Category: Holidays

Posted in Clothes, Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#215}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was pretty good, and it included a little bit of everything.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last week I was in KC to help my dad after his knee surgery. While both legs of the trip to and from KC were long thanks to delays, on my flight from Lex to Chicago, I got bumped to first class. I don’t think I’ve ever sat in first class on a flight.

I won’t let it go to my head, but I did enjoy my Diet Coke out of a real glass! Oh the little things…

…and even though the flight from Chicago to KC was delayed, this was my window seat view once we finally took off. I don’t love to fly, but I’ve gotten better about being less anxious when flying. It is kind of amazing to be up in the air and above the clouds.

Ok this is random, but we haven’t had cable for a few years, and one thing I do miss about not having cable is all of the random channels like Lifetime, TLC, and Nickalodeon, etc.

Well, while at my dad’s, we watched a lot of “Me TV” last week.

I’m an old soul when it comes to TV shows…I could watch Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver, and The Beverly Hillbillies all day long.

Also, when I left, the Major made me bring home this pack of 72 pieces of bacon for Hayden. haha

Trav’s birthday was Sunday, and I didn’t get home until five hours past my original flight’s scheduled arrival time…and I ended up flying to Louisville instead of Lexington. Anyway, we didn’t get to Lex until after midnight!

After a week away, I was happy to go out to dinner with these guys to celebrate Trav….even if it was a day late.

We ate at one of our favorite restaurants: Carson’s.

We had dessert at the restaurant, and it hit the spot.

I was able to go to the pool two afternoons this week which was nice.

I shared my July trackers on Instagram, and they are saved in a highlight. Feel free to use them and tag me!

Favorite Clothing Item:

I bought the “Sally” set from SSYS at the beginning of the summer, and it’s been one of my favorite things to wear. I have their crepe set from last summer, and it’s one I wear often as well.

We were at Walmart this week, and Hadley picked up these“Athletic Works” shorts. They are less than $7, and so soft! She’s worn them to sleep in as well as to the pool with her swimsuit.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Funny story. The past few vacations, I’ve given the kids a list to use when they pack. I’ve told them many times to figure out exactly what they need. So, if I write “t-shirt,” they decide if they need three shirts or five. Anyway, Hadley, who is often wearing a sweatshirt, and for sure has too many sweatshirts, packed one sweatshirt on our recent vacation….to the Pacific Northwest…where you might actually need a sweatshirt even in the summer.

Well, joke’s on me…of course, she ended up buying not just one but two sweatshirts on our vacay.

Weekly Recap:

I’ve been a busy blogger lately. Here are my posts going back to last weekend:

PNW Vacay #2: Olympic Trials
Summer Sundays #5: 4th of July Recap
Share Our Lives
PNW Vacay #3: Oregon Coast
Let’s Look
Throwback Thurs: First Beach VacaY

What are your weekend plans? We don’t have too much going on. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve been home on a weekend, so I hope to do some “regular” things like meal plan, place my Kroger order, stay caught up on laundry and more!

I do have a Summer Sunday post planned, so come back then!

Thanks for reading,

Posted in Holidays

Summer Sundays #5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Sunday!!

I’ve enjoyed these Sunday posts this summer because I seem to have a bit more time on the weekend in the summer to get these written.

Well, it would be unnatural of me not to do a 4th of July recap, so that’s what’s happening today.

4th of July used to look more like this:

or this:

This year was definitely a different kind of 4th of July. I was in KC with my dad after his knee surgery (I’m head home today), so Trav and the kids were left on their own. haha!

Like last year, Hayden ran the Bluegrass 10,000. He stuck with his uncle for the race. Here’s a pic at the starting line:

Hadley sent me an “action shot.” She was really thrilled to be at a race at 7am!

They just hung out the rest of the day, went to the pool, and grilled out. Hadley ended up hanging with some friends before Travis played chauffeur and took the girls (and Hayden) to our favorite spot for fireworks.

I did miss seeing a big fireworks display this year. The 4th is one of my favorite holidays.

Again, Hadley provided a few pics!

‘Merica, y’all!

