Our Week - The One with Jacob’s First Baseball Game

Last week I changed the format of my weekend posts to be weekly posts, but I failed to mention that I’m not going to be recapping every single day of the week if there’s nothing to tell… only the days that have something worthwhile to include in our family scrapbook will be recapped.  I don’t want to bore everyone with the details of the mundane day-to-day activities.  Haha.

Here are the highlights from our week… 

Monday, September 2

Labor Day was recapped in last week’s post here.

Tuesday, September 3

Tuesday was a gym, laundry, and catch-up day.  I also made a Fresh Market run (it’s the only place to buy chicken!) and, naturally, I ended up buying some Pumpkin Gingersnap cookies since they were right by the registers! 

Wednesday, September 4

Wednesday was another gym day… gotta get that cardio in!

Wednesday evening was Jacob’s first scrimmage game to get the kids ready for the first real game on Friday.  We played against the other C-ball team in our league and we ended up beating them 5-4!  We only played a couple of innings but it was good practice for them.  Jacob played centerfield and he really seemed to enjoy it even though he didn’t get much action as most of the kids can’t hit the ball that far quite yet.  Lol.

Just as we were leaving I heard someone calling my name, and it was my internet friend Stephanie who blogs over at Momstrosity.  We only recently found each other online and we just so happened to find each other because we realized that we live in the same city.  Small world, right?!  We hadn’t had the chance to meet up prior to that evening, so it was really cool to find out that her son plays in the same league as Jacob… just on the other team!  This was also the first time anybody has ever recognized me in public from my blog, so it was kind of a surreal moment.  Stephanie and Eliza are the most hilarious ever and they also write some great, in-depth posts about life as well, so if you don’t follow them already, you should check them out!

Thursday, September 5

Thursday evening I attended my second bible study and it was such a great time again.  Jessica, our host, had prepared mini pumpkin pies for everyone complete with whipped topping… they were SO CUTE.  I wish I had taken a picture of them.  She is just the sweetest and always makes sure our bellies are full of goodness in the evening when we come over. 

For this bible study we watched another segment in the series we’re watching and I had a total AHA moment when a particular verse in the bible was explained.  The whole “turn the other cheek” thing has always confused me because I had always assumed that it was a sign of weakness and that by doing that you would be giving in to the evil/wrong-doing in the world, which in turn would give evil/wrong-doing more power.

Well, the phrase was explained so perfectly in this series we’re watching and it made me realize that I have been looking at it all wrong.  In the video they said that humans are wired to have a “fight” or “flight” mentality.  However, in the face of evil or wrong-doing, God doesn’t want us to fight back because fighting only promotes more violence.  He also doesn’t want us to flee either, though, because that would be letting evil win.  By turning the other cheek, we’re not sinking to the other person’s level of violence and we’re also not fleeing and letting evil win.  Instead, by turning the other cheek, we are being strong, and standing up for what is right, but we’re doing so without promoting or encouraging more violence.  I’ve never thought of it that way before and I loved that I learned something new!

Friday, September 6

Friday, Olivia came home with a prize from the prize box for staying on green all week, and she came home with none other than... Christmas clip-on earrings!  Hahahaha.  If that's not my festive child then I don't know who is!

Friday evening was Jacob’s first baseball game of the season so B picked up some Cracker Barrel veggies on his way home from work, and we ate a quick and early dinner.  We arrived at the field by 7, and the boys were ready to play!  Jacob had quite an audience – B, myself, and Olivia were, of course, there, as well as my mom and dad, Brian’s dad, mom, and step-dad, Brian’s aunt and uncle, and my aunt, uncle and cousin.  So many people! 

