Monthly Musings: Spring Holidays and Fun

Doing another Monthly Musing post because I like this topic too! I used to love summer the most as a kid - I loved being off school, my birthday is in the summer, I loved going to the pool, and I HATE being cold. However, as an adult, I really love spring and fall - when the temps are milder. I'm very excited we're in the early days of spring and am looking forward to this season.

1. Does it feel like spring yet where you live? I think we skipped spring and went straight to summer, ha. We've already hit over 90* several times in my part of Texas, and I'm scared about what summer is going to look like! I will say it's largely in the 80s and we still have some random days forecasted in the 60s and 70s, but we are definitely marching briskly towards summer. Trying to soak in every day where I'm not covered in sweat!

2. What spring holidays do you celebrate? Easter! I sometimes go to church with Brent's mom, but we always spend the Saturday before Easter with my family and then Easter Sunday we have lunch with Brent's family.

3. Any spring trips planned? I guess this trip is technically in the spring {but it's in June} - we're going to Greece!!! I am beyond excited for this trip - it is my first time to Europe and we're close with some of our closest friends. It'll be the longest I've been away from the kids, but they'll be with our parents, so I know they'll be well taken care of and will have a great time!

4. Favorite foods to eat and share for spring holidays? Nothing jumps out at me as being especially spring-focused, but I will say we get amazing peaches in Texas in the springtime.

5. Are there any spring festivals in your area? Lots! I just went to a little art festival last weekend, our town has a big one called Poppy Fest {our town's flower is the red poppy}, and I've heard of many others.

6. Best spring allergy relief tip. Brent is the king of allergies and lives by Claritin D 12 hour. You have to get it behind the pharmacy counter since you can make Meth with it, but it helps him so much. The oak pollen coating everything in our lives right now is insane, ha. He also showers twice a day when it's really bad and uses Flonase year-round.

7. What makes you think 'ok, now it's finally spring'? This is jumping the gun a little {since it can start happening in late February} but it's the return of BLUEBONNETS! This year I didn't see any until a few weeks into March, and I still need to get the kids in them {via bribery}.

8. Spring rain...love or dislike? I love spring rain because we almost always desperately need it in Texas. What I don't like are spring STORMS with tornado warnings. We are not truly in 'tornado alley' but we do get bad storms with hail regularly in the spring and an occasional trip to hang out in our half bath - it always seems to be at bedtime - when a tornado warning comes through.

9. Special spring holiday dessert or treat? Cadbury cream eggs! I absolutely LOVE these. I don't let myself go overboard with them, but I always love to eat 1 or 2 in the springtime.

10. Favorite spring cocktail or mocktail? A few Easters ago we drank champagne on Easter with lavender simple syrup and that was incredible. But I wouldn't say I have a specialty drink specifically related to fall. Moscow mule is my go-to drink yearround!

Trad Wife

I don't know what has gotten into me, but I have taken up some new hobbies that are VERY unlike me - I'm making my own sourdough bread {and am starting to explore discard recipes} AND I'm making my own butter. How very 'trad wife' of me! {grin}

This all started with my company making changes to our wellness subsidy - we get money every year to support our well-being. A lot of includes fitness related items (it covers gym memberships, for example), but every year the program gets expanded and kitchen appliances got added this year! I've always wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer, but given I'm not much of a cook, the expense never seemed worth it. BUT when it's free? Heck yeah!

Isn't she so pretty?!

One of my co-workers told me about how easy it is to make your own butter with a KitchenAid, so I had to try!

You can see the buttermilk separating from the butter, yay!

And here's the finished product. It was SUPER easy, and I've continued to make it. I want to see if there are recipes for honey butter, cinnamon butter, stuff like that.

THEN at one of our Girl Scout meetings, we had a dad come teach the girls how to make sourdough, and we all left with a little of his starter. I decided I wanted to keep this starter going and learn how to make bread. {This dad is the dad of Drew's bestie, so we've enjoyed his sourdough many, many times, so I was very excited to get some of his starter.}

I got off to a rocky start with bread that wouldn't rise.

Womp, womp

I did some internet sleuthing and had some help from a friend who makes her own, and I figured out my starter needed some help, and I didn't NEED this, but I decided to use more of my wellness subsidy to buy a bread oven! Who am I?

