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Let’s Look – January 2025

Posted on January 15, 2025January 14, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Y’all aren’t going to believe this…My district still hasn’t gone back to school after our winter weather last week. They sent buses out yesterday afternoon to test the routes and quite a few buses got stuck and had to be towed! We still have many neighborhood streets snow and ice packed. I took Homer for a walk yesterday, and slipped on my road. Ouch! We have not had students in our schools since December 20th!

Yesterday was my birthday. I’ve never had a snow day on my birthday…so I decided to embrace it!

Today’s the first Let’s Look of 2025, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika!

The first topic of the year is…let’s look at…low level goals for 2025.

I’m glad the topic is about low level goals. Who needs the stress of big goals?!

After the hustle and bustle of December, I like to take some time in January to reflect on the previous year and just get my life back on track in January.

I saw somewhere on Instagram this week that January is for rest and February is more for resetting and moving forward with goals. I like that mentality.

A few things I have in mind:

1.

The irony of taking a workout break after years of pretty consistently moving my body is that I found the balance in eating as well. I had a good December where I enjoyed treats and a few drinks, but nothing was over the top. I still packed my school lunch and cooked most meals at home.

In January, to ease back into working out, I told myself that I wanted to do some kind of workout for 20 minutes most days…a good goal of 25/31 days.

What I like about how I’ve started the year is that I’ve done a little bit of everything…and usually for more like thirty minutes than twenty. I’ve walked, gone to the gym and done the elliptical, completed workouts at home with the Bodi program and most recently I’ve gone to a couple of reformer Pilates classes.

Rather than feel like I have to a finish a program or do a walking challenge, I’ve just done what I want to do that day. There have been a couple of days I’ve done nothing…that’s ok too. Also, since the winter weather has stuck around, I’ve had more time at home to reach my movement goal. Anyway, I’ve also told myself to take advantage of having the time to do these workouts as I’m sure life will get busier soon.

2.

My goal the past couple of years has been to read 40 books. The past two years, I’ve been a few books shy of 40. Again, I’ve had a bit more time on my hands, so I’ve made a point to read for longer periods of time when I can. I’ve finished one pretty long book, and have about twenty minutes left of an audiobook. So, I’ve already had a good January of reading, and I started a new book on Monday.

3.

For the past year, I’ve made time to follow Bible study plans, and I want to continue that this year. I’m on a 14 month streak, so why stop now? I often read after school and not so much in the morning. I would like to start my day that way, but it’s just not what works in my schedule right now.

4.

I’m trying to be more present for my family. I feel like I do a good job of putting my phone down if they are hanging out in the living room. I will try to say “yes” more often. Just yesterday, Hadley wanted to go to Kroger to pick out some lunch meals…assuming we are going back to school at some point this week! I didn’t really have the time, but I carved out thirty minutes to take her to the grocery store and pick up some odds and ends. I will also stay up and watch a football or basketball game when I can with Hayden…even if we don’t talk! haha…He at least knows I’m interested in sports, and we have that in common.

5.

I would like to carve out more time for Travis. These kids keep us busy, and he is often very busy with work. Where I can usually not think about school after 4:00, he’s truly answering phone calls at 9:00 PM or going to the farm early to take videos of the baby horses being born to send to clients. We’re both different kinds of busy. I think “date night” is kind of cheesy because, for us, we can watch a show together and that works for us. I still feel like we need to be intentional with grabbing a cup of coffee together or going to see a movie. We’ll be married twenty years this June. Time flies!

So, those are some “low key” goals for 2025. We’ll see how the year goes!

Not Just a Mom

Share Our Lives – January 2025

Posted on January 13, 2025January 12, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

Well, our three week break (two planned, one thanks to Mother Nature!) apparently continues. Due to many neighborhood roads not being plowed and other conditions, school has been called off again. This time, we are having an NTI day which means students will have assignments online.

It’s already the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting the first Share Our Lives link up of 2025 with some of my favorite bloggers.

We’re starting the year off fresh talking about..saving time on chores.

Well, let me tell you ….it’s not asking your teens to help! haha

Cleaning and picking up are ongoing chores in our house. I have to admit that Trav is the cleaner, and I’m the tidier. Cleaning has never been my skill set, but the one chore, if I had to do it, would be dusting. I don’t mind doing that.

We are blessed to have a wonderful house cleaner who comes twice a month, so honestly, we don’t do a lot of cleaning in between. We do have Homer hair to keep up with, and Trav loves to use the Swiffer for that.

I always go to bed with a tidy house. I’ve always done that, but that especially became a priority when the kids were little. They had lots of toys in our living room and of course would get them out as soon as they got up. I still always put the toys in the corner, in baskets, etc. just to have a fresh start to the morning.

I typically do laundry only on the weekend, and we don’t do many loads. Travis takes care of himself. Hayden usually has the most clothes to wash due to his running. I tend to not have as much, and I usually toss my things in with Hadley’s dirty clothes. When the clothes are finished, I take them out of the basket and lay them flat/in piles on the kids’ beds and they put them away. I’ve been doing the kids’ laundry separately for years…even when they didn’t have as much. I still have to to lay the clothes out for them to put away, but I don’t have to sort them between family members.