His game started at 7:30 (thank goodness because this heat has been horrendous) and he suited up in his baseball jersey for the first time this year.  Jacob was able to pick the number he wanted on his jersey and when we asked him a couple of weeks ago he quickly responded with, “#11.”  I asked him why #11 and he said, “For Jake Fromm!!”  It was a proud mom moment for sure!!  (And Jake Fromm is UGA’s starting quarterback for any of you who aren’t familiar.)  :o)

Jacob played centerfield in the game again and he looked like a pro out there!  Once again, he didn’t get a lot of action since most of the kids can’t hit very far yet, but the one time the ball made it to the outfield to him, he scooped it right up and threw it straight to second base as he was taught.  The second baseman caught it and that prevented the kids from the opposing team to run any more bases.  He also played catcher one inning as well as all of the boys are being rotated around to try their hand there.  Again, he looked great, and he caught most of the balls that were thrown and missed by the batter!

Jacob had two at-bats during the game, and unfortunately, struck out both times.  I’m thinking it must be nerves because he hits so well when Brian throws to him.  Regardless, their team ended up winning 10-7!!  And he had fun so that’s all that mattered.  Although, I’m not sure who had more fun… Jacob and his teammates or all of us in the crowd.  Ha!  And thanks to my cousin, Shelby, for some of the pictures!  :o)

Saturday, September 7

Saturday we spent the entire day at home… never left the house!  We started the day with ESPN College GameDay and homemade Halloween waffles with spooky eyes.  We spent the morning snuggled up on the couch, watching the rest of the show, and making silly faces with Snapchat, and then I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. 

I pulled out my Valentine’s Day, NYE, July 4^th, Easter, and fall decoration boxes and cleaned out and organized those while we watched football, and then we had Brian’s dad over for the Georgia vs. Murray State football game at 4 o’clock. 

B and I had come across a new pumpkin IPA at Publix last week, so we finally opened those to try and they were good!  I mean, pumpkin and an IPA?  It was basically made for me. 

During the game, the ice cream man drove by so the kids grabbed some dessert for later, and then we used Waitr to deliver pizza from one of our favorite places that doesn’t deliver themselves.  Georgia got a huge win, 63-17, and then we spent the rest of the evening watching LSU defeat Texas.  Gotta cheer for the SEC! 

Sunday, September 8

Sunday morning we spent some time studying with the kids as Jacob has a math test today and Olivia has her second AR test.  She got a 100 on her very first AR test this past week and we could not be more proud of her!  She loves to read!  After she finished reading her books, she decided she wanted to write a book, so she sat down, stapled some paper together and went to town.  Here is the result:

I mean, so stinking cute!

This weekend I was proud of myself because I took the time to meditate and do quiet time Saturday and Sunday.  It's usually hit or miss on the weekend (mostly miss) and to be able to do both things both days was pretty great.  Just in the last few days I feel like I have finally started to succeed at meditating, and I do feel like after just a couple of weeks of doing it that it is starting to help with my anxiety.  I'm hooked, and I'm going to try my best to do it seven days per week.  

Sunday I also felt like I had a moment with my devotional as well.  I always highlight the things that really stand out or speak to me.  Most days I highlight 1-2 sentences and some days I don't highlight anything, but on Sunday's reading, I highlighted almost the whole thing.  It's perfect for this season of life I'm in right now.  

Sunday afternoon we had lunch at my MIL and step-FIL’s and the weather was so miserably hot that we stayed inside most of the afternoon afterward.  Sunday evening we had dinner at my parents’ house, and that was about it.  Our Sundays are always reserved for family and they are always one of my favorite days of the week! 

All in all it was a pretty relaxing weekend and it was perfect.  Saturdays at home during football season are my absolute favorite.  It’s rare that we don’t leave the house for an entire day so I’m always HERE FOR IT when we do get to!

Happy Monday, y’all!

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Five on Friday - September Goals

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August was crazy busy with the kids starting school and extra curricular activities, and I think I overestimated just how much I could accomplish while they were away all day at school.  Between doctor appointments, volunteering at the school, and navigating our new fall routine I spent a good time away from home this month, but I still managed to get lots of things checked off of the ol’ goals list.  Let’s see how I did!

And as always, I’m using a Y for YES and N for NO to indicate whether or not I accomplished my goals.

August Goals

Personal

N  Positivity, worry less, complain less, be kind, patience, relationships. – Gotta give myself a big, fat NO for this one this month.  Again, my reflux/breathing/ear ringing got the best of me this month and I spent way more time than I’d like to admit worrying about the whole situation and feeling generally bad. 

Y  Get into a quiet time routine again. – Yes, and it’s been helping tremendously with my funk that I’ve been in health-wise.  I’ve been doing my QT daily (with the exception of some weekend days) and I’m loving being back in it.  It’s so important.

Y  Start meditating. – I meditated almost every day during the month of August and even though I’m struggling with doing it properly (it’s hard, y’all!) I’m loving it and I can see how it can make a positive difference if you do it regularly.  I’m going to keep on trucking!  It does seem to be getting a little easier as I go.

N  Make bed most days. – I probably did this about half of the time, so I can’t quite check this one off.

Y  Read 1.5 books. – Yep, I made it through the rest of one book plus I completed another. 

Y  Get together with old coworkers from my first job for our reunion. – Sure did, and we had a blast reminiscing! 

N  Have a girls dinner. – Never even got around to planning this.

Health

Y  Drink 64 oz. water per day. – I’m on a ROLL with the water, y’all!  I’ve been drinking my full amount nearly every single day and it does seem to make a positive difference with how I feel physically.

Y  Hit the gym at least 2 times per week. – Yes, I’ve been on it and loving it!  I feel so much better when I get in my cardio.

Y  Revamp lunches for myself and start incorporating healthier whole foods. – Yes!  I’ve started making my green smoothies nearly every day and I’ve also started eating other veggies with lunch.

Y  Eat 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies every day, Monday – Thursday. – Yes!  As I said before, I started making my green smoothies every day which include bananas, strawberries, spinach, and kale, and in addition to that some days I’ve also been eating carrots or green beans with lunch + I’m still eating an apple every single day as well as other berries and fruits.  I did SO well with this one this month!

Y  Meet with dentist for TMJ update. – Yes, and I’m now only wearing my bite guard at night.  I do find that I’m still clinching my teeth at night, but my bite is now totally corrected from the use of my new bite guard.

Y  Meet with the allergist for another skin test to see if allergies have improved. – Check!  Did this last week and found out that supposedly I’m no longer allergic to trees or weeds, but I’m still severely allergic to grasses.

Family

Y  Continue working on kindness and good manners with the kids. – This is always at the forefront of my mind when I’m with them now so I’ll probably take it off the list since it’s a habit.

Y  Create habits of asking to be excused and taking plates to the sink for the kids. – Yes, still staying on them until they remember to do this all the time.

Y  Finish ALL summer homework. – Check!  And boy, was it a lot!

Y  Attend Kindergarten orientation night. – Yep.

Y  Attend Meet the Teacher day at school for both kids. – All done!

Y  START SCHOOL! – They’ve been back for almost four weeks now.

Y  Get Maui groomed. – Yep, and she looks so cute!

N  Take Olivia for her quarterly thyroid check-up. – We had to reschedule this one so we’ll try it again next month.

Y  Check off remaining items on summer bucket list. – Yes, we crossed off many more items… didn’t get them all done, but we accomplished a lot.

Y  Make cupcakes with Olivia using her little baking set she received for her birthday. – Finally squeezed this in last weekend and she was so excited!

Y  Sign up Jacob for baseball. – Yep, and he has his first game tonight!

Home

Y  Try crystal knobs on dresser in living room and decide whether to keep or not. – I tried them, but I ended up liking the way the original pulls looked more.

Y  Get mudroom bulletin board switched back to school-year mode. – Yep, the school calendar as well as the kids’ homework pockets and AR book logins and other school notes are all in one place in the kitchen.  It helps tremendously having this at our fingertips.

Y  Clean out my closet. – Yes, and I got rid of a ton of stuff!

Y  Clean out kids’ closets. – Yes, I got their clothes all cleaned out and we were able to make a list of what they need for fall/winter. 

Y  Finish cleaning out Brian’s office and office closets. – His office is pretty much done aside from hanging a couple more things on the walls and finishing cleaning out one of the closets, but I’m giving myself a check for this one because I didn’t want to finish cleaning out the closet until it was time to pull out the seasonal décor.

Y  Put carpet tape under new rug in master bedroom.

Y  Touch up wall paint in Olivia’s room (above mirror).

Y  Touch up ceiling paint in Olivia’s room.

Y  Continue listing/selling old clothes.

N  Go through keepsakes and make sure everything is accounted for for both kids, take 3. – I just need to take this off of my list, y’all.  Third time was not a charm.  Lol.

Y  Do 20 things on Master To-Do list. – I was able to check this one off by the skin of my teeth, y’all!  It was a close one.  I actually checked off 24 things, but as in previous months, I also added 4 new items to the list so it’s like I did 20 tasks.  A few things I did from the list this month were finding a permanent spot for my lap desk (it’s always just kind of floated around the house before this and I hated that), put another decorative tree in our bedroom, put string lights on the decorative trees in our bedroom, put a rug under our bed and secured it with carpet tape, moved some wall art from our bedroom to our bathroom, hung some wall art in the toilet room in our master bathroom, organized some keepsake newspapers in my office, opened savings accounts for the kiddos, created an Amazon shopping page for my blog, and many other items. 

Blog

N  Get ahead on blog posts. – I tried to do this and I was able to start a couple of posts for the future, but I wouldn’t say I “got ahead” on blog posts at all.  I had a lot of long, time-consuming posts this month, and because of that, all of my blog work was spent doing those. 

N  Reorganize Projects and Recipes pages on blog. – Never got around to this.

Y  Organize all link-ups in a spreadsheet and in blog posts. – Yes, all of my link-ups are nice and organized by day and I also updated my footers that I include before my signature for each post.

Y  Start making a spreadsheet of Evergreen content to keep updated. – Yep, got it done!

Y  Start sharing Daily To Do Lists in Instagram stories again. – Yes, I’ve been doing this every week day.  Have you been following along?

N  Take several photos for both IG accounts to have on hand for times when I have nothing else to post. – Sure didn’t!  I just haven’t felt inspired in the photographing department lately.  I’m sure I will soon with all of the holiday décor going up over the next few months!

N  Start focusing on essential oils business since I still use and love them all the time. – Never got around to this either.  I’m still using my oils multiple times every single day, but I haven’t focused on the business side of things in a while.

Summary

33 items accomplished

9 items not accomplished

Not too bad, I’d say!  Now for a few pictures of my accomplishments…

Old work reunion with friends... this was our lunch prior to the reunion dinner.

Getting in that cardio!

Green smoothies!

Skin test at the allergist

Maui looking all fly after her grooming appointment.

Baking cupcakes with my girl... Halloween ones!  Haha.

My closet clean-out... freed up 30 hangers and got rid of 12 other items for a total of 42 items gone!

Trees in bedroom... now to finish my wall hanging to go over the bed...

Now for the September goals…

September Goals

Personal

Positivity, worry less, complain less, be kind, patience, relationships.

Continue quiet time/meditating.

Make bed most days.

Make it to at least one bible study.

Have a girls dinner.

Health

Drink 64 oz. water per day.

Hit the gym at least 2 times per week.

Continue eating 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies and whole foods most days.

Meet with dentist for TMJ update.

Meet with GI doc for reflux update.

Annual womens well visit.

Annual skin check at the dermatologist.

Schedule appt with new doc to assess health issues since I can’t get answers.

Family

Ride bikes if the weather hopefully cools off.

Watch Jacob play baseball!

Attend Home & School meeting for spring event.

Attend Home & School meeting for fall carnival and start planning.

Attend the Georgia vs. Notre Dame college football game in Athens!!!!

Take Olivia for her quarterly thyroid check-up, take 2.

Research restaurants to book for Disney World trip and pass along to our agent.

Home

Get house decorated for fall.

Clean out fall decorations.

Sort all clothes to sell by season/gender/sizes and list more on Poshmark.

Sell old Halloween costumes.

Donate home décor items that haven’t sold on Facebook Market.

Do 10 things on Master To-Do list.

Blog

Get ahead on blog posts.

Work on some housecleaning stuff for blog.

Pitch to 2-3 brands.

Take several photos for both IG accounts to have on hand for times when I have nothing else to post.

