Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

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

Friday, July 24, 2026

It’s Friday and time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites.

I finally have a hydrangea bloom!

She looks healthy, but she is without any more blooms right now.

I have a giant periwinkle hydrangea from my childhood home. We moved into that house in 1975 and when my parents moved in 2005 my dad dug up this bush for me. My friend said it’s been a weird year for hydrangeas in our area due to the weather. Normally it flowers in May. Better late, than never.

The weather cooled off gloriously between Tuesday and Wednesday and this photo represents my favorite place to be. I start my day with about two of these cups of water, electrolytes, and two cups of coffee.

My friend Elizabeth invited me to try a new place for their happy hour special of $5 bubbles and oysters.

They brought you complimentary popcorn:

We ordered really good seasoned frites:

Elizabeth tried an oyster. I don’t do oysters!

And, the happy hour menu said “rummy gummies” for $2, so I ordered us each one. I thought it was going to be one gummy bear. These are gummy bears soaked in rum. Oopsie.

We had a nice couple of hours catching up!

I worked on my basement bathroom this week. I bought some new towels and products and spruced it up.

We added this bathroom about 15 years ago. Our house originally had two baths and now has three.

Speaking of little houses, I finished Little House on the Prairie about a week ago, sadly. Did you know Nellie Olsen makes an appearance?

This is from last weekend, but this is how much Eddie Otis loves Mason.

He is currently sleeping on my foot as I blog!

I enjoyed buying World Market candy from England for the England World Cup game.

And, this was the German candy I bought for the tablescape last weekend for my mother in law. I looked up German flowers and they showed some like this. I thought the red and white gingham plant containers looked German, too.

Oh, Facebook memories…

This was a common summer view of mine…

This is really good! I can’t remember where I heard about it but it’s a sparkling white wine called “Salty Blonde”. Trader Joe’s carries it! I am very much into the screw top these days so I can put it back in the fridge and save it easily.

Happy mail!

I finished this and the cover is deceiving; it was a fun summer read with some depth. I really enjoyed it.

I decided to start this next. It’s moving kind of slowly for me.

Still loving this polish!

I’m so happy my nails are getting healthier and stronger!

I tried a new method of baking both regular and sweet potatoes this week. Cut in half, dry, spray Pam and add sea salt to both sides and cook face down at 425 for an hour. I found that I didn’t quite need an hour and it depends on the size of your spud.

I always feel like somebody’s watching me!

I took myself on a little shopping trip one day this week. I hit up one consignment store and one boutique and brought home 5 things I will show you on Tuesday! I also did some online shopping this week. 4 of the things were consignment and only 1 was from the boutique.

I got a square donut for myself and one for Tom as a surprise in his breakfast/lunch bag the next day!

I listened to an interesting podcast this week about what she called “dark personalities” in your life. That term makes me laugh. But, seriously, are there people in your life that are like a dark cloud and others that are like sunshine? I have talked about this some this week!

What were your favorites this week?

As always, your comments are my favorites, and I hope I replied to all of them! If you missed any posts this week, I talked about my rules for adulthood, hodgepodge, fashion files, and Hello Monday.

I will be back tomorrow for a rare Saturday post of Share 4 Somethings!

Cheers to the weekend,

Amy

Thursday, July 23, 2026

I am loosely basing this post off of Gretchen Rubin’s list of things in her book The Happiness Project. I believe she called it “Be Gretchen”. It’s like “To thine own self be true” and it’s one of the best things about getting some age and experience on the ol’ body. We stop trying to fit ourselves into a mold, follow the trends, or be someone who we really aren’t, at our core. Good for you if you never did any of these things, but I would say most of us have. Also, I could have gone on and on, it seems!

I would love to hear yours, too, so do a post or leave your best one and I will publish it if it’s ok with you!

Stop saying “sorry” so much. If I really do something wrong, of course I need to say “sorry” and I am quick to do so, but I am working on the “sorry” for every little thing. I feel like women almost apologize for taking up space in a room sometimes.

Stop overthinking. Make a decision and tuck it away and be done with it.

Keep it simple. Sometimes dinner can be one meat and one vegetable. Pack less when I travel. Have a summer uniform. Simple is often best.

Get the darn app. It makes life easier. There really is an app for every retailer and every aspect of your life. It really does make everything easier – recent examples: the Delta app, the Spectrum internet app, the financial advisor’s app.

Not everything has to be the “most efficient” way. Sometimes you just have to get things done however you can.

Not everything has to happen at the same time each week.

Order things in a restaurant that I can’t make at home. Don’t order things where mine is better or I will be disappointed.

Pick up the phone and make a call instead of three million text exchanges.

Sometimes old school ways are better (see above). Consider when technology is your friend and when it makes things harder.

Allow for silence. Pause. Listen more.

Enjoy the moment and stop thinking about what’s next.

Add water – a shower, a dip in a pool, water to drink, water in your dressings and cooking. Water makes everything better.

Pick your battles. My Dad’s famous one liner was “10 years from now I will never know the difference”. Is this something that is so minor you won’t care in even 10 minutes? I have some recent examples of doing well with this. My friend wanted me to send back an order that was wrong and I said it was ok. I hate to make a fuss in a restaurant.

Start with a positive. Always say something nice to a clerk, a family member, a friend. As a teacher, I would start with a positive when I needed to have a “chat” with a student. It usually went something like this: “I appreciate your energy and enthusiasm for this class, but when I start teaching it’s important that the other students have a chance to hear and participate, too.” Lol. That was a nice way of saying “shut your trap, homeslice!”

You catch more flies with honey (see above) – that person you have to call or deal with on the phone. that post office clerk, that salesclerk, that teenager taking your order. It’s just as easy to be nice.

Always allow about 10 extra minutes to get places. Always be early. It’s a sign of respect and sometimes you reap rewards. I can’t tell you how many good things have happened to me by showing up early. I really think being late is one of the rudest traits. If you tend to run late, time yourself to see how long it truly takes to get ready. Get ready and then sit around. Don’t sit around and then get ready.

Always take water and a snack.

Always have a book with you in a waiting situation. My Dad always said that if you have a book with you, you will never be bored. Can you see how much his voice runs around in my head?

Get off your phone and look around. Yes, I will talk to you if I’m waiting in a line with you.

Give compliments freely. If you immediately compliment someone, it changes the tone of every exchange. Try it!

Ok – your turn! You can even tell me if you disagree with something I have deemed a rule for myself.

Amy

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

It’s Wednesday and time to link up with Joyce for her fun weekly Hodgepodge post!

1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate. 

Yes and no – depending on my mindset. They both excite and exhaust me.

Renovating the kitchen, changing out the flooring, painting, and getting rid of popcorn ceiling, oh and cabinetry in the mudroom – excited but scared for Eddie Otis with the contractors and me with the mess and chaos.

Writing a book – this is a very out there goal for me and it also exhausts and excites me. I have no idea where to begin, either.

More travel – exhausts and excites me. I love the planning but it’s so much work!

2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor? What’s a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons? 

I don’t want a lemon in my water or tea. I love lemon in cocktails. Weird, I know. I have recently been sort of obsessed with lemon spinach orzo chicken type dishes. I have a new bowl of 9 lemons working its magic in my life. It can’t hurt, right? I love a limoncello spritz. When I cut a lemon and use in my cooking I feel like a real chef.

3. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade“…is this something you’re pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it. 

I think I’ve gotten better at this as I’ve gotten older. I remember that I had a teaching observation in my KTIP year at age 22 (first year teachers were considered interns when I started) and the university person cancelled on me because she ran out of gas and I had to re-do a new lesson for the next day. I was so mad. Also, who runs out of gas? I can have a real low tolerance for stupidity. Of course, I had a lesson, but the ones they observed needed a template and certain components that you might not do on a normal teaching day. I did not handle that well.

4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color? 

I love this color! I used to have a top that I wish I still had, to be honest.

I gravitate toward this color in outdoor decor and clothing, mostly.

5. How would you describe your attention to detail? 

I can be very detail oriented or pretty laissez – faire about details. It just depends on the situation. If I care about the details and they don’t go my way, that would be an example of having to make lemonade out of lemons.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A mantra/thought that runs through my head so much is that people won’t remember what you said or did so much as how you made them feel. Do you think about this?

Over time, the quote has also been widely associated with Maya Angelou, who phrased it as: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

The quote highlights the lasting power of emotional experiences over verbal communication. While words and actions may fade from memory, the feelings they evoke—whether warmth, respect, love, or hurt—remain deeply ingrained in our psyche.