While they didn’t have my traditional red, white and blue waffles, I think they survived the holiday without me.

On the 4th, I did go to my aunt’s house for dinner, so I was able to see my mom, Gma and uncle. We had pork chops, watermelon, and “Corn Jumble.” As I was eating the jumble, I was conflicted because I loved it but just knew there was mayo in it…and you know how I feel about mayo. My aunt told me there was just a bit in it (and sour cream), but truly…it was so good. I even had seconds.

She said the recipe is from a cookbook called Beyond Parsley.

Here it is:

My mom made this cute s’mores dessert, and I thought it was for our 4th of July dinner….but it was for her monthly dinner with her neighbors.

She has Hershey’s chocolate on the bottom and then layered marshmallows (some of which she rolled in colored sugar) and then you just bake for a bit to melt it…and dip with graham crackers.

We did have key lime pie for dessert at my aunt’s, so I wasn’t too upset…but…

…I pouted just enough that she made me a small version of the s’mores for my dessert Friday night at her house.

I’ve spent this week binging America’s Sweethearts on Netflix. Is there anything more American than the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders? haha

Today, I’m headed home. My dad is about a week out from knee surgery, and definitely in better spirits.

I just counted, and in the past 16 days, I’ve slept in my bed two nights. I’m ready to be home and find some kind of routine for the rest of July.

Also, I can’t end this post without giving a “happy birthday” shout out to Trav. Today is his birthday.

He’s been holding down the fort this week which I’m sure he’s done with ease (and apparently without eating many of the meals I planned out for them. haha!)

Hopefully, we can celebrate him a bit tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and come back tomorrow for our monthly Share Our Lives link up.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#212}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? It sure is feeling like summer around here with lots of sunshine and hot temps.

I’m going to need June to pump the breaks a bit!!

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

Here are a few favorites from the week:

Hadley coming home from camp was definitely a favorite. She had a great time, but I know she was happy to sleep in her own bed (and see us!)

On Monday evening, we celebrated Travis for Father’s Day. Since we were still waiting on our new air conditioner, we all ate dinner in the sun room where it was cooler, and then enjoyed some cake. He opened a couple of presents which included some shorts, a shirt, and this acupressure mat. He hadn’t mentioned wanting the mat, but I figured it would be something even the kids would use. He was actually really excited to receive it which was sweet.

Snickerdoodle Bundt cake for the win!

My niece’s birthday is in late May, and I hadn’t gotten her a present yet. She went with Hadley and me to the nail salon. The girls got manicures while I got a pedicure…

….Then, we got some ice cream on that hot summer day.

While it’s a expensive favorite, seeing my new thermostat finally find the 70’s in the house was really appreciated. We were tired of being hot.

I used to set our old a/c on 71 most days, and now, 73/74 really cools us off.

I’d seen some people share about the “all day rose'” Waterloo, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s really good! It is kind of weird at first (in a good way) that, to me, the first few sips really do taste like rose’. After that, I feel like it just tastes like (good) flavored sparkling water.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This is so true! I can’t keep up with my kids’ changing tastes. haha

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Summer Sunday #3
Hello Monday
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Throwback Thurs: CAmp

That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend.

Posted in Holidays, Share 4 Somethings

Share 4 Somethings

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Saturday!

I wasn’t sure if I would have time to write this post, but as I got out of school and started thinking about Memorial Day weekend, I figured I could modify the Share 4 Somethings format for Memorial Day.

So, I’m linking up with Jennifer to share four (some) things I think of once it’s Memorial Day weekend.

1. Remember and Honor

Of course, first and foremost, we need to remember those who gave up their lives for our freedoms. I know some are even sensitive to hearing “happy” Memorial Day which I can understand. Those who are willing to sacrifice their safety and lives in honor of our country should never be forgotten.

2. School’s Out…

…or almost out for the summer.

I swear. I feel like we are the last district to be out around here. We still have two more days, and I have a teacher work day. Actually, we received an email this week about Friday (5/31) being another work day due to a snow day we have to make up. The kids don’t have to make it up, but we do. They are letting us “flex” that time using hours outside of the school day, so at least we don’t have to come that day as long as we turn in the form.

As a general rule, I just think school should be in session after Labor Day and out by Memorial Day. By mid-May we are all over the school year…students, parents, and the teachers.

3. Sales

There are usually lots of good Memorial Day sales.

Among other sales…

  • Target has 30% off women’s, kids’ and men’s clothing and swim, and 30% off sandals. We picked up a couple of swimsuits for Hadley. ‘Tis the season! They also have up to 50% off patio, garden furniture and accessories and other deals.
  • Old Navy has 50% off almost everything!
  • Walmart has “rollback” prices on laptops, grills, pools and more!
  • Aerie has 30-70% off almost everything!
  • Home Depot: Up to 55% off select online outdoor furniture, up to 25% off select storage and organization items, and other great deals.

4. Pool Opens

Memorial Day weekend means the pool opens up. Our pool always opens a few days before Memorial Day weekend. Our pool opened on Wednesday, and Hadley is 3 for 3 in pool attendance this week…even with overcast skies and cooler temps on Wednesday and Thursday. When I text her to ask when she’s coming home, I get a lot of “#poolislife” responses. haha

Hopefully I will make it there sometime soon!

Anyway, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.

I don’t think I will have a post on Monday, but I hope to share the books I read in May on Tuesday.

Take care,

Posted in Holidays, Me

Mother’s Day Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

I know many of my readers are moms, but I also know that Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) can be very difficult for some.

When those days roll around, I truly do also think about those who are sad on those days. I’ve been the woman wanting to be a mom, and I’ve also been the mom really grateful for her three-year-old twins, but sad after a miscarriage. You just never know what people are going through or what they’ve experienced.

I’m really grateful for the thought and care that my kids and Travis show me on Mother’s Day. We have a few traditions which I appreciate, but I do miss the days of hand print gifts and snuggles.

This year, I slept in a bit (we all did), and I woke up to flowers, a card, and a gift.

Travis picked up Panera bagels, so we had those before heading to church. We joined our church five years ago on Mother’s Day. Life can get busy, but I appreciate when we have time to go to church, especially on Mother’s Day.

Recently, our church started doing name tags, and Hadley wanted to write my name tag:

How sweet, right?

After church, we came home for a bit. I noticed the two hanging ferns on the front porch. That’s my traditional gift which I really appreciate. I keep the ferns on the porch until Labor Day weekend. Every year, we seem to end up with a nest of baby birds in one of the ferns. I love that my Mother’s Day gift ends up being a spot for a mother to care for her babies until it’s time for them to spread their wings and fly. (I’m not ready for that actual symbolism of my own birds flying the nest yet!)

We got a quick pic (another tradition/miracle!)

We wanted to go somewhere for lunch where we could sit outside. We’d never been to the Burl Brewery, but it was really nice. They had the garage doors open, the sun was shining, the Kentucky baseball game was on, and they had flowers for moms!

I ordered the avocado toast, and it was delish.

The kids played pool for a bit…

…while Trav had a beer, and I enjoyed a grapefruit mimosa….served by one of my former students!

We were there for a couple of hours, and then we came home. I put my flowers in a vase and set up my NEW KINDLE! Thankfully, that was a seamless process. I’ve had my other Kindle for six or seven years, and it wasn’t holding a charge for very long and was slow to download. I had told Travis I wanted a new one, but that I’d get one this summer. I was pleasantly surprised!

Then, I sat on the front porch and called my mom. We’d sent her flowers, and I’m glad she enjoyed them.

Travis had moved the TV out to the back patio to finish watching the UK baseball game. So, after I hung up with my mom, I decided to go out back and finish my book.

The Many Lives of Mama Love was so good…very inspirational.

Then it was time for dinner. Travis grilled steaks, Hayden put the asparagus in the oven, and Hadley was in charge of the (mircowave) Bob Evans mashed potatoes. When she asked me to stir them at the midway point, I said, “No ma’am!”…and she said with exasperation, “Being a mom is SO HARD!” 😆

We had dinner on the patio. I forgot to snap a pic, but here’s an old photo….which was probably my Mother’s Day dinner last year. haha

Hadley had volleyball, so I took her. Then, when I came home, I decided to do a few of my “mom responsibilities” that I’d neglected throughout the day. I made a grocery list, swapped out the laundry and then tidied up a bit.

I picked Hadley up around 9:15, and we ended the day with ice cream!

Overall, it was a really great Mother’s Day. I saw so many friends sharing their kids’ high school prom pics this weekend, and a few have graduation coming up soon. It was hard for me not to think the next four years are going to fly by. Ok, enough about that. I think I will live in denial for a bit longer 😉

I hope your week is off to a great start.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays, Travel

Friday Favorites {#201}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, the last Friday of break sure hits different.

That being said, I am happy to be home and sleeping in my bed after a few nights away for spring break.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

This is basically “Friday Favorites: Easter/DC Edition” recapping last weekend and then sharing a couple of pics from our few days in DC.

Easter:

Last Saturday morning the kids dyed a dozen eggs per tradition. They still have a good time doing this…but I’m the only one that eats hard boiled eggs. haha

Saturday evening, we went to our friends’ house for dinner and egg hunt for the kids.

I brought pasta salad and this cute cake from Kroger.

There are plenty of little kids in this group, so the big kids were warned to not hog all the eggs…but everyone had a good time.

Sunday morning, I put the kids’ Easter baskets out. When they woke up, they looked for the eggs, had breakfast, and went through their Easter baskets.

Then, we went to church. My favorite part of Easter service is when the little kids walk down the aisle to flower the cross.

The dogwoods (I think?) were in bloom this year (they weren’t last year!), so we took a couple of pics…

…a family one too…before heading home.

We packed up the car and drove to Charlottesville, VA to pit stop for the night.

On the drive, I made my April book trackers, and saved them to an Instagram highlight. Here’s one of them:

DC:

We were in DC Monday-Thursday, and had a great time. Shew! DC is a lot of work – planning, walking, etc…but we did a lot.

We took a night time monument tour Monday night.

The cherry blossoms were still in bloom, and Hadley snapped this pic on rainy Wednesday.

I’m sure I will recap our trip. We were able to see quite a bit, but, of course, there is still so much more to see and do.

*While we were gone, our area got severe storms with confirmed tornadoes nearby. All is good in our neck of the woods, but others close by lost power and had trees down. I received a few messages; thanks for checking in.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Today, all I’m asking of my kids is that they get their suitcases unpacked! I need to give myself that same pep talk.

Weekly Recap:

This week, I still had a few posts to share:

Prime Purchases
March Workouts
Pinned on Pinterest

Share Our Lives:

On Monday, we’re having our April Share Our Lives post. The topic is Favorite Make Up and Hair Products. We’d love to have you link up and join us.

What are your weekend plans? I’m going to savor the last few days of break. As much as I love a trip, you know I love getting back home. I hope to have some downtime to unpack and get my life in order as we prep to go back to school. That being said, we also have Monday off because of the eclipse.

Spring break…the gift that keeps on giving!

Posted in Holidays

Christmas Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Ours was really good, and today I’m recapping how we wrapped up the Christmas season.

Also, this month, I didn’t get a share a memes post, so I’ve sprinkled a few holiday memes in today’s recap…for a few laughs.

On Friday afternoon, we delivered the toys and food boxes to five Operation Secret Santa families.

We were assigned families in a specific zip code, so deliveries only took about an hour. The kids (and Trav, when needed), put the gifts on the porches, knocked and then hopped in the car.

The kids had a good time with this, and it was a meaningful experience that I hope we can participate in again next year.

On Friday night, Travis and I went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Once we got home, the cousins exchanged gifts. It was a nice evening.

On Saturday, we headed to Louisville around 1:00 for Christmas Eve Eve at Trav’s mom’s house. There’s always lots of food, the kids play games, and then we open gifts. It’s a long day with lots of people, but it’s always a good time.

Since we weren’t heading to KC, we were back in Lex by noon on Christmas Eve. I baked Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt cake while Trav prepped prime rib for dinner.

We ate dinner…

…before heading to Christmas Eve service at church. It’s always a beautiful service ending with Silent Night by candlelight. After that, we went to our friend’s house for a bit and were home by around 10.

I was starting to feel run down with a cold, so I headed to bed once we got home. The kids went to bed not too far after, but Travis was up late putting together a few things…

Courtesy of my dad, Hayden got a new bike, and we got Hadley a new desk/makeup table for her bedroom.

I was up around 7:30. While I was fairly confident the kids would sleep in, I wasn’t sure how long, and I had a few Christmas things to finish up.

Then, I did get some quiet time by the tree before the kids woke up. Hayden was up first at 9:15, and he woke up Hadley.

While this meme is relatable, I did just keep most everything unopened in boxes until I could wrap it. I think I wrapped more presents than usual this year because once they were wrapped, I could put them by the tree and the kids would have a harder time sneaking a peek!

We had a really nice morning. Hadley was excited for her “room refresh” that my friend helped put together, and Hayden was really excited for his new shoes.

Travis strikes again with the gift tags…haha

My very favorite gift was this one. Hadley did the wrapping:

…and inside the three packages were the best gifts ever. Of course, I cried.

I’m sure you’ve picked up on this, but Hadley’s easier to get a natural pic of whereas, Hayden is more hesitant…so I pick and choose when I bug him for a photo.

Anyway, Trav’s brother is a phenomenal photographer, and Travis and the kids went to his house last week for this photo session. I knew they were going there, but obviously didn’t know why. Hayden definitely didn’t leave the house in that button down shirt! Anyway, I can’t wait to find a place for these once I get all the Christmas decor put away.

Homer had a great Christmas day too!

After we face timed with KC family, we had brunch (Krusteaz cinnamon coffee cake and Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast casserole) and then Homer and I watched the Chiefs game. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was nice to have downtime at home to just relax.

Unfortunately, on Christmas, I started to feel worse, and knew my cold was turning into a sinus infection.

We all just hung out most of the day, and then we ended the evening watching National Lampoon Christmas Vacation before heading to bed.

We’re on a every other year rotation for going out of town, and it’s always hard not seeing family on Christmas day. We appreciate the extra time at home, but it still feels odd not seeing my family.

Overall, I’d say we had a really good Christmas season filled with lots of activities, traditions, baking, and more.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and got a prescription, so hopefully I will be better soon.

This week, I’m still hoping to share the books I read this year as well as a blogging recap to finish up 2023!

I hope you have a great day,

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#188}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was a good one, and we’ve started out break just as busy as when we are in school. Hayden has had basketball, Hadley has had volleyball, and we’re trying to squeeze in last minute holiday fun before we run out of time to do so!

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

This is Friday Favorites: Festive Edition!

Here are some favorites from the week:

This is my first ever Pink Lily purchase…how cute is Hadley’s “Merry” sweatshirt?

Over the weekend, my Life in Lilac candle arrived. The gold Holiday Dreams candle is so pretty and festive.

Hadley and friends started off break having the best afternoon on Wednesday. There are close to twenty girls who are all really good friends. One of the moms is a SAINT and organized an afternoon with pizza for lunch, a Secret Santa gift exchange, and then ice skating!

What a sweet group of girls!

They had the best afternoon.

Hadley and I baked our last batch of Christmas cookies yesterday afternoon. Once she got home from volleyball, we made Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies.

They turned out perfectly.

(Hayden and Travis were in Louisville for most of the day at the UK/UL basketball practice before the big rivalry game last night.)

This sweet memory from 2014 popped up…Hayden told me he was wrapping gifts for kids who weren’t getting lots of presents. Such a sweet sentiment…

…and yesterday afternoon, we participated in Operation Secret Santa. We’d never done this before, but you sign up for a shift to shop for kids from the donated items and then deliver the presents.

No photo evidence, but Travis and Hayden were there too; they shopped for two of our five families before Hayden headed to basketball practice.

Let me tell you who is a really great shopper: Hadley White!

She was so good about prioritizing what each kid should receive and keeping it all organized.

We’ll deliver to the five families today.

Last night, after the Kentucky game was over, we *finally* made it to the horse park for Southern Lights.

I think this is the 19th year that we’ve gone to see the lights.

Social Media Faves:

Tis the season for all things festive…

This bookshelf looks right up my alley!

Y’all, this is what my Instagram search looks like. I get sucked into cookie decorating videos…haha.

That being said, I stumbled upon “The Folding Lady” (@thefoldinglady) on Instagram, and her reels are mesmerizing. Check her out!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Relatable….and now I’m sharing my Christmas cards on the blog (see below) before friends and family get them in the mail. I’m just getting it done however I can.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Weekend Top 5
2023 Workouts
The ABC’s of Winter

Merry Christmas!

I feel like a theme this year, but especially these past couple of months, has been living day to day and doing my best to get accomplished whatever I can whenever I have time to do so.

Apparently, that “lifestyle” is now applying to my Christmas cards…that finally arrived…yesterday. (*sigh*)

So, I will be working on getting those out today…and I guess most will receive them by December 26. It’s the thought that counts, right?

That being said,

Merry Christmas…

…from my family to yours…

I know the holidays aren’t joyous for all. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are sad, sick, anxious, and/or struggling this season.

I have some posts planned for next week, so see you then!

As always, thank you for reading…and Merry Christmas.

Posted in Holidays

The ABC’s of Winter

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy first day of winter!

So far this year, I’ve shared the ABC’s of summer and autumn, so of course I had to continue this series with…

I know I’m in the minority, but winter is one of my favorite seasons. I love when it gets dark early, I get a couple of months of the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, the start of the new year, my birthday, and even the chance of a snow day!

Here’s my ABC list for winter:

A- activities:

Hayden starts playing basketball and Hadley will continue with volleyball this winter.

B- boots:

I love my fuzzy boots, and we always have to make sure the kids have a pair of snow boots that fit!

C- Christmas (and cookies):

‘Tis the season for all things Christmas and cookie baking.

D- December:

December is a busy month, but it’s always filled with lots of fun. From Christmas parties, to traditions, to baking cookies, and more, it’s a great way to wrap up a year!

E- Eve: Christmas and NYE

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days. If we are home, we go to the candlelight service at church. If we are in KC, we are with family. For NYE the past couple of years, we’ve been with friends which is a fun way to ring in a new year.

F-football, fireplace, and flannel pjs:

We’ve been spoiled with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the past couple of years, and college football bowl games are fun to watch as we cheer for the CATS and the tigers.

Fireplace:

I love when it’s fireplace season!

Flannel pjs:

I don’t do flannel sheets, but I love flannel pjs in the winter.

G- gloves:

Of course, we need gloves for playing out in the snow.

H- hot chocolate:

Hadley loves hot chocolate; a couple of years ago, her friend hosted a hot chocolate bar!

I- ice skating/ice:

Ice skating is a fun winter activity. Hadley and her friends went yesterday.

Of course, ice is no fun to drive in and it can wreak havoc, but it’s pretty to look at on the trees.

J-January birthday:

January is one of my favorite months…maybe because it’s my birthday month?

K- Kids playing outside:

We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with so many great kids who are all friends. On a snow day, they will definitely be out and about together.

L-lights:

Christmas tree lights….nothing better!

…and other festive lights!

M- (Christmas) music:

Hadley loves the “Holly channel” on XM radio.

N-New Year’s Eve and day:

Happy New Year!

O-ornaments:

One of my favorite traditions is putting ornaments on the tree.

P-Peppermint: ice cream and Bundt cake:

I still haven’t had a Chick-fil-A peppermint milkshake this season, but I did pick up some peppermint ice cream at the store this week.

I always make Shay’s peppermint mocha Bundt cake for Christmas Eve dessert.

Q- quiet:

I love the quiet that comes with a pretty snow…and a snow day! I also feel like January is a quiet month after the two busy months of November and December.

R- resolution:

While I don’t necessarily make a resolution for the new year, it’s a good time for a fresh start and getting back on track.

S- snowman pancakes:

A snow day tradition!

T- three day weekends: MLK and Presidents’ Day

Even after having a couple weeks off at Christmas, I still look forward to the three day weekends that come in January and February.

U- unwrapping gifts:

While I don’t love wrapping gifts, I do enjoy watching others open theirs. Giving is so much more fun than receiving.

