Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Friday, August 7. 2026

How was your week? We had some awesome weather after I complained about our weekend weather – lol. It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some of my favorites and I’d love to hear yours, too.

One of our local news stations posted this so I’m not just being grumpy – it was the 7th wettest summer since 1872!

I had to laugh at my little blogging buddy:

I’m not a big sock in the summer person, but I find myself reaching for these thin ruffle socks this summer. I really like them.

I finished this book this week and really enjoyed the story! Check it out if you like stories set in Paris. I think it was loosely tied to the stories of Hunchback of Notre Dame/Beauty and the Beast, too.

Then, I started and finished this little story this week. It involves Nashville country music singers and songwriters so that is kind of fun. It was pretty spicy.

Then, I picked up a new stack from the library this week:

Not favorites…

I couldn’t get into this. Maybe I should have seen it when it was in the theater?

I couldn’t get into this, either…

Both were free on HULU, so NBD. Should I try them again? Sometimes you have to be in a certain mood!

I really like this brand of hand sanitizer and spraying rather than squirting.

Not a favorite. Twizzlers forever. I threw these away.

I loved Old Navy’s spring and summer stuff, but this week I went in just because I was next door and I hate their fall stuff. Maybe online will be different, but the in-store stuff just looked horrible to me. I guess that saves me money!

I was next door in the Kohl’s Sephora looking for a certain product. They didn’t have it – boo. Is Kohl’s where middle aged women’s dreams go to die? That store makes me sad. No offense to anyone who has a fat stack of Kohl’s cash.

I picked one of my two hydrangea blooms to bring inside. I felt a bit bad, but it’s a bloom I can’t see from my yard. I have to go outside my fence to see it.

We’ve had some good walks this week. Tom bought this new harness, and it looks like he is a support dog. He also picked the patch with “Mama says I’m special” so that is weird. I honestly think I’m EO’s support human when Tom isn’t around. He is so nervous. He got scared of someone’s pig lawn ornament.

I surprised Tom with his very own personal pan pizza for dinner one night this week. He smiled and enjoyed it.

Eddie Otis and I had a field trip to Mason’s leathergoods shop. It is dog friendly. I would give EO a B-. He licked some leather but didn’t try to steal anything. They have dog treats and a water bowl for dogs.

I made Ted Lasso “biscuits” for Wednesday night’s premiere of the new season. They are shortbread and delish.

We have a new Chipotle with a “Chipotlane” which is their term for drive thru. I ordered it and picked it up and it was very efficient.

I got a kid’s meal for me and a bowl for Tom and we could have just split the bowl easily. I have only had Chipotle two times now!

Who is ready for a PSL?

I might go on that very day just because I can! I also plan to buy the Chobani pumpkin creamer soon.

I loved this:

I am definitely “normal maxxing”. I think social media is so bad because people forget what “normal” is. People feel less than when they can’t “keep up” and it’s not normal what we see on the social medias. I am proud of myself for eating leftovers and using them up. I have had zero packages arrive this week! I am going to have to disagree on the reading one book a month is plenty. Hehe.

EO and I have a friend named Skyler. She knows that I have treats in my pouch.

This face:

And, finally yesterday I had a big day to celebrate my district’s first day of school. I took myself to Con Huevos (where I also went last year):

I ran into a college friend there which was fun!

I had a happy hour with a former student which was quite perfect for this day’s plans, too.

We had goat cheese and…

cocktails with dry ice!

How fun!

What was a favorite of yours this week?

Amy

Thursday, August 6, 2026

I love being an aunt! I’m so lucky! Lena is my youngest niece and it’s hard to believe she is now a junior!

I recently asked Lena for her schedule, and we texted about her classes. I was happy to see that she has Spanish 3 which was one of the classes I taught and loved to teach. Muy bien, Lena!

This is Lena:

We want Lena to be like this:

Not like this:

I did get Lena’s approval for those photos and this post, by the way!

Lena is quick witted and very smart! She is also social! I think she wants to be a teacher, but I am sure she could change her mind. She reminds me of someone who shares the same middle name with her, you know? She is Lena Elizabeth and I am Amy Elizabeth.

Here are some things I was going to write up just for her, and I decided just to turn it into a blog post!

• Always greet your teacher. Say hello, good morning, or compliment something. It’s not fake. It’s common courtesy and helps you build rapport with your teacher. Do not walk into a classroom with headphones on. It shouldn’t be allowed and it probably isn’t anymore. I would often say “good morning” and a kid would say, “what?” because they were allowed pods and earphones. I would reply that they only get one “good morning” from me. I wasn’t going to repeat it. Lol.

• If you have the choice in seating, always pick near the front. It helps. If you have assigned seats, sit there and don’t complain. If there is ever a time you can’t see something, the teacher will let you move.

