Seasonal – Page 3

Monthly Musings

Posted on October 31, 2024October 30, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday! Also, Happy Halloween!

It’s officially the last day of October (and the last Thursday of the month), so I’m linking up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings.

This month’s topic is…Halloween and Fall Fun.

Let’s get to it….

1. What do you usually do for Halloween?

Well, times have changed. For years, I hosted two of my friends’ families for trick-or-treating and chili for dinner. My brother and his fam would join as well. Then, once the middle school years hit, the kids went off on their own around the neighborhood. This year, Hadley is going to a friend’s house for a get together, and Hayden and Travis will help me pass out candy.

This Halloween post from a couple of years ago was a fun little stroll down memory lane.

Halloween is usually a time when I’m pretty reminiscent about the younger years, but thankfully we get lots of trick-or-treaters, so at least I get to see little ones in their costumes.

2. Favorite fall traditions?

I love when we go to the pumpkin patch. We get apple cider donuts and pick out our pumpkins to carve. This year, we never made it to the pumpkin patch, and I was pretty bummed.

Besides that, I love when we can go to Keeneland in the fall. Travis and I were able to go last week on a really pretty afternoon.

Also, it’s fun when we can go to a Kentucky football game, but the kids end up going to those more than we do now.

Another favorite tradition is carving pumpkins. I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen, but we did that last night.

Chick-fil-A and a skeleton!

3. Milky Way or Snickers? Starburst or Skittles?

I definitely prefer Snickers to a Milky Way. I like Starbursts and Skittles equally.

4. Trick or treat or host a party?

How about sit on my front porch and pass out candy? Like I said above, I miss the trick-or-treat days…and hosting friends for a casual evening.

5. Hand out candy or go out with trick or treaters?

These days, I’m on my front porch handing out candy.

6. Do you trick or treat on Halloween or is there another day?

We trick-or-treat on Halloween. A few years, they’ve moved the day because of rain. My kids would usually get a couple or wears out of costumes with trick-or-treating at church, class parties, and then on Halloween.

On Monday, my kids helped at the trunk or treat at their former elementary school which was sweet of them to do.

7. Do you decorate for Halloween?

When I decorate, it’s usually for fall since those decorations can stay up for a couple of months.

I do put out a couple of cute Halloween things like this black cat that I’ve had for years.

8. What do you do with leftover Halloween candy?

If we have any leftover candy, I take it to school to give to my students as a reward. When the kids were little, they’d get so much candy…and I’d sneak some to take to school.

9. What are your trick or treat hours?

I think our trick-or-treat hours are from 6-8.

10. What do you have for dinner on Halloween?

For years, I would make “bloody finger” hotdogs and “brains” (mac and cheese), and “eyeballs” (grapes) on the night we carved pumpkins a few days before Halloween.

Then, a couple of years ago, I started making “mummy dogs” along with the other items. Last night, we had that for dinner before the kids carved their pumpkins.

I love these seasonal posts. It’s fun to look back on our traditions and special activities we do during the season.

What are your Halloween plans this year? Of course, we’ve been in a drought and there’s a chance of rain tonight! I hope it holds off for the little (and big! ) trick-or-treaters.

Say a prayer for me today…there’s nothing “scarier” than trying to teach high schoolers on Halloween. haha

Friday Favorites, Kids, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#230}

Posted on October 25, 2024October 27, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Wow! I feel like this week crept by. On Tuesday, I said, “How is it only Tuesday?”…and then I said the same thing on Wednesday!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Since last Friday, I recapped our fall break Florida trip, I have few pictures of favorites from last week as well as from this week too.

Hadley’s volleyball season wrapped up last week. They had such a great season and finished third in the city tournament. Then, they had one more home game and won it to cap off the season.

It’s hard to believe her first high school season is over, but it was a good one. She also had a lot of amazing older varsity players to look up to, and senior night was fun to watch.

