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Posted in Friday Favorites, Weekly Report

Friday Faves: Weekly Report

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

All I have to say is TGIF! We’ve had a busy week with many late nights, and while school has been fine, my students were definitely acting like this is the last week before spring break (which is usually the case), but unfortunately for all of us, we still have one more week left before break!

Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites…

…to share my…

I’ve seen this “Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T” on Tik Tok and Insta, and thought it would be a fun blog idea. I think usually it stands for…reading, eating, prioritizing, obsessing, recommending, and treating.

I’m going to put my own “spin” on it, and for this report, I’m going to focus on…reading, enjoying, purchasing, obsessing, resolving, teaching.

Reading:

I’m listening to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, and I’m flying through it. I downloaded it last Saturday, and I only have about an hour left in the book. It’s so good…and I love the Kentucky/Lexington references.

It’s a rarity, but at the moment, I don’t have anything downloaded on my Kindle to read. I’m hoping to download a few books this weekend!

Enjoying:

I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and fresh air this week. This past weekend truly felt like summer, and this week, we’ve had more springlike temps. We’ve opened the windows, and I’ve driven with the sunroof open as much as possible. Of course, all good things must come to an end (or at least be paused), as today’s weather is chilly and gloomy!

Purchasing:

Just this week, I realized I needed to get my act together and purchase a few things for the kids’ Easter baskets.

Hayden is getting a t-shirt and baseball cards, and I’ve already purchased this tank for Hadley.

The rest of these items are in my cart (and some are on sale thanks to the Amazon spring sale)

  • Flip 7 – I always try to add a game to one of their baskets (or something for them to share) that we can play as a family, and I’ve heard this game is fun.
  • Beef sticks- I still don’t know who Mr. Beast is but teens talk about him, and apparently there are some Jack Links beef sticks with his name on them!
  • Car items are fun now that the kids have a car….Car putty looks like something they could use based on the times I’ve been in their car. haha
  • Air fresheners – Hadley just mentioned that the ones they have in their car are now basically scentless, so these will come at a good time.
  • Medicube– Anything skincare is a good bet for Hadley, and we’ve talked about trying these Medicube toner pads. Maybe she’ll let me try them too!
  • Fidget balls– These magnetic fidget balls are perfect for Hayden’s basket…and like Hadley’s Medicube toner pads, I’m interested in trying them too!

Obsessing:

Ummm…how cute are my new hats? They are from Moink Custom on Etsy. For quite a while, I’ve wanted a neutral smiley face hat, and even Amazon was no help. I like to wear hats, but sometimes I don’t want to were a hat with sports logo. The “I need a minute” hat is from an idea I saw off another hat that was sold out on a website. I thought it would be a good one for vacation…or really any day. haha

The color and puff paint are perfect on both.

Resolving:

This week, I made a resolution to walk 20 min every day. I’ve kind of been in a funk, and I figured if I could commit to 20 minutes of fresh air every day, that would certainly help!

I made a “reminder” note on my phone, and I went ahead and typed out the rest of the days in March, and I’ve checked the box after my walk each day. Now, some days, I’ve also had time for an actual workout, but mostly this week, I’ve committed to walking. And…most days, I’ve walked longer than 20 minutes.

This week really was hectic, so some days committing to walking meant that as soon as I got home, I walked rather than having downtime before one of the kids’ activities. Other days, I was walking at 8PM to get the walk in. Anyway, I’ve looked forward to these daily walks, and it’s how I’ve listened to so much of my book this week!

Teaching:

This week, my English 2 students finished up unit 3 which means it’s time for them to write their end of unit paper. We’re focusing on elements of argument as they are writing a persuasive letter. Before they began their brainstorm, I put them into groups to read five sample letters. One of my “teaching tricks” is to assign groups based on the playing card I give them. I needed five groups, so students were in groups based on hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades and then aces/jokers were a group.