I make sure the bathrooms have cleaning supplies to “clean as we go” for daily needs. I’d like the think the kids would wipe our their bathroom sink if there’s too much toothpaste if I leave a tub of Clorox wipes under their sink!

On Sundays, we “reset.” I let the kids have clothes on their floor, for example, but on Sunday, their rooms get picked up. Papers get thrown away, desks get tidied up, Chromebooks get charged for school and so on.

In the summer, a big chore is mowing the lawn. For years, we had a service mow, but for the past couple of summers, Trav and Hayden have split the duties. I’m in charge of watering the flowers in the spring and summer. Hadley helps with that as well.

I usually unload the dishwasher just out of convenience. I’m often in the kitchen getting ready to cook dinner and will unload our dishwasher. Of course, Trav does that too and the kids help occasionally.

Not chores, but we shared cleaning hacks in a Not Just a Mom post in 2023.

I’d love to have any ideas you have for saving time on chores.

Next month, our topic is tips for falling asleep. I have quite the formula for sleep…but I will save those thoughts for next month.

Have a great Monday.

Friday Favorites, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#240}

Posted on January 10, 2025January 9, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday.

Well, this time last week, I was prepping to go back to school…but as of today, I’ve had a three week winter break. In all my years teaching, I’ve never had a three week winter break!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Well, we didn’t do much this week, so I don’t have a ton to share. Most of my favorites are snow day (week) related!

I finally put up my Christmas decorations, and I switched out my “Merry Christmas” garden flag out for my “Let it Snow” flag which is the one I put out in January and for most of February.

I guess it’s a good luck charm…look at our snow (and ice!)…

Sunday, we got about six inches of snow followed by some ice. On Monday, it snowed even more and my teacher work day was canceled.

Tuesday was to be the kids’ first day back to school, but since it was a snow day, I made our traditional snowman pancakes! Trav’s farm didn’t have power, so he was home too to enjoy this breakfast too.

On Sunday and Monday, the kids bundled up and went sledding with friends. They had lots of fun.

I got this mug out of my cabinet for my morning coffee. Our neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland.

Last weekend, I went to Trader Joe’s for a few things, and they had their wreaths out, so I picked one up. Usually, I get their fresh garland for the front porch at Christmas, but we never decorated outside this year. This wreath is pretty, and it looks pretty with the snow.

I spy Homer…

Ice, ice baby! While I was outside taking a couple icicle pics, I heard a snap and I looked up to see a huge section of our neighbor’s tree fall with a thud in a neighbor’s yard. The top 1/3rd of the tree was leaning on the electrical line. Thankfully, we didn’t lose power.

One thing I love about being home in the summer and on other breaks is just making “snack plates” for lunch.

Sprite “chill” is so good, and I love the rosemary almonds from Trader Joe’s. I’d saved a recipe I saw on Instagram for a cream cheese dip. I made it on Sunday and snacked on it all week. It’s just cream cheese, chopped up pickle, dried beef (I never know what this is — I just always buy the little beef lunch meat packets), salt and pepper. Mix it all together…and we’ve been on a Wheat Thins kick around here.

After taking quite the workout break the past couple of months, I’m making it a goal to work out as much as possible in January. I went to the gym one day with Hayden and then with Hadley another day. It was a pretty walk to and from the car.

I was really dragging my feet putting up the Christmas decorations…I guess because I wanted a week of enjoying them after we got home from KC…and it’s an effort getting the tubs up and down from the attic. Then, as the days went on, I realized I had time to put it off. haha!

Anyway, I took everything down one day, and then put out my regular decor the next.

Trav had his brother take the kids’ pics last year, and I just never put this one out. I found a spot for it, and my Gma gave me this candle stick that my great great grandfather made. I like the juxtaposition of old and new.

Last night, a few of us moms got together to chat and we played Play Nine for a few hours. The general consensus was that we all needed out of the house (and have a break from our families?! #maybe)

Favorite Mom Meme:

There’s never been a meme more “Hadley” than this one:

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

2014 – the first year of the froggy hats. #myfave

Share Our Lives:

We have our first Share Our Lives link up of 2025!

This month’s topic is…saving time on chores.

If you have a blog, we’d love to have you join us.

Weekly Recap:

I had a great week of blogging…

Prime Purchases

New Year, Same me

Throwback Thursday: Snow Days

Well, more snow is on the way today! Will we go to school on Monday? Only time will tell.

Stay warm,

Kids, Seasonal

Throwback Thursday: Snow Day Edition

Posted on January 9, 2025January 27, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, another day, another snow day. With the frigid temps and still snow packed roads, we have another snow day today. My district has called off for tomorrow as well. In all my years teaching, I don’t think I’ve ever had a three week winter break!

I love a snow day…not so much five straight…but I guess we take what we can get.

Snow days with the kids through the years have been fun. It’s nice not waking up early and then just easing into the day. Today, I’m going to take a look back on snow days through the years.

