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Posted in Holidays, Monthly Musings

Monthly Musings: Love and Valentine’s Day

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How is your week going? I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. I do feel like this week is flying by! I’m happy that Holly and Patty are continuing their Monthly Musing link up for 2 0 2 2!

It feels crazy to be thinking about Valentine’s Day already, but I guess it is just a couple weeks away.

1. Favorite Valentine’s Memory?

I don’t have a special Valentine’s Day memory that jumps out to me, but I do remember how fun it was to exchange valentines during the elementary years. I loved a class party and always thought it was so fun to exchange valentines with classmates.

I loved re-living those days when my kids were in elementary school. The kids’ Valentine’s Day boxes from a couple of years ago crack me up. Hadley was all about the bling, and Hayden just wrote his name on the box. This says a lot about both of their personalities.

2. Chocolate, Flowers, or Both?

I love chocolate…probably too much! That being said, my favorite part of holidays and birthdays has to be receiving a card. For some reason, Travis always writes my name in bubble letters on my cards. It’s now a sweet tradition.

3. Favorite Romantic Date?

We don’t really purchase gifts for each other, but we typically make a point to go out to dinner around February 14th. We do exchange cards on the 14th though.

4. Any Valentine’s Day Traditions with Kids?

I always buy the kids a little box of chocolate, a book, and a few other things. Sometimes, I purchase a game I know we can play as a family.

The past few years, we’ve had a Valentine’s Day dinner at home where we eat everyone’s favorite dinner item which means a fun mix of foods for our meal.

5. How Do You Show Love?

I get a lot of grief for not being a big hugger, but I think I show love with kind gestures and notes/cards. My “love language” is Act of Service, and I really do appreciate when Travis helps me with an errand or an at home chore that I don’t want to do.

When the kids were babies, I decided to order a card from Shutterfly to send to immediate family for Valentine’s Day. I love this tradition.

2020 card

6. Do You Decorate for Valentine’s Day?

I don’t go all out with Valentine’s Day decor, but around February 1st, I put up a few Valentine’s Day touches.

7. Do You Wear Red or Pink on Valentine’s Day?

If Valentine’s Day falls on a school day, then I will wear something red or pink. I’ve always loved having the kids wear red/pink for Valentine’s Day through the years.

I guess we are probably past that stage, but Hadley will find something festive in her closet, I’m sure.

8. Valentine’s Day—Big Deal or Small Remembrance?

I’m team “you should show your love year round,” so I just think the day is nice to celebrate small. Again, I love a card, and it’s nice, with our hectic lifestyle, to make a point to go out to dinner around Valentine’s Day. Honestly, I have loved celebrating at home through the years with the kids too.

9. Favorite Ideas for School Valentine’s Parties?

I typically couldn’t help with holiday parties as I was usually at school myself. When the kids were in elementary, I was always happy to donate baked goods or craft supplies. Again, I have fond memories of holiday parties from elementary school, so I wanted to help my kids’ teachers as best as I could.

With my kids now in middle school, I guess the days of buying class Valentines are over. That being said, for a couple of years, I used Andrea’s awesome printable Valentines. She has so many amazing ideas. Like her directions say, you just save the design and then print (I print to Walgreens) and add to whatever snack, candy or toy you are sharing.

Hadley chose the s’mores one to give to the kids in the class pod last year.

10. Have You Ever Had a Secret Admirer?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a secret admirer. Again, with my kids in middle school, I’m reminded of the fun notes and candygrams that can be sent via Student Council, and sometimes they say “secret admirer.” It’s always fun to guess who may have sent the sweet treat.

Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions? It will be here before we know it.

See you back here tomorrow for a different kind of Friday Favorites + a GIVEAWAY!

Posted in Life Lately

Life Lately

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Shew! Yesterday felt like quite a Monday. We were up really late on Sunday watching the Chiefs game which meant the 6am alarm was rough, I was really busy at school, and then it seems that Mondays are always our busiest evening with activities for the kids.

Today, I’m sharing a little bit of…

Last week, we only had school (in person) one day! Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday were NTI (non-traditional instruction) days for our students.

