This past
weekend was wonderful, y’all, and I’m excited to recap it all today. It’s going to be a long one, so settle in
with your cup of coffee or your glass of wine (depending on what time you’re
reading). ;o) Here we go!
Monday, September 20
Monday morning was yet another rainy day.
It poured all the way to school, and as always when it rains, there was
an accident on the highway, so we had to go a roundabout way to school. After the kids were safely dropped off, I
headed to Publix to pick up groceries for the next two weeks. The rest of the morning was spent in my
office working and doing laundry. We’re
still having major issues with our dryer as it’s literally tearing up our
clothes, so the drying process was lengthy as I hung up most items to dry so
they didn’t get damaged.
I had an appointment with my therapist after lunch Monday afternoon, but
we had to meet over the phone this time because she was sick with a bad cold…
thankfully, not Covid. Meeting over the
phone or via Zoom just isn’t the same, though… I always get way more out of my
appointments when I see her in person.
By the time my appointment was over, it was time to pick up the kids from
school and head straight to dance. Once
Olivia was inside, I drove Jacob home so he could get started on homework, and
I finished putting up the groceries and prepping for Tuesday. Once all of that was done, I drove back to
dance and finished Malibu Rising in the car while Olivia’s class finished.
Meanwhile, the skies finally cleared up and the sun came out, but the
baseball fields were still underwater from all of the rain we’ve had, and
Jacob’s baseball game ended up being canceled again. Boooo.
We’d already planned to get takeout for dinner since we were supposed to
have had dance and baseball back-to-back, so we just decided to go ahead and
proceed with takeout. Jacob asked for
Panera, so Olivia and I picked it up on the way home from dance, and then we
all ate together.
After dinner, the four of us plus Maui all headed out for an evening walk
since the rain had stopped. We all did a
mile together, and then when they all headed home to shower and get ready for
bed, I continued my walk for a couple more miles. The weather was just glorious – cool and
breezy – and I was treated to a gorgeous sunset as I walked.
When I got back home, the kids were nearly ready for bed, so I grabbed a
quick shower and got into my PJs before tucking them in for the night. B and I then finished up Trying,
season two before heading off to bed ourselves.
Trying has been renewed for a season three and is expected to
come out sometime in 2022 and I’m so glad.
That show has so much heart, it’s funny, and it gets better as the
episodes progress.
Tuesday, September 21
Tuesday morning,
I got the kids dropped at school and then I spent the whole day working, paying
bills, catching up on some things, and doing laundry. B was able to wedge a cotton ball in the spot
in the dryer where our clothes were getting ripped and drying went smoothly for
the rest of the day. It fell out later in
the week and started snagging our clothes again, though, so we’re back at square
one now. Sigh.
After school on
Tuesday, Olivia and I dropped Jacob at home, and she got some homework done
before she and I headed back out for dance.
She only has Lyrical class on Tuesday so it’s just 45 minutes. While she was in there, I stalked the news
for updates on the Gabby Petito case. I
rarely get invested in missing persons cases like these (I think the last one I
was really invested in was the Natalee Holloway case in 2005 so that goes to
show how little I do), but for some reason, I just haven’t been able to look
away from this case.
Maybe it’s
because she was a blogger like me? Maybe
it’s because of the crazy way her boyfriend has been acting since then? Not to mention it’s been riveting watching
all of these TikTok-ers and Instagrammers doing all of their digging that
ultimately helped police locate her body.
But anyway, if
you’re interested in following along and seeing all of the insane details that
have been unfolding that mainstream media hasn’t been reporting, follow
@houseinhabit on Instagram. She has two
story highlights full of info and theories, and she posts about it constantly. I’ve been stalking her IG account since I
found her a few days ago and I just can’t stop.
I pray that the boyfriend is located soon and that he cooperates with
police so her parents can get the closure that they deserve. I just can’t even imagine being in that
situation.
After dance,
Olivia and I headed home, and as we walked in the door, B was walking out to go
to tennis. The kids played outside while
I cooked a quick dinner, and then the three of us sat down together to
eat. Just as we were sitting down, I got
a text from B that it was pouring down rain and he was headed back home early
from tennis.
