What's Up Wednesday (on a Tuesday): January 2022

I was going to skip this monthly wrap up altogether this year since I am taking Wednesdays off from blogging but I just could not resist putting together this fun look back at our month.  I rely on these posts myself when I'm trying to remember certain highlights of our year so I decided I'd just post my What's Up Wednesdays a day earl this year... even if they are a bit redundant with my Friday Favorites and One Sentence a Day posts. 
What We're Eating This Week: We made homemade pasta this past weekend-- both regular and whole wheat and it was delicious!  

We also had steak on the grill (yep, we grill even in the middle of winter with ice and snow!) with baked potatoes, asparagus, and salad. 


I made burgers and had my veggie burger on a low-cal bun with a side of mixed vegetables. 


We made homemade pizzas using the skinnybiz pizza dough. 


Lunch most days consists of a large salad with lean protein (like fat free cottage cheese) and a sprinkle of fruit on top.


We've had pulled pork over rice (I subbed out rice for riced cauliflower).




What I'm Reminiscing About: Alec turned 16 this month! 16!!  I don't know how that happened so fast but with all his talk of baking and filling in a sheet about his baking history for his culinary class I was reminded of all his early baking efforts.

His Hogwarts cake



How he always insisted on making everything from scratch-- by himself!



His filled dirt cake cupcakes:



His Boston cream cupcakes:



His mint swirled cupcakes:



His love of baking began with Cupcake Wars and he spent YEARS making new cupcake creations each week (that we always tried to give away or bring to play groups!)





What I'm Loving: My nails have really taken a beating this winter so I put on some press on nails last week and I am LOVING having long nails again. I have extra sicker sheets so when one gets loose I just replace the sticky pad underneath and I'm good for another several days.




What We've Been Up To: We urethaned our countertop,  built 2 new wood racks, went on several cold weather hikes, enjoyed a couple snow days, did some baking, celebrated Alec's birthday, I worked on cardmaking, and scrapbooking pages.  

















What I'm Dreading:  Nothing at the moment!

What I'm Working On: I still have a good 1/2 years worth of scrapbooking that I am slowly tackling.  I wrote up a list, picked out my photos and just have to design a few pages. 

What I'm Excited About: Nothing much at the moment either.  Life is pretty low key in January and February. 

What I'm Watching/Reading: I started watching How I Met Your Father on Hulu and it's pretty cute.  I also watched Encanto, Being the Ricardos, Beartown, and finished up both Billions and Emily in Paris season 2. 

I shared all about the books I read in January yesterday on the blog. It was a good reading month with a variety of genres.


What I'm Listening to: The washer and dryer... does it seem like yours are constantly running too or is that just in our house?

What I'm Wearing:  Lots of sweaters and layers. 










What I'm Doing This Weekend: Alec has a few make-up classes for driver's ed and my husband and I have plans to go out for a dinner between dropping him off and picking him up. 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: Valentine's day! I just love this little nothing holiday that most people couldn't care less about.  

What Else is New:  We began installing our countertop and sink in the basement!

Linking up with: Spread the Kindness, 


Comments

  1. HollyJanuary 25, 2022 at 5:51 AM

    Oh my gosh, I LOVE the pics of Alec baking over the years- so sweet- seems like it has always been a passion- you will be thankful you have all of these beautiful pics! Love the nails too btw :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2022 at 7:06 PM

      Yep, he started baking quite young and so far has not gotten sick of it at all.

      Delete
  2. Doused in Pink | Chicago Style BlogJanuary 25, 2022 at 7:32 AM

    This post is making me hungry! Love seeing all of the yummy treats your son has made! Your nails are so pretty!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2022 at 7:06 PM

      Thank you! It's amazing to see how much he's changed and grown and compare his old projects to his latest.

      Delete
  3. Dara @ Not In JerseyJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:31 AM

    All the baked goods! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoesetteJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:43 AM

    That counter top is gorgeous! I can't wait to see the finished, installed product!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2022 at 7:07 PM

      It's in place and we have the sink in... just need to hook up the pipes, get the faucet going, and install the last few cabinet doors. So very close to done!!

