Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Monday, May 11, 2026

How was your weekend?

Let’s link up with Sarah and Holly for a recap and then with the ladies at Monthly Musings for “Go to Lunches on the Go”.

Friday morning, I went to the gym and then a couple of hours later walked Eddie Otis in the neighborhood and it was a gorgeous day!

Chicken Salad Chick was having a Mother’s Day BOGO deal and I had been wanting it for a bit, so I went to the one at the mall and saw these ladies playing Mah Jong – so cute! Also, after a week of not really getting dressed, I put on a cute outfit to go do this!

I got Classic Carol for me and Fancy Nancy for Tom (I don’t like nuts) and the cookie for me and the red velvet for Tom. I thought we would have this on Saturday and I also ate it for lunch on Friday.

We have WAY TOO MUCH chicken salad now! I didn’t realize how big these were!

I wandered in Anthro with my chicken salads – weird. I love the vibe and the aesthetic but never buy anything!

Then, I had felt a strong need for black flip flops as of late. I wandered down to Von Maur because I always like their flip flop selection. They have Reef and some good brands. They also have a piano player and it feels nice in there. Things are spread out. Do you have a Von Maur?

I ended up with the Crocs Miami and wore them all day long. They are so comfortable! I have never had a big toe entrapment to my knowledge and I was fine with it.

I had myself a nice little lunch of chicken salad and read my book on the patio. I think the playground screaming has become white noise but just so you know the screamers were out in full force on a Friday and there was screaming from 8:00 am until that final bell at 2:10!

Tom and I ordered pizza for dinner and watched Shrinking.

I went to the first Farmer’s Market Saturday morning. It was already packed at 8:30!

I bought a gift for a friend of Amish bread and jam and strawberries for us. Spoiler – Tom and I thought they were the best we have ever had. I was melancholy much of the weekend because our friends had to say goodbye to their sweet dog. That was why I bought a gift. And, our other friend is going to make a photo ornament so we will give them the gift together.

I met Tom and EO at the river and little EO had a nice swim!

We started the process of cleaning the boat, charging the batter, and getting gas in it. EO “helped”.

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw I finished this book. It was so sweet but then it turned really confusing and I still don’t know if I connected all the dots, then it turned cheesy and unrealistic.

I went out around 4:30 before I started dinner. Yes, we had dinner at home on a Saturday – let the record state!

I liked my outfit and wore my sandals from my mom and my new Aerie cut offs and I got a new piece of gauze for my gauze collection that I will talk about on Tuesday.

For dinner, we had a salad:

Tom had corned beef from the freezer and sauerkraut and we both had asparagus and potatoes. The asparagus was so good – I made it in the airfryer at 400 for 20 minutes or so.

Ok – another niece had prom and I was shocked to find out she had gone back to her natural hair color. She has been dying it really dark. This is a trend these days – did you know that? She is a senior while Lena is only a sophomore. Nora looked stunning! Nora is the one I did the cooking challenge with last summer.

Lena

Nora and Lena are cousins, not sisters. Lena is a mascara expert and I ask her advice.

Saturday night Tom and I started a new show called Vladimir and I kept asking for just one more episode! So good! Then, I started the Hallmark movie “All’s Fair in Love and Mahjong” – lololol. It made me chuckle.

Sunday I had some relaxing time to myself with some magazines and a library book…

I went to a little boutique and took the scenic route…

then I made alfredo for my kids who had to work but they came for a late dinner. It was a treat!

And now for…

Share Our Lives – On the Go Lunches

I don’t really eat on the go anymore. I sit at home with a plate now! But, for a long time I packed my lunch. I did almost always take a break and sit down. I even had a round table in my room so I could sit somewhere besides my desk.

I don’t really eat in my car. I don’t find protein bars very good or satisfying so I rarely eat those. It doesn’t feel like “real food” to me and it has a weird after taste.

I probably go through only 1 or 2 drive thru windows a month and it’s usually for a coffee treat. I have a locally owned coffee shop near my house that I will treat myself to once in a while. I can’t remember the last time I had Chick Fil A but that would be what I get if I do need food.

If I think I will get hungry between breakfast and lunch when I have to go somewhere I take a banana. I think a banana is such a perfect food. It comes in its own biodegradable container.

A sandwich is also such an easy food. I recently saw an IG nutritionist say that people have forgotten that a sandwich is a high protein meal. Duh! I don’t like ham and never have that much – it’s too pink – but I am worried about the lunch meat thing so please tell me turkey if it’s roasted is better?

Homemade egg bites in a mini muffin tin

Recipe I found on the internet:

Mine:

A wrap or a burrito is a great on the go food. I love a breakfast burrito. For years, I made a bunch of English muffin breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos to keep in my freezer and then I would pull one out to take to school.

Another thing to think about is a quick breakfast like a banana or yogurt parfait and then eat your eggs/breakfast food at lunch time.

My Amy McMuffins:

My Amylu sausages and low carb egg casserole – 6 eggs, green chilies can (small), 1/2 cottage cheese and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes – cut in 6 squares.

My burritos:

Let frozen fruit melt, add vanilla yogurt, and a bit of high protein granola. Tastes like dessert.

I find salads take a long time to eat if you are short on time.