• Your junior year teachers are the ones who will be writing your recommendations most likely. You will need them too quickly into senior year for those teachers to get to know you. I always say that you should start thinking who you will ask and make sure it is a teacher who can speak about you as a student for at least a semester.

• Offer to help your teacher if you can see they need help. Pick up papers, pass out papers, do whatever you can offer. It gets you out of your seat which is helpful and it feels nice to help, too.

• Always help your classmates if they drop something, too.

• If someone wants to talk to you while the teacher is talking, smile and give the universal “hold on just a minute signal”.

• To avoid peer pressure, blame your parents. Example: “I have to go to this study session because my parents are making me.” Other kids understand this and I was always ok with being the “bad guy” as a parent. I do think peer pressure might not be as big of a deal now because this generation seems better than mine at letting people be who they are – perhaps?

• Junior year really is what your college acceptance and scholarships will be based upon.

• Join a few clubs, go to the meetings, look to hold a leadership role if you can. It looks good and helps you to feel part of something bigger than yourself.

• Part-time jobs are great, but your main job is student. Treat it like a job because it will pay off more than your part-time rate will if you are going to college.

• Make sure your counselor knows you. They have so many students so it’s on you to make appointments or use the appropriate channels to get face time.

• Write down important dates or have a good system in place. When is the school wide ACT?

• Do not make a habit of going out on school nights. It’s just not good for you. Attend some games and support your classmates, but weeknights are for homework, studying, and getting to bed at a decent time.

• Eat well. Drink lots of water. Do not do the crazy caffeine energy drinks. You will crash. Do not start your day with sugar. Try to buy healthy things you can eat for breakfast and keep an emergency snack in your backpack. Breakfast sandwiches with protein or breakfast burritos are great and are fun to make on Sunday afternoon.

• Keep gum, mints, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, extra pens and pencils, etc. Offer them to classmates if appropriate. This is a nice way to start up a conversation if you feel socially awkward, too.

• Be early. Do not wait until the last minute to come to class.

• Raise your hand and ask questions. Chances are that someone else has the same question and will appreciate you asking.

• Try not to live in the negative. It’s easy to complain about a class or a teacher but it keeps you in that negative mindset, too. Try not to join in the bashing with classmates.

• You don’t have to like your teachers. It’s nice if you do, but it’s just like your boss at work. You won’t always like them. You just have to find out what they want from you and do it. Do you want an A in the class? Rise up to the standard that teacher asks for.

• Try not to confront a teacher with a personal issue while they are teaching or while they are preparing for class. If you have a personal concern, it’s best to email the teacher and let them respond at a time that is good for them. I had some students blindside me with things that would have been better in an email. I would often say, “can you email me that request?” I sometimes had them write it down on a post it, blaming myself for only remembering things if I had a list.

• Your teachers are humans. They have bad days, they are tired, they are making a million decisions a day, they are teaching a lot of students. Just remember that.

• Lay out everything you can the night before. Make your mornings as easy as possible.

• Figure out just how long you need to get ready. Time yourself. It’s really eye-opening and helpful!

• Don’t wear pajamas to school! Spirit days are one thing, but pajamas at school bring pajama energy.

• Get enough sleep! I just heard this and it makes so much sense. If you want 8 hours of sleep, you need your body in the bed for 9 hours.

• Do not let your phone distract you. Consider getting an alarm to use that isn’t your phone. Keep your phone charging overnight and don’t get distracted by it while you are trying to get ready or study.

What have I forgotten?

I hope Lena has such a great year! If you have a junior in your life, I hope they also have a great year!

Amy

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Well, it turned August on Saturday, and my mind is still blown! I keep saying this but I lived on a school schedule from the time I was 5 years old and it’s still hard to wrap my head around NOT living life on a school calendar, you know?

Thank you again to Laura for helping me come up with my present participles – once a teacher, always a teacher. Lol.

In my part of the country school starts as early as the end of July. I’m not kidding when I say I already saw first day of school photos on social media last week. My city’s public school district starts tomorrow.

SAVORING

I am savoring the good parts of summer. I am using up sunscreens and using up anything I deem a summer scented product. I need to savor the seasonal summer foods, too. Everything is so green from all the rain. I love shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, and how easy it is to dress in the summer, but I can also tell I am starting to yearn for the early fall transitional pieces.

WRAPPING UP

I am wrapping up summer themed books this month. I have a few more on request at the library so we will see if I can read those. I am hoping to wrap up some decluttering areas that I have been working on, too.

I also want to wrap up summer outfits and wear my summer things before I can’t anymore as I mentioned under “savoring”.

PREPARING

I am preparing to hear the kiddies on the playground and the school traffic. I am hoping the traffic around town will be lessened during the school hours once everyone is back in school, so that will be a benefit. I am preparing to have cars parked on my street at the pickup times.

