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

Monday, April 27, 2026

How was your weekend? Let’s link up with Holly and Sarah to share!

This is Derby week in Louisville! The kiddies don’t have school on Friday of this week.

We have had a string of gorgeous days and this weekend was more of that!

Let’s go back to Friday morning…Eddie Otis and I went out to walk on the playground pretty early and I’m so glad we did! The hot air balloon race (part of the two weeks of the Kentucky Derby Festival) was happening! I took lots of photos and really enjoyed seeing this. Eddie was not impressed.

New press-ons:

Friday around noon was exciting…stay tuned til the end and I will tell you what occurred.

Later Friday afternoon, I set up for a couple of games on my patio. I made espresso martinis and Heather and Heather came over.

Then we met the husbands over at Mojito Tapas and had dinner.

Plantain chips and guac:

When in Rome…original mojito:

It was such a nice evening. We like the playing of the Mah Jong and then the dinner out combo!

It started raining as we were leaving the restaurant and I enjoyed some reading time on my covered patio. You know how I love that!

Saturday morning I started my day outside…

I did some cleaning and piddling and then made our own bacon, egg, and cheese bagels and took them down to the river.

We checked on our boat – way in the back…

EO did some swimming and stick retrieval.

We visited the boat shop and saw our niece working the counter. She takes the Saturday shift.

Tom and I watched some baseball outside while he had lunch and I refrained from lunch because I had plans to meet Mason after he got off work at 3:00.

I killed a few minutes in Butchertown Market:

and then met him at Copper and King’s Distillery where I headed to the rooftop bar.

This is where the charcuterie place moved to so I ordered us a board.

It was so lovely! We stayed for a bit over an hour and then we both headed home.

Tom and I had plans to meet his sister, brother-in-law and our niece (a human niece this time) at this beer garden to see the wisteria blooming and to eat dinner.

Well…everyone else had the same idea and it was packed! We did manage to get some food and chat but all agreed to try to go in really bad weather next time! Ha!

Sunday morning we started our day outside, too. I slept in a bit!

I did a Kroger pick up and treated myself to a local coffee – a beekeeper latte. I hadn’t done this in a while and it was so good!

I also did a return and found a great find you will hear about tomorrow in our next Fashion Files – this is your reminder to link up!

I piddled around the house a bit and then left in the afternoon for some Mah jong at Heather’s house.

And now for the crazy thing that happened Friday!

I will make this as succinct as possible.

There is a thing around town called “Find the Cash Louisville” and it’s an injury lawyer that plants a wad of cash around town changing areas each time. Heather and I have been following this for about 3 months and talking about trying to find it if it’s near us.

Thursday he put out a geographical location of the next day’s drop:

This is our area.

It gets dropped from 12-3. I told her to be ready and said I would be ready. We brainstormed hiding places it could be based on the previous “drops”. She texted that she had an errand at 11:30 and was out and about. I told her I would be on Instagram duty and work behind the scenes to refresh and make sure I saw any signs of activity.

I texted her at 12:05 and said it’s in your Kroger parking lot! She said she was close! I started snapping photos from the drop video. She called me and I was on the phone saying “head to your Kroger, go to the middle where the pharmacy sign is above the Kroger, head to the pink painted horse, look for the small ornamental tree” and we stayed on the phone the whole time she was driving and then running and then I heard her yell, “I got it! I got it!”

Here is us Facetiming as she counted the money. It’s basically the way this lawyer is advertising – gaining new followers on Instagram. He drops between $80-$500 each time.

We still can’t believe “we” got it!

Tell me a highlight of your weekend!

Amy

Friday, April 24, 2026

How was your week? I hope it was great! Let’s link up with Andrea and Erika to share.

Thank YOU for engaging with me this week! If you missed anything here is Hello Monday, and…

here is our first Tuesday Fashion Files! Thank you for linking up and please consider it in the future if you didn’t this time.

Wednesday was Hodgepodge and Thursday was all about groceries and cooking!

My favorite thing about this week has been the weather! It has been gorgeous here! It looks like we have lots of rain coming soon, so I tried to embrace the perfect spring days by eating lunch outside, reading outside, and taking lots of dog walks. I have loved looking at my very green grass and I have enjoyed my anti-gravity chair. I have watched birds visit my bird feeders. I always feel like my two outdoor spaces give me two extra rooms of my house. I love this time of year before the bugs get bad.