I love a “bowl” – build anything really in a to go container – rice, beans, chicken, etc. and you can do any cuisine – Mexican, Asian, BBQ, burger, etc.

A grown up lunchable is a great on the go meal – you can get the containers that have the partitions and put some different items in each one.

Don’t forget leftovers or reconfiguring leftovers. I would pack my lunch for the next day while cleaning up dinner, so it didn’t really take any extra time.

I am packing Tom’s breakfast and lunch now and he eats a yogurt, a banana, 3 Cutie oranges, a sandwich or tuna salad and crackers, some chips, and some chocolate.

I’m excited to see your ideas!

Amy

Friday, May 8, 2026

How was your week? I’m linking up today with Andrea and Erika to recap mine and share some favorites. Did you miss any posts this week? I posted Hello Monday, Fashion Files, Currently Hodgepodging, and What I Get Excited About. Yes, I write a lot these days so go grab a drink and settle in.

Wow! Monday was cold, cold, cold. It was rainy and windy, and I had to break out my wonderful coat again. Tom is really good at practical and thoughtful gifts. Who knew how much I could love a coat? It’s called a D Robe.

Very emo:

We walk around 8 am behind our house and then later on in the morning we go somewhere in the car to walk or “run errands”. Eddie Otis can do some of my errands with me. He buys his own treats at Feeder’s Supply, he does Kroger pickups, and more!

After a nasty Monday morning, I was spoiled with gorgeous blue skies and sun!

Sunday my neighbor two doors down had a fire going and I put this on Instagram…

More fires, less leaf blowers – something like that!

I put Yesteryear down and started this…

I must have missed this Sophie Kinsella; I have read all of her books. I may go back to Yesteryear, but I’m not sure. One thing I’m learning is to not listen to all book opinions out there. I don’t always agree about the overly hyped-up books.

I finished Hallmark’s Kentucky Roses. It was filmed at Churchill Downs, Oxmoor Farm (where I have gone to see a polo match and soccer games, but I have not been in the farmhouse -yet), and the restaurant Village Anchor (have gone there many times). It was fun to see all the local places. Have you been reading my blog long enough to know about my experience as a movie extra?

And, look what’s on tomorrow:

So funny!

This flavor is new to me and I love it!

I made a Trader Joe’s boxed banana bread mix this week and added a very ripe banana to the mix and it turned out really delish. I individually wrapped up all the slices and put them in the freezer to take out as needed.

I made ham and swiss sliders this week. So good!

I saw a beautiful sunrise leaving the gym this week.

We are getting the chain Paris Baguette really close to my house and it looks like it’s almost ready to open! Do you have one where you live? I was surprised to see it’s actually from South Korea – not North Korea – or Paris, France.

I tried a new to me place this week…I love to shop locally, and this is the best pimento cheese I’ve ever tried. One of my April goals was to go to new places and I think I am continuing that this month.

I tried a little savory shortbread, too.

And…wait for it…I have found the best chocolate chip cookie in Louisville. It was flat but chewy with giant chocolate chips at the perfect ratio and flaky sea salt to finish.

We had a Mah Jong game scheduled but one of my Heathers had to cancel so the other Heather and I played “messy mahj” and really studied the card. We both think we improved a lot! I don’t know what it is about this game that gets ahold of you.

Notice I have Sharpied out some lines on the card which also helps me. We never play a concealed hand so I got rid of some of those options. Also, I ordered my card in large font.

For Cinco de mayo, yo hice enchiladas de pollo con salsa verde. Oops, did I just switch to Spanish? Es un chiste! They turned out perfectly spicy (just a little bit) and deliciosas. Do you know why I said “deliciosas”? Because the adjective has to agree/match with the noun. So “enchiladas” and “deliciosas” match. And, yes, I had to review/teach what a noun was and what an adjective was!

Yes, I do practice my Spanish but not enough. I speak whenever I have the opportunity. I met a new coffee shop owner from Ecuador and spoke with her, and I speak at any restaurant with native speakers. I usually just ask, “Can I practice my Spanish with you?” and I don’t say I’m a former Spanish teacher.

Sorry that it looks like a dog’s breakfast (el desayuno de un perro) but you will have to just trust that it tasted good!

Tom, Tom, Tom. I should really do a post about Tom.

He announced to me that he got me a chair for Mother’s Day!

I have been wanting a reading chair in the corner of our bedroom, but we currently have our old armoire (that we need to get rid of) where my chair would be. I already have a wonderful chair on my patio, but I thought it could be another outdoor chair?

He hands me the tiniest Amazon package and says I can open it early.

My chair:

It’s a phone stand! I actually really love it and have never had a phone stand. This is such a Tom gift.

We had a good dinner of salad with chicken and brussels sprouts on the side one night this week.

I went to a mid-week farmer’s market…

There was no produce there but I bought some peonies and notecards. If you haven’t visited a farmer’s market in a while, there is so much more than food.

I also had a trip to Costco…

They had beautiful ferns but I resisted for now.

I enjoyed my sunroof! Isn’t that the best feeling?

What made you smile this week?

Amy

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Today’s post is a mix between a “Friday Favorites” and a gratitude list. Of course, I get excited about the truly deep meaningful parts of life, but I thought I would talk about the little things in life.

The magic of flowers blooming again and taking photos of them- it never gets old.

A fresh Chobani creamer and finding a new good flavor. I can’t help it. I like my frothy creamer. It gets me out of bed. This new s’mores is good!

A new podcast episode release of…

Watch What Crappens – Hosts Ben and Ronnie make fun of the Bravo shows and I am literally doubled over laughing

Tuesday Night Date Night

Big Boo Cast

A magazine in the mail – even though they are dinky and mostly ads now

An alert that new library requests have come in for me – I like to have a large stack of options for free! Isn’t the library great?

A really well made cocktail

A great candle that burns great and isn’t headache inducing

Clean laundry and seeing it all folded nicely – still using B and B Moonlit Goddess

A sunny day with a light breeze

Spring rain

Making my dog happy by saying it’s time to walk

A great pad of paper and a great pen – my favorite brand of pen is Tul from Amazon

Getting to play Mah Jong

Cute napkins and plates

When I make something good and a little fancy like a quiche

What is something you get excited about these days?

Amy

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Hi! I’m glad you’re here today! It’s the start of a fresh new month. Many refer to this month as “Maycember”. If you are a teacher or a parent of school age kids from kindergarten through college, it’s a busy, busy month. My sisters are super busy right now, one of my friends is moving her college grad daughter to a new city, one of my friends welcomed her daughter home from study abroad in Germany – all kinds of exciting transitional things happen this month.

It’s weird for me to have a May to myself! I am almost at my completion of a full school year as a retiree. It went by crazy fast – except for January and February! Ha!

My advice to you is to be organized, plan ahead, plan for easy meals, and then just take it one day or week at a time. Get up 15 minutes earlier each day and see how much you can get done. Take an hour to get your ducks in a row. Delegate! Also, say “no” to a few things. All this is easy for me to say now, isn’t it? But, seriously, you cannot do it all.

Link up with me at the bottom for Currently and read on to see my Hodgepodge answers with Joyce!

Digging – Literally or the 70s version meaning “loving”

I am digging this spring weather! I sometimes start my morning outside with my devotional and blog reading and writing but almost every day I eat lunch outside and then extend that into my reading time. I am so happy that Eddie Otis is finally growing up a bit. He comes out with me and then decides he’s done and goes back inside to nap and gives me some time to read. It turned cold on us again this weekend but I knew it wasn’t going to last long.

I am digging my spring clothing! I am really enjoying wearing my blouses and jeans. I am starting to pull out some shorts to wear out of the house, too. I think dresses will be coming soon, but I have only worn one to Churchill Downs and one out to dinner on Derby eve.

My new Aerie shorts and flip flops with an ON blouse:

Wearing a dress:

Weeding – Literally or “cleaning out”

I am weeding out my spring and summer clothing – I need to go through my dresses.

I’m also weeding out things from both of my kids’ old rooms and their basement area. For my Mother’s Day gift, they are coming to work on this with me!

Enjoying – foods, shows, books, clothing, people – whatever!

I am enjoying walking Eddie Otis more now that I have his “bra”. This keeps him from pulling too hard on the leash with me. I wish I had gone to the pet store sooner to do this! We are walking more and that benefits both of us.

I am enjoying so much right now: my outdoor spaces, reading outside, my flowers in wine bottles, my huge stack of library books.

I am enjoying my gold Birkenstocks again and they seem more comfortable? Weird, I know.

For food, I am enjoying simple things. A sandwich, an omelet, salad with protein, things like that.

For shows, all the Bravo shows and I am starting Running Point Season 1 so I can watch Season 2.

Eating/drinking – I found my favorite sourdough bread ever. It’s a thinly sliced half loaf from Whole Foods and I have been having a half of a sandwich with deli turkey, tomato, lettuce, and mayo. I still love my egg mixture for breakfast and have it with three Amylu chicken breakfast sausages. I am still drinking all the water I can, LMNT electrolytes, and coffee.

Shopping for – We are going to need a few house things soon so I am trying not to shop a lot right now. Tom wants to replace our porch ceiling fans, for one example.

I’m really trying not to do to any intentional clothing or shoe shopping now. If I see something I might get it, but I don’t need to go looking. I did see some adorable dresses on Nordstrom Rack and ordered a couple to try. I do feel that my dresses are lacking. I can return in person if they don’t work.

And, now, for Hodgepodge…

1. What’s something you may do this month?

Tom really needs to take some time off from work and we are trying to figure out a couple of weeknights away with our little boy Eddie Otis.

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo… how do you feel about Mexican food? What’s your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option? 

I love Mexican food! I like to order things I can’t make as well, like chilaquiles. I have made them, but they are probably best with homemade tortilla chips. I feel like some of my Mexican dishes are better than a restaurant’s. I think my white chicken enchiladas are really good. I like my guacamole more with a few exceptions. Now, we are probably talking more Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican food here. I can’t make white queso as well so that is something we enjoy getting at a restaurant.

Tom first called me his girlfriend at a Mexican restaurant so that is special! Ha!

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they’ll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember? 

