Hello Monday ~ February 28, 2022

 I hope you all had a good weekend. It was a cold one here.

Mine started with a Mexican dinner with my college suitemate who was in town Friday night.  We went a while not seeing each other post college graduation, but recently every year and a half or so, we are able to meet for dinner.  It is always good to catch up with each other's lives and do some reminiscing as well.

I had been looking forward to a Saturday to stay in and get some things done.  It started by cooking breakfast, which is a Saturday ritual.  I make bacon, eggs, served with fruit and this past Saturday, I also served hashbrowns,  Sometimes, I will make waffles or biscuits.  Afterwards, I worked on some blog posts, which I can fall so behind on as the work week gets into motion, while sitting under a weighted blanket watching the week before's Hallmark movie.  I also watched my weekly episode of Pioneer Woman.

I spent the afternoon researching cruise excursion options, watching a few Office episodes and then we had dinner with 3 other couples from church, which was a super fun time to get to know others better.

Sunday, was church and then another day indoors.  I did some laundry, started a little on my taxes and a little meal prep to be ready for the week.  

Praying for a good day as we start a new week!

Linking up with Holly and Sarah

What's Up Wednesday ~ February 2022

 Good morning and happy to share this month's What's Up Wednesday!

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

Monday - Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore & brown rice - I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it was delicious and so easy!

chicken breast

jar of spaghetti sauce

zuchinni

green pepper

onion

Slice veggies and add with chicken and sauce into slow cooker to cook for 8 hours on low.  Serve over rice.  I assembled all my ingredients into a ziplock bag last week and pulled it out this week for dinner for an easy meal. 

Wednesday - church or out?

Thursday - Slow cooker BBQ and hasbrowns

Friday - out with college roomate

Saturday - out with friends

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

I tried to make our Valentine's morning special for my daughter with her favorite breakfast and a little treat.

I also treated myself to a pair of socks and new Valentine earrings.

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

I love when I have a meal plan :).  I have had one the past few weeks and it helps me feel like I am managing our home a little better.

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

My husband and I took a fun trip to Florence, Alabama over the weekend.  It is a great place to visit for a day or so.

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

I mentioned this last month....taxes.  We will see if I still mention it next month!  On a positive note, the insurance I was dreading from last month has all been resolved.

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

Taxes :(.  I am also working on keeping up with work items and keeping the house clean.  

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

While on our weekend away, we made a list of places we would like to travel as empty nesters.  

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

I am reading Gently and Lowly and The Hard Good.  These books will take me a while, but hey, I'm reading!

I'm not watching too much these days it seems.  I try to watch one Hallmark movie a week, but I'm behind on that lately.  We have watched a few episodes of Maid on Netflix, but it's hit or miss when we watch.

We did watch a documentary on the music of Muscle Shoals.  If you have any interest in music, this is a very interesting doucmentary that is free on Amazon Prime, just for another 6 days.  It talks about 2 famous recording studios there that brought some of the most famous musicians in the world.  

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

There is a playlist on Spotify from the music of Muscle Shoals, which is good music, consisting of Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett.  

I am also listening to my rundown of podcasts.  The only new one I have added recently is First Thing, which is a 10 minute daily morning headline podcast.

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

It seems I'm wearing all the things.....still sweaters and jeans a lot, leggings and tunics and this week, rain gear!

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

Time with a college roommate, lunch with a former co-worker, and dinner with friends from church and hopefully catching up on a Hallmark movie are all in my weekend plans.

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

We are going to do a short spring break trip to see some friends at a cabin and hopefully at some point we can see my college girl.

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

I had my first dip manicure last week and am glad I finally did that.  I needed some self-care and finally took some time to indulge.  

Happy Wednesday friends!

Alabama ~ Long Weekend

 Good morning.  After a long, hard week last week, I am back today blogging with a recap of my weekend.  It was good timing to get away to a place just a few hours away, Florence, Alabama.

Saturday morning, we headed to Florence and first stop was Rosie's Cantina.  Oh my word, this place was the best dining experience!  It was festive, yet a calm atmosphere.  The food was fantastic and service was great. 

After eating all this food, they offered us free ice cream :).

Florence is home to the University of North Alabama, which houses the only live college mascot on campus, a lion. We went to see this lion habitat.

Muscle Shoals, the town nearby, is famous for 2 recording studios, which recorded most famous people in history. There is a documentary on this currently on Amazon Prime. This is one of the famous studios.  

After lots of good food, we went on a hike, which was just my pace.  It was a few miles, yet not too strenous.

We also visited a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home, which was cool to see.

After breakfast Monday morning, we rode by the home of Helen Keller in the nearby town of Tuscumbia.  I toured this about 8 years ago, so we didn't go in the house this time.  The small cottage to the right of the main house is where Anne Sullivan worked one on one with Helen Keller.  This is such a fascinating story to me.

It was a great weekend away and just what I needed to re-set and re-charge.

I'll hopefully be back blogging tomorrow too!

Valentine's Day/Hello Monday/Not Just a Mom ~ February 14, 2022

 Happy Valentine's Day!  Here is a sweet throwback to 14 years ago when my girls were little....

And a few throwbacks to my husband and I......

Our wedding on a trail at Glacier National Park, Montana

10 year Vow Renewal at Graceland

In the city of love

Now on to a short weekend recap with Hello Monday linkup....

I worked Friday and Saturday due to an event we had at work.

Friday night, the 3 of us went out for an early Valentine's dinner and got some cajun food.  I had crawfish etoufee and it was delicious!

