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Halloween Recap

Posted on November 4, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Halloween 2019…also known as the week long Halloween. Our Halloween festivities started off last Sunday at our church’s Halloween Festival where the kids could trick-or-treat on Spooky Street, play on inflatables and other games, and eat chili. They had a great time loading up on treats and seeing their friends.

Plot twist with Halloween: with a forecast of rain, highs in the 40s (with temps dropping), and gusty winds, some communities, including ours, moved trick-or-treating to Saturday from 3-5. This isn’t the first time trick-or-treating has been moved due to weather, and I kind of rolled my eyes at the idea…that being said, Thursday legit felt like winter! By Thursday evening, I wasn’t mad about a low key evening at home, an easy dinner, and some tv watching with the kids. Since it was Halloween, there were no other activities planned, so we were kind of forced to slow down and have some time at home. We had eaten dinner by 6 (never happens), kids were showered and clean by 7 (really never happens), and then we actually had time to catch up on our family tv shows.

I read Andrea’s post on Thursday morning for an easy dinner of Zombie Brains and Bloody Fingers. Sounded easy, fun, and delish, so I stopped by Trader Joe’s on my way home from school to get what we needed. The kids loved it.

Trick-or-treating in the daylight on Saturday felt a little odd…but to be honest, I ended up enjoying it. We weren’t rushed to beat the daylight, it was a Saturday, so no rushing home after school to get ready, and then we had time after trick-or-treating to hang out with friends while the kids swapped candy. Then we ate chili and soup and hung out…while not worrying about an early bedtime.

It was sunny and high 40s, so not super warm, but definitely better than how it would have been Thursday night.

The kids chose their costumes pretty easily this year…and, as always, thank goodness for Amazon. Hayden has an interest in Ghostbusters, so I showed him the costume online and said, “Do you want to be that?” and he said yes. Hadley was adamant on being a nerd…and instantly loved the “Nerdy Girls Rock” shirt she found on Amazon. The bowtie, suspenders, and socks were in a pack together…and when the glasses arrived, she said, “We have to put tape on them like they’ve been broken.” Lastly, she asked me to bring a dictionary home from school. Girlfriend had a vision for her costume!

Hadley in costume (and character!)

Hayden’s costume did come with a proton pack…and I figured it was only a matter of time before Homer popped it!! We made it to Halloween though!

My brother’s family comes over for Halloween. The kids know we need to get a cousin pic on the steps!

I call this the “OG of trick-or-treaters” pic. These kids have grown up together, and I’m blessed to call their moms my friends! The oldest two (twins!) are in middle school now…Also, all except for “Dorothy” have November birthdays, so we see each other quite a bit in the November/December months.

For fun (or to make me cry)…here’s our first year trick-or-treating together ….2010.

We trick-or-treated with lots of friends and ran into many other friends and neighbors.

Homer dressed as a “good dog” this year…definitely a disguise. haha

I can’t get over all the candy they get each year! It’s insane…and this year they received many full sized candy bars. Crazy!

We definitely had an awesome (week of) Halloween. Up next: birthday party planning for these two almost ten year olds!

Have a great week.

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Flashback Friday, Friday Favorites, Holidays, Kids

Flashback (Friday) Favorites {#6}

Posted on November 1, 2019August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

I’m smushing two blogging ideas into one…Flashback Friday + Friday Favorites.

It’s hard to believe, but my kids are about to be T E N !!! One of my favorite birthday traditions is that each year I buy them a birthday shirt with their name and age on it. I typically use the photo for their birthday invites. I’ve had great luck finding a new shirt each year, usually from an Etsy shop. I’ve used a variety of shops and have always been impressed with the quality and design. Admittedly, as the kids get older, they aren’t as into the shirts (especially Hayden), but my goal has always been to get them a shirt each year until they are 10…so this year, we will probably be wrapping up this tradition…and I’m ok with that…I think 😉 #Imnotcryingyourecrying

Here’s a stroll down memory lane!

This is their first picture together at 4 days old. Hadley was in the NICU for thirteen days, and we snapped this photo before taking Hayden home with us. It broke my heart to leave her, but I knew she was in great hands with the awesome doctors and nurses in the NICU.

For their first birthday, I splurged on their sweet little outfits. They still hang up in their closets. I can’t ever picture myself parting with them.

Two years old…I remember clearly that this was the hardest picture to get of them…they wouldn’t stand still OR look at the camera!!

I think the three-year-old pic will always be my fave. First of all, they sat still. Secondly, the smiled. Thirdly, pinchy cheek cute! *also the last time Hayden probably wore jeans!

Four years old…also known as the last time they probably held hands. haha!

Five years old and Hayden had lost a couple of bottom teeth!

Six years old and Hadley caught up with Hayden in the losing teeth department (and looking like a big girl with her boots!)

Seven years old is probably my second favorite pic! They still look like they need their mama, but they are also so grown up at the same time!

Eight years old! Big kids.

Nine years old and ready for their last year in the single digits (and they definitely look like really big kids!)

I’ve already taken their pic with their number T E N shirts on, but I’ll save it for the real day. November 20th.

Don’t forget to check out Erika, Narci, and Andrea’s Friday Favorites posts.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Our weekend includes trick-or-treating tomorrow afternoon as our trick-or-treat time was moved from Thursday to tomorrow due to weather.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Books and Shows

October Book Review

Posted on October 31, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Happy Thursday! I feel like this month flew by! I read four very different books this month. I loved one of them and really liked the other three.

Sadie

I try to read young adult books occasionally, so I can recommend them to students. We have an awesome librarian at our school who is very enthusiastic with her book talks. She recommended this book during a book talk with one of my classes, so I added it to my list!

Sadie and her sister Mattie had a difficult childhood. When Mattie is killed, Sadie sets out to find her sister’s killer. A radio personality becomes interested in the story and discusses it on his podcast as he tries to find Sadie.

I really enjoyed the format of the book with Sadie’s point of view alternating with the podcast. This was a quick and easy read with a good ending!

Ask Again, Yes

This was a book suggested for my book club. I knew the wait would be long to check it out from the library, so I ordered it for my kindle. I loved this book. So. So. Much.!! I was immediately intrigued by the neighborly relationship of the Stanhopes and the Gleesons. The plot continued to build piece by piece with a traumatic event between the neighbors. My heart ached for one of the main characters, Peter, as he had to navigate life on his own after his parents let him down, each in their own way. Of course, there’s love in the story along with agony and major life decisions and battles. The timeline of events and character relationships are interwoven together in such a way that, as a reader, you are very invested in the plot. I couldn’t put this book down. Loved it.

The Other Woman

This is the first book I’ve read by Sandie Jones, and I liked it. The main characters, Emily and Adam, are in a relationship that is complicated in a variety of ways including dealing with Adam’s mother. There are lies, betrayal, and tense moments between all of the main characters. While it was pretty clear who “the other woman” is, there’s more to it than that, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the ending. This is in the “thriller” genre, but I didn’t necessarily think it read that way to me. I enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read…but I’ve certainly read more suspenseful books.

If Only You Knew

I listen to Jamie Ivey’s podcast, The Happy Hour, every once in awhile, and I enjoy listening to her. She’s full of wisdom and a woman of deep faith but doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s a mom and wife as well as podcast host, author, and motivational speaker.

If Only You Knew focuses on moments in life that you aren’t necessarily proud of or moments that others don’t know about because they didn’t know you in the past. Jamie lets her guard down while sharing her struggles, her ups and downs in life, and her failures, but encouraging her readers to know that there’s no such thing as perfection and that we are on a constant journey as people to be the best versions of ourselves. Since I read this on my kindle, it was easy to highlight some of my favorite passages. So many quotes resonated with me, and some of my favorites include:

“I often hear people repeat that every wound and scar in your life becomes part of your story, and as humans, we spend too much time covering our scars instead of using them as an opportunity to tell our story.”
“When seen through the eyes of the gospel, our stories are not obstacles to our freedom; they are actually the key to unlocking it.”
In reference to those who start attending church once they have kids (hits home with me), she says, “I see them as sweet parents who want something better for their children. They sense this yearning inside of them (hello, God yearning!) to build a foundation of faith that, even if they’re not so sure they believe in it for themselves, they do believe in it for their kids. It’s so amazing to see God put desires in parents that could only come from Him. On their own, they couldn’t even begin to dream up such a desire.”
“I had no concept of church as a place where broken people could show up, be their real selves, and still receive love.
And many other quotes…I could go on and on…

I feel that sometimes we read a book at just the right time in our life…and that’s how I felt about this book. Like Bread and Wine, I see this being a book I turn to occasionally when I need a reminder or two about growing as a person, accepting failures, and celebrating successes.

I hope you find a book or two that you enjoy from this list. Fingers crossed I can keep my reading streak alive this month…but November is always so hectic that my goal is to read at least two books!

See you back here tomorrow for a fun Flashback Friday.

Have a great day,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

What's up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday

Posted on October 30, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I can’t believe it’s the end of October already (and that Halloween is tomorrow!) I’m linking up again with Sheaffer and Shay for What’s Up Wednesday.

Sheaffer Told Me To

Mix and Match Mama

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK:

This has been kind of a random week. We hosted our neighborhood’s family pumpkin carving, so I made chili on Sunday afternoon. We had those leftovers for Monday’s dinner. Tuesday, I made a random recipe that popped up on Facebook: Creamy Parm Tomato Soup (with tortellini) from delish.com. We will have those leftovers tonight.

For Halloween, I always host a few friends as well as my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids. Every year I make chili as well as Mix and Match Mama’s Chicken Tortilla Soup from her Simmers cookbook. That recipe is one of my faves to make…one of the key ingredients is Ranch Style Beans which I’ve always easily found at Kroger …until last year…I was so bummed when Kroger didn’t have them. (I even looked on Amazon because Amazon has everything but I refused to pay $20 for six cans of beans haha) I usually make that recipe at least ten times between fall and winter, but last year only made it a few times and tried to make it work with other beans. PLOT TWIST: My Kroger now brought the beans back, and I am legit buying five cans at a time! (I’d buy more, but I don’t have a pantry!)

WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

The kids’ Halloween costumes through the years…Did you see last Friday’s Flashback Friday post??

Flashback Friday

WHAT I’M LOVING:

As I mentioned in last week’s Three Things post, I started a new position at my school as a reading interventionist. I won’t have big classes, so this is a luxury to have a classroom. While it was a pain to move all of my stuff #Imapackrat (and shout out to Travis for helping me move everything), it’s nice to have a fresh start.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:

I don’t get to see my Tigers play very often since we live in CATS country, but every other year the Tigers make the trek to Lex, and we usually go. After a long week and a soggy forecast, I stayed home while Trav and the kids went (they cheer for the CATS) for a soggy first half. I think I made a good call by staying home…as my Tigers appear to be on the struggle bus.

We hosted our neighborhood family pumpkin carving on Sunday. It’s a neighborhood tradition that a neighbor of ours started a few years ago. She moved, so I did my best to carry on the tradition. We live in a great neighborhood filled with kids and awesome neighbors.

We are KC Chiefs fans, so Hayden wanted #15 for QB Patrick Mahomes. Hadley wanted her initials carved in the pumpkin because …well, she’s a southern girl!

What was supposed to be a quick trip to Target to buy a friend’s birthday gift and to return some leggings, turned into a Hadley fashion show. She didn’t let me look while she chose an outfit and surprised me. She’s a hoot.

We are between some of our sports and cross country and soccer wrapped up last week. We have a week off (or so) before basketball starts up soon.