Trav’s brother came and snapped a few pics, and I love the action shots.

She has a little break before club season starts.

The cross country season is still going on. Right now, just the runners who are running at the region and state meet these next two weekends have been practicing, but last Thursday, the whole team met up to run through a neighborhood and look at the Halloween decorations and lights.

I’d say that’s a fun way to do a workout!

Friday night, we went to our school’s soccer game. It was a beautiful night, and they won the region game.

Saturday night, the kids went to “Fright Night” and had a great time. Hayden was there too…but he does a great job dodging photos. haha

On Sunday, Hadley was all dressed up…

…to celebrate her friend’s birthday. This is such a sweet group of girls.

Our front yard tree’s leaves finally changed colors.

She’s a beaut but missing her friend…

I was very happy about some chocolate cake on Monday!

Travis and I were able to spend some time at Keeneland this week was nice! The fall meet ends tomorrow, so I was glad to go there for a bit before the season ends.

The second horse is by one of his farm’s stallions…and she tied for second in this race.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This couldn’t be more true…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Whenever I think of Keeneland, I think of this sweet memory…The kids were cheering for a horse, and I guess the horse lost…by a nose!

Weekly Recap:

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

Enneagram

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Day in the life

I hope you have the best October weekend.

Seasonal, Tuesday Talk

Tuesday Talk: Enneagram

Posted on October 22, 2024October 21, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

I’m always interested in all the Enneagram stuff, and follow @mirabellecreations who always posts fun graphics on Instagram.

‘Tis the Halloween season and all things scary. I stumbled upon “What Scares” for different Enneagram types, and I’m taking a deep dive into my 5w6 self for…

What Scares Type 5s:

Being helpless or incapable: This for sure applies to me as I prefer not to ask for help and like to be prepared.
Someone who asks too many questions: I hate nothing more than being peppered with questions. A conversation is one thing, but when I feel like I’m constantly answering questions, and I feel like the person has an ‘angle,” I definitely disengage.
Being overwhelmed by their own needs and needs of others: In this busy season of life, I do feel overwhelmed by my own needs more than my family’s needs. Sometimes I just have “decision fatigue” and will feel overwhelmed.
A huge party: I much prefer a small gathering with people I know. Small talk at a huge gathering is definitely not my favorite thing.
Being pressured or obligated: I definitely don’t want to feel pressured or obligated to do anything. Well, who does?
Not having the right answer in every situation: It must be the teacher in me, but I like being prepared.
Their private info being shared publicly: Well, this is ironic considering I have a blog, but of course I choose what I share and when.

What Scares Type 6s:

Everything going wrong: I like to have a plan, and I like for that plan to go accordingly. haha
Danger ahead signs: What’s around the corner? What’s the danger? Of course I want to know and be prepared.
People who are not dependable: Oh…that’s a big pet peeve of mine.
An unpredictable or unsafe environment: I definitely like to know what’s going on…and don’t like surprises.
Being accused of just being a “scaredy-cat”: I think I do a good job of keeping my worries on the inside. haha
Being called negative or pessimistic: I’m a realist!
Not having an escape route: I definitely like to know where the exits are!

Movie Quotes:

I thought these movie quotes were fun for each type:

…and this one:

Anyway, just a fun look at what scares certain types of people!

Let's look, Seasonal

Let’s Look

Posted on October 9, 2024October 8, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Wow! This week feels like it’s flying by…and it’s already the second Wednesday of the month.

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

How we clean our closets in January
Little things we do every single day in February
What’s in our grocery cart in March
Our daily quiet time/prayer time in April
Our summer closet staples in May
Our summer schedule in June
Podcasts and shows we binge in July
What’s in our pantry in August (I don’t have a pantry, so I skipped that one)
Our quick weeknight dinners in September

This month’s topic is let’s look at..how we prep for the holiday season.

Oh…well…even when I try to prep, I don’t feel very prepared when the season comes. That being said, here are a few things I try to do.

1. Notes/Lists

I keep a note on my phone with gift ideas as I think of them throughout the year.

I also make notes of recipes for the season and activities or traditions that I want to make sure that we do.

2. Amazon list

The past couple of years, I’ve made an Amazon list that I share with my mom, sister-in-law and grandma with gift ideas for the kids and me. That way, once the items are purchased, they are taken off the list. This has been a nice way to stay organized and share ideas.

3. Decorate when you can

In 2020, on Election Day, I put up my two skinny Christmas trees. One was in the living room and the other in the sun room. My kids rolled their eyes and even ask “Why are you already putting up Christmas decor?,” but the truth is that’s a day I have time to do so….so I do.

And, thanks to this blog, when I put out the rest of the decorations, I can look back on where I put my seasonal decor, so that saves time and energy.

4. Plan ahead

Once November hits, I always find time and pencil in some of our traditions like going to the horse park lights and baking cookies. I also always write down parties and plan accordingly. That has worked well to make sure we get some family time in or know when I might have time to wrap presents.

5. Stay Organized

Like I said, I have lists for gifts, meals, and activities. I have a note on my phone of things I need to buy for the next year. For example, if I’m running low on wrapping paper, I make note of that to purchase for the next year.

Also, I get rid of seasonal items if I don’t use them to help keep some of the holiday bins organized.

I’d love to hear how you prep for the holidays; give me all the tips!

Monthly Musings, Seasonal

Monthly Musings

Posted on September 26, 2024September 25, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

How is it already the end of September? I feel like once we get through August and we are in a back to school routine, the school year really starts to fly by!

I’m linking up with Holly and Patty for this month’s Monthly Musings.

This month’s topic is…Back to School Routines, Recipes and Fall Fashion.

1. What are your best tips for getting into a fall/back to school routine?

Well, I don’t know that I’m the best one to answer this question….we kind of just “rip the Band Aid off” and go for it.

That being said, I do try to buy school supplies in late July and do other school errands a couple of weeks before we go back to school, so we aren’t scrambling once summer is over.

2. Please share your favorite fall recipes.

One of my favorite fall recipes is Pumpkin Penne Sausage Pasta, which I’ve been making for years. I found the recipe on the side of a box of Kroger pasta.

Last year, I shared a blog post with some pumpkin favorites.

3. Favorite fall fashion staples?

I’m no fashionista, but I always answer this question with the fact that I love adding cardigans to dresses in the fall. I have my favorite cardigan in three colors!

4. Favorite part of back to school this year?

This year, my favorite part has been seeing my kids and my kids’ friends in the hallway. It’s still a surprise for me to turn the corner and see a familiar face. The highlight of my day is when the kids (and their friends) come to my classroom when school is out.

5. Do you celebrate Homecoming where you are?

We do celebrate Homecoming, and our school dance was last weekend. Hadley went and had a great time with her friends.

6. Apple pie or apple cider?

Both!

It’s pretty rare that I have apple pie though…

I did grab these apple blossoms and Trader Joe’s, and they are great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

I always get hot apple cider when we visit our favorite pumpkin patch!

7. Do the leaves change colors where you live? If so, when?

They do…and it depends on the temps, but I feel like the leaves peak around the middle of October, and then we have leaves on the ground by Halloween. Our front yard trees are stunning, but they don’t last long enough!

8. Favorite fall sweet treat? Do you have an recipes to share?

Apple cider donuts are my guilty pleasure in the fall! Hadley does’t like apple cider donuts…which is about the only time I wonder “how can she be my daughter?” haha

I made this cake for the first time last year, and I made it again last weekend.

Apple Cider Donut cake is delish!

9. Hayride or bonfire?

I like a fire pit when we have time to do so!

10. Movies that give you the back to school feels?

I’m not sure why, but Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Back to the Future were the first two to pop in my mind. I guess because Ferris skips school and Marty is in high school.

I loved writing this post as fall is certainly my favorite time of the year. I can’t wait for October!

Have a great fall day,

Seasonal, Trader Joes

Trader Joe’s Lately

Posted on September 24, 2024September 23, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I hope your week is off to a great start! I had every intention of sharing a post yesterday, but our weekend was non-stop, and I just ran out of time!

I will share more later in the week, but my dad was visiting, the kids had activities, and Hadley went to the Homecoming dance on Saturday.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve shared a Trader Joe’s post, and after a stop there last week, I’m sharing a few items I picked up.

This isn’t a full haul, but I’m sharing a few faves, some of which are staples, and others are more seasonal.

Well, the first time I stopped in Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago, they were sold out of one of my favorite fall items…apple cider donuts! When I went last week, they had some! I don’t often eat breakfast, but these have been a nice indulgence.

I did pick up some pumpkins this weekend. The front porch is almost finished.

I love French toast and Brioche bread, and these slices are a winner!

I always buy egg bites when I go to Trader Joe’s, but this is a new flavor. The cheddar cheese and turkey sausage egg white bites were perfect for my lunch last week.

Hadley loves macarons, and I’ve seen these many times at Trader Joe’s. I picked up a box for us to try, and they are delish.

Tis the season for pumpkin cream cheese. This cream cheese on a bagel is a great snack or breakfast idea.

We all love cheesecake, and I’ve bought this one before, so it was Sunday night dessert last week.

These waffle fries caught my eye since they are seasoned. I added them as a side last week for dinner, and I liked them but the kid didn’t. I think the issue was that they weren’t very crispy which was probably my fault (or the air fryer’s fault!)

I only bought one box of the pumpkin bread mix, and I should have purchased more! I always make the muffins, and Hayden took care of most of those on Sunday! Nothing says “fall” to me more than pumpkin bread and muffins.

I buy white cheddar mac and cheese almost every time I go to Trader Joe’s as it’s Hadley’s fave. In the fall and winter, I sometimes use this mac and cheese as a side dish for dinner. It’s a great comfort food.

Speaking of comfort food, another fall item I love is this tomato soup. Sometimes for dinner in the fall and winter, we have this with grilled cheese for dinner.

This “apple”wine cocktail was an impulse buy. I like the rose’ ones, so I thought I would try the apple since it’s seasonal. They are actually pretty good if you like apple flavor, but they are kind of sweet.

So, those are a few of the items I picked up recently from my favorite store! What have you gotten at Trader Joe’s lately?

Friday Favorites, Meals and Recipes, Seasonal

Friday Favorites {#225}

Posted on September 20, 2024September 19, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? We had a great week, but I’m getting annoyed with the weather. I can honestly handle 80 degrees, but I’m over the 90 degree temps!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

‘Tis the season at Trader Joe’s. I made a stop at Trader Joe’s on Saturday and picked up some of my regular items as well as some fall favorites.

I did resist the temptation to buy some front porch pumpkins, but I hope to do that this weekend.

Not a favorite…on my walk back to my car, this startled me….

…like I had bags in both my hands, and I jumped back startled! A couple others walking near me asked if I was ok…and then saw the hand. haha

This is a blurry photo, but it’s a screen shot of a video. On Saturday, Travis was working, so Hayden convinced Hadley to follow him on her bike for his ten mile run. She was biking and had her blue tooth speaker on her handle bar, so they got to listen to some tunes. The video was shared on his running club’s Instagram page, so that was a nice shout out after running 41 miles last week. It was sweet that Hadley obliged Hayden’s request…especially since she had to get up early to do so.

Saturday night, the kids went to the UK game. Travis had to work late, and I had things to do at home. So, they went with friends, and Hadley shared this pic with me.

They had fun with their friends (and cousins), but were bummed about the 13-14 loss to Georgia. I guess I’m getting a glimpse of the next few years as at close to midnight I was waiting for them to get home.

