Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#289}

Posted on January 23, 2026January 22, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! I swear, the short weeks feel the longest. No school on Monday is always a fave, but then it threw my week off. Also, we have lots of hype right now about the storm headed our way this weekend, and let’s just say the students have been a little crazy this week.

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

Here are five faves from the week….

Volleyball

Hadley and I went to Ohio last weekend for the first volleyball tournament of club season. Since she didn’t play until the afternoon, we were able to leave around lunch time on Saturday to drive two hours to the tournament. It was nice having Saturday morning at home before leaving.

Her team played three games in pool play on Saturday and made it to the gold bracket on Sunday.

We got “lucky” that her Saturday games were over around 7:00, so we had Chipolte for dinner and were in the hotel room by 8:00. Since they made the gold bracket, she didn’t have to be back to the facility until 11:30 on Sunday. It was just nice having some down time, and not being up too late or too early…that doesn’t always happen at a tournament.

Overall, they had a great weekend, and she said it “exceeded her expectations.” We got home around 6:00 on Sunday, and I was very thankful for no school on Monday.

2. New sheets!

My Gma gave me my wrapped birthday present when we went to KC for Thanksgiving. I showed restraint and actually didn’t open it until my birthday. One of my gift ideas for Christmas/birthday were these sheets. I’d forgotten about them, and I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the gift. I love the gingham print, the ruffle detail is so cute, and they are so soft. Mine are the gray gingham, and they are perfect.

3. Book trackers!

I know January is almost over but I never shared my book trackers. Here are a couple of them.

I’m almost finished with two books, and I’m off to a solid start reading in 2026! (I keep the book trackers in a highlight on my Instagram; if you use them, feel free to tag me. I always love seeing what others are reading!)

4. Bookstore

Speaking of books, I went to one of my favorite bookstores on Monday to look around. I always look at the cute stickers, and I bought this one to add to my Kindle cover….

I didn’t get this one, but it made me laugh. I immediately thought of the movie Teen Witch that I used to watch on repeat as a kid!

5. Homer!

Homer has been extra snuggly on these recent cold mornings. I always think he looks like a little fox when he curls up like this.

Hayden loves saying goodnight to Homer, and Homer loves the extra attention.

Friday Funny:

Monday, I was at Target, and saw this mug. It made me laugh…but I didn’t buy it.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Wow…why do I relate to this one so much?!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday…

PJ day at school in 2017. So sweet! They don’t seem to participate in pj day in high school like they did in elementary school.

Weekly Recap:

My blogging streak continues!

Well, if you need me, I will be prepping NTI assignments for my students. It seems we could get 10-16 inches of snow, and the ice is just south of us. I can deal with snow, I hope the ice stays south of us (Sorry to my southern readers!).

I hope to blog over the weekend, so I will see you back here then.

Friday Favorites, Holidays, Me

Friday Favorites {#288}

Posted on January 16, 2026January 15, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Shew! We’ve almost made it to the weekend. We had a good week, but I felt so tired all week…and a little run down. The cold weather is back, and it certainly feels like winter.

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

Here are my favorites from the week:

I’ve seen others share these Drizzilicious rice cakes, but I think they are mostly at Sam’s/Costco? Anyway, when I was at TJ Maxx last week, I saw them in the snack aisle, so I bought a box. They’ve been a great “sweet treat” to pack with my lunch this week.

Amy shared about this hydration brand, and I spotted a little three pack at Target last weekend. She suggested mixing with Fresca. I had the watermelon flavor this week, and it was so good…very refreshing.

Wednesday was my birthday, and we went out to dinner on Sunday night. Jeff Ruby’s “spoiled” me again with my name on the menu.

Trav and Hayden split a steak, Hadley ordered the salmon, and I got sushi.

Why do my babies look so grown up?!

When it’s your birthday (or any other celebration), you get dessert and a photo. Besides the cupcake, we ordered cheesecake and creme brulee.

I’ve been trying to “refresh” a few spaces, and I saw these candle sticks (tall and short) at Target that I couldn’t pass up. I thought they were just my style and a fun mix and match. I also updated a couple of frames in the house including the one on the kitchen buffet that I found at TJ Maxx.

I feel like we’re back to being all over the place as far as schedules are concerned and with the kids being able to drive themselves, we’re not all together after school very often. We all went home at the same time on Monday which was nice.

Wednesday evening, we celebrated my birthday and I opened a few gifts, and then my brother and his family came over for cookie cake.

It was a nice evening, and we had the UK basketball game on one TV and the Mizzou game on the other. Both teams came out on the winning side.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This meme definitely fits one of my kids more than the other…but it rings true.

Weekly Recap:

I’m on a January blogging streak…

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I hope to blog over the weekend too, so see you then!

Friday Favorites, Gift Ideas

Friday Favorites {#287}

Posted on January 9, 2026January 9, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Shew! We made it to the weekend. As much as I dragged my feet going back to school, it’s been good to get back into a routine…and it’s been nice seeing my students again.

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

Today, I’m sharing a few favorite Christmas gifts I received.

First and foremost, I don’t need anything, but of course I appreciate all that I received. I give some ideas, but I also have some very thoughtful family members 🙂

I had seen this “I love Diet Coke” sweatshirt at Old Navy, and never purchased it. So, I suggested it to my mom and Gma as an idea, and my Gma got it for me. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it, so once I opened that gift, I immediately put it on. I’ve worn it to school, and so many students commented on how much they like it. Compliments from teens? Can you believe it?

My Gma also gave me some Betty White stamps. I loved using them to send out our Christmas cards this year.

I try to be practical with gift requests sometimes too…I knew we needed a couple new blankets for the living room, so I suggested these Sherpa ones as an idea. My mom got me two, one for each ottoman, and oh my…they are better than I expected.

I’ve never felt one of the popular Lola blankets, and I’m guessing those blankets are heavier, but these are oh so soft and seem like they’d be similar to that brand. Hadley has already claimed one as hers….which is now a constant battle! haha

I give these a 10/10 rating!

My mom is really good about finding perfect random gifts (and I don’t mean “random” in a bad way…I mean it in a thoughtful way)…anyway, she got me some pencils with my name on them! Also, they are “left handed” pencils…meaning when you hold them, the name faces that direction.

These are perfect for school, and I won’t be sharing them with my students. haha

I also got some of my favorite eye gels from her too. I’ve already used up this whole pack since Christmas.

I suggested this fleece when my mother-in-law needed gift ideas, and I have zero regrets. I’ve already worn it quite a few times. It’s the perfect thing to just throw on with leggings, but I’ve also worn it with jeans too.

My niece made some of the girls in the family a few things…like this pretty key chain…

…and this bookmark. I love both so much.

Trav has always been a good gift giver, but having a teen girl really has worked out to my benefit in the gift receiving department.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m loving my new tennis shoes…

Trav and Hadley spent some time in Sephora choosing a few perfumes they thought I’d like. So far, I’ve loved all three.

Hadley went to one of my favorite boutiques and picked out these pretty gold hoop earrings for me. I wear these stud earrings nearly every day, but I’d suggested a pair of hoops because sometimes I do change things up, especially if I’m dressing up a bit.

Truly, I felt the love this holiday season.

Mom Meme:

Tuesday was tough for the kids, but we made it!

Bonus Fave: Go Tigers!

I’m not very popular in my house this week. My MIZZOU Tigers came to Lexington to play the CATS…and they won! Trav and Hayden went to the game, and they came home kind of grumpy! I was invited too, but I had a hair appointment that had me getting home right at game time. Honestly, I don’t love a hostile environment anyway…haha!

I’m proud to be a Tiger!

Weekly Recap:

I’ve kept up my (self-induced) Bloganuary challenge of blogging every day in January.

January

Organization

Prime Purchases

Day in the Life: Winter Break

Currently

Healthy Teacher Challenge

Share Our Lives:

We have our first Share Our Lives link up of 2026 on Monday!

Our topic is – Ways to Stay Warm in the Winter. Well, we’ve had temps in the 60’s the past ten days, so it’s been pretty easy to stay warm! Anyway, I’m looking forward to the link up, and we hope you’ll join us.

I’m ready to have a great Friday at school and then have some down time this weekend. After this weekend, I feel like we get pretty busy with kids’ activities.

I hope to continue blogging this weekend, so see you back here then!

Everyday Life, Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#286} Winter Break Edition

Posted on January 2, 2026January 2, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, all good things must come to an end…or so they say!

Of course, I still have the weekend left, but it’s hard to believe that our two week break is almost over.

I’m linking up with Andrea for the first Friday Favorites of 2026.

I’ve shared some recent tid bits (Christmas Recap post), but today I’m sharing some of the “smaller” favorites of break.

I had time for a few appointments, and it was nice to go during the day rather than after school. I’d missed my monthly facial in November, so I was happy to have this appointment scheduled on the first Monday of break.

I love the Reformer Pilates classes I take in the summer, but unfortunately, the class times don’t work for me during the school year. I was able to go to one class over break which I really enjoyed.

I also decided to try something new…Solid Core. I’d love to find classes that I can take one evening a week to break up my workouts, so I thought I’d try one of these classes. Thankfully, they had an intro class this past Tuesday, and I hung in there…but I’m still sore! haha

I definitely think I will try more classes in the future.

I got a few lovely Christmas gifts, but I think the best thing I received was a new pair of tennis shoes. Travis took Hadley and she picked out these Brooks tennis shoes, and the second I put them on my feet, I didn’t want to take them off. I said, “I feel like they are giving my feet a hug!” I guess I didn’t realize how worn out my other pair had become.

Also, these were a surprise in the sense that I asked for shoes, but I assumed I’d get a gift card…they did a great job picking these out, and I appreciate that they checked my other shoes to know I size up a half a size in tennis shoes.

I’ve put these to good use going on walks and with workouts.

I had lots of time to read, and I finished a book and then I started this one that my mom gave me.

Y’all, I’ve purged most corners of this house! I typically do this in December and June, and it’s felt so good to get rid of things and get organized. On the years we stay home for Christmas, I tend to have more time to purge a little more.

My spice cabinet is looking great…

….as is the office cabinet.

When I was in the basement tidying up, I even organized some of our books by color.

I’ve watched some of my favorite movies. I watched Home Alone with Hayden on Christmas day…

…and You’ve Got Mail with Hadley this week.

I shared that I picked up a pack of three cross stitch ornaments at World Market, and it’s been so fun to complete these mini projects. I found the set on Amazon too, so I placed an order, so I could complete the other three patterns. So far, I’ve stitched four of the six patterns.

The day after Christmas, I ran a few errands, and I tried Dunkin Donut coffee for the first time…yes, you read that correctly! haha

I’ve never had Dunkin coffee. I ordered one of their festive holiday drinks that is probably too many calories, but I loved it. Next time, I will try something more simple.

We baked Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies before Christmas…

…and Peanut Butter Blossoms for NYE!

I’ve loved having “snack plates” for lunch.

We’ve had lots of Homer time!

…which included snuggles on the couch while I sipped my coffee and eased into the days. I will definitely miss waking up without an alarm!

I finished my daily 2025 word search (I love this gift from Trav and the kids last Christmas)

…and I started 2026 completing the first one in my new calendar. (The bookstore where they got mine last year didn’t have one, so I ordered this one…it’s not the same, but it will do!)

I always look back on these stretches of time off and wish I’d done more or accomplished a few more tasks on the list, but I guess it’s also time for rest as we gear up for going back to school. Overall, I’d say it’s been a pretty good break.

Favorite Mom Meme:

It’s going to hurt, but it’s time for these kids to get back to school…haha

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week!

Today, I have a couple of errands to run, and then it’s time to take down all the Christmas decor. I’m ready for a fresh start!

Also, I’m going to try and post every day in January which means I should have some posts on Saturday and Sunday!

