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We are overdue for a blog recap post, friends!
Iām sorry itās taken me so long to get one of these up. I actually didnāt realize my last blog recap post went live in October, but it was actually for my 30th birthday back in July. Yikes!
I definitely have updated here and there in other posts, but still, I think we need an actual recap post this month. I think I want to try to do these each month! I am going to continue my All The Things posts each month too, but I think theyāre structured differently, so I shouldnāt be saying the same things in both posts, haha!
Grab a cup of your favorite beverage (you likely know mine is an iced coffee!) and hang with me while we go through this post together!
Soup and Sandwich 2.0
My in laws have several get-togethers each year. Weāve had quite a few since the start of this year, but the one that sticks out the most is our soup and sandwich carry-in. It was originally to celebrate our niece having a short break from the Navy and for Kyleās grandpaās 90th birthday. Unfortunately, we had some Covid chaos shortly before, so it seemed safer to do the birthday party later. So each of us brought either a soup or sandwiches (we are a village together and it takes a village, haha!) and it was delicious.
I made my ten-hour chicken tortilla soup in the crockpot. Kyle may or may not have snuck a bowl (or two!) before we took it to my in-laws the next day, haha. It was really good and for the most part healthy too. I took a bag of Mexican-Style four cheese blend and a bag of the crunchy tortilla strips.
There was so much food! We also had potato soup, white chicken chili, regular chili, vegetable soup, and Philly cheesesteak sliders. For dessert, we had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and a white cake from a local bakery that is the best. It made me sad because it was for Kyleās grandpa and he wasnāt able to be there.
Then, we got to do it all over again two weeks later for the 90th birthday party, haha! I made the same soup and my SIL brought her white chicken chili. We had a creamy chicken and noodle soup and cheese tortellini soup (think Olive Gardenās version, very good!). The sandwiches were BLT this time around I think, my memory is seriously not the best, but they were delicious!
First Blog Collab of 2023
Oh my goodness, I was over the moon excited when I got my first collab for this year. I am very grateful for each and every one that Iāve been able to do over the years here on the blog, but this was a biggie for me! Iāve had Erin Condren on my dream list for awhile and I literally squealed out loud when I found out I was selected for their Spring Seasonal Surprise Box collaboration. Eeek!
I pretty much stalked the mail until I got the box in the next few days and then I didnāt open it until I was ready to go ahead and do a quick opening video (which youāll see a little later – it is a surprise box after all!). While I canāt say whatās in the box yet, you can see one of the items that Erin Condren has shared right here. Such a beautiful little notepad!
I have been sharing my sneak peaks over on my IG Stories and will continue to do that until the box goes on sale this coming Tuesday, Feb. 21st. I have been having fun sharing some clues and facts I can share. I can honestly say I love everything in this box and itās worth every penny and more!
Truly, I am SO thankful for this collab, itās very exciting and a great way to start out this year because Iāve talked a lot about wanting this blog to go as far as it can this year – and this feels like a really nice start to that. Iām putting in a ton of hours behind the scenes for content, and just trying to get it out to more people who may enjoy it. Thanks so much to each of you for your support! š
Shopping with My SIL
Oh, this was a fun day, friends! My SIL is the sweetest (and they honestly all are!) and she checked in with me literally every day last year while my grandpa was sick up until he passed. She always made sure I was okay, and itās something Iāll never forget. It meant so much to me and weāve just gotten a lot closer since then. We are both true-crime obsessed, and we follow court cases together.
More about the cases Iām following here in my All The Things post from a couple of weeks ago!
We went to Red Lobster for lunch and it was delicious, as always. I love their biscuits! I ordered the grilled shrimp skewers with rice, mashed potatoes, and a house salad. So good! We went shopping after lunch at several places, but one of my favorites was TJMaxx. They always have such pretty things!
