Monthly Musings ~ Back to School/Fall August 2021

 Good morning!  I am joining this month's Monthly Musings with Patty and Holly.  This month's topic is Back to School/Fall Planning.

1.  Do you meal plan and prep?

I go through phases of doing this.  The first part of August, I didn't do so well, but the last 2 weeks, I have tried to meal plan over the weekend for the week ahead.  Any prep work is done usually the morning of, unless if I defrost something the night prior to cooking.

2.  How do you buy and organize school supplies?

These days, I don't buy or organize hardly anything.  With a junior in college and a senior in high school, they do their own things.  I did buy a few things over tax free weekend, but with as little as I had to buy, we didn't worry much about the tax free savings to avoid the crowds.

3.  Any back to school traditions?

Typically, I would ask the girls for their input on a meal of choice.  This year, we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant the first day of school.  I always take a picture the first day as well.

Homeschoo co-op days

This is from my senior's year this year and the picture below was 2 years ago for my oldest's first day of college, via Facetime.

4.  Bring or buy lunch?  Favorite lunchbox item?

My daughter takes her lunch to school, which is usally just a bar of some type with a bagged snack.  She has just spent 2 1/2 years at a traditional school, but she has always brought her lunch.

5.  Favorite thing about back to school then and now?

I do love a routine.  Even when we homeschooled, it was so nice to get in to a schedule during the week.  As a kid, I loved seeing my friends back to school.

6.  Pumpkin spice....love or hate?

Just within the last 7 years did I like the pumpkin flavor.  Now, I like it in almost anything!

7.  Do you decorate for fall?

Why of course!  I usually start September 1st, even though it doesn't cool off until October.  I will probably start mid September, or at least wait until after Labor Day, to display some fall things.  In October, I pull out pumpkins. These are some pictures from last year.

8.  How do you transition your wardrobe to fall?

I add cardigans, since the weather can be cooler or warmer on a moment's notice.  

9.  Favorite fall fashion staples?

I love my lightweight, long sleeve shirts to pair with jeans or pants.  

10.  When does school start where you live?

My daughter attends public school and she started 3 weeks ago.  When we homeschooled, we usually followed the typical school calendar as well.  

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

What's Up Wednesday ~ August 2021

 Hi blogging friends!  I have been off the grid for a week or two now.  Honestly, just trying to keep up with life and that included some travel, so it has been busy.  I am glad to be back with What's Up Wednesday to re-cap the month of August.

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

Monday - grilled chicken, rice, pineapple, red onions, carrots

Tuesday - pork loin, hashbrown waffles (This day was actually national waffle day too!), veggies

Wednesday - church

Thursday - out

Friday - out

Saturday - baseball game food!

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

Last weekend, I went to Charlotte, North Carolina.  The first 5 years of marriage for me was spent living in a suburb of Charlotte and our oldest daughter was born there.  I was able to see where she was born, our old house and an old friend.  It really made me miss that time of living there more than ever before.

The landscaping is way overgrown, but this is the bungalow style home we lived in when we first got married.  It was built in 1935.  We left this house 18 years ago.

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

I am loving that I have been able to travel a little more this year.  On my trip to Charlotte, I was able to visit with my in-laws who live there.  I also was able to spend time with one of my dearest friends. She is such a supportive, praying friend who has been a mentor as well to me.  We ate at a Cuban restaurant, but it had some of my favorite Colombian foods.

We had empenadas with cheese and plantain chips for appetizers.

My meal was grilled chicken, but the highlight was the fried yuca, which I had not had since leaving Colombia.  It was sooo good!

We then went to the coolest flower farm where you can pick your own flowers.

They had tall plants of eucalyptus growing. 

My friend and I and the flowers we picked.

The next day, we took a walk and talked some more.

Then I had fun arranging the flowers.  I was able to make three arrangements from our bucket of flowers.

While in Charlotte, I was also able to spend time with my in-laws and the girls had fun at an escape room.  With the help of lots of clues, we made it out!

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

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to see a movie at the theater for the first time in almost 2 years.  We saw Respect about Aretha Franklin and it was well done.  

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

Another month of heat!  I'm ready for the temperature to steady in some lower numbers.

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

I am working on my two part-time jobs.  I was hired last month to work with a non-profit organization and I work part-time.  I also do bookeeping for my husband's business.  These two things and just getting things done around the home, with a little down time too, keep me busy most days.

