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Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#131}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

This week was a good one, but re-entry after a week off for break was quite the adjustment. Besides school, work, and regular evening commitments, I just felt like we had a few extra things thrown in like early Student Council meetings and flu shot appointments.

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

Favorite Moment:

Tuesday was a BIG day around here. Hadley got her last set of braces off! This second phase was supposed to be about two years, and she finished up three months early.

I love that smile!

Progress through the years…phase one start and finish and phase two start and finish.

A win for me…I’ve finished my first round (30 weeks) of Invisalign. One thing I didn’t think I’d ever have in common with my almost teenagers is having ortho appointments at the same time. Here we are headed to our appointments Tuesday morning.

I get my next set of trays in about a month…and fingers crossed…Hayden will be finished with braces the first of the year.

Favorite Clothes:

I had a couple favorites from my recent Stitch Fix order. I’ve been using Stitch Fix for probably five years or so. I get four shipments a year. I usually keep one to two things per box. My stylist over the past year or so is Narci, and I love what she picks out for me.

Something that SF has started doing the past year or so is sending an email in advance suggesting a few pieces they are putting in your box, and you say yes or no.

When I saw this knit jacket, I thought it would be great as a nicer outerwear option for fall and winter. I was trying on a few things for Keeneland, and thought I’d see how the coat looked with one of my dresses. I really love it.

There were two pairs of mid rise jeans in my order, and when I put on these “girl friend” jeans, I really liked them. I wasn’t sure if they were “age appropriate” for me, (read: am I too old to have holes in my jeans?), but when I showed them to Hadley, she approved and said they were “giving.” That’s a good thing, BTW.

I have Stitch Fix referral link (every customer does) if you are interested in trying it out.

Favorite Foods:

I went to Trader Joe’s for fruit, and came home with this pumpkin brioche bread (and the fruit)…and it’s delish! Hadley’s been having a slice for breakfast, and I’ve had it for a snack a time or two. Yummy.

I had Amy’s Dorito salad for lunch three times this week. Easy to prep and so good.

Other Faves:

My big blue crew are a fave. They were dressed and ready for the cooler temps. (Hayden is an example of how middle school boys dress even when the temps dip below 50…he did take a sweatshirt) for the football game last weekend. Another fave…while they were gone, I had the house to myself. haha!

Hadley had a big week! Besides getting her braces off, she also made the school volleyball team. Tryouts were on Tuesday, so she earned the red plate for dinner. When I put her dinner on the plate, she said she hadn’t made the team yet. I reminded her it was about the effort and not the outcome. After not playing much since before Covid and with many girls trying out, she was nervous. That being said, she felt good about her tryout…which is all she could ask for.

She’s excited to get back on the court this season, and we can’t wait to watch.

Ok –this is a random favorite, but do you follow Brunch with Babs on Instagram? She’s so much fun, and she shares tips pretty often. She mentioned that most washers have a delayed start, so to check it out and use that as a way to start laundry when needed. Our washer is a couple of years old, so I figured it would have that feature. Well, I checked…and it did! I don’t like running the washer or dryer when we aren’t home, so this will be a good way to throw laundry in and set the start for the early morning or afternoon.

Favorite Mom Meme:

hashtag: that mom life

Bonus Fave…Flashback Friday:

With Hadley back on the volleyball court again, here’s a pic of her at a skills session a few years ago. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts this week in case you missed one!

Not Just a Mom
This or That: Fall
Let’s Look
Fall Break Vacay: Part 1

What do you have on tap this weekend? I’m really hoping for a quiet night at home watching a movie with the fam. We’ve done a pretty good job watching a movie a month together this year. Then, Saturday is state cross country. Fingers crossed, I think Hayden’s leg is much better. Not sure if we’ll get there, but I was hoping to get to the pumpkin patch this weekend too. We’ll see!

Thanks so much for reading!

Posted in Travel

Fall Break in Florida Part 1

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I can’t believe we’ve almost been home from the beach for a week, and I’m just getting around to sharing about the first few days of our trip.

Like I shared last week, it felt odd prepping for our trip as we weren’t sure the exact track of Hurricane Ian. Florida saw a lot of devastation, but the hurricane didn’t make it to the 30A/Destin area.

30A is a “hot spot” for vacations for the southern states. We have lots of friends who go there many times a year. I believe there are direct flights if not from Lexington, from nearby cities. That being said, most of the time, I think people drive. It’s about a ten hour trip. Travis and I had been there once before with friends many years ago. I’m sure we’d go there more if we didn’t have Siesta Key as our main Florida vacation spot thanks to Trav’s family.

Anyway, here’s a bit about the first few days of our trip…

Saturday:

We were sharing a house with three other families, and we couldn’t check in until Sunday. It ended up that Kentucky was playing Old Miss at noon that day, so many of our friends left early in the morning to get to our pit stop of Birmingham, AL by game time. Hayden had a cross country meet, so while many families left in the morning, we didn’t leave until about 2 pm. We arrived in Birmingham around 8:00 and just hung out. We were all the same hotel, so the kids got together, and the adults hung out too. We just got carry out dinner and watched football on tv before going to bed.

Sunday:

Since we still had about 3.5 hours left of the drive, we all wanted to leave by 9:00. Everyone was up and having breakfast before packing up for the rest of the drive. Who doesn’t love a “free” breakfast?

We hit the road, and arrived in the 30A area around 1:00. We were traveling with two families who were pretty familiar with the area as they’d vacationed there quite a few times. They suggested Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill for lunch, and that’s where we all met up.

I had the lobster tacos, and they were so good. They kids ate and were able to walk around a bit while the adults chatted and ate. Hayden and Travis got their first oysters of the trip.

We were guaranteed check in to the house by 5:00, but just as we were getting into our cars around 3:00, they texted that the house was ready. Perfect timing!

One of the moms ordered groceries for delivery between 3:00 and 5:00. The Instacart person was in the driveway as we arrived. Again, perfect timing!

The house was pretty big and so charming. It was nestled in a neighborhood about 1/2 a mile from the beach, and the neighborhood had two pools…one of which was only a few steps from our house.

The screened in front porch was my favorite part!

We all got settled in our rooms, unpacked groceries, and got organized. There was a carriage house above the garage, and it had a king bed and two twin beds. The four girls got it. It was funny because Hadley kept calling it the “out house” at first. I told her it was a far cry from an out house. Throughout the week, they called it the “other” house, the “back” house, and eventually the “she shed.” They definitely had a good spot!

Our house also had a golf cart, so a couple of trips on that to get everyone there, and we were at the beach by 4:00.

We all sat around while kids played.

Then once we realized how early the sun would be setting (6:30!), we decided to grab some drinks from the house to enjoy while we watched the sun set. I ordered these cups from a Lexington girl (@cupsoncochran) and brought them for us to use on the trip.

I love a beach sunset. I try hard not to miss one while on vacay!

Of course, we had to have some sunset pics on the first night.

Then, we headed back to the house for dinner. I’m so glad we had made the plan to grill out at home. We were back from the beach around 6:45, and had dinner around 7:30. The kids played games, and the Chiefs were on tv. We all hung out, and I think most were in bed around 10.

Monday:

We eased into the morning with people waking at various times. Before we left for the trip, the moms made a tentative breakfast plan. Of course, we bought cereal, but then we also planned for pancakes, sausage biscuits, omelets and more. We spaced those out throughout the week.

We had coffee on the screened in porch before the moms walked on the beach. There were two other families nearby that we hung out with as well.

When we got back from our walk, everyone packed up to head to beach for the day.

First full day at the beach, and everyone enjoyed it!

The kids caught all kinds of things: crabs, snakes, fish. We even saw lots of jelly fish.

In Seaside square, the moms hit up an early happy hour…

…while the girls walked around, shopped, and got ice cream.

We made it back in time to load up and head to the beach for sunset.

The moms got a pic:

…as did the daughters. Any guesses on what the girls bought while we were at happy hour? haha

This is one of those photos (both photos, actually) that I think we’ll treasure forever.

Are you even a “tween” if you aren’t doing Tik Tok dances by the ocean?

We enjoyed the sunset before heading back to the house.

Again, it was a full day at the beach, so I’m glad we planned ahead for tacos at home. Even better, someone had the good call to put the taco meat in the slow cooker. Dinner was basically ready when we got back.

Then, most of the kids settled in for Hocus Pocus 2.

It was a great day.

Tuesday:

I had coffee on the front porch before the moms biked to Modica Market for mimosas and breakfast. The mimosas were a great way to start the day. Also, I caved and bought a Seaside sweatshirt too. Hadley gets her love of sweatshirts from me!

Travis drove some of the kids up to the market on the golf cart to pick up breakfast, so we saw them for a few minutes as well.

Once we got back, we packed up and headed to the beach.

I’m glad we got this family pic because that’s about the last time Hayden was at the beach. He’d hurt his leg the day before playing football on the beach (strained a muscle, I guess), so he laid low at the house or did stretches or exercises in the pool the other days.

The beach was never super crowded, and on this day, the water was hardly moving!

I read my book and enjoyed the sunshine.

I went back to the house mid-afternoon to check on Hayden and see what the kids were up to. Then, I took an afternoon nap on screened in porch. It was lovely.

The guys (and Hayden) went out for happy hour and oysters.

For dinner, we met up with the two other families at the Hub (which I think is also called The Big Chill now). This was the perfect place for dinner because it’s all outside, there was a movie playing, and there were many food options.

After a few hours there, we headed back to the house. Again, the kids played for a bit, and we all hung out. We ended up turning on The Addams Family which we all hadn’t seen in forever.

We had a great start to our vacay….I will share the last couple of days next week!

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

Posted in Holidays, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How is your week going so far? We’re having a good one. The weather has been perfection…cool mornings and sunny days. It’s definitely feeling like October around here.

Today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at:

  • How you organize for the new year in January.
  • What you eat in a week in February.
  • Your faves from high school/college in March. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
  • How you plan/do date nights in April.
  • Your hometown in May.
  • Go-to summer lunches in June.
  • How you keep healthy in July.
  • How you do ‘every day’ cleaning in August. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
  • Organize your closet in September

This month’s topic is: select your Halloween costumes.

I feel like I’ve done some variation of this post the past couple of years…

That being said, I think our Halloween days are about over (and the days of little cute costumes are definitely over), so these posts are always a fun little trip down memory lane for me.

As far as how we select Halloween costumes, it’s really just about the kids. I haven’t worn a Halloween costume in years. We haven’t had any adult Halloween parties since before we had kids, I think. Also, we’ve never done family costumes because I am not that creative! I do love to see what others think of, but that’s never been a priority for me.

Anyway, here’s a little look at the kids’ costumes through the years.

2010:

The kids were 11 months old for their first Halloween, and I went with pretty “simple” and “classic” costumes for my nearly one year olds. What’s cuter than a pumpkin and a skeleton?

2011:

Leading up to this Halloween, I remember a conversation about how the kids should be m&m’s since we called them H&H. My mom made these m&m costumes for them which were cute and easy.

2012:

This Halloween, the kids were almost two…and so began the years of them choosing what they wanted to be. What little boy didn’t want to be a fireman and little girl, a princess?

2013:

I’ve shared before, but this was my favorite year. Hayden wanted to be Batman, and Hadley actually said, “I’ll be Robin!” Every time I look at this photo, her little mask on her chubby cheeks kills me.

2014:

This was the first year in our new house, and we moved in a few weeks before Halloween. I remember that it was a hectic time, but the kids were very confident in what they wanted to be. Hayden was still in the super hero phase, and Frozen was all the rage at the time. Hadley wanted to be Elsa, of course.

2015:

Target was a life saver for costumes. They kids were excited to find a ninja and a pink power ranger costume in the Halloween section.

2016:

In 2016, Hadley was a bee while Hayden was Luke Skywalker.

Hadley learned to read just in time to scroll my phone for costume ideas. When she said, “let’s get buzzed” and showed me a photo of a woman in a bee costume, there was no turning back. 😂Hadley saw that adult bee costume and remembered that she had a hand me down black and yellow costume from her cousin. We bought the tights and made the headband. It turned out so cute.

Hayden loved that his light saber glowed in the dark!