A cool thing was that Eddie Otis and I found a trail that I thought was still here. There is a new development of houses so I wasn’t sure. This was a shortcut to an art fair held in a church yard’s grove of trees. Sadly, they no longer hold the art fair, but it was fun to remember all the years we went.

Eddie Otis was scared of this statue:

In fact, I found a photo of my Dad at the art fair with us one year. My mom was there, too, but she was off shopping.

I got both kids home for dinner last night! We had spaghetti and Texas Toast and they were very happy.

I got a nice library haul this week:

I went back to this boutique to see if they had my dress one size down – they didn’t – but I think the size I got is fine.

And, I went here to just make sure no dress was left unturned.

I bought a cute notepad! I have not had anything cute for my daily to do list. I am ordering another personalized notepad. This keeps me productive – lol.

My hair stylist recommended Jell-O dark chocolate pudding cups with a graham cracker crumbled in and I added a squirt of Redi-Whip. It’s delish!

I finished this book this week. It was a bit hard at times for me. Two sisters are estranged and their mother dies and leaves them challenges to complete. I had some issues with a few huge things in the book. I am not sure I recommend it. Anyone else read this? I have my April reading wrap up coming next week, by the way.

No – I have not bought any more icon glasses – yet – but I enjoyed my lobster glass this week! I have bows and hearts, too. The glasses are big and kind of hard to hold even for my pretty large hand. They are very heavy. Some of you with tiny hands might not like their heft.

I bought this fascinator this week – love it! Amazon $9.99!

And my gold sandals came in and I think they will work! They are very comfortable and I really love the crazy bows. They are a copycat of very expensive Loeffler Randall sandals.

My gel polish journey has come to an end for now. I got a bad one in pink that chipped in one day, got it re-done, and then the clear top coat peeled off, had that re-done in this blue and it chipped in two weeks. I just don’t want to be in the nail salon that much. I had this removed this week. It was a bear to get off. That’s the worst part of gel. I was just trying something different and it made me realize I’m just fine with my press-on nail life.

I have this cute little line up waiting after my nails rest a bit.

I went back and got my brows tinted and waxed again. I went for the first time back in January.

I also had hair day this week!

The photo above reminds me of when Mason was little and if someone asked what color his eyes were he replied, “white”. They never specified which part of his eyes.

I was thinking about how much I love my exercise shoes this week. I went to a running store and had them measure me and left with these New Balances. They are so comfortable. I washed them in the washing machine this week and let them air dry.

April has passed in a blink, so I want to go ahead and tell you that…

Our next Currently will be Wednesday, May 6th. If you also participate in Hodgepodge, you can combine posts or do two separate posts. Here are the 5 participle 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 –

Feel free to grab this graphic:

Also, there is no grade, so feel free to interpret the prompts anyway you would like!

I saw this and had to laugh at number 3! You all have heard my stories of the neighbor’s leaf-blowing ex-husband. This week was quieter than last week on the blower front.

Sometimes those Facebook memories stop you in your tracks! My kids went to my school, and I got to teach them during their senior year. I had Mason in 3rd period AP Spanish and Jack in 6th period AP Spanish. How do I remember the periods they were in? I really don’t know.

Awwww! Mason is dressed for the holidays. I will forever be grateful that I had this unique experience. My mom also got to teach sister Molly. Kate and I went to the public high school, but Molly went to the Catholic high school where my mom taught.

Having a school playground behind our house has been interesting. We have had hot air balloons land there in the past. This week there were donkeys and goats for an evening event!

Running errands! His tongue seems to grow!

This month I have been trying to go to new places around town so when I saw this, I felt justified!

I have been enjoying my new free candle from the book event swap on Sunday! Speaking of new places, I can’t wait until the new bookstore opens that will have wine and books. The new bookstore gave out the candles and a really nice tote bag with two pockets for wine.

I really enjoyed doing something on a Sunday (the book swap event) last week with a friend. We enjoyed walking around and seeing all the people out and about on a Sunday afternoon. We couldn’t believe there was jazz in a little garden at a wine bar. Who knew? Ha! It makes me think I should do a little something to cap off the weekend.