They read through five different sample letters, and the last letter they were given, they had to use the rubric I will use to grade their letters in order to assign that letter a grade. One of my pet peeves that they hear all about every time they write a paper is when they tell me they’ve lost the rubric I gave them…and I tell them I won’t grade their paper without a rubric.

So, now they’ve seen the rubric, used the rubric to score another paper, and have it to guide them as they write their essay.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Yep. (Although, I will say that TikTok videos taught them how to parallel park! ha!)

Screenshot

Weekly Recap:

I had a fun week of blogging:

Monday memes
Day in the Life: Weekend
What’s Up Wednesday
Monthly Musings

Have a great weekend!

Posted in Monthly Musings, Seasonal

Monthly Musings

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

This week is certainly chugging along. I will say that I feel like I’ve hit a wall because we’ve had baseball games or track meets every night this week. Thankfully, tonight, we don’t have anything on the agenda!

It’s the last Thursday of the month, so I’m linking up with Patty for Monthly Musings!

This month’s topic is…spring holidays and fun.

1. Does it feel like spring where you are?

It does! Now, we had the random ice and snow on St. Patrick’s Day, but after that, Mother Nature got her act together.

A a matter of fact, this past weekend felt like summer! It was too early to be that hot…haha.

This week, has been sunshine and temps in the 60’s, so it’s been feeling very much like spring.

2. What spring holidays do you celebrate?

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Easter in the spring.

For St. Patrick’s Day, as I’ve mentioned quite a few times, I make corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread, and my brother’s family joins us for dinner.

This year, Easter is at the start of spring break, and I always look forward to Easter baskets in the morning followed by church with my family. We typically have a late lunch with my brother’s family or Trav’s family…it just varies year to year.

Is Memorial Day a spring holiday? It’s in May, but I guess it kicks off summer! We usually at a track meet or at the pool that weekend.

3. Any spring trips planned?

It wouldn’t be spring break without us being behind on planning. We hope to get away for a few days over break, but we’re still TBD on some details.

4. Favorite foods to eat and share for spring holidays?

Corned beef and cabbage are my “go to” for St. Patrick’s Day.

I always look forward to ham and side dishes like green bean casserole for Easter.

5. Are there any spring festivals in your area?

I always forget about St. Pat’s day parade, and I think some years it gets canceled due to weather.

Our club always has Easter egg hunt, but we haven’t done that in years since the kids are older. Our church does a pancake breakfast and egg hung too and sometimes the kids go help with that

6. Best spring allergy relief tip.

My best tip is just to stay on top of things. Once I moved to Kentucky, I realized that I had seasonal allergies. That being said, I take allergy meds and nasal spray most mornings, year round. I get sinus infections pretty easily, so I’ve learned to be proactive rather than reactive in regards to allergies.

Both of the kids tend to have seasonal allergies, so I have to remember to tell them to start taking meds in March before everything blooms. Hadley tends to “suffer” more in the spring whereas Hayden has allergies more at the end of the summer.

7. What makes you think “ok, now it’s finally spring.”

When we can have the windows open, it feels like spring! The other day, I came down the hall, and I could smell the fresh air. I realized someone had opened the kitchen window, and it was lovely.

Also, I love having the sunroof open on the way home from school.

8. Spring rain…love or dislike?

I love a spring rain, but if it rains out a baseball game or track meet, I’m annoyed. Once everything is on the calendar, I prefer not to have to re-schedule and throw everything off.

9. Special spring holidays dessert or treat?

I sometimes make Shay’s Fruity Pebbles Bars in the spring. They are festive because Fruit Pebbles are like a rainbow of color.

10. Favorite spring cocktail or mocktail?

Sipping a margarita on the patio with some chips and guac is a nice way to spend an evening!

Happy spring!

Posted in What's up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

How is your week going? After our summer like weather over the weekend, the temps have dropped again, but at least the sun has been shining! I’ll take it.

It’s crazy to think that this time next week will be April!

l don’t often have my act together enough to link up with Sheaffer and Shay on the last Wednesday of the month, but I’m doing so today!

