Hi everyone! You may have noticed that I didn’t blog last week. We actually took off and went on a road trip to visit my sister in law. She lives in Texas and with us being in Georgia, we met up at a state park in Mississippi. It was a very sweet time and I’m so glad we did it! We figured that meeting at a state park and staying in the cabins there, the kids would have a better chance to play together verses a hotel. It was a great choice!

My husband finally went back to work from his October injury today. He is working in a light duty capacity and isn’t back on the road yet. Thankful he was able to return.

Monday: Brett’s Casual American (gotta love $2 kids meals on Mondays)

Tuesday: Lazy Lasagna

Wednesday: Cajun Cream Chicken

Thursday: Meatloaf, mac and cheese, carrots

Friday: Fettucini Alfredo

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: Lentil Soup

Wow! If you need an extra set of silverware for camping or just want to refresh what you have, Target.com currently has many popular sets of silverware for 50% off!

Prices start at just $5 for sets after the sale! You can even find the fun Rainbow Silverware for just $10 on sale!

Target has many Our Generation sets on sale for 50% off, including several dolls! You can find dolls as low as $14.99! A couple of the popular large sets like the schoolhouse, movie theatre, and ambulance are on sale as well.

This would be a great time to stock up on gifts for the year!

On many items you can select to pick up at the store (where available) or it will ship free with a $35 purchase. Target also has free shipping and an extra 5% off for REDcard holders. You can apply online and it only takes just a couple minutes to find out if you are approved.

Wow! This is as low as Black Friday! Staples has 50% off select gaming chairs.

You can score the Emerge Vortex Bonded Leather Gaming Chair in 4 different colors for 50% off!

If you want to step it up a notch, the Vartan Gaming Chair is 39% off, available in 2 different colors at this price.

Reviews are great on these chairs and I’ve heard that they make great office chairs in addition to gaming. Looks like there is a free shipping deal on these, too!

I love finding personalized gifts for my family for holidays. Etsy has the cutest items available for Valentine’s Day, many of which will arrive in plenty of time for the big day. Be sure to double check production time as those can change at any time. Here are a few of my favorites:

Personalized Valentine Gnomes – So cute and cuddly and personalized with your name!

Matching Couple Keychains – personalized with date and initials, this is super cute to be matching.

Personalized Avocado Couple Mugs – How cute are these! So adorable and perfect for that morning cup! Available in several sizes.

Personalized Couple Illustration – These are super popular. I love the perspective and the bench on this one is super sweet. Completely able to be personalized.

What a Difference a Day Makes Burlap Print – This burlap print can be customized with up to TWENTY names and dates! Different sizes and styles are also available.

Loved Onesie or Shirts – Available from 0-3 months to 12/14 kids! So sweet!

Personalized Stuffed Animals – Choose from four different animals and customize with a name

Heart Cocoa Bombs with Marshmallows and Hot Cocoa – These are so special and fun!

Am I the only one that likes to switch out pillow covers depending on the season? It’s a simple way to feel festive and fresh during each holiday.

Jane.com has some really cute Valentine pillow covers available and the prices start at $9.99!

They have other fun Valentine goodies as well. Prices and shipping rates vary.

My brother’s family love making indoor S’Mores so much that for Christmas, they gave us one of their family’s favorite items – the Sterno Family Fun S’mores Maker! We finally tried it out tonight and we are hooked! It was so much fun and so easy to make S’mores in minutes and then put out the “fire” very quickly.

The Sterno Family Fun S’mores Maker can be used both indoor and outdoor. Also features two built-in s’mores making stations for easy and clean fun.

Definitely recommend this for a fun family night! We are so glad we received this gift and will be using it tons!

Beautiful but cold weekend here in Georgia. My youngest went fishing with his dad and I spent some time cleaning and some time helping my mom sell stuff from her house. She’s getting ready to move to a smaller house. Speaking of my mom, Tuesday is her birthday! Happy 70th Birthday to the best mom ever! We will be having her over for one of her favorite meals of Publix chicken. Gotta love that stuff!

Monday: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Tuesday: Publix Chicken Dinner

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Free scoops from Chicken Salad Chick

Friday: Bean burritos

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner

Sunday: Dinner at cousins

Chicken Salad Chick is one of my favorite restaurants. We are lucky to have one here in Athens. I love when they have their birthday offer! When we’ve gone in the past, the kids and I just walk in and someone at the counter just hands out the scoops, all ready to go! Here’s info!

From the Chicken Salad Chick facebook page:

We’re celebrating our Birthday this Thursday… and we have a Gift for You! Join us this Thursday, January 21st, for Guest Appreciation Day (aka our version of a Birthday thank you)… and a FREE Scoop of Classic Carol!To show our appreciation, every guest, no matter how you visit us, will receive a FREE Scoop of Classic Carol. A Free Scoop will be gifted to every guest who comes into the restaurant for takeout or dine-in, or added to every online, curbside and delivery order.

• No purchase necessary when dining in.
• Limit one scoop per guest.
• Online orders will receive one scoop per entree.
• At participating locations, while supplies last.

If you’re looking for something neat to do outside, Fernbank Museum is opening a new outdoor exhibit.

Beginning Saturday, January 30, 2021, Microsculpture: The insect portraits of Levon Biss, magnifies these tiny creatures into large-format, high-resolution portraits in the context of Fernbank Museum’s immersive woodlands to highlight the beauty of some Earth’s most misunderstood critters.  

These larger-than-life photographs will be placed in the Fernbank’s Nature Gallery in WildWoods. Guests will take in these striking photos in this secluded, yet experiential and museum-curated forest environment, filled with its own variety of insect species and located just minutes from the heart of downtown Atlanta. The vivid and opalescent photography delivers pops of color against the woodlands and magnifies some of nature’s overlooked inhabitants against the large scale of the towering trees.  

Eleven insect species from around the world will be featured as a part of Microsculpture at Fernbank. Species include visually stunning insects such as the Orchid Cuckoo Bee, Ruby-Tailed Wasp, Amazonian Purple Warrior Scarab, Tortoise Beetle and more, presented in exquisite detail.  

Microsculpture was created by award-winning photographer Levon Biss with insect specimens from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Each dazzling and detailed image took nearly four weeks to produce and was created from over 8,000 separate images using different microscopic lenses and lighting.  

Microsculpture: The insect portraits of Levon Biss from the collections of Oxford University Museum of Natural History is provided to Fernbank by the American Museum of Natural History. 

Microsculpture is on view at Fernbank from Saturday, January 30, 2021 until Sunday, May 2, 2021. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. Parking is free.  

The exhibit is included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*.  To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, please visit FernbankMuseum.org. 

*Tickets not purchased online start at $19.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity.