Life Lately ~ January 2021

Today I am sharing just a few random pictures of life lately the past few weeks.

When my girls were younger, I would take them to the local mall during the holiday season to look at the decorations.  We rarely go to any mall these days, but made a quick stop the week after Christmas.  They still had some Christmas decorations, so it made me think of old times.

My in-laws were in town for New Year's Eve/Day week.  We grilled steaks on New Year's Eve and had some decor as we greeted in the new year.

I had a 1000 piece puzzle they worked on and I finished it after they left.

A family favorite movie has always been Sound of Music, so we watched this as a family and of course, sang along, during the break.

Our front yard had inches of leaves, so we finally had them cleaned up last week.  I had forgotten what our yard looks like :)!

Most of you know I worked full time as a corporate travel agent until Covid halted travel in the spring.  I haven't worked since then and went last week to clean out my desk.  It was bittersweet.

And saving the best for last, I took a meal to my niece and her husband since they welcomed my newest great niece in December.  She is so little and cute!!

Hope you all have a great day!

 

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Mississippi Food Tour

 Good Monday morning!  I am linking up with Tanya today for Hello Monday. A few months ago after listening to an episode of the Big Boo Podcast, we heard them talking about the Netflix show, Somebody Feed Phil.  In Season 2, they travel to the Mississippi Delta and eat at restaurants down Highway 61. My husband and I decided to take a road trip to try some of these places.  It was a fun weekend get-a-way!  

First stop was the Blue & White Restaurant in Tunica, MS.

We stayed the night in Clarksdale, MS at the Clark House Inn.  It was a great Bed and Breakfast with such a rich history.  We actually had the entire house to ourselves!  The guest cottage out back reminded me of the setting from one of my favorite shows, Hart of Dixie.

This scene represents the Delta to me....flat land & cotton fields.

We saw this on the side of a building, which was fitting for the 86th anniversary of Elvis' birthday!

We drove to Cleveland, MS and ate at the Delta Meat Market for lunch, located in this hotel.

We then drove around my college campus.  It is always fun to re-live some memories!

I spent a lot of time at the BSU building, which is now called the Baptist Student Center.

Then we went to a Grammy Museum, which was a fun experience.

It was quite fascinating to see how many Grammy winners are from Mississippi, especially the delta region.

These are 2 outfits Faith Hill, who is from Mississippi, wore.

We also stopped a very, small museum in the town where Jim Henson was born in Leland, MS.

That night, we ate at Doe's, a famous steakhouse, in Greenville, MS. I tried my first tamale, which was so good.  Tamales are all over the place in the delta!  We met up with my college suitemate and her husband for dinner and stayed with them.

It was so much fun!!

On our drive back home, we stopped again in Clarksdale and ate at famous Abe's BBQ.  We had BBQ and more tamales.

It was a good, quick get-away with my husband with some good food and friends along the way.  It inspired us to do more local get-aways in our area.  Maybe you will be inspired to find some small towns within a few hours of your home too and try out some local restaurants!

Christmas Day ~ December 2020

While we are still in the first week of January, I am finally posting my last Christmas 2020 post.  Here are some pictures from our Christmas Day.

The morning started with some early morning wrapping from Santa :)

This is the 2nd year we have wrapped the doorway upstairs for our girls to bust through as they come down.  It isn't too dramatic at their ages, but it does provide a little bit of fun :).

This year's Harry Styles merchandise for Brook

I got dressed in my Mrs. Claus dress for Christmas breakfast, which we hosted at our home.

My parents came over along my first cousin and his family.  There were 10 of us here altogether, including the 4 of us, and we tried to be as safe as we could.

My pretty girls in front of the great fire my husband made.

Coffee and drink station

The table was set, but I forgot to take food pictures, but it was all delicious.

After company left, we enjoyed the quiet of the day.  That night, I made spaghetti, which has become our Christmas tradition dinner and watched the movie, "The Nativity Story".  We watch this every year on Christmas Day night and recommend it to everyone.

Thankful we were able to celebrate once again after such a strange year.

 

Currently ~ January 2021

 Good morning!  It's been a fun week back at blogging, catching up and reading others posts.

Today I am linking up for the Currently series.

I am currently.........

Beginning.......

I am beginning a habit of reading everyday.  I am so inspired by all the books fellow bloggers read while I'm over here just trying to catch up with Netflix and Hallmark movies :).  I do listen to a lot of podcasts, but have just never been a big reader, yet always wanted to change that.  So far, 6 days in, I am happy to report I have read daily.  So maybe my goal is to read one book a month.  I know it's not much, but maybe as the habit forms, I can increase that to more.

Feeling......

I am feeling sad for my niece and her family.  I mentioned a prayer request last week for her unborn baby.   The baby has been healed and is in Heaven now with Jesus.  The last few weeks have been hard, especially last week and this week.  Please say a prayer for their family.  Instagram:  nicolevcole

Organizing......

Like so many, I would like to do some organizing as we start the new year.  I feel like I pared down a lot last year, but it is always good to revisit drawers and cabinets again.

Resolving........

I am resolving to stay on track with little tasks, while still being flexible with my days.  I am hoping as I organize, that will help inspire me.  As mentioned earlier, I am resolving to read every day.  I am resolving to eat healthy, while still enjoying food.  Last year, I finally reigned in on some habits and lost some weight, but these past few weeks, I have been a little more careless with food.  I am resolving to be a kinder wife, mom, daughter, sister and aunt.  And the many times I fail, I resolve to depend on the Lord for new mercies, not only reserved for every morning, but anytime throughout my day.

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

I am wondering if we will back to somewhat normal routines by the summer & for the fall school year.  Maybe we are still wearing masks indoors, but hoping we can gather in larger numbers. After all, we do have tickets for a concert this fall that was postponed from last year!

Happy day to you all!

Prime Purchases ~ December 2020

 It's the first Prime Purchases of 2021!  I am linking up with Tanya to recap some of my purchases last month.

ONE

I bought 2 packages of socks.

The first are some compression socks.  As a past DVT patient, I wear these from time to time to help with leg pain.  I actually shared some of these with my daughters too :)

I also bought these no show socks that had great ratings.

TWO

I love the shape of these earrings and have enjoyed wearing these quite a bit the past month.

THREE

Outdoor Speaker

This waterproof outdoor speaker was a Christmas gift for my husband.  We have used it outside while sitting in the hot tub.  So far, it has been a great purchase.

FOUR

DESK CALENDARS

I bought desk calendars for my daughters.  It is currently unavailable at Amazon, but I have seen these sold at Hobby Lobby as well.  I loved the idea of them having a scripture and inspiring word to read each day.

FIVE

I bought this devotion book for a friend.  We are both fans of Melanie Shankle and her podcast with Sophie Hudson, the Big Boo podcast.  I don't personally have this, but I am confident it will be an uplifting read.

SIX

I didn't think I would need these again, but yet I found myself needing some more hangers.  I bought this package and am pleased with the quality and price.

I did have a few other random Christmas gifts and things, but these were the highlights.  I always enjoy this post each month.

Have a great Tuesday!