I picked up a Steve Madden scarf and at Kohlās I got a cozy fleece grey hoodie (that Iām wearing as I type this). I got both for a steal! The scarf was only $8 and the hoodie was $11ish and the cashier was even kind enough to give me 15% off at the register!
We wrapped up the day by stopping at Dunkin for dessert! It actually just opened maybe a couple of weeks ago, itās our closest Dunkin at about 20 minutes away. Still too far to drive just for coffee, but if Iām there, Iāll grab it, haha! It was a cute location. We got there later in the afternoon and their donuts were nearly sold out and they havenāt got their machine that does their frozen coffees, but we improvised!
I got a vanilla iced coffee with cream and sugar, and my SIL got a hot chocolate and ten blueberry donut holes for us to share. Both things were super yummy and it was funny while I was drinking my iced coffee, I was actually getting the sugar through my straw so I was crunching sugar for a minute. Definitely never had that happen before, I was AWAKE after all of that, haha.
Superbowl Sunday
I have to be honest, I donāt really care about football – Iām really just here for the food, haha! I am pretty sure I ate the entire time we were at my in-laws. Itās my husbandās favorite meal of the year, and itās probably right up there for me too. My MIL goes all out with a Mexican fiesta!
We had taco meat, chicken, cilantro lime rice, chicken enchiladas, three different dips and tortilla chips, and all the fixins (as we say in the south, haha) for tacos and burritos. For dessert, my SIL made those delicious Dolly Pardon caramel brownies and my MIL made her cranberry dessert (itās like Starbucks Cranberry bars, but better!).
Can you tell our family likes to eat? Haha!
First Fishing Trip of the Year
As youāll probably remember from last year, we typically do Fishing Fridays, but it was a Wednesday this time! It is February, so we had to take what we could get, and it was a beautiful 70-degree day. It was definitely windy, but worth it to spend some time together with my sweet husband.
How cute is this dog? It belongs to the people who run this paylake and itās always very friendly. There was another family fishing the other lake the day we were there, and it spent most of the day with them. Then it came over to us for a little while. Kyle told me āshoo it awayā because he had bait by the car, and in true fashion, I just coaxed it over by me so I could pet him, haha!
We didnāt catch anything, but had a few bites. It was one of those days! We still had a great time and I was totally worn out by the end of the day. Fishing always wears me out!
Woo, this was a little bit of a long recap post, friends! Hopefully you enjoyed this one though and I’ll try to make a more structured habit of getting these recaps out a little quicker. š
I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to, and if you have any fun weekend plans!
Sounds like so many lovely things have been happening! I could personally never go fishing haha not an outdoors kind of gal.
Happy to see that you’re back. Loved catching up through your recap. I don’t care for the superbowl too…I only watch the halftime shows. š¤
http://www.fashionradi.com
Thanks, Radi! š I’m so happy you loved this one, and yes, the halftime show is always fun and the commercials are interesting to check out too!
Aww, thanks Candice! Haha, I didn’t think I would either honestly, so I get that!
WOW! Very cute. Kisses :*
Thanks so much, Jenovia!
Such a fun post and you have been busy, but with fun things! I am so excited for you about the EC collab, they are so great to work with and always send a lot (which is kind of them!). Your shopping day sounds lovely and your SIL is a gem to check in on you daily like that during your tough time with your grandpa. That is something I would always remember too! I think my favorite part of this post is all of the delicious food and drinks in it. I would like one of each! Ha, ha! I have been craving Dunkin Donuts coffee recently, I may have to go sometime soon!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thanks so much, Carrie! š You are the best, I appreciate you and all your support! Yes, EC is awesome and I’m so excited to actually share the contents when I’m able to! My SIL really is a gem, and so are you because you were always checking in on me too during that time! š Haha, we both do love our yummy food and drinks, haha!
Hi! I just discovered your lovely blog. Congratulations on your first collaboration for 2023, it’s so fun to collab with brands we love right? Also, I haven’t been fishing in decades, but I do enjoy the feeling of being out near the sea!