See you then,

Blog challenge, Friday Favorites

2025 Blogging Recap and Fave Posts

Posted on December 26, 2025January 1, 2026 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your Christmas? Ours was good and very uneventful. We had a fun Christmas Eve Eve and a lovely Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was just the four of us at home not doing much.

I can’t believe it’s already Friday. Why do the weeks of break seem to fly by?

I’m joining Andrea for the final Friday Favorites of 2025…

…to recap some of the favorite posts I’ve shared this year.

A few stats from the year:

Posts: 195 (it seems I blogged a bit less this year…probably due to the fact that in 2024, I posted every day in January for Bloganuary and the same in November of that year sharing gratitude posts). Anyway, still a great year of blogging for me!
Total words: just over 138K
Average words per post: 709
Best day: Friday, Best hour: 8 am
Most popular day: I think it will forever be March 14, 2023 with 931 views.
Most popular post in the past year: September 10th’s Let’s Look “managing teenage life” post.

Some all time stats include:

Views: 610, 963
Visitors: 158, 760
Posts published: 1,381
Countries: (This always blows my mind!) At least one person in 153 countries has read one of my posts. So crazy cool.

As I say every year, blogging is a hobby of mine, and I still really enjoy finding the time to share my thoughts and share a snapshot of my life. I’m still really grateful for those who choose to read my posts, ask me about my favorite books, comment and support me via links. Thank you!

New in 2025:

One thing new to my blog this year was I decided to recap the end of every month. Traditionally, I share a recap of the year, and I still plan to do a condensed version of that next week, but I loved the little snapshots of every month…

Now, on to some of my favorite posts from the year…

1.

With all the snow we got in January, it made me reminisce on snow days in the past.

2.

In February, I shared a few simple things that I love …

3.

SSYS is still where I find so many of my clothes, and I had fun sharing a Fashion Files post all about what I’d been wearing that was SSYS.

4.

We had lots of fun in Isle of Palms, SC for spring break…

5.

After the spring break recap, I shared what I wore on vacation. Of course, I over packed, so I like having this post as a reference for future vacays!

6.

I enjoyed writing the May Let’s Look post where we looked at wellness.

7.

I love a “recap” (can’t you tell?!), so I enjoyed writing a Teacher Talk post about the end of the school year.

8.

We hadn’t done a “major” renovation/update project in a while, but I’m oh so thankful we *finally* tackled the hall bathroom. It went from drab to fab, and I still love it so much.

9.

May was just a really good month. The kids had track, and both got their driving permits. We finished the hall bath project, and we also finished the school year! We had a few other things going on as well, so I enjoyed writing that Monthly Moments post.

10.

June’s Share Our Lives topic was to share unique things about where we live. I think Lexington has a lot to offer!

10.

In June, Trav and I celebrated our twenty year wedding anniversary. That’s hard to believe!

11.

In July, I had fun creating this this or that summer template and sharing my answers.

12.

4th of July is still one of my fave holidays, so this was a fun recap.

13.

Another favorite Share Our Lives post…all about vacation memories. I’m thankful we’ve been able to go so many places and show our kids so many different places as well.

14.

Trav and I traveled to the Lake Michigan area to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We’d always wanted to go, but we weren’t sure which town to visit. So, we visited four towns in our five days that we were gone. We loved Michigan and definitely hope to go back there sooner rather than later. (Part one, two and three)

15 and 16.

Right before the kids started their sophomore year of high school, I started thinking about when they were about to start kindergarten. I spent a day with each one doing things I thought they’d like to do. That was a sweet time for sure.

Throwback Thursday: Hadley’s day and Hayden’s day.

17.

I can’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t have all four seasons. I love something different about each one, so that was a fun topic for Share Our Lives in September.

18.

The “unfortunately I do love” trend was all the hype on Instagram, so I loved writing this post about random things I love.

19.

We had another awesome fall break in Seaside, Florida with friends, and I always love writing those recaps. (one and two)

20.

Home from fall break, and immediately finished decorating for fall.

21.

