Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Monday, February 23, 2026

It’s Monday and time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share our weekends.

Weather-wise, we had a nice spring preview last week and now it’s winter again – for a couple of days and then we are supposed to get 60s by the end of the week. Ok, I can handle that. Do you think snow is done for the year? It could be for us, but we have had big snows in March before.

It’s the last week of February! Wow, did this month go by quickly!

I am trying to not go to the grocery this week. I went on Thursday and got pretty well stocked. I have been doing a spending diary this month and trying to have a low spend month, so I would like to be able to call my grocery total final.

I am working at getting EO to calm down outside. Sometimes he can’t help but bark at all the many noises he hears. I have been playing calming dog music, classical, or soft jazz in the house at the busy times of day and that really helps.

This was Thursday afternoon. I got him to lie down and relax!

It was so nice to see most of the snow gone! Wow! I can’t remember any time in my life where snow stuck around for over 3 weeks.

I am caught up on two shows – Love is Blind Season 10…

and Love Story.

They are dropping new episodes little by little which I kind of like.

I took a pretty long press on nail break and then put on this pale pink Thursday night after my shower. This is before filing and trimming. I can’t have my nails too long.

We loved getting out and seeing the sun Friday morning.

I had breakfast plans with my friend Kara at Highland Morning:

I got biscuits and gravy and only ate half and was still full until dinner.

And, I tried a few bites of their key lime pancake. It was so pretty and would be so perfect for St. Patrick’s Day but I didn’t love the flavor. It was definitely “breakfast dessert”.

We went to this gorgeous plant store! They had moved from downtown to near my house.

We each got a couple of new plants.

I put this guy in this cute container I already had.

I picked up library books:

Love going into the weekend with a fresh stack of books! I have loved this feeling since I was a child. I can still remember being in the children’s section of my hometown library.

EO tried to take not one, but two, stuffies outside!

We met friends at a speakeasy for dinner. It was so cool!

You know how you can never see the menu at a restaurant? They had this cool light up menu!

I slept in a little bit Saturday and woke up to Eddie Otis cuddling beside me.

I cleaned off his crate of all his accessories and our many dog towels.

I moved plants around, swept, mopped, and cleaned the mudroom.

I asked Alexa to play cleaning music and it was the best playlist! I loved every song! Try it out!

Here is my meal list for the week to get me through without going to the grocery again (I hope!):

Next to it is my February Goals list!

I spent a few hours cleaning and finally made my favorite breakfast that was more at lunch time. I am still hooked on this combo.

I didn’t go anywhere on Saturday! Can you believe it? I was happy at home. I guess since I had such a full day Friday I was content. Tom and I watched a new show, I read, we watched Olympics, and then I made a great dinner with a combo of leftovers and new things.

I made spinach salad with warm bacon dressing:

roasted carrots and a chicken sandwich for me with leftover chicken and a fish sandwich for Tom from my Friday night fish.

It turned super cold overnight and we even had some Sunday snow! I had a Target return and saw this Western themed section.

I spent some time reading this:

Tom and I watched a gumbo recipe and attempted another batch together!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost time for another Currently. It will be Wednesday, March 4 and here are the prompts (thanks to Jenn for her help!): saving your life right now, cleaning/purging, loving, planning (trip wise), taking a break from (since it’s Spring break month).

If you also do Hodgepodge, feel free to do them in the same post or you can do two different posts. Feel free to interpret the prompts any way you want.

What did you do this weekend?

Amy

Friday, February 20, 2026

It’s Friday and time to link up with Andrea and Erika for the happiest post of the week!

Here are some of my favorites from the week – I would love to hear yours, as well!

I visited my old school – really just the office staff and my small language department:

Is it weird that I kind of think it was a milestone for me or at the very least good for me to go back for a visit? I wasn’t sad to not be in the trenches anymore. I may have felt differently if there were students present, I realize. I tell myself it was 25 years of my life so of course I have had to process feelings. I felt at peace!

After that, I had been asked to go to happy hour by my friend Victoria. We had a nice hour and a half of catching up with some chips and guacamole and a margarita for me and a mosquito for her (a spicy margarita basically).

I was looking for something and came across this from Mason when he was in late elementary school. I think I was on the phone, and he wrote me this note and then corrected his own grammar. Bahaha!

There are only 3 episodes out as far as I know, but wow, is this good. I feel like I’m reliving the 90s through the fashion, too.

This week I tried toasted coconut and it’s really good. I don’t like coconut shavings but I like the flavor if that makes sense.

Remember my relative success with cooking German food for V Day? Well, Mardi Gras was a different story. I spent about 2 hours making the worst gumbo ever. I guess I burned my roux.

Eddie Otis ate my gumbo spoon:

I had to Door Dash some gumbo since I had promised it. Wah!

