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Simply Stated 35

Happy weekend!

It’s been a little while since we’ve sent out a Simply Stated…

Three weeks, if you’re counting!

Yikes.

We’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes over here in Simply2Moms land.

I’ve been doing a lot of painting (this is Anne writing to you this week).

And there’s also a new weekend pass time, but before I get into that, let me take you on a little stroll down memory lane.

We’re going all the way back to the fall of 1983.

That was my first year of high school, and I was a JV cheerleader.

Oh man, I loved cheering!

We wore black and white saddle shoes.

The better to stomp with, y’know…

Our skirts hit mid-thigh.

And up top?

Polo shirts, with our collars popped.

After all, it was the 80s and The Preppy Handbook was all the rage!

We also had nice roomy crewneck sweaters to keep us warm.

Cheerleading was just a little different then.

We cheered for soccer, field hockey, and of course, football.

Now.

I was not a sports-loving kind of a girl, so I didn’t really understand the sports I was cheering for.

I was more worried about looking cute…

There were lots of times that I took my cues about when to cheer from the other girls on the squad.

Or the crowd.

How’s that for putting the “leader” in cheerleader? LOL

Soccer and field hockey were pretty easy to follow.

But football?

Well, I didn’t have a clue.

And one night?

I thought I had things figured out and I decided to start a cheer.

We all took turns starting cheers.

I can’t even remember the words to it now, but I do remember it was a cheer about taking the football down the field to score…

Aaannnnnnndddd, turns out our team was on defense at the time.

Bless my heart…

I was so embarrassed!

Fast forward a lot of years and I find myself married to a football fanatic.

Who finally taught me how football works.

His enthusiasm for the game was infectious.

I might not understand all the complexities of different plays and formations, but I still love cheering at a game now!

And I never mistake which way our team is moving the ball.

Speaking of football, have you had a chance to watch the AppleTV show, Ted Lasso, yet?

It might be one of the most genuine, heartwarming, and funny shows I’ve seen in a long time!

If you’ve watched it, who’s your favorite character?

As much as I love Ted, I think Roy is my favorite…

Which brings us to where we’ve been over the past few weekends…

After nearly 30 years of talking about it, my family finally has season tickets to Virginia Tech!

Bonus?

I get to see this cute girl every week.

AnnMarie’s family has been cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers for just as long, so both our minds are pretty consumed with football, and it kinda shows on the blog…

Now that I’m going to football games every week, my tailgating game has gotten strong! I shared all my tips to pack for a tailgate, and added a printable checklist to our VIP Printable Library.

Graphic for printable tailgate checklist

You don’t have to go to a game to have football watching fun.

close up of dish towels next to 2 bottles of beer and empty classes on table

Did you see AnnMarie’s idea for a fun football watch party at home? We had so much fun watching a game thanks to the great atmosphere she created!

2 tiered galvanized tray with football inspired decor items on table

One of our favorite ways to decorate is with tiered trays, and AnnMarie’s tips for decorating a football theme tiered tray make it so easy.

When we’re not thinking about football, our minds are focused on some big home projects.

Kitchen with cherry cabinets and dark Baltic brown counters with a glass mosaic tile backsplash and black slide in range and built-in microwave above the range.

Here’s my before picture for my kitchen.

Guess what I have planned for this space?

Pulled back image of Minka Lavery Pendant Ceiling Lighting 1494-357, Nanti Drum, 3 Light Fixture hanging in a family room with coffered ceilings and a gas fireplace and large built in entertainment unit

Guess what one thing I changed in this space for a big impact…

We also found some fun things around the web to keep you inspired!

Like this pretty front porch.

This delicious snack.

This simple fall project.

These tips for beautiful fall decorating.

This pumpkin recipe.

These gift basket ideas.

That’s it for this week, we hope you have a wonderful week!

Signature for AnnMarie and Anne with headshot photo