Growing starter, yay!

Beautiful bread oven

With those tweaks made and following THIS recipe, I finally had some success! I've now made at least 5 loaves and I think I've got it down. I want to do add-ins here as well {jalapeño cheese sourdough bread, anyone?!?}, but I'm so excited about being able to make my own bread and butter.

My first successful loaf

Can't wait to see what tempts me for next year's wellness subsidy, ha.

Monthly Musings: Ways We Make Our Weeks Easier

I haven't answered one of these Monthly Musings in forever, but I liked this topic -Ways We Make Our Weeks Easier. I am not an organized person by nature {thanks, Dad!}, but having a family of 5 it really is so much better when I try a little harder to fight my nature, ha.

1. Paper planner, digital calendar or other option?

I LOVE our digital calendar from Skylight. We've had it maybe 2 years now, and it's awesome. Everyone has a color, I can add to it from the calendar or an app on my phone, I can assign chores, make lists. It's the BEST. 

2. Meal planning, meal prep or wing it?

I try to meal plan, it doesn't always work {see above about my disorganized soul}, but life is definitely better when we have a plan. It usually ends up being 2-3 meals/week with leftovers or thrown together 'things'. {The girls love to ask for a 'plate of food' and that's just me throwing a protein, a fruit, and a veggie on a plate.} I do have a goal this year of trying more new recipes, but that's hard with the picky eaters I have. {Last week I made tomato soup and a dumpling bake, neither were big hits. I've got spring rolls, sausage & chicken jambalaya, and baked chicken tzatziki up next!} There are 2 things everyone will eat - spaghetti and tacos, so it gets really discouraging to try new things...and no one eats it. 

3. Do you choose your outfit the night before?

Nope. But given I work from home and wear workout clothes, there's no need! I do try to get Paige to pick her outfits out as she is D.I.F.F.I.C.U.L.T. about clothes. She can derail the whole morning.

4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing

I don't iron on a regular basis, so I just do it when needed. What's great about having older kids is Drew and Trent are now doing their own laundry!! The downside to big kids is they are great about washing/drying, but they are NOT great about getting them out of the dryer and back in their rooms. Ha! Working from home is great here too because I can always throw a load in during the day and keep things moving. 

5. Grocery shop instore or online?

ONLINE all the way! We have a Texas-only grocery store chain that everyone in Texas LOVES. Their app makes online shopping easy peasy, and you can choose curbside pickup or delivery. I usually do curbside as there aren't any outrageous additional fees - a slight markup for the groceries themselves {unless you need it super quickly} but some days delivery saves me. I do just about anything to avoid actually going inside the grocery store. {grin}

6. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?

Do as much as you can the night before! I pack lunches, tell the girls to pack their backpacks, try to get Paige to get her outfit organized, etc. The more we have done the night before, the easier the morning is to manage.

7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks

The crockpot is your friend. The easiest meal I make in the crockpot is frozen chicken breast, salsa, corn, and black beans - you can cook it all together, add some grated cheese, and serve over rice or tortilla chips or eat in a tortilla. We've also done fun grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas for quick meals.

8. Best tips to keep your house organized during the week

3 tips: 

1) Start the week off in a good place. I try to get the house cleaned up on Sunday {making everyone pitch in!} - it's so much easier to keep it nice if the week starts off good. 

2) Do a little bit throughout the day. Again this one I'm lucky to work from home because I can wipe down the counters or organize the pillows on the couch, etc. while on a call or while I'm warming up lunch, etc. 

3) Get your kids involved! I'm not great at this, but I'm really working on making the kids pick up after themselves RIGHT AWAY. I will go get a kid out of their room to put their plate in the dishwasher. And then go get them again if they left their silverware out. It shouldn't be all on me!

9. Share your easiest breakfast.

I love to make sausage balls on a Sunday. Then I can warm them up {or not because they are delicious cold} and pair with a fruit for the girls. {Trent doesn't eat breakfast.} They're also great in their lunches too. Or a quick 'I'm not cooking dinner'. Basically they're perfect.

10. Share your Best overall tip not covered yet.

This one is going to seem so silly because it took Brent and me 20 years to start doing it, but we now make our bed every morning. It makes our room look so much better and gets my mind right to keep moving in a positive direction.

The Name Game

The kids love to see how people will say or spell my name at restaurants, coffee shops, etc. More often than not it's said wrong and/or spelled wrong. I can't remember if I've shared the story of my name, but my mom was reading a book when I was born where the heroine was named Alaina. My parents thought I was going to be a boy so didn't have a girl name picked out, so when I was most definitely not a boy, she suggested that name but spelled like my dad's middle name, Allen. And a lifetime of confusion was born! {grin}

These were 3 instances of my name being spelled in the month of February! Just one month!

Never a dull moment with A-L-L-E-N-A!

Blog Future

Hello! Not that I have a big following, but I wanted to pop-in and talk about where my head is with this blog. I stopped blogging at the beginning of 2025 because the big kids were complaining about their pictures being put on the blog without their approval {valid point, kids!}. But I have realized that I miss my online scrapbook! So I think I want to keep blogging in some format but also want to be more respectful of what my kids want as it comes to their pictures and their stories. I plan on going back and sharing some stuff that I've missed over the past 6 months but might not go through everything. Here are some highlights though!

- More musicals! We saw Come From Away {my 2nd time, Drew's and my mom's first time}, Hamilton {took both of the girls!}, Annie, and Moulin Rouge.

- Gus turned 1! We LOVE our sweet boy!

- Lots of Girl Scout fun! I took Drew and Paige on a leader-daughter retreat, we went primitive camping with the whole troop, and had a fun trip to Kalahari. Continuing as a troop leader for next year, and Paige is joining our troop.

- We celebrated Drew and Paige's birthday in early 2025 - having a Christmas b-day can stink.

- We finished our living room remodel, yay.

- Big bummer - my mom had a stroke - but she's recovered amazingly and we are so thankful it was minor.

- Drew made the middle school cheer team for next year - she worked hard, and we're so proud of her!

- We finished school! Drew and Paige both ended the year with All A's, Drew was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, and Trent was recognized for his PSAT score, NATIONALLY!

- Brent and I took a quick trip to Mexico with friends.

- As always, more LJA fun with Brent's company!

- We celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary!    

- Paige got her braces off, whoop!

- Trent turned 16, and he celebrated with his friends at Kalahari. 

And that mostly catches us up! I'll share some details about the biggest of these and will figure out how to share my life while respecting my kiddos!

Tattoo-ed Mama

As I mentioned in my Nashville post, 3 of us ladies got tattoos while in Nashville. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, so it was very exciting that it came together on this trip!

The idea came about because I saw Brent's cousin's {Heather} tattoo {3 hearts down her wrist to represent her kids}, and I told her about my idea {3 stars on the inside of my wrist to represent my 3 kids}, and we decided we should make it happen in Nashville.

It came up with the broader group and both Kristi {Brent's cousin's wife} and Carla {a friend} wanted to get them too! So after we had brunch on Saturday {our last full day in Nashville}, we went to a shop next to our AirBNB apartment and they had availability to fit us in, yay!

Brent liked the idea of what I wanted to do, but said he came first so he needed a spot in my tattoo too so the idea of a 2nd tattoo was born. Heather's husband had his and Heather's anniversary on his wrist in Roman numerals, and I thought that looked really cool. 

Our tattoo artist designing my wedding date tattoo.

Getting ready!

My view of the stars tattoo

The finished product

Overall it was a pretty quick and mostly painless process. The stars took just a couple of minutes and the wedding date maybe 5-7.

Carla getting her tattoo

{dcat for her family-David, Carla, Abby, and Ty}

Kristi getting hers 

{a skeleton key in memory of her dad who was a locksmith}

A close-up on my wedding date tattoo

10.16.2004

The Nashville tattoo club!

We will see if this is the start of many more... {grin}

Monthly Musings: Back To School: Routines, Recipes, And Fall Fashion

 Another set of fun questions - this time about back to school and fall!