I have a great example of a person in my life who I will never forget how they made me feel. I was 9 or 10 when a young couple with a 6-week-old baby boy moved in across the street from me. Terry (the wife) became an important person in my life, and she hugged me so hard and was always smiling and laughing every time I saw her. She went on to have two more boys, and those three boys were my training ground for becoming a boy mom. I babysat, folded clothes, wrapped presents, and did whatever Terry needed. She praised me to my mom and I needed that, too.

Remember that the August Currently will be Wednesday, August 5th!

Here are the prompts:

savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing

I was trying to make them kind of August-themed!

I hope you will join me!

Amy

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Hello and happy Tuesday! I actually can’t believe how many outfits I have for you this week. I also can’t believe how bad my photos are! I really need to find my tripod and go outside for my outfit pics. What is wrong with me?

I guess I got tired of being so casual so I put this on to walk the doggie before running errands one day last week. I have on my Old Navy navy blouse from this season, my lime and white linen striped shorts from Old Navy a few seasons ago, and the silver Birks my sister handed down to me. My sisters and I all wear about the same shoe size, by the way. There may be about .5 of a difference.

I met a friend for breakfast and thought I would get out my $5 clearance Chico’s gauzy white skirt. I found this several years ago. I cut some of the lining because the lining had gotten too long after washing. I wore a consignment Target button up, and my gold lace up sandals that are several years old. This outfit was like $11 if you don’t include the sandals!

I wore this to meet my former student for coffee. Sadly, the back of the pants are developing a tear along the seam. I am not getting rid of them just yet; I will wear a longer shirt next time. This top is consignment J.Crew and the pants are clearance from Versona several years ago. The gold flip flops are new this year from Aerie.

I bought a new blouse! I went to TJ Maxx looking for some house things and also wanted to check out the blouse selection. Not good! But, I did find this:

I have been wanting a brown blouse – strange thing to want! Did you know brown is “in”? That sounds so stupid! Well, I have been wanting more brown!

I styled it above with consignment Chico’s white pants and liked it but thought I would get hot.

I styled it below with the white skirt for Tom’s mom’s birthday dinner. I got hot running around and decided to change blouses at the last minute. The brown is gauzy and a bit thick. I am wearing my cork Aerosoles that I don’t wear very much, to be honest. I still look their look.

I ended up with this blouse instead and it’s very lightweight for the extreme heat we had on Saturday.

I put this down my blouse on my back and neck to cool myself off:

It’s hard to be hot! I don’t like who I am when I’m hot!

Most days I look like this:

I still have a new leather purse on the brain and now I’m obsessing over the color green like this one:

My sister sent me a photo from the Free People website. Do you remember me showing a similar pair of flats back in the spring. You guys! These are becoming more mainstream. I can’t tell you the levels at which I hate these. They are so, so weird. Is this finally a sign that I am growing up and not following trends as much?

Why? Which toe goes where? Send help! I’m not ok!

So, what have you been wearing?

I can definitely tell I am approaching the end of my interest in summer clothes. I am hoping to weed out some more things I haven’t worn this season (that would mean they don’t fit my style anymore) and inventory and start to think of things I want for fall.

There is quite a stretch where you still have to wear summer weight things, but you want less summery florals and more fall-like colors, you know?

I really enjoy fashion and putting outfits together. I also love to help other people find outfits. It’s so fun!

Please join us here!

Amy

Monday, July 20, 2026

Linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday!

How was your weekend? If you are a teacher, I know you are not loving how quickly the weeks seem to fly by. It’s crazy how many teachers I know that are in their last couple of weeks. What happened to starting school at the end of August?

Eddie Otis is 2.5 years old and we still crate him when we leave for his safety, really. He goes right in his crate when we say, “let’s take a break” and sometimes we close the crate and sometimes we don’t. It’s funny because he knows my patterns pretty well and even though I leave the house at various times, he knew I was getting ready to leave Friday morning and he “crated himself”. I always walk him first so don’t let his sad eyes fool you. He was fine.

I met my dear former student Madeleine at a coffee shop! Madeleine just completed her second year of teaching in Spain and is back in the US for good. We talked and laughed for almost 2 hours. Gosh, it’s so rewarding to see these young people become such great humans! I first met her at 16 and now she is 25.

I also took a TJ Maxx trip on Friday and again, all the Halloween stuff is out just like at World Market!

