Category: Friday Favorites

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#261}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello Friday but let’s slow down summer!

How was your week? Ours was really good. Some mornings, the kids have slept in; some mornings they’ve gone to sports performance training. We’ve been to the pool a bit. Hadley had a sitting job, volleyball, and pool time. Hayden has power washed for a few people, gone golfing, and continues to run. So, every day has been different, but we’re settling into a bit of a routine.

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

With this first full week of summer under our belts, I have a lot of favorites to share:

Last Friday, we celebrated my niece’s birthday! She’s 8 and oh so cute. We had cake…

…and then kids swam in the pool for a bit. It was a lovely Friday night.

Saturday was the state track meet, and Hadley ran in the 4×200 relay and the 400m race. When the kids started this season, we truly had no clue what to expect. Of course, with every race, they do their best, but qualifying for state is different than qualifying in middle school. Hayden was a very supportive brother for both of Hadley’s races, and she also had a lot of family there cheering her on.

Her relay had a PR and placed 7th overall, and she ran a solid 400, placing 8th. She’d hoped to break 1:00 in the 400; she was close, but fell short of that. The top 8 receive medals, so I think earning a medal for both races eased her mind a bit. No matter what, it was such an amazing experience for her to run those races as a freshman coming out of one of the toughest regions. Hayden had an awesome season as well.

We were blessed with some amazing photos…a friend of my brother-in-law’s is a photographer for a local news outlet and took these photos of Hadley to share with us:

…and…one of the kids’ friends and teammates has some serious photography skills. She took these pics which I love.

Hadley with her bling:

It was a beautiful morning for a track meet…and then it was time for Railbird.

After the meet, we made a pit stop at Chipolte because my girl was hungry and she went home to shower and change for the Railbird music festival. She was gone from 3:00-11:00 hanging with friends and listening to some of her favorite country music artists.

Also, how brave is she? We ordered these boots last minute, and she wore them to the festival. Who breaks in new boots while on her feet for eight hours? This girl! haha

Oh the things we do when we’re young! Also, bonus — we wear the same shoe size!

Sunday was fun as we went to a graduation party…and the sweet graduate is headed to MIZZOU this fall. What a small world.

My mom came to visit, and we went to First Watch for breakfast before she headed out on Tuesday morning. The avocado toast I ordered was delish, but even better was the “Watermelon Wake Up” juice that I ordered. 10/10 recommend!

On Wednesday, Hayden caddied a round of golf for his friend who was playing in a tournament. It was a hot day, but I know he had so much fun.

While Hayden was on the course, Hadley was driving me around town. She drove me to Hobby Lobby, so I could check out their bulletin board paper selection. So, because of Tik Tok, I’m just now realizing that Hobby Lobby has quite a few school/teaching supplies! This roll of cute polka dot paper is exactly the width of the bulletin board. My mind is blown. I’ve always used the rolls of paper that we have at school, and you end up having to overlap the paper. Please know, that the last time I put up a bulletin board was five years ago…and I won’t do another one for a few years. High school teachers are very different than elementary teachers. haha!

I’m changing rooms for the upcoming school year, and Travis helped me move my stuff on Tuesday. After Hobby Lobby, Hadley drove us to Chipolte (she loves a burrito!) and then to school where she helped me put up my new bulletin board. My August self will thank me later! That being said, I’m finished thinking about school for now!

I added a few June reading trackers to my Instagram highlight. Please feel free to use them and tag me. I love sharing what others are reading.

I was out front watering my ferns and flowers, and noticed that I have two pretty blooms on my hydrangea bush. Hydrangeas and peonies are my fave flowers in the summer.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Hello, summer!

Share Our Lives:

It’s hard to believe but we’re almost halfway through 2025…and we have another Share Our Lives link up…We’re sharing unique things about where you live. I can’t wait to read those posts.

Weekly Recap:

This was a fun week of blogging for me:

Monthly Moments
Summer Reading List
Target Tuesday
Wednesday HOdgepodGe

I hope you have a lovely June weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#260}: The Last Day of School

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! Today is officially my first day of summer, and I’m ready for it.

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

Well, I’m keeping it short and sweet this week!

We haven’t had a ton going on besides wrapping up the school year, so today I’m sharing the last day of school pics.

It was raining on Wednesday morning, so the traditional last day of school pics were taken on the front porch. Wednesday afternoon and evening turned out to be lovely, but Hadley had track practice and Hayden went and played golf with a friend. I’m glad I snagged the pics when I could that morning.

Ready to wrap up the school year:

I hopped in a pic since we never got a Mother’s Day pic a couple of weeks ago. Then, I had to rush off to school and they went in the house to have breakfast.

We all had a really good school year. The kids did a great job navigating a new school, keeping up with their classwork, earning good grades and juggling their schedules with academics and athletics. I think they learned a lot this year, both in the classroom and in regards to how high school works, in general! It’s tough being a freshman…and they made it! haha

I had a really good year overall. Of course, I had a couple of classes this year which I hadn’t had in a while, and I had to get used to having some of my kids’ friends in my classes. The class of 2028 will always hold a special place in my heart for quite a few reasons!

I’m thankful for a great freshman year for my kids and the same can be said for year 23 for me!

Besides the last day of school, I have a driving update….riding in the car with them has been a bit easier lately. Obviously, they’re still getting the hang of driving, but each drive has gotten better. Hadley drove us to Starbucks on Sunday, and that was quite the treat! Hayden drove me to get ice cream the other day, and did just fine on quite a busy road.

I’m glad we have some down time in the summer to keep working on their driving skills.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Isn’t this one so true? haha

Weekly Recap:

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

Monthly Memes
May Books
Monthly Musings

Tomorrow or Sunday, I’ll share my Monthly Moments post to recap May. It’s hard to believe that we’re about to turn the calendar page to June!

Have a great weekend,

Posted in Amazon, Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#259}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

This my last official Friday of school, and it’s the first day of final exams. Nothing like a wonky schedule to make everyone feel even more off kilter as we wrap up the year. We still have two more days after Memorial Day. I feel like we should always be finished before Memorial Day weekend.

Also, there’s still a whole week of May left, and I feel like “Maycember” has already done me in.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Another week of track being a favorite. Last Saturday was the regional race, and both kids ran. Hayden had the 1600m, and Hadley ran the 4×200 and the 400m race. I hate for Hayden that his season ended without a PR. While his time is great by most everyone’s standards, he was aiming for under 4:40 and didn’t get close to that time.

Hadley’s relay team ran well, and Hadley had almost a two second PR in the 400m. We’ll find out for sure soon, but she’s mostly headed to the state meet in both events.

I know I share a lot about their athletic accolades, but they know that what’s important is getting good grades, being polite, helping others, being a good teammate, being a gracious winner and loser, and always trying their best. I promise, it’s not all about the athletics in our house.

One thing they don’t tell you about having twins is how hard it is when one struggles and the other succeeds. I’ve always said that I’m thankful that my twins are boy/girl because if they were boy/boy or girl/girl, I’d probably compare them more. Even now, for example with track, one runs longer distance and one runs shorter distance. That being said, as you know, Hayden runs year round and Hadley runs just during the spring. So, I know he was bummed about how his season ended, but I know he’ll rally to support his sister in a couple of weeks at state. It’s just hard seeing your kids feeling defeated when they’ve worked really hard, but they have great perspective on it all. Some athletes run to be a part of team, others run for health reasons, some run for fun and others are a little more competitive and all of those athletes have a spot on the track team…which is one of the reasons I love track season. That being said, track season is long, y’all!

Another favorite this week was seeing so many peonies at Trader Joe’s.

Of course, I picked up a bouquet as well as this candle. I hadn’t seen the garden party scent before, but it’s lovely!

Homer is always a favorite. The other night I was home alone and couldn’t find Homer. I called for him with no luck. I checked outside one more time and then I spotted him in Hayden’s room! I think I interrupted his nap.

Fave Outfit:

I know last week that I shared about my new Target “wide leg sailor” jeans/pants that I got in blue and beige.

Well, on Monday I wore the beige ones with this new button down Amazon sweater, and I got so many compliments on my outfit!

This is one of those light weight sweaters that is perfect for spring and summer, and now I want it in another color.

Screenshot

(Sizing note – I’d say the sweater is true to size. I did size up one because if I think something is going to be fitted/tighter on my chest, that’s what I do. I’m assuming I could have ordered my regular size based on how this one fits, but this one fits just fine…it fits, but it’s not too loose if that makes sense) (Also, the pants come in so many colors if you are interested, just an FYI)

Also, a skinnier sandal (like the ones in the pic with the blue pants) would have been better suited for these pants, but my feet needed more support that day, and these sandals continue to be a fave.

Favorite Milestone…

At least I think it’s a favorite…is we have two new drivers in the house. This past week, both kids passed their permit test.

The state of Kentucky recently passed the age for permit test from 16 to 15. I was 15 1/2 when I got my permit, and then we could get our license at 16. Since my kids are almost 15 1/2, I felt somewhat ok with moving forward with this process. Also, this summer, we’ll have a bit more time for them to practice driving.

I truly can’t believe we are here. I’ve told the story before that when we found out we were having twins, the first words I said to the doctor were, “When they turn 16, will we have to buy two cars?” I’m not sure why I thought sixteen years ahead, but wow…that feels like yesterday! Also, no, we aren’t getting two cars any time soon! Thankfully, they’re used to sharing what they need to share.

I thought I was ready for this, but it turns out that I’m actually not!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Please tell me this will get easier…

Like for real….will I ever feel at peace about this?!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday”

Take me back to the only “car” they wanted to “drive” was attached to a grocery cart!

Weekly Recap:

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

Weekend Watch, Listen, Read
Teacher Talk Tues
Bathroom Update

I hope you have a wonderful three day weekend. We don’t have much on tap which is exactly what we need. Hadley has big plans to make her first drive to Starbucks. Oh, how exciting!

Posted in Amazon, Friday Favorites, Holidays, Kids

Friday Favorites {#258}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! After today, we only have one more Monday, one more Tuesday, two more Wednesdays, one more Thursday, and one more Friday…but who is counting?! haha

I saw a meme that said, “Am I finishing this school year or is it finishing me?”…and I think I’ve never related to a meme more!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

With such a hectic weekend, I didn’t really recap the volleyball tournament in Gatlinburg or Mother’s Day last weekend, so let’s start there.

Last weekend was Hadley’s last volleyball tournament for club season. I’m glad they were able to go somewhere fun for their last tournament and a place that they’ve been to before so we knew the lay of the land. We arrived around 8:00 on Friday night and got settled in. Hadley found friends and hung out…and I found friends too and enjoyed a glass of wine. It was almost 11:00 before we went to bed and then had to be up at 6:00 both mornings since their team played in the early brackets on Saturday and Sunday.

With the early mornings, I guess the trade off is that we had most of Saturday afternoon and all of Saturday evening to do whatever we wanted. After the three Saturday games, the girls hit up the water park, and I was lazy in the hotel room! We ordered pizza for dinner and while the girls ate pizza and played cards, I hung out with a couple of the moms.

Sunday, they had two games in the silver bracket. They played well overall, but were bummed to lose their last game on Sunday to finish up the season. That being said, it was a great season and a fun weekend!

We got home around 4:30, and when I pulled down the street, I saw hanging ferns which are my traditional Mother’s Day gift, and new planters for the front porch. I got a bit of a nap before taking a shower. Then, the kids gave me flowers and a card, and Trav made a steak dinner!

The flowers are from this flower bar that we have in town…meaning it’s a bar where you can get a beverage but also pick out flowers?! I’ve never been, but the flowers Hayden and Trav picked out are so pretty.

We finished the night watching American Idol, and I was absolutely ready for bed.

I missed the tradition of church, pic with the kids and brunch for Mother’s Day, but this one was still good overall! I felt the love 🙂

I’ve made a commitment to get back to moving this week. On Monday, I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes. Tuesday, I did a 20 minute workout at home and took Homer for a walk. Wednesday, I went for a 30 minute walk and then swung back by the house to pick up Homer for a lap around the block. He wasn’t his usual hyper self, and I was going to go further, but when he saw our street, he turned to go down it. I told Trav that later and that’s when Trav told me he’d already taken him for a walk that afternoon. Obviously, two walks isn’t too much exercise, but he must have been tired!

I have a couple of favorite outfits this week…

Y’all, I’ve shared these linen pants before (I have two pairs!), but then I saw a shorter version (by a different brand), and wanted to give them a try for spring/summer. I love them too! I did size up one based on the original ones I ordered and returned. I paired them with this button down that I love as well. Also, I purchased a new pair of my favorite sandals. I looked back and I bought my other pair that I wear all of the time in 2021. It’s crazy how the straps/buckle are still in great shape, but I’d worn them to the ground. When I put my new pair on, it was like my feet got a hug! Apparently, I really needed a new pair.

Another favorite outfit from the week includes my new favorite pants (jeans?) from Target. I’ve seen these “high-rise sailor wide leg ankle jeans” (try saying that five times fast!) everywhere, and last weekend when I was scrolling my phone, I noticed that they were $16.80! So, I ordered them and the blue and the beige color. I did size up one since they are high rise, and they fit perfectly. The price seems to be back to the original $28, but maybe they’ll go on sale again…and if not, they are definitely worth $28!

I wore them with another favorite Amazon blouse and my tried and true Amazon cardigan.

Look at this fun mail that I received! One of my mom’s friends who reads the blog (hi, Sheila!) sent me this search AND color Golden Girls book. Can you even?! This is such a thoughtful gift!

Bathroom update…we had the tub resealed, and it looks brand spanking new! We’d debated pulling the tub out and getting a new one, but our neighbor who has been helping us suggested getting our tub resealed. That saves on labor and cost, and it’s the original iron tub…so most likely whatever we replaced it with wouldn’t be the same quality.

She’s beautiful!

This weekend, I think we’ll get the shower head and tub fixtures installed, and that should pretty much wrap up this project! I truly love walking by the bathroom and seeing her in all her glory! I will share a before/after post soon.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Haha! This one is so true!

Weekly Recap:

The end of the school year schedule is really catching up with me, so I only have two other posts this week, but they were fun to write:

Share Our LiveS
Let’s Look

What are your weekend plans? We have a busy Saturday and a chill Sunday…which is kind of our “normal programming” these days.

The weather on Sunday looks beautiful, and I’d love nothing more than to sit on the back patio, get a little sun, and read a book!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Posted in Family, Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#257}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday! TGIF! Am I right?!

How was your week? We had a really good one with a little bit of everything from family visiting to track and volleyball to a bit of downtime too.

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

This post is rather short and sweet, but here are some favorites from the week.

Well, Derby was a rainy day, but it was still a good day. The kids had a track meet. While we spent most of it dodging rain drops, the meet did move quickly and the kids ran well.

Saturday night, we hung out at home and watched the Derby. My dad was in town, and then we also had my niece and nephew with us while my brother and sister-in-law went to a wedding.

Anyway, the kids had a great time watching the race….very intensely. haha

On Sunday, everyone came over to my house for dinner, and we got the traditional front porch pic with the Major!

We haven’t made much progress on the bathroom since last week as the guy working on it is out of town. With the pause on working, I did take some time to add in some “finishing touches” like hanging up of the hand towel, putting the hand soap on the counter, and putting down the new bath mat. I also had some time to go to Target.

While there, I saw this cute scallop tray….for only $10! I thought it might go on the counter top, but it looks perfect on top of the toilet. These little canisters are the perfect and practical addition as they hold Q-tips, cotton balls and shower steamers for when the shower is finally in working order!

With a new month, I made a few new book trackers and shared them on Instagram. They are saved in the May book tracker highlight if you’re interested in using one.

By last May, I’d been making them for a few months, so I had created a few more compared to the earlier months. This year, I’m just adding a couple of new ones every month. They are cute, fun to make, and an easy way to share what I’m reading. I always smile when others use them, share and tag me!

Track season is winding down, and it’s been nice that so many have been able to come and watch the kids. Trav’s sisters and mom have seen a couple of meets as have my mom and dad. My brother and his family came to watch the kids run on Tuesday night when the weather was finally nice! I hope my kids realize how lucky they are to have such a fierce support system!

Screenshot

Favorite Mom Meme:

With Mother’s Day on Sunday, this meme made me smile:

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

First Mother’s Day in 2010. Crazy how quickly time flies!

Oh what I wouldn’t give to squish those little cheeks again.

…and speaking of Mother’s Day:

Share Our Lives:

Wow! Monday is already the second Monday of the month, so we’re hosting our monthly Share Our Lives link up. This month’s topic is how you spend your birthday. We’d love to have you link up with us.

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

April Books
Wednesday Hodgepodge
April Amazon

I hope you have a great weekend. Ours will be non-stop, but I think it might be the last super busy weekend for a while.

I hope all the moms feel the love not only on Sunday, but the whole weekend too!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Home Decor, Home Updates, Kids

Friday Favorites {#256}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Another week down and another weekend on the horizon. I’m ready for it.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last Saturday, I was in Louisville with Hadley for her volleyball tournament, but Travis and Hayden were in Lexington for Hayden’s track meet. He’s kind of hit a “plateau,” not making much progress with this times despite his training, and I know he’s been frustrated.

I shared last week, that he had a PR in the mile and he did the same on Saturday in the 3200m. I can’t tell you how much it seems a weight was lifted off his shoulders having run two really good races and making progress toward his goals. I know not every race will be that way, but he was due, and I was happy when Trav sent this pic and told us Hayden’s time.

I stayed home on Sunday, but a friend sent me a couple of pics and a video of Hadley serving. Thank goodness for the live stream, so I could watch her two games on Sunday.

Y’all, I was influenced by Athena (@lifeandlightstyled)…

How cute is this little rug? I’ve had a black and white checkered one for a few years and I was just thinking how I need to replace it.

Honestly, I still don’t understand Walmart shipping, but I ordered the rug Friday afternoon, and it was on my porch by Friday evening! While I was at it, I ordered the brown striped one too for the fall and winter months.

My Target also had the “hello” door mat that Athena shared, so I placed a pick up order, and my porch refresh was cute as a button by Saturday!

An up close look…

I love a moment for scallops!

…speaking of scallops…When we were at my brother’s house for Easter, I saw this cute little lamp. My sister-in-law had a couple of them, and I thought they were so cute. I’ve always wanted one for our front hall table as there’s no outlet for a traditional lamp. I’d saved a few to an Amazon list, but just never ordered one. This one is from Walmart, and it’s sold out…but she had a third one that she hadn’t really used, and gave it to me! I love it so much.

I tried to find it to link it in case it comes back in stock, but I can’t find it on the website…which is a bummer because I’d love another one.

BTW – she also has this blue and white one that I’ve seen shared as well, and it’s so cute too…and in stock!

Circling back to the front porch, we moved two of the chairs that were in the sun room to the front porch to replace the ones we’ve had for over fifteen years. The lovely weather, the lilac bush, and the swivel chairs have been a great way to spend evenings recently.

We’re making progress on our hall bathroom update. Truly, it’s basically back together, but there’s a few little things to complete.

Trav has been helping our neighbor who has been doing our bathroom update. Well, Hadley was tasked with painting the baseboards…and she understood the assignment. haha

You know I’ll share a whole before and after, but the wallpaper went up this week, the vanity was installed, as were the sconces. The biggest highlight is that we now have a working toilet! It’s the little things over the pretty things at this point!

The mirror is the “chef’s kiss” to this wall.

Remember last week when I shared that Trav and I have been watching Race for the Crown with the races leading up to last year’s Derby?

Well, we sat down to watch episode 4, and in that episode, they were at the Derby draw where the post positions for the races are announced. Trav said, “Remember, I went to that last year? Maybe I’m in this episode.” Well, yep –there he is!

He’s going to be so difficult to live with now…haha!

On Wednesday night, Trav went to a Derby week dinner with work, and he came home with some food and some flowers. He made a big deal about “bringing me home flowers…” even though I’m pretty sure they were just the table center pieces.

I put them in this cute vase that I have, and they smell so great.

Favorite Mom Meme:

I feel so seen!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Today is Oaks and tomorrow is Derby. I don’t think I’ll never not share this pic of the kids in kindergarten. At school, they’d made their own Derby hats.

This pic of Hadley playing dress up with my (borrowed) accessories is so cute too.

Unfortunately, this year I’m not going to the Oaks like I have the past few years. I love that tradition, but with the iffy weather and just a lot going on at school, I opted out this week. Maybe it will work out to go next year.

There’s truly nothing like Louisville and Churchill Downs the first week in May!

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Monday Memes
Monthly Moments

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to finish my post about what I read in April, but I will share that next week!

What are your weekend plans? The kids have a track meet, and you know we’ll be watching the Derby on Saturday.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Home Updates, Kids

Friday Favorites {#255}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? I’m not going to lie…this one felt like a doozy…so I’m definitely feeling TGIF!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Easter fun!…

…and a lovely Easter church service.

…followed by a great Easter lunch!

My mom visited us for about a week, and she was able to see a couple of track meets and a couple of my nephew’s baseball games. Plus, it was Easter weekend. She also helped by taking Hadley to her PT appointment, and even took the kids to school a couple of the days. It was a nice visit.

While she was here, we played Play Nine, and then Hayden randomly wanted to play BINGO. I think he has a future at church halls and senior living centers! He was very good at calling out the numbers.

Hayden and I went to my nephew’s baseball game on Monday night. I miss the baseball days! It was a fun game to watch and my nephew did a great job.

We’re making progress on our hall bathroom! The guy doing the work is our neighbor, and the hold up isn’t him! We’ve done a bad job with our ordering timeline. The shower tile finally came in, and he got a start on it yesterday. Our vanity should be in soon, and we have someone coming to do the wallpaper (I think!) early next week.

The track season continues…The kids ran on Tuesday night, and both of them ran well. Hayden’s fastest 1600m time is 4:47, and he’s been chasing his 4:40 goal. I know he’s been frustrated, and Tuesday night, he ran lights out! I haven’t seen him run so confidently or so smoothly in quite a while…and he ran 4:40, placing 3rd! He had a big smile on his face.

Hadley ran the 200 and 400 and was close to her standard times, even winning her 400 heat and coming in 4th overall. She’s still going to PT for her calf, so I think she was pleased with her runs and it had been a couple of weeks since she’s raced.

Travis was excited to start this new Netflix docu-series about horse racing and the races leading up to the 2024 Derby. We’ve watched the first couple of episodes, and he knows/is acquaintances with some of the guys. One of his clients provided some commentary in the episodes we’ve watched. I’m sure we’ll keep watching this series when we have time.

Have you seen the “send later” feature on your texts?

Screenshot

This has come so handy for me. At 6:00, when I’m sipping my coffee, I usually try to get my day in order and often think about texting the carpool or other people I need to respond to, but don’t want to do so that early in the morning. So, I’ve been creating some of the texts and then scheduling them for 8 or 9 in the morning. I really appreciate this feature right now!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Ok, Hadley really isn’t a diva like this, but this one still seemed kind of relatable, and I did chuckle!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts this week; I always appreciate my blog readers!

Easter Recap
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Monthly Musings

We have a busy weekend ahead filled with track and volleyball…and maybe a nap for me?! I will need it.

Have a great weekend,

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#254}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Wow! Where did this week go?…I really feel like April is flying by.

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

Well, this week’s favorites are pretty short and sweet…

Stromboli is my first favorite! When Andrea shared this meal idea, I thought it would be a great option for last Saturday’s dinner! I’ve never purchased this dough before, but I let two loaves defrost, and then I followed her instructions and made two cheese and pepperoni strombolis.

They were a hit for dinner and then we had leftovers for lunch on Sunday. I will definitely be making these again and will try some different ingredients too.

After a little break, the kids are back to running. They had a meet on Tuesday night. Both of them are also running this weekend, so on Tuesday, they only ran one relay each. Hayden’s 4×800 team came in 1st and Hadley’s 4×200 team came in 4th. Great relays for both of them. Hadley’s calf is bothering her a bit, so hopefully that doesn’t turn into something more.

Really, we haven’t been up to much else, so today, I’m also taking a look back on Easter through the years…

Because having high schoolers makes me nostalgic…here’s a little…

…Easter edition:

The cherry blossoms at our church are always so pretty, and we’ve gotten Easter pics there for the last few years:

2024:

2023:

2022:

2021:

2020:

Of course, Easter 2020 looked a bit different for all of us. We were home, but we still dressed up for Easter brunch and a front yard egg hunt!

2019:

2018:

Easter egg hunt fun at Trav’s aunt’s house:

2017:

Well, we took the front porch pic and then Hayden told us he wasn’t feeling well. He ended up having a fever, so I stayed home with him while Trav and Hadley traveled to E-town for Easter with his family.

2016:

2015:

The first Easter in our current house…

2014:

I loved this dress that Hadley wore…and I love those little cheeks.

2013:

Too cool for school! The Easter Bunny left sun glasses and water bottles that year…haha

2012:

Really struggling to smile in 2012…haha!

2011:

Oh! They were on the move this year…into everything, and clearly not willing to both look at the camera at the same time!

2010:

First Easter …so tiny and so cute!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Uhhh…mine are the same age!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week!

Share Our Lives
Spring Break recap
Fashion Files: Spring Break

I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!

See you on Monday!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel, Uncategorized

Friday Favorites {#253}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, all good things must come to an end. Today is our last day of spring break. Of course, we have the weekend left, and I need it!

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

Here are some favorites from the week.

The first favorite is that we’re a week out from Trav’s surgery, and he’s doing great. He’d been having A-fib episodes, so we’re hoping the heart ablation will put those at bay. My friends were a huge help last Friday…from school pick up, track meet drop off, dinner and cookie deliveries, prayers, and texts, we felt the love and support.

Now, on to spring break…

This week, we spent a few days in one of our favorite places…Isle of Palms, SC (and the Charleston area). This vacation was only a “go” if Trav was feeling up to it, and it worked out for us to leave for SC on Monday.

We had friends who’d planned on staying in Charleston, so Hadley rode down with them last Saturday, so she’s had a couple of extra days of fun.

It was pretty blustery when we arrived on Monday afternoon, but by Tuesday, the sun was shining and it was less windy.

I’m sure I will do a more formal recap although with being there three full days, we didn’t do a ton and tried to relax as much as possible.

We’ve been to this area a few times through the years. The last time we were here was 2021, and it’s been great to be back.

Here are a few favorite pics from the week:

Coffee with a view.

Fun with friends:

…and family…

Sunshine & reading:

Favorite Mom Meme:

Turns out kids don’t pick up after themselves on vacation either 🤣

On this trip, the kids each had their own rooms and they definitely settled in like they were at home. Haha

They’ll help get everything picked up and tidy before we leave today.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

We’ve visited Folly Beach/Isle of Palms/Charleston quite a times through the years. This pic from our first visit with the kids in 2011 will always be a fave. I actually have it in a little frame in the kids’ bathroom.

Weekly Recap:

I only had a couple of posts this week:

Prime purchases
Let’s Look

Share Our Lives:

Our monthly Share Our Lives link up is on Monday. This month’s topic is…creative outlets/free time. We’d love for you to link up with us and/or read our posts.

Well, while it did feel like a long wait for our spring break to arrive, now it’s mid-April with about six weeks of school left! I’m grateful for the weekend to get my suitcase unpacked, do laundry, meal plan and prep for the week ahead.

Thanks for reading,

Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#252}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, we’ve made it to the finish line of the week, and now it’s time for spring break. I’ve mentioned before, but our break usually would have been this week. I’m not sure why our district pushed it a week, but let’s just say we’re all feeling it! The wheels have fallen off the (school) bus. haha

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last Friday, Trav and Hayden headed to Indianapolis to watch UK play Tennessee.

They had good seats, and even though the CATS didn’t pull out a win, they still had a good time. Hayden’s text to me was that he was thankful they didn’t lose in the first round. He’s maturing!

While they were gone, I took Hadley to get her nails done, and then we went out to dinner. We got home in time to watch the game on TV.

On Saturday, we headed to Louisville for my niece’s bridal shower. Hadley hadn’t been to a bridal shower, and I hadn’t been to one in quite some time. She asked what we’d do there…

I was correct with my response…eat some food, chat, play a few games, watch her open presents, eat some cake and head home! It was a busy Saturday but a good one.

Our hall bathroom is officially gutted, and Travis and I need to finalize some decisions, so we went to Lowe’s on Sunday. I’m the worst at making these types of decisions. Nothing will paralyze me more than staring at paint and tile samples. haha

The same friend that helped me with Hadley’s room refresh gave us a few ideas which I appreciate.

It’s a new month, so I shared a few new book trackers to my Instagram page. Feel free to use them and don’t forget to tag me!

Not a favorite, but we ended up in the basement at 2:15 am Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Travis and I woke up to our phones going off alerting us of a tornado warning. Hadley woke up too, so we got Hayden up, coaxed Homer out of bed and took shelter.

We were down there for about 45 minutes staying updated, but definitely a favorite was no damage for us. That being said, we’ve gotten so much rain with more on the way today….and we were all exhausted yesterday.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This is so true…and really resonating during track season with about four minutes of turnaround time at home to get changed and to the meet in time for warm-ups.

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Monthly Moments: March
Wednesday HodgePodge

This meme made me laugh and I think this can be me this weekend, but…

…before the downtime, Travis is having surgery today. I’d appreciate the extra prayers for him today. We’re ready to get this procedure in the rear view mirror.

I have a few posts scheduled for next week, and I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Take care,