So, what made you smile this week?

Amy

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tuesdays are my new Fashion Files Day so Thursday will be my random day going forward.

Today I thought we would talk food – grocery shopping, meal prepping, cooking, eating, and lots of other random and “deep” thoughts by Amy.

I have been making a dressing that involves apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and just a smidge of dijon mustard. I add a little minced garlic, and some salt and pepper. I think I do about 1/4 cup of each of the first three items. I have been a little obsessed with this atop spring mix, pumpkin seeds, feta, hardboiled egg, and a piece of salmon or grilled chicken on top sometimes. My inspo was my amazing restaurant salad from a couple of weeks ago.

I love to make my dressings in a Mason jar or a Bonne Maman jam jar and shake it up really well. Tom complimented the dressing so that was good, too!

I made Greek Bowls this week. I made my chicken and Tzatziki sauce in the morning and cut up all my veg in the morning, too.

I sometimes get really lazy when 5:00 rolls around so doing some elements in the am really helps me.

This week I baked up a couple of baking potatoes for meals or to dice and cook and I also did a cookie sheet of sweet potato cubes.

I baked these to take to Mah Jong:

I don’t really have a set grocery day now.

I have so many grocery choices. I have a Kroger within walking distance. I have Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Publix, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods nearby. You name it and we have it. I have tried Walmart and just Walmart Neighborhood Market (just the food part of a Walmart) and Meijer. We also have a place called Paul’s Fruit Market that is fabulous for prepared foods, beautiful fruits and vegetables, gifts (love a foodie gift), and specialty things. We have a healthy store called Rainbow Blossom and I have gone there a few times recently.

I think I will always do a weekly pick up from Kroger since we use so many Kroger brand items, we get our fuel there and receive fuel points, and it’s just so convenient to our house.

I have been avoiding Trader Joe’s because I tend to buy impulse things and snacky things and not really meal things. I tracked all my spending including groceries in February and March. In April, I will just look at grocery and see how I did.

I have a new love….

Whole Foods! It’s in a horrible location – on our busiest street for retail shopping with a mall next to it – but if I go on a weekday morning it’s not bad at all.

I discovered their family meals:

My friend has been using these to take for meal trains. She said one family reported that the salmon, broccoli, sweet potato meal to be their favorite that anyone had brought.

I love their bags. They are great to save and reuse.

I bought one piece of salmon and one piece of chicken at the prepared food counter. They each provided two servings for Tom and I. This was to put on tops of the salad I’ve been making. Now, this isn’t practical for a large family but for the two of us it’s a great option.

I bought fresh pizza dough and made my own pizza. The center was too doughy so I think I should have used less of the dough so it would cook fully.

I love their sourdough bread since I’m a sourdough failure. Anyway, I am enjoying getting some odds and ends there. You pull up your Amazon app on your phone and there is an in store code for Prime members.

I made my own chicken for our Greek bowls using this method I really like. I almost always buy tenders for things like this since they cook up so fast. I pat dry the tenders with paper towels, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and for these I added Greek seasoning. I put them in a pan with some olive oil and cook on one side for maybe 5 minutes, on the other side for another 5, turn off heat and leave on the burner for a few, then move off the burner for a few, then let rest of cutting board and chop. I also include the juices if I’m storing it to use later.

I also bought fresh pita bread at Whole Foods and made my own pita chips. Tom loved them.

I did all this prep in the morning and it really helped me out on a day I had an obligation from 4:15-5:15.

Homemade tazatziki:

I try to take EO on some errands with me. He sits in the way back of my small SUV and can’t jump to the back seat or the front with me. He gets right in the vehicle and is pretty good. When I take him to do a Kroger pick up, the employee puts the groceries up front with me.

Look at that cute little head!

I try to reward him with a walk somewhere new after doing the errand with me.

I picked up this half loaf of Lewis cinnamon roll bread. It’s really good! This would be a great quick breakfast for your school kids.

Someone talked about chocolate Riesen candy on a podcast and it’s been on sale at Kroger. Tom and I are both enjoying these! Have you ever had one? It’s like dark chocolate on the outside and caramel in the middle. They are from Germany.