My catty answer is screaming. The children of today like to scream. I live in front of a playground and I can hear screaming inside my house. Bloodcurdling, horror movie level screaming. And, yes, I am aware that I now sound like a cranky old woman.

My real answer is probably very close to what I remember – the friends and family they spent time with, shows and movies, trips, favorite foods and who made them.

I hope they remember it as a time of freedom from worries.

I remember Jack turning to Mason as a child and saying, “Come on, you need to play with me. Soon we will be adults and life will be no fun anymore”.

4. What advice would you give a new mother? 

Teach your children to only scream in the case of a true emergency. Buy earplugs.

Keep it simple. Have a structured routine. Your kids do not need technology, tons of toys, lavish trips and experiences yet. I just saw an acquaintance take her kid to NYC for a 4th or 5th birthday. My first thought is…”What will this kid expect for the subsequent birthdays?” In my day, we had some cupcakes in someone’s garage and called it a day. We are seeing and comparing others’ parenting on social media and it makes it really hard. Normalize a simple birthday. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your kid needs a happy, healthy you.

5. What’s a phrase your mother often said to you? If you’re a mom do you say it to your own children? 

“It’s bedtime for Bonzo” and yes, I do, too!

Bedtime for Bonzo is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Frederick de Cordova and produced by Universal International Pictures, starring Ronald Reagan as psychology professor Peter Boyd, who raises a chimpanzee named Bonzo to demonstrate that environmental influences outweigh hereditary factors in shaping behavior.The film premiered on February 15, 1951, in Indianapolis, Indiana, with a wide U.S. release on April 5, 1951, and runs for 83 minutes.

This is actually the first time I have looked this up!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have had my first serious thoughts about moving from this house. I don’t like that I am becoming grumpy. I love kids! Between the screaming kids and the next-door neighbor’s ex who uses a leaf blower almost every day, plus the fact that we have the school traffic, 500 new apartments being built across the main road to get to our house, a new VA hospital going in very, very close to our house, it’s something to think about. It’s just weird when you have been so contented and never given it a thought and then one day you do. I also don’t want to “cut off my nose despite my face”. I am home more now and I’m noticing it more now.

Let me know if you have experienced this and have any advice.

Link up here for Currently!

Amy

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Welcome to Fashion Files! Thank you to Marsha for our cute new graphic!

I hope you will join us!

I took this photo because it made me happy to see my gold kitten heels. These shoes make me feel fabulous. Do you have a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes that does that for you? I also really like the print of my dress. I have hardly worn this but got it at a little boutique in my hometown that is now out of business, sadly.

I wore this to dinner last Friday night.

I wore this new dress to the track on Tuesday. It’s by Umgee which is a boutique brand. I have an assignment for you – see what locally owned boutiques you have near you and check them out.

I usually find dresses and blouses for $50-$60 but I feel like I keep them for a long time and the price per wear goes down. I tell myself I have to audibly gasp at the print to buy it.

For some reason, my gold Birkenstocks feel more comfortable this season. I enjoyed wearing them with jeans one day last week.

Let’s talk about my new horse cardigan. I found this two Sundays ago at a boutique called Pink Tag. I have been wanting a horse sweater for a long time (weird statement). I had one from Loft but it was a crew neck, and I didn’t love the fit or fabric so that got donated.

This horse cardigan was the last one on the rack and it was also around $60. The weather turned cold after my Tuesday day at the track and I am not kidding when I say I wore it part of every day from Wednesday-Saturday (Derby week). I also wore it on Monday (the day after I bought it). I think it will also look cute in the fall.

One day I wore it with this consignment button up underneath, one day I wore it with a black tank, one day I wore it with a white tee, and I wore it with denim shorts and jeans. Lol.

These guys did a pretty good job keeping me comfortable at the track on Tuesday. I love them! I got mine at DSW.

I have enjoyed wearing my new Aerie gold flip flops, too. Here are my new Aerie denim cut offs and my Old Navy floral blouse worn together.

I don’t show you many casual outfits but here is my walking and errand outfit over the weekend. I wore my last season Aerie Maine lobsta sweatshirt and my favorite black leggings.

A couple of things that caught my eye…

These Chico’s jeans:

These Sam Eddleman sandals:

My nails are a hot mess. Just getting gel twice and going through the removal process has damaged the surface.

Apparently bare nails are in!

Have you heard to curl the front pieces of your hair in front of your face? I wasn’t sure if I understood this, but this told me I did. First of all, if you aren’t clipping up the top half of your hair to curl the under, that really helps. Then, move the side front part of your hair to the middle of your face to do your curl.

I think the clipping up of the top half of your hair and how much hair you curl at at time matters more than your barrel size. I use a 1 inch and take a fairly small amount of hair each time. My hair does better if I wash it the night before than day of.

I have decided to try to sell two pairs of my sneakers.

These New Balance 530s are just too big. They are my regular size but they run 1/2 size big apparently. I feel like I have trouble getting shoe and clothing sizes right sometimes!

These are also my normal size but they run narrow.

I put them on Facebook Marketplace where I have had good luck selling shoes.

I am a big fan of self tanner and spray tans, but…

I have been reading outside when I can for an hour or two a day. I have developed a bit of natural color using sunscreen.

Bad photo and I do have shorts on:

This gives me a little confidence to start wearing those dresses and shorts. But, oh, what I wouldn’t give for the unblemished legs of the youth.

I bought this a long time ago and I have put it on a few times. It does something! It’s messy and I have to keep a wet washcloth for my hands and Eddie Otis tries to lick it off.

It’s Hawaiian so it must be good!

Anyway, I bring this up to say I guess I’m natural this year.

I placed an Old Navy order using my stupid Supercash. I say “stupid” because I hate the game involving Kohl’s Cash and Supercash. It makes you feel obligated and I can never get it right.

I ordered the navy blouse I have but in coral:

a striped tank, a navy elevated t-shirt, and a black tank swimsuit.

I returned it all!

I love the swimsuit but it was too big so I just have to re-order. Here it is if anyone wants a classic tank suit. I was quite thick and good quality and is on sale for under $24.

The coral just didn’t look as nice as the navy.

I’m proud of myself for returning and not trying to make it work.

Well, this has been a long and chatty Fashion Files.

What have you been wearing and what have you bought?

Link up here!

Amy

Monday, May 4, 2026

May the Fourth be with you! It’s time to link up with Sarah and Holly to share our weekends!

Can we believe it’s May? I can’t!

Friday was a chill day. I went out and got a few things we needed from CVS and then treated myself to a sugar cookie latte. So good! I had some patio time to read. I am reading the first book of The Windy City series by Liz Tomforde right now. It’s very chick lit and very rated R. I’m not sure I will read the others or not yet!

I had the Kentucky Oaks race on during the afternoon and had three nice phone calls! Do you talk on the phone? I really don’t enjoy texting that much and love a good old fashioned phone chat.

Ugh – my nails look so bad. I got tired of the press ons and removed them and the glue was hard to get off. I bought an OPI white at CVS and did them myself.

Meanwhile, it was little Lena’s first prom as a sophomore because she is dating a senior! Lena is my namesake with the same middle name as Aunt Amy. We’ve had a bond from day one. I sent her the Selena Gomez lip gloss because it matched her dress perfectly in the bottle.

She inspired me to put on my gold heels and a dress I haven’t worn much. Just kidding – we had a dinner reservation.

I made myself a nerds gummy cluster cocktail because Melanie Shankle talked about one from a restaurant. Then, later, my friend told me how bad this candy is for you.

We ate in a tent attached to a really popular restaurant because Derby brings so many people out to eat. It looked like we were at a wedding.

Our experience was pretty meh. The menu was limited, the tent was noisy with a heater running from a truck next to it, and my chicken parmesan was good but lukewarm.

Oh well, it was good company and fun to be out on a Friday night!

Friday night I got a text from Mason asking if he could hang out with us on Saturday – and come for brunch or lunch and hang out until he had to work a Derby event! Of course! I decided to make pancakes and bacon. Then, I invited Jack as well before he had to work.

But first, I went to Trader Joe’s, Clothes Mentor, and Old Navy.

Both of these are really good!

I got these to make a snack board later in the day:

I sold some clothes to Clothes Mentor for the whopping amount of $9. I will donate most but wanted to see if I could make some money back. I returned my entire Old Navy Supercash order. I just wasn’t excited. I will talk about that tomorrow in Fashion Files.

Are you making bacon on a sheet pan in the oven yet? It’s so much neater!

Both kids were here from 11-12:30 and they had fun eating and talking. Then, Jack had to leave for work and Mason hung out with us until 7:00. He did some reading on his own and I also read my book some.

Then, he agreed to watch The Devil Wears Prada original movie with me while Tom did yard work. It was so cold and really too cold to be outside Saturday! Mason liked the movie and even said he would be willing to see the second with me in the theater if I needed someone to go. Awwww.

I made a snack board and popcorn and then made tacos and corn for dinner. After Mason left I watched the Derby race and some of the Hallmark movie…

It was cheesy like all of them, but it was fun seeing a restaurant I have gone to a bunch as one of the scenes!

Look what’s coming next weekend:

Lololol!

Do you try to shop seasonally? I loved this graphic I found:

I plan to make strawberry salad and asparagus soon. I need to buy dill. I love dill. I keep blueberries in the freezer.

Don’t forget that we have the Fashion Files link up tomorrow and Currently Wednesday!

We have a lot going on in the blog world this week!

What was the highlight of your weekend? I’d love to know!

Amy

Friday, May 1, 2026

Happy Friday and Happy May 1st! Linking up with Andrea and Erika to share my favorites from the week.

I had a fun week! I really only did one “thing” outside of the house, but it was a big thing for me!

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby, but Tuesday was the day for locals. I bought four tickets and invited three friends to join me, and it was so much fun! The weather was perfect and it’s just a great day to go. It’s not as crowded and busy as the days that follow. Wednesday is another racing day called “Winsday”, Thursday is called “Thurby”, and Friday is the Oaks race.

I felt a bit of pressure as the planner – meeting time, how the day would go, weather, parking, etc.

One of the highlights was people watching and headgear noticing. The fascinators were spectacular! I would say around 90% of the women had one on. I wished mine was bigger because it looked dinky compared to many!

I saw a goose/gander while wearing it and I was a little worried it would think I was its mate.