What we are eating this week:

Thanks to the amazing weather this past weekend, Trav grilled out on Saturday and Sunday. Hadley requested hot dogs, so that’s what we had on Saturday night, and then we had steak on Sunday night.

This Betty Crocker pasta salad saves me as an easy side dish, and we had enough that I’ve had some for lunch the past couple of days too.

Monday night, I whipped up some baked burritos that we haven’t had in a while. I knew it would make enough for leftovers on Tuesday which is what we needed since Hadley had a track meet, and Hayden had a baseball game.

(At some point, the Pinterest link for this recipe was glitchy, so I wrote it down)

Recipe:

  • Brown two pounds of ground turkey, drain, add taco seasoning and water. Simmer for a few minutes. Then, I throw in some black beans too.
  • In a bowl, mix cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 c. sour cream, 1/2 c. taco sauce. Then, add a bit of that to the bottom of 13×9 baking dish.
  • Assemble meat into tortillas – I add a little meat and then a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in baking dish.
  • I usually make about 12 little burritos and just squeeze them in the dish.
  • Top the burritos with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
  • I typically make the microwave Trader Joe’s Jasmine rice and mix it with remaining black beans, salt, pepper, a little bit of frozen corn (if I have some), cilantro and then the juice of a lime. My kids love this…even better than Chipolte rice!

Tonight, I’m making this pasta, and again, I hope to have leftovers for Thursday.

A highlight of my week so far were these pretzel bites that Hadley made. Last week, in her Adv. Foods class, her teacher assigned groups a team in the NCAA tournament. Hadley’s group’s team was the Georgia Bulldogs, and they had to create a menu centered around the theme. The groups presented, and then one group won…which was her group. So, this week, they made “Bulldog Pretzel Bites” and “Puppy Chow” in class. This assignment was so cute! (and delish!) Bonus – she dropped some off for me to try!

What I’m reminiscing about:

I never thought I’d be back being a baseball mom, but here we are. When I look at Hayden in the dugout or the field now, I still see this little kid!

This year, for whatever reason, I’ve been thinking back to previous spring breaks. We’ve really never done the same thing twice for spring break…which was a preference. We always like to go somewhere new(ish) and driveable, and just for a few days. Through the years, we’ve been to Knoxville, Asheville, Nashville, Greenville, DC, and more. I realize just because we’re almost halfway through the high school years, it doesn’t mean the kids won’t mooch off of us for vacations, but I just feel like some of these traditions, like spring break are coming to an end sooner than I’d prefer!

What I’m loving:

A couple of months ago, the TJ Maxx check out line “got me” and I picked up a box of face towels while I was waiting in line. Once that box was out, I bought these from Amazon, and I love them just as much (and the box is more functional than my TJ Maxx one)

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This silicone mat has come in so handy for recent travel. I never knew how much I “needed” this. haha

Besides keeping the counter top safe, the pouch on the other side is perfect for storing and traveling with my curling iron.

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What We’ve Been Up To:

We’ve been watching all the basketball games. On a whim, Trav’s family decided to do a bracket challenge, and it’s been fun to see the standings change around.

Full transparency, while my bracket was in first for the first couple of days, I’m down to 6th place…I won’t give up though. Hadley’s bracket name made me chuckle…

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The kids’ activities are in full swing. Hayden has had a few baseball games, and Hadley had her first meet of the outdoor season last night.

Her track photos came in, and as usual, it was hard to only pick a few to order.

What I’m Dreading:

Hearing that the last day of school is June 3rd is definitely something I’m dreading. I don’t (want to) do school in June, y’all. In 24 years teaching, I’ve only had school in June one other time, and that was before NTI was an option. That’s my biggest “beef” with our situation this year is we had ten NTI days to use per usual, and we only used five. (Really, we’d only used four until recently…and then we used a 5th on St. Patrick’s Day)

What I’m Excited About:

Now that I’ve adjusted to “springing forward,” I’m excited about the sunshine, more daylight and warmer days ahead….