WHAT I’M DREADING:

I don’t know if dread is the word, but October-December about take me under. I know it shouldn’t be that way and even when I simplify things, it’s just still hectic. Halloween, kids’ birthdays, holidays + travelling for holidays, and Travis very busy with work…not to mention just normal daily life with a full time job and two busy kids, October-December time frame just maxes me out.

WHAT I’M WORKING ON:

I’m still working on getting settled in my new job. I had to help the new teacher transition into my (former) classes, grade 120+ essays my students turned in the last week I was with them, a couple of school visits (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and just getting the logistics figured out for this new position. I do best with a routine, so it’s difficult for me to not have that structure set just yet, but I’m working on it.

WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:

I’m exciting about trick-or-treating with friends tomorrow. We have two families we’ve trick-or-treated with for almost ten years. Then, we’ve added in a few more families as well as my brother’s family. It’s always a fun evening trick-or-treating, eating chili and catching up with everyone.

WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:

October book review will be out tomorrow. I read four books this month.

I’m not currently watching much. I’m not really back in a routine with tv watching. Per tradition, we watched It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as a family the other night.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

In the past month, I’ve started listening to two new podcasts. Three local Lexington news anchors/reporters have started a new podcast called The A Block and I love it. It’s a bunch of girl talk but also light and heavy topics. You can tell the three ladies are friends who have a lot of fun together.

I had to take a quick road trip recently, and I listened to the Bardstown podcast on my drive to and from (and then I had one more episode left, so I drove the long way home on Friday to finish it!). The topic had me hooked. Within a matter of a couple of years, Bardstown had five different murders take place. A Louisville reporter tackles the topics with interviews that are interesting and heartbreaking. The episodes are pretty short (and so interesting) and they fly by!

WHAT I’M WEARING:

Star sweater from Amazon

amazon star sweater

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:

in between sports, birthday party planning, Girl Scout field trip

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

The kids turn 10! How is that even possible?

The beginning of the birthday outfit tradition.

I will save the tears for when they actually turn 10. They are growing up right before my very eyes…but what a blessing that is, right?

I hope you are having a great week. See you back here tomorrow for this month’s book review.

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Meals and Recipes

Monday Meals: Bev’s Simple Chicken Pasta Soup

Posted on October 28, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

RUN…DON’T walk (sorry not sorry about the shouting!) to your nearest grocery store to pick up these six(ish) ingredients and make this recipe. One of my favorite food bloggers, Bev Weidner, shared this deeeelicious recipe on her blog (Bev Cooks). Simple Chicken Pasta Soup. I made it, we all loved it, and we got two dinners out of this meal!

Ingredients

2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
20 oz chicken thighs (about 5 pieces)
1-2 Tblsp dried Italian seasoning
4 c chicken stock (I bought an extra can if needed and used it for night 2 when I reheated the leftovers)
2 (14 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups spiral pasta (I used a bit more)
5 oz baby spinach
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan (for garnish)

Instructions

I’m going to let her do the rest of the talking because: 1. She’s the pro. 2. She’s hilarious. 3. Her food pics are stunning. Recipe linked below.

Simple Chicken Pasta Soup

Also, if you missed the Friday Favorites post from back in September, she’s also one of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow (especially her Insta Stories!) (link below)

Favorite Instagrammers

I know you’ll love this meal. It’s hearty and healthy all in one bowl! (and you’ll love her—go give her a follow!)

Have a great week.

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Flashback Friday, Holidays, Kids

Flashback Friday: Halloween

Posted on October 25, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I seriously wish I’d started blogging sooner….then, I wouldn’t have to have Flashback Fridays to get all of my pics in one place! haha. Since Halloween is next week, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane with the kids’ Halloween costumes through the years. I only cried twice while writing this post!

2010

Hadley as a jack-o-lantern and Hayden as a skeleton.

2011

A friend mentioned that the kids should be M&Ms for Halloween but have H&H on their chest…and I loved that idea. Insert homemade costumes by GG.