2017:

Looking back, this was another favorite costume year. After the Royals won the World Series in 2015, Hayden because a huge Mike Moustakas fan. This costume was easy to put together because we already had everything we needed! Hadley decided she wanted to be Super Woman which was super cute.

2018:

This was the year Hayden returned to playing soccer, so he wanted to be Ronaldo. Hadley told me she wanted to be “an 80’s girl!” and thankfully, Amazon had everything we needed.

2019:

In 4th grade, there were lots of Ghostbusters. Hayden loved having the inflatable Proton Pack (not pictured). Hadley was so cute as a nerd. She asked if I would bring home a dictionary or thesaurus from school!

2020:

The kids were still able to trick-or-treat in 2020 even with Covid going one. Hadley and a group of friends were m&m’s while Hayden dressed as another idol of his…Patrick Mahomes.

2021:

Ahh…the first year of middle school. It’s an awkward time where some people think you are too old to trick-or-treat and others don’t mind. Hadley and a group of friends all wore different animal onsies. Honestly, I loved this as an idea because Hadley continued to wear them in the colder months as pjs.

Hayden had a last minute decision to be Happy Gilmore. The idea came about at some point thanks to Hadley and Travis. Hayden was really into golfing at the time. Travis and Hadley even found the plaid Vineyard Vines shirt at a consignment store for him that looked like the one Adam Sandler wore in the movie. It was a funny costume idea, and he went along with it. I didn’t let him carry the golf club around while trick-or-treating!

Sigh, I can’t believe the little kid costume years are over. Even more, they kids basically trick-or-treated on their own last year. The adults got together for a bit, but I was actually home in time to hand out some candy just as it was getting dark outside.

What are you favorite Halloween costumes that you had growing up?

Here I am in 1980 something as a cheerleader…-and my Care Bear brother stole one of my pom poms!

Thanks so much for reading!

Posted in This and That

This or That: Fall Edition

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! It’s been a minute since I’ve done a This or That post, and when I saw this one on Insta (courtesy of @booktalketc), I thought it would be a fun one to share.

  • Falling rain or crackling fireplace: both? Both are the coziest options, but if I had to choose, I would go with falling rain for fall and save the fireplace for winter!
  • Spooky Fall or Cozy Fall: I always want September to be cozy even though it’s still so hot. October can be spooky while November start the coziness leading up to Christmas.
  • Carve or Paint Pumpkins: We always carve. I remember carving pumpkins even when I was in high school. I hope my kids let me carry on that tradition until then as well.
  • Corn Maze or Haunted House: uh…neither? If I had to choose, I’d say corn maze. I don’t want the scariness of a haunted house. My heart…and bladder can’t take it 😆
  • Pumpkin Spice or cinnamon: I think my recent Pumpkin Everything post can answer that the best! I love pumpkin spice especially when we are talking about muffins and pies! I made the Trader Joe muffins this weekend. So good.
  • Bonfire or Fireplace: No way to a bonfire. Too smoky. I love a fire in the fire place while the kids love a to roast marshmallows over the fire pit out back.
  • Black Friday or Cyber Monday: Cyber Monday. Amen. I think I went Black Friday shopping once…in 2003. I definitely had less people to buy for then, and clearly I was younger with more energy. That being said, it was solo shopping which I much prefer. Anyway, I’d say since 2009 when the kids were only a month old and I needed to buy presents for family, I started buying an online and became Cyber Monday girl.
  • Witches or Vampires: Witches are fun…vampires are too creepy for me.
  • Soup or Chili: Kind of like “falling rain” or “crackling fireplace,” I love both. That being said, I can choose soup for fall and chili for winter if needed.

Speaking of soup and chili, I’ve already made chili twice this fall.

Major’s Chili
Chicken Chili

I’ve also already made a favorite soup:

Bev’s Chicken Pasta Soup

Another favorite soup is: Shay’s

Chicken Tortilla Soup

It’s so good. I think the secret ingredient is the Ranch Style Beans.

I’ll re-share the graphic on Insta. Let me know your answers. I hope your week is off to a great start.

