What's Up Wednesday ~ February Edition

What we're eating this week................

Monday - spaghetti with noodles and zoodles, along with cauliflower cheese bread

These pictures are sideways, but it shows pictures of Monday night's dinner.

Tuesday - breakfast food!

Wednesday - church

Thursday - out 

Friday - dinner at a friend's house

Saturday - chicken fajitas

What I'm reminiscing about...................

Not too much at the moment :)

What I'm loving..................

It has been good to see the girls pick up more responsibility at home. As much as I miss those younger years, it is fun to see them grow up too.

What we've been up to..............

Work and homeschool life here!

What I'm dreading...............

Working when the girls have breaks from school

What I'm working on......................

Planning some activities for our summer vacation

What I'm excited about......................

The weekend!!!

What I'm watching/reading................

Honestly, not too much these days.

What I'm listening to...............

I am listening to podcast every morning on my way to work. Some of my favorites are United Church Bogota, RUF Vanderbilt and Greg Laurie.   There are a few others I listen to as well occasionally. 

What I'm wearing............

I actually picked out my clothes for the week on Sunday.  I wear jeans once or twice a week to work.  Other than that, I am wearing work clothes, but it is a pretty casual environment as far as dress code goes.  

What I'm doing this weekend..............

We are attending a wedding and more of the normal routine for me.

What I'm looking forward to next month..............

Weather above freezing temperatures!

What else is new.................

Just trying to get in the hang of taking calls at work and balance home life. 

Thanks for reading and happy hump day!

Week/Weekend Wrap Up

It's Monday and a new week!!  Here we go (although I promise it was just Friday 5 minutes ago, ha!)

Leaving for work Friday, I noticed some signs of Spring in our yard with these daffodils!

It's been inspiring to read the tributes to Billy Graham.  Like so many others, I have imagined his homecoming into Heaven! 

Here I was on Friday, waiting on the clock to leave work! 

I did take a moment and geeked out by enjoying listening to the planes take off since I work so close to the airport.  (can you see the plane in the distance behind the trees?)

It was just the girls and me for the weekend so we tried a new pizza place Friday night.  

Saturday, I got a hair cut, cleaned house, ran errands and of course watched a Hallmark movie!  I do enjoy my weekends and am now ready for a new week as I am fully emerged into my work duties this week.

Work Life

One month into my new job and I thought I would show you a glance of where I spend most of my time these days.

This is my desk.  Notice my hammock under my desk I use for my feet.   It is literally a game changer for me!  It helps my legs so much. Otherwise, I don't think I could sit as much as I do.  I also don't have a phone yet, which will be coming soon. 

I have pictures of family hung with string and clothes pins so that I can display more photos without taking up frame space.  I have lotion, kleenex, and this canister of mints on my desk.

I also have a desk lamp and a small fan.  Most people keep both a fan and a sweater at their desk because it varies from hot to cold!

My drawer organizers, compliments of the Dollar Tree, hold my basic office supplies I brought with me.  I also have hand sanitizer, lip balm, essential oil for stress relief, and a hand mirror.

I also have a drawer full of snack supplies :).  I keep hot chocolate for the office Keurig, my mug, a water cup, plastic silverware, straws, plates, snacks and medicine.

As I enter more of a daily work routine, pray I can be ontime, have good productivity with few errors, and be an encouragement to others.  

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Babies and Brandon

Happy Monday folks!  Friday night was spent grocery shopping and doing some cleaning because I was going out of town Saturday.  I did make time for a Hallmark movie too though!

Isabella went on a retreat this weekend, so Brook and I went to visit my brother and sister-in-law for the night.  My sister also went with us and we enjoyed our time together.

Saturday morning before we left the area, we made a stop to go see my greats. It had been a month since I had seen them, so it was time.

We took them a Valentine goody bag with some books, graham crackers and 2 small Hershey bars.

She enjoyed them, but he wasn't too sure of the new texture, so he wouldn't take a bite.

On our trip, I was also able to visit with our sweet friend, Leah.  So thankful for this sweet girl.