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

We have open house at our daughter's school this week.  This is something we didn't think would happen, so it is a little thing, but even with her being a senior, I still want to meet her teachers.  Last year, she didn't even meet her teachers in person for her junior year of high school.

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

We are watching on Apple TV Ted Lasso and Schmigadoon.  On a tamer note, I am enjoying the new season of Chesapeake Shores on Hallmark.  I am also excited to know that there is a new Signed Sealed Delivered movie to be released in October on Hallmark.  

I am reading The Romance of Redemption, by Tommy Vinson, based on the Old Testament book Ruth. I also just started Don't Give the Enemy A Seat At Your Table by Louie Giglio.  I am a slow reader so hopefully I'll have some progress by next month!

.

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

Recently, I have pared down on my podcasts.  Here are some of my current weekly podcasts:

Don't Mom Alone

The Big Boo Cast

Office Ladies

WHOA That's Good (I listen to this occasionally to keep me in touch with my daughters.)

The Bestie Breakdown

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

Anything to stay cool!

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

This weekend I will be working a 5K race for my job, which is a major fundraiser for our non-profit organization & a baseball game for a business outing.  

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

Next month, we have our first college visit trip with our daughter.   We also will celebrate my husband's birthday.

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

My daughter started her senior year in person two weeks ago.  We are super thankful this and pray they can stay in person for the entire school year.  She is wearing a mask and I'm thankful for that in place in the schools.  She had not been in the classroom since March 2020, so it had been 17 months.  

Here she is her first day of kindergarten.  She was homeschooled until she entered high school in 9th grade.

We got her a few goodies for her first day.

My senior!

The car she will be driving is in the shop, so I have been taking and picking her up each day so far.  I don't take this for granted as I sat in the car and waited for her to walk to the area for pick-up.

For our back to school dinner, this year, we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  We were so stuffed afterwards, we took a quick walk at a park.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Friday Favorites ~ August 6, 2021

Lord, thank you for Fridays. I have a few little favorites today.

ONE

I am still enjoying my new car and it's the little things in life that make me happy like catching the beginning of my favorite band playing on the radio in my new car.

TWO

I got a hair cut, with just a few inches taken off the back.  My next door neighbor cuts hair, so I literally walk just a few steps, which is so convenient!

THREE

I had been wanting to bake some chocolate chip cookies and Wednesday being chocolate chip cookie day seemed appropriate.  I did use this healthier version and they tasted great.  

FOUR

I am slowly getting settled into my new role at work.  This is my desk, which is a small space, but I am only there 2 days a week, and those aren't even full days.  I added a picture of my girls, a small faux plant, hand sanitzer and my new laptop purchased during tax free weekend.

FIVE

I did a post earlier this week my recent Amazon purchases.  Since then, I have purchased one other thing which is this puzzle  It was a daily deal & I do like working puzzles & New York City!

Today will be a little bit of working on my husband's business & lunch with parents & daughter before my daughter starts school Monday.  Saturday, I hope to do some cleaning up outside with all of our construction and work on the new puzzle and church and relaxation Sunday.

  Wishing you all a great weekend!

 

Currently ~ August 2021

  Three days in a row of blogging.....it has been a while since I've done that :).

Today I am linking up with Anne for her monthly Currently series.  Today we are talking about what we are currently:

admiring, anticipating, enjoying, spending, and saving

Admiring

I am admiring my daughters.  My oldest is a junior in college this fall and has thrived in her friendships and relationship with the Lord.  This is so rewarding as a mom.  My youngest will start her senior year next week.  I am not sure where the time went y'all.  It is crazy to think we will be empty nesters next year. I am admiring her art work.  I posted about it here.  It blows my mind to see her talent in portrait art. Her instagram is: @brookbridgesart.

Anticipating

I am anticipating a good school year for my daughters.  I am trying to stay positive that my youngest daughter will remain in person for her senior year.  She will start out that way, but hoping things don't change.

I am also anticipating a trip in a few weeks to see a friend & some college visits in September and October.

In the present day, I am anticipating some work being completed on our house.  We did some interior work last year and we recently began some work outside.

First, lets start with a before picture of the front..we had a walkway leading up to the front porch and door.

Then came this on Monday.....

They removed the walkway and front porch.

This is the view from our front door now....a drop off!