2012

Fireman Hayden and Princess Hadley

2013

Hands down my favorite costumes ever. I clearly remember Hayden saying he wanted to be Batman and Hadley chimed in that she’d be Robin. Seriously, it was her idea. Love love love this costume combo!

2014

We had just moved into our new house, and thankfully the kids were very decisive on what they wanted their costumes to be…as I didn’t have time for them to change their minds! Hayden was Captain America because he was at the age to love all things superhero …and Hadley was obbbbsessssed with all things Frozen, especially Elsa.

2015

This year seemed kind of random…Hayden as a ninja and Hadley has a Pink Power Ranger! The neighborhood has never felt more safe!

2016

Hayden was Luke Skywalker and Hadley a bumble bee. Funny Hadley story about Hadley’s costume. Her older cousin had given her the striped bee dress as a hand me down for play clothes. I remember Hadley wanting to look up costume ideas on the computer. At one point, she showed me the computer and said she wanted to be a bee. She remembered she had the hand me down costume when she saw a picture of a woman in an adult version of a bee costume that said, “Buzzed!” 😂I couldn’t quit laughing…

2017

2017 was another costume favorite of mine for both kids. I thought Hadley was so cute in her Super Girl costume, and Hayden was his favorite baseball player…Mike Moustakas of the KC Royals. The price of Hayden’s costume was $0…so no wonderful I loved it so much.

2018

Last year, as we drove home from our October fall break, the kids started discussing costumes. Both were pretty definitive with their choices as last fall Hayden decided to play soccer again…hence the Cristiano Ronaldo costume. From the back of the car on that ride home from South Carolina, Hadley said she wanted to be an 80s party girl…and I said, “Oh, an 80s girl…” She said, “No, mom….an 80s parrrrttty girl!” I laughed and wondered what that costume would entail…as always, Amazon for the win!

Time sure does fly. Where have my babies gone? Any guesses what they will be this year?

Bonus Flashback!

My brother and me in 198?…

Cheerleader and Care Bear ❤️😂

I hope you have a great weekend! We have soccer, UK football game, and neighborhood pumpkin carving on tap!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Three things

Three Things

Posted on October 23, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

One of my favorite posts that Andrea does on her Momfessionals blog is when she posts three things about each family member. It’s usually a little update on school, activities, etc. So…I thought I’d give that a try for my family.

Hayden is into all things sports. He loves to play sports, he loves to watch sports, and he even loves sports stats! He’s been known to write down the entire schedule for NFL teams or keep score for the baseball games that he plays at home. Cross country wrapped up this past weekend at the state meet, he has one more weekend (I think!) of soccer, and then it will be time for basketball to start up!
Hayden loves to read. It makes my heart so happy that he enjoys a good book…or five! I hope his love for reading never ends.
He is quiet but so observant…doesn’t miss a thing…and is so inquisitive.

Here’s Hayden at the state meet. His time qualified him to run in the 4th grade championship race where he placed 26th out of 373 runners! I was so proud of his effort!

Hadley is always on the go. I’ve always said, since she was a baby, that her feet hit the ground, she starts her day, doesn’t stop moving, and passes out at night. She doesn’t move when she sleeps…I think she’s too tired from being so busy during the day.
Hadley loves to be involved and is very social–from dance, to Girl Scouts, to cross country, to chorus to basketball…and on and on and on…She’s also the best friend…she tries pretty effortlessly to be very inclusive. She’s never met a stranger, and she certainly doesn’t get that from me. I stand back in awe sometimes at her outgoing nature.
She has a heart of gold. Hadley is so helpful (usually without much prompting). She’s silly, sassy, smart…and simply the best.

Here she is in the state meet last weekend. Like Hayden, her time qualified her to run in the 4th grade championship race. There were 327 runners in her race, and she placed 25th…with a smile on her face.

