From the Front Porch
Happy Thursday from the front porch you guys! How was your week? We hope it’s been a good one for you.
Are you guys surviving the polar vortex weather ok? We can’t get over all the coverage from the Midwest. A few years ago, we took my Mom on a surprise birthday trip to Chicago in January and it was literally the coldest we have ever been! It was definitely an adventure to remember ?
Speaking of polar vortex and my mom, we ordered the same slippers for each other for Christmas. Even though they were in two different colors, with two different monograms, from two different accounts and we both called customer service to confirm the monograms were correct – they still came back wrong which somehow sent us into fits of giggles!
All that is to say, if you’re giving personalized gifts for Valentine’s Day make sure you check, double check and triple check that your order is correct.
Scenes from our week…
As I shared with you guys in last week’s From the Front Porch post we’ve been working to give our dining room a refresh. One of my brothers in law was able to come and help move the bulky furniture away from the wall so I could get all the room and trim painted.
But the caveat was that my other brother in law could only come the following Sunday to help move it all back. This meant, I had to have the room, trim and hutch painted in just a few short days!
It was bananas over the weekend trying to get it all done in time, but they came Sunday with pizza and helped me move everything back in place and even hung the curtain rod too!
I installed the window trim and cut all the boards to plank the back of the dining room hutch and I think it’s going to look good. We’ve encountered a few hiccups already but all in all, I think we’re making pretty good progress.
Quote of the Week & Free Printable…
Reading this week…
The latest issues of Modern Farmhouse magazine is a good one! I’m seeing pops of blue and white in print everywhere lately.
Watching this week…
I took S to see Mary Poppins Returns on Saturday afternoon and it was super cute. There were a few surprises at the end too which made it even more endearing too.
A Few of our Favorite Posts From Around the Web This Week…
**As we say goodbye to January and begin to welcome February with gusto, I thought it be good idea to highlight posts that could help all of us stay focused on our goals this year. I know some of you are disappointed you did not accomplish more in January and I just wanted to tell you guys it’s totally ok if January did not go the way you thought would.
Honestly, January is about resetting your home, your work load, your thoughts, your eating habits, your schedule and your priorities. January is not a magical month where everything automatically falls into place. It takes work and dedication every day in order to reach your goals.
So, celebrate the goals you reached in January, give yourself grace for the ones you did not reach and begin to focus on a plan that will work best for your needs in February. **
*12 Ways to Make Mornings Magical, Mindful, and the Foundation of a Great Day and Great Success
*15 Healthy Breakfast Recipes You Can Meal Prep on Sunday
*8 Things to Drink in the Morning if You’re Trying to Quit Coffee
*30 Minute No Prop At Home Workout
*Muffin Tin Snack Hacks for Picky Eaters
*Self Care Apps to help you meet your goals.
*This post The Best Order to Apply Skincare has a helpful chart for both morning and evening skincare routines.
*13 Beauty Products that Will Make You Look More Awake
*Facial Gua Sha Benefits. I use a jade roller but one of my sisters uses a rose quartz roller and gua sha tool and loves it.
*If you haven’t been motivated to work on your home goals just yet, these before and after bedroom makeovers are very inspirational.
*Also if you need some last minute Super Bowl Sunday party decorating ideas, this post has some really cute and totally doable ideas.
*Super Bowl Sunday Recipe Ideas, this post, The 50 Best Snacks to Serve on Game Day will help you plan a fun menu!
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**
*Week of February 4 – February 10
Monday – Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts & Basil
Tuesday – Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Wednesday – Almond Berry & Chicken Spinach Salad
Thursday – Greek Chickpea Salad with Grape leaves
Friday – Honey Mustard Glaze Salmon with Endive & Green Apple Salad
Saturday – Paleo Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Sunday – Rigatoni with Mushroom Sauce
Sweet Treat to Try this Week…
Here are a Healthy Routine Finds from Amazon…(Affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So Obvious Secrete to Transform Your Life Before 8 am
Hydration Timeline Tracker Water Bottle
Glass Food Prep Storage Containers
If You’ve Missed Anything on the Blog Lately, Here’s a Peek at What We’ve Been Up To…
Countdown to Valentine’s Day Calendar
6 Strategies for Reaching Your Goals (from the archives)
52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge
If you’re part of our 52 Weeks to a Simplified and Organized Home Challenge, we’re completing Week 5 Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping & Food Storage Organization and looking forward to Week 6 Morning & Workout Routines.
The right morning routine can literally help to set you up for success in so many different areas of your life all week long. While it might evolve as your schedule or lifestyle changes, the core of the routine which is determined by your goals and priorities will basically stay the same throughout the year.
Morning routines and workout routines don’t have to be super involved, complicated or expensive at all. The only requirement is they meet and enhance your needs!
If you’ve been following along with S’s accident and journey to recovery, we’re on the way to the doctor again this morning. There are definitely times I feel like we’re making fabulous progress yet there are other times I feel like progress has been painstakingly slow. I can’t even tell you guys how many days I’ve realized that maintaining a positive attitude has been absolutely key in this recovery process.
I hope you all have a peace filled and happy weekend. We have a busy but fun few days ahead as we meet friends for dinner tomorrow night, make a trip to town for brunch, the bookstore (fingers crossed) and finish up the dining room hutch on Saturday. On Sunday, we’re headed to Bliss Barracks as my parents are hosting what promises to be a festive Super Bowl party.
As always, we have a great week coming up next week kicking off the week with a fun Valentine’s Day blog hop with some of our favorite bloggers. Whatever you have planned 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
Another great week Coco. Thanks for the encouragement on the January goals. My eating habits have been all over the place and pretty horrible this month. I need to let the guilt go and focus on February.
Thank you! I am right there with you Bonnie and it’s totally ok. You’re right we just need to let the disappointments of January go and focus on crushing our February goals. I know we can do it! Hugs, CoCo
thanks for including my post!!
Thanks so much for all the inspiration each week, Grace. Even though we have two different styles and totally different blogs I can’t tell you how many times your posts have helped me. I look forward to them each day. Hope you have a great week, CoCo
I cant wait to get that book and the water bottle that reminds you to hydrate. Thanks for including the weekly recipe ideas. You have no idea how much it helps. Hope everything went ok at the drs today with S. Happy weekend
You are so welcome, Jess, I’m glad you like the menus each week. They’re fun to put together! My Mom has a similar water bottle so you’ll have to share how you like yours. It really does help to keep you on track as far as water intake goes. Hugs, CoCo
Hey CoCo – it is so sweet that both of your brother’s-in-law have come to help you in the house. Truly endearing 🙂 We can’t wait to see the finished dining room! Your Front Porch series is so fun! You know how much we ?blue and white! We are ready for Super Bowl weekend – our recipes are ready to go! Have a great weekend! Much love!
I seriously do not know what I would do without those boys and my Dad. They have definitely stepped up to help me so many times over these past 7 months. I know you guys are big football fans so I’m sure the Super Bowl was tons of fun especially being that it was in Atlanta. Hope you both have a fabulous week, hugs, CoCo