My brother, sister-in-law, 2 of their kids, my sister, Brook and I went to dinner.  This was the only picture I took and sure wished we had a group picture taken.  This is Brook and Eden and sorry it is a blurry picture, but these cousins sure love each other! 

We took a walk Sunday morning.

Brother and sisters photo.  I love them and am extremely thankful for my siblings.

Sunday night when we returned home, Brook gave me a basic manicure, which was lovely.  We watched some of the Olympics and then it was time for work prep and bedtime.  

Praying today for my sister who will go to a funeral this week for a high school classmate and good friend.  Another reminder of how life is short.  

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!  

This week's favorites are our Valentine highlights:

We received this precious card from my greats.

I made breakfast for the family before work on Wednesday & had small gifts for everyone.  Avery took the girls to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.

Playing with Snapchat filters at work on Valentine's day :)

I enjoyed some of my favorite chocolate at work that day compliments of my husband.

Valentine's night, we went to get yogurt.  Thursday night, we had a date night and went to dinner.

It was a good day and I am so thankful for the weekend!!

How We Take Care of Ourselves

Today, I am blogging with some others on how we take care of ourselves.

But first,

One of my mottos in life is to put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others.  I am a believer in self care.  That was emphasized a great bit when I lived in a foreign country as a missionary.  Self care is so important when your most of your comforts in life are removed, but also important in day-to-day life in my home country too.

Here are 10 ways I try to take care of myself in the little things of life, many which have become new habits as I have begun working again.

1. Meal planning - I try to meal plan on the weekends for the week ahead.  Usually, I have one day that I just wing it with leftovers or a last minute idea.  I have been doing some meal prep the night before at least one night a week.  Meal planning has helped so much in having dinners ready when I come home.  Of course, the girls have helped to execute these plans for me.

2. Pick out outfits - I also have been picking out my clothes for the week.  This helps with my timing and peace of mind in the mornings.

3. Pack my lunch - This is also a time saver if I pre-pack lunch the night before work.

4. Washing my face - This is a good nightly routine I have to wash my face, including hydration serum, moisturizer and eye cream.  If your'e looking for a face care regimen, contact me for Rodan and Fields information. As a consultant, I will be glad to help.

5. Podcasts - I have been listening to sermons each morning via podcasts on my way to work.  This helps put my mind focused on honoring Jesus with my day. It also gives me time to pray.

6. Social Media/Phones - I use the phone to help me stay in touch with family and friends.  Pictures and texts throughout the day sure help my work day!

7. Hallmark movies - Y'all know this is one of my self-care things to enjoy a Hallmark movie!

8. Walking- I try to walk whenever I can at work because I am usually sitting so much there.  Keeping moving and helps to take care of me.

9. Food - I try to make healthy choices when meal planning, but I also enjoy snacks & splurges (like frozen yogurt) as well, but try to limit those.

10. Family - Laughter and time with family is a great way for me to relax. And of course seeing my greats is always life giving to me as well!

Valentine's Day Decor

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!!  Here is a look at our Valentine Decorations.....You know I love decorating for the holidays!

I have a banner of old Valentine cards displayed.

Hope you all have a good day!

Weekend Wrap Up ~Galentines Party

Wow, these weekends come and go quickly.  I somehow feel like this year will fly by now that I am busy every day.  I am trying to make the most of each day, but still struggle with my own sin every day. This keeps me striving for humility as I trust in Jesus with my day-to-day life.

Our Friday night was low key at home watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!

Saturday was rainy and after a trip to the grocery store, I enjoyed staying home catching up on many things here. Saturday night, Brook had a Galentine's Party (Valentine Party for her girl friends :)).

We ordered pizza for dinner.

I made these strawberry brownies for dessert. 

I also made this yummy treat for a snack. 

A friend brought these beautiful mini cupcakes 

They played a few games.....

This was a cute What's on Your Phone game. 

A Galentine's word search

There was lots of laughter! 

Breakfast Sunday morning before taking all the girls to church

Sunday was church, a few errands and a Hallmark movie for me.

It's a brand new week....here we go!!  (giving my self a pep talk:))