Friday Faves

Happy Friday!  I hope you've had a nice week.  Can you believe that tomorrow is MAY!?!?  How did that happen?  We've got lots to look forward to as we are wrapping up the school year, celebrating Olive turning 9 and kicking off Summer.  It's still been pretty chilly in Indiana so I have yet to do any planting.  Maybe this weekend we'll get the ball rolling.

The best parts of our week were:

1 // Adventures with Dad

These two spent the afternoon hanging out with Kevin.  They ran all kinds of errands and then landed at the garden center.  There was a rock painting station, free lemonade and lots of pretty plants.  They picked out some to surprise me with - my favorite - Lantana.

2 // Gourmet Deviled Eggs

Did you see my recipe for these earlier this week?  Recipe here.

I'm still dreaming of them.

3 // School Lunches

I'm dragging a bit with school lunch prep.  The kids appreciate it so I keep going, but I'm excited for Summer break.  They are loving these snow peas split open, Krabby Patty treats and a mix of bright and colorful things.

4 // Buy Yourself Flowers

I bought myself flowers this week at Sams.  I don't do this very often, but I should.  This big bouquet was only $8 and it looks so pretty in my kitchen!  I think this will be a perfect centerpiece when we have some friends over for dinner this weekend.

5 // Get Moving

Leo and I have been busy walking almost every single day.  He loves to go for a ride and I am loving getting into a good exercise routine.  He gets excited to find treasures along the way like these clover flowers.

Side note: Do you have a step counting/movement tracker watch that you love?  I'm thinking I would enjoy the challenge of a step tracker and would love to hear your recommendations.

6 // Jordan Bakery Box

My business was booming last year before we moved and relocating has definitely meant that baking has taken a bake seat to life.  But this week I had a couple orders come in for Administrative Professionals' Day and it was so fun!  I baked boxes of half chocolate chip cookies and half butterscotch oatmeal cookies.  They turned out great!  If you're local - 47725 area- follow me on Facebook or IG @jordanbakerybox - I would love to bake for you!

7 // Back to the Garden Center

Is this life in your 40s?  Multiple trips to the garden center in one week to scope out trees!?  Haha.  We love it and it's fun to dream up plans for our yard and landscaping.

8 // Tons of Sunshine

We have been spending lots and lots of time outside.  The kids love it and it's been nice to get out and meet some new neighbor friends.

9 // New Grill

Kevin's grill didn't survive the move so we upgraded to a new Blackstone griddle.  Bring on all the cookouts.  Leo was SO excited when Kevin brought out his tool box.  He "helped" Dad for over an hour.  It was the cutest thing ever.

10 // Secondhand

Do you follow Ashley @secondhandsavvy_ on Instagram?  I love her account.  She challenged us to take $20 to your local thrift store and find some treasures.  I headed to a nearby Goodwill and found all of this for $16.  The basket is giant.  The mini muffin pans were for the kids to make mud muffins in the creek.  I love the wooden bracelet and I'm already using that set of glass bowls so much.  I can't wait to check out my other thrift store options nearby.

I also took a huge van load of donations to a local center this week.  It felt SO good to get that clutter out of our garage and get rid of things that I no longer use or love.

11 // Dinner Guests

We had Kevin's parents and his grandma over for dinner this week.  She'd never seen our new house.  The kids were excited to give her the tour and she surprised them with a plate full of her famous No Bake Cookies.

12 // Date Night

Remember me saying we got to have a date night?  We tried a new restaurant and I've been dreaming of their Pesto bread dip all week.  I picked up some pest in the hopes of replicating it.  Kevin got to try a new local beer and loved it.  And Leo got to chat with Papaw and read books with Mimi.  Win-win for everyone.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  See you back here on Monday :)

Linking up with Momfessionals

Must Haves from Sam's Club

Do you belong to Sam's Club?

We have for years.  Right now it's $45/year and we use it almost every week.  

It's my favorite place to buy produce and snacks and even clothes.  Yep, you heard that right.  They've got great clothes options, I love their collaboration with GAP and they've got great options for kids, too.  I think of it as a fun place to find items for our closets not a place where you can buy everything for your closet.  

I love their monthly sales, the Member's Mark line and we love their paper towels, toilet paper, plates, cups, K-cups, peanut butter and office supplies.  I tried Costco for a few years when we lived in Utah, but Sam's feels like the best fit for us.  Sams has great deals on gas, curbside pick up (amazing!!) and tons of products we love.  Their produce isn't as cheap as Aldi, but the nearest Aldi to me is gross.  I wouldn't buy produce there so this is a good option for me.  The last Aldi we leaved by was lovely and I bought tons of produce there.  So all that to say - scope out your options and find what is best for you!

Let me show you some of our current faves at Sam's Club.

GIANT bouquets for $7.98.  My Sam's in Evansville has tons of gorgeous bouquet options and many different price points.  I bought these to brighten up my kitchen this week.

Clothes!  We're always looking to add a little more purple to our wardrobe with Kevin's new job.  I bought this gauze set for myself $12/piece and this shirt for Kevin.  It was under $10.

I buy chocolate chips in bulk and this is the best deal for Tollhouse.

Good prices and selection of chips.  Both of these have been hard to find in my regular grocery store.

2 pack of Sour Cream for $4ish.  I LOVE the squeeze sour cream.  It's perfect to add to tacos or to add into recipes.  You don't have to dip out of a big tub and worry about it separating.  This is the best!

We love all of their fruits and veggies.

This GIANT bag of garden salad is $1.79.  It's crazy.  It lasts for a while and is great on tacos, salads and sandwiches. 

Cheese!  This Seriously Sharp block of cheese is a favorite and we like their big bags of sliced cheese.  I'm trying the Pesto out for the first time.  It was only $6 for this huge container and it's been hard to find in stores.  I'm planning to use some and freeze some to ensure that it doesn't go bad.

I don't love baked beans, but I LOVE these baked beans.  They are amazing.  We had them at a friend's house and they taste so fancy.  They've got brisket in them and the flavor is unreal.  Add this to your Summer BBQ menu and you guests will be thrilled.

These little guacamole cups are $6.98.  They're perfect for taco night or for nachos or avocado toast.  They work great for our family because only a few of us love guac.  We can just open a container or two without wasting a big tub of it.

My best buddy is getting good at helping me unload groceries and likes to pick out the flowers.

This was a new purchase for me.  It's yummy, but I wish there were more nuts and toppings on the bark.  I usually grab one bar and a handful of nuts for a sweet snack.

I'm loving these garage shelves.  They were so easy to assemble and our garage is looking so much more organized already.

This chicken salad is heavenly!!  It's so good and it's just $7 for this big container.  I love to mix in green grapes and pecans, but it's delicious all by itself.  It is a great option for me for lunches and I've even dropped it off for someone when I was bringing them a meal.  It's amazing.  I'd 10/10 recommend keeping this in mind if you need an easy entree when you have guests, for easy summer lunches or when you need to take someone a meal. 

What are you loving from Sams lately??

Remembering Grandpa

I'm honored to tell you all about Kevin's Grandpa Carl today.

 

Kevin's Grandpa passed away at the beginning of the month.  We attended his visitation and funeral and miss him so much.  The whole family got to visit him in the nursing home during his final weeks where he was happy to have visitors.  He made jokes, smiled, said we had a great family and encouraged us to keep him in our prayers and go to church.  He lived a good, long life and the kids thought it was so cool that he was in his 90s.  They always joked that they couldn't wait to throw him a 100th birthday party.  Grandpa Askins is what the kids called him even though he was their Great Grandpa.  He never missed a birthday party or a family celebration.  

He was always a joyful face in the crowd when we got together to celebrate with family.  He was curious about everything and interested in everyone.  You considered yourself lucky to get seated next to Grandpa at dinner.  He always asked us questions and wanted to know what was going on in our lives.  He loved to tell stories about his own experiences, too.  Grandpa was a chatty guy!

Most of Kevin's childhood adventure stories included Grandpa.  He taught Kevin to love books, sardines, adventures and exploring.  He was such an interesting man.  People would consult him on everything from opossums, planting a garden, good books, history, current events, good food, getting the best deal and road trip adventures.  He and his wife Sharon had been on many adventures out west and to many of the same national parks that we visited when we lived out west.  Carl always had a smile on his face and everyone enjoyed chatting with him.  He was very involved in his church and talked about God often.  We are so thankful to have had Carl in our family for so man years.

I went through all my photo archives to find some of my favorite pictures of Grandpa Askins.

The kids loved him as much as we did.  Leo was often guilty of stealing his cane and Grandpa never minded one bit.  We miss him tons and our family gatherings are a little quieter without him.  We send big hugs to his wife Sharon and are so thankful for her.  The kids love them both.

 

We were all lucky to be loved by Carl.