Category: Friday Favorites

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#318}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well this week just seemed to fly by! Did it feel that way for you? Doesn’t that just figure that my favorite month is moving so quickly…

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

Here are some favorites from the week…

‘Tis the season for homecoming!

Hadley went to homecoming #2, and looked oh so pretty!

My resourceful girl borrowed a dress from a friend, and it was stunning….as was her bouquet from her date. The flowers matched her dress perfectly.

For Hadley’s homecoming, everyone was sweating while taking photos, and last weekend, everyone was chilly! Welcome to fall in Kentucky. haha

Always a busy bee, Hadley also had a lovely Sunday afternoon with her friends. Here they are dressed and ready to have fun at Keeneland:

Hadley sent me this photo, and I love it…There’s no better place than Keeneland in the fall, and the girls look so lovely in their fall colors.

I’m loving my new Walmart fall candles and burning them any chance I get.

When I went to Walmart last Saturday to pick up a couple more candles, I also saw this cute candy corn icon glass.

It’s definitely not the same thicker quality of glass as my other ones, but it will do the trick for my iced coffee! (When looking on the Walmart website, I did spot these sets of glasses…oh I wish I’d seen the white pumpkins…how cute!)

Also, while I was at Walmart, I picked up a Glade plug in, the pumpkin and spice scent..and one of my students said, “Mrs. White, it smells like fall in your room!” Isn’t that just the best statement ever?

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t purchase a lot of books, but I’ve been buying the Emma M. Lion series as I’ve finished the books. I don’t know if I will buy them all, but they are a fun pop of color!

I’ve had a couple of “self-care” afternoons this week.

I love my monthly facial, and that was such a treat.

I’ve made a point to go for daily walks after school. I find if I just come home, change and go, I’m more likely to do it! The weather has been lovely, the leaves are changing, and they are crunching under my feet. It’s the best time of the year.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Where is the lie? haha

Screenshot

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

As I shared in yesterday’s post, October 2010 was definitely a fave…it’s when our pumpkin patch tradition started!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Monthly Report
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Throwback Thursday

I hope you have a fabulous fall weekend!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#316}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! The only thing that stands between me and fall break is an all day field trip with 400 freshmen! haha

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

Do you know what today is? It’s September 25th…now known as 9-2-5 in honor of Dolly Parton!

In her honor and because I’m sure we all need lifted up from time to time, I’m sharing this graphic that I saw to remind us how to Live Like Dolly.

Screenshot

I think as I’ve gotten older, some of these stick out to me more than others like:

  • Regret is unfair to yourself
  • Be unapologetically yourself
  • Cherish your people
  • Only accept opinions from people who really know you
  • Love what you do
  • Celebrate your age

Which idea resonated the most with you?

Other Faves:

We didn’t have a ton of other things going on this week, but we were busy this past weekend.

Saturday was all about Homecoming for Hadley and friends…

…and then Sunday I decorated (inside) for fall which is one of my favorite things to do.

Weekly Recap:

This week, I had a few posts:

Monthly report
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Monthly Musings

I hope you have a great weekend. Even though I have fall break next week, and I definitely need some time to recharge my batteries, I’ll pop in here with a post or two.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#315}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! I feel like the weeks are starting to pick up some steam! That being said, I’m ready for the temps to cool off. It’s been too hot around here for too long.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

The kids’ junior year school photos came in. It’s hard to believe that next year, they’ll have their tux and drape school photos.

Even though it’s still so hot outside, I have a couple new pumpkin items out, and have started burning fall scented candles. When Trav and I went to Target a couple of weeks ago, the dollar spot stopped me in my tracks. I picked up two light up pumpkins.

I found a new small business, Doodles by Rebekah out of Bardstown, Kentucky and saw so many cute garden flags on the website. Garden flags are my weakness! I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of the material. It’s thick and silky, and just perfect.

I also ordered this one for Thanksgiving!

Hadley and friends had fun tailgating last weekend at the UK game. Hayden was running around too, but he doesn’t stop for photos. Hadley sent me this one of her and her bestie. (Hadley has worn the top she bought right before school started so many times; it comes in so many colors!)

I went to Trader Joe’s for a few things, and I usually pick up the seasonal pumpkin body butter. Well, there was also a caramel creme one, and how could I resist buying it too?