Cheers,
Tania
https://inspiremyfancy.com/
Aww, I’m so happy you found my little place here, Tania! I hope you’ll come back and visit again soon! š Thank you SO much, yes, it truly is the best to work with brands that we wholeheartedly love! Oh, that sounds absolutely perfect being by the sea!
I just had lunch but all this talk of food is making me hungry! Soup and sandwiches is a great idea for a get together so it isn’t so ‘heavy’. The soup you made sounds SO good!
Haha, any food photos on other blogs make me hungry too!! Thank you tons, Laura! I’m going to have to do a recipe post for my soup sometime soon!
So much goodness in this post! I want to be a part of your soup and sandwich get together. Sounds so yummy! Congrats on your collaboration with Erin Condren. Love the pretty box! So nice that you have your SIL to check on you and to have fun with. Thanks for all the updates my friend!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks so much, my dear friend! Wish I could share my soup and sandwiches with you! Thank you tons on the collab, can’t wait to share the contents with you!! I agree, it means a lot and you are one of those precious people who has been there and prayed for both of my grandparents! I truly appreciate you! š
I love mugs š Cool dog <3
Me too, Kinga! Thank you so much!! š
Wonderful journeys! Thanks for sharing.
I invite you to visit my last post. Have a good week!
Aww, thanks so much for reading, Marianela! Can’t wait to check out your latest post! Hope you’re having a great start to your week so far! š
Oh, this is great! Erin Condren is amazing, congrats! I hope your year stays as amazing as it started <3
Love,
Krissi of the marquise diamond
https://www.themarquisediamond.de/
Thanks so much, Krissi!! I appreciate that so much, and I hope your year is off to an amazing start as well! š
Oh It looks like you had a great month.
I love all theses gatherings with your family and friends. That what make the best memories.
I also watched the Super Bowl but I only care about the commercials. I don’t understand so much of the American football rules.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Thanks so much, Margot! These get-togethers definitely create memories. I can definitely relate to not understanding all of the football stuff, and it’s just never been my thing. It’s SO good to hear from you friend, hope all is well with you! š
Such a great recap, and it certainly sounds like you have been busy! Congratulations on the Erin Condren collab – the box is so pretty and I love her notebooks and planners.
Your Soup and Sandwich get togethers look so fun and the food all looks delicious
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Oh, thank you tons Julia! It has been a busy month for sure, and I am still beaming from the EC collab! Yes, they have beautiful notebooks and planners! I definitely didn’t have an excuse to leave my in-laws hungry, haha! š
You’ve been so busy! Love all the pics shared. <3 The chicken tortilla soup sounds so yummy! I also know you love Erin Condren, so I'm so happy for you!!
Yes ma’am, it has been a busy month! Aww, thank you bunches on both notes – you’re the best! š
You have had a very busy month so far with lots of fun activities!
I hope you are having a great week so far!
Amber
Visit AvecAmber.com
Follow Avec Amber on Bloglovin
Thank you so much Amber! It has been a busy and blessed month thus far!
Soup and sandwich party! So much fun- and so yummy. I want an invite.
Congrats on your big Erin Condren collab- how fun when something you’ve been dreaming of comes to fruition! Happy for you and can’t wait to see what the EC box holds!
-Ashley
I would absolutely invite you if you were nearby, Ashley! š Thank you tons, that is so kind of you and yes, I’m really exciting about sharing the goodies in this box!
You had a great time. Lovely mugs.
Sandwich party sound fun.
New post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/02/best-shampoo-for-dandruff.html
I really did, it was a nice month even though it was busy! Thank you tons, Melody!
I love that banner for the 90th BD party! Your shopping trip with your SIL sounded fun! I love that you and your husband fish together! What a great day date!
Jill – Doused in Pink
It was really cute, my MIL did great with picking it out! Aww, thank you tons Jill, it really is a nice little hobby we do together and it’s just so peaceful to be near the water. š