REMEMBERING

I would say this was 3rd grade:

It’s hard not to be nostalgic for my school days and my childrens’ school days. Gosh, I loved having kids in elementary school. I have so many great memories of their school days and it seemed like elementary would never end. Middle school was way better than I expected and then high school was special because the three of us were in the same school together for four years.

First day of freshman year with mom:

I didn’t get to teach them until their senior year. By then, they were mature enough to handle it!

Personally, I loved school so much. There is a lot wrong with the way we do school, but I thrived. I loved answering questions, being the center of attention (when appropriate), learning new things, getting to know my teachers, and the routine and structure. I loved the competition with the boys, especially. I wonder how I would have done at a girls’ school without the boys? I came home from school each day and taught my dolls and stuffed animals what I learned, or I taught my sisters what I learned. I guess it’s not a big surprise that I became a teacher.

ORGANIZED

I am working my way through each and every space of my home, really. I am doing pretty well. I want to be more organized although many of my friends and family say I am already very organized. I want to have a place for everything in my home and I want everything to be either meaningful or useful. That’s a tall order!

Please link up here for Currently!

And, now for Hodgepodge with Joyce…

1. What’s something on your August calendar you’re looking forward to? Or dreading if that’s easier to answer. 

I don’t have much on my August calendar. I am looking forward to some boat rides and some more summering! I am dreading August weather, but she started out pretty nicely with some really unseasonably cool days!

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day…do you partake? How do you feel about pearls? 

I am not a fan of oysters! I recently went to a bubbles and oysters happy hour and just had the bubbles part. I love pearls. I think they are a classic. I have a couple of strands. I also have some faux pearl earrings.

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like ‘the world was your oyster’. 

I have felt like that since retiring! I have also struggled with lack of structure and purpose, so it hasn’t all been an oyster world. It’s also different when your husband isn’t retired yet.

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you’re answering today from outside the US you’ll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let’s pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month…which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

I have only been to Mackinac Island and Key West. I would love to go to Catalina and Martha’s the most. I think the weather would be fabulous in both, and I like seeing places I haven’t seen before. My sister honeymooned in Kauai. I also want to go back to Mackinac with Tom because he hasn’t been. Key West was one of our family’s favorite trips. Our twins were in elementary school and we surprised them by driving to Orlando and going to Harry Potter World at Universal, then drove to do a swamp boat ride in the Florida Everglades, then drove to all the keys and stopped at most of them to do activities, then ended in Key West where we stayed for a few days.

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

Like I said, I don’t have much on the calendar for this month. August has always been a month to “get through”. The weather is typically unbearable, and, in the past, I just had to start school very close to the first of August with getting my room set up and getting ready for the kids to come. It was a tiring month of learning new routines and being exhausted and hot. I think I need to do an August Bucket List of things I want to do before summer officially ends.

I agree with “the best of summer gone, and the new fall not yet born”. Well, I would have agreed with that while in the school schedule, but I really have a lot of summer left if you consider Labor Day the end point.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since today was also Currently, I feel that I have shared enough random thoughts! Ha!

Currently link up is here if you missed it before Hodgepodge!

Amy

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Well, after about a month of not shopping, I had a little spree a couple of weeks ago. I hope you will join Marsha and me to talk about anything fashion related. We meet here every Tuesday and it’s a lot of fun. I am amazed by all the different angles fashion can take in this link up.

I actually have a lot to talk to you about today, so grab your favorite drink or set an alarm to read this when you have more time.

As hard as it is, I decided to do a try on sesh of my recent purchases…

I placed an order from J.Crew Factory, an order from Halara, shopped one of my consignment stores and bought 4 items, and then shopped at a local boutique to see what they had out for early fall. About a week before this “spree”, I bought a brown blouse at TJ Maxx.

I love this white blouse from J.Crew Factory! It was kind of pricey for what I usually spend at $49 but everything about it is perfect. The material is kind of a cool feel, the length is perfect, and the fit is perfect. I dropped some guacamole on it but put some Dawn on it and did a quick wash cycle and it came out. I like this blouse so much that I am considering buying a second one. What?

I also bought this camel cardigan thingy and I think it will be a good workhorse. I can see it going over a white button down or a long sleeved shirt. It was final sale and I took a chance on it. It was $24.

I gasped when I saw this crochet duster for fall at one of my local boutiques. I tried it on with a white t-shirt, but I think black might look better. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to go get one and try it so you will have to be in suspense. I didn’t like the Dansko Mary Janes with it. Should I have bought these last fall? I’m not sure. Back to the crochet duster – it was $68. They only had about 3 of them so I knew if I wanted it, I needed to jump on it. I see this as being all the “coat” I need for some of the cooler months.

The consignment things I bought were athletic yellow shorts, a plain white tee, Reef flip flops, and a fun hot pink clutch. I spent $50 total on all 4 things and showed you those last week.