V- Valentine’s Day:

While we don’t do a ton for Valentine’s Day, Travis and I exchange cards and go out to dinner at some point. We always give the kids a few things and send family members Valentine’s Day cards.

W- winter weather watch/warning:

I truly love watching our local weather guy when there’s the possibility for winter weather. Chris Bailey is a snow day hype guy for sure! In KC, I remember watching meteorologist Gary Lezak be so excited for snow!

X- eXtra days off, snow days:

Sorry for being redundant…but I love snow and snow days. The kids and Homer do too!

Y- yummy treats: hot chocolate, Christmas cookies

Calories don’t count in the winter and during Christmas. haha

Z- ZZZ (sleep): no alarm and sleeping in on break.

I’m on day two of break, and while I’m not sleeping in super late, it’s nice to wake up on my own and ease into the day.

This was a fun post, but admittedly a few letters were hard for me to immediately come up with an idea. Oh well!

Happy winter!

Posted in Holidays

Ornaments and Memories

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I always enjoy getting the mail this time of the year because of all of the festive holiday cards we receive and packages with gifts I’ve ordered (that I can check off my list!). This year, one of my packages that arrived is a gift I gave myself…

I think I shared in a previous post that last year, I decided to make a few ornaments with the kids’ pictures that we’d used for holiday cards or their pics with Santa through the years. I used Shutterfly which is my typical “go to” for holiday items, but the over $30 for shipping stopped me in my tracks!

This year, when I got on Shutterfly to click around for cards, I saw the ornaments still in my cart. I decided to go ahead and finish this project because the ornaments were half off again, and the total price meant free shipping! I did put a year on each side of some ornaments. Other years, the kids were too cute in their holiday outfits and Santa pics, that I had to add both.

Anyway, the ornaments arrived this week, and I decided to put them on the tree in our bedroom. They are so cute.

A look at the ornaments:

I’ve had the first ornament since 2009. That Christmas, with two one month olds, I really leaned in to online shopping, and we gave these ornaments to family members.

2010- The kids would barely sit still for a photo under the tree.

2011 – We contained them in a laundry basket while Hadley hugged Hayden. (awe!)

2012 – The kids sat by the tree before we headed to Trav’s work Christmas party.

2013– I think Pinterest became all the rage (for me?) in 2013. Christmas lights on the kids in their Christmas pjs by the “Merry and Bright” sign…why not?

2014-My brother snapped this pic of the kids with his fancy camera. Hayden is missing his bottom two teeth.

2015- Again, my brother took the pic of the kids on the left, and then this was the first year of visiting the really fun Santa at our favorite place.

2016- I took the kids’ pic (with my phone) this year…Hayden was out playing football with friends, and came in the house with a fat lip right before we left for these photos. The red blanket they are sitting on is still in our living room during the holiday season. We saw Santa again that year, and I remember him guessing which kid was the naughty one…and he guessed Hayden. haha

2017- Sweet moments with the same Santa and then our friend hosted a kids’ Christmas party, and the Santa who was there was so sweet. The kids looked at him with such innocence in their eyes. So precious.

2018- We went to “Cookies with Santa” at our club, and the kids had a great time. Ms. Claus was there too!

2019– I’m glad we got one last visit with our favorite Santa because, as we all know, the next couple of Christmases looked a bit different…and my kids “aged” out of some of the special traditions of Christmas.

2020- Our club hosted a visit with Santa…outside… in 2020. I remember that we almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad that we did. I think the kids were just obliging for me, but it was a fun visit, and they still got cookies out of seeing Santa.

2021- We went to KC for Thanksgiving in 2021, and we made a visit to Union Station. Santa was there! Even though the kids were older, it was still a fun surprise to see him.

For 2022, I used a family beach photo for our card…

…but I might add it to an ornament with a photo from this year because it’s fun looking back on the kids through the years.

I’m so glad I went ahead and had these ornaments made. I know I will look forward to putting them on the tree every year.

Moms of littles: learn from me…and go ahead and order the ornaments every year rather than play “catch up” when your kids are 14!