Start focusing on essential oils business since I still use and love them all the time.

We have a ton of things on the calendar from now until Christmas so it’s going to be quite busy these next few months.  I think these goals are attainable, though!

Here are the Friday funnies, all of which are HEAT themed, because heavens to Betsy, it's been hot as blazes here all week!!

Literally us every day this week.

We're all pretty much a bunch of supermodels now.

If He doesn't shut it off soon we'll all be burned to a crisp.

And ICYMI, here’s what happened on the blog this week!  If y’all are in the market for a new planner, Emily Ley just launched her collection for 2020 and they are selling fast, so be sure to grab one soon if you are going to want one for the new year.  You can see more about why I love mine so much in the post below.

What I Ordered from Amazon in August 2019

Our Weekend - The One with the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Lots of Fall Stuff

My Review of the Simplified Planner One Year Later

Fall Bucket List 2019

Happy Friday, y’all!

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites and Polka-Dotty Place for High Five for Friday.

Fall Bucket List 2019

‘Tis the season for all things fall!!  September 1 unofficially starts fall around these parts, so today I’m sharing our fall bucket list for 2019.  As always, there are traditional things that we do every year as well as a few new things sprinkled in the mix. 

O N E – Decorate the House for Fall & Include Halloween Elements

I’ve decorated for fall every single year since I’ve had my own place, so this will make year 14, I think?  Every year, I’ve always focused on the “fall” element of décor… pumpkins, leaves, buffalo plaid.  The kids have been begging me to add some “spooky” elements to our fall décor, so this year I’m finally going to do that!

T W O – Enjoy My Beloved PSL While Browsing the Fall Section at Hobby Lobby

The PSL is tied for first place (with the Peppermint Mocha) as my favorite drink from Starbucks ever, and since they’re only available this time of year, I try to enjoy as many of them as I can.  This year I’m going to take my PSL enjoyment to the next level and enjoy it while browsing the aisles of Hobby Lobby… my happy place this time of year!  #ImBasicAndIKnowIt

T H R E E – Hot Air Balloon Festival

There’s a hot air balloon festival every year here in Georgia and we’ve never been!  It’s been going on for 25+ years and I’ve always wanted to go, so we decided that this was going to be our year… weather permitting, of course. 

F O U R – Attend the Georgia vs. Notre Dame Football Game in Athens

It’s the hottest ticket of the season and we have four!  I am so thrilled for this game, y’all!  Rumor has it that ESPN College Gameday will be there, plus it’s an 8 PM kickoff, so it’ll be a night game!  B and I have already booked an AirBnb in Athens and the kids are staying home with grandparents, so we’re ready to partyyyy.  I even have my dress all picked out!

F I V E – Mountain Getaway in a New Area

Y’all, my aunt and uncle sold their mountain house!  Cue all the tears!!!!  We have been staying in their mountain house nearly every year since 2010 and we were so sad to see it go.  The kids always look forward to our mountain trips each year (as do B and I) so we decided that we’ll just rent a place this year.  We found a cute little place on AirBNB but it’s in a slightly different area than where we usually stay, so we’re hoping to do some exploring and find some new places to visit as well as partake in our typical mountain activities like apple picking, winery, gem grubbing, and visiting Helen, GA.  One of my friends highly recommended checking out Amicalola Falls as well as Monteluce Winery so those are possibilities for our trip this year.  It’s going to be different but I have no doubt we’ll have a fantastic time as we always do!

S I X – Attend Homecoming Festivities at My Alma Mater and the Kids’ School

Attending Homecoming at the kids’ school is always on our fall bucket list as that is my alma mater, too.  We have all kinds of fun Homecoming events, so we’re hoping to make it to as many as possible.  I was hoping to attend the Bonfire this year, but sadly, Jacob has a baseball game at the same time that evening.  The alumni social and football game should be fun enough, though!

S E V E N – See Ray Lamontagne in Concert

I’m a huge fan of Ray Lamontagne and he rarely tours.  When he does, he doesn’t typically come anywhere near us, so you can imagine how excited I was to see that he’s coming to The Fox Theatre in Atlanta in October.  Well, B and I just so happened to get FOURTH ROW SEATS and I’m so excited I can’t even stand it. 