I had a few questions about how our NTI works, so I thought I’d share a few details. On these at home learning days:

  • Instruction is asynchronous.
  • Assignments are posted on Canvas.
  • No new material is to be presented.
  • The district assigned office hour times for teachers at the various levels: 8:30-10:30 elementary, 10:30-12:30 middle school, 12:30-2:30 high school. Teachers are always available via email, but they are on Zoom during those assigned times to answer any questions.
  • Students have three days to complete their work after each NTI day. (That way, if a student doesn’t understand the assignment, doesn’t have internet access, is sick, etc., they still have time to complete the work without penalty.)
  • Attendance is marked by participation of turning in assignments.

After having three of these days under our belt, I’ve been pleased with the amount of work my own kids have received. Also, I’m able to work on school things and then Zoom with my regular students in the afternoon.

My former district was more rural, and they have used weather NTI days for years. When I was still teaching there, this was the same format we used except there was no Zoom, but that was pre-Covid! Also, we often gave paper packets for students who needed them.

Anyway, I don’t know if my current district will continue with NTI for weather in the future, but I hope so…or at least a compromise that after the third/fourth snow day, we do NTI or something like that. I know some parents aren’t fond of the NTI model especially after being virtual for a year, but I also don’t think it’s necessary for us to be in school past Memorial Day because we have so many days to make up. No one is happy to be in a school building after May 31 😉

Moving on…

One snow day perk was that we met Travis for an early lunch on Friday. We tried a new taco place in town.

Friday afternoon, I went to Kendra Scott to use my 50% off for my birthday. I love my new earrings.

Friday evening, we went out for pizza for dinner. Then, Hadley went to an overnight, and Travis and I took Hayden and a couple of friends to my school’s basketball game. We had a great time.

On Saturday, Hayden had an early basketball game which went down to the wire.

Saturday evening, Hayden went to a friend’s birthday. It was bowling and an overnight which meant we got one on one time with Hadley. After dinner at home, we went to Cattywampus Station, and Hadley chose the cookies and cream milkshake.

When we got home, Travis and I watched the first episode of Ozark. I can’t wait to keep watching!

On Sunday, we went to church, and then caught Wyatt’s makeup basketball game. I feel like it was just yesterday that Hayden was that little and playing basketball.

After the game, I picked up my Kroger order, made chili, and watched the Bucs/Rams game. Then, per play off tradition, we went to my brother’s house to watch the Chiefs/Bills game. We all went from sad to happy in 13 seconds. What an amazing game. Of course, that meant that we were up too late for a Sunday night, but it was worth it!

After the game, my mom called. She asked Hayden if he was alright, and he said, “No!” 😂 He had told me during the game that he thought he was having an anxiety attack.

A few other things…

It’s no secret that Homer rules the roost. On Saturday night, I headed to bed and found him in my spot:

Last week, I made these Peanut Butter Protein Balls, and the whole family loved them.

Lastly, it’s competition season, and it was Hadley’s turn to be in the spotlight:

So, that’s what has been going on with us lately. We’ve been busy per usual, but it’s been nice to have the snow days mixed in as well.

See you back here Thursday for Monthly Musings and Friday where I’m sharing a few favorite things I bought with my birthday money.

Posted in Memes

Monday Memes

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? We had a good one filled with productivity, sports, errands and more.

I can’t believe January is almost over which means it’s time for me to share some of my favorite memes from that month.

Here’s the month’s edition of:

1.

You’ve probably seen this meme, and it just makes me laugh. Re-entry after a two week break is rough. On top of that, we haven’t had much consistency to our school schedule due to the weather, so this month just seems to go on forever.

2.

Am I right?

3.

Y’all, can we catch a break?

4.

Please tell me better days will be here by spring!

5.

This is definitely me. I wish it wasn’t…but it is.

6.

I feel seen.

7.

Target. Every single time.

8.

This one made me chuckle. I’m team #foreveronabudget

9.

You know I love Amazon. I am really good about returning items I don’t want or know we won’t use. Most of the time, I request for the money to be returned to my debit card, but other times, if the item didn’t cost much, I will just have them refund it back to my Amazon balance. What a side hustle!

10.

There are so many places that need to take note of CFA. I’m never scared of that line!

I just add in memes to this post throughout the month. Once I started writing this, I realized there are still so many Covid themed memes. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I sure hope when you read this, your Monday started off with a chuckle. We’re all in this together!

I hope you have a great week.