I wore this one day for an errand:

I have on the JCF blouse, Halara jeans, and the Reef flip flops.

I wore this for a happy hour:

This is the brown TJ Maxx blouse, Halara jeans, and Dr. Scholl’s buckle heels (from a few years ago).

Another thing I would encourage anyone else to do, too – as you are starting to inventory fall stuff… I took some jeans I would like to wear soon to the tailor. The zipper will not stay up and it’s not because they don’t fit. She is going to try a new zipper pull or replace the entire zipper if needed.

I also took these fun printed pants to have the rip fixed. Many of you encouraged me to repair rather than get rid of. I like these well enough that I think repairing is smart. Now, both of these repairs combined will run me about $40, but that is worth it to me to have it done professionally. Are you good at taking things to the tailor or repairing them yourself? I could not buy new of the jeans and the pants for $40 so it’s worth it.

Let’s talk my Halara order. I am a huge fan of my Halara jeans and I have become much more of a jeans person because of them. I had been curious about their other pants offerings, too.

I bought these olive green stripe track pants.

And, these olive green barrel leg pants.

I love the track pant trend. I have Halara jeans with the stripes down the sides that I wear all the time. I also bought a pair of Lands End pants in navy with a red stripe. Lands End runs so big. I should have sized down but I still like them. This is why we as women need to stop getting hung up on a tag size. It goes both ways. Some things run incredibly small or are made for a person without any curves and some things run incredibly large for vanity sizing.

Here I am in the barrel legs:

I am still not quite sure about footwear with barrel. I feel like I need a bit more ankle skin showing.

If you also have sisters, you know they will tell it like it is.

And, here I am in the track pant:

It’s kind of hard to know if you made a good purchase until you get into a season and see what you really wear in your real life, you know?

And, a couple of other outfits from the week…

Saturday day:

Saturday night:

Yes, my photos are incredibly professional (NOT), but these are quick snaps I take before walking out the door.

Let’s talk Matilda Jane. Do you know her? He, he. It’s a little girl brand that you would go to trunk parties to shop for. I became a fan of her women’s pants as a teacher. Teacher pants. There’s a lot to talk about on the topic of teacher pants.

I am pretty sure Matilda Jane is kaput, but I have been seeing ruffle pants lately and even ruffle hem jeans. Are these the height of fashion now?

Look at what I saw on a Target ad:

If you are in the market for a ruffle, it might be worth it to try Target’s version.

Here is me in a MJ ruffle:

Here is me in a MJ full length knit pant:

They are extremely good quality and very comfortable. When I discovered Matilda Jane for women many years ago, my mom found a “dealer” who was going out of business and bought out her stock in my size. Major score! I still have both of these pairs of pants. I do not have the tops or the silver booties. Was I going line dancing after school?

Do you agree with this:

I love flip flops with jeans, personally! When did it NOT make sense?

Ok, what have you been wearing lately? Have you been shopping?

I have no one to do back to school shopping for anymore – not even myself!

This was fun! I was super chatty today!

Please link up here!

Amy

Monday, August 3, 2026

And it’s August! I’m linking up with Sarah and Holly to share my weekend. How was yours? I would love to hear in the comments!

Sending positive vibes to those starting school today!

Let’s back up to Thursday…

I had a lovely day celebrating a friend’s birthday at the boutique hotel pool.

Mimosa…

I only took these two photos which tells you I was in the moment.

I got a big surprise before I left when I found out both of my kids were off workday, had no plans, and wanted to come to dinner. I knew they were both off and I threw the invite out there not thinking they would both be free. I made my Ghiradelli brownie mix and ordered mediterranean. We love this meal:

The kids stayed for a few hours after dinner and played some games in the basement. It was just like old times and I was very happy. I had been missing their laughter in the basement hang out room lately, to be honest.

Friday was a really chill day. I am trying to keep Fridays free from chores, so I tried hard this week to get everything done before Friday. I went to Target and shopping for a birthday gift and then made tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. Tom and I watched this:

It was amusing. There were a couple of funny lines about pickleball.

The weather forecast was really wrong for Saturday morning and Saturday day and I was kind of annoyed. We wanted to boat with some friends but cancelled due to what we thought the weather was going to do. Have you noticed how many weekends have been rainy this summer? Sorry, I am in a bad mood about WEATHER. Also, are you like this? If you have evening plans, you can’t do too much during the day?

I made plans to go to a Mexican restaurant and I requested this upstairs area:

I chose this place because it was within walking distance of a dive bar where my friend’s band was playing:

Dan’s band plays like two times a year and they usually start at 9:00. When I found out this one was starting at 8:00, I had to go!

Dan is in the red t-shirt with our high school mascot:

Dan’s newly turned 21 daughter:

She has an internship at Tom’s company this year so that has been fun. I am enjoying my friends’ young adult kids so much these days!

My college besties: We have been dancing at bars since 1990! They wanted me to do my old signature move of the splits but I declined. I did a side lunge to appease them.

The band sounded really good and played all songs we knew and that were nostalgic for us. I stole part of the set list from Dan’s IG:

It was packed and we danced for about an hour:

Waking up Sunday morning…

Eddie Otis will let us sleep in as long as we want to now.

I had an early morning Kroger delivery that did get me up:

Lots of veg!

The app had offered me really cheap blackberries so I added to cart and then made a cobbler and it was delish!

I didn’t do a whole lot Sunday but I did work on some of my clutter clearing.

I found Jack’s Spanish binder from senior year when I was his teacher (and Mason’s). This is a poem I assigned:

I gathered up a couple of trash bags and a couple of donation bags. I’m so sentimental about my kids’ stuff, though! The paper clutter is probably the hardest, no? I am also overwhelmed by their books. I feel like they moved out and took what they wanted but didn’t want to get rid of what they left here, either. They just want us to store it. So, I have the hard job of deciding what to keep for them.

If you are wondering why we didn’t boat at all this weekend and especially today – the weather stunk again!

Tomorrow is Fashion Files and Wednesday is Currently! Look back at Friday’s post for the Currently prompts if you need them and feel free to combine your Hodgepodge with Currently. Hope to see you there!

Amy

Friday, July 31, 2026

Happy Friday and happy last day of July to you! It’s time for Friday Favorites with Andrea and Erika so let’s dive right in.

Cheers to the weekend!

Maybe I will manage to see more sunsets now?

Wow – this was shocking to my brain!

I’ve enjoyed some tv this week!

I watched this alone and loved it. I was sad there were only 4 episodes. I need to finish The Other Bennett Sister, too.

Tom and I are watching this:

And this:

I am a sourdough flunkie. I tried. It felt like having another pet to care for. Hey- I’m craving some sourdough. I think I will start the 48-hour process and hope that my craving is still present. Yes, I am sour grapes about not succeeding at sourdough.

I love the Whole Foods sliced sourdough sold in half loaves for less than $3, but I also found this great option at Kroger:

Please tell the the ingredients look ok? Apparently some sourdough you can buy is “fake” and not really sourdough.

Fresca was up to $11.99 so I chose the Kroger brand for $4.99. That’s a big price difference!

This is a very solid brownie mix:

After much coffee drama years ago I have decided I am a drip coffee/old fashioned coffee pot girl for now. I make about a 6 cup pot each day and don’t use it all. It’s also the most economical. I buy regular and decaf and make my own half caff blend.

I finally did the update. I still have the iphone 13. I usually don’t like updates, but this one is pretty good!

We live in front of an elementary school and playground. Tom taught Eddie Otis to go down the slide as a puppy, but we haven’t taken him to the slide area in a long time. We walked over there to avoid the lawn mowers this week, and I was surprised when he climbed right up and slid. It made me laugh so hard.

He is eating woodchips, though. Not good!

In less than a week, the playground will no longer be ours. It’s been so empty this summer! We are enjoying the calm before the storm, I guess you could say!

Hydrangea watch 2026: Now I have one robust bloom and one baby bloom. Come on, buddy, you can do it!

Mosquitoes love me. This is my favorite bug spray, and I found it in a travel size. I keep this one in my dog walking pouch.

This week held a trip to the library where I got:

I had a fun happy hour at the gorgeous Italian place near my house with one of my Beths. I ordered a pomegranate tequila spritz and it was so good!

We got some Tuscan potatoes:

I checked out a new energy drink/tea place that just opened.

I really enjoyed my drink that had 17 grams of protein. It was called a “protini”. I opted not to do one of the 200 g of caffeine drinks since I had already had my coffee.

I started this:

Eddie Otis and I saw the yellow school busses practicing at the middle school. It’s here!

I have to say how much I enjoyed wearing this outfit to happy hour this week. It’s my brown T.J. Maxx top with my old light Halara jeans and some old cream Dr. Scholl’s heels.

I also enjoyed wearing my new J.Crew Factory blouse for an errand:

The blouse is just perfect. The length is perfect, the fabric is perfect, and I love the ruffled sleeves.

Here it is if you are interested. Sorry I just couldn’t wait until Tuesday to tell you!

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many!

Don’t forget…

August’s Currently is next Wednesday with the themes of: savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing.

Fashion Files is Tuesday, also!

Amy

Thursday, July 30, 2026

I’m a couple of days early, but it works out well to post this today since tomorrow is Friday Favorites and the first of the new month falls on a Saturday!