Final “Deep” Thoughts:

I love eggs and I still do my one egg, some egg white, and some cottage cheese mixture. I microwave it and add it to my chicken breakfast sausage, sweet potato cubes, and avocado many mornings. Sometimes I add a little parmesan or other cheese I have on hand.

Sometimes I make an egg sandwich or something different. I wake up hungry but just have coffee and water for the first hours that I’m awake.

I’m going to try this in lieu of my cottage cheese:

Sounds a little scary!

I try to eat breakfast around 10 and then I have a small lunch around 1. Lately I have been craving a half of a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on the Whole Foods thinly sliced sourdough. Isn’t that weird? The good ol’ sandwich. We eat dinner around 6:30 and it’s just whatever I feel like. Tom tells me he just wants a meat and two veg and sometimes that’s kind of freeing.

I eat almost all of my meals at home. I rarely use a drive thru. I have been surprised that I haven’t gone out for breakfast or lunch more in my retirement.

I plate every meal even if it’s just me. I take the time to sit down. I don’t eat in my car. This is a luxury that I didn’t always have. I like to read my book while I eat lunch. Bonus points if I can sit outside.

I’m still getting used to cooking for two. We both will eat leftovers and sometimes we have two totally different things for dinner. Sometimes I buy too much – I forget that we will have leftovers or that there are only so many days in a week!

I tried the Whole Foods pick up and it was great!

I don’t do well with an overcrowded freezer or fridge. I can’t see what I have and I get a bit overwhelmed. That’s exactly how I feel about my closet!

Sometimes simple is the best – I have to remind myself of this when I try to make dinner too complicated.

The most expensive food is the food that gets thrown away – just heard this from Debt Free Mom on IG when she said buy a few more luxury food items if it helps you eat up your food at home.

Sometimes buying a little higher quality or more special food items keeps you from the drive thru or from using Door Dash I think.

We all have to learn to do what works for us in our current season. In the words of the great philosophers of our current times – “you do you, boo”.

Anything you want to talk about?

Amy

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

It’s Wednesday and that means Hodgepodge day with our host Joyce!

1. April 22nd is Earth Day…what’s the most ‘out of this world’ place on earth you’ve ever visited? Tell us something about it. 

Happy Earth Day! I guess I would have to say The Grand Canyon or Glacier National Park. The Bonneville Salt Flats was also cool. I felt like this question required something not man-made or built by man. Closer to home, I would say Red River Gorge, Natural Bridge, Clifty Falls State Park (in my hometown of Madison, Indiana), McCormick’s Creek State Park, Turkey Run State Park, Cumberland Falls State Park (you can see a moonbow if the conditions are right) – I love woods, rock formations, water trickling amongst rocks, moss, and have always loved and even craved being in nature since I was a small child.

Going off on a tangent…

Also, I think I have spent more time than the average bear at the Indiana State Parks. My Dad’s side of the family had a gathering at one once a year and my mom’s side had a weekend stay at one once a year because it was halfway-ish between where we lived and Michigan where they all lived. We did Potato Creek State Park, Fort Harrison, Pokagan State Park, and bounced around to different ones. The Michigan people say the Indiana State Parks are top notch if you are ever looking for a state park. By the way, Indiana is NOT all flat and cornfields. Click on the Clifty Falls link or the Turkey Run link. Look at me showing my Hoosier pride. I was born in Evansville, Indiana and grew up in Madison, Indiana as we moved there when I was five.

2. A favorite quote, verse, or song lyric with the word earth in it? 

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

This one spoke to me since we are in the season of spring.

3. What’s the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion? 

Putting your grocery cart in the cart corral. Seriously. That action or lack of action tells me everything I need to know about a person. If you are a lazy jerk, park next to the cart corral. Then, no one will know you are a lazy jerk.

One time, I watched a woman leave a cart next to her car and then it blew into her car as she was trying to pull out. I was smiling like a Cheshire cat. Karma!

4. What’s your most commonly used kitchen utensil or tool? What’s the last thing you made using that tool? 

My coffeemaker! Coffee! I am still using a Cusinart drip coffee pot (hand me down from my SIL) for my morning coffee. After much “research” I have concluded that this is the most economical. I have a Nespresso that I haven’t used in a while. I don’t think it makes the coffee hot enough. I am happy not to buy pods.

I am currently making/mixing my own “half caff” and putting it in a large Mason jar. I just buy already ground coffee. The giant Folger’s is from Costco and the decaf is from Kroger.

And, my frother! I am not being dramatic when I say that my home coffee has totally taken away my desire for a coffee shop purchased coffee all because of my frother!

5. Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me a great book of 3000 questions, and I’m going to try to use one in our Hodgepodge every week. Here is today’s – 

What is your greatest extravagance? 

Happy hour out probably. I love a crisp glass of wine in a perfect wine glass at a place with some aestethic appeal. I love a craft cocktail in a perfect glass at a place with a “vibe”.

This drink was called a “Gonzo” and was foamy and delicious from my event on Sunday:

St. Patrick’s Day drink:

Cheers!

Also, there are really creative mocktails on many happy hour menus these days. I usually one do one drink when I go to these places and chase it with lots of water. But, yes, this is an extravagance.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

All of my thoughts are random!

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Welcome! Today is the first week of the new Tuesday Fashion Files.

You can show one outfit you’ve worn or multiple outfits you’ve worn. You can talk about clothing, shoes, accessories, undergarments, swimwear, brands you stand by, thrifting, online shopping, in person shopping – whatever you want to talk about that involves fashion.

The credit goes to Marsha who will be hosting with me. She had the idea and approached Kellyann and Jill, former hosts.

The why: We all have to get dressed and we all should feel good about it! We don’t all have the same style but sharing what we’ve worn might inspire others. Even if you don’t consider yourself fashionable, you should consider linking up. Taking outfit pictures daily (or on the days I put an outfit on) has helped me to become a better dresser and shopper!

I would love to see some of my blogger friends link up who don’t normally talk fashion. Come on!

A little about me…

I just retired from my gig as a high school Spanish teacher. I had to get dressed five days a week and wear comfortable shoes. Now, I have more freedom in my footwear but still always want to be comfortable. I also still want to get dressed but I am finding that I wear more jeans outfits than ever before.

I love shoes! I recently ordered these Spanish espadrille wedges via TJ Maxx.com. Espadrilles are a classic and the wedge is very comfortable. I have not worn these out yet as they feel too summery for right now.

One idea I have is switching out my jeans for a denim skirt.

I purchased two last year from Walmart of all places!

Here is one:

I swear it’s longer than it looks in this photo. It does not look inappropriate on me!

And, this one:

I love the two tone of this one.

I can also wear my cut offs. I feel that the distressed looks a little too distressed at this point. I am in the market for a pair of non-distressed.

I love the look of cut offs with a blouse! It’s kind of unexpected. Here is me last year:

So, take any jeans outfit you’ve worn this spring and switch the jeans out for a skirt or shorts.

Saturday night I went out to dinner and wore this:

Husband is trying to get in the shot, I guess. I wore one of my four Old Navy blouses, Halara jeans with side stripe, and my gold kitten heels.

Sunday I wore another pair of Halaras, my beige Adidas Sambas, a white tee, and my Target crocheted sweater. I wore a small silk scarf, too.

I am going to Churchill Downs on the Tuesday of Derby week and had dress options, but wanted to look at my boutiques that carry Umgee, one of my favorite boutique brands.

I found this dress:

Here are my old options that I could wear, too…

I love this Walmart Scoop dress:

this Walmart Free Assembly dress (I went through a Walmart dress phase and they had some good ones!):

this boutique dress that I also have in hot pink in case the temps are a bit cooler:

The worst thing you can do at the track is to wear uncomfortable shoes. If it rains, ladies wear rainboots with their dresses, too.

Here is what I have ordered:

I have a love of gold or metallic shoes!

What have you been wearing lately? What are you in the market for this spring?

Click here to link up with us!

Amy

Monday, April 20, 2026

How is it the end of April? Is this life now? We get to the end of the month each month and I’m shocked? Let’s link up with Sarah and Holly for a weekend recap.

Let’s start with this dapper fellow on Thursday. Tom has been able to cut our other dogs’ nails but this one – nope. We have to take him to the professional. He has to see the groomer that deals with “behavior issues”. He is getting better each time he goes and this time he received a complimentary yellow tie.