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#97}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Friday! How was your week? You know how sometimes the short weeks feel the longest? Well, a short week due to a Monday holiday and two snow days sure did make this week feel long. I’m not mad about a few snow days, but my family just still isn’t really in a routine which can make the days seem extra crazy and extra long.

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

This week, I’m sharing my favorites day by day.

Saturday:

My favorite from Saturday was the cookie cake Travis and the kids got me for my birthday. I love that tradition, and of course, the cookie cake was delish.

Sunday:

A big WIN for the Chiefs was a favorite of mine…and a favorite for Hayden too!

Monday:

An obvious favorite from Monday was having the three day weekend.

It also would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday. Have you seen Google? When you type in her name, roses float down the screen. What a tribute!

Have you seen this post? What a beautiful sentiment.

Also, Hadley had been wanting to watch Sing 2, so we did that. It is such a sweet movie. We all loved it.

Tuesday:

Well, Tuesday was a snow day, but it was a NTI (non-traditional instruction) day for us….our first ever NTI snow day. The kids did a great job completing their work, and we are thankful to not have to add these days to the end of the year.

In the evening, I met up with my friend for drinks and an appetizer. She gave me the sweetest birthday gift. It was so great to catch up with her.

Wednesday:

Wednesday, we had school…which was honestly a favorite. I’m in the midst of planning our school’s credit recovery session, and I needed to get quite a few things accomplished.

Then, I had a great surprise when I get home. My new T3 curling iron arrived. Do you follow @mommaflum (another teacher named Jennifer!) on Instagram? A couple of weeks ago she shared some of the T3 products that she loves because T3 had a sale going on. I messaged her to ask about the curling iron, and she realized it wasn’t on sale. Anyway, over the weekend, she messaged me to say the curling iron was on sale which I thought was so sweet of her to do. I would never spend $160 on this, but with the sale, it was $100 off, so I used birthday money to treat myself.

Hadley has already used it! I’m going to give it a try over the weekend.

Thursday:

Well, we woke up to about 3 inches of snow which meant another NTI day.

…and snow cream for a mid-morning snack!

Part Husky Homer thinks the snow is so fun, and we love watching him run laps in the backyard!

I love snow too! If it’s going to be cold, then I’m all about the snow. By mid-February, I will be ready for spring.

Favorite Mom Meme:

I’m Team Forever Needs a Nap!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This photo from 2016 popped up in my Facebook memories yesterday. I remember taking this photo on a snow day. Hadley has always been able to sleep anywhere, and she sure was worn out!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week including a recap of the weekend, sharing my favorite cookbooks, and some quick lunch ideas.

Weekend Wrap Up
Favorite Cookbooks
Let’s Lunch

Well, as I finished typing this, we got the call that we have another NTI day today. While the roads are in better condition than the snow earlier this week, the temps are frigid and some side streets are still icy. Honestly, I think our sub shortage is also an issue. Maybe next week will be more “normal.”

This weekend, Hayden has some basketball, and then we’ll be cheering for the Chiefs and hoping for another win.

Thanks so much for reading!

Posted in Meals and Recipes

Let’s Lunch!

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Well, since January 1st, I can honestly say that I’ve done a much better job about meal planning and meal prepping. One thing I struggle with is packing my lunch. I don’t know why, but that always feels like such a tedious task for me!

I have a few recent lunch faves that I’m sharing with you today!

Sweet Potato:

I’ve gotten out of the habit of eating sweet potatoes, and I’d forgotten how much I love them. Here’s a quick lunch I love:

  • Microwave the sweet potato.
  • Sprinkle Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning on it.
  • Add chicken (I use Perdue shortcut chicken bites)
  • I add a pinch of shredded (Monterey Jack) cheese.
  • A dollop of salsa

Salad:

This may seem like a random combination, but I love it.

  • 2 cups of arugula
  • Sprinkle some Feta cheese on top
  • Add a scrambled egg
  • Top with salsa

Stir Fry Bowl:

What I love the most about this dish is that it’s a great way to use up any veggies I have on hand.

