Slice of Life: April 29th, 2019

I really love springtime. Beautiful days are like a drug to me. I can’t help but want to do everything outside: eat, hang out/talk with friends and family, mess with my flowers, go on walks, lounge on our covered patio (bonus points if it’s raining, ahhhh), just everything. The pollen that tickles my nose makes me a little crazy at times, but I’ll take it if it means we can keep the warm sunshine, light breeze, and 75 degree days. Amen.

We’ve been soaking up so many of these beautiful days lately, knowing that a muggy, hot summer is chomping at our heels at this point. Summer also means that there will be baby cheeks to smother in kisses soon, so bring on the heat because we four DeSpains are pumped to meet our family caboose!

Speaking of babies, I got to meet one of my close friend’s babies a couple weeks ago in Birmingham and could have melted into her couch and loved on Henry for hours. I love holding my friends’ kids when they’re newborns and thinking about the honor I’ll get of watching them grow. I love this little guy so much already and can’t wait for him and my girls to have lots of fun on beach trips together for years to come. 🙂

One of the most fun parts of blogging is getting to be the recipient of fun public relations packages when new products roll out, and it’s safe to say that these Organic Slammers Superfood Snack Pouches have been a slam dunk in my house!

Sadie says “Can I pwease have a pouch?” about 75 times a day and truly loves them. Hadley usually has one per day, and even Jamie is a big fan. LOL. He can’t keep his paws off of them because not only are they tasty, but they have lots of protein. They are full of ALL good things, and I can’t recommend them enough if you’re looking to really pack the nutritional punch with the pouches you buy for your family.

You can find them on shelves in  for less than $1 per pouch.

The nursery is coming along, but ever so slowly. We’re getting there though. All of the big things have arrived, so Jamie is going to work on putting together the crib and dresser sometime in the next week. We’re also doing an accent wall of wallpaper, so we need to get working on getting that up too! are wonderful though and were so cheap!

They are from Target’s Pillowfort brand, are 95″ (we added ribbon for extra length), and are super blackout. The panels are and that gold rod (also from Target) is . Hadley also has Pillowfort blackout curtains, and they are just as good as the more pricey ones we hung in our master bedroom from Joss and Main. So many patterns online, so I’d recommend shopping there versus in the store.

Sadie had her three-year well visit with the doctor last week and was thrilled that she got out of there without any shots. 🙂 We had a quick lunch together afterwards at Good Company Cafe is Huntsville (highly recommend!) before we ran off to pick up big sis from school. I love one-on-one time with my girls more and more the older they get. I think they’d say the same thing. 🙂

This $14 tablet is worth. the. money! My girls were gifted these recently and are completely obsessed. They are basically just like little Etch-A-Sketch pads, but all you have to do to erase the picture is press the trash can button. It comes with a stylus, and Hadley especially just can’t get enough. She is constantly writing and drawing. A++ from Jamie and me!

The Army Reserve is going so well. I’ve mentioned multiple times how skeptical I was about Jamie continuing his service via this route, but it’s been really great. He likes the work he does, and the health insurance benefits are so worth the one weekend a month he goes in.

Since he drills in our community (Redstone Arsenal) he comes home on drill days by 4:30 p.m. and was even able to briefly slip away during his lunch break this past weekend to surprise Hadley and watch half of her soccer game! We both know that his time in the Reserve may not always work into our lives as seamlessly as it does now, but for now, we’re grateful for how it’s providing.

Saturday was fun! I started the day with a 6 a.m. OTF workout before Jamie headed off to drill. The girls and I then had a PJ morning at home while I did some “nesting” around the house and they did whatever they wanted. They always know that Army weekends = girls weekends.

Hadley had a soccer game at noon, and then we left immediately from the game and headed about 40 minutes north to Browns Family Farm to pick strawberries. I asked my mom if she wanted to tag along, so we all enjoyed her company!

We picked strawberries in Kansas two years ago and enjoyed it so much but never got around to it last year amongst the chaos of just moving in Alabama. I knew we would strive not to miss the season this year!

Jamie was home by the time we got back, but he immediately jumped right into an HOA advisory board meeting that he’s now on. Oy.

We ended the day down the street at a neighbor’s house who spontaneously hosted what’s now been coined by another neighbor as “Drinks in the Driveway”, which is basically where everyone brings chairs and their families and we all hang together until 9pm-ish while the kids play. Nobody has to clean their house, and these “events” generally don’t get rained out since they’re always put on last-minute when the weather looks to be nice. 🙂 You should start these in your ‘hood because they’re a fun, casual way to get to know the people who live around you!

On Sunday the girls and I spent the morning at church since I was set to serve at two services. The girls always like this because it’s extra time that they get to spend in their childcare rooms doing all of the things they do. We ate at Uncle Maddio’s pizza afterward since kids eat free on Sundays, and then we bopped home to clean the house (me) and nap (them).

I was feeling pretty fatigued Sunday afternoon, so some time at home to piddle and get random things done was welcomed.

Jamie got home around 4 p.m. and was ready to quickly dig into dinner. I pulled out some of my Hello Fresh recipe cards and combined some baked chicken from one card with creamed spinach from another. Yum! Jamie said this was some of the best chicken I’ve ever made.

Basically you lightly coat boneless chicken breasts with sour cream and then toss them with breadcrumbs, paprika, a little parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper (I like to shake them around in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag!)

Bake on 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes and ta da! So moist and flavorful!

And that about wraps up another Slice of Life to round out April. 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start! xo

Let’s chat!

If you or your spouse has served in the Guard or Reserve, what is/was that experience like for your family?

Where is your favorite place to go berry picking?