      Delete
  5. EllibelleJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:55 AM

    I am loving all those cozy sweaters! I too have been living in layers, although these days I rarely take any off because it's just that cold! At this point I am ready to move south LOL!
    How wonderful that your son has enjoyed baking all those years and still loves it. The treats all look delicious!
    And your nails are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2022 at 7:08 PM

      If anything I'm adding even more layers on! Evan has been asking all winter if we can get a home in Florida so both him and I can spend our winters down there (since he knows the others have work and school and can't get away)... it's tempting!!

      Delete
  6. Tamar SBJanuary 25, 2022 at 9:18 AM

    Your nails are amazing.
    The baking throwbacks are amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. R's RueJanuary 25, 2022 at 9:42 AM

    I love your nails and the cupcakes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lindsay's Sweet WorldJanuary 25, 2022 at 10:13 AM

    You wore lots of shades of blue this month and I have to say that blue is your color. I love that aqua turtleneck on you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Julie's Creative LifestyleJanuary 25, 2022 at 1:17 PM

    I too love the way your nails look and I love the pretty sweaters too. Happy birthday to your son. I feel like once I'm caught up with laundry it starts all over again. LOL. Enjoy the rest of the week Joanne.

    ReplyDelete
  10. MarshaJanuary 25, 2022 at 3:22 PM

    Oh, all of those baked goods over the years!! It's really wonderful you have all of these photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2022 at 7:09 PM

      Thanks! It really came in handy filling out that sheet for school too as it wanted to know approximate dates of when he had baked certain thing. I used my blog's search feature!

      Delete
  11. Jodie's Touch of StyleJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:00 PM

    I love that your son is so into baking Joanne. That's a great way to learn about math and many other life lessons!!
    And I'm loving your heart sweaters too. It's the perfect time of year for those.
    XOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Laura BJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:15 PM

    You have been eating so healthy! I'm really impressed! Love the countertop!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Memphis BridgesJanuary 25, 2022 at 8:55 PM

    Love those heart sweaters! Also, just curious, which brand of press on nails worked for you? I've tried a few and haven't found one that I really like yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 26, 2022 at 7:48 PM

      The ones I used were KISS and I always make sure to clean my nails with alcohol before putting the fake ones on. They seem to hold better that way with all the natural oils removed.

      Delete
  14. Nancy 's Fashion StyleJanuary 26, 2022 at 1:39 AM

    Blue is your colour! Great nails!

    ReplyDelete
  15. NatashaJanuary 26, 2022 at 6:16 AM

    Oh, I love the reminiscing about Alec's baking journey -- such a fun walk down memory lane. And I love that heart sweater on you! I'm so glad you blogged WUW -- I'd miss reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Andrea NineJanuary 26, 2022 at 7:12 AM

    I swear you guys eat better than anybody in the country! Oh how I love blue on you! and cute Hearts!! Alec is so culinary AMAZING.

    ReplyDelete
  17. LyshaJanuary 26, 2022 at 8:41 AM

    So many cute outfits! It's always good to not be dreading anything.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sparkles and LattesJanuary 26, 2022 at 2:10 PM

    I feel like your boys could go on a baking competition show. they do so well. Love all your daily looks. I wish I loved cottage cheese more since that is a healthy lunch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 26, 2022 at 7:49 PM

      Alec did apply once! We never heard anything at all though after filling out the online application.

      Delete
  19. Lauren DJanuary 26, 2022 at 8:14 PM

    I love that you've been making your own pasta! We've done it before and while it's always a bit of extra work, it's worth it.

    The pictures of Alec baking are so cute! That Hogwarts cake is impressive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 27, 2022 at 8:06 AM

      It's amazing to see how quickly his skills have improved.

      Delete
  20. Jinjer-The Intrepid AngelenoJanuary 27, 2022 at 9:57 PM

    Wow! Your son's baking is amazing! Maybe he can tell me what the heck I'm doing wrong...my cakes stick to the dang pan really bad. I've tried greasing the pan and I've tried grease + flour the pan.

    ReplyDelete

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