  • Sauté’ some shrimp in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and I use Trader Joe’s Chile Lime seasoning.
  • After those are cooked, I remove them from the pan and scramble three eggs.
  • Then, I remove those from the pan and sauté whatever veggies I have and add a few sprinkles of garlic powder and a couple of dashes of soy sauce. I usually do zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and broccoli (if I have it). Then, I add it some shredded carrot when everything is pretty much cooked through.
  • While the veggies are cooking, I put the cauliflower rice in the microwave.
  • When the rice is finished, I add it into the pan, and I also add the shrimp and eggs back in.
  • I stir everything together, and it’s ready to eat.

By using one bag of microwave cauliflower, I can get three lunches out of this stir fry which is why I scramble three eggs.

This is my most “time intensive” meal, but like I said, I get three lunches out of it and can use up what ever veggies I have in the fridge.

And…

Sometimes, I end up bringing some fruit, a protein shake, and some pretzels or popcorn as my lunch.

I’ve found if I can have a rotation of a few lunch ideas, I can get through a month at a time without thinking that packing a lunch is much of a chore!

One more idea:

Since we had a snow day on Tuesday, I was home for lunch. That gave me a bit more time to eat, so I prepared another fave:

Shrimp Tacos:

  • I just cooked the shrimp like I do for the stir fry bowls.
  • I put the shrimp in the Trader Joe’s Carb Savvy whole wheat tortillas, top the shrimp with shredded lettuce or cabbage and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

What about you? What are some of your favorite quick and healthy lunches? I’d love to add to my recipe rotation!

See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

Posted in Meals and Recipes, Tuesday Talk

Tuesday Talk: Cookbooks

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello from snowy Kentucky! I’m pretty sure that was my intro one day last week, and now we’ve gotten more snow…with more on the way later in the week! I will be honest…I’m not mad about it, but by mid-February, I will be ready for spring!

I’m not sure if this link up is still a thing, but I still have things to talk about…on a Tuesday 🤣 …like my favorite cookbooks.

January is always the perfect time to regroup after the holidays and take more time to meal plan and meal prep. I don’t ever really stop meal planning, but sometimes I slack off with meal prep.

Anyway, today I’m sharing some of my favorite cookbooks that I turn to very often (and a few favorite recipes from each).

Growing up, I didn’t think much about cooking (besides the fact that my mom made dinner for us every night), but I do love to cook, and have taught myself a bit along the way.

Here are some of my faves:

Simmers:

If I had to choose one cookbook to have for the rest of my life, Simmers would be it. Dramatic or what? haha Seriously though, the busier my kids have gotten through the years, the more and more I turn to Shay’s cookbook for slow cooker recipes.

Some of my favorite recipes:

  • King Ranch Joe’s (We are having these this week.)
  • Taco Tortellini Soup
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup
  • Beef Enchilada Tacos
  • Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joe’s

Eat Better Feel Better

I often ask for cookbooks for Christmas, and Travis got me one of Giada’s cookbooks. He knows I try to make healthy meals for the family, and that my love for Giada runs deep! I’ve made a few recipes, and I know I will continue to use this book to plan our family dinners.

So far, I’ve made:

  • Fusilli with Pesto and Green Beans
  • Green Fried Rice
  • Chicken Milanese

That Bowl Life:

Beth used to live in Lexington, and she’s a fun follow on Instagram. She’s had great success with the Faster Way to Fat Loss and created this cookbook after creating so many meals while on the program. I love how easy the recipes are, and the idea of just tossing some goodness in a bowl and that eating healthy can be pretty effortless is a win. {*Not all the recipes are in a bowl…}

Some of my favorite recipes:

  • Egg muffins
  • I’m a big fan of a snack plate because of her: a handful of almonds, a hard boiled egg, a few pickles, some lunch meat, pretzels and hummus, etc.
  • Arugula with shredded parm and proscuitto is another fave.
  • Watermelon, mint, feta salad
  • Lots of a great drink concoctions too!

She has another one, The Village Cookbook, coming out too!

Mix and Match Mama Meal Planner:

This is another cookbook by Shay that I love so much. What I love the most about it is that it is organized by season. Sometimes I think cookbooks can be overwhelming, but I love that I can turn to each season and there are four weeks worth of meals from which I pick and choose what to feed my family. There’s also a “sweet treat’ each week as well!

Some of my favorite recipes:

  • Beefy Cornbread Casserole (Winter)
  • Shrimp Caprese Pasta (Spring)
  • Caesar Salad Burgers (Summer)
  • Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Risotto (Fall)

What about you? What are some of your favorite cook books that I can add to my collection? Of course, I also turn to Pinterest for recipe inspiration, but kind of like the book vs Kindle debate…sometimes, I just like turning the pages to see what inspires me while making my grocery list!