E I G H T – Attend the Georgia vs. Florida Football Game in Jacksonville, FL

B and I also managed to get GA/FL tickets this year (it’s considered a special game each year so season tickets holders don’t always get tickets) and we are debating taking the kids down there for the weekend.  This is one of the iffy items on our bucket list that may not end up getting checked off, but I thought I’d include it just in case we do!  It’s all dependent upon our schedule… it’s filling up quickly!

N I N E – See Alejandro Aranda in Concert

Yes, it’s another concert on our fall bucket list!  B and I watched American Idol this past season and in all of my seasons watching I don’t think I’ve ever loved someone so much as I loved Alejandro Aranda.  His music is just phenomenal and he is incredibly talented.  He ended up NOT winning Idol (how, I have no clue), but I think it’s best this way because he’s already able to tour and do his own music and not worry about the American Idol brand making decisions for him.  I’m ecstatic and cannot wait to see him live!

T E N – See Wicked Broadway Play

I’ve been wanting to see Wicked for over a decade now, and B and I never had the chance to see it while we were in New York.  B saw that it is coming to The Fox Theatre in Atlanta and he surprised me with tickets a couple of weeks ago!  Yet another event for which to make room on the calendar.  Haha.

E L E V E N – Rock Ranch

We started going to Rock Ranch a couple of years ago with friends and the kids talk about it throughout the year and constantly ask when we get to go back.  I guess that means we need to take them again this year!  Gotta see if there’s even an open date to go!  EEK!

T W E L V E – Family Photo & Video Viewing Night

‘Tis the season for being snuggly on the couch in the evenings, and this fall, I want to take one of our movie nights to the next level by watching old movies of us!  We have thousands of old photos and videos from when the kids were little, and I’d love to show them to the kids so they can see what they were like when they were babies.  Complete with popcorn and snacks, of course!  ;o)

T H I R T E E N – Watch All of Our Fall & Halloween Favorites

Hocus Pocus, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Toy Story of Terror… so many good ones to watch!

F O U R T E E N – Visit a Pumpkin Patch/Cotton Field

I went to a pumpkin patch with Olivia on a field trip last year and we loved the place, and I’d love to take a family trip there this year.  It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s worth it!  And there is a pumpkin patch as well as a cotton field right there in the same spot, so we’d be able to knock both out at once!

F I F T E E N – Carve Pumpkins

The kids always love this tradition so it’s on our list again for this year.

S I X T E E N – Spooky Halloween Dinner/Trick-or-Treating/Movie

The kids actually already have their costumes so we’re ready to trick-or-treat!  This year I want to make a festive Halloween dinner for the kids before trick-or-treating.  I’ve seen those mummy dogs all over Pinterest and I want to make those for the kiddos.  They would love them!  Gotta do all of the festive fun things before they outgrow them!

S E V E N T E E N – Play on the Playground in Our Neighborhood

Confession time!  We’ve had a neighborhood playground the entire ten years that B and I have lived in our neighb and we have never once taken our kiddos to it.  As a matter of fact, they never even knew it existed until just a few weeks ago when we finally mentioned it to them.  Once the weather cools down it’s time to pay it a visit!

E I G H T E E N – Fall Family Photos

This is one of the items that’s always on our list… gotta have some family pics for the Christmas cards!

N I N E T E E N – Make a Homemade Apple Pie

We’ll be bringing home lots of apples from the orchard on our mountain trip, and this year I want to try my hand at a homemade apple pie.  I’ve always, always wanted to make one and this is the year that I’m adding it to the list to get it done!

T W E N T Y – Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This is always the last item on our list because it’s the perfect way to transition to all things Christmas!  Love this time of year!

In addition to all of these things, I’d also love to have another Friendsgiving like we did last year, but our November calendar is almost totally full, so I’m not sure it’ll be feasible.  I’d still love to try, though!

Cheers to crossing off all the things!

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Emily and Meet the Shaneyfelts for Fall Favorites.