Reading is one of my favorite things to do, so I loved sharing some of my reading habits.

22.

It’s really still hard for me to believe it, but the kids turned 16 in November. We had a nice family dinner, and then Hadley celebrated with her friends. Overall, I think they felt loved and celebrated!

23.

Just like with the fall, I look forward to the cozy Christmas decorations.

24.

I think Enneagram posts are fun, and my 5w6 tendencies were confirmed with this post.

25.

I had a really great first semester of school, so I enjoyed writing this recap too.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Monday Memes

Merry christmas

These favorite posts were a fun way to look back on the year. I know the time between Christmas and the new year can be quiet in the blogging community, but I still have a couple more favorite posts to share next week…including recapping our Christmas and the books I read this year!

I hope you have a great weekend. I’m going to spend today trying to get this house back in order!

Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#285}

Posted on December 19, 2025December 18, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Today is a great Friday because only a few hours stand between me and winter break! I’m very much ready to turn off my alarm clock, have some time to finish up Christmas things, and embrace a slower pace for a couple of weeks.

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

I have lots of favorites to share this week…

Last Friday was a snow day, and Trav and I had a quick breakfast before an appointment I had scheduled.

I rarely eat breakfast, but this bagel hit the spot.

My mom and Gma came to visit, and we spent a few hours on Saturday decorating cookies, and making our traditional waffle cookies. My Gma brought the waffle iron that my great-great-grandfather brought from Germany.

Everyone was in on the fun…

These kids were busy cookie decorators…

The grandkids with GG and Gma….

Sunday afternoon we went to my brother’s house to celebrate an early Christmas.

One of my gifts from my Gma was some Betty White stamps! I immediately sent a pic to one of my friends who had told me about them when they came out…and I’d forgotten about them. If you’re receiving a Christmas card from me this year, the Betty White stamps will be the chef’s kiss!

They left on Monday morning, and we had yet another snow day. Truly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a December snow day as a teacher, and this year, we’ve had three in December!

I’ve been loving my holiday icon glasses from Target, but I wished I’d gotten a couple more while they were in stock.

Well, Amy shared about the ones she found at World Market, and so I went there on Saturday and got a candy cane and holly one. I also got a couple for my mom as one of her Christmas gifts. Since then, Hadley broke my holly one. ugh! #thisiswhyIcanthavenicethings

On Monday, we had some “Merry Mail” as our new ornaments arrived. A few years ago, I ordered quite a few ornaments from Shutterfly with the kids with Santa through the years and pics we used for our holiday cards. The shipping price is stupid, so I just wait until I order my Christmas cards and then add in the ornaments to that order.

Anyway, since we looked nice twice this summer for our niece and then nephew’s wedding, I ordered two ornaments.

The Monday snow day was also what I needed to get started on wrapping. How cute are my new Etsy gift tags? Jen Reed had shared about the labels she’s used the past few years, and I thought they’d be a fun way for the kids to know which gifts are theirs. I probably should have ordered some for Trav too!

The biggest news of all on Monday is that we officially have another new driver! Hayden passed his driver’s test! He then drove himself to the gym and then to Walgreens for a snack. haha!

Y’all, if loving peppermint is wrong, I don’t want to be right!

It was my first time using it, but I baked the Trader Joe’s chocolate peppermint cake mix, and I took it to the English department lunch/gift exchange last week. It was a hit!

Last Friday, Hadley went to Chick-fil-A and the only thing that sounded good to me was the seasonal peppermint milkshake. I usually get one or two a season.

Speaking of CFA ice cream…I then saw on Insta that you can order a cup of ice cream, and add crushed peppermint (and cookie crumbles) to the top. This is definitely a lower calorie option. Hayden and I got some ice cream after school yesterday.

Lastly, I always make Shay’s peppermint Bundt cake for Christmas, and the past couple of years I’ve made it to share with my KC family. Last year, I baked the cake in KC, and this year I took it to my brother’s house when we opened gifts.