July was a blur! Did you also think so? My reading was down a little bit because I was so busy, I think. My preferred reading is outside on my porch, and it was too hot to do much of that this month. I still managed to read quite a bit, so let’s start with my reading…

This book is better than The Help. It should and will be a movie. I loved the dialogue. I laughed out loud. I read lines to Tom. It was one of my favorite books of 2026.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I think it’s my favorite Carley Fortune book now. Someone said, “Is it even summer without a Carley Fortune book?”

This was a fun little read. I liked the setting on Isle Royale of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I really enjoyed the story.

I really don’t know what to say about this book. It was melancholy. It was real life. I didn’t like the decisions of the adults. I guess it made me think about what inaction and secrets can do in one’s life.

And, finally I started this relatively short book about a restaurant. Ugh – I’m pretty mad. I enjoyed all of the restaurant talk and logistics but it left me hanging at the end. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I also am not sure what the point of the book was.

I started Yesteryear back in the spring and only read about 100 pages. I have recently read about the ending, so I know where the book was headed. It’s causing a lot of buzz and conversation. I think I still stand by my decision not to finish it. Any thoughts if you read Yesteryear? I think the intent of the author was to make you think about social media and what’s really going on behind the scenes.

I’ve been reading about 7 books a month in 2026 which puts me close to 50 books. I really had no idea how many books I would read when I started doing a better job of recording my books this year.

This month Calamity Club was the size of 2-3 books so that kept my count lower, too. If you are daunted by the length of it, Theo of Golden felt way longer. Once you get into CC, it goes by fast or at least it did for me. Favorite books of the year so far are: Mad Mabel, This Book Made Me Think of You, Calamity Club, and Dolly All the Time. This sometimes can tell you if you share the same taste as someone else, no? But, also, I do think there is much to be said about a book hitting or not hitting for you depending on your mood or stage in life.

Here are my other books of the year:

January books, February books, March books, April books, May Books, and June Books – if you want to go back and see. All of my books are from the library (with very few exceptions) so I do regularly DNF (do not finish) if the book isn’t for me or for my current stage of life. I feel no guilt. Sometimes I DNF if another book comes in that I requested or if the due date of a book is approaching, too.

This year I have read so many books where a parent has just passed away. What is going on? Has this helped me to process my parents’ deaths? Maybe so. I never followed up on my blog about Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Summer State of Mind, by the way. I couldn’t finish it. It was so bad. It was super cheesy and just unrealistic. I hated the actions of the adults. I was triggered. As I read what I have written, it seems that I get pretty worked up about adult decisions in books. Does this come from my background as a high school teacher? Maybe.

I am about ready to wrap up my summer themed books. I know I have a couple still on my library request list.

One more thing on the topic of books…when do I read? I sometimes read with my breakfast, but I almost always read in the early afternoon. I usually take an “accidental nap” during this time, too. I would say I read for an hour or two every day. Sometimes I also read in the evening if Tom has a show on that I’m not interested in but I want to be in the same room with him. I have loved to read my whole life. I could read in the car, and I could really read anywhere and tune the world out. My sister Kate has never been a reader, and she said she finally at age 51 has accepted it. She’s so funny! Molly is a reader, too, but doesn’t read as much as I do because she is busier.

Now let’s talk groceries which really aren’t as interesting as reading…

Kroger Delivery continued to rule my grocery shopping! It was really nice to have this service this summer. Will I continue? I’m not sure. The reason I started it was because of Tom’s specific type of bread not available at our store anymore, but available through delivery. I guess I liked the delivery service because I kept it up even when I didn’t need his bread in that current order. Now I am ordering a couple of loaves at a time and keeping them in the freezer. He is going through more bread since he started taking his lunch to work. Wow – I just over-explained about Tom’s bread.

I went to Trader Joe’s a few times, but I don’t think I did Whole Foods at all in July! I would like to get back there and get one of their family meal deals so I can take some nights off of cooking.

Kroger: $737

7/2 $150.53

7/8 $119.83 (stuff for Michigan – leaving the next day)

7/13 $101.90 (back from Michigan so needed groceries again)

7/19 $211.01 (included vitamins, shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, laundry and dish soap)

7/24 $156 (stuff for niece’s visit)

Trader Joe’s:

$53 wine store

$45 grocery store

$50 grocery store

I enjoyed going back into Trader Joe’s this month. I happened to be in that shopping center a few times and just bundled my errands.

$885 is the monthly grand total

This is accurate as far as I know. It’s still probably too much for two people, but we did have other mouths to feed in July with the meals we took to Michigan and having houseguests.

July Wrap-Up:

July held many highlights for me. I like looking back at both my phone camera roll and my uploaded blog media. It really helps me to remember how I spent my time. We boated on the river by our house with our friends, my niece, and just us (always with Eddie Otis, too!), we went to Lake Michigan, we celebrated Tom’s mom’s milestone birthday and our 26th anniversary, and we hosted our niece. We had some dinners out with friends, and I had some friend time, too, at breakfast out, coffee out, pool time, and happy hours. Our kids popped into our house a few times for visits and for food. I took a few loads of donations and worked on a few areas in our house. You know, I never did publish a summer bucket list, but I have done several things I was going to put on it!