I enjoyed betting on a few races and won $6! Woohoo!

So, I invited Heather who lives here and is my college friend (my other Heather had a golf tournament for her daughter), Jennie who lives near Cincinnati and was a college friend/sorority sister (that also went to college with the Heathers), and Ashley who lives in the same town as Jennie. Ashley taught with me for one year and we’ve kept in touch. She left teaching to go to law school. She and Jennie rode together and had never met! They had tons to talk about and mutual acquaintances, though!

We met at the shopping center that houses the brunch place, and I had already told them they could borrow from my collection of Derby earrings! Jennie wore the mint juleps and Ashley wore the pink jockey silks. I was going to wear non-Derby earrings, but the boutique had the top left ones, and they convinced me to get them as they matched my dress. They were only $10.

Do you think I have a big enough Derby earring collection?

Jennie’s daughter lives in Louisville and met us for the brunch portion. It was so cool to meet her for the first time. She is a doll! We went to Wild Eggs at Westport Village. The food is always consistent and delicious.

Of course, we enjoyed mimosas – mine was orange pineapple!

Heather and I split the surfer girl omelet with potatoes, bacon, and toast. I’m so glad we split because it was the perfect portion. For our “breakfast dessert”, we had a “table waffle” – a waffle to split with the whole table – lol. I just had a bite and it was delicious.

It was kind of like Elin Hildebrand’s Five Star Weekend because this was the first time Jennie and Ashley had met and the first time Heather and Ashley met. You would not have known it by the amount of laughing at our table, though.

Jennie and Ashley didn’t have their fascinators on yet for this photo by the brunch place…

We were trying to the sorority girl pose – some of us. My dress came from the boutique behind me so I will ask if they would like to use it in their marketing materials – just kidding!

I had decided we would drive to the fairgrounds/expo center for free parking and take the free shuttle. This turned out to be a great idea. The bus was so nice, and it was quite festive. We were dropped off right at the main gate.

The line looked long, but it moved fast and the people watching/headgear admiring was entertainment.

And someone (me) had made to-go mimosas so that also helped!

Heather and Ashley:

I was jealous of their pink. I just love pink!

Note: there were lots of babies getting on the bus and I saw lots of babies once there.

We immediately went in and bet on the first race we could. I was overstimulated! They had handed us a free program/race card when we entered, too. I was surprised they were free.

We had general admission tickets but quickly found a box. A box is a sectioned area with 6 folding chairs. They are normally very expensive seats. Look at our view!

We each tried the famous Lily which we prefer to the mint julep. They were $22! The Lily has vodka, cranberry juice, lemon juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup. It is the drink for Oaks on Friday, and the mint julep is the official drink for Saturday.

Heather reminded me of the Spire, which is really good, too. The Spire has lemonade, cranberry juice & bourbon whiskey, but I didn’t have one this time. The lines for drinks, bathrooms, and betting were very quick and manageable on this day and that’s another reason to go on Tuesday!

At one point I said I was so relaxed that I felt that I had no bones and I was “boneless”. We had so many silly jokes all day.

We walked around and saw the horses in the paddock and then got our photo taken there.

We closed it down and stayed until the end of the last race. All of the employees were so nice and friendly and on the way out a man was singing and clapping “to “watch your step”, “get home safe now”, and we started clapping and freestyling with him.

After getting off the shuttle, a self-driving car was moving to its owners in the parking lot and that was freaky.

Real Talk: I was worried about a long day regarding my stamina and my social battery. We started at 11 and ended around 6. I did great! One of the other girls said she had worried about that, too, and had told herself to pace herself and not be too energetic to start the day. Isn’t that funny but real? I know many of you can relate.

I also didn’t do much on Monday in anticipation of Tuesday.

I cannot emphasize comfortable shoes enough. All of our dogs were barking by the end of the day. I chose my new flat gold sandals and they were pretty good. I would give them a B. We walked 11,000 steps while there.

I laughed more than I had laughed in a long, long time. It really filled my cup and I am so thankful for this great day!

Now on to some more mundane favorites of the week. I am on my second notepad ordered from Amazon with my name on it and I love it so much! It’s a little expensive but I care deeply about paper and pens.

I also picked up the small bow notepad at a local boutique. What can I say? I’m more productive if my list is pretty.

I start each day by taking things from my planner and listing it on my pad. I write everything down. I enjoy crossing things off.

Also, from Amazon…

I re-ordered this:

I use it each time I shower. I think it keeps my allergies at bay.

I heard this lotion keeps mosquitoes away and I will try anything! I am dreading mosquito season. Bonus that I really like the smell!

My friend told me to get this a long time ago and I finally did it. So good with pretzel sticks!

I made a “bowl” for dinner one night this week. It had wild rice, sweet potato, salmon, pumpkin seeds, avocado, feta, the dressing I’ve been making – dijon, maple, evoo, and apple cider vinegar – Tom liked it, too!

My hydrangea is sprouting! I talked about it yesterday in Hodgepodge, too.

I saved Mason’s co-worker’s wine bottle (she is a winemaker, too) and got some fresh flowers at Whole Foods:

I love how this looks!

Wednesday evening was the steamboat race. There was no party but Eddie Otis and I met Tom after work. It was a gorgeous evening but EO couldn’t even get in because of the debris.