It never rained
at home, so after dinner, the four of us played out in the back yard. While we were out there, the skies looked
absolutely crazy! We had rain clouds, a
rainbow, dark stormy clouds, blue skies, white puffy clouds, and sunshine all
in the same sky. Everywhere you turned
it was like looking at a completely different day.
This was one side of the sky...
And this was the other...
After outdoor
time, the kids headed inside to shower, and I worked out. Once Olivia was out, she and I read some
books together… ‘tis the season for our favorite Halloween books!
After the
kiddos were tucked in, B and I grabbed a bowl of Peppermint Stick ice cream
because, yes, Publix already has their Christmas flavors out!! I would have preferred Pumpkin Pie ice cream
since it’s fall, but they didn’t have their fall flavors available. Apparently, they just skipped right to Christmas!
While we
enjoyed our ice cream, we watched the first episode of that new show Ordinary
Joe. It’s on NBC this season, so
it’s network television. We don’t watch
a whole lot of network TV anymore, but this one has an intriguing storyline, so
we’re going to give it a try! I thought
the pilot episode was interesting – it definitely held my attention – but the
acting was a little cheesy at times, so we shall see if we stick with it!
Wednesday, September 22
Wednesday morning,
I dropped the kids and headed home to work all day. We are heading to the mountains in a couple
of weeks, so I’ve been trying to get way ahead on blog content so I can knock
out the posts for that week. I don’t
work when we vacation, but I also don’t like to have radio silence here on the
blog either, so I always cram enough in to keep things rolling until I return.
All throughout
the day Wednesday, the temperatures dropped from the cold front coming in, so
the weather was glorious once the last of the rain blew through. We had nowhere to be Wednesday evening, so
the kids played outside while I cooked dinner, and then afterward, the four of
us went for a long walk around our neighborhood. Pretty soon it’ll start getting dark at 6 and
we won’t be able to do our after-dinner walks, so we’re trying to squeeze in as
many as we can now.
B, the kids,
and Maui all headed home so the kiddos could get ready for bed after the walk,
but I kept on going and ended up making it almost five miles before it got too
dark to continue. Walking solo in the
evening with my music blasting is one of my favorite things and I always
feel great when I get done.
After showers,
the kids spent some time looking through a search and find book, and then after
we got them in the bed, B and I started Click Bait. Y’all!!!!
SOOOO good. We even stayed up a
little later than usual to finish the second episode because we couldn’t stop!
Thursday, September 23
Thursday morning,
we woke up to sunny skies and 54 degrees!
Yes, ma’am!! I threw on some
jeans, a tank, and a cardigan, got the kids to school, and then set out to run
a few errands. I had to return something
at Walmart and pick up a few things, then I dropped off a couple of books at
the library, and then I stopped by Target to grab some Luna bars that the kids
love that Walmart doesn’t carry. While I
was at Target, I just couldn’t help myself, and I finally got my first pumpkin
spice latte of the season! It was the
perfect day to grab one!
The rest of the
day was spent getting work done at home, tying up some loose ends
around the house, and making a couple of new bracelets, and then at 3 I grabbed the kids from school. Jacob had a baseball game at 7, and they were
finally able to play after nearly two weeks of no games, so we headed to the
ball field after dinner, and spent the rest of the evening there.
The weather was
AMAZING – sunny and dry and soooo chilly – and it was just perfect. All of the grandparents joined us again, and we
had a great time chatting and cheering on the team. Jacob didn’t have a great batting record for
this game – he got a hit and was thrown out at first on his first at-bat and he
struck out for his third at-bat, but he was walked for his second at-bat and he
ended up scoring a run… and that run was part of a grand slam!
Yep, one of his
teammates hit a grand slam Thursday night!!
I think that’s the first time that has ever happened on one of our
teams. We ended up winning 14-3, and
they called the game early because of the mercy rule. Jacob’s team is looking great this season,
and I’m hoping they’ll have a winning record.
Friday, September 24
Friday morning
after I dropped the kids, I stopped by a different Publix than my usual one to
pick up some things that our Publix doesn’t carry. The one nearest our house is the smallest one
in town, and therefore, they don’t have nearly as much shelf-space as some of
the other locations, so I’ve started going to the one down the street from the
kids’ school every now and then to grab the few things that we can’t get at
ours.