Boating with our niece and her boyfriend:

Happy hour:

Just the three of us eating brunch on the boat:

Celebrating with Tom’s family:

Pool with my friend:

That’s a lot of kids in Michigan and we were missing 4:

Tom showing he’s still got the moves but not the hair:

Hair and Denny’s humor after 26 years of marriage:

Now’s the time, folks! If there is something you want to do before end of summer, put it on the calendar. I heard someone say they haven’t put a bathing suit on yet. What are you waiting for? I am also going to think about what I still want to do.

Thanks for following along with me in the month of July!

Amy

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

It’s Wednesday and that can only mean one thing – it’s hodgepodge day with Joyce! When I first started participating in these I thought only other bloggers would read and comment – not non-blogger readers – but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much everyone seems to enjoy the questions and answers.

I have a theory – we are looking to go deeper and have more meaningful connections today. Usually at least one of the questions causes me to go deeper, at least.

In the same vein…

I have been trying to ask better questions of my friends and family. I am trying to lose “how are you?” and say things like “tell me something you are excited about”.

Do you think I’m right? Are we looking for deeper connections in this world of superficiality?

1. What was the last thing you celebrated? 

My mother in law’s 80th birthday! I love to celebrate anything and everything, though. You want to celebrate your nails finally growing out? Call me!

2. July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what’s the first  person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind? 

I think of “tiger mom” which is the term for the stereotypical Asian mom. I also read the book.

They are calling it “tiger parenting” now and here is the quick definition.

I don’t think I was a tiger mom. I encouraged but I didn’t push too hard.

And, because of I am child of the 80s, I will sing “Eye of the Tiger” at any chance! Speaking of…

3. The expression ‘eye of the tiger’ describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?  

I hate to say this, and it could be the heat talking, but nothing right now.

4. What was the last meal you cooked? 

The last labor-intensive meal I cooked was Friday night when I made chicken cutlets or chicken schnitzel for my niece and her boyfriend. Tom and Mason were also present. I pounded the chicken out, made a bowl of egg, flour, and breadcrumbs, seasoned the flour and breadcrumbs and added hot sauce to the egg, then did the whole frying, draining, and keeping warm in a 200 degree oven. Whew!

I also made taters and broccoli and a cake.

5. Describe your July using exactly five words. 

fast, fun, family, heat, happy

fast – it went by in the blink of an eye – seriously!

fun – looking through my media (I loaded 320 photos in July), I see so many fun times

family – I was just with my niece Mia and her boyfriend, and we spent one Saturday night with Tom’s family celebrating his mom, and we went to Michigan with a grand total of 34 members of my side of the family

heat – we had some super-hot days as we do in July where I retreated inside the house more and watched more tv than read books in my down time

happy – I had lots of happy moments in July

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I looked at my school district’s calendar yesterday and was shocked! That is how far removed I have become! Teachers start full time on Monday, August 3rd and the students start full time on Thursday, August 6th. I live in front of an elementary school with the hours of 7:30-2:10 and very, very close to a middle and high school with the hours of 8:40-3:20. I try to avoid driving during the start and stop times because it gets hairy! I also like to get out and walk EO on the playground before recess!

Last year on the first day of school, I took my first day of NOT GOING to school photo:

I took myself to brunch and a pedicure and had a great day!

This year, I have a happy hour planned with my former student (without knowing that was the first day!) so that seems pretty perfect. What else should I do on this day? Should I do another photo?

What would you say to any of these questions?

Amy

Monday, July 27, 2026

What a weekend! I’m tired in the best way! I’m linking up with Sarah and Holly to share. I’d love to hear what you did, too!

I started noticing how gorgeous these plants on the edge of our property look in the full summer heat and sun.

I sat in the shade and read for a bit on Friday and little Eddie Otis was chill next to me.

I spent all of last week cleaning, decluttering, washing, and shopping for Friday. My niece and her boyfriend were coming to stay with us for the weekend.

I made my first salad in weeks and yes, I looked up the brand to make sure it was safe.

I cut up strawberries and made a dip.

I bought these rolls.

I made chicken cutlets/chicken schnitzel.

roasted potatoes and broccoli:

I messed up the frosting on this chocolate bundt cake and tried to hide the spots of powdered sugar with marshmallows and chocolate chips – lol. You win some, you lose some. She ain’t pretty.

Dinner on the patio:

Eddie Otis loved having a full house in the family room as Mason came over, too, for dinner. We watched some standup comedy on the tv and Eddie Otis was a lapdog.

Mason went home and we all went to bed around 9:00. My niece and her boyfriend are lifeguards and had been up since 5 am for the old folks swim – lol.