I actually went to Trader Joe’s the other day to pick up another box of the cake mix to make a smaller cake for Christmas Day, but it seems they are out of stock? This is my lesson learned to stock up on seasonal items when they were available.

Favorite Mom Meme:

LOL!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday…

Oh…I miss these days…

Weekly Recap:

I was a busy blogger this week. It felt nice to have some fun posts to share. (Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a writing rut!)

MoNday Memo

Teacher Talk Tuesday

Monthly Musings

I hope you have a fabulous and festive Friday.

Friday Favorites, Gift Ideas, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#284}: Fave Gifts

Posted on December 12, 2025December 14, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF, am I right? I’m typing this on Thursday when there’s a good chance for snow and a possibility of a snow day on Friday. What could be better than that?

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

Today’s Friday Favorites post is a little bit different, but with less than two weeks until Christmas, I thought I’d share a few favorite gift purchases from the past and a few that are on current wish lists.

First of all, have you heard of the Giftful app? This is the second year Hadley has used it, and it sure has come in handy. She added some ideas for her birthday and Christmas, and they are linked with sizes. Then, you can “claim” the gift, so no one else purchases it. Also, you can follow people on Giftful which makes for easy shopping.

Her little captions are too funny…and she has a wish list for car accessories too. (FYI – the kids don’t have a car…yet) She’s a hoot!

So, let me start with her…

Teen Girls:

This sunrise alarm clock is on her list…and honestly, she needs some help waking up in the morning! haha

She loves hair tools, and this hair waver is something she has her eye on.

Are you even a teenage girl if you don’t ask for a portable speaker?

This compact vanity mirror was a hit a few years ago. She did get rid of it once we updated her room and got the bigger vanity, but this smaller one worked well too.

Teen Boys:

Well, Hayden is definitely harder to buy for, and certainly doesn’t give many ideas.

He didn’t ask for Ugg slippers, but I see so many boys wearing them. Of course, there are more budget friendly options too.

He hasn’t really entered the cologne world, so I thought this pack of solid colognes might be a good stocking stuffer.

I can’t remember a time when Hayden hasn’t had a mini basketball hoop. He had an over the door one forever, and then a couple of years ago he got one for the basement. Even though he doesn’t play basketball as much as he used to, he still will play on the mini hoop.

Are you even a teenage boy if you don’t ask for a Nike hooded sweatshirt?

I don’t even want to tell you how many water bottles I’ve purchased through the years, but this stainless steel one is very durable and has lasted him quite some time.

Husbands:

I bought Trav this “Battery Daddy” a few years ago, and it truly was a favorite. We keep it stocked and in the hall closet for whenever we need batteries.

I got Trav some “Goodr” sunglasses from a local running store a few years ago, and I see so many people wearing them. Some shops have quite the variety of colorways and styles. These seem popular too.

My brother had these joggers last year, and highly recommended them, so I bought them for Trav last year too. They are great! The fabric is smooth and stretchy perfect for jogging and working out. They have side and back pockets that zip as well. Trav wears them a ton.

Joggers (affiliate link)

These beer mugs are perfect for a frosty beverage. Trav loved this gift.

These grilling baskets seem popular.

A few other ideas:

Trav has horse sales in the winter, and these rechargeable hand warmers are something I got him a few years ago.

I gave a similar fleece wrapped shawl to my mom or Gma a couple of years ago. I love the pockets!

This electric tea kettle was something I asked for a few years ago, and then I got one for my mom. We use it quite a bit for things like Ramen and hot chocolate, and it’s perfect for tea drinkers.

A few other ideas: candles, pretty stationary, Story Worth subscriptions, and photo calendars are other favorite gifts I’ve given through the years.

These wireless earbuds are my current faves. I purchased them for myself last summer, and they have worked perfectly for my needs. They are wireless, waterproof and noise canceling. I love using them to listen to podcasts or my audio books.

Wireless Earbuds {affiliate link}

I feel pretty good about where I’m at with gifts, but I still need to purchase a few more. Mostly, now I’m just waiting for gifts to arrive. Then, it will be time to wrap everything…which isn’t really a favorite, but I did buy a couple of new rolls of wrapping paper….maybe that will put me in the spirit.