Posted in Not Just a Mom

Not Just a Mom: Hosting Tips

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? After arriving back late Friday night, we spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and doing laundry. I also went and got my car washed and went to the grocery store because we were out of everything. The kids and Trav did go to the UK game on Saturday night. We went from 80 degree beach temps to much cooler weather, and while I miss the beach, I’m ready for full on fall mode.

It’s the second Monday of the month, so I’m co-hosting our monthly link up with some of my favorite bloggers:

So far this year we’ve discussed:

  • Favorite bloggers in January
  • Day in the life in February
  • Reading habits in March
  • What’s for lunch in April
  • Go to gift ideas in May
  • Dream travel locations in June
  • Family food traditions in July
  • Binge watching shows in August
  • Favorite workout places in September

This month’s topic is: hosting tips.

Well, I don’t think I’ve really hosted guests (besides family who come to visit) since before Covid.

If we host, it’s usually very casual and typically in fall or summer. Our house is on the smaller side, so I prefer hosting when I know the weather is nice enough for kids to play outside and for adults to sit on the patio as much as possible. In the fall, it’s easy to make a pot of chili which was my “go to” for all the years we hosted Halloween. In the summer, it’s so nice to grill out and let the kids make s’mores in the fire pit.

Here are a few of my tips:

  • Make lists: I try and stay organized and plan ahead before hosting. I may run errands or prepare what I can in the days leading up to having people over.
  • Let people help: This is still a weakness of mine. I’m not good at asking for help, but I’ve learned to let others bring side dishes, desserts, and drinks.
  • Light candles: No matter the time of the year, I always have a few candles lit. That provides a cozy atmosphere during the cooler times of the year and keeps the bugs away in the summer.
  • Prep beforehand: Travis is big help with this. He’ll clean the house or sweep the patio in the days before people come over. If I need extra tables or seating, I get those items out the day before. Of course, if I can cook or bake in the days leading up to hosting friends, I do that as well.
  • Buy paper products for easy clean up: As much as I’d love to host with dinnerware, it’s easier for clean up with the kids to use paper plates, bowls, silverware, and napkins. Also, I always make sure to have a marker for kids to write their names on their cups. Now, when I’ve hosted small Thanksgiving or Christmas meals, I definitely use nice plates and glasses.
  • Buy what you can: Sometimes store bought desserts are the answer to a time crunch. Also, everyone loves a Fazoli’s bread stick to go with home made spaghetti.
  • Have a drop zone for purses, coats, and shoes: When people arrive, I want them to know where they can put their coats and purses if needed…which is usually Hadley’s bed. Also, if kids take their shoes off, I show them which closet to put them in, so Homer doesn’t run off with one.

I do feel like my kids (and therefore, their parents) are so busy that we don’t get together in large groups as much as we used to. That being said, sometimes, we spend an evening at the pool with friends in the summer or the moms have a glass of wine after a school event. Also, my neighbors are good about casually getting together when we can.

Anyway, I certainly hope for more opportunities to host in the near future.

What about you? What are some of your best hosting tips?

If you have a blog, we hope you’ll link up! Also, next month’s topic is: the internet made me buy it…

After a week off, re-entry is going to be rough. I’m sure it will take us a couple of days to get back in the groove of school and activities. I hope you have a great week!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Favorites {#130}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

How was your week? We had a great one because it was Fall Break and we had so much fun in the sun.

Well, I can’t believe it, but it’s the last day of our Fall Break. We went to the Destin area of Florida with a few other families, and we had such a great time. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined a better trip.

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

It felt odd moving forward with our planned trip as all eyes were on Hurricane Ian in the days before our break. There was so much destruction and devastation in so many parts of Florida, including our usual vacay spot of Siesta Key.

Amazingly, Hurricane Ian didn’t make it to the Destin/30A area.

I’m sure I will give a more detailed recap, but…

…here are a few favorite photos from our week in Santa Rosa:

While a couple more days would have been nice, we’re all ready for our own beds and can’t wait to see Homer. Truly, it was a great time with great friends. So many memories were made, and it was such a blessing to get away for a bit.

Not Just a Mom:

Wow! Monday is already the second Monday of the month which means it’s time for our monthly link up. We’d love to have you join us.

This month’s topic is: how we host.

