New Year, New Challenge --- March 18 - March 24

52-Week Blog Challenge --- Week 12 - My Inspiration To Blog 
My family.

I absolutely love when older generations can look back at a photograph or a particular item they've saved and tell the story surrounding the moment that photograph was taken or where they acquired the item.

As a child/grandchild/daughter-in-law of parents/grandparents/in-laws who do that, it's always a special conversation to have the chance to remember a particular moment you may have forgotten about or learn about a moment you didn't know had happened. Stories are the fabric of our lives for sure and I take heart in knowing that I'm documenting the experiences of our lives. Some of those experiences are more painful than others, but each holds a story, a lesson, or a memory that shapes our family story.

So, in order to keep a record of all of the happy, silly, sad, funny, exciting, and somber moments of life...I blog. :-)

Photos of Our Week

Monday, March 18

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gus and Daisy!

Tuesday, March 19

RF recently learned to tie his shoes, so when he was working on earning another badge at Cub Scouts that involved doing things independently he was able to show his den leader that he was on his way to adding the "I'll Do It Myself" belt loop to his Cub Scout belt!

Wednesday, March 20

Mr. Ellis was Star of the Week this week! RA and I got to swing by his school for a quick program and eat lunch with him! Way to go, Ellis! 

Thursday, March 21

Spring had definitely arrived!

Friday, March 22

I had to make a trip to Athens Friday afternoon to pick up a t-shirt order for school, so I decided to swing through downtown to pick up Little Italy subs for RA and I for dinner. Downtown was pretty busy so I parked at the courthouse right in front of the double-barreled canon. I love (and really, really, really miss) Athens, GA.

Saturday, March 23

DAYTRIP! We meandered over to north Alabama and visited Natural Bridge, Rickwood Caverns, and Cheaha State Park. My outdoor, nature-loving boys had a blast! We've got another FUN trip planned for next weekend as we introduce the boys to the state of Kentucky and Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. They are going to love it!

Sunday, March 24

Spring has sprung so the windows are open! 

We are looking forward to a great week and most importantly we are five days from SPRING BREAK! Have a wonderful week, my friends! 

New Year, New Challenge --- March 11 - March 17

52-Week Blog Challenge --- Week 11 - Oh, To Win A Million Dollars 
I'm a pretty practical person, so the first priority would be completely paying off all debts - student loans, mortgage, etc. I wouldn't quit my job - I enjoy it too much. But we would travel all over the country. There are a few international places I'd like to visit, but more places in our country that I want to see and experience. We'd invest a good bit of it and increase our donations to the charity organizations we support. We're pretty simple folks.

Photos of Our Week

Monday, March 11

After school cat-nap...Ellis fell asleep with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand - he must have been tired. 

Tuesday, March 12

View out my window as we descended into Chicago - Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. 

Wednesday, March 13

An evening at Navy Pier consisted of riding the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel to get a birds-eye-view of the city. 

Thursday, March 14

Some amazing friends + teachers enjoying our time at the ASCD conference. 

Friday, March 15

RA sent me this picture Friday as I was waiting to board my plane home - Ellis was working on cleaning up before mommy got home. 

Saturday, March 16 

When I say I did absolutely nothing on Saturday, I mean that I did absolutely nothing on Saturday. I took two (maybe three, I can't remember) naps and spent the day snuggled on the couch with Gus. A busy week + traveling + feeling under the weather are really good reasons to lounge all day.

Sunday, March 17

Working on learning to tie his shoes...he's becoming such a big kid. 

Pretty calm week for us + a day trip next weekend to see some fun sights. Hope everyone has a great week!

New Year, New Challenge --- March 4 - March 10

52-Week Blog Challenge --- Week 10 -What's Always In My Grocery Cart
First of all, let me just say, if your local grocery store has grocery pick-up and you aren't using it, you are missing out.

Seriously. It's the best thing ever.

1. I can shop from the comfort of my own home in my PJs. Anytime this is an option, I'm all in.
2. I've saved so much money because I don't risk impulse buys (our weekly grocery bill has decreased about 60%).
3. I don't have to wrangle kiddos through every aisle.

It is the absolute best. We have used it for a little over two months now and love it.

So, what's always in my grocery cart? Milk, bread, apples, laundry detergent, and chicken breasts. Every week those things are in the cart without fail. These two boys eat a lot and get really dirty when they play. While the full list changes slightly depending on what our schedule is and what meals we've decided to cook, those things are in the cart without fail every. single. week.

Photos of Our Week

Monday, March 4

Reading, reading, reading. He's doing such a great job reading. This book had over 60 different words in it! Way to go, RF! 

Tuesday, March 5 

Cub Scout outing this week was a hike, so RF packed his essentials kit - whistle, trail mix, bottle of water, first aid kid, flashlight, and sunscreen - and we headed out. I bought him an official Boy Scout whistle that has a compass on it, so he had fun telling us throughout the entire hike which direction we were headed.