What I’m watching/reading:

As a I said before, we’ve been watching lots of basketball.

I’ve been loving Love Story, and I only have one more episode to go.

Trav and I have been meaning to watch the newest season of Night Agent, but we haven’t had time to yet. I’d say maybe this weekend, but I bet basketball will win out as what ends up being on the TV.

I’ve been listening to the audio book of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I started it on Saturday, and I’m about halfway through listening to it. I’m really enjoying it.

What I’m wearing:

Layers! ‘Tis the season for all kinds of temps, so I need all kinds of options for clothes. On the colder days, I am trying to wear favorite sweaters one more time. On the weekend, I’m usually wearing athleisure, but I try and look put together when I leave the house.

What I’m doing this weekend:

Actually, we have another somewhat slow weekend…Hayden does have a game, and I need to buy things for the kids’ Easter baskets. I’ve bought a couple of odds and ends and some candy, but I want to take stock in what I have and then go from there.

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month:

All things April…Easter, spring break, and hopefully Keeneland!

What’s something you’re looking forward to next month?

Posted in Day in the Life

Day in the Life: Weekend Edition

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

I love reading when others share day in the life posts, and I decided on a whim to document my Saturday (mostly!). Really, this post is probably more of a “highlights” of my weekend rather than a full DITL post.

Here’s a look at a pretty good Saturday:

First of all, look what time I woke up! Well, really, this is what time I got out of bed.

I was so tired Friday night, and when I went to bed, I remember thinking “it would be nice to sleep until 8:00.” I’d set an alarm for 9:00 to remember to wake up Hayden, and that’s what woke me from my sleep! After waking Hayden, I read for a few minutes before getting up.

I can’t remember the last time we had a Saturday with nothing on the agenda. I made my coffee…

…put on my fave eye mask (I’ve purchased these 16 times!) to refresh my eyes…

…and then started reading some of my favorite blogs. There are probably twelve or so blogs that I read consistently. A few of the blogs are on WordPress, so they are “easier” for me to read every day as I have that app which I prefer for commenting. I can read other blogs on my phone, but commenting is easier on my computer. So, if I haven’t read as many during the week, I like to play “catch up” on the weekends.

Anyway, Tanya’s Spring Books post gave me lots of great reading ideas that I added to my Goodreads app. (Another reason I like reading some blogs on the computer is because then my phone is free for me to add books to the Goodreads app.)

One of the books she suggested is the third book in the Troublesome Creek series which reminded me that I’d never read the first one. I downloaded that audiobook as well as another one.

I tend to watch certain shows on certain mornings for some reason. Southern Charm is my Saturday morning show.

After I finished watching Southern Charm, I got dressed for the morning.

The warm weather reminded me to change my garden flag from this…

…to this!

What a difference a four days make! (And, Easter is right around the corner, so I should have put up my Easter flag…that’s on my list for this afternoon…which means I can also change my door hanger).

Then, I went to run a couple errands. The sunroof open is always a favorite.

I went to one of my favorite local boutiques. I hadn’t been there since Christmastime, and I loved seeing all the Easter decor.

I left with a few goodies…two new hand towels, a candle, and some hand sanitizer (that I think I will put in Hadley’s Easter basket)

Then, it was time for a walk. I wanted to get some steps in before the afternoon got away from me. I continued listening to the audiobook I started, and I was able to walk for about 30 minutes. I was glad I’d changed into a t-shirt because it was hot outside!

Then, I made a pit-stop at Jimmy John’s for a sandwich before heading to my nephew’s baseball game. My brother had warned me that the awning wasn’t up yet, so there was no shade.

It was a beautiful day for baseball, but wowzer…it was hot outside. The game lasted over two hours, but it was definitely a nice way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Once I got home, I immediately showered, and I read for a bit. I didn’t document the rest of the day, but we didn’t do much. We watched lots of basketball and Trav grilled out for dinner Saturday and Sunday nights.

