjoying it!

Speaking of reading, Hayden and Hadley are to read at least four books a month and do a book talk about their book to their class. I received a sweet text with a pic of Hayden giving his book talk. When I told him about the the photo, he said, “Was my face red?” Kid hates speaking in front of others…and he sure gets it honestly (from me!) Apparently, “he knocked it out of the park” with his book talk on The Hatchet.

Watching:

Travis and I watched the Aaron Hernandez documentary over the past week or so. Very interesting.

I’m not sure why, but I’ve been binge watching 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray. Honestly, I remember living in my first apartment in 2003 (ish) and watching her on the Food Network. Her recipes from her show were some of the first meals I ever made. I like the updated version of the show. I feel like what she makes can actually be made in 30 minutes, whereas, in the original show, I remember only making one of a few recipes she’d make in the episodes.

Over break, I started watching some of the episodes of Reese Witherspoon’s Nexflix series Shine On. Reese visits/interviews (famous) women as they discuss their journeys. The first episode was Dolly Parton…and I was hooked.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

I haven’t been listening to as many podcasts lately but I’m halfway through two podcasts. Jayme Closs 88 Days is so interesting. It’s about 13-year-old Jayme Closs who goes missing after her parents were murdered. She’s gone for 88 days and the podcast includes interviews and analysis from family, friends, law enforcement, etc.

Also, I’ve been listening to Dolly Parton’s America podcast. There are personal interviews with Dolly as well as interviews from people in Dolly’s life.

WHAT I’M WEARING:

Right after Christmas, I ordered this pullover from Nordstrom (before my dry January began with no Nordstrom or Amazon purchases). I’d had my eye on it, and when I saw it was on sale, I ordered the beige rainy day color. I’ve worn it to school with my Matilda Jane ruffle pants, and I often where it to and from working out with workout leggings.

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:

This weekend, we have two basketball games and the District Science Fair on Saturday. On Sunday, Hadley’s selling Girl Scout cookies with her troop at the grocery store cookie booth as well as going to a volleyball clinic. Then, of course, all eyes in our house will be on the Chiefs as they play in the Super Bowl.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

Some snow?! For the love of Pete, I hope we get some snow at some point this winter! I love a pretty snow that cancels school for a couple of days 😉

That’s it for the first What’s Up Wednesday of 2020. I hope you are having a great week.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea