valentine's day

Weekend Wrap Up

Posted on February 15, 2021February 14, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I hope it was a good one. I’m sharing the details of what we were up to from basketball games, to my second vaccine, and Valentine’s Day in today’s Weekend Wrap Up.

Friday:

I got my second vaccine on Friday morning. The line was much longer than when I got my first dose. I think this was due to the fact that they had canceled vaccines due to weather on Thursday. So, there were scheduled and make up appointments on Friday. Also, now some people are getting their first dose while others are receiving their second dose. I still was there and home within in hour which was a win!

In the afternoon, I noticed our basketball goal…Brrrr!!!

Hadley went ice sledding on our street with one of her friends. I think the ice sledding on our street may have been a first! Sledding with snow has for sure happened in previous years, but I don’t know about sledding on ice.

They had lots of fun.

Later that evening, our power went out for 2 hours. We had friends and family who lost power the day before for 12-24 hours, so two hours was manageable although it took a minute for Hayden to realize all the things that need electricity to run….like his Xbox!

Later that evening, the vaccine caught up with me, and I went to bed.

Saturday:

Saturday I was very sick all day. All day. I felt like I had the flu. I had aches, chills, and a low grade fever. I also had very little appetite. Of course, I’ve heard this could happen, but I also know many who had little to no reaction with the first or second vaccine. I was definitely down for the count all day.

Hayden had two basketball games that I missed, and Hadley played with a friend for most of the day, so I was able to rest and get Homer snuggles.

Sunday:

Thankfully, I woke up yesterday feeling so much better. I’ve heard that too..that once you hit 36-48 hours post-vaccine, you are back to feeling normal. I was still tired most of yesterday, but I felt pretty good and was able to carry on with a pretty normal day (and an afternoon nap!)

Sunday morning, we went to church, and then Travis began his quest to find salt for our driveway and sidewalk. We have more inclement weather on the way this week.

After a couple of tries, we got lucky and got two of the last few bags of ice at a Kroger on our way home. ,

Just call me “basic” while shopping at Kroger: ice, bread, milk, and eggs…(and a few other items thanks to the kids!)

When we got home, some of the neighbors helped each other out shoveling driveways as many still were ice covered from last week’s Wednesday-Thursday storm. And, now we are preparing for this:

After lunch, and before baseball and dance, we gave the kids their Valentine’s Day gifts and candy.

Then, I prepped the table for our Valentine’s Day dinner.

The plates, napkins, straws, paper hearts, and name tags were all in my Valentine’s Day tub, so I had the table set in a matter of minutes.

Then, Hadley had dance and Hayden went to baseball. While Hadley was at dance, I treated myself to a pedicure before picking her up.

The kids decorated cookies for dessert, and we enjoyed homemade pizza for dinner. Cutting heart shaped pepperonis was way easier than making a heart shaped pizza. It still tastes good though…

Since we went to early church on Sunday, I wasn’t able to make a special Valentine’s Day breakfast. Since we have no school today, I’m going to make Bev’s Cinnamon Biscuit Bake for them this morning.

To end on a funny note, I saw this meme over the weekend and couldn’t help but laugh!

I’m definitely the “It’s already 10pm” person while Travis tends to be more “It’s only 10 pm” haha

I actually had to count on my fingers, but this was my 20th Valentine’s Day with Travis. I’m very blessed if I do say so myself!

Linking up with Tanya and others.

I hope you have a great week. Stay safe and warm!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#54}

Posted on February 12, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday! Mother Nature stopped by Kentucky, and we woke up yesterday feeling like we were living in Arendelle. *Cue Elsa* “The cold never bothered me anyyyywayyy!” Well, we got more ice than snow and many people even lost power throughout the city. It looks like this may only be the beginning of some active winter weather over the next week.

Even with the cold and ice, I have plenty of favorites to share with you! Today, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites post.

Of course, our Chiefs losing the Super Bowl is definitely not a favorite, but…

our cute Chiefs fans,

delicious cookie cake, and…

festive cups were all favorites on Super Bowl Sunday.

It’s that time of the year where I’m burning the last of my winter Bath and Body Works candles. Peppermint, Gingerbread Cookie, and Winter are almost used up, so it was time for a few new candles to transition out of winter and into spring…

Butterscotch Toffee is perfect for February, and then Lavender Coconut and Eucalyptus Rain will be perfect for spring.

“Old-fashioned” stove top popcorn is a new favorite. Hadley had the idea last weekend to make popcorn in the Dutch oven, and it worked perfectly and popped so quickly! She made enough to feed an army!

Hadley is wrapping up Girl Scout cookie sales, and has sold a little over 500 boxes. About half of those were shipped, but we still had to sort and organize about 250 boxes for delivery! That’s how we spent some time yesterday. We all have a different favorite cookie, so the cookie temptation is real around here!

Watching Hayden play basketball is a favorite for sure! Most Saturdays are filled with two games. The time has flown by, and the season is almost over.

One of my favorite traditions is sending family Valentine’s Day cards. They arrived just in time for me to mail them out to our loved ones.

The kids had a Valentine’s Day party at their school pod. Hayden kept his Valentines simple with Sour Patch Kids, but Hadley chose “You make life S’more fun” from the cute Valentine’s that Andrea created. I printed them at Walgreens, and then we used chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and Golden Grahams to make the mix. We had fun putting these together.

A favorite from the kids’ week was the party at the pod! They came home with lots of goodies.

I bought this sweet little pot of roses at Trader Joe’s, and it’s now a favorite Valentine’s Day touch in our house.

Not that .3 inches of ice is necessarily a favorite, but it is pretty to look at, and BONUS!— Travis was home with us yesterday. He doesn’t take many snow days, so it was nice to have him home…and have someone else in charge of lunch duty 😉

backyard with icicles and droopy branches

Yesterday, we used the recipe on the side of the box to make Golden Graham No Bake S’mores. I think we have a new favorite dessert! So easy and so delish. Hadley did most of this on her own!

Travis and I were supposed to go to dinner last night for Valentine’s Day, but like most restaurants, reservations were canceled. Maybe we can find a time to go out to dinner in the next couple of weeks?

Another favorite is that we’re looking forward to a three day weekend with no school on Monday!

Favorite Mom Meme:

I feel this deeply, y’all!

Weekly Recap:

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

(lots of fun link ups this week!)

Not Just a Mom

Let’s Look

Three Things

One more favorite from the week: This morning I’m going to get my second dose of the vaccine! Vaccine appointments were canceled yesterday, so I’m hoping appointments stay scheduled for today!

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you have a great weekend and a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Gift Ideas, Holidays, Home Decor

Valentine’s Day Decorations & Gifts

Posted on February 3, 2021February 2, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Today, I’m sharing with you the Valentine’s Day decorations I put up over the weekend. To be honest, I use the same few things each year, so I guess this post probably isn’t too different than what I shared last year!

I’ve mentioned before that I typically buy the kids a few things for Valentine’s Day to make the day special, so I’m sharing those today too!

Decorations:

I love a garden flag, and change our front yard flag pretty often! I’ve had this cute heart flag for years. My favorite decoration of all is my heart door hanger that I purchased from Etsy years ago!

Inside, Hadley helped me hang this XOXO banner on the kitchen mantle. Last year, I found this wooden love “sign” at Home Goods or TJ Maxx, and it fits perfectly on the mantle between some of my favorite pictures.

I try to keep the little pink dish on our island tray filled with Hershey Kisses, but they don’t typically last too long! We seem to have the same problem with the conversation hearts in the other pink dish on the kitchen counter. The wooden heart sign was painted by one of my friends, and it’s the perfect touch for that corner of the kitchen.

I guess we all heart the Valentine’s Day candy at our house!

The white ceramic heart fits in perfectly on our front hall table…

and the XOXO on the coffee table rounds out my Valentine’s Day decor.

Gifts:

Gifts for both…

For gifts this year, both kids (and Travis!) will receive a box of chocolate hearts from me. I’m also getting cookies from a local baker/cookie decorator (@1smartcookieky on Instagram) that the kids can decorate on Valentine’s Day!

Also, I love to shop small when I can, and Etsy always has the cutest items! Years ago, I got the kids each a personalized pillowcase with their names. I honestly think I bought them eight(ish) years ago when they transitioned to their “big boy/girl” beds. They’ve used those pillowcases off and on ever since, so I figured it was the perfect time to purchased them news ones.

On Etsy, I found this one for Hadley and this one for Hayden.

I love the whimsy of the one I picked out for Hadley and the simplicity of the one I picked out for Hayden. There are many varieties and options for pillowcases in these shops, but I settled on the ones pictured below.

I always purchase a book for them. When they were younger, they were always Valentine’s Day/love themed books. As they have gotten older, I just choose one I think they will enjoy reading.

For Hayden, I know he’ll love The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling as he has been loving the Harry Potter series. Hadley just finished up the first book of The Vanderbeekers series, so I got her the second one in hopes that she will keep on reading!

I also always purchase a game to add to our collection, and I’ve heard that Bananagrams is fun. Hopefully, it will provide some family fun!

Gift for Hayden…

Hayden loves golf! He plays on the golf course. He plays in the yard. And…he plays in the house! I thought this automatic putting practice hole would be perfect for him. He will love that it returns the ball right back to you…once you make it in the hole! 😉

Gift for Hadley…

I’ve been following MelandMae on Instagram, and I’ve made a few purchases from their Etsy shop! I thought these leather circle stud earrings in blush would be perfect for Hadley because Sis loves a good monogram!

You may be wondering about Travis…😂. Well, I’ve mentioned before that we try to just go out to dinner at some point before or after Valentine’s Day. We always exchange cards as well which is all I need.

Also, Homer is a big fan of the holiday 😆 He will tolerate a scarf for a few minutes…and I bet he will get an extra treat or two on February 14th!

I shared a few more thoughts about Valentine’s Day in last week’s Monthly Musings link up. Check it out if you’d like!

We still have snow on the ground here! I hope everyone is staying safe and warm!

Take care,

{this post contained Amazon affiliate links…}

Monthly Musings

Posted on January 28, 2021January 27, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Today, I’m linking up with Patty and Holly for their Monthly Musings series.

This month’s topic is Valentines/Love.

Let me just say that I like Valentine’s Day, but it’s certainly not a holiday that I feel deserves the hype that it gets. It’s a commercialized holiday, and I feel that you should show the ones you love your love all 365 days of the year.

Of course, I’ve been blessed to have had the same Valentine for almost 20 years, but I guess I didn’t start making a big deal about V Day until I had kids. Now, it’s an extra day where I focus on them, make them a good breakfast, and buy them a few gifts.

Showing Love/Love Language:

I think I show my love by writing notes. I also love receiving notes, so I guess I assume others like them too. I also love cooking and baking for others to show my love as well.

Now, as far as the five love languages go, I think my language must be “Acts of Service,” because I love nothing more than someone else unloading the dishwasher or making the bed. 😂

Valentine’s Day Traditions:

As far as traditions are concerned, Travis and I usually find a time sometime around Valentine’s Day to go out to dinner. That’s typically our gift to one another because we often don’t have time to go out when it’s just the two of us.

Since I love receiving cards, that’s a part of the deal too. A card is all I need.

Once the kids were old enough to understand Valentine’s Day, I started making them a nice breakfast on February 14th and buying them a few things, so that’s one of our traditions.

Ever since the kids were little, I’ve ordered Valentine’s Day cards from Shutterfly to send to family.

This post reminds me that I need to order our 2021 card!

Here’s last year’s card:

{front}

{back}

Valentine’s Day Memory:

I don’t have any memories that stick out to me. I do remember loving Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school. It was always fun to make our Valentine’s Day card boxes, give cards to classmates, and enjoy tons of candy and cupcakes!

The kids love their Valentine’s Day parties as well. I know some of the excitement wanes as they get into the upper elementary grades, but I still hate that they are missing out on their last Valentine’s Day party of elementary school.

For laughs, here are the boxes they made last year:

Hadley loves details, and Hayden takes a simpler approach!

Through the years, Travis has upped his card game, and always writes my name in bubble letters. 😆

Valentine’s Day Treat:

The past few years, I’ve ordered cookies from local small businesses for the kids and Travis to share.

Valentine’s Day Fashion:

Well, since they were little, I’ve had Hayden and Hadley wear some kind of heart or red/white clothing for their Valentine’s Day parties.

Here are a couple pics from years past!

{2011}

{2015}

{2016}

I’ve already shared this in pervious posts, but Hadley loves her new Valentine’s Day sweatshirt that I got her this year from MelandMae on Etsy.

Valentine’s Day: Love, Like, or Hard Pass?

I like Valentine’s Day. I enjoy creating a special day for the kids and for Travis.

Romantic Song:

Someone Like You was our wedding song, and it holds a special place in my heart.

Dine out, Carry out or Cook?

Like I said before, Travis and I usually go out to dinner around Valentine’s Day.

Last year, Valentine’s Day was on a Friday, so I actually made dinner at home for everyone. I used a few of our house decorations to make a cute centerpiece, and I ordered paper hearts, plates, napkins, and straws from Amazon.

I also ordered the cardstock hearts, and I wrote each person’s name on one as a place card.

**I kept the extra plates, napkins, straws, hearts, and place cards in a tub, so I can use them again this year.

Pink or Red?

I think I’m more of a pink girl…or rose gold!

Flowers or Chocolate?

Both?! haha I do love flowers and the little boxes of chocolate are just perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth!

So, those are my thoughts on Valentine’s Day! I’m glad it falls on a weekend again this year. Maybe we’ll have a special Valentine’s Day brunch!!

Here are the topics Patty and Holly have thought of for Monthly Musings 2021.

Weekly Recap:

This has been a doozy of a week. I’ve been pretty tired and busy with school and the kids’ activities. So, I think I’m going to take tomorrow off from blogging.

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

Monday Memes

January Books

What’s Up Wednesday

Make sure to check out the other ladies’ posts too!

Thanks so much for reading.

Holidays, Memes

February Monday Memes and Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 17, 2020May 16, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Happy Monday! There is seriously nothing better than a 3 day weekend (and no school on a Monday!) I’m combining two posts into one and sharing some funny memes and a few details from our Valentine’s Day.

Memes

Fact. I hate to clean. (I don’t mind to tidy up). Fact. I love a good glass of wine! 😉

This literally made me laugh out loud. I love my weighted blanket more than I probably should. I seriously miss it if I’m away from home and don’t have it.

FYI I have this 15 lb blanket in taupe from Blanquil. (When I bought mine, it was close to $120…I used a code to get the discount)

I feel like I need at least three of me to get everyone where they need to be as well as get all the chores and errands accomplished…and I even have a very helpful husband!

I saw this meme on Facebook. Rang true with me! haha

Valentine’s Day

Ok, for me not being a huge fan of Valetine’s Day, it may appear that I go all out for this Hallmark holiday. Travis and I have always been no gifts, give each other cards and try to go out to dinner…and that’s been our tradition for a long time. I guess once I had the kids, I stepped up my Valentine’s Day game, but I just pick them up a few things here and there in the couple weeks leading up to February 14th. That being said, I still usually follow the something they need, something to read, something they want + chocolate!

Each kid received a book, and some winter weather gear (gloves and ear muffs (Hadley))—because Target had everything on clearance…, a game (Hayden received a Mad Libs game that we played over the weekend–lots of fun (and great grammar practice!) and Hadley received a puzzle that we will do as a family). Lastly, Hadley needed new volleyball shorts and Hayden requested a video game. I ordered a Valentine’s Day plate/napkin set on Amazon and served them powdered donut holes for breakfast (w/ some strawberries), and they were excited.

I did break my “no gift” rule for Travis and bought him a new wallet…since his old one has been #homered. Found out yesterday that wallet #2 has already been #homered as well.

When the kids were little, I started taking their pic and ordering 10 cards on Shutterfly to send family. It’s an easy and cost effective way to spread the love…as well as one stop shopping.

I always look forward to the bubble letters Travis writes on my cards. #eighteenyearsandcounting #bubblelettersaremanly

In all honesty, we usually don’t do much for dinner on Valentine’s Day because someone usually has a practice or somewhere to be. Since Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year, leading up to a three day weekend….AND we had no plans!, I decided to decorate a bit for dinner. The paper hearts and straws also came from Amazon, but the other decorations I already had around the house. (I plan to save the extra plates, napkins, hearts, etc to use next year if needed!)

Travis did decide to pick up steaks on his way home…and we already had Bob Evans mashed potatoes (Hadley’s fave!) in the fridge and cheesy broccoli in the freezer…So steaks were a “fancy” element to our dinner (and Trav’s fave) and the potatoes and broccoli were easy element to heat in the microwave.

In 2008, Travis and I went to Napa Valley with some friends. One of our favorite vineyards was a small vineyard someone recommended while we were out there. So, it was an unplanned pit stop to Anomaly. We love their wine. We brought a few bottles home and saved them for special occasions. In December of 2009, after Hadley arrived home from the NICU, we opened one of the bottles. Then, we took a bottle with us to Charleston, SC when we celebrated our five year wedding anniversary in June 2010. The last bottle we actually took with us to Lake Tahoe in the fall of 2015 when we celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary. Y’all know I love my wine, so the fact we hung on to those for so many years (and even when we moved houses) is a big deal 😉 That being said, the wine isn’t cheap, but it’s so worth it…& perfect for special occasions.

We loved the Anomaly experience and scenery so much that Travis took one of the pics I took while we were there and had a family friend paint the picture as a gift for me; it now hangs in our living room.

Some friends recently gifted us another bottle as a thank you, and I was going to open it for my 40th birthday, but as I’ve mentioned, I came down with the flu. We decided to share that bottle Friday night–and I joked we could celebrate my 40th, the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.

After dinner we played the new Mad Lib game…we had a great time and everyone was in bed by 9:30!

Besides basketball games, Travis and Hadley went to the Dad/Daughter Dance on Saturday night and then yesterday we went tubing at Perfect North with friends. (I will probably post about both of those fun activities later this week 😀)

I hope you had a great weekend. The sun finally came out and it looks like the temps are on the rise again! It almost makes me wish it was spring…but I’d love at least one more pretty snow (and snow day!) before everything starts to bloom.

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Facebook Page: Show Me and Sweet Tea

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#15}

Posted on February 14, 2020August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Happy Friday! and… Happy Valentine’s Day. I can’t believe February is halfway over! As always, it’s been busy around here, but we’ve also had time to squeeze in some favorite activities, spend time with one of our favorite visitors, and even enjoyed some of our favorite meals this week.

Like all Friday Favorites, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea.

Thanks to an unexpected four day weekend last week (due to low attendance in our district for the flu + it snowed last friday), we were able to have some extra fun. My mom (GG) was in town, we had snowman pancakes, the kids played in the snow, chose Taco Bell for lunch, and then we went to a local pottery painting place and the kids each chose a plate to paint. They’ve been wanting to go the the Mad Potter, so I figured a snow day was a great day to let them choose something to paint. They did most of the painting themselves, and both were proud of their finished products. We can pick the painted pieces up today, so I know it will be a favorite activity for the week to see their creations in person.

Some of Hadley’s favorite people cheered her on during her basketball game on Saturday.

I swear, we have some activity almost every weeknight. I do enjoy cooking, but it’s so difficult with at least one of the kids having something almost every night. I rely heavily on my slow cooker and Instant Pot, but I thought I’d change things up a bit…and leading up to Valentine’s Day let both kids choose their favorite meal for dinner.

Monday–Hadley chose salmon as her favorite and added Trader Joe’s Shells and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese as a side dish. Mac and cheese has always been a favorite of mine, so we combined our favorites. Travis cooked dinner while I took Hadley to her evening activities. Our Kroger has the baking bags for fish–where they put whatever fish you’d like in the oven bag and I always have them add butter, dill, and lemon. You bake in the oven, serve, and throw away the foil bag. Easy dinner clean up is especially appreciated on an busy Monday night.

Tuesday–Hayden requested pizza. We love the DiGiono’s thin crust pizzas, and Hayden loves the four meat one, so I baked that and we had strawberries and bagged Ceasar salad. Again, a late night of activities, so it was nice to keep things simple.

Wednesday–I decided to try this recipe from Andrea at Momfessionals. She shared the Creamy Rice Casserole recipe a few weeks ago, and I’d been wanting to make it. It seemed hearty, easy and delicious…and it was….so good!! I loved it so much that I was so excited about having some for lunch on Thursday.

Thursday — The kids had an event at their school with dinner provided…no cooking + family fun = Win. Win.

Friday— I’m still not sure what we will have for dinner tonight. We are certainly not going out, so we will either get carry out from somewhere, or I may make breakfast for dinner.

And…don’t worry—Travis had his favorite…steak… when he and I went out to dinner last Saturday night for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. The Blue Heron always has great food.

We enjoyed one of our favorite activity nights at school.

And, of course, a favorite school activity is the Valentine’s Day party / exchange. The kids aren’t having a big party at school with activities, but they are still exchanging Valentines and having a sweet treat in the afternoon. They were to bring a decorated box for the exchange. These decorated boxes couldn’t show the differences in Hayden and Hadley’s personalities more if they tried. Over the top vs simple. #thisismylife While Hadley decorated her box last week, Hayden said, “I’m just going to write my name on the box.” I figured he’d throw at least a heart or two on the box…but I guess he was serious about only putting his name. haha

Bonus fave: Flashback Friday – February 2015

This has always been a fave pic of mine. So little and so cute…and Hayden’s shirt always cracks me up (especially since I joke he will be living with me when he’s 30 😉 #mamasboy