One of my highlights from Sunday was going to Trader Joe’s…and I picked up my favorite treat.

Here’s a peak at my basket…and bonus is that I actually remembered to bring my Trader Joe’s tote into the store to carry my groceries.

While I was there, I also saw this guac/salsa combo to try, and it was delish!

Both Saturday and Sunday I read outside for a bit…

Spring is here!

I hope you had some highlights from your weekend as well.

Posted in Memes

Monday Memes

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday! How was your weekend? I certainly appreciated the sunshine and warm temps that we had. It was so nice to be outside, go for a walk, and drive with the sunroof open.

I know I typically share my memes on the last Monday of the month, but next Monday I hope to share the books that I read in March.

Let’s just say that I’m not ready to carry on full conversations until I’ve had a couple cups of coffee.

I wish I had more will power…

This one made me LOL. Why do we do our over-thinking at night?!

I told you that I have a good bit of Irish in me:

I am Dorothy. Dorothy is me! Literally, I had the ice breaker parts of meetings…

How is the time change treating you? Honestly, it did take me a full week to comprehend why it was still so light outside at 7PM!

I’m a neutral girl!

Instagram humor:

In honor of March madness…

How’s your bracket holding up?! Let’s just say that my bracket I entered in Trav’s family challenge that’s titled “Jen is going to win” might not actually come true.

Have a great week!

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#295}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

What a week! We had all kinds of weather from rain to high winds to ice to snow! Throw St. Patrick’s Day in there with school and sports, and it was just a full week!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last weekend, Hadley had a volleyball tournament, but thankfully it was here in town. Bonus – her team didn’t play until the afternoon wave on Saturday, so we were able to ease into our weekend. The team went 3-0 which meant they played in the gold bracket on Sunday. They ended up coming in 4th overall, so it was a great weekend of volleyball…and even better because we didn’t have to travel!

Saturday night, Travis and I went to the baseball fundraiser. It’s a little weird being back in this baseball world, but it was nice reconnecting with friends and many of my school friends were at the event as well.

Sunday morning started early with volleyball but also with me putting our corned beef meal in the slow cooker!

After Hadley’s games on Sunday, I had a couple of hours at home, so I made two loaves of the Irish soda bread while the cabbage cooked.

My brother and his family came over for dinner, so it was a nice way to end the weekend.

Tuesday started off in an odd way. I actually hit snooze a few times, and by the time I got my coffee and got situated on the couch, I saw a few texts from friends saying how bad the roads were. I noticed that my street looked icy, and then around that time, we received a text that we were going to have a two hour delay. Then, it started to snow heavily for about an hour, so we ended up having an online learning day. The initial two hour delay call was so late that many elementary teachers and some students were already at school. Even a few high school teachers were at school, and they had texted to say how slick it was outside. Anyway, what a random start to St. Patrick’s Day, but I wasn’t mad about being at home.

This is the breakfast I provided my kids on their Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, NTI day:

I had placed a pick up order on Monday, and I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner this week. Well, once I saw that colder temps for Tuesday, I decided to make potato soup, and then I made another loaf of the Irish soda bread. It was the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dinner given how cold it was outside!

I made brownies, and Hadley iced them and decorated them with rainbow sprinkles. This was a nice dessert to have for the week.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Teens, am I right?!

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Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Wednesday HodgePodge
Throwback Thursday

I hope you have a great weekend. For once, we don’t have much on the books, so I’m guessing we’ll watch a lot of basketball this weekend!

Posted in Kids, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: March 2010

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I hope your week is treating you well! I’ve enjoyed taking a look back at the year 2010 when the kids were babies! While they were babies, it’s amazing to me how much they changed month to month while looking back at these pictures.

I shared Throwbacks to January and February, and now it’s time to take a look at March 2010.

This month was still all about the Boppies….and apparently immunizations based on the little Band Aids on Hayden’s little legs.

