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Hi there! How did you do with your first week back after the holidays? Our week seemed to draaaag, but by the time Friday rolled around we were back in the swing of things. I think I’m still recovering from the holidays…

Here’s a quick run-through of our week in review — courtesy of my iPhone photos!

Monday morning yoga! It’s part of the New Year, New You! 2-Week Challenge, and it’s one of my goals for the year: yoga at least once a week!

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Then it was a race to get everyone moving and out the door on time for school.

We dropped Gibbs at school, Casey at preschool, and made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home.

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Then Spence read some books while I prepped dinner for later that evening (turkey chili in the slow cooker) and folded some laundry.

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Checked another item off of my 31 Days of Organization checklist (organize pens and pencils). It’s amazing how many pencils we had with no eraser…what’s the point?! Those had to GO. And I like color…can you tell?

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Afternoon pick-me-up:

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{Grande Nonfat Caramel Misto, please!}

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and a walk in the first snow flurries of the season!

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It was windy, so I kept my head toasty with my new Island Alpaca beanie (a gift from my parents for Christmas)…and the warmest/softest hat EVER. ❤️

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Tuesday was a relatively quiet day. After dropping Gibbs off at school, we came back to the house and waited for the temps to warm up a little bit before we ventured out into the woods for a chilly walk.

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Later that afternoon Spence jumped around on his trampoline,

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while Gibbs, Casey, and I took turns playing on my new stepper that arrived. I’m kind of in love with this little piece of exercise equipment. It’s compact, it’s fun, and I can watch t.v.! The boys like it too! Seriously, though…this is a good way to warm-up indoors or get your heart rate up before doing weights or more intense cardio at home.

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The junk drawer in the kitchen got a quick clean-up (31 Days of Organization!):

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and then the most exciting news of the week (or month? or year?) was the birth of my 5th nephew, Leo!! Congrats to Kevin and Tina!! He’s perfect, and we can’t wait to meet him very soon!

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On Wednesday morning my mom came to help with Spence while I went to an appointment at the dermatologist. I snapped this photo in the car (at a light!), because I realized that it’s probably pretty odd that my two radio stations of choice at the moment are Prime Country (George Strait! Alan Jackson!) and Hits 1 (One Direction! Adele! Ellie Goulding!)…a strange mix, but I suppose it keeps me well-rounded. ?

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And wow…I just realized that my dashboard could use a dusting! You don’t even want to see the back seats where the kids sit. ??

I wore my new Christmas booties to my appointment (and bonus — they happen to be shockingly comfortable!)! You know, I have to get dressed in “real” clothes to leave the house…

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and stopped at World Market afterwards. I love that I can pick up Nutella, tea, storage canisters, and cutting boards all in one stop!

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Then I met my mom and the younger two boys at Subway for lunch after she picked Casey up from school. No pictures — I was too distracted by the lunchtime shenanigans. Plus, I figure you’ve seen Subway shots on here once or twice (or 100) times before. By the way, Spence just calls it “Way” for short now. As in, “Mamma! Mamma! Lunch! Way!” And we all understand what he means…

Thursday morning I dragged the younger two with me to Costco. How is it possible for some customers to leave that store with only 1 or 2 items in their cart?! I see it regularly, but I’m always the one with a cart so full that Spence barely fits inside…

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After we picked Gibbs up from school, I fed the boys snack before we all went out for a “hunt” on our property.

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Meaning, we walked the perimeter of our property a couple of times and I managed to get the kids to help me clean up any toys that we found lying around in the grass. They actually thought it was fun, though, as they hunted for lions and rhinos…

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Another highlight from the day: my first grapefruit of the season! I bought a big bag at Costco, so I’m thinking that a Tropical Grapefruit Parfait is in my near future…

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And Spence and I watched the older two at Tae Kwon Do that evening.

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On Friday morning while Gibbs and Casey were in school, Spence and I headed to Charlottesville for a mall date with Kristin and Jonathan.

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I snapped this pic to send to my friend Susie to show her that I was wearing the bracelet she gave me!

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Kristin and I walked around the mall and chatted while the kids sat in their strollers,

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and played on the equipment.

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Trying to reach that candy!

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It was the perfect rainy day outing for all of us!

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I ate this delicious tuna salad pita pocket for lunch when we made it back home after picking Casey up from school (just fold it up like a taco — stuffing the pocket is unnecessary extra work, and always results in a ripped pita anyway!),

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and then later that evening I put together a batch of Peanut Butter & Honey Granola Bars as a healthy snack to bring to my sister-in-law (who just had the baby)!

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Both recipes turned out great and will be included in my upcoming e-book!

That evening Keith and I watched the movie “Trainwreck” after we put the kids to bed. It had us both laughing out loud, and me crying (happy tears) at the end. Successful romantic comedy!

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Saturday morning was gray and cool, so other than a trip to the grocery store we stayed close to home.

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Saturday morning donut!

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I took the night off from the kitchen and we ordered carry-out from the local Italian restaurant. I dressed our salad with this Citrus Habanero olive oil and some vinegar. It was tasty, but SPICY! The infused oils are from a gift set that my mom gave me for Christmas.

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The rest of the evening was spent relaxing on the couch with Us Weekly and some t.v. for this exhausted lady.

Have a nice Sunday and a great week ahead!

 

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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    1. Oh, you’d love that set Alison! It has so many cool flavors — like basil oil for Italian dishes, etc. 🙂