What’s Up Wednesday

Today I’m linking up with Shay, Mel & Sheaffer for this months What’s Up Wednesday!  The questions are in pink so check it out and join the fun.  Also joining Jessi and Jenn for What’s Hap- “Pinning” Wednesday.  Wondering where Royally Waiting has gone?  We are working on creating monthly prompts to make this a little more interactive and reduce the linkup to once a month. Hopefully we will have some info out very, very soon!

Also mixed in with this post is the winner of one of the Blogiversary Giveaways from last week as well as a link to hop over and register for the 2nd giveaway expiring today!  You don’t want to miss it so keep on scrolling.  🙂

What We’re Eating this Week

For the past two weeks I have used this printable to plan my meals and grocery list for the week.  It has really helped me to see all the ingredients I need and check the pantry before I head online to place my grocery order or head to the actual store to shop.

Monday – Pork Loin + Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

I marinated the pork loin overnight in a homemade marinade of chili powder, olive oil, lime, coconut aminos and S+P and then cooked in the instant pot for 25 minutes.  I could barely life this out it was falling apart!  Delicious.

Tuesday – Burgers + Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday – Pepper Steak over Cauliflower Rice

Thursday – Pork Chops + Roasted Potatoes and Veggies

Friday – Bacon Wrapped Chicken + Salad and Veggies

What I’m Reminiscing About

I’m missing a few years but every year when these sweet pictures pop up I reminisce over their sweet faces, the memories I have of their first days and really just how fast it has all passed.  I really remember thinking when Jordan was starting her freshman year of high school and I was about to pop with #4 how much longer I would be doing this school thing.  Here I am just a very short 7 years from sending my last baby off for her last first day!  I know it’s going to fly!

What I’m Loving

Shop Dillon’s Look|Shorts|Tee

Shop Carly Jo’s Look|Shoes|Jeans|Top

These two cuties headed back to school!  I love the excitement of day one and hearing all about their new classes, teachers and seeing their friends.  Carly Jo was precious and was overjoyed as she is certain she has met teacher soulmate.  To quote her “mom, she’s like me at 59 if I were a teacher”.  I could not get over how excited she was about this!  If day one is an indicator it’s going to be a fabulous year!  Mom is happy to have a schedule back even if it does look a little crazy!

What We’ve Been Up To

Praying for Texas!!  From Rockport to Houston it has been a tough 5 days for the state.  Many, many friends have found themselves stranded in their own homes and eventually finding the need to be evacuated.  Several rivers have still not hit the projected crest so more devastation is on the way.  I have truly never seen anything of this magnitude.  While we are safe, it is hard to watch the footage and not want to help in some way.  Beth of Our Pretty Little Girls has been through a disaster and shared her thoughts on how to help which you can read here.  We all want to do something but make your donations of time, money, goods worth it!

 

What I’m Working On

Last Friday I mentioned my blog goals for year 4 and the biggest is to come up with a more productive and scheduled blogging routine.  The hours I have are so much fewer once kids activities are thrown in the mix so I must be more intentional.  Working on a calendar to share here but also share

What I’m Excited About

I’ve been celebrating my 3rd Blogiversary with a couple of fun giveaways!

First I shared the Milestones for year 3 and hosted a giveaway for Rodan + Fields Active Hydration Serum.  Andrea from Andreas’ Wellness Notes is the winner!  Andrea, you will hear from me soon!

I also shared the goals I have for year 4 + a giveaway for a fun Stella & Dot clutch.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to pop over and register for the giveaway before it expires!

What I’m Watching/Reading

If you haven’t read Jen Hatmaker’s book For the Love yet, please stop now and add to your list!  I laughed and nodded along with the entire book.  I didn’t even realize she had a new book coming out but when  friend surprised me with this copy I was thrilled! Of Mess and Moxie so far is proving to be amazingly relatable and I would expect nothing else.

What I’m Listening To

I’ve been listening primarily to a little playlist I created I like to call My God Fix!  Even before the storm I have just been having some anxiety and it was a bit overwhelming to me as I didn’t really feel I had a darn think to be feeling anxious about.  Grabbing my headphones and heading out for a long walk while listening to this playlist just calmed and soothed my soul so much it was unbelievable.

This week I have also been listening to the Bobby Bone’s Show because it’s Pimpin Joy week on the station!  If you are not familiar, one of the shows co-hosts, Amy, lost her mom Joy to cancer.  They created Pimpin Joy to honor her and celebrate people who share joy even though they are going through tough times.   They announced they are selling Texas Forever shirts to help benefit Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.  You can find a link to purchase these shirts here.  Please note, the funds raised are running through the American Red Cross.

What I’m Wearing

Kellyann raved about these pants during the anniversary sale and I’m so glad I took a chance and ordered!  I have worn them at least once a week since they arrived and I’m confident they will be an easy piece I can wear all year long.  They are actually titled “slim utility pant” and I’m not sure what it is about them that is slimming but they definitely are. Olive is such a great color to use to transition to fall but I also love how summery it can look with this hot pink.

What I’m Doing this Weekend

This weekend is up in the air.  We initially planned to spend Labor Day weekend in Port Aransas for one last beach weekend combined with The Hooks last home series.  For obviously reasons that won’t be happening.  At this time I’m not 100% sure if we will still be able to see Riley play this weekend and if so where that might be.  If we don’t, I’m hoping I might have the chance to head to my hometown and help with some of the aftermath of the flooding.

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month

September is always full of fun around here!  I’m looking forward to pulling out a few fall decorations, feeling the first brush of cooler air and celebrating my baby girl Carly Jo’s 12th Birthday!  I imagine there may be a little Aggie football mixed in as well.

Bonus: Best Back to School Lunch Ideas or Tips

My kids are super independent lunch packers and truly prefer doing it themselves but if I don’t make sure plenty of options are available they will pack junk deluxe.  I previously shared Lunchbox Duty Made Easy with some of my kids favorites plus the way I organize them all to make it super easy for them to grab and go!

The links in this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the link(s) and purchase an item (at no additional cost to you), I may earn a small commission.  Thank you for helping to support  The Queen in Between blog

The links in this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the link(s) and purchase an item (at no additional cost to you), I may earn a small commission.  Thank you for helping to support  The Queen in Between blog