We were still in the throes of Hadley and her acid reflux and Colic…but she liked being on her belly, so tummy time was a way to pass the time.

We played lots of dress up in March, apparently! I know the blue outfits were in preparation for Easter…and the sweaters kept them warm in the cooler temps of March.

Around this time, Hadley was struggling with turning her head from side to side. Her little neck muscles were so tense that we’d have to massage them, rotate her neck to get the muscles loose, and even make sure when we laid her down to alternate which side she was facing. It all worked out, but I can tell that was something we were working on in the bottom left picture.

I distinctly remember taking this pic of Hayden. He was such a happy baby. I’d put him in this romper as an alternate choice for Easter if the weather was warm. What a sweetie!

Louisville cousins came to stay for the night!

Then, we made the trek to KC for the kids’ first visit to see my KC family. The usual nine hour drive took close to twelve since we had to stop for feedings along the way. Trav and I drove the kids there, and I stayed for about a week. Trav flew back to Lex, and then my brother drove back to Kentucky with the kids and me. He was moving to Lex at the time, so that plan synced up nicely.

Here they are in their KC baseball shirts.

For reference, here they are in them after they wore born:

They’d put some meat on their bones!

We brought all the things with us including one bouncy seat!

Tummy time and trying to roll over.

I dressed the kids up in sweet little clothes to meet extended family, and they had lots of time with my parents and Gma too.

When it was time to pack up, my aunt had the idea to prop them up in their little suitcases, and this has always been one of my favorite pics!

Once we got back from KC, I had only a couple weeks left of my maternity leave.

This was a fun trip down memory lane!

Posted in This and That

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

How is your week going? We had a pretty busy weekend and an unusual start to the week. We had bad storms and high winds blow through Sunday night into Monday. Then, yesterday, we woke up to ice and snow which went from a very late two hour delay announcement which then turned into a NTI learning day at home! Mother Nature is giving us whiplash!

Anyway, I’m linking up with Joyce again for this week’s Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Here are my answers to her prompts this week:

1. St. Patrick’s Day lands on March 17th. Do you believe in luck? Are there things you do thinking they’ll bring good luck or things you avoid because they are considered bad luck?

In a way, I do believe in luck. That being said, this was my bellringer quote for my students yesterday (but since we didn’t have school, it will be our bellringer today):

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” -Thomas Jefferson

So, I do feel like maybe luck tends to happen after hard work and preparation. That being said, there do seem to be some “lucky” people in this world, but I also know that luck has different meanings to different people. I might get “lucky” to get a good parking spot at school while others are “lucky” because they’ve won the lottery. haha!

I don’t have lucky socks or anything, but one thing I do sometimes for luck is cross my fingers. I know, that’s very six-years-old of me! It’s mostly when Hadley is serving the ball at a key moment in a game or when I know Hayden is presenting in class and nervous to do so. It’s just my way of “controlling” things in some way even though I know that’s not the case.

I do avoid the number 13 and feel that it’s unlucky. Even little things like the volume of the radio or TV…it’s at either 12 or 14…not 13.

2. Forest-lime-sage-mint-olive-emerald…what’s your favorite shade of green?

I think mint green is a pretty shade of green. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is my fave…

…and Mexico City Move Mint is one of my favorite nail polish colors for a pedicure in the summer months.

3. In Ireland the meal on this day is often a hearty beef or lamb stew served with colcannon (mashed potato mixed with cabbage and leeks). In the US, corned beef and cabbage is the more typical St. Patty’s Day meal. Will you/did you mark the day with one of these dishes? Baked-fried-roasted-mashed…what’s your favorite way to eat a potato?

I always make corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread for my family, and my brother’s family joins us for this traditional meal. Most often, we do this the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day. I always borrow my sister-in-law’s slow cooker, so that I can make one corned beef in my slow cooker and one more in hers. We honestly never even have leftovers which was the case on Sunday when we enjoyed that meal.

The soda bread is the most underrated fave part of the meal.