After that, I
put some gas in the car, and then I headed home and worked for the rest of the
morning. As I type this, I’m over a week
ahead blogging and it feels so good! I’m
going to enjoy it while it lasts, because when we get back from our trip next
week, I’ll be behind again. Haha.
I picked up the
kids from school at 3 as usual, and then we headed home to get changed and
packed so we could head out for a SUPER fun evening with friends! B got off of work early, and then we hit the
road for Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA.
It’s the same place that we go to every year at Christmastime for their
Fantasy in Lights display. It’s a bit of
a haul from where we live, but it’s worth the drive every single time.
This year, they
debuted their brand-new fall-themed event, Pumpkins at Callaway, and we knew we
had to go since they do such a fabulous job at Christmas. The entire event is outdoors, so we felt
comfortable attending, and we felt safe the whole night while we were
there.
We arrived late
in the afternoon before it got too busy, and we were able to roam around freely
for a couple of hours before it got too packed.
We met my friend, Jeannine and her family to celebrate their little one’s
birthday, and our friend, Khristina, and her son came, too. It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, cool,
and there was no humidity… we could not have asked for better weather. It truly felt like fall.
When we first
got there, we roamed around to look at all of the displays – there were
pumpkins everywhere – along with giant cornucopias and woodland
creatures and other things made out of sticks and hay. There were so many different picture-taking
spots… it was a blogger/influencer wonderland!
Haha.
After looking
around for a bit, we let the kids play on the playground by the lake… they were
all dying to run around after the car ride there. Aside from the kids playing on the school
playground one evening at the back-to-school social a few weeks ago, I think
this was the first time I’ve been with Olivia while she played on the
playground since she broke her elbow earlier this year. I swear, I still have PTSD from that. My anxiety was just beyond the whole
time she was playing. I don’t think
playground time will ever be fun again for me.
Ugh.
After the
playground, we headed inside the big circus tent (the only indoor portion of
the event) to see what they had to offer there.
There were people inside selling their fall crafts and décor, a big
stage set up for Spookley the Square Pumpkin, lots of Halloween kids’
toys/souvenirs, and a giant fall coloring page on one of the walls that the
kids could color.
After they had
their fill of coloring, we headed back outside to walk the trail of lights
through the forest. It was still sunny
at that point, but we wanted to scope it out in the daylight, so we’d know what
to expect after dark. The trail was absolutely
awesome – there were thousands of lights, hundreds of intricately carved
pumpkins, massive mechanical bugs that moved, and so many other things to see.
Where the trail
came out, there was a massive open space with strobe lights and a DJ booth, and
they had a dance party going on there the whole entire evening/night. There were massive blowup pumpkins along one
side of the perimeter and food trucks along another side of the perimeter and
it was the place to be later in the night.
The kids danced
for a few minutes, and then we headed over to let them all play mini golf. The golf course, clubs, and balls were all
painted in neon paint, and they had blacklights hanging all throughout the
course, and after dark, the whole course glowed in the dark. So, so cool.
The sun was
just starting to dip behind the trees when we played, so it was still daylight,
but we wanted to play before the course got too crowded. Several Callaway employees had dressed up in
various costumes, and they were running around the golf course talking to everyone
and dancing, and they all sang happy birthday to Jeannine’s littlest after they
found out we were there to celebrate him.
It was so cute. The kids had the
best time playing, and several of our kiddos got holes-in-one, too – Jacob and
Olivia included!
After mini golf
was done, we headed back to the tent for the pie eating contest. Two of the kids in our group were selected
for the contest, and it was a hoot to watch them eat their “pies” with no
hands. The pies were just whip cream, but
they took their jobs very seriously. ;o)
After the pie
eating contest, the kids had their picture taken with Spookley, the Square
Pumpkin, and then we headed back outside to the dance party.
Jeannine stayed with all of the kids while
the rest of the adults headed to the food trucks to grab dinner for everyone. She snapped a few pictures while we were
gone.