I also went in Target for a few things and bought this new viral peanut butter. I’m a sucker – what can I say? It’s in a weird container. It’s really good but very runny and natural-type peanut butter. I think I will use it in some recipes.

I was a bad blogger this weekend and forgot to take photos. Friday night we met our friends at Martin’s BBQ and my meal was so good – forgot the photo! I had a baked potato with pulled pork in it.

Saturday morning I went to the library and got this stack:

I’m still reading this:

The cover is very cartoon-ish, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s set in Isle Royale in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which is somewhere I would like to go. I will say that in 2026, a large percentage of my books have involved a recently deceased parent. Is this what I personally am gravitating toward? Coincidence? Is this helping me? I’m not sure.

Also, Saturday morning I hit up Trader Joe’s and it was empty! I guess everyone else had fun summer Saturday plans.

My niece Lena got her license! How is this possible?

Then, our family made a little road trip for a special celebration. Tom’s mom turned 80! I brought flowers for the table and individually wrapped German candy that I had bought at World Market. I was glad the tables didn’t already have decor because it worked out perfectly for my vision.

I thought it looked kind of German?

Tom’s mom:

I had sent her an outfit to wear as her gift and she wore it and it looked great on her. It was white linen drawstring pants and a blouse – both from Belk. We don’t have a Belk but I have discovered their website and they have some great things and great prices!

Beer cheese:

I ordered a chicken sandwich but just ate the chicken – I do this a lot to get the right size chicken – and mashed potatoes.

My niece Morgan brought the prettiest cake that was red velvet with cheesecake flavored buttercream inside. She had it made by a old school friend.

I think the celebration turned out really nice. We didn’t get home until about 10:30.

Sunday we took the boat out – just Captain, First Mate, and I – First Mate is Eddie Otis!

Tom got EO a new harness that looks like he is a working dog and if you look carefully Tom chose “Mama says I’m special”.

Someone asked Tom if he was an assistance dog and Tom said he is the dog’s assistance human. Oh man!

We ordered brunch on the boat. I got chicken and waffles and then the leftovers were Tom’s dinner.

We ran into a niece!

The bridge!

We made it home to watch the World Cup game. I wanted Spain!

I made some Spanish foods/tapas.

And, I’m pretty sure that’s why they won!

What did you do this weekend?

Join me for Fashion Files tomorrow if you’d like!

Amy

Friday, July 17, 2026

It’s Friday and time to link up with Andrea and Erika!

Well, I returned back from Michigan and our long weekend cousin reunion on Sunday and have enjoyed looking at my photos and the photos my cousins have sent and added to the shared folder all week so that is my first favorite.

My hope on the way there was that I reconnect with everyone and try to talk to everyone one on one. I think I accomplished that! I got to know the kids better this year and really enjoyed their energy. We had a 6-year-old girl, an 8-year-old boy, then I think lots of kids in the 11-13 range, and lots in the 16-20 range. We had a total of 16 kids!

We made lots of new memories and have lots of new inside jokes and buzz words! We have texted since we have been back home, too!

Not a favorite…

I had trouble commenting on lots of blogs this week; it’s saying “sign in with Google” and I am signed in and I try several things to no avail. I apologize if I couldn’t comment on yours, but I did read them!

Some other favorites…

I started and finished this:

It’s really well done in my opinion. Oh how I loved the original Little House! If you were obsessed with Little House like I was, give it at least two episodes of a chance.

I just barely have started this and I’m into it! This was my favorite of all the Elin books.

Tom’s Suburban was repaired while we were gone and I was without my car for a couple of days before we left and then on Monday, so I was happy to have my car all to myself again after we picked his up!

Mason stayed at our house to watch Eddie Otis while we were gone and I think Eddie Otis reverted back to some bad behaviors. It’s been a struggle with him this week. He has been stealing shoes, remotes, and just being a little jerk. Also, he has accumulated two new stuffed animals – a panda and a sloth. Did he order these off Amazon? Mason has “no idea” where they came from.

I have walked him and tried to get him back to our routine:

It’s so hot that he doesn’t want to walk for long. We are doing lots of short walks.

I got a couple of new books from the library this week:

I had a fun breakfast out with my friend Beth at Highland Morning:

I didn’t eat again until dinner when I had a meal of sweet potatoes, black beans, avocados, chicken, and some chips.

I haven’t shopped the Nordstrom sale in years! I would love a bag like this, but not exactly like this:

Let me know if you think of another brand that I should investigate!

I had a fun shopping trip to World Market. I couldn’t believe fall was out!

I liked this for a gift idea:

and this for fun cocktails!

While I didn’t buy either of those this time, I did buy myself a butter dish:

I went to Trader Joe’s after because they are in the same shopping center.

I really liked this for my lunch. The slimy factor was about a 2 on a scale of 1-10.

And I bought this blueberry muffin mix to make a blueberry bread.

The last of our giant shrooms from the rainfall a couple of weeks ago:

For our anniversary Wednesday night, I got out the professional album…

the honeymoon album…

and a scrapbook I made about our story – what a nerd!

We ate at Denny’s several times before Tom took me to a real restaurant due to circumstances. One time we ate after a football game (I was cheerleading coach and we played Tom’s high school team and he met me there), and a couple of other random times. It became a joke that he had to make sure I was worth a “real restaurant”.

I ordered Denny’s for our dinner Wednesday night! I was going for a laugh and I got one!

There’s a reason why you only go to Denny’s late at night when you’re drunk. It was not great.

Tom brought me home a blood orange candle with three wood wicks. Wood wicks are my favorite. We don’t usually do gifts but rather do a trip or a home improvement project, so I was suprised. He even picked out a sweet card for me, too.

I am so impressed with the Kur Londontown in the original. This is two coats. I had two coats last through all the water I was in while in Michigan and then did another two coats at home.

I went to the pool with Victoria this week, too. She belongs to a cool old pool that used to be a quarry.

I’m not sure what I think of this…

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

Amy

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Thursday blog posts are always a wild card for me, but I like details so I thought I would write a bit more about our Michigan trip. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out Hello Monday.

The Details:

5 cousins (plus spouses and kids) were coming to stay at one cousin’s lake house so the 5 of us started our own group text thread to do all the food so that the host had no food responsibilities. They shouldn’t have any food responsibilities because they were putting us up for 3 nights, no?

Etiquette:

Can we take a moment to talk about etiquette? If you are going to someone’s home, you should always take a gift. Last year we created a basket of products from our respective states of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. These things were to be enjoyed after we left.

Tom had the idea to send Neal a device to make refilling fuel easier, so we also did that when we got home.

We all chipped in cash for gas on the boat and jet skis, too – both last year and this year. Boating is very expensive!

You can treat the host to a meal out, ice cream out, anything that you can do to show your appreciation is the right thing to do.

By the way, when Mason went to stay with German cousin Moritz in NYC, he bought him coasters from his leathergoods store and treated him to a meal and some drinks, too. This was instilled in me as a kid and now I hope my kids will always do this, too. It’s shocking to me when adults don’t do this!

Being a good house guest:

We also all chipped in with the cleanup, the dishwasher loading and unloading, the towel and sheet washing and changing, etc.

We always asked what we could do to help. We didn’t complain about the plan or where we were put to sleep.

The meals:

Everyone was arriving Thursday a couple of hours before dinnertime so we knew we wouldn’t have a lot of time to prepare anything. We decided to bring bbq and sides – cold salad type things and chips. Kate brought brisket, I brought pork bbq, Molly brought chicken bbq and then I made broccoli salad, we had slaw, potato salad, a ramen salad, and a green lettuce salad. Kate and I bought our bbq and Molly made hers at home. We also brought plenty of buns. This meal seemed to be a hit with everyone.

Friday night we ordered pizza from the little market. That was a hit with the kids! We also pulled out leftovers if anyone wanted to add a side.

Saturday night we grilled hamburgers and I made grilled cheeses on a griddle because we had so much bread and so many cheeses leftover. The kids loved that! We probably needed a couple of fresh sides but no one really complained. Someone brought individual bags of chips and we had lots of big bags and dips, too.

For breakfast, I brought bagels, crumpets, and cream cheese and Kerrygold butter and someone else brought yogurt parfait ingredients and someone else brought fruit. One morning, a cousin’s wife made two breakfast casseroles and that was a treat!

For lunches, one cousin was in charge of a sandwich bar and brought all kinds of sub buns and bread and lunch meat and cheese.

I brought homemade brownies, cupcakes, and Rice Krispies treats, and the aunts – my Aunt Sally and my Aunt Judy – brought cookies and cupcakes. Everyone brought appetizers and we enjoyed them in the afternoons:

The breakfast casserole:

I brought Trader Joe’s crumpets last year so I brought them again. I made crumpet lovers out of some of the teenagers!