Honestly, it’s been a minute since I’ve hosted for a party or get together. Let me know what tips you have!

Weekly Recap:

Even while on vacay, I had a few posts this week:

Pumpkin Everything
Prime Purchases
Fall Front Porch

What are your weekend plans? We will be unpacking and prepping for the week ahead with a few activities on tap as well.

See you back here on Monday for Not Just a Mom.

Posted in Holidays, Home Decor

Fall Front Porch

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How is your week going? We’ve been having a really great one. More on that later!

One of my goals last week was to get my front porch up to snuff for fall.

It all started with two mums that I purchased from the kids’ school PTSA a couple of weeks ago. I put those in the planters that sit out front year round.

A trip to Trader Joe’s was about all I needed to gather my pumpkin collection. From stackable fantasy pumpkins to mini pumpkins and squash, they have it all.

Then, I went to my favorite flower shop to pick up the cornstalks. They have the really tall ones for about $12/each. It’s kind of a mess to get them in my car, but it’s worth it. While I was there, I picked up a couple of white pumpkins as well.

Lastly, I’ve shared about the “Mum Man” who stops by Trav’s work, and has the best deal on mums. Travis picked me up one more smaller one, and I added that to the porch too.

Once we get to the orchard in October, the kids will each pick out a pumpkin to carve that will sit on the porch until we carve a few days before Halloween.

Every year, I put out the pumpkin garden flag, change out my door hanger and door mat and pillows. This year, instead of putting a few pumpkins on the little table outside, I put out a jack-o-lantern lantern that my friend gave me a couple of years ago.

I just move things around on the porch and steps until I’m pleased the final product.

Anyway, this just brings a smile to my face every time I arrive home. It’s the little things…or the $100 dollars worth of pumpkins and mums…that make the porch festive this time of the year.

I hope you are having a great week.

Posted in Amazon

Prime Purchases: October 2022

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I hope your week is off to a great start.

Since it’s the first Tuesday of the month, Tanya is hosting her monthly Prime Purchases link up, and I always love joining in on the fun.

Y’all you may need to check my pulse…I had a pretty light shopping month.

Here are my purchases this month:

I ordered a few new photos after our family pics this summer. I wanted to put a couple of them in similar frames, and our family room bookshelves are pretty small. These gold ones came in a 4 pack, and have worked out for me!

When I shared my Fall Home Tour post, I talked about the string of lights I put behind the garland on the mantle for a little extra glow. It’s actually a two pack of lights with two remotes, but I only used one for the mantle. These have been easy and perfect to use.

I have the plug in version at school with remote that I put around my white board. I love a cozy vibe even at school.

I had saved this belt bag on one of my Amazon lists quite a while ago. I used my Lululemon one quite a bit in the summer and for things like UK games and cross country meets.

This summer, my friend mentioned that she wanted a belt bag, and I told her about this quilted one that I’d saved. She ended up getting it, and it is so cute…and it’s is a little “nicer” option. I bought it this month and have already used it quite a bit.

Ready for some Saturday errands:

With some Fall Break vacation plans with warmer but not super hot summer temps, I thought this cover up would be cute to try…and could double as a dress for going out to lunch or running errands on vacation.

The length and lightweight material are perfect.

I shared this sweatshirt in last week’s Friday Favorites post, and it’s so good. It’s light weight, and I love the split hem. To me, it’s the type of sweatshirt that I can wear with leggings or with pants (or joggers) to school.

Sorry for the dirty mirror! Wanted to show you a close up the side slit.

What have you been Priming lately? Soon enough, I will be buying birthday and Christmas gifts, I’m sure!

{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}

Posted in Holidays, Meals and Recipes

Pumpkin Everything

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, well, well…it’s officially my favorite month of the year.

This is now my screensaver on my phone….it makes me so happy.

Ashton creates on Instagram

In honor my favorite month, which always makes me think of pumpkins, I’m sharing some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Faves:

When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of pumpkin pie. That being said, I try to at least make a pumpkin pie two or three times in October and November.

I’m team cold pumpkin pie (with a dollop of Cool Whip)…what about you?

Hadley loves to bake as much as I do, and we make these Pumpkin Sugar cookies.

