What we're eating this week:
We are trying to get back on track after the Thanksgiving food and all the naughtiness that went on last week. I've been meal prepping to help keep myself on track. For breakfast I keep it simple: Ezekiel toast with butter and jam, egg whites with turkey sausage, pineapple chunks. For lunch: roasted brussels sprouts, onions, butternut squash and beef sausage. The veggies came from a modified version of this recipe I found on Pinterest. For dinner: M/T we are having spaghetti squash with roasted veggies and shrimp. W we are having Spring Creek BBQ (BOGO baby!). TH we are having salad and salmon. The weekends are usually whatever we are feeling. I've got to have some spontaneity in my diet.
What I'm reminiscing about:
Check out my Journey to Motherhood blog to find out what's been going on in this category.
What I'm loving:
I'm loving the holiday season. We just finished up the Thanksgiving, but now it's on to Christmas and the New Year. I love all the Hallmark Christmas movies that are happening all. the. time. Mr. B rolls his eyes every time I find a new one to keep year round on the DVR. Listen, it's a problem. There are a couple that I've kept for like 2 years now. I love all the food that's going to be happening in my life. I'm loving that it's almost my birthday. I'm loving all the parties and events I have planned this upcoming month. I could go on....
WAIT! I forgot one....grocery pick-up! Tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I'll never go back to shopping for myself (well, maybe never). I don't care if I have to pay $5 for Kroger to do it for me. So worth it. Plus, it keeps my bill lower because I'm not impulse buying.
What I've been wearing:
So, it's still unseasonably warm here. Whenever I can, I bring out the boots, scarves, leggings, and all that good stuff. I have my eye on this cute shirt from Milk and Honey Tees. I haven't bought it yet if anyone is looking for a birthday and/or Christmas present for me.....
What we've been up to:
Christmas decorating of course! Each year we buy a new ornament for our living room tree-decorated in blue and silver. We try to buy one that has some sort of significance for us for the year. Here is this year's ornament.
We bought this one in remembrance of our sweet angel that went to be with Jesus on October 23. On the back we wrote "baby-October 23" so we would always remember.
Here's a look at all the ornaments that we've bought over the years. 7 Christmases together.
Our first and only outdoor lights. We plan on adding next years. Getting ideas now!
Here's a collage of the decor throughout our house!
What I'm dreading:
I would say Christmas shopping, but I'm almost done. AND....I've done pretty much all of it online. Ain't nobody got time to be shopping at actual stores. OK, if I have to come up with something, then I choose our drive to Lubbock over the holidays. We decided to head down on the 23rd and come back early on the 25th. This was the only way we could swing Christmas with both our families. Not dreading the family time, just the drive.
What I'm working on:
I'm about to start decorating my classroom. Our elf is going to get our classroom all decked out! I'm working on surviving these next 3 weeks before our Christmas break. Material to teach, tests to give, grades to finish. Let's throw in parties and assemblies, too! It's going to be a fun 3 weeks.
What I'm excited about:
I'm excited about all the plans I have for the next several weekends coming up.
- cookie decorating with Mr. B
- Church holiday party (always a hoot)
- Christmas lights browsing with a hot caramel apple spice from Starbucks and dinner out
- my first Lularoe party to attend
- big birthday dinner and Sundance Square Christmas viewing
- my actual birthday!!!! (I don't care how old I get, I always love my birthday)
- Christmas Eve in Lubbock (and hopefully a train ride on the Polar Express...hint hint Amanda)
- Christmas with Mr. B's family
- all. the. nephews. (and a special niece, too)
- murder mystery dinner with friends
- Dream Team reunites for lunch!!!!
- New Year's Eve party (I don't even know when or where, I'm just ready!)
What I'm watching/reading:
I read a lot of cliche romance novels while I was home after my ordeal at the end of October. I re-read a book that I love called "Her Perfect Revenge" by Anna Mara. It's so funny. Still watching "This is Us" and loving it. Of course I'm watching all the Hallmark Christmas movies (much to Mr. B's disdain.....except he secretly loves them, too). I did watch the Gilmore Girls revival....hated it. No spoilers, but it just wasn't what I hoped for. Waste of time.
What I'm listening to:
Christmas music on Pandora. I'm about to start listening to a new podcast called "The Perfect Wife." It's hosted by one of the co-hosts of the "Marriage is Funny" podcast I listen to. I'm hoping it's good!
What I'm doing this weekend:
Mr. B works late on Friday, so I may get some GT homework done at school. Saturday I plan on staying in since it's going to be rainy and cold. Hallmark movies during the day and Christmas cookie baking and decorating with Mr. B that evening.
What I'm looking forward to next month:
Mostly my birthday. Please see all the things I'm excited about since they will be occurring in December!
What else is new:
Last Monday, the thread headed to Waco to visit food trucks and Magnolia Market. Words cannot express how excited I was to see these ladies. We snap chat daily, but it's not the same as in person. We haven't all be together since this summer at VW's pool. We miss each other so much since we're not working together anymore. I'm so glad LAS volunteered to be our driver for the day. It made sense since she was familiar with the area. We piled in her car with two toddlers and headed to Starbucks #ofcourse
I'm thankful that I got to ride shotgun and didn't have to climb my big butt all the way in the back like TJ and VW. It was entertaining to watch them climb in and out all day. I paid for riding shotgun though. A certain toddler squirted her pouch of applesauce (or whatever mashed up fruit/veggie is in those things) all over the back of the seat, my neck, scarf, and dress.
All packed up and ready to ride!
First stop, food trucks! We love food, so it was only natural that we hit those up first. We did this NOLA style....order different things and share. We hit up the Cheddar Box for some mac n' cheese that changed my life and a grilled cheese that also changed my life. We also hit up Vytecks (sp?) for some beef! Later, we shared a strawberry Nutella crepe with our coffee.
Me and my VW rocking our diva shades
At the market in front of the pretty tree.
Group Selfie in front of Common Grounds coffee shop
Had to get me some coffee from the famous Common Grounds coffee shop. The iced cowboy coffee was legit!
We ate, let the kids play, toured the market, then headed to grab coffee before touring the Baylor campus. We ended our evening with dinner at Fazzoli's. I think we were all disappointed with the food, but the bread sticks made us happy. It was another fun road trip back home.
I'm so thankful that my career brought these lovely ladies into my life. I'm even more thankful that we formed the type of friendship that makes us want to keep in touch even when we no longer have that working relationship. #threadlife4ever