Then, we had a reward field sniff. We’re out in the country in this photo. Just kidding – this field is across from our neighborhood. When people think Louisville is super urban or scary I tell them that my current living situation feels more small town than the small town where I grew up. I have everything I need really close by and I see someone I know everywhere I go.

Thursday afternoon I went to Heather’s to play mah jong with my other Heather. We have been playing with three instead of four and it works well.

Friday morning, I loved seeing all the bikes in the bike rack at the school behind our house.

I took myself to the library and Whole Foods. I went to Aldi a couple of weeks ago and it was not a great experience. I don’t like that you can’t buy just one onion or just one apple. I wasted some of the food I bought at Aldi which is the most expensive grocery of them all, no?

Whole Foods was the total opposite experience.

I even love their bags.

You show your Amazon Prime code at the checkout and the groceries at WF don’t seem expensive to me anymore – maybe because all groceries are expensive now?

I started this:

I bought a ball of pizza dough at WF and Tom and I had this pizza for dinner…

along with a salad that I made.

My Saturday alarm clock:

We got up and then he chilled…

Tom and Eddie left for their Saturday routine and I did a Target drive up and then went here:

Then we visited with my canine niece, human niece, and Tom’s sister at the boat store.

Then, I saw the pink snails. They are migrating to a Derby party and move every few days.

A little more if you are interested:

Pink Snail Migration Charity in Louisville

The Pink Snail Migration is a whimsical, traveling art installation in Louisville, Kentucky, that’s raising funds and awareness for the Norton Cancer Institute Breast Health Program.

• Art & Movement: Thirty-five large, brightly colored pink snail sculptures are being moved over 35 miles from Woodland Farm in Goshen to 21C Museum Hotel in downtown Louisville Yahoo+1.
• Event: The snails will be special guests at Steve’s Derby Eve: A Darker Shade of Pink, hosted by Woodland Farm owners Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson WHAS11+1.
• Style: Created by Italian art group Cracking Art, the snails are part of a long tradition of colorful, oversized animal sculptures for the 21c art hotels Yahoo.

People are hunting for them and taking photos!

I shopped for a dress for Churchill Downs and swooned over the colorful fascinators. I feel like women wear more fascinators than hats these days. They are much more wearable to me. They have a base of a thin headband that is pretty comfortable.

Saturday was a rainy day, and it started getting colder and colder as the day went on. I ate lunch and read outside under my patio roof and you know what doesn’t happen on a rainy day? Leaf blowers, weed eaters, and mowers don’t run! Woohoo!

I do have a current social concern – girls (I think) who do blood curdling screams during play. Do you remember in the 70s/80s when parents taught you to never scream like that unless something was really wrong? That’s not a thing anymore. There are horror movie level screams coming from the playground all day long. Elementary teachers and parents of young girl children: weigh in. What is happening? I have broached this topic with both of my elementary teacher sisters.

And yes, I am a crotchedy old hag for talking about this.

We went to eat Mexican with Tom’s sister, our niece, her boyfriend, and some friends.

I got a fajita bowl:

Sunday morning was cold and my streak of starting the day outside ended in favor of a cozy blanket inside.

I cleaned all the floors in the house and got ready and went to a new to me coffee/wine/gift shop!

Mason happened to have lunch break and met me there and got his lunch paid for.

New bright green bike lanes in the area where I was:

Then, I headed to this event at Mason’s work. A new book shop is opening and they had a book swap and wine tasting. It was such a nice event!

Since I read all library books, I had to buy one. I bought one of my favorites of 2025:

I received this:

We got a tote bag and candle!

They had quite a spread:

My friend Beth met me and treated me to this fun drink:

We wandered around a bit before heading home.

We have some cooler temps coming:

Tell me the highlight of your weekend?

Don’t forget – our first new Fashion Files is tomorrow! Start small, but just start! Join in with us with one outfit or one hero piece of clothing!

Again, here is what Marsha and I are doing:

You can show one outfit you’ve worn or multiple outfits you’ve worn. You can talk about clothing, shoes, accessories, undergarments, swimwear, brands you stand by, thrifting, online shopping, in person shopping – whatever you want to talk about that involves fashion.

I have had a few comment that they aren’t fashionable and I say to that “pish posh”. Just show us what you’ve worn!

Amy