Saturday afternoon, I relaxed some and then cleaned house for guests who came over for dinner.  

Sunday was church, leftovers at home and a Super Bowl party with friends from church.  

Now on to sharing "A Day in the Life", linking up with Not Just a Mom blog.

My day in the life isn't too exciting, but I thought I would share what is on the agenda for most days.

One day a week, I have a work meeting with my bookeeping job I do for my husband's business. We try to have a second one as well during the week, but at least get one meeting in each week.  On those days, I spend the rest of the day doing some online work for my non-profit job and also house work.  I will often try to schedule a lunch with a friend or see family on these days too.

Two days a week, I go into the office for my non-profit job.  I love my job, which has some consistency, but there is always something new as well.  It is a very rewarding job and also I love the flexibility of it with the schedule.  

My days go by fast with my 2 part-time jobs and a trip to the grocery store along the way.  I try to meal plan on Sundays to have an idea of what we will have for food during the week.  I do cook 4-5 nights each week.

We try to go to the gym once or twice a week in the evenings. I also am just starting a bible study once a week as well.  I try to spend the other nights at home.

I will catch up on watching a few things I record during the week....the latest Hallmark movie and I like to watch at least the opening segment of Hoda and Jenna each day.  Currently, we just started watching Maid on Netflix.  

That's more my "A Week in the Life" instead of day!

Enjoy this day and may you feel loved by those around you, but especially from your creator!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Friday Favorites ~ February 11, 2022

Well, happy Friday and I hope it's been a good week for you all!  Since Sunday, I have thought every night, I need to get it together to make a post, and well, you see how that has gone.  It has been an extremely busy week for me and I have honestly just spent most of the week physically, emotionally and mentally so tired.

However, here I am with some favorites, all of which happened last weekend.

Last week, like so many of you, we were out school due to ice and power outages.  Thankfully, we just lost power for a few hours.  We had plans already to leave town for the weekend and were able to host some friends, who didn't have power, to stay at our home while we were gone.

Friday afternoon, we headed to see our college girl. I ate no less than 20 handfuls of Valentines Chex mix!! I adapted this recipe here.

When we arrived at her house, there were probably around 20 people there for a birthday dinner in her honor.  We knew most of the people, but it always fun to meet new people in her life.

There was good food and dessert in honor of her 21st birthday the next day.

I am so thankful for her friends!  As a mom, I couldn't ask for her to be surrounded by better people.  This group gives me hope for the next generation.

These 2 guys are 2 of her best friends who attend different colleges and drove to see her for the weekend to help celebrate her birthday.  We met these guys and their families about 10 years ago through church and still go to church with their families.  They are such great young men.

We played several games.

And there was some dancing to latino music.

Dancing with her father on the eve of her 21st

And with her sister too!

These are her roommates....again, I couldn't ask for anyone better.

We stayed at her house Friday night and then at a hotel Saturday night.  We had a family breakfast Saturday and then we went with friends to lunch.

Seeing this group praying just was a sweet sight

Sunday morning, we went to church with her, which is where she works.  We hosted a pizza lunch for her friends back at her house then headed back on our drive home.

Happy 21st to my sweet firstborn!! So thankful to be her momma.

As far as the weekend goes, we have a special event at work, so it will be a busy one too.  

Enjoy yours and stay safe out there!

 

Currently ~ February 2022

 I am linking up today with Anne for the monthly Currently series.  Today, we are focusing on what we are currently: loving, making, taking, wanting, and wondering.  Also, this is the blog without any pictures today :).

Loving...........

I am loving my home, a safe, warm and dry place to come home to everyday.  We celebrated 5 years here last week.

Making.............

I have been making dinner more it seems the last few weeks.  This week, I have made lasagna and pork chops.

Taking............

I have been taking some downtime to myself on the weekends and try not to open my work computer.  It is my time to catch up on a Hallmark movie, blogs and household chores.  

Wanting..............

I am wanting lots of things in life right now....wanting chemo to go well for my friend's daughter as she begins this week, wanting a meeting with my daughter's friends to go well, wanting more peace of mind during the work week.  

Wondering................

I have been wondering about the next few months in regards to what travel will look like and planning for college.  We have a trip scheduled for May and I am wondering if it will have any restrictions.  I have a high school senior and wondering what summer prep for college and the fall will look like, depending on where she is going.

Always thought provoking prompts, which is good for the soul!

Happy Wednesday!

Prime Purchases ~ February 2022

 Good morning and Happy February!  The weeks go by fast, but my goodness, January was a long month it seems!  I am sharing some of my recent Amazon purchases recently, linking up with Tanya for Prime Purchases.  

Facial Serum

I just began using just last week, so I am just a few days in with this product.  However, I am pleased so far with how it applies and hope it will help my dark spots.

Phone/Watch Stand

This stand has been a favorite this month.  I was struggling charging my phone and watch with cords everywhere it seemed.  This stand just cleans it up and the color matches my watch as well! I definitely recommend this.

Resuable Makeup Remover Pads

I bought something similar to this at Costco last fall.  I didn't see that product last time I went, so I bought this from Amazon.  I use these in the mornings when I wash my face with water.  These are easy to clean in the washing machine.  I follow this up with my serum and a moisturizer in the mornings.  

Sweater

I mentioned this sweater last week on my What's Up Wednesday post.  I had been looking at these sweaters for a while and the color I liked was on sale for under $20.  Different colors are different prices.  I wore this to church Sunday with some plaid pants.  It is becoming a favorite sweater!

Always love these posts!  It sometimes takes me a few days to read them all, but they are always fun.