This has been a big week for me as I’ve started a new teaching position at my school. I’ve left the classroom as an English/Language Arts teacher to now be a reading interventionist. I’ve done similar work before at my previous school, so I was excited when this opportunity presented itself. I will work with students who read below grade level as well as students who need help with study skills and closing content gaps in learning.
I feel like Trav’s job keeps him forever busy, but September-November seem to be the busiest time in the horse industry. I don’t know how he does it all. There are weeks he doesn’t get a day off, and then this year he added “Cross Country Coach” to his plate. I’ve never met anyone who enjoys their job as much as Travis does (or talks on the phone more than he does ;))…and, of course, he loved coaching the kids this cross country season as well.
Homer—well he’s still cute and still a handful! He’s seven months old, into everything, chews on random things, runs laps around the backyard, and is fun to snuggle with, of course!

Proud Dad alert! One more cross country pic with coach and kids (and their hardware!)

One more pic…

The kids had some of their biggest fans at the State Cross Country Championship…more family visiting to cheer them on.

I hope you enjoyed this first Three Things post…See you back here on Friday…for a fun Flashback Friday!

Have a great day!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Memes

Monday Memes: October

Posted on October 21, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

After a busy weekend and rolling into another busy week, I thought I’d keep today’s post short, sweet, and funny. I live for memes!

It’s finally feeling like fall, and this meme literally makes me laugh out loud…because it’s true!

Kids’ activities…am I right? Thankfully, my kids aren’t too wishy washy on what they want to participate in, but I feel like there’s always some kind of sign up sheet for something…

I always have big dreams of healthy eating on Sunday when I place my Click List order, but by Thursday, I’m reminding my kids to open the fridge for a snack or two rather than binging on Pringles.

There isn’t a chore I hate more than doing laundry. I’m really good about starting it, really bad at leaving it sit in the dryer for days, and even worse about putting it away. I do find that it’s easier to wash all of Hadley’s clothes in a load, all of Hayden’s in another, and then do Travis and my clothes later. The kids tend to have a full load to wash each week…especially Hadley…girlfriend, changes her clothes a few times a day. #killingmeslowly I usually get away with doing my laundry every other week or so. Once the kids started coming home with a sitter after school (rather than stay at the after school program), they now have more chores…one of which is to put away and hang up their clothes…which tends to be a Tuesday chore. I think they probably listen to the sitter better than they listen to us, so I appreciate that she handles this chore on Tuesdays.

Me. Always. Forever. Amen.

With a very hectic week of school for me last week, on top of a busy Saturday with state cross country meet, and Hayden’s soccer game, Travis and I almost didn’t cash in on having a free sitter (my mom was in town) for Saturday night dinner out…but we did. That being said, everyone in my house was in bed by 9:00 on Saturday, and I spent Sunday trying to get my life together and get organized for the week. If you are keeping track, I still don’t have my life together (haha), but at least I always feel better starting the week with a solid plan.

One more funny…

The kids took a government test in class…both received a good grade, but I had to laugh at Hayden’s test…The correct answer was all of the above , and, well, Hayden did circle all of the above. 😂

I hope you have a great week! Happy Monday,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Friday Favorites, Self-care

Friday Favorites {#5}

Posted on October 18, 2019August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

It’s finally Friday…this has been a doozy of a week for a variety of reasons. All I can say is T G I F! #praisehands

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

Alittlebitofeverything

Grace and love

momfessionals

I’ve chatted with a few friends lately about nail polish…I always have my nails painted. Always. So, I thought I’d share some of my faves.

I paint my nails once a week, and once every six weeks or so, I treat myself to a gel manicure that lasts two weeks.

I’m pretty basic with my nail polish….for years, I wore Bubble Bath by OPI and would occasionally change up the shade of pink I’d wear. For the past six months or so, I’ve pretty consistently worn Funny Bunny by OPI thanks to Living With Landyn’s recommendation.