Since we had such cold weather yesterday, I decided to make potato soup, but then I also made another loaf of the soda bread, so I did feel like we had an Irish meal on St. Patrick’s Day.

4. What color of the rainbow best represents your personality/mood today? Tell us why.

Aren’t rainbows just the best?

I’m always in awe of them whenever they appear. After the rain, comes a rainbow which is a lovely thought.

The first color that popped into my head is blue…Don’t worry…I’m not sad. Blue is just a good neutral color, and honestly, navy blue is my fave…which isn’t in the rainbow.

5. Which ‘lucky’ quote resonates with you?

From the list, I think “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.” -Seneca

I guess I have the same sentiments as how I answered question #1.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Have I ever shared that I have a tattoo?…This Irish girl has a small shamrock on the top of her foot. It’s hard to believe that it’s close to twenty years old. It was my one “wild” thing to do in adulthood before having kids. That being said, a few years ago, Trav and I did a DNA kit, and he had more Irish in him than I did. I think he needs the tattoo!

Have a great Wednesday. I’m hoping for a regular old Wednesday!

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#294}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday (the 13th!)

How was your week? Overall, ours was good. Spring has sprung which means allergies are kicking up too. I felt like most everyone in our house was sneezing.

The kids were busy with volleyball, track, and baseball. Tuesday was the statewide testing day, so my kids, as sophomores, took the PSAT. It’s crazy to think we’re in this part of their high school era.

Anyway, I’m definitely feeling TGIF. I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week…

Last weekend, Hadley had a volleyball tournament in Louisville. This is her third year playing club volleyball, and through the years, we’ve had lots of tournaments. This one wasn’t like any other we’d experienced. It was at the Expo center, and there were thousands and thousands of people there. It was hosted by Under Armour, and there were hundreds of courts, music playing, lots of merch, food trucks, a bar!, and more. To say I was overstimulated by the end of each day is an understatement. haha!

Anyway, Hadley’s team is small but mighty and they hung in there on Saturday.

…and then on Sunday, they won their bracket. They played much better on Sunday, so I’m glad they were able to end the weekend on a high note.

I shared in a Target post a few weeks ago that I saw the Slice version of a Shirley Temple. Well, recently I found the Olipop version at Target. I bought a couple, and it tastes really good. Target has been out of the Poppi verison that’s so popular, but I hope to try it when I can find it.

I don’t put out St. Patrick’s Day decor, but a couple of weekends ago, I did update my front porch door hanger and door mat to the ones I use to kick start spring. Last weekend, when I went to switch up my garden flag, I remembered that I have this St. Pat’s Day one courtesy of my mom. Last spring, she was cleaning out her flags, and I got this one. It’s a nice festive touch.

I’m also back drinking an iced coffee most mornings, and I pulled out my Daisy flower icon glass that I got a couple of months ago at World Market. It’s the little things!

In that same Target post, I’d shared that I’d gone to Target looking for this berry bowl, but it ended up being too big for my coffee table tray. (I was never going to put berries in it…I just liked the color). Anyway, this berry bowl is smaller, so I got it, I’m liking this new addition to the coffee table tray. As you can see, I have one of my favorite jarred candles, and the matches are my latest Hearth and Home find at Target.

Obviously, I light candles often, but I usually use a lighter. During Christmastime, when I picked up a cute box of Santa matches at a local boutique, I liked the practicality/functionality as well as the cuteness of the box of matches. When I saw these, I picked them up and they are a nice little addition/option for when I don’t want to go find the lighter. (I can’t link them, but they were in the Hearth and Home section of Target).

I went to Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago, and these cinnamon cashews jumped into my cart…and they will do so again next time I go. They’re so good.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Well, this is a favorite mom meme at dad’s expense….This is the running joke at our house with Hadley and Trav…even I have to roll my eyes at him sometimes. haha

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Look at my little leprechauns in March 2011.

Not long after this, Hayden got his first haircut!