It was still nice to do something out of the ordinary. I got us Jimmy John’s for a little picnic but we ended up eating them at home.

I had a library pick up:

After Tuesday, it turned cool out and I was actually happy because I got to wear my new horse sweater. I had visited a boutique last Sunday and had long wanted one and there she was.

Neigh!

We lucked out on the weather Tuesday because then the rains came.

Look at EO proudly supervising the wet playground!

Our new Fashion Files has been so fun and thank you for linking up with us on Tuesday. Look what Marsha did! I think her graphic turned out so cute! Feel free to copy it to use in your post. Your outfits/mirror selfies help other women more than you think. Don’t look for perfect – look at my quick shots of outfits I really wear. They are far from perfect. You might think, “Oh, I have a navy blouse, and I never thought to pair it with that color or that item in my closet”.

And, don’t forget that the next Currently is Wednesday, May 6th and here are the prompts:

Digging – Literally or the 70s version meaning “loving”

Weeding – Literally or “cleaning out”

Enjoying – foods, shows, books, clothing, people – whatever!

Eating/drinking –

Shopping for –

What was the highlight of your week?

Amy

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Joining Patty for these fun questions first!

1. I have to say the hydrangea! I love them so much! My periwinkle hydrangea is starting to sprout its green leaves on the bottom right now. My Dad dug this up from our childhood home in 2005 when they moved to their new home so it’s extra special and I verbally thank my Dad in Heaven every spring when it blooms.
2. We have flowering bushes in addition to the hydrangea because of my husband. He picked azaleas and rhododendrons.

3. I am not a gardener! I really wish that I was. We all have our gifts and this one isn’t mine, sadly. I appreciate gardens and flowers of others so much!

4. Blouses! Blouses with jeans, cut offs, jean skirt.

5. I love all the nautical type stuff and red, white, and blue. My mind hit a blank for other trends right now!

6. I love long sleeves with shorts! I think a long-sleeved blouse can work in transitional weather quite well. I say also to change from morning to afternoon if need be.

7. I turn to lemon! I am not big on lemonade but I love a lemon centered cocktail. The limoncello spritz is delicious and I had a blueberry lemon fizz cocktail recently.

8. BLTS with a side salad, a salad with a piece of protein on top (buy protein already cooked), Mexican burrito bowls (buy ready made chicken).

April Books

This month I thought I would combo my books of the month with how I did on my April/Spring goals, and my grocery total for the month. I didn’t end up tracking my spending like I did in February and March. I did, however, track groceries because I had the goal of less food waste and reducing spending with just the two of us (humans) eating.

This was cute:

I enjoyed this:

I loved this! This would be a great beach read/summer read.

This was a good mystery, and I enjoyed trying to predict how it would wrap up.

This was cute:

This was difficult to read as it was about two estranged sisters whose mom died. I had issues with decisions the characters made. I liked some things that happened in the book. I am just at a bit over a year of my own mother dying, so that affected me, of course. I am not sure I would recommend it.

This was so cute! My sister Molly loved Anne of Green Gables and still has the dream to go to Prince Edward Island. My mom wanted to take all the girls in the family.

I read 7 books again this month – this seems to be my sweet spot. Here are my January, February, and March books. This is the first year I’m recording them!

I did really well with my April/Spring goals!

Here is what I had said:

Adult Easter bags for my kids and their roommates – check

Do an April Fool’s Day prank on Tom -check

Cook an Easter meal – check

Switch out minimal Easter decor for minimal Derby decor – check

Keep playing Mah jong – try to go to Monday night Mah Jong at a local restaurant -check

Look for appropriate places to play Mah jong at local businesses (bonus if it’s a patio)

Continue spring clean out list – try to do one area per day in April

Wrap up Spanish tutoring with my student – check – we have four more Mondays

Go to one new place a week – a coffee shop, a store, or a restaurant, or walking trail – check

Walk outside in different places/Walk EO in different locales – check

Go through spring and summer clothing (curating my style) – Words I identify with or want to identify with this season – classic, prep, Nantucket, blues, pinks, greens, yellows, whites, creams – quality over quantity, only things I love and “feel” like me – I feel like my summer style is more classic or maybe it’s more of an age thing. I am curating my spring/summer shoes, too.

Listen to live music – outside if possible – I have a couple dates on my calendar of opportunities for this

Read outside – check

Visit a farmer’s market -check

Attend some spring events going on in town – check

Watch steamboat race (part of Derby)

Watch airshow (part of Derby) – the weather wasn’t good – I don’t even think they did much of an airshow this year

Attend Churchill Downs racing day for locals (5 days before actual Derby) with college friends

Plan Mother’s Day – not sure my kids will be off work

Host on my patio – twice for Mah Jong – check

Teach Tom and kids how to play mah jong – check! It was comical.

I’m really proud of how much I did in April. The ones in bold I will carry over to next month. Those are the ones I didn’t accomplish.

Grocery (as best as my records are – admittedly I really slacked on recording this month!)

Kroger $658

Whole Foods $72, $32

Aldi $52

Fresh Market $0

Paul’s $28

Trader Joe’s $0 – is this possible?

$842- If this is accurate, we did much better this month on groceries. I do believe we ate out more than we did in March, though. This month I did smaller pick up orders at Kroger to try to plan/avoid food waste better and I think it worked. I did discover my new love of Whole Foods, though!

Well, we sure did talk about a lot today!

Amy

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

It’s Hodgepodge day with Joyce!

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why. 

I think I am feeling more reset. I am almost to my first year down of retirement and it’s been weird and wonderful to go through a school calendar in this state of mind – mostly relaxed and unhurried.

I have lived my life on a school calendar for almost 50 years! I was first a student, of course, followed by 31 years as a high school Spanish teacher. Do not take away the 31st year. I gained many wrinkles and gray hairs during that last year, ok?

I have had time to process the death of my mother last year and the resurfacing of the feelings associated with the death of my father seven years ago, too, the current state of adult orphanhood and the new state of empty nester.

It is a gift that I don’t take lightly that I have had time to process this.

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music…what’s your favorite form of art? Elaborate.  

Literature, theatre, and music. That’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child! I have loved reading since a book was put in my hands. I am so thankful for my love of reading. It helped me so much as a child. I was the lead in a play in elementary school and wish I had done more theatre. I love to watch it now. I love music and watching talented people perform.

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 

Dinner has always been around 6:00. We aren’t militant about it, but we like to eat on the earlier side since we go to bed pretty early. We eat leftovers. With that said, I am learning to make smaller portion sizes if it’s something I don’t want to eat again.

4.What’s the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

An English estate called Longleat due to Bravo’s Ladies of London: The New Reign.

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me…

At what are you ‘self-taught?’ 

I would say cooking. My mom didn’t like me in the kitchen making messes. My Dad’s mom taught me how to make mashed potatoes but other than that I started baking when I could at home and then I really didn’t learn to cook until my mid-twenties for Tom. I kept at it – making the favorites of Tom and my twins. I’m still learning. I enjoy it and I am proud when I make something good.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have a friend with a beautiful backyard with an outdoor bar, tv, bar stools, a gorgeous pool, a hot tub, a dining table, another table on a raised patio, and a firepit table. She said she never goes in her backyard. I told her to take her phone calls, computer, whatever tasks she can outside. She asked her husband to add something to the yard for her, and he said he wouldn’t since she never uses the space. I am on his side.

What could you do outside instead of inside? It really changes my mood and mindset when I spend more time outside.

Amy

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

It’s Tuesday and time for another edition of Fashion Files – hosted by myself and Marsha! Today I’m going to talk about a dress swap, new jean shorts and flip flops, my Old Navy Super cash online order, and what I’ve been wearing.

I wore this to go to my hair appointment on Tuesday:

Amazon jeans, old Target buckle slide sandals, and my Old Navy navy blouse (I have the coral color coming to me). I ordered the white, but found it to be too shear. I didn’t want to have to wear anything under it because that would make me hot. This is a great lightweight blouse for the heat of summer. I gave my sister the jeans for her birthday and she has now ordered another pair. They are really great and I am 5’4 so they hit like a long jean on me. They come in tons of colors. The sizing might slightly vary based on what color you get.

I didn’t make it out of the house in this, but I will wear it I think. It looks a bit too summery to me right now. I have on my old Chico’s white skirt that I got for $5, my new Spanish espadrille wedges, and a consignment sweater with a white tank under.

I wore this for a quick shopping trip. I have on Halara light jeans, J.Crew Factory blouse, and new gold sandals. I was testing them out and breaking them in. They passed!

Saturday afternoon I wore my Old Navy white blouse, Halara jeans, and my new gold flip flops I will tell you about later. The blouse is the one I have in dark blue (looks like denim), blue pinstripe, and blue floral. I have worn all four of them countless times over the last month or two and I have no regrets. I get compliments on them every time I wear them. Hear me out – this is as easy to throw on as a t-shirt and leggings.

Shay Shull talked about some jean shorts and I felt that my old ones were kind of dated with too much distressing. I feel this is a staple for me. These shorts have elastic in the back and are super comfortable. I would say they run true to size or a little big. I also love how they don’t fit too tightly around your thighs. I went in to pick them up at my Aerie and while there…

they had a tub of flip flips with gold in my size sticking right up there in the middle. Was that a sign or what? This type of “dressier” flip flop has been on my list. These have a bit of bronze tint to them but the price was better than the ones I have been looking at.

And, I wore this to dinner (sorry for the bright sun): the new jean shorts, my Marshall’s floral, and my gold flip flops.

My favorite boutique brand of blouses and dresses is Umgee. I bought this dress but worried it was a little too big so I went back to see if I could size down and they didn’t have it in a size down.

I went in another boutique and they had the pattern in a slightly different style and fabric. I loved the popped collar, the striped detail on the sleeves and the collar and it was a size down from the other. So, I am returning the above and going with this one. I will still wear the yellow fascinator and the gold sandals (weather permitting).

I have been watching Ladies of London: The New Reign and I love how they wear fascinators in their interviews or just for a cocktail party. How fun is England? My fascinator is just a thin headband and the feather/floral thing is on a clip. You can move it to the placement you would like.

Here is the link:

Link up here with us!

Amy