Well, today is a first…our first ever NTI (non-traditional instruction) snow day. Of course, we became familiar with NTI in spring 2020 (followed by fall 2020 and winter 2021), but this will be our first snow NTI day. I guess the neighborhood roads are still a bit dicey. I feel like if we have to miss school for the weather, NTI is a good compromise. We had regular snow days (that we don’t have to make up) last week, so I’d rather my kids do a bit of learning now rather than be in school until June. As a teacher, I did weather NTI days in my previous district, and I thought they were a good option if we were going to miss lots of school due to weather.

Wish us luck!

Posted in Uncategorized, Weekend Top 5

Weekend Wrap Up

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? We had a great one filled with birthday fun, basketball, downtime, winter weather, and more. One of the best parts? Today still counts as the weekend!

Here’s what we were up to this weekend:

On Friday, I picked up the kids up from school and then headed home after a very busy day at school. As I shared in my Friday Favorites post, Friday was my birthday.

Hayden had his first middle school basketball games that night, but I had already made plans with friends before the schedule came out. Travis and the kids dropped me off at my friend’s house, and we had a drink before going to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Carson’s.

The salmon is my favorite!

After dinner, we made our way to the Lexington Opera House to see our girl Heather McMahan. Her show was so funny, and we had a great time.

On Saturday morning, I woke up to a card and cookie cake from Travis and the kids. With a hectic Friday night, we pushed some of the celebrating to Saturday.

We actually had a pretty low key day, and then Hayden had two basketball games.

After the games, we picked up dinner on the way home, and watched football the rest of the evening.

Sunday started with us keeping an eye out on the weather. It started to sleet around the time we left for church, but Hadley was scheduled to be the acolyte, so we headed that way. After church, it was just raining, so we went to another favorite restaurant, Josie’s, for lunch. I had the quiche and side salad. Both hit the spot!

Then, I braved the grocery store. I decided it was probably best to go ahead and shop myself rather than do Clicklist because items have been so limited and I was afraid with the weather, items would be even more limited. I was at the store about an hour and found 90% of what I needed.

After everyone helped me unpack, Travis and the kids took Homer for a bath.

In the late afternoon, the sleet picked back up, and we settled in at home for the evening. I had time to read for a bit, and even took a brief nap.

For dinner, I made Bev’s Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.It hit the spot on a cold and wintry evening.

Then, we watched the Chiefs playoff game against the Steelers. The first half was a bit too close for comfort, but we really enjoyed the second half! Hayden loves to watch every second of the game! With now school today, I let him stay up.

You know I love books, and of course I love the Chiefs. I saw this floating around Facebook. The local KC library sometimes puts books together, and this was perfect for yesterday’s game.

We don’t have big plans today. I need to do a few things around the house, and then I think I will watch a few episodes of The Golden Girls in honor of Betty White’s birthday today. Hadley also wants to watch Sing 2. We’ll take one more day of downtime, and I bet the kids will play some out in the snow.

Take care,

Linking up with Sarah & Holly…

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#96}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday. Well, after a two week break and then only two days of school last week, this week sure felt like a marathon. Are five day work weeks really necessary?!? 😆 We were back to doing all the things: schools, activities, sports, errands, and more!

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

{I love their new graphic! It’s so cute.}

Favorite Moment(s):

The big news and favorite of the week is that the kids officially received their second dose of the vaccine. Our district had some vaccine clinics, so it was super easy to get the second dose on Wednesday afternoon.

After I took this photo, I got to thinking that I feel like the next time they are showing me cards, they will be 16 and showing me their licenses!

I don’t have a photo, but another favorite this week is an email I received on Wednesday. A teacher in the building who was covering Hadley’s science class recognized Hadley for having great citizenship. Hadley helped her with attendance and finding the teacher materials when her teacher was out sick. Hadley wanted me to print the certificate which was really sweet.

Favorite Food:

My favorite new recipe is this (dairy free) (low carb) PB & J smoothie. I’ve made it a couple of afternoons this week, and it’s been the perfect afternoon treat to tide me over until dinner.