First things first, I always put out my “Let it Snow!” garden flag after Christmas. I put mine out on Saturday, and Sunday is when we got our first round of snow. Maybe it’s a lucky charm?!

Obviously, in the various stages of the kids’ lives snow days have looked different. When they were little, they wouldn’t necessarily sleep in. We’d hang out at home, watch shows, play inside and kind of just have a chill day. Sometimes, we’d go outside for a few minutes.

As the kids have gotten older, they sleep in, go sledding with friends, and lounge around. I will say, at this point in our extra week of break, the kids have gone to the gym a few times (me too!) to get out of the house and have some sort of routine.

Snowman Pancakes:

No matter if the kids were five or fifteen, the first snow day of the season calls for snowman pancakes. Last year, our first day off was due to below zero temps, and I still made the pancakes. While we usually have at least two to three snow days a year, you just never know.

I’m not sure where I saw this idea, and I’m not even sure when I started making the snowman pancakes, but for sure once the kids started kindergarten.

Just last week, when I went to the grocery store to stock up on whatever we needed, I almost forgot to buy bacon and M&M’s as they aren’t always on my grocery list. I usually make sure I have my snowman pancake ingredients in early January.

Bundled Up:

There are stages of parenthood that I’m sad when we move on…the kids needing my help getting ready to go out in the snow or even going out in the cold with them…those stages I don’t miss!! Of course, they still need my help finding gloves…and maybe even a car ride to a sledding hill, but at least I don’t have to stand in the cold and snow with them. We’re like “call us when you need picked up!”

Here are a few bundled up in the snow pics…

January 2012 was the first time they were out in the snow. Hayden with his paci – OMG. I do remember we weren’t out there but a minute…they weren’t fans of the snow.

These pics are from 2014, and they are the last ones in our old neighborhood. We lived by a park, and we’d gone to walk around a bit and burn of some energy.

The froggy hats — I can’t!

2015 was the first winter in our new house. We had a huge tree in our front yard…and the only time it looked pretty was in the winter. haha

The froggy hats stuck around for a few years…

Looking older in 2016…and still loving the snow.

Trav’s brother took this pic of Hadley as she was trying to fog up his car window. It’s one of my fave pics.

2016 was a harsh winter, and we were off school for quite some time (maybe like we have been this year?)…and the kids were going stir crazy. Me too!

A snow day in 2017…

Snow day 2018…which was…

…my most expensive snow day…after the pic above, the kids got braces that afternoon.

Straight teeth on a snow day in 2019!

2020…

Sledding and Fun with Friends:

The first time the kids went sledding was the winter of our last year in our old house. I can’t remember where we got this red metal saucer, but we had it for years. The kids had lots of fun.

I love this sweet pic.

In 2016, the kids had lots of fun sledding with their cousins.

Sledding with friends in 2017.

More sledding fun in 2018.

This 2021 pre-sledding pic is always a fave. The colorful sleds in the white snow. This was the age where the kids were definitely more independent and going off to have fun with their friends.

We got tons of snow in 2022 which made for great sledding weather.

As the kids of gotten older, of course I have taken less pics. Hadley went sledding with some friends last year. Hayden, I’m sure did too.

Snow much fun:

Through the years, the kids made a few snowmen…

…and made a few snow angels.

Snow Ice Cream:

We don’t make snow cream every year, but when we do, it’s always delish. Last year, Hayden and friends made some.

It turned out pretty good.

Making snow cream is a fun memory from my childhood. We haven’t made any this week, but maybe this weekend when we get some fresh snow.

Homer:

Part Husky Homer loves the snow. I can tell he’s getting older (and more mature?!) as he doesn’t hang out outside as long as he used to. He will go burn off some energy in the backyard which is funny to watch.

The kids with Homer in 2021…

…and 2022.

He’s a handsome boy!

NTI:

Since Covid, we’ve had NTI days as an option. NTI stands for “non-traditional instruction” and the kids have online assignments.

This week, we haven’t used any NTI days since so many were without power Tuesday/Wednesday. Also, elementary school teachers weren’t instructed to send Chromebooks home before break, so that level of students wouldn’t have access to online instruction.

Like I said in yesteday’s post, I’m not sure what the plan will be for making the days up. We might not have to make them all up. Who knows?!

This week, the kids have slept in and hung out at home. They went sledding a couple of days, and I made them the snowman pancakes on Tuesday.

Whether the kids are big or small, as the snow days have continued, we head out to lunch to get out of the house. Sometimes, we’ll go see a movie, or I will force them to play a game with me!

It’s not often that Travis is home with us on a snow day. It takes pretty bad weather for him to not go into the office. That being said, his farm didn’t have power Monday/Tuesday, so he was home. He went back to work yesterday but is home again today due to no power at the farm again. He can work from home pretty easily. Let’s just say that he doesn’t know how to be lazy on a snow day…tries to kill our vibe. 😂

Today, is actually a teacher work day for us to make up for Monday. I’ve been getting up around 8:30-9 this past week, so I need to set an alarm for the 9:00 Zoom faculty meeting! Then, we have a work day. We can work from home or go to school. My plan is to work on my To Kill a Mockingbird lesson plans to pick up where we left off once we do return to school.