Weekly Recap:

Share Our Lives
10 on the 10th
LEt’s Look/HodgePodge

This weekend, we’re having our traditional corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread meal. We can’t wait!

Posted in Let's look, This and That

Let’s Look and Hodgepodge

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday. How’s the week treating you? I think the busy weekend we had has me “surviving” not “thriving.” It’s already midweek, so we’ll just keep moving right along.

Today is a double dose of blog posts!

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look, but that post for me is short and sweet…

…so I’m also linking up with Joyce for her Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Starting with Let’s Look…so far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Things we outsource without regret in January…
  • Ways we’ve turned into our parents in February (I missed out on the February post, but I’m sure I’ve turned into them in the best possible ways.)

This month, we’re looking at…favorite family vacations.

In July, one of our Share Our Lives posts was about best vacation memory. Well, I couldn’t choose just one memory, so I recapped quite a few vacations there.

One thing I’m grateful for is our fall break tradition of going to the 30A area of Florida with friends. We’ve gone the past four years and have made countless memories as a family of four but also with friends who feel like family.

Moving on to Wednesday Hodgepodge…

Here are my answers to her prompts this week:

1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or ‘gut instinct?’ Does everyone deserve a second chance?

I think I am, but I also think I’m a pretty good judge of character when trusting people.

Trust is built on a little bit of both of logic and ‘gut instinct.’ I guess the more you’re around people, the easier it is to “read” who you can trust or not. I try to find the good in people and not be jaded.

As far as deserving a second chance…depending on the situation yes, I’d say most people would deserve a second chance. Of course there’s the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” and “Don’t let someone show you twice who they really are.”

2. ‘Beware the Ides of March’…March 15 is on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar. Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome?

Listen, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried to read Shakespeare with one hundred freshmen! Thankfully, they go into Romeo and Juliet with some foundational knowledge. We’re actually reading RJ right now…and Romeo and Juliet just got married…which always as my freshmen shaking their heads.

Reading Shakespeare is tough, so I try to mix it up for them. We read the graphic novel version (online) for Acts 1 and 2. Then, we read the full text for Act 3 with comprehension questions. I usually read the “bridge” text (shorter version) for Acts 4 and 5. With my Advanced classes, we read the full text and students even volunteer to read parts. I always sprinkle in activities to check understanding and take a deeper look into certain vocab words. One of my fellow teachers shared the Broadway play (via You Tube) with Orlando Bloom as Romeo, so we watch a little bit after each act.

When I was sixteen, I went on a two week trip to Europe with school. We went to Italy, but we didn’t go to Rome.

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What’s your favorite salad dressing?

I do like Caesar salad, and if it’s on a menu, oftentimes, I will order it. No anchovies…no thanks! Overall, my favorite salad dressing is Ranch.

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that’s easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated office space? Are you happy with the space?

At home, I typically sit on the couch or at the kitchen table to work. It just depends what I’m working on. If I need to spread out a bit, I will go to the kitchen table. We have a dedicated office space but not a full office. We use what would be our formal dining room partly for office space. It just fits our needs better.

I wrote this post back in 2020 sharing how we updated the living room and dining (office) space. The space serves our needs. Since we all have laptops, we can all kind of work wherever we choose, but it’s nice having the cabinet for storage (school supplies, envelopes, chargers, etc) and the bigger desk if we ever need more space.

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips…what’s your favorite Spring flowers?

Tulips from Trader Joe’s…

I think I buy flowers the most in the spring. I guess I’m ready to sprinkle in some color and freshness around the house after winter.

…I know they aren’t listed because they aren’t an early flower, but I love my hydrangea mug that I got last year at a local boutique. I need to bring it out into the coffee mug rotation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day which means it’s almost corned beef, cabbage and Irish soda bread time. I always host my brother’s family, and I guess time slipped away. I just texted the other day to check on their weekend plans.

Along with random thoughts…I love Irish soda bread and say every year that I wonder why I only make it once a year?!

Have a great Wednesday!