Wednesday, March 6 

Ellis came into the kitchen and asked me for my phone saying that he needed to take a very important picture of his toys and his artwork in his room.

Thursday, March 7 

Snoozing beagle...

Friday, March 8 

Consignment sale FUN. I bought RF's spring/summer wardrobe, spent less than $200 and ended up with 74 items. When the boys outgrown consignment sales and I have to pay full price for things, I'm going to have a meltdown.

Saturday, March 9 

Date night! RA and I enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner together at one of our favorite restaurants in Covington - RL's.

Sunday, March 10 

My almost two and a half year old first-born cutie-pie. I freakin' love it when Facebook reminds you of things you posted years ago - this popped up on my phone today. Time flies...

We have a super busy week as I am out of town and RA and Meme are handling the two kiddos while I'm gone and then we have a fun family day trip next weekend. We hope you all have a great week!

Catch Up --- New Year, New Challenge --- February 18 - March 3

Well...I managed to get a week behind on our weekly recaps --- #life.

I was out of town last weekend and when I got home on Sunday I was exhausted + realized it was going into an incredibly busy week and I needed to do a good bit of prep work to be ready for the busyness + Ellis came down with pink eye.

So, here's my catch-up on both the 52-week challenge + photos of our past two weeks. Enjoy!

52-Week Blog Challenge --- Week 8 - My Favorite Book

Ever?

To Kill A Mockingbird. Hands down. No contest. I remember reading it in high school for an English class and then again in college and it's one of those books that I will re-read (or listen to - LOVE Audible) every few years. While it was set in the 1930s there are so many themes that transcend time and are central to life.

Currently?

I read Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis last year and fell in LOVE with her. She has a new book coming out this week called Girl, Stop Apologizing and I cannot wait to dive into it. I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction, but also read a fiction book a month or so for a book club that I'm a part of. We just finished The Paris Wife and I really enjoyed it.

52-Week Blog Challenge --- Week 9 - My Favorite Recipe

Recipes and I have a weird relationship. When I find a recipe I like I make it over and over and over and over again. Some weeks we have the same things we had the week before because I get into a groove with the meals that we like and are easy to prep/prepare because we have a pretty strict afternoon/evening routine during the week.

Currently though, RA and I are LOVING this recipe for Southwest Egg Rolls. I make a huge batch (20-30) each weekend, freeze them, and then we eat them throughout the week, sometimes as our meal.

Dessert-wise RA wins the current recipe favorite with this whoopie pie recipe. We had them on our trip to Maine in 2017 and have been making them every few months since. If we are in the mood for something sweet, these are our go-to.

Photos of Our Week

Monday, February 18

Mid-Winter Break afternoon nap snuggles with Ellis and both of the beagles.

Tuesday, February 19

I've been wanting a marble-top table forever and RA finally found one I liked and was in our budget. 

Wednesday, February 20

RF made it through all of the Kindergarten sight words and we are now working on the 1st grade list! Way to go, RF! 

Thursday, February 21

REAL Gulf Coast seafood! A trip to the beautiful Mobile Bay Gulf Coast region for a teacher conference allowed me to grab a bite with family at one of our favorite restaurants - The Original Oyster House and I ordered a big ole' basket of fried crab claws. 

Friday, February 22

During a break at the conference I was attending at The Grand Hotel, I wandered outside to catch a glimpse of beautiful Mobile Bay.

Saturday, February 23

Making silly faces with Toby. Isn't he the absolute cutest???

Sunday, February 24

A Georgia print that RA and I bought last year finally has a handmade frame, thanks to RA, and is prominently displayed in our front living room/library space. 

P.S. While I was in Alabama for my teacher conference RA was in Greenville, South Carolina running a HALF MARATHON! He set a goal to train for and run it and that he did - so proud of you RA! 

Photos of Our Week

Monday, February 25

Home with pink eye...yuck...and getting some snuggles with Gus. 

Tuesday, February 26

When one of them wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes they get into bed with their brother instead of coming to get in our bed. Found them snuggled up together one morning before school. :-)

Wednesday, February 27

RA's current book that he is reading to the boys at night. They love it and are excited to watch the movie when they finish the book. 

Thursday, February 28

I see a southern trend with the random New England cookbook thrown in...

Friday, March 1

Boys and beagles snuggled up for Friday night family movie night! 

Saturday, March 2

Another handmade frame courtesy of RA for the miniature paintings he got me for Christmas. 

Sunday, March 3

The family that works out together stays together, right? RA ran while I did a spin and strength class and the boys hung in the Kid Zone. I have to tell ya - it's a great way to start a new week!

Thanks for checking in on us! We hope you have a great week!