I just buy a tub of icing and then sprinkle some pumpkin spice on the cookies.

Hadley and I made Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies recently, and they hit the spot!

If a kid hands me a fundraising sheet, and I see a Pumpkin Roll, I’m done. Sign me up.

Kroger also has them which is dangerous!

I made Shay’s pumpkin cake the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I can’t find the recipe to link up, but I’m pretty sure I used spice cake mix as the base…and a tub of frosting with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta is a family favorite in the fall for sure.

Trader Joe’s:

Of course, Trader Joe’s as all kinds of fall goodness, but my two “must haves” in the fall are:

Trader Joe’s muffin mix. It comes in so handy for pumpkin bread…

…or muffins.

The kids and I devour these for breakfast this time of the year. I love a pumpkin muffins with a cup of coffee on the weekends.

For as long as Trader Joe’s has them in stock, you’ll find Hadley having a pumpkin bagel and pumpkin cream cheese for breakfast. I usually have half a bagel a couple times a week for a snack!

My mom told me she’s tried this butter, and it’s so good.

I’d like to try:

I “pin” recipes on Pinterest pretty often, and have a “fall recipe” board. A few recipes I’d like to try over the next couple of months are:

What are your favorite fall or pumpkin recipes?

…at least that’s my motto 😉

I hope you have a great week.

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#129}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Happy FRIDAY!

How was your week? We had a really good one. It was busy of course, and I kind of hit a wall on Wednesday with life just catching up with me, but it was a really great week.

Bonus: it felt like fall all week!

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

I have so many favorites to share this week.

Last Friday night was raging with a late evening trip to Trader Joe’s. My cart was full of fall goodness though…pumpkins, mums, bagels, donuts, and more.

Saturday morning’s breakfast was my favorite kind: an apple cider donut and coffee.

Travis and the kids went to the football game. The kids were early tailgaters with Travis joining them later. Hadley really does love football Saturdays in the bluegrass state.

The Major came to visit which means we had to take the traditional porch pic.

On Sunday, we went and watched Wyatt play flag football. I remember when Hayden used to play. So fun.

Hadley and I tried a new recipe: Pumpkin Crinkle cookies. We made them for Sunday night dessert, and they were so good.

Layla (and Wyatt) came over after school on Tuesday. They played outside, and Layla made an impromptu masterpiece.

It’s been spirit week in middle school this week. I joke that no one loves a theme more than a middle school girl!

Tuesday night was a big cross country meet. It was the end of the season county meet. My nephew who is becoming an amazing photographer, snapped some awesome action shots of Hayden.

…and this one of Travis and Hayden. I love it so much.

Hayden pushed himself to the max, had another PR (personal record) and placed 4th. The team placed 2nd in a very tight race. It was an exciting evening of racing. (And we were all thankful that the weather finally cooled off for a race.)

He was pretty wiped out after the race. I know he gave 110% in the race, but the next day he complained of a sore throat. Yep…Hayden’s turn for strep! (obviously not a fave…)

Wednesday I was so tired. I decided to dress really comfy to make myself feel better. Outfit courtesy of Amazon. I’ve worn these joggers a few times already, and added this light weight sweatshirt to my wardrobe. {affiliate links}

(Also, in an attempt to keep my closet tidy, I put a similar black top that’s too big in my donate pile. One in, one out!)

Favorite Mom Meme:

Daughter and Son Day sure snuck up on me! I hope the kids know I love them even if I didn’t post about them on the social medias. 😉

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

Going to Wyatt’s game was timely because this memory of Hayden popped up in my Facebook memories this week. He did flag football for two years. We loved going to his games.

Weekly Recap

I had a week full of posts…

Memes
Tuesday TAlk: Cozi App
September Books
Monthly Musings

Well, this is the best kind of Friday. It’s our last day of school before a week long Fall Break next week. Our district has never given us a week in the past. My previous district gave us a week, and I never really felt like I needed a whole week off at this point in the school year. That being said, I’m not mad about it! We’re looking forward to be a bit of R&R.

I should be posting pretty regularly next week, but I will just see how the week goes.

Thanks so much for reading.

{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}