From the Front Porch
Happy Thursday from the front porch you guys! How has your week been? Are you enjoying the last bit of your holiday vacation or are you already back to work?
This week was a mix of work and caregiving duties as try to get back on track after all the festivities that come with saying goodbye to one year and welcoming another.
We had plans to spend New Year’s Day at my sister’s house because my parents are totally bananas about us spending the day together. They also take the old adage, “Whatever you do on New Year’s Day, you’ll be doing all year, so make it count,” very seriously. Unfortunately, S had the flu, so we weren’t able to see them. I did managed to squeak out some semblance of a typical southern new year’s day meal though. One of our neighbors shot off a ton of fireworks which made sitting on the front porch in our jammers drinking apple cider and ringing in 2019 feel like an event. BTW, I’m hoping that old wives tale is untrue ?
I’ve never in my life tried to make macaroni and cheese but we were out of corn bread mix and needed represent “gold” on the plate. I rummaged around the pantry until I found something that kind of looked like macaroni noodles and made it work thanks to one of the recipes from the Magnolia Table Cookbook (*affiliate link) and it was really good.
We ate off our Granny’s mix and match vintage dishes which made the meal feel special.
If you’re a new subscriber, welcome, we’re excited to have you. Our From the Front Porch series is usually a weekly series where we share scenes from our week, menu ideas and all of our favorite things from around the web.
We took a short break to bring you more holiday focused content, but it was one of the most requested series from 2018. It’s also an easy way to catch up on our content for the week too!
Scenes from our Week:
We are still putting away holiday decorations, are you? The sweetest elves are coming over to help me take everything down on Friday and I am so grateful already. I can’t wait to see them all.
If you had a chance to read our post on Tuesday, you already know while this looks like a pile of clutter, it’s also a very welcomed sight.
I haven’t had a lot of time to spend in the garden lately, but it’s been in the 80s in Florida all wek and the flowers are starting to bloom on the back patio.
Quote of the week & Free Printable…
Reading this week…
I’ve been reading 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs each morning. It’s a quick and easy devotional and I love it so far!
Watching this week…
I watched Julie and Julia to see if it would make me love cooking. I had totally forgotten Julie was a blogger! I swear Nora Ephron movies NEVER get old.
A few of our favorite posts from around the web this week…
I can’t wait to listen to this new podcast. I seriously could not be more excited for her!
3 Morning Stretches to Help Your Sleepy Body Wake Up
50+ Farmhouse Decorating Ideas for a Home That’s Big on Country Style if you’re in the middle of planning your 2019 home goals.
If learning how to create gorgeous watercolor artwork is on your list of new things to try in 2019, this beautiful winter scene complete with video would be stunning to create.
Love this post on Simplifying in 2019
15 Smart and Handy Ways to Use a Magic Eraser
A list of the most hyped beauty products of 2018. Did your favorites make the cut?
On the Menu this Week…(just as a sweet reminder the person that makes the menu doesn’t eat beef or pork so keep that in mind when you see this feature each week, wink wink)
Monday – Bourbon Glazed Salmon (if you live near a Publix they can have this ready to go for you in the seafood department), steamed broccoli and red potatoes
Tuesday – Chicken Fajita Bowls
Wednesday – Green Goddess Cobb Salad
Thursday – Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Friday – Pesto Pizza Slice with Greek Salad
Saturday – Three Ingredient Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
Sunday – Ravioli with Arugula Pecorino
Sweet Treat to Try this Week…
Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust
Here are a few inspired finds from Amazon to start your morning off quick & easy…Afffiliate links have been provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
Navy Blue Polka Dot Vest (this comes in so many great colors at a reasonable price too)
Sweater (also in great colors and easy to layer)
Glass Food Storage Containers (we’re obsessed with these)
Ninja Blender Set (we make a smoothie in this almost every morning)
If you’ve missed anything on the blog lately, here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to…
The Top Ten Blog Posts of 2018
2019 Word of the Year & Free Printables
PowerSheets – The Intentional Planner: Are They Worth the Investment?
Read How to Create an Efficient Drink Station (from the archives) If you make smoothies every morning for breakfast or you’re tired of looking for to-go mugs and running late for work. This keeps us super organized!
Check out this post for a look at how we save time by making smoothie prep packets.
I hope you all have a peace filled and happy weekend. We have a great week coming up next week as we kick off our journey to a more organized and simplified heart and home in 2019. We have a fun new challenge we can’t wait to share with you.
To get started this week, all you have to do is to clear and/or organize any clutter on your kitchen countertops. It’s that easy!
I’m off to a follow up appointment with S at the surgeon’s office this morning so fingers crossed, we’ll have good news and be ready to start physical therapy soon or maybe even get a new device/boot/soft cast or dare we even dream to hope for crutches? I’ll keep you posted.
Whatever you have planned for this weekend I hope it’s something you’re excited about too. I can’t wait to see you back here on Monday. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Many blessings,
CoCo
I’m a new subscriber.. love this site! We live in Fort Myers.. you said you live on a little island.. can you share where? Excited to read your thoughts and ideas every day..
Good morning, Pat, we’re excited to have you! We live on a tiny island in North Florida. It’s a great mix of water, marsh lands and nature preserves. Fort Myers is such a beautiful area, you guys definitely have the prettiest waters in Florida over there. I hope you have a fabulous day and thanks so much for following along. We can’t wait to get to know you better, CoCo
Can’t wait for the simplify challenge, I need it. Cheers to a great weekend
Thanks so much Bonnie, we’re excited about it too lady 🙂 Hope your weekend was fabulous as well. Hugs, CoCo
It worked Coco! Whatever you did to your web page to move that disclosure policy box, took care of the problem! ?. Now I can actually see the whole page, Thank you so much for that! Looking forward to your posts next week. Have a good weekend! ?
We’re so glad everything is working properly now, Shelia, that is exciting to hear! We appreciate you being an extra set of eyes for us. We hope your weekend was fabulous and you were able to do all the things you love most. Hugs for a happy week, CoCo
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your posts so chock full of info, ideas, and inspiration. I ate this up! I love your busy and happy lifestyle. I Pinned a few recipes and I really loved to hear about your New Years Day. It all really zaps you. Sitting on the porch relaxing sounds and looks wonderful.
I’m reading a lot more and trying some new TV series on Prime and Netflix. Just not enough hours in the day to do it all!
Wishing you all the best in 2019. Blessings on the health front!
Thanks so much, Jane, those posts are definitely fun to put together. I swear we were ready to tackle the New Year with gusto but the flu bug said, “not so fast!” I know there are a lot of people dealing with flu/cold/sinus related issues right now and we just have to ride it out. Thankfully, it’s allowing extra time for rest. I hope you guys had the best weekend and I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store for you. Let us know if you find anything fun on Prime or Netflix! Hugs, CoCo