I’d never seen these flavored butters, but I thought both looked good. We opened the garlic and herb one on Monday night with some ciabatta bread from Trader Joe’s. The brown sugar butter has been delish on the TJ pumpkin bagels…Hadley’s fave!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Why is this so true?! LOL!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

The kids went to a sitter’s house until they were four years old. In 2014, the year before kindergarten, we enrolled them in a preschool pre-k program two days a week, and they went to the sitter’s house the other three days.

After the first week, the school emailed us “first day of pre-k” photos, and here’s proof that Hayden has never loved first day of school pics:

Hadley was a bit hesitant too, but she smiled.

Also, this was the first time being “away” from each other. Hayden was very dependent on Hadley through the years…even into elementary school. She was tying his shoes for far too long. haha!

Anyway, they were both hesitant, but excited to have their own teachers, and we never looked back. They didn’t have the same classes again until that randomly happened a couple of times in middle school and then for their freshmen English class.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Share Our Lives
Teacher TAlk Tuesday
Throwback Thursday

I hope you have a great weekend! Tonight and tomorrow are all about Homecoming for Hadley. I’m hoping for some downtime in between and on Sunday.

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#314}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Why do the short weeks always feel so long? Also this week, I haven’t been feeling well. It started with allergies which moved to a sinus infection. I’m hoping the weekend provides time for recovery!

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

Here are some favorites from the week…

Both of my kids have always been involved in sports and have attended school sporting events, but there’s something about junior year…maybe they feel more comfortable going to games because they are now upperclassmen? I don’t know, but I’m happy they are out there supporting their friends and classmates as often as possible.

Hadley and her crew had fun at the “color war” themed soccer game last week.

Saturday morning started with rain which made it feel a bit like fall around here. My nephew’s football game got pushed back an hour, so Trav and I stopped at Dunkin for coffee.

I got iced coffee with a couple pumps of pumpkin and one pump hazelnut…with pumpkin cold foam on top. It hit the spot!

It was a beautiful morning for football. The last time I went to my nephew’s game, it was so hot outside! Anyway, the team played well, and he scored a touchdown! It’s football time in the Bluegrass state.

Saturday afternoon, Travis planned ahead and picked up some brisket and sides at a local place for dinner. Next door to the BBQ restaurant was a bakery, so he also brought home some sourdough bread. Not having to think about dinner was definitely a favorite as was the meal itself.

Sunday night, Trav and I enjoyed the nice weather outside while we watched the UK volleyball game. They were playing Penn St. at Wrigley Field. The next game was Mizzou vs Nebraska, but they ended up having to call the game due to slippery conditions on the court.

Anyway, it was a lovely evening.

Leanne Morgan is one of my faves. I enjoyed reading her book , and I loved season one of Leanne on Netflix. Needless to say, I was excited for season two to come out. I only have a couple episodes left…it’s such an easy and entertaining show!

Meanwhile, my mom has been in Scotland. She sent us a couple of pics of Highland cows (one of Hadley’s faves)….this is Lady Jane…

…with her three day old TWINS! Buckle up, Lady Jane!

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law got me this cute pumpkin icon glass from Meijer. I’ve been enjoying my iced coffee in this vessel this week!

Monday was one of the best days because we didn’t have school or much going on. I was able to float SOLO in my sister-in-law’s mom’s pool for a couple of hours, and it was just the best! I had started reading The Calamity Club, and having the couple of hours to float gave me time to really get into the book. It’s a long one, but so far, so good.

Hadley wrapped up the weekend saying, “yes!” to her Homecoming date. We’re all a big fan of the Tru Fru strawberries, so we appreciated him giving her the family size bag 😉

Y’all, I forgot to add an item to Tuesday’s Amazon post…I have officially crossed over to the “needing readers” phase of my life.

I had Lasik years ago, so I’ve been pretty lucky to not need much help until now. I do have a pair of glasses to drive at night thanks to my astigmatism.

Just last year, I had an eye exam, and I still didn’t need readers. Well, for a few months now , I’ve had to hold small print things like expiration dates out far away. Then, it was happening more and more. I figured I could try and pair and see if they help. Well, this was a the classic “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.” When I put them on to do my daily word search, I was like, “Oh, this is much better.” I’ve purchased a couple of these pairs, one for home and one for school. They are low strength, but they do help.

Anyway, these are a new fave for me.

Favorite Mom Meme:

No one really prepared me for this. ha!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

The kids have been CATS fans their whole life. This pic from 2014 is one of my faves. Now, they go to the games on their own and leave their parents in the dust!

Share Our Lives:

Monday is our SOL link up. This month’s topic is…I wish I had known…

We’d love for you to link up with us!

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Prime Purchases
Let’s Look

What is on your weekend agenda? I plan on relaxing at home and trying to kick the crud I have. I’ve seen Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock making the rounds on talk shows to promote the new Practical Magic movie. I don’t think I’ve seen the original, so I might see if I can find it on one of the streaming platforms. Also, I definitely plan on continuing to read The Calamity Club too.

Have a great day!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Inspiration

Friday Favorites #312

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF…and I’m ready for a three day weekend.

In my district, we usually have a three day week, then a four day week followed by a five day week before Labor Day weekend. This year, we didn’t get the four day week, and Labor Day is as late as possible, so we had 18 full school days before this three day weekend. To say I’m ready to not set an alarm on Monday is an understatement!

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

I’m sharing a different kind of Friday Favorites this week…

With Dolly Parton’s passing last week, so many were paying tribute to her and sharing some of her wisdom on social media.

I ended up saving some of the “Dolly-isms” that were shared, and I’m sharing some faves today. She was one wise woman!

Classic Dolly:

Another good one showing Dolly’s self-deprecating humor:

Some other faves:

I love this sentiment…and it’s a good reminder:

I admire Dolly for how much she gave to others rather than thinking about herself:

What a great reminder if going through a hard time:

With the busyness of our lives, this statement is so true…

I also love these thoughts…

Of course, you know I love and appreciate all she did for kids to foster the love of reading. Her Imagination Library was so foundational in instilling a love of reading for so many kids…

Love her…

I shared this one last week, and wanted to include it again in this post…

Dolly certainly was a national treasure who will be missed; her legacy will live on forever!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Monthly Moments
Hello, September
Currently

If I don’t share my Amazon purchases on Monday, I will do so on Tuesday.

I hope you are able to beat the heat on this upcoming three day weekend!

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#311}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? I definitely feel like we’ve hit our stride now that we’re back to school. Also, most days this week I didn’t feel like I needed a nap when I got home. That’s certainly a win.

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

Here are some faves from the week:

Last Friday, Travis and I went out for sushi. Both kids had plans, so this was a nice way to cap off the week.

After our sushi dinner, we went to Target because I had a pick up. Saturday morning, I was excited to try this new coffee creamer. It’s delish! I will definitely add it into the rotation.

One of our last summer outside projects was getting our brick steps repaired and getting new railings. Everything got wrapped up this week. So, this summer, Travis redid the front landscaping, we got a new driveway, and we finally got the steps and railing fixed.

My favorite summer project was *finally* getting these Shuttefly books made with the kids’ artwork. I can be nostalgic about things, but I did a pretty good job of keeping the main art and classwork they brought home…not every worksheet. Anyway, I made a book of each kid’s artwork for kindergarten-2nd and then 3rd-5th. I could have made one bigger book, but I wanted to make one and confirm I liked the product before putting in the effort otherwise. Anyway, I will treasure these books!

The past week has provided glorious weather…I love sunroof open weather; unfortunately, it’s about to be hot, hot, hot again!

Hadley went to Starbucks one afternoon, and she brought me home an iced Pumpkin Chai latte, and it was delish. How nice of her to think of me!

I had to go to Trader Joe’s for a few things, and I was “influenced” by Shay…the mini biscuit cookies are delish.

I tend to get my Barebelll protein bars at Trader Joe’s. I’m loving these two flavors the most right now:

Y’all, last Friday I got the Wordle on the first guess! Do you have the NYT app? Most days, I play Spelling Bee, Wordle, Connections and Strands. They are good for my brain. haha

Dolly:

*Sigh* Obviously, this isn’t a favorite…Dolly Parton seemed like someone who would live forever. We sure did lose a national treasure. All of us should try to live a bit more like Dolly…

Churchill Downs paid tribute as well and many others places like in NYC and KC.

Favorite Mom Meme:

I could have written this meme myself…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

Oh how I miss the family pool days. This was in 2018…and such a sweet memory.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one…

Monday Memes
August Books
Monthly musings

I hope you have a lovely summer weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#310}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Overall, ours was good…we seem to be finding a back to school groove. That being said, I’ve been dragging the past couple of days. I’m definitely ready for the weekend.

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

My favorites from the past week are pretty short and sweet…

Well, August is almost over, and I realized I’d never shared my book trackers for the month. As always, I save them in an Instagram highlight. Feel free to use them and tag me!

I’ve had some coloring time lately which has been nice. This was something I did quite a bit but then fell out of that routine. I purchased a new Cozy Girl book and dusted off my markers, and I’ve spent some time, usually after dinner, coloring for a bit.

If we can’t find Homer, the first place we look is in Hadley’s bed. She was gone for a bit last weekend, and look where I found him…

Hadley wrapped up summer having lots of fun with friends…from birthday parties to time spent at the lake, she had a great summer.

I have a few new Trader Joe’s finds that are faves…

These S’mores clusters are legit!

I can’t quit on these Cinna-Dragons…they are so good.

Last weekend, when I was at Trader Joe’s, I was shocked that they already had their apple cider donuts out…what a treat!

Travis picked up a couple of Bundt cakes the other night including the new Biscoff cookie flavor…it’s a 10/10 and definitely got us in the mood for fall.

Both of my kids are taking Art 1 this year, and I found this on the counter…

This Daisie foaming body wash from Target is a new fave…It’s such a favorite that Hadley took it from my shower and put it in hers. My niece had it, and I was influenced by her!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Let’s just say it’s been a process getting up and moving these first few days back to school…

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week in case you missed one…

Monthly RePort
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Throwback Thursday

I hope you have a great summer weekend! The temps are going to be in the low 80’s with very little humidity. I’ll take it!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites: First Day of School

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, we made it through the first few days of school…and I made it through my first full week.

It has been a great start, but to say I’m ready for the weekend is an understatement.

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

Today’s favorites are the first day of school pics…

We had horrible weather on Wednesday morning. We had torrential rains, thunder, lightning, and flash flooding in some areas. That meant our traditional first day of school photos had to be postponed, but I did get this pic of the kids before I left for school…

…and Hadley suggested a selfie of the three of us to send to Travis. He’d been out of town for a few days, and was flying home that morning.

Hadley is my 1st block peer tutor on our “A” days (since we have block scheduling). Isn’t she cute?! (BTW- her first day of school top and sandals are Amazon. Her top is a new purchase, but she got the sandals in the spring and has worn them quite a few times. She rates both a 10/10!)

I saw this our on school library door…such a sweet sentiment.

The weather was cooperating after school, but our front porch wasn’t, so we moved to the backyard for photos. (We have brick front steps, and some of them were crumbling, so those were getting fixed which means we had yellow caution tape up the couple of days they were being worked on)

First day of kindergarten for comparison!

All smiles to be finished with the first day of school. haha

Per (high school years) tradition, we went to IHop for dinner. Honestly, it was raining really hard, and we were tired, but we rallied to make this happen…plus, I didn’t feel like cooking!

In all the years of first day of school for the kids, I really think that’s the first time we’ve had a rainy first day. Oh well, the pics happened eventually.

Favorite Mom Meme:

It’s cliche, but it’s so true. Where is the time going?!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week…

Share Our lives
Teacher Talk Tuesday
Let’s Look

What are your weekend plans? For starters, I plan on not setting an alarm…and I hope to finish the book I’m reading! Also, I hope to get caught up on my blog reading and responding to comments on my blog. Please bear with me as I get back into my school routine!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#309}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, I’ve almost made it through my first week of school, and I’m definitely feeling TGIF.

It’s been good to get back in a routine and see my friends and colleagues, but those early alarms have been quite the reality.

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

Here are some favorites from the week…

I was so busy getting back to school this week that I didn’t realize that Tuesday was my 7th blogiversary for Show Me and Sweet Tea. This is still a fun hobby for me, and I can’t believe I’ve been at it for seven years.

(If you’re somewhat new here or have forgotten, the blog has it’s name due to my Missouri roots in the “Show Me” state and then is there anything more southern than sweet tea which highlights my moving to Kentucky, where Travis was born and raised.)

I don’t know if he misses me, but I already miss my breakfast buddy now that I’m back to school. Homer is my sidekick most of the day in the summer.

Hadley and friends went to the Chris Stapleton concert in Cincinnati on Saturday night. Her outfit is linked in Monday’s Prime Purchases post.

Despite the rain delay, they had a great time.

There was a strong line of storms, so Stapleton’s 9:00 start time was pushed to past 10:00. She sent me this pic, and said he was worth the wait!

Stapleton is from Kentucky, and Trav and I went to his concert at Kroger Field here in Lexington a few years ago, and he was amazing.

My mom was in town, and one of her specialties is making these cookies and icing, and then the kids decorate them. They had a good time doing so, and the cookies were delish.

I’ve mentioned that Hayden has been coaching a 5th grade basketball team this summer. We all made it to the last game of the season. His team has come a long way as have his coaching skills. I think it’s been a fun summer for all.

At dinner on Sunday, I gave him the “You are Special” red plate to celebrate his first season coaching basketball.

Hadley and I went to Walmart for some school supplies, and then we went to Target. Well, this tumbler “found” me, and it’s perfect for my “to go” iced coffee.

A quiet classroom to get work done is always a favorite. Many of my favorite school supplies are linked in my Amazon Storefront.

Speaking of school supplies, the first thing I did on Tuesday was organize the school supplies that I’d purchased. Then, I took some time to put everything away and label the tubs for my supplies.

I have some secret snack storage in my classroom for my teens, and I told Hadley she had a $50 budget to get us restocked. She sent me this pic from Kroger, and proudly told me she spent $44. I’m not sure why she didn’t get a shopping cart. haha

Favorite Mom Meme:

Wow…this one is so true!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

With school starting next week, you know I always love a trip down memory lane.

Here the kids are on the first day of kindergarten. Now they will be juniors.

Share Our Lives:

Monday is the second Monday of the month, so we have our Share Our Lives link up. This month’s topic is favorite current music. We’d love to have you join us.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Prime PUrchases
Currently
Summer Viewing

I hope you have a lovely summer weekend. I have to keep reminding myself just because we’re going back to school doesn’t mean all the summer fun has to end!

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#308}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? We made the most of ours…the kids had workouts a couple days this week,we embraced the cooler temps, saw a movie, ran some errands, and squeezed some pool time in.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last weekend, Hadley went to the lake with some friends. Most summers, these girls go together and spend some time on the lake…unfortunately, there was some rain off and on last Saturday, but they made the most of it.

Umm…how cute is Hadley’s set? She showed it to me, and I had a gift card, so I got it for her. Once it arrived, and she tried it on, we both gave it two thumbs up.

She said, “Mom… it comes in lots of colors if you want one!” I love that she knows I loved a good set 😂

It’s no secret that I don’t change up my nail color much…I usually do OPI’s Bubble Bath or Funny Bunny. My sister-in-law mentioned “Bubble Bunny” as a combo of the two, and this is the second time I’ve gotten it. It might just be my new “go to.”

After writing last week’s Hodgepodge post, I realized I hadn’t made this fave dessert in a while. It made it on Tuesday, and it hit the spot!

I only have two episodes left of Little House on the Prairie, and I don’t want it to end. Surely there will be another season?!

One of the movies I’ve been wanting to watch since I saw it was on Netflix is People We Meet on Vacation….but first I wanted to read the book. I read the book the end of June/early July, and I loved it!!

Since Tuesday was an overcast and somewhat rainy day, I decided to watch the movie. I couldn’t have loved it more. It was quite a bit like the book, and I couldn’t have loved the actors who played Poppy and Alex more. It’s definitely a movie I’d watch again.

On Monday, Travis was available for lunch, so the kids and I met him at one of our favorite local spots. It’s not fancy, but it was nice to meet and have lunch together. Those types of things definitely don’t happen during the school year.

The Odyssey movie was high on my list to see, and imagine my surprise when my family wanted to see it too. Shockingly, the kids only kind of remember reading it as freshmen…but it’s one of my favorite things to teach in English 1. It’s crazy to think how many times I’ve taught it through the years.

I was a little worried about the movie being three hours long…and our 7:00 time to see it on Wednesday, but it exceeded ALL of my expectations.

I think Matt Damon deserves on Oscar! I loved how the plot was woven together between the Trojan War, the suitors/Penelope/Telemachus at home in Ithaca as well as Odysseus trying to get his men home. It was absolutely amazing, and it didn’t feel like a three hour movie. Everyone in my crew enjoyed it too.

To offset some of the TV and movie viewing I did this week, I did spend time outside in the beautiful weather…and I also read this book in 24 hours. I’ll recap it in my July book post, but it was so good!

Favorite Mom Meme:

LOL…why?! (Also, if I don’t respond to their texts quickly, I hear all about it. haha)

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

This pic from 2018 was in my Instagram memories…Hayden used to fall asleep reading all the time.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one…

Weekly Report
Day in the life
Teacher School Supplies

What was a highlight of your week? I hope you have a lovely summer weekend.