1. What are your best tips for getting into a fall/back to school routine?

Being as organized as possible - which frankly I stink at! BUT I'm trying!! Here's some examples of what's helping us:

• Doing as much as we can the night before - packing lunches, girls picking out their outfits, backpacks packed up, etc.
• Using our Skylight calendar to document EVERYTHING as we adjust to new afterschool activities {tumbling for both girls} or new times for existing activities {Paige's Girl Scout meeting changed days/time}.
• Meal spreadsheet - Brent and I committed to doing better with meal planning, and I have a spreadsheet now to track who is cooking when and what. We have activities almost every night, so we have to be organized here more than ever!

2. Please share your favorite fall recipes. Crowd/family pleasers welcome!

Brent and I LOVE spicy taco soup. We make a non-spicy version that the girls like too, but we prefer the spicy.

3. Favorite fall fashion staples?

Layers! Because our fall isn't very chilly, I would say I dress pretty similarly and just add a cardigan or light-weight jacket. And I also love a themed sweatshirt. And a flannel.

4. Favorite part of back to school this year?

Last year we moved schools, and there was so much involved with that. It's nice this year to get back into school and it be a very easy/smooth transition! So I would say my favorite part was that it was so UN-eventful!

Last day of school 2024

5. Do you celebrate Homecoming where you are?

Homecoming is HUGE in Texas, but our kids go to a smaller charter school without a football team, so the homecoming at their school is linked to a basketball game...not as exciting for the kids. But when I was a teenager {and I know it's the case at the traditional schools here} we were all about homecoming and mums!

6. Apple pie or apple cider?

Either! I love sweets and will take them in almost any form!

7. Do the leaves change colors where you live? If so, when?

Maybe 1 in 100 haha. They just mostly turn brown and fall off. {grin}

8. Favorite fall sweet treat? Do you have any recipes to share?

I love my mother-in-law's chocolate pie and pumpkin roll! I've learned how to make both and will definitely make myself sick on Thanksgiving Day with them both.

9. Hayride or bonfire?

I think I would say bonfire because it's nice to be cozy around a fire with a nice cocktail!

10. Movies that give you all the back to school feels?

I can't really think of anything that makes me think of back to school?

Monthly Musings: Late Summer Fashion and Fun

Summer is winding down here in Texas. We have just under 2 weeks left, and we're trying to enjoy every last moment! I'm going to do this fun questionnaire about late summer fashion and fun!

1. Summer travel - where have you been and what trips are still coming up?

We had our 2nd Swope family vacation to Port Aransas - 

full post to come...eventually! But we had a blast!

We have 1 trip left ~ we are going to Broken Bow, OK with friends {our Ruidoso crew} to do a lot of 'naturey' things - I can't wait!

2. Favorite things you have done so far this summer?

So far, I would say our vacation to Port Aransas. I am so fortunate to love being with my family.

3. Share your go-to outfits this summer.

No different than year-round - workout clothes! Ha! Except I transition from leggings to biker shorts. This summer has been weird without any days over 100 degrees {so far} but it's still very hot and less clothes is better.

Last year in The Grand Canyon but my 'summer uniform' for sure!

I wore this tank top Tuesday, ha.

4. Summer accessories you are never without?

Sunglasses! It is so bright outside that I wear my sunglasses 100% of the time when I'm outside.

My latest Goodr pair

5. Share your go-to shoes this summer.

I got some new Reef flip flops for the pool.

They are so comfy and I am wearing them A LOT!

6. Share anything spontaneous you did this summer. Big or small.

Maybe a little silly but having older kids is really cool.

We decided at the last minute to go out to eat for Father's Day...just us!

We left the kids at home with Trent in charge, and it went great.

I feel like a new phase of life is starting for us!!

7. Have you seen any summer movies this year?

Several! I realized I don't think I posted about taking the girls to see The Garfield Movie, and I just saw Twisters so some posting is to come!

8. Favorite summer sweet treat?

Snow cones!!! Always and forever!

9. Summer slow down or ready for fall?

Summer slow down! The kids start back in less than 2 weeks, and I'm not ready! We've had a really good summer. It's been so fun with the kids home this year - we've had a few camps for the girls, some help from babysitters, time with grandparents. It's been nice. I am not quite ready, although I usually get there, for early alarms and rushing around in the mornings! and not done with swimming and all the summer fun!

10. Ready for back to school, if you have kids in school?

As I said in #9, I'm not quite ready. It is nice to have the house to myself during the work day, but I love the slowness of our summer schedule.