Weekend Wrap Up ~ Valentine Recap

It was a quieter than usual weekend for us because our girls were out of town and we stayed pretty lazy.  I did go visit family on Saturday, which was fun to see my parents, sister, nieces, and my greats.

Our big event was a belated Valentine's Day brunch at the Peabody Hotel. Our actual Valentines night consisted of mexican food take out this year.  Avery and I enjoyed our downtown date Sunday.

My girls are 14 and 18 now, but here is a fun Valentine throwback photo:

Here are Valentine cards I gave to my family :) 

 And my sweetest, littlest loves...

And then our Sunday brunch...

This was breakfast.... 

And this was lunch about 10 minutes later... 

Followed by dessert 15 minutes later...

This is just part of the dessert table by the way. 

 Dessert plate sampler

 My favorite

The food and company were great and is always fun to be downtown for a little bit.

Happy Monday and President's Day!

(School and work are in session for this family today).

3 Things ~ February 2019

It is another rainy Monday after a cold weekend.  I think I am ready for spring.  

Today, I am linking up with The Horton Family and sharing 3 things.  

1.  I have planned a post Valentine date with my husband for next weekend.  I hope I show love in little ways throughout the week to my family.  I was able to communicate with some old friends over the weekend because I've missed them, so hope that communicated love to them as well.

One little way I was shown love recently was from my daughter.  As silly as this may seem, she knows I love that icing from Nothing Bundt Cakes, so after she had a cupcake last week, she saved me the container so I could finish off the icing!

2.  This verse:

And this song:  "Not Today", by Hillsong United

3.  The quality I most admire in other is honesty.  Disappointment is hard, but it is harder when it comes from a place of dishonesty.  However, I don't think we should say everything we feel/think either.  In other words, I think filters are good to have and sensitivity before we speak to other people.  Clear as mud??

Other qualities I admire are faithfulness, forgiveness, laughter, and flexibility.  

Friday Favorites ~ February 8, 2019

Happy Friday!  I am back linking up for Friday Favorites!

1. Super Bowl Food

We weren't hugely invested in the Super Bowl this year, but any excuse for snacking, we are on board!  Basically, we had chicken strips, chips, salsa, guacamole and grapes for our meal, with cookies and ice cream for dessert.

2.  Isabella's 18th Birthday

We celebrated Isabella's 18th birthday this week with a dinner with our framily that night. 

And I was thankful to work from home this day to be there with her. This was my set up!

3.  I shared my Valentine decor here .

4.  Measuring cups organization

I was so excited for this simple organization this week.  I ordered these hooks from Amazon to use inside a kitchen cabinet door to organize my measuring cups.  This helped to free up so much space in one of my kitchen drawers!   

5.  New bracelet

I was so excited to win this bracelet from fellow blogger, Kelsey Peacock.  The colors are beautiful and I really am impressed with the quality. It pairs well with my other bracelets I like to wear as well.

That's it for today! Enjoy your weekend!

Valentine Decor 2019

Today, I am linking up with the Share Your blog.

I do love decorating for the holidays and it was fun to change out decor for Valentine's Day.  Today, I am sharing some Valentine Day home decor with you.

Our front door sign

I added some kitchen towels and some pink heart bowls to my tiered tray.  I'm still enjoying my wreath with red berries for another month! 

To our den, I added our "Love you more" pillow and a red candle. 

I love to add some hearts to the base of my candle holder I got years ago from Pottery Barn outlet! 

I added this to my mantle and really like it.  Of course I am loving the lights, and the best part about the sign is that it came from the Dollar Tree.

 
Our kitchen table

I ordered these new place mats from Amazon and they are the perfect subtle touch of red we can use through the spring. 

My garland I have hanging is old Valentine cards I received as a child from family memories.  Very simple, but special :)

Happy Friday Eve!!

Currently

Today I am happy to link up with the Currently monthly series.  Today I am sharing what I am currently  anticipating, going, making, watching, and wearing.

Anticipating:  I am currently anticipating college orientation with my daughter (who turned 18 yesterday!) this summer.  It seems most of our conversations are about college preparations, with a little bit of high school graduation mixed in the discussions!

Going:  I am currently going to work every day.  As I often say, the hardest part is getting out the door.  Well, and then there are some other hard parts, but step 1 is getting out the door!

Making:  I am currently making new recipes with almond flour.  I certainly am not the healthiest person and indulge often, but I do like to make smart choices when I can.  I recently tried two different batches of biscuits made with almond flour.  This one was our favorite of the two (the recipe listed actually calls for all purpose flour, but I substituted it with almond flour):  

I also tried some chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour.  They had a slightly different taste, but they were still really good!  

Watching:  I am currently watching these shows....Pioneer Woman, Married at First Sight, Live with Kelly, The Bachelor and Blackish...what a mix :).

Wearing:  I am currently thankful I can wear jeans to work.  I wear jeans usually 3 times a week and am thankful I don't have to dress up too much.  

Come back tomorrow to see Valentines Day decor!

Eighteen / 18 / Dieciocho

Every year, I think about where the time has gone.  Today is no different in that respect, but it does hold more meaning because today, my oldest daughter turns 18 years old!!!  Oh my, y'all...the years do fly by quickly and there is no sign of slowing down.

 Isabella loves her people so well, she loves to serve and help others, she is very compassionate and thoughtful of others, she loves her family, the Royals and Jesus and is so excited for college.  We love her and are so thankful for her!  Now for a quick recap :)

And today, she is 18! 

(pictures to come)

And if you are a royals fan too, go follow @mrskatecambridge on Instagram!

TBB Asks ~ February 2019 Relationships edition

So thankful it is February!  Today, I am linking up with The Blended Blog on their monthly TBB Asks.  Today it is all about relationships.

1.  I am Facebook friends with some friends from elementary school, but we don't see each other anymore.  That goes for a lot of high school and college friends too.  That sounds really sad to write, but friendships do have seasons of spending time together and then growing apart as life goes different directions.  My closest current friend that I have known the longest is about an 18 year old friendship.

2.  I have a few friends who are long distance and are who I call upon to pray for me.  I have some good friends through my Sunday School class who are more my week-to-week people.

3.  I met my spouse through a mutual friend who went to my church at the time.

4.  For Valentine's Day, I usually just make dinner at home.  I do like decorating as well, and will share that later this week.

5.   My love language is acts of service and words of affirmation.

6.  I do like flowers, but I would probably say some dark chocolate!

7.  The first thing that I thought of when reading this question is my new wedding ring my husband bought for me at our 15 year anniversary.  It was a surprise for me and I do love it.  I also thought about my 2017 birthday when my girls for the first time were able to drive to the store, pick out gifts and pay for it with their own money.  That meant a lot to me.  I love giving gifts at Christmas and hope they are meaningful to those who receive them.

Thanks for the link up and Happy Monday!