Brian, Khristina,
James, and I were able to find a table large enough to seat our party together,
and the table was in this little courtyard under a ton of twinkle lights, so
you know that made me happy. :o) Jeannine had brought all kinds of festive
snacks for the kids – Cheetos Bag O’ Bones, Halloween Oreos, and sour gummy
pumpkins – and they ate those with their food truck corn dogs.
After dinner,
we all wandered over to the beach area on the big lake to see the big chair and
the humongous pumpkin display… seriously, it was huge! I’m guessing it was probably three or four
stories tall. They had Halloween music
piped in all over the place all night long, and the pumpkins in the big tower
sang along to some of the songs. So, so
fun!!
After we
watched the pumpkins sing for a bit, we finally got in line for the main
nighttime event – the tunnel of lights and the pumpkin forest (that we’d walked
through earlier in the evening). Earlier
in the evening, there had been no line, but as the night progressed, more and more
people started showing up. Fortunately,
the line moved superfast, so it wasn’t a big deal. The tunnel of
lights changed colors and the lights flickered and danced and the kids loved
every second.
Just after we
exited the tunnel, we passed by mini golf again which was all aglow (SO cool),
and then we headed into the woods to walk the trail in the dark. With the thousands of lights, hundreds of
pumpkins all aglow, and the chill in the air, it was just a magical walk. The kids were excited about every little
thing, and we all enjoyed it so much.
We exited the
forest at the dance party again, and the kids danced their little booties off
for the rest of the night. We did head
into the tent one more time to try to join the dance competition, but they were
just finishing up as we arrived. A
little after 9, we finally told the kids it was time to go, and they still
weren’t ready to leave… little party animals!
Haha.
We slowly made
our way to the car and said goodbye to our friends, and then we hit the road
for home. All of us were just so very
grateful for some (safe) normalcy after not being able to do much last
fall. This was, by far, was one
of my very favorite evenings of this entire year!
We got home
laaaate, got the kids right into bed, and then B and I decided to YOLO and stay
up way later than normal for a Friday night.
I had to watch the new episode of Ted Lasso, and I also wanted to
finish up the episode of Clickbait that we’d started because I just
can’t quit it, y’all!
B and I finally
turned the lights out at, like, 12:45 AM or something crazy (LOLing because we
used to stay up until 2 or 3 AM before having kids), and I think I fell asleep
just seconds after my head hit the pillow.
Saturday, September 25
Saturday morning,
we rolled out of bed around 8, and B left to go pick up donuts. Krispy Kreme has been releasing their new
fall flavors week-by-week, and last week was maple glazed and maple cake. The maple cake were absolutely delicious. And, of course, we grabbed a couple of pumpkin
spice cake donuts, too. ;o)
After breakfast,
we spent an hour and a half lounging around on the couch and watching ESPN
College GameDay. I felt so guilty
leaving Maui for so long on Friday night since we rarely leave her at all anymore,
so I wanted to give her some extra snuggles to make up for it. I spent the time going through pictures from
the night before and uploading them to Facebook and Instagram.
I finally got
off my butt around 11 to do a cardio workout, and it turned out to be one of my
best ones yet. So many calories
burned! By the time I’d finished, the
Georgia game was starting, so I made some grilled cheese sandwiches and we ate
and watched the game outside since it was so nice out.
We spent the
whole afternoon out there, and then when the game was over, I headed in to
shower and spend some time in my office while B mowed and the kids played video
games.
B headed out to
pick up pizza for dinner around 6, and then afterward, we started the new
season of Survivor with the kiddos.
B and I watched Survivor from, like, 2003ish to 2015ish, and then
gave it up because it was just so repetitive, but we thought we might pick it back
up and watch it with the kids now that they’re older. They’re totally into stuff like that, and
they both really enjoyed it.
Afterward, we
watched one episode of Walk the Prank since we hadn’t watched one of
those in forever, and then the kids went to bed. B and I watched the newest episode of The
Morning Show, and then we watched another Clickbait after that. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Sunday, September 26
Sunday morning,
we had the remaining donuts from our dozen while we watched church, and I got
my planner ready for October as well as the week ahead. After all of that was done, I squeezed in a quick
workout, and then we all got ready for the day.