Even the smallest of the kids could walk to the one little market to get more chips or snacks that they wanted!

I brought my coffee frother and three types of Chobani creamers – cookie butter, s’mores, and toasted coconut vanilla. The teens loved making coffees – hot and cold – and we made dirty sodas with them, too! The frother was a hit!

Everyone brought what they prefer to drink plus more to share.

Tom had ice cream every night and I had it one night – seaside caramel:

The teens make fun of Tom’s ice cream obsession and here he is giving them the side eye! The ice cream closed at 9:00 and Tom would start walking at 8:30 even if no one else was ready. One night he had 10 kids following him like he was the Pied Piper of ice cream.

These are all our kids waiting on ice cream:

Tom and niece Lena:

I think we did a pretty good job with the right amount of food. Last year we went way overboard and had too many leftovers and this year we used up basically all the food.

I do have one major pet peeve – the amount of plastic water bottles we went through (some with only one drink taken out of), and half-drunk cans of soda were out of control. The water there is really good so everyone should have a reuseable water bottle!

Neal and his wife Amy are the most laid-back hosts ever. Neal is an energizer bunny and never stops driving the boat, teaching folks how to use the water toys, talking to people, and just doing whatever to help people have fun. Amy is super chill and doesn’t mind people in her kitchen making messes!

Are you a good host? It takes skill!

Are you a good guest?

Amy

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

It’s Hodgepodge with Joyce day, you all! It’s also my 26th wedding anniversary! I will share a favorite photo at the end of the post!

. “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” Sam Keen

1.Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate. 

No, I never feel guilty about relaxing. I am energetic in the morning and get lots of stuff done before lunch. I am a naturally productive person, I think. My mom got shiz done and I get shiz done. One of my sisters is like me and one really has trouble and is hard on herself about it. So, when I do relax, I just don’t feel guilty. I have made the correlation that daytime tv is not great for me. I rarely turn the tv on during the day. I decided that in July, I can sit inside and watch tv a bit more, though. I also take a short nap each day and don’t feel bad at all about it.

2. What’s a telltale sign you’re upset? 

I say, “I’m upset”. I’m an open book. I speak my emotions and I get things off my chest. Tom has always been baffled by how I can be upset one minute and then be fine the next. I just want to feel heard.

I will say that as I have gotten older, I get less upset about the little things, but I’m still a pretty sensitive person. I “read into” things and then run them over in my brain. I am definitely trying to do more of the “let them” theory but sometimes it’s hard.

3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts and/or experiences with AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative? 

I have the ChatGPT app, and I have used it to ask about trips and meal planning. I think it’s out there and it’s part of our life now. I’m a little bit scared and worried about it and its implications. My wheelhouse would be the use of AI in education. I am “old school” and firmly believe that kids need good old-fashioned teaching, note taking, reading, and writing. I was not a fan of everything on Chromebooks, and I never made them the focal point of my classroom.

I preached to my students to not let technology control them but to choose when technology could help them and when it would be best to do another way. I think sometimes a good face to face or phone conversation can save confusion. Texting is great sometimes, but not all times. I think going into your local stores and chatting is great so that you have that people connection, but I like the options I have available to get delivery or do pick up, too.

4. You’re invited to a summer pot luck and are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing? 

I love an appetizer and have a lot that I guess you could say I am known for? I also love making sides and salads. I would say I would pick one of those two. I think desserts are an easy go to for the other people so I rarely pick them. I made broccoli salad for Michigan, and it was so good and kept for a few days, too! I also made a sun-dried tomato cheese ball.

5. It wouldn’t be summer without___________________. 

Water! Sun! Summer reading! Sunscreen!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

26 years ago today we were the first to use the “new” town trolley!

This is the sanctuary that recently caught on fire.

We went to Aruba for our honeymoon and did all the water activities!

I’m pretty sure Tom still has those swim trunks and this polo!

Currently is coming up before we know it! I will try to start announcing the prompts for the following month on Currently day per Laura’s suggestion. Thank you to Laura who helped me come up with August’s prompts, too! The next Currently will be Wednesday, August 5 and the prompts are: savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing. I want them to fit the month as best I can! Let me know if you have September suggestions!

Amy