I hope everyone is staying warm. Also, I’ve been thinking about the wildfires in California. My heart goes out to those who have lost their home and for the brave first responders battling those fires. Two of Trav’s clients lost their home completely. I can’t even imagine going through that.

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

New Year, Same Me.

Posted on January 8, 2025January 7, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello from snowy Kentucky!

Well, I feel with the start of the year, I usually “reintroduce” myself via a blog post whether it’s a link up topic or just a post I plan on writing.

Anyway, every year, I seem to have a few more readers which I appreciate so much. If you’ve read ten posts or one hundred, there still might be some gaps in what you know about me, and I always feel like I should re-explain the blog title for new readers.

My Share Our Lives post from last year is a quick way to get to know me with a few other posts linked as well.

So…here are a few things about me:

Missouri to Kentucky:

I was born and raised in a suburb of Kansas City and then attended the University of Missouri in Columbia for college. So, I’m a loyal Chiefs and Royals fan. In my senior year of college, I met Trav, who was working in the same athletic office as me. Working in college athletics was Trav’s real job while I was just working part time to earn money before and during student teaching.

Anyway, he eventually decided that he wanted to get in the horse business. He’s from Louisville, but went to school at UK, so he settled back in Lexington and started his work in the horse business. I moved to Lexington a year later. We got engaged right before I left KC, and then I found a teaching job just outside of Lexington.

So, my blog title is mesh of the “Show Me” state Missouri where I’m from and the “sweet tea” reference of the south.

Family:

We’re in the stage of life where life is centered around the kids and their activities. We’re typically shuttling them to and from whatever sport they need to go to. It’s nice when we are all home. Teenagers –they like their rooms –haha…sometimes, we’re all home and in our separate areas, but it’s nice to spend time together when we can.

Travis:

It’s hard to believe but Trav and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this summer. Where has the time gone?

I joke that he’s stayed the same, and I’m the one who’s changed a bit throughout our years together. He’s just the steady, hard-working, likable guy that I met 23 years ago. I know I have good qualities too (haha)—but I was just younger when we started dating and I’ve certainly changed a bit from my 20’s to 30’s to now mid (wow!) 40’s.

I never would have imagined that I would have moved away from Missouri, but that “risk” has paid off. We have a blessed life.

4. Reading:

I’d say my #1 hobby (besides watching my kids’ activities and this blog) is reading. I love to read, and will take my Kindle anywhere. For years, I would usually read one actual book and then have one book on my Kindle, but in the past year, my Kindle has become my go to. On vacations this past year, I’ve only taken my Kindle to read.

Anyway, I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t read at least a few pages. There’s nothing better than starting and/or finishing a great book.

5. Teaching:

This year is my 23rd year in high school education. I taught for a year outside of Columbia Missouri, and then I taught a year at a school in KC when I decided to move back home. Then, I moved to Kentucky and taught for 12 years at a more rural school outside of Lexington. This is my 9th year at my current school, and I assume it’s where I will finish my career.

When I moved to my current school, my kids were in 1st grade. I remember thinking that this will be the school they’d go to one day, and this year we’re there together. Seeing them and their friends at school has been surprisingly meaningful for me. I do have some of their friends in my advanced class which was more of an adjustment for me than the students. haha

After this year, I have seven to ten years left just depending on my retirement. I have two Missouri years and then I was .7 for three years when the kids were little to spend more time with them. So, I get paid for my 23 years experience, but to get full retirement, I may have to stick it out closer to the ten years than the seven years, if that makes sense. It’s still quite a ways off, but wow!…it is crazy to at least even have retirement on my radar.

So, that’s a bit about me. I hope I didn’t bore you! haha

We’re off again today thanks to the snow/ice we got Sunday/Monday. My street is a bus stop street, and it’s still snow covered, so who knows if we will go tomorrow or Friday. So far, we’ve had “traditional” snow days as it’s at the start of the semester, and I’m afraid many elementary teachers hadn’t seen Chromebooks home yet. Also, we still have quite a few areas without power.

I have no clue what this means for us in regards to making these days up. We’ve relied on NTI (non-traditional instruction) the past five years without many traditional snow days. Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about the weather, and we have more snow on the way this weekend! I do love a snow day, but I also feel ready to get back to school. I like to space the snow days out if possible. But, I’ll enjoy the time off while I have it.

Thanks for reading,

Amazon

Prime Purchases – January 2025

Posted on January 7, 2025January 6, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, I had good intentions of sharing this post yesterday, but the weekend got the best of me.

We had a lot of harsh winter weather Sunday and Monday. We got about six inches of snow on Sunday followed by ice. Yesterday was another blustery day with additional snow. The kids did make the most of it going sledding with friends both days.

As of now, we’re out of school today and tomorrow. Yesterday was a teacher work day that got canceled. I never thought we’d have an extended winter break, yet here we are!