  • 1 c. frozen berries (I used strawberries)
  • 2 Tblsp peanut butter powder (I use PB2)
  • 1 scoop dairy free vanilla protein powder
  • 1 1/2 cups almond (or coconut) milk

A few other faves:

1.

With the snow days last week and a relaxed weekend, I took that opportunity to watch movies. I watched:

  • Sleepless in Seattle
  • Betty White special on Netflix
  • Becoming the Ricardos on Amazon

Sleepless in Seattle is one of my faves, the BW special was a special look back on her life and career (It was made before her passing), and Becoming the Ricardos was SO good. Nicole Kidman as Lucy and Javier Bardem as Ricky were lights out amazing in their performances.

2.

Since I missed my facial in October, my esthetician upgraded my facial service on Wednesday to the Diamond Glow. My monthly facials are definitely a “me time” treat, and a favorite every month.

3.

When my mom visited at Christmas, she left my birthday present. Well, as we tidied up and broke down boxes over break, Hadley and Travis both opened it. I had given my mom a few ideas, and I figured I knew what was in the box but was going to wait until today to open it. Well, since the box had been opened (twice!), I decided to go ahead and use it. It won’t be my everyday purse, but I wanted a sizeable Neoprene tote to carry extra things when needed. It was perfect for packing my toiletries, Kindle, wallet, chargers and more for our overnight Cinci trip. I’ve also used it as my school bag when I’ve packed light. I think it will be great to take to sporting events when I need a sweatshirt, book, and other essentials.

4.

Hadley had a gift card to use, and I was ready to change out my holiday polish, so we went and got manicures on Wednesday evening. More pampering is always a favorite.

(Too many choices which is why I usually stick with Funny Bunny)

5.

Hayden brought home a few art pieces on the last day of school before break. He was so excited to show me the basketball mug he made. The other two pieces were shuffled in with some other papers, so I just had a chance to look at them. I love the colored pencil drawing and the water color lady bug. I’m so glad that bringing home artwork continues past elementary school.

Also…

Have you heard of the “Betty White Challenge?” Of course, she was a champion for animals. She had so many sweet sentiments including:

  • “I just like animals more than people. It’s that simple.”
  • “Animals don’t lie. Animals don’t criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.”
  • “Animals are near and dear to my heart, and I’ve devoted my life to to trying to improve their lives.”

In honor of her upcoming January 17th birthday (when she would have turned 100), many are donating to local rescues in her honor.

Our pets have always meant the world to us. I grew up with dogs, and then convinced Travis we needed our two Boxers, Shiloh and Scout, after we’d been married a year.

Homer is our first rescue dog. He and his two brothers were found on the side of the road. Tails of Hope Rescue in Cincinnati got them healthy and helped them find their furever homes. He’s been such a wonderful addition to our family.

June 2019

Yesterday, I made a donation to the Lexington Humane Society in Betty White’s honor. I hope you’ll join in on the challenge too and donate to a local rescue.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Hadley was reading her book earlier in the week and said she was excited to read the next chapter because the chapter before was a “hang twister.” We both cracked up. She said, “I mixed up “tongue twister and cliff hanger!” 🤣

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

In honor of my birthday today, here’s a little throwback to 1985. Were you even an 80’s kid if you didn’t have a birthday party at Show Biz Pizza?

Weekly Recap:

This week we had our first NJAM post of 2022, I shared a home update, and then linked up with others for Let’s Look.

Not just a Mom: Fave Bloggers
Home Update: Shiplap
Let’s Look

I have some fun plans with some friends tonight, snow is in the forecast over the weekend, and we don’t have school on Monday. This birthday should be a good one.

What are you up to this weekend?

See you back here on Monday!

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! It’s a new year with new Let’s Look topics. I’m excited to link up with Shay and Erika for the first Let’s Look of 2 0 2 2 !

This month’s topic is Let’s Look at…how you organize for the new year.

I’m not sure if I’m really any kind of expert on this considering I’m still looking for two pillows that go on my sun room sofa! (*insert all the frustrated emojis, here!*)

Organizing my house:

Step one of organizing for the new year is purge in order to organize my house.

This typically means “all hands on deck” as we move throughout the house and empty closets, toss expired spices, organize the junk drawer, make stacks of books to donate, and so much more.