We will have a new walkway and front porch, which will be mostly all one level, with 2-3 steps.  This will make it a much easier path to our front door.

In the backyard, we had an outside storage shed.  This is it after the demo had begun.

This is the view now. We will have a new small garage bay/storage unit.

We are also getting some new screens for the back porch, so we are definitely living in a construction zone at the moment.

Enjoying

I am thankful to say I am enjoying my new job working for a non-profit.  I am just on week two. There is a lot to learn, but the schedule and rewards of the job are the payoffs for me. Other than doing bookeeping and ordering for my husband's business, which is another part-time job for me, I have been unemployed from my travel agent job for 16 months.  This new part time job is a very different experience not wearing a headset, talking to customers all day, booking flights, cars, hotels and trains.

Spending

This week, I am spending money on going out to eat.  I am only working part-time, but I am not winning at the meal prep on my work days yet.  I have to get better at this :).

Saving

I am saving for our upcoming trips and hopefully, a family vacation next spring for our daughter's senior trip.  I need to start saving for Christmas as well.

Happy mid-week to you!

Prime Purchases ~ July 2021

Good morning.  I missed posting from last month's Prime, so I have a longer list this month.  I am linking up with Tanya for her monthly Amazon Prime Finds.   If you are a Hallmark fan, keep reading until the end!

First up, my favorite mascara, which is also super affordable!

I ordered this new planner that began in July.  It is pretty, has pockets and a strap to go around the outside of the planner.

As I mentioned last week, I began a new job! I ordered this lunch bag to take to work with me. I have only used it once, but I think it will work out great for me.  

I also ordered this tote bag for work. This is a professional, sleek, affordable way for me to carry my laptop to and from work.  I am only in the office two days, but this will come in so handy.

I mentioned yesterday about having back pains.  This gadget has been the best timing and help with that.  I ordered this massager before knowing I would have back pains and just knowing we would all enjoy using this with our aches and pains and just to relax at night.

For a few fashion items, I have this necklace.  It is super cute and fun to layer.  I am sure it won't stand the test of time, but for the price, it will be fun to have for a few years maybe.  You can wear these individually or all together.  You can choose any initial.  (sorry the picture didn't come through for this).

I needed some new make-up brushes and these were a better deal than I had found at TJ Maxx.  However, there are definitely more brushes in this set than I would ever use on a daily basis.  They do seem good quality and it feels refreshing to use some new brushes.

I am excited about this shirt for the fall and transition to cooler weather....which hopefully will come next month!  This shirt comes in different colors and is longer in the back, which is always a plus to me.

I bought this hair scalp massager for my daughter.  She is wanting to help her hair to grow, so we heard about these.  After I bought this, I did see some at TJ Maxx which are similar in price.  

There may be a few more beach trips for people this year, but if you need a beach umbrella, we used this one for our beach trip this summer.  It isn't top of the line, but my goodness, it worked and was worth every penny! It also comes with a case.

Last but not least to share, is this fun Christmas item...a Build Your Own Christmas Hallmark movie book!  I just received this last week and will read this closer to the Christmas holiday, but it looks so fun!  It has these different scenarios you choose as you read along.  

As always, I have a few other small things I order, but tried to share just the highlights from the past two months.  Enjoy this August day and love reading about everyone's finds!

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ August 2, 2021

 Happy August!  Aren't we all in disbelief it is August and school is about to begin?  Speaking of school, this was a flashback picture from 4 years ago, my last year of homeschooling.  Now I will have a junior in college and a senior in high school.  

This next photo was from last week to celebrate my first day back in the workforce.  We went to dinner then ran by McAlister's later to get one of my favorite desserts.

I am off work on Fridays, which I am going to love!  My youngest and I went to spend the morning with 3 of my greats.  My goodness, I love these little people :).

Saturday, I worked on re-arranging our fireplace decor.  Nothing is new, it is just moving things around in our home.  

Saturday, we swam at a friend's house for a little bit to take a break from the heat.  Our daughter had plans that night so my husband and I went to dinner.  We ate at a new to us restaurant and this was our appetizer...a fried avocado stuffed with crab meat.  It was delicious.

Sunday was church, lunch and me unfortunately having strong back pains.  Hoping to continue to self-medicate today and feel better soon.  I'm that age where I am talking about what hurts :).  Thankfully, I can work from home today.

Linking up with Tanya today and wishing you all a happy Monday!