My
mother-in-law and step-father-in-law didn’t cook lunch Sunday, so we decided to
go out to lunch since the weather was finally nice enough to eat outside. We ended up at the Mexican place near our
neighborhood since the building has garage doors that open fully to the
outside. The restaurant opened just
before the pandemic started, and I was actually able to eat there with my
girlfriends just before everything shut down, but B and the kids had never
been.
We ordered a
round of margs along with some salsa, queso, and salsa verde, and all of our main
dishes were fresh and delicious. The
weather was perfect yet again, and it was just the best little lunch with my
people. That’s probably only the third or
fourth time we’ve been out to eat with the kids here in town since the pandemic
started (craziness), and it felt good to be able to have another little nugget
of normalcy while also being safe.
After lunch, we
drove over to the Spirit Halloween store to let the kids look at costumes. They both decided on their costumes for the
year, so we went ahead and grabbed them.
Check! Both of them opted for
creepy instead of cute this year for the first time ever, and that was just
another reminder that they’re growing up so quickly. :o(
We headed home
after that, and I threw dinner in the Crockpot.
Once that was done, I spent a little bit of time in my office, prepped
everything for Monday, and then went back downstairs to prep for Sunday dinner.
My momma’s
birthday was Friday, so we had my parents over along with my brother, my Mama
Cass, and my Uncle Billy. I made beef
stroganoff, roasted veggies, and bread, and then after dinner, we celebrated Momma
with a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, topped with chocolate
chips. Yes, ma’am!!
It was just the
best weekend, and we’re heading into Monday feeling grateful and ready to roll!
And now for a few current things…
Currently
Reading
In
September, I read Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren and Malibu Rising by Taylor
Jenkins Reed.
Soulmate
Equation was a quick and easy read, and the characters were all really lovable. I thought the storyline was unique and fun
even though the end is a little predictable.
The authors do a great job of making you feel the chemistry between the
main character and her love interest, and it was overall a fun read… perfect
for the beach or the pool!
Malibu
Rising was a little heavier than Soulmate Equation. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a
page-turner, I did find myself reaching for it any time I had a few minutes to
spare, and I enjoyed it overall. I will
say this, though… I thought that the character development wasn’t quite as
robust as it should have been, and I had trouble remembering who was who
throughout most of the book… especially when a bunch of random new characters
were unnecessarily introduced in the second half. The book also spans about five decades and it
skips around constantly from year to year, so that made it even harder to
follow. All of that said, I did end up “getting
it” when all was said and done, and I did enjoy it much more than I enjoyed
Daisy Jones by the same author.
Currently
Watching
With
B: This month, B and I continued Ted
Lasso and The Morning Show, and we started and finished Trying. We also started all of our network television
– that new show Ordinary Joe and A Million Little Things, and we started
Clickbait on Netflix. So freaking
good!!!!
With
the Kids: We also finished Lego
Masters and America’s Got Talent with the kids, we continued Walk
the Prank, and we started Survivor.
We still need to finish The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and The
Mysterious Benedict Society, as well… we didn’t watch either of those at
all in September.
Alone: I finished the entire series of Friends
again while I work in my office, aaaand I started it right back over at season
one, episode one as soon as the series finale ended. #NoShame.
Oh, and I’m still watching The Wedding Planner on repeat when I’m
not watching Friends. #NoShameForReal
Currently
Listening To
Gosh,
I’ve been listening to so many different things this past month! This time of year, I typically listen to
nothing but old standards, but this month, I’ve also been in the mood for some
of my old late 90’s/early 2000’s stuff – NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Brian
McKnight, Shai, 112, Jagged Edge, Usher, LSG, 98 Degrees, etc. I’ve been listening to that most evenings
when I walk or run.
Towards the end of the month, we also started listening to our Halloween
playlist… ‘tis the season!! I just
downloaded some new songs to add to it, and I’m going to gradually add to it as
I come up with new ideas. If you have
any good suggestions for Halloween songs, let me know!
I’m
also still listening to The Bestie Breakdown with Shay and Erika podcast, and
as always, my favorite morning show – Elvis Duran.
Happy Tuesday,
y’all!