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week…

Share Our Lives

Holiday Home Tour

Hodgepodge

I hope you have a great weekend!

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

Friday Favorites, Holidays, Travel

Friday Favorites {#283}

Posted on December 5, 2025December 4, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Of course, I’m always team “TGIF,” but something about Fridays in December are just a bit better.

We had a little bit of everything this week from re-entry after Thanksgiving break to a snow day and the kids having busy evenings with activities.

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

This is a super-sized Friday Favorites from Thanksgiving tidbits to festive fun.

Going back to last week, we were in KC for Thanksgiving. We drove a bit after school on Tuesday and finished the rest of the drive on Wednesday. Overall, we had a pretty chill KC visit which was fine by me.

Of course, I had to catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Thanksgiving morning.

My dad’s cousin hosts that side of the family, and there are probably thirty people there…my cousin outdoes herself with the tablescape and place settings.

I always look forward to the personalized chocolate turkey! It’s a fun and sweet tradition!

We snapped some family photos…

My brother and his family were there too!

Can you go to KC without getting BBQ? Per Hayden’s request, we had some for lunch on Friday.

The girls baked cookies…

…and we spent some time with my Gma. When I think of my Gma, I always think of cardinals and Nutcrackers. She has quite the collection of both…and she passed down a Nutcracker to each of the great grandkids.

We also made a visit to the Magic tree which is a fun tradition. It had started to rain, so we had to snap our pics quickly…

GG was in on the fun…

We left around noon in Saturday and drove home mostly in the rain which was no fun. There was actually snow on the ground for quite a bit of our drive through Missouri and Illinois.

Sunday morning me thanked pre-Thanksgiving me because it was nice to sip my coffee by the glow of the Christmas tree.

The Nutcrackers have found a home…

….as did this cookie jar…another hand me down from my Gma. My brother received one as well.

My mom gave my sister-in-law and me one of these cute Christmas trees… I hope I can keep it alive!

Topsys Popcorn in a KC staple, and it’s one of my fave traditions to get some during the holiday season. I don’t think they always do it, but now it’s in some grocery stores there, so my dad picked some up. The crew plowed through it, so I picked up a couple of tubs to bring home.

I shared my Trader Joe’s haul yesterday, and I love this festive bag.

Sunday, I put out our outside decorations. We don’t do much, but we haven’t had light up trees in a couple of years. I purchased a set of two on Amazon, and they arrived just in time. I was pleasantly surprised with them.

They have a battery pack, and I did wonder about turning them off and on every night…but lo and behold when I went to turn them off the first night, they’d gone out…and then they were lit up the next day. So, they must have a timer that I didn’t realize. My version appears to be sold out, but they have a “snow” version.

On a Target run a couple of weeks ago, I picked up the wreath for the mirror as well as a cute pack of ribbon. I decided to tie some on the coffee table tree that I’ve had for years, and it’s the perfect festive touch.

On that same trip to Target, I lucked into finding two of the Christmas icon glasses. I got one tree and one gingerbread man. I wish I’d picked up a couple more because it appears they are sold out.

Classic…cold milk and a couple of Oreos for dessert.

I also use them for iced coffee…so festive and cute.

We had a snow day on Tuesday which was kind of unexpected. The meteorologists were talking about a chance of 2-5 inches of snow, and it was certainly cold enough, but I don’t think I’ve every had a snow day in December!

Our streets were fine by 9am, so I guess the timing was just right with snow covered roads when the buses would be driving their routes.

I actually went to school to set up my tree…This was the one that Hayden put in his room when he was little, but it’s been in our attic. Next year, I need to remember to add a few more lights. The tree skirt, beaded garland (I probably should have gotten two strands), and ornaments are all from Amazon.

One of my favorite food trucks came to school yesterday. I love not having to pack my lunch, and I love the “mozzaroni” sandwich to warm me up on a cold day.

I shared my December book trackers on Instagram. They are saved in a highlight, so feel free to use them and tag me. I love seeing what others are reading.

Favorite Mom Meme:

’tis the season (of life!)

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This pic is from 2013…and it was the first time the kids went ice skating. We were in KC for Thanksgiving, and we went ice skating at Crown Center which is something we used to do when I was a kid. Like with most things, Hadley hopped right on the ice, and Hayden was a bit hesitant. Their personalities haven’t changed much since then!

Share Our Lives:

We have our last Share Our Lives link up of 2025! We’d love to have you join us!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week!

Prime Purchases

November books

Tis the Season: Trader Joe’s

I hope you have a fun and festive holiday weekend!

Books and Shows, Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Holiday Books

Posted on November 28, 2025November 26, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your Thanksgiving? It’s truly my favorite holiday…food, family, football and a break from school.

If they’re hosting, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites...

…to share…some of my favorite holiday books. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I’m ready to read some Christmas/holiday themed books which has been my December tradition the past few years.

Currently I’m reading…

I always try to read one holiday book in November, so I have a new idea to share with you all for December. The Christmas Cookie Wars was the perfect way to kick start my holiday reading. I will share my November books next week.

On my list for December is this book I picked up from Barnes and Noble. Like I shared previously, I learned via Tik Tok (thanks to my sister-in-law) that every two months Barnes and Noble has a book in their cafe that is $5 with a cafe purchase.

Murder at Holly House is the November/December book. I can’t wait to read it.

I’ve shared/read these books in the past…

…and I recommend them all.

Mr. Dickens and his Carol, Christmas in Paris,

and Bright Lights, Big Christmas are all faves…

…and I loved Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series…10/10 recommend!

Besides Christmas Cookie War and Murder at Holly House, I hope to read…

Christmas with the Queen and The Merry Matchmaker, both of which I have downloaded on my Kindle.
I have a few others on hold at the library. I don’t know that I can actually read them all, but on my list are: A Ferry Merry Christmas, Secret Christmas Library, and Christmas at the Ranch

What holiday books do you recommend?

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Monday memes

Sweet 16

On Sunday, I hope to share my Monthly Moments for November. Have a great weekend!

Amazon, Family, Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#282}

Posted on November 21, 2025November 20, 2025 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week?! I feel like the week flew by!

I’m typing this late at night, so I’m stopping by quickly to share a few favorites from the week. I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea, as always.

Here are some favorites from the week…

Last Friday night, the four of us went to the UK basketball game. One of our friends gave us tickets which was nice, and it was a good family outing!

We had passes to the Lexus Club which was extra fun. Food and drinks were included, so we grabbed a drink and a few snacks before the game.

It was an easy win for the CATS, and we had a good time cheering them on.

Sunday’s weather was gorgeous, so I went for a walk and finished listening to an audiobook. I figured I should take advantage of the sunshine and good temps while they last.

I went to Target last weekend, and snagged a few seasonal items like the peppermint scented Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap and surface cleaning spray.

…Target had the Chobani peppermint mocha creamer out, so of course I picked that up too.

I was heavily influenced by Sarah when she shared these jeans the other day.

I wore them last night to dinner, and I love them.

Last night, we went to Malone’s for the kids’ birthday dinner. Then, we headed back to the house to open presents and have cake. My brother and his family went to dinner with us, and then they came over for cake as did a couple of the kids’ friends. Overall, they had a great birthday! I’ll share more later after Hadley has her party tomorrow.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Teaching the teens to drive isn’t for the faint of heart. For some reason, parking has been one of the harder skills to learn. I think they both have the hang of it now, but just this week I’ve had to remind them that sometimes you do have to adjust your parking or try again.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Speaking of driving…the kids loved these cars…and it’s hard to believe they’ll be driving on their own in the near future.

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Monday Meals: Potato Soup

Monthly Musings

What are your weekend plans? Tomorrow, Hadley is having her birthday party with some friends, and I truly hope to get my Christmas decorations put up. I feel so behind at school and at home!

Have a great Friday!