On Sunday, I had time to decorate fall. I was so happy to turn on my pumpkins and light my fall candles!

Also, y’all …no lie. I didn’t buy a single new fall decoration…except…

… a new garden flag. The fall garden flag that I’ve had for years, was showing its age. So, I ordered this cute one from Amazon. It’s less than $10, and seems to have all of the initial options. I was so pleasantly surprised with the quality too!

The spider webs were just an added touch from nature!

Since I pretty much decorated the same as last year, I’m not sure if I will do a “fall home tour” post this year. Here’s last year’s post in case you are interested!

Of course, we had some volleyball this week. Hadley had one away game and one home game, and they won both! Her away game was at a brand new school about thirty minutes away, and the gym was amazing.

Favorite Recipe:

On Wednesday night, I tried a new recipe. It was sooo easy, and it was delicious as well. Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole will definitely be added into the dinner rotation.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Where is the lie?

Weekly Recap:

The week got away from me, but I did have a couple of posts this week:

Monday Meals: Chicken Pot Pie

Three Things

What are your weekend plans? Tonight and tomorrow will be very busy for us as it’s Homecoming weekend. On top of that, Hayden has a race tomorrow and Hadley has a volleyball tournament. I guess Sunday will be our day of rest.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Seasonal

Summer Sundays #10: Summer Top 10

Posted on August 18, 2024August 18, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Sunday!

I hope you’ve been having a great weekend. We’ve had a great one so far.

I wanted to write one more Summer Sunday post to recap our summer!

Every summer seems busier and busier. Last summer, I was bummed that we didn’t get to take a family vacation because all the schedules seemed to overlap. I’m grateful that we prioritized that this summer, and also had downtime too.

Here are some highlights from this summer:

1. Pool time

Pool time is the best. This is the second summer, the kids were there more than me, but I still made time to go a couple times a week when I could. I always enjoy reading at the pool.

2. Camps

Hadley always looks forward to camp, and she had a blast at Young Life camp. Hayden attend this second running camp, and he really enjoyed himself too.

3. Olympic Trials – Eugene, Oregon

Of course, heading to Eugene, Oregon for the Olympics track trials was the highlight of our summer. We had the best time, and obviously, we enjoyed watching the Olympics even more because we’d seen so many of the athletes in person.

4. PNW – Oregon and Washington

After Eugene, we had some downtime on the Oregon coast before going to Olympic National Park and then finished our trip in Seattle. Truly, it was a trip to remember!

5. KC

The kids and I went to KC in early June to see family. We had lots of downtime, but we did go to the Royals game which was so fun. I went back to KC in early July to help my dad after his knee surgery.

6. Activities

We joined Trav at Churchill Downs for some races while Hadley was at camp. It’s fun to doing something like this on a Friday in the summer.

One thing I love about summer is the kids stay busy but have time to have fun doing things like hang with friends at the pool, play pickle ball, and ride their bikes to get ice cream. Hadley played in a sand volleyball tournament which she loved. Hayden ran a 10k on the 4th of July, and played basketball.

Hayden’s basketball team won the league summer tournament last week!

I know they do these activities often, but all of these are more laid back which is nice.

7. Lake time

Both kids had so much fun at the lake with friends throughout the summer. I always loved going to the Lake of the Ozarks when I was a kid, so I love that they get to have fun with their friends at the lake too.

8. Summer Reading

Well, unfortunately, August is going to be the month my summer reading comes to a screeching halt. I have read quite a few of the books from my summer reading list, and I’m hoping to finish at least one book in August.

9. Birthdays (Trav and Trav’s Mom)

July is full of birthdays including Trav and his mom. We celebrated Trav by going out to dinner when I got back from KC in early July. Travis and his siblings threw a party for their mom a couple of weeks ago which was a nice get together (and all of the cousins were in town!)

10. Olympics

I loved being home for the first week of the Olympics and watching the events in real time! The week I went back to school was when track started, so I tried to stay off social media and watch those events in the prime time coverage.

All of the athletes are so amazing!

It was another busy, but great summer!

June was busier than July, but once mid-July hit, the kids either had early morning or later practices. Welcome to high school athletics, I guess.

There are always things I wish we’d gotten to do. I’ve been wanting to see the movie Twisters, and it just hasn’t happened. I wish I’d gotten to the pool more, but I went when I could. It’s still open for a few more weeks, so I know we’ll get there a few more times.

What was the highlight of your summer?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Meals and Recipes, Seasonal

Summer Sundays #9: Side Dishes

Posted on August 11, 2024August 10, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

How has your weekend been? We’ve had a little bit of everything going on. Hadley’s been at the lake with her friends, Hayden had a race yesterday morning, I’ve been working on school stuff, but I also enjoyed a bit of time at the pool yesterday. We all have been watching the Olympics. I’m sad to see it end!

Anyway, I had time to throw together another Summer Sunday post, and I’m sharing a few side dish ideas for summer.

I know I’ve been acting like summer is over, but that’s just because we’re back to school. We’ll still have warm summer weather through September, so there will be lots of time to keep enjoying summer foods.

We grill out from time to time, and I always enjoy making side dishes while Travis is in charge of the grilling.

Here are a few ideas:

Pasta Salad:

I use the Betty Crocker pasta salad from the box quite often, but this pasta salad with cucumbers, mozzarella, and more is a favorite that I make a few times in the spring and summer months.

Baked Beans:

I love baked beans, and usually “cheat” and just warm up some of the canned baked beans as a side dish for dinner.

This slow cooker recipe looks delish!

Asparagus Fries:

I’ve shared this recipe before, and it’s one that my kids request during the summer months. These asparagus fries are SO good.

Salad:

Like all of these other recipe ideas, I usually “cheat” which means I often buy bagged salad. I haven’t made this arugula salad recipe, but it looks delish! I hope to make it soon.

Watermelon:

One thing I love about summer is using fruit as an easy side dish. We always have strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple and other fruit on hand. I take advantage of watermelon being so good during the summer months and often have it for lunch or dinner as a side.

This watermelon feta salad with mint is “fancy” way to dress up an easy side.

What’s your favorite summer side dish?

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Seasonal

Summer Sundays {#8}

Posted on July 28, 2024July 27, 2024 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Sunday!

I’m back with another “Summer Sunday” post thanks to my candle collection.

I have a shelf in my hall closet where I keep my candles. One thing about me is that I refuse to throw a candle away unless I’ve burned it completely. Another thing about me is that I think certain candles can only be burned during certain times of the year. Vanilla bean is about the only candle acceptable year round candle.

Why am I the way that I am?! haha

Well, when I think of summer, I automatically think of citrus scents like lemon or grapefruit. Coconut is another scent I love in the summer but usually think more of body wash or lotion for that.

The seasonal scents in my house usually center around candles and even hand soaps. I buy most of my candles and soaps from Bath and Body Works, and I appreciate their coupons and deals. That being said, I also love Antique Candle Co and Life in Lilac candles too.

Here are some of my favorite summer scents:

These candles are in my current rotation:

Strawberry Melon
Raspberries and Whipped Vanilla
Vanilla Cloud
Summer Rose Bud (This one has been a favorite of mine this summer)

I picked up these in the spring, but I chose them knowing I’d burn them in the summer too:

Sugar Lemon Zest
Lavender Vanilla
Pink Apple Punch (another fave!)
Sunshine Glow

It’s hard for me to resist Trader Joe’s cute little tins:

Mango Tangerine
Grapefruit
Peony Blossom

My current hand soaps:

I love having lemon in the kitchen, and then “White Waves” and “Lavender Cloud” are in our two upstairs bathrooms.

Pretty soon it will be time for me to transition the candles and soaps in my house to apples and pumpkins.

What are some of your favorite summer scents?