In the fall or winter, I will use a darker polish occasionally on my fingernails but more often on my toes…I like OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark, How Great is Your Dane? and Taupe-less Beach. I hope to try Krona-logical Order some time soon…another Living with Landyn recommendation.

My trusty lineup is below:

Bubble Bath, Let Me Bayou a Drink, Lisbon Wants Moor, It’s Pink PM, Beyond the Pale Pink, and Funny Bunny

Andrea at Momfessionals, shared about the Seche Vite base and fast drying top coat. I now swear by these. They definitely help my *at home* manicures last longer.

Pretty random favorites, but my mom is visiting, and she bought me this cute new travel coffee mug. #englishteachersunite and sent these cookies via my Grandma. When they last visited, my Gma brought these pumpkin cookies that she found at Tuesday Morning. She sent three boxes with my mom…and this box didn’t last long #IblameHayden

I heart school artwork ….especially artwork that involves pumpkins. Hadley painted this in class, and I just love it….certainly a favorite of mine.

A little 1:1 time with Boo while he did his homework was a favorite this week. I was able to pick the kids up from school one day this week which is a rarity….Thankfully, they didn’t need my help with math homework (haha), but he was supposed to read this story aloud to me, and I loved having the extra time with them.

It’s a miracle! Somehow, my friends and I have made a point to go out to dinner two months in a row…on a school night! #rebels I enjoy my much needed time with my girlfriends, and we tried a new(ish) restaurant here in Lexington…Agave and Rye. It was so good….I had the Easy Ranchero Taco – fried egg, salt and pepper tator tots, queso, aged white cheddar, salsa, cilantro, and I 86’d the sour cream (hashtag: I hate sour cream) This taco was out of this world (and the marg was great too). I honestly hope to go back as soon as possible. There were so many tacos I wanted to try!

That’s a wrap on this week….this weekend the kids finish up their cross country season at the state meet, Hayden has a soccer game, and Trav and I hope to go out to dinner one night since GG’s in town to stay with the kids.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Traditions

Pumpkin Patch

Posted on October 16, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Happy Wednesday! I touched on it a bit in Monday’s post, but going to the pumpkin patch in the fall is hands down my most favorite family tradition.

Through the years, we’ve gone with family, with friends, and with just the four of us. We were limited on time on Sunday before Hayden’s soccer game, but we made it to Evans Orchard for about an hour and a half on Sunday. Rather than wait in the long line to buy tickets for the activity area, we just took our time looking at pumpkins, getting our hot apple cider and apple cider donuts, and enjoying the nice weather.

I love that Evans Orchard changes the picture backdrop each year, and I’m even happier that my kids know the way to my heart is a good family photo. #hushupandsmile!

Trips to the orchard used to just be Travis and myself, and we haven’t missed a year at an orchard since the kids were born…and here’s the collage to prove it! 2010 – 2018.

2019 pic!

The weather was perfect on Sunday. Some years it’s soooo hot and last year was freeeeeezing…I couldn’t believe it. The weather was so cold that I almost broke tradition, but of course, I’m glad I didn’t.

Hadley always asks me to take the photo in portrait mode #diva

My favorite part is seeing the pumpkins in various sizes, shapes, and colors. I swear when I was a kid these kinds of pumpkins didn’t exist.

We learned a long time ago that one 6 pack of donuts isn’t enough, so we at least buy two!

I don’t remember this photo op last year at Evans Orchard, but I loved it. And, what I loved more was Hadley said, “Mom, take our picture by the truck!” #girlaftermyownheart

Hot apple cider and pumpkins…what more could you ask for?

And, lastly, a pic with my two pumpkins. They sure are getting big! They each chose a great pumpkin to carve, and we will do that closer to Halloween…Don’t get me started with pumpkin carving…someone always ends up crying. haha. Why do my kids overestimate their parents’ pumpkin carving skills?!

That’s a wrap on our traditional pumpkin patch visit. What are your favorite fall traditions and activities?

I hope you are having a great week,

Jen

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