I was bummed when Tanya announced she was discontinuing her monthly Prime Purchases link up, but I still plan on sharing my purchases once a month…most likely on the first Monday. That just makes for easy blog planning.

Well, I have quite a few purchases, some of which were purchased in November. I just held off sharing them because I didn’t want to ruin any gifts for family!

Gifts:

When I was with my dad in July to help him after his knee surgery, I noticed that he really could use some new dish towels. He never asks for anything, so I just “book marked” that idea for Christmas.

I got him this pack of six kitchen towels. They are thick, great quality, and come in a variety of color combos.

He changes his sheets once a week, but only has one pair of sheets. So, I got him this set. Now, they aren’t his “My Pillow” brand that he loves, but these are great quality and had over 363,000 reviews, so I felt like they were a safe bet.

The Major gives his seal of approval!

My Gma requested a tumbler, and I got her this pretty light purple one by Owala. I’ve seen lots of people using this brand now.

Hadley needed a new winter coat, and this one was on her wish list. It’s puffer coat but not too thick. It seems like it’s a popular option on Amazon, and it comes in a variety of colors.

I put this face wash in Hayden’s stocking. To my knowledge, he is actually using it. haha.

Both kids needed new winter gloves, so I got Hayden the black ones, and Hadley got the gray ones. These were supposed to go in their stockings, but they were the one thing that didn’t fit..and they both came in slim boxes, so I just wrapped them for them to open.

Trav got an Apple watch recently and didn’t like the band. So, I bought him this pack, and it’s just what he wanted. This was a good stocking stuffer for him.

My brother came over a few weeks ago, and he was wearing these joggers. I needed one more gift for Trav and thought he’d like them. They come in a variety of colors. Trav has already worn his new pair a few times.

Have I mentioned Trav is hard to buy for?…and he always asks for the most basic things. He wanted a cotton long sleeve t-shirt, and one day after school, the kids and I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to look for one. There wasn’t a single plan basic long-sleeved cotton T-shirt to be found!

Well, “OG” Russell Athletics and Amazon saved the day. Can’t beat the less than $9 price on these shirts. He was a good guy this year, so I sprung and bought him two different colors! haha

Trav’s mom needed a suggestion, and again, he had asked for a basic gray sweatshirt. I had seen some at Old Navy, but then I realized sending her one via Amazon would probably just be a lot easier for all.

Hane’s saves the day with a less than $12 basic!

I’d never seen the Stanley beer Stein, but I figured Travis would get some use out of it.

Other:

Last year, I got these same flats in black, and I still wear them all the time. I have two pairs of tan flats that I rarely wear, so I bought this pair that I knew I’d wear to replace those two. I’ve added them to my donation pile now that I have this pair.

My black ones are my usual size 9, but the tan 9 was too tight. I guess they fit, but I wasn’t convinced that I wouldn’t get a blister. So, I returned them and ordered the 9.5, and they fit much better.

These are truly a great flat that come in many colors. I have my eye on the leopard to replace my Walmart leopard pair that I’ve had for years.

We got this power strip for Trav’s side of the bed. He needed an easier way to charge his phone…and he can plug his watch in there too.

We throw a blanket on the bed for if/when Homer hops up there to sleep. We’ve used the same one for years, and it has holes in it. I’ve gotten a couple of these blankets in the past for the living room, so I picked up a light color one for our bed to replace Homer’s old one. This is a great blanket for $12!

Like most January’s, I try and take an Amazon break. That being said, I ordered a coat for Hayden that arrived just in time for all the snowfall. These teens, they hardly wear coats, so I never know they’ve outgrown one until the temps drop and snow falls. (Hayden’s coat was $50 when I ordered it…I’m assuming the price went up thanks to the winter storms sweeping the country!)

What have you “primed” lately?

{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#239}

Posted on January 3, 2025January 2, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, all good things must come to an end. I feel like I just shared a Friday Favorites post saying I was ready for break. Now, the two weeks are up, and it’s almost time to face reality.

I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are a few favorites from the week:

Well, we’ve had a pretty low-key week with not a lot of action. Honestly, that’s my first favorite…but that also means I don’t have a ton to share.

While in KC, my Gma gave me this candle snuffer that my great great grandfather made. It’s the perfect addition to my living room tray.

I have two new ornaments to add to my tree. My Gma made this one…

…and my mom gave me this one. It’s a light from the Plaza Christmas lights.

Hadley was back in action playing in a scrimmage with her new volleyball team. They were fun to watch, and I know they’ll only get better.

We spent New Year’s Eve with friends at a progressive dinner. It’s always a good time and great way to end the year.

We drew words again, and I got purpose, commitment, and faith as my focus for the year.

One of my Christmas gifts was the word search calendar.

I’ve started every day with a puzzle. I’ve always loved word searches.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Travis went to the grocery store on Sunday and told me he planned dinners for the week.

Later, Hayden opened the cabinet and said,“Dad, why did you buy protein spaghetti?” 🤣 Travis is consistently “new year, new me” most Januarys!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Back to school next week! Honestly, even I’m out of whack. I’ve been going to bed close to 11 and not getting up until 8-9!

Weekly Recap:

I’ve had some of my favorite “end of year” posts this week:

I’m supposed to head back to school on Monday and the kids on Tuesday. If we get the predicted weather that’s expected for Sunday/Monday, I’m not sure any of us will be back to school until at least Wednesday. We’ll see.

Stay warm,

Inspiration

Year of Bible Plans

Posted on January 2, 2025January 1, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Unfortunately, this week seems to be flying by!

Last December, I was scrolling Pinterest and saw a December Bible Study, so I used that to guide my Bible reading for that month.

A Season of Advent was a meaningful way to reflect on the reason for the season, so I used this one in December 2023.

I often use the Bible app to read the verse of the day, but after doing the December focus, I decided to find more Bible studies for every month of 2024.

I’m sharing those with you today!

January:

New Beginnings seemed like a great way to start off the year.

February:

The Love of God was perfect for February.

March:

Increasing My Faith was the focus this month.

April:

While April wasn’t an anxious month, Overcoming Anxiety verses are good for me to know.

May:

Being Redeemed was the focus in May.

June:

The Joy of the Lord for June.

July:

Holding Unto God’s Promises for July.

August:

Bravery was a good focus as we headed back to school (haha!)

September:

Gripping God’s Word in September.

October:

Finding Refuge in God in October.

November:

Thankfulness was the focus for November.

December:

Joy was the focus for December, and so many of the verses included the word “joy” which was fun to find.

When I started, I used this SOAP Bible Study Journal. I used a couple of these journals before finding…

…this “little book” (but it’s a regular size…a bit smaller than the journal above) from Callie Danielle this summer.

(old pic with my cereal, but for size reference)

I don’t see it on the site now, and that might be because it’s a July-June journal. That being said, this little journal is so cute too. This “church notes” journal looks sweet as well.

I used these pens to write the verse each day.

I continued using the original journal to bubble in my progress each day. I put a cute sticker on each month as I finished.

It was really rewarding to know that I read consistently throughout the year.

I’m not sure my Bible plan for this year. For sure, I will use the Bible app for my daily verse, or I might find some other Bible studies on Pinterest.

This is my plan for January:

A few years ago, I read the entire Bible, and that felt like such a meaningful accomplishment. I’m pretty private with my faith, and I feel like I’m a student of Christianity. The teacher in me knows the way to learn is to read…and reflect. Having a focused section to read and reflect on each day is what’s worked for me as I’ve continued to grow in my faith based knowledge. We love our church and our church family, and we’re grateful to have that part of our life over the last few years.

As we say when we send emails with ideas at school…”trash or treasure!”

Blog challenge, Everyday Life, Other

Year in Review 2024

Posted on January 1, 2025December 31, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy January 1st!

With the first day of the new year, I’m looking back on 2024 to share my “year in review.” These years seem to fly by, and it’s always fun to look back on all we did!

January:

I tend to take less pictures in January than any other month! It’s typically a slow month for us which is why January is a favorite month of mine.

We started off January thinking about my “words of the year” from our New Year’s Eve night dinner. Faith, forgiveness, growth…good focus for the year.

Another reason I love January…it’s my birthday month!

We had our first snow day in January which means I made snowman pancakes, per tradition.

“Snow pretty” haha

February:

The kids had their third cotollion dance in February. “Malibu Mingle” was semi-formal attire.

Trav and the kids went to Florida to cheer on our nephew as he ran an Olympic qualifying race.

I stayed home and my friend helped put the finishing touches on Hadley’s “room refresh” by putting up the wallpaper.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, and of course we were excited about that! I don’t want to jinx it, but we have our party prep down!

Of course, we celebrated Valentine’s Day.

Hayden’s 8th grade basketball season wrapped up. His time as a “baller” was officially over…another middle school milestone.

March:

We went to the Bailey Zimmerman concert in Cinci. This was the kids’ first concert, and he put on a great show.

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread.

Hadley had fun playing volleyball during club season.

April:

We celebrated Easter at the beginning of April…

…and then headed to Washington, DC for spring break. We had a fun few days touring the nation’s capitol.

We had one extra day of spring break thanks to the solar eclipse.

Hayden went to Louisville to run in the Eastern Relays meet.

Both kids had lots of track meets.

Trav and I went to Keeneland for the afternoon.

The kids dressed in more formal attire for their final cotollion dance.

Hayden ran in the Dream Mile in Louisville which was the top 15 8th graders in Kentucky.

While Hayden was running, Hadley was at the 8th grade dance with her friends.

May:

Travis and I went to the Oaks races with friends.

We celebrated Mother’s Day by going to church and then out to brunch.

Hadley’s club volleyball season wrapped up and they finished runner up in the tournament.

The 8th grade track season finished with both the city and state meets. Hayden holds the school record for the 800, 1600 and 3200 times and Hadley’s relay team holds the school record in three relays. The city and state meets were a perfect way to end their middle school running careers.