They slept in Saturday morning which was what I had hoped for them! They have been working so hard this summer to save their pennies for the school year. I made pancakes and bacon and Jack came to eat breakfast with us. I had asked each of my kids to come when their work allowed so that they could visit their cousin.

Backstory – I had twins and then 5 years later my sister Molly had twins. One year after that, my sister Kate had just one baby at a time. My parents were already used to getting grandkids two at a time!

The only evidence that pancakes were eaten:

Tom and Eddie Otis went to get the boat ready and we arrived and went in the boat shop and then it started raining.

We went across the street to Haymarket to get some snacks and waited out the rain inside the boat barn. Finally, we thought it was ok to proceed. We got on the boat and it was cold! We had a touch of fall in the air on Saturday.

See, they wore “boat socks”!

Our plan was to participate in a “poker run” and to eat lunch at Captain’s Quarters on the boat.

Finding a “dealer boat”:

We found two boats on the way to lunch using a map of the dealer boats. They held up a giant playing card for you to assemble your poker hand.

Our card at the end of the event:

Captain’s Quarters:

EO was a good boat boy! I think we left at 1:30 and stayed out until almost 5.

We found the other boats after lunch and it was a wild ride with choppy water. We had to show them downtown, though, before going in.

We came home and took showers and then went down the street for sushi.

Jenn has been talking about gyoza so much that I suggested we try it!

We came home and everyone was ready for bed.

They slept in until 10 again and then we made breakfast burritos.

We went to Goodwill and Mia found a couple of things.

Remember my Michigan melted Crocs? I thought I threw them away but I guess I put them in a Goodwill bag. They were on the shelf. See how the left is much smaller?

Then, we went to the Sunday farmer’s market and the kids got a blueberry lemonade shake up.

We ate lunch at Waldo’s Chicken and Beer:

And, last we went to Clothes Mentor and I’m the only one who scored – Nike Air Max that had only been worn a couple of times from the looks of them! $18!

I hope you will join us for Fashion Files tomorrow. What have you been wearing? What are you tired of? Buying for fall? There are lots of ways you can join us for Fashion Files and we would love to see your post!

Currently for August will be here soon. It will be Wednesday, August 5th. Here are the themes – trying to make it kind of end of summer/starting school adjacent.

savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing.

Whew! I’m tired! I am not used to that much weekend activity!

Amy

Saturday, July 25, 2026

Look at me! It’s a rare Saturday post so that I can participate with Jenn and others!

Something I loved

If we are talking this week, I loved that the weather cooled off!

I loved time with my friend and prosecco in a little coupe!

I loved my hydrangea blooming!

I loved sprucing up my bathrooms and just tending to my home this week…

If you are talking about summer in general, there are so many things…

I also loved slow mornings, good coffee at home with my frothy Chobani creamers – hazelnut, s’mores, and birthday cake are currently in my fridge! I loved some phone calls with friends and family and I ran into three former students this week, too!

I love taking a shower after being out in the sun and enjoying my AC, a good tv show with Tom and by myself, a summer themed book, summer foods, ice cream in the freezer, and so much more!

I would say July was a month of connection and fun. Lake Michigan was a highlight!

Floating together was so much fun! It was so wonderful to me that so many teens and tweens wanted to be out here with the adult women. We had so many laughs!

Something that sustained me

I will say relationships and connections. This summer I have met up with three former students and that was so special to me.

Madeleine who just got back from her second year of teaching in Spain:

I treasure these relationships as you know!

My time with my sisters and extended family meant so much to me! I’m still laughing about my 24 hour sister time in my hometown. 34 members of my mom’s side of the family were in Michigan together.

My breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and pool dates with my friends are super important to me because it keeps us connected. I think I’ve learned not to overschedule social time but to schedule just the right amount.

My time with my little family of Tom, my twins, and Eddie Otis are precious, of course.

Something I’m carrying forward

A more relaxed state of being. The ability to have time and margin in my life for what’s important. The ability to craft the life I want without feeling guilty or that I “should” do things a certain way.

Something I’m making space for

I am decluttering and I really think stuff has been holding me back. I want to make space for only things in my home that are meaningful or useful. I am super sentimental and many things are hard to let go. I can even be sentimental about a bowl that my kids ate popcorn out of!

I want a house that is easy to clean because there aren’t too many things cluttering it up. I want to be able to host people if I like them – lol.

Let me know if you have any books or Instagram accounts I should follow for more of this type of inspiration.

It’s almost August, folks! Both June and July just flew by this year. I’m sad about school ramping up because I like being able to call or text my sisters whenever I want. I also feel for them because being a teacher is like getting on a roller coaster in late July or early August and just not knowing what that school year holds for you (professionally and personally) and knowing that your life really isn’t your own until the following summer – lol.

What would you say to any of these themes today?

Amy