Last year, I bought this three pack of storage boxes in order to organize my “off season” clothes. Since it finally gets cold after Christmas, I take out my sweaters from these boxes, put them in my closet, and then put my warmer weather clothes in the boxes until late spring. I tried for years to make everything fit in my small closet, and even just using these to move out a few things in the “off season,” does help so much.

Then, it’s time to put away the Christmas decorations. Last year, I bought these storage bags to hold my seasonal pillows. It’s a two pack, and I put fall pillows in one and Christmas pillows in the other one. They are perfect for holding my “regular” throw pillows from September until January.

{looks like these are currently be out of stock?}

Last year is also when I purchased my pencil tree, so I bought these bags. Since I bought another tree this year, I ordered two more. Now, two bags hold the two pencil trees, and the other two bags I use for the kids’ small bedroom trees and our two front porch trees. These bags are definitely life savers for organization.

Storage tubs for Christmas decor and the tree bags are the only things that we store in our attaic. I learned the hard way our first year in this house that the candles should not go up in the attic…they won’t survive the heat of the summer months. Now, I put candles in a smaller storage container with lid and leave them on a shelf in the basement.

Planning Meals:

Not to be cliché’ but January is always the perfect time to get back on track with meal planning. I always search Pinterest for new ideas that will get me excited about cooking. I plan meals throughout the year in order to ensure that we eat mostly at home during the week for dinner and to plan what I need to get to place my Kroger Clicklist order. That being said, I like getting organized with some new recipes to use and meal plan and prep for lunches too as a “fresh” start for the year.

Organizing my life:

Lastly, I always take the time to sit down and write down dates, upcoming practices, activities, to do lists, and even projects that we hope to tackle in the new year. Some of these things I do all year long, but January is always the perfect time to take a look at the upcoming year and plan accordingly.

I’m excited about this link up in 2022! The topics look like so much fun:

How is your week going? We are halfway to the weekend! I can’t wait.

Thanks so much for reading,

{this post contains Amazon affiliate links…}

Posted in Home Updates

Shiplap Update

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Today, I’m sharing a quick home improvement project that we recently did.

I’ve been wanting to add shiplap to two walls in our living room. I knew it would be an added touch that would make the house feel cozier and brighten up the walls a bit.

It’s been a minute since we’ve done a home improvement project, and I was excited that this all fell into place pretty easily.

Once I saw Sarah share her shiplap update with links to where she bought the shiplap (Home Depot), I shared the idea with Travis. This way, I knew that what we were buying would look great because I was able to see the finished product on someone else’s walls.

As per most projects, I had the vision, our neighbor did the handywork, and Travis did the painting! #teamworkmakesthedreamwork

Before:

Well, I’ve shared these photos before when I did the Tuesday Transformation series, but here is the living room listing photo when we bought the house over seven years ago.

After we moved in, we had most of our walls painted a gray color.

Finally, after seven years, I purchased a mirror back in the fall. Remember when we were home for two weeks on quarantine? I finally took the time to purchase a mirror! The wood tones on the mirror really made the chest (a family heirloom) stand out instead of being an after thought in the room.

During:

We purchased the shiplap, and our neighbor measured and cut the boards before nailing them to the wall.

It took him a couple days to do both walls, but the difference was amazing!

Here’s the other side of the room before the shiplap. Also, the built-ins were in need of a fresh coat of paint.

…with the shiplap installed but not yet painted:

After:

Once all the shiplap was installed, Travis painted it white. He kept it simple and used Behr Ultra Pure White Satin.

Close up: (of some of my favorite things: shiplap, cotton stems, books, and a candle)

Before photo

Of course, it helps that my Christmas decor is *finally* put away, but the room looks so bright and airy.

…with my “regular” decor put back in place:

Another close up:

I’ve still left a few winter touches out for the next month or so. This was my view on one of the snow day mornings last week:

And…one more close up of the finished product:

I swear sometimes I think our house will never be 100% finished, but it’s been a fun process through the years. #foreverfixerupper

Technically, the only major project we have left is to update the hall bathroom. That being said, we still think about an addition of some sorts in the future to give us a bigger master bedroom. We’ll see. For now, we are happy completing little tasks along the way.

Per usual, I have to thank Travis (and neighbor Bob) for making my dreams come true!

I hope your week is off to a great start!