With the end of middle school came 8th grade graduation. The students had a wonderful celebration and then we went out to dinner.

The next day, they kids had a fun pool party with all of their friends.

June:

We were so happy to be out of school by June. We headed to KC for a few days. We went to the Royals game, and they had a huge come back win. It was nice seeing family and kicking off our summer that way.

Hadley went to camp and had the best time.

We celebrated Trav for Father’s Day.

Then, it was time for our trip to the Pacific Northwest…Oregon and Washington. We went to the Olympic Track Trials, saw the Oregon coast, stayed at a resort and toured Seattle. It was a trip we’ll always remember.

While in Oregon, Trav and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.

July:

After a couple of days home, I went to KC to help dad after his knee surgery the first week of July. The kids celebrated the 4th as Hayden ran a 10k, and then Trav and the kids went to our spot to watch the fireworks.

When I got home, we celebrated Trav’s birthday.

Hayden had fun at running camp.

I spent a lot of time at the pool!

We celebrated Trav’s mom’s 75th birthday.

Hadley had volleyball tryouts, and was excited to make the team.

August:

Volleyball and cross country commitments cranked up. The kids had meets and games.

We all prepped to go back to school…

I tweaked our back to school breakfast/brinner to dinner at Ihop…and none of us were mad about that new tradition.

The kids started high school, and I started my 23rd year of education!

Trav and I went to the Larry Fleet concert in Lexington…on a school night!!

September:

By September, Hadley was in the thick of volleyball season.

Her team had a fun weekend in Tennessee at a tournament. Their freshman team placed high in the JV bracket, so it was a fun and rewarding experience.

Hayden ran Varsity in many competitive meets.

The kids went to more Kentucky football games then Travis and I did. haha

At the end of September, we had bad storms and lost one of our favorite front yard trees.

October:

We started October in 30A on fall break with our friends. This was the third year, and we love this tradition. We’re so lucky to have these friends and families to go on this vacation with year after year.

The KC Royals made it to the playoffs and were fun to watch!

Hayden ran an awesome race in the city meet. Trav was getting over Covid, so he watched from a distance, but I got a pic with Hayden! (Then, it was my turn for Covid.)

Trav and I were able to go to Keeneland one afternoon which is one of my favorite fall traditions.

The leaves changed our our remaining tree, and I got one of my fave pics of the year!

Right before Halloween, the kids carved their pumpkins per tradition.

November:

Hayden ran another great race in the state meet. He won a freshman award at the end of season banquet.

Hadley had her volleyball banquet, and earned an award too.

We’re proud of all that the kids accomplished in their first high school seasons, and they had a lot of fun with their teammates.

The kids turned 15!! How is that possible?

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Louisville.

Then, we headed to Charlotte for Hayden to run in the Foot Locker South Regional race. We’d never been to Charlotte, and it was a fun city to explore for a couple of days.

December:

In December, we did all the holiday things.

We celebrated Christmas a couple of days early, and then…

…we headed to KC for a few days to see family there!

Now, we have a little less than a week before school starts back, so we’re taking the time to relax but also be productive before heading back to the hustle and bustle of life.

Today’s the fresh start of a new year, and I hope 2025 is a great one for all!

Books and Shows

December Books & Top 5 books for 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024December 30, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Happy New Year’s Eve! Where did 2024 go?

I’m cutting it close with it being the last day of the year, but one of my favorite posts to write is this one…

I had a pretty good year of reading. I think some of the best books that I read were at the start of the year. Unfortunately, there were some months where I only got one book read, but I always look forward to the next book after finishing one.

December Books:

This month was a little different December reading month for me. I usually try to read only Christmas books, but when the month started off with a couple of books becoming available, I decided to start the month off with those before transitioning to holiday reads.

This month I read:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Ina Garten, Be Ready When Luck Happens:

Summary:

Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.

From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

Quick Thoughts:

I could not have loved this book more. It was so interesting to read about Ina’s life –her difficult childhood, her time at the White House, how she is a self-made businesswoman and more! I loved reading the Jeffery stories too. They only thing that would have made this book “better” is if I had listened to the audio book, but that wasn’t available at my library.

Rating:

Leanne Morgan, What in the World?!:

Summary:

From dealing with your mean teenage daughter to rebelling against the latest diet trend, America’s newest standup sensation packs a hilarious punch with her real talk about what it’s like to be a regular woman today. For a long time, no one pulling the strings in the comedy world thought that an over-fifty woman from rural Tennessee could make it in the industry. But Leanne Morgan has defied the odds, reaching millions with her musings on menopause, Weight Watchers, and her opposites-attract relationship with her husband, Chuck. In her charming, Southern-accented voice, Morgan brings readers inside her quest to find her calling after so many years trying to figure out what that meant. Along the way, she discusses everything from growing up as a butcher’s daughter, to her strategy for landing a husband with health insurance, to the glories of aging and the comfort of wearing big old grannie panties. Equal parts warm and hilarious, this book is a must-read by one of comedy’s rising stars—reminding you that every time life leaves you asking, “What in the world?”, something good is going to come out of it someday.

Quick Thoughts:

I love Leanne Morgan. She’s sooo funny. I love following her on Instagram, and I would love to see one of her comedy shows one day. She was actually in Lexington this fall, but we were about of town. Like Ina’s book, I loved hearing Leanne’s story — her ups and downs in life, starting her family, and her journey to becoming a comedian who finally “made it” in her 50’s. She’s so funny…and listening to the book made it even better!

Rating:

Home Sweet Christmas:

Summary:

Until Camryn Neff can return to her “real” life in Chicago, she’s in Wishing Tree to care for her twin sisters. She’s not looking for forever love, not here. But handsome hotelier Jake Crane is a temptation she can’t resist, so she suggests they pair up for the season. No golden rings, no broken hearts. At his side, she sees her hometown through Christmas-colored eyes. The cheer is cheerier, the joy more joyful. She thought she had put her future on hold…but maybe her real life was here all along, waiting for her to come home.

New in town, River Best is charmed by Wishing Tree’s homespun traditions and warmhearted people. When she’s crowned Snow Queen, she’s honored but wary. Dylan Tucker, her king, seems like the stuff of sugarplum dreams, but she can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something big. As they perform their “royal” duties—tasting cookies, lighting trees—Dylan’s good humor and melty kisses draw her to the brink of love. But she can’t let herself fall until she uncovers his secret, even if her lack of faith means losing him forever.

Quick Thoughts:

This is book 2 in the Wishing Tree series. I believe I read the first book, The Christmas Wedding Guest, last December. The town of Wishing Tree is the perfect setting for these books. The four main characters were fun to follow along, and all the Wishing Tree/Christmas touches made for a great book to read in December.

Rating:

Bright Lights, Big Christmas:

Summary:

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family.

And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

Quick Thoughts:

I’m not trying to be dramatic, but this is one of the best Christmas books I’ve read in a long time. Sometimes with “lighter” reads, I read quickly, but with this one, I read every word and was hooked from the first page. I liked the setting being in New York as most of these kinds of books are set in a small town. The other thing I liked about this book was that there were so many characters…but not too many. Again, in many fiction books, there are just a couple of characters. This is a great Christmas read!

Rating:

It’s rare that I think a holiday romance book is five stars, but that’s what I rate this one.

Recap of 2024 Books:

This year my goal was to read 40 books which has been my goal the past few years. I started the year off strong reading some of my favorite books of the year. The summer is always a great time to read, but then once school started, I had less time to read…and some of the books I read weren’t my favorites. No matter how many books I read in a year, reading is still one of my favorite hobbies, and I always have a book on my Kindle to read whenever I have time to do so.

I read 35 books in 2024:

Here are my Goodreads stats:

35 books read
11,923 pages read
The shortest book I read was What in the World?! with 240 pages
The longest book I read was All the Light We Cannot See with 544 pages
Average book length in 2024 …340 pages

My 2024 Reads:

Another year of reading in some of my favorite places:

I enjoyed making the book trackers and share what I’d read on Instagram.

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The books I read this year:

January:

The Last Love Note
All the Light We Cannot See

February:

The Berry Pickers
Class

March:

The Frozen River
John Stamos: If You Would Have Told Me
The Heiress

April:

The Women
None of this is True
Killers of the Flower Moon

May:

Darling Girls
Mama Love
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing

June:

In June, I listened to my very first audio books…

After Annie
The Last Lifeboat
This Summer Will Be Different
The Summer of Songbirds
Birdie & Harlow (audio book)
The Office BFFs (audio book)

July:

The Darlings
A Hundred Summers
The Boys in the Boat
The Summer Pact
Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey – audio book)
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing (Matthew Perry- audio book)

August:

Swan Song (and summer reading recap)

September:

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

October:

The Girls in the Garden
She’s Not Sorry

November:

The House in the Pines

December:

Ina Garten’s Be Ready When Luck Happens
Leanne Morgan’s What in the World?
Home Sweet Christmas
Bright Lights, Big Christmas

Top 5 Books of 2024:

With the books I loved, it’s pretty obvious my two favorite genres are “history fiction” and “memoirs.”

Before I share my Top 5 reads of 2024, these books deserve honorable mention recognition.

Here are they are in the order that I read them:

Berry Pickers
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Many Lives of Mama Love
The Summer of Songbirds
The Boys in the Boat
What in the World?

Here are my top 5 reads of 2024…

Frozen River:

I read this book thanks to Shay’s book club.

The Last Lifeboat:

I’d had this library book on my shelf for quite some time. I’d forgotten about it, so I returned it, but then found the book to download to my Kindle. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to read it.

Ina Garten’s Be Ready When Luck Happens:

I love Ina. I need that on a bumper sticker.

The Women:

The library wait list was long for this one, and I know why! I couldn’t put this book down.

All the Light We Cannot See:

This is the #1 book I read this year. Again, I love historical fiction, and this was a gripping, serious, and inspiring novel. I started 2024 off right reading this book in January.