I try and clean our washing machine itself once a month. I sometimes do it more in the summer when Brad mows because grass can build up in it. So I will clean it every time I wash his outside clothes. I have used a variety of cleaners, but I did want to share my latest cleaning experience.
We had a small glimpse of spring in February, Brad traveled, Melody had surgery, we had a death in the family, and carline continued!
Almost every visit we have made to Opryland, Solario Cantina has been closed. Usually we go in the middle of the week, but with school, we now have to go on the weekends or during breaks. During our visit to Opryland in January, we finally had the chance to try it!
So until Melody brought home her weekly newsletter that mentioned celebrating “2” day, it really had not crossed my mind that 2/22/22 fell on a Tuesday making it TWOSDAY.
My birthday this year was quite different. Brad was on the other side of the world, and Melody ended up sick the next day when we had planned to celebrate with my parents. But we celebrated the best we could with the circumstances given. And Melody was so proud of herself!
I made this honey garlic shrimp a few weeks ago for my mom, and I really liked how it turned out.
Melody decided she wanted to do store bought Valentine’s this year for her school. This did break my heart a bit, but she seemed so happy about it. But I was able to come up with a cute idea for her teacher.
While on our trip to Opryland in January, we had dinner at Jack Daniels. This is only the second time I have eaten here even with all of our trips there. On prior trips, it was hit or miss on whether it was open or not.
Melody has a LOT of Barbies. She receives them for most gift giving occasions, and she spends her allowance on them frequently. With Barbies comes a million tiny pieces. I had to find a way to solve it, and back in January I did.
I don’t know why I never considered making muffins in the air fryer. I simply halved the recipes (and mix), then I used silicone muffin cups. I used the bake function on my air fryer, so the bake time was about the same. But you may want to adjust your baking time depending on your air fryer. I would just keep an eye on it the first time around. The silicone muffin cups have made quite the difference in the amount of options I have when using the air fryer now.
Valentine’s Day was traditional and simple. We had a festive breakfast, swapped gifts, and made homemade lasagna.
We went to Opryland about a month ago. During our trip, they had a live animal showing at noon each day of the weekend. It happened in the Delta at the fountain. Melody was really excited to see it on Sunday (we missed it on Saturday because it happened while we were eating lunch). On Sunday they brought in turtles. They had two, and Melody thought it was really neat. They let them walk around us as they kept an eye on both the turtles and all the tiny hands to keep them from touching them. It was a really neat, free activity to do while we were there. Be sure and look at the activities schedule during your visit to check out any free activities like this one!
Brad travels often for work. Sometimes the trips last 4-5 days, sometimes 4-5 weeks. When he takes short trips, we try to include a small happy. This is usually something like a small lego set or keychain. For longer trips, I try to do something bigger. Now this doesn’t always happen, but if I know about a trip long enough, I try to plan something to give him some encouragement while away for so long.
Lunch can be a struggle. I get bored easily, and I want things quick. I don’t care for leftovers, so I feel my options are fairly limited. But I decided to make myself some wraps using chicken tenders from Slim Chickens. This turned out perfect and is a great lunch to have on occasion.
Back in early 2021, we renovated our kitchen. We added a backsplash, lowered the bar counter, got a new sink and faucet, and added under cabinet lighting. We knew we would eventually need new appliances, but we were not in a rush to get them. However, we were having some small issues with our dishwasher, and I was desperate for a fridge with a water dispenser. After the stimulus check back in March of 2021, we decided to start researching new appliances.
Last year, I bought three Simplified monthly planners. I gave one as a gift to Melody’s teacher. I used one to help keep up with Melody. Then I used the third to keep track of all the things I do around the house. This lets me have an easy way to look back and see when the last time I did something such as change my contacts or clean our backsplash without hoping I remember.
For many years, my mom and I took trips to either Disney, a cruise, or both for MLK weekend for my birthday. We have not done this as frequently since having Melody. But Brad was out of town, and we decided to head to Opryland for MLK weekend. While we go often, mom has never went with us, so it was a fun treat.
I found this recipe by searching past recipes on Home Chef’s website. I did adjust it some for our taste. And next time I would make this using shrimp with the tail OFF.
January has been quite the month. Brad had to go out of town basically the entire month. We went to school some but also started virtual school. We went to Opryland. And we caught COVID!
On January 2nd, we had the unthinkable happen…it snowed! And it was a fairly heavy, wet snow. Now the surprisingly part is that on January 1st, it was in the 70s, and we were having tornados. Alabama weather is purely insane.