I also had hair day this week!

Before:

During:

After:

Why do all of these look like mug shots?

Eddie Otis and I have been spoiled because we have had the playground behind our house all to ourselves. The kiddies are out again and EO is not sure what the screaming is all about.

There is a charity that helps those in the restaurant industry and each month a different restaurant does “chef in a box” which is a meal for two. This month Captain’s Quarters was doing it. This is the restaurant we can go to by boat.

I had a 60-degree day and enjoyed going to pick it up. Look at the boats in their shrink wrap!

I had planned well since I knew I was “trying” to make gumbo the night before.

We had spinach salad:

Chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans:

Bread pudding for dessert:

I have been re-watching Younger and then saw this!

We don’t have much longer to wait for a MomTok Bachelorette. Look at the book she’s holding.

I started this:

EO and I were able to read outside a little bit this week. I have to get him to be calm and lie down, and this is a photo of me spying on him behind me.

My hydrangeas have made me happy this week!

Sophie of Big Boo Cast recommended this hummus and I had to go to Costco anyway. It’s like restaurant quality good. I am a big fan of Graza oil, too.

I keep re-purchasing LMNT because it’s just so good. I realized it worked really well with the coconut water from Kroger. It’s a great mocktail!

I was craving a spreadable cheese for crackers, and this is pretty good.

Jen has talked about Drizzilicious and I found a box at Costo of s’mores, birthday cake, and cinnamon. So good! 90 calories!

And, that’s a wrap for my week! Tell me a fave of yours!

Amy

Thursday, February 19, 2026

February is flying! We have had such a reprieve from the cold and I have loved it. It just makes everything easier. The mornings are still super cold but I have my awesome long waterproof coat.

Last week I attended a Galentine’s event at a open air shopping center near me and I decided to go for it and be festive. I have always loved pink and green together. This is a Target sweater from a few years ago and the pink pants are consignment this year.

The next day I wore my Old Navy tee purchased this year. It’s a very light pink with cherries shaped like hearts. I have on my Amazon Essentials cardigan and Halara jeans.

I bought a new sweater from Target. I swooned when I saw it. My photo is not great, so I will link it here. Just click on the red font “here”. For spring, I love white and cream and lacy or crochet textures. My very old gold clogs are not that comfortable to me anymore so I want to get a neutral pair of shoes with a little height that are both comfortable and modern.

I ended up putting this on for errands with Tom.

Sunday I went super casual with my pink and white striped from Old Navy. It’s not flattering but I was comfy. We had some more errands and visited some friends. I’m wearing my old Tieks flats but meh. Again, I want a neutral or gold shoe for spring. Yes, I do have a thing for gold shoes and I’m not gonna apologize.

Speaking of the bright gold Swedish clogs above – you would not believe how many students commented on them. I would have kids I didn’t know come up and compliment them. I usually said, “Solid gold, baby”.

I visited my school Monday in this outfit. My hot pink Old Navy sweater is quite pilly. I wore light Halara jeans and I think the gold clogs.

I often get hot under the cape for hair day so I wore a blouse with Halaras. You will be happy to know I didn’t go barefoot. I wore my tan Adidas Sambas.

It’s kind of a hard time to get dressed! Anything too springy doesn’t feel right yet and some of the winter clothes are too much right now.

I also haven’t been doing any scarves this week – yet!

We didn’t see a single silk scarf at the consignment stores last week, either.

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to link up with Joyce for the Hodgepodge. It is Ash Wednesday which marks the first day of the Lenten season. Yesterday was Mardi Gras which means “Fat Tuesday” as it’s the last day of Carnaval in many countries. The time to party is over as they move into the six weeks leading up to Easter.

You didn’t miss my post yesterday; I had a rare case of writer’s block and a really busy day on Monday.

Louisville is a big Catholic city and when Tom first moved here from Eastern Kentucky, he thought someone had a dirty forehead on Ash Wednesday and told him he needed to wipe it off.

The Catholics eat fish on Fridays and churches hold big fish fry events. Many restaurants do fish specials. My old teacher next door neighbor made frozen truffle mac and cheese every Friday, and it smelled horrible all down the hallway!

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

I did not grow up in a church that asked us to give something up or add something to our life for Lent. I have done the “40 Bags in 40 Days” challenge as an adult – you list forty spaces in your home to declutter and gather a “bag” to donate or throwaway in each of the spaces.

I made my first gumbo yesterday for Mardi Gras. Tom loves gumbo and misses his favorite Cajun restaurant that closed.

2. Pancakes…are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

I am a savory breakfast person, but my best friend always suggests ordering a “dessert pancake with chocolate chips” for the table. I do like a sweet bite after eating! If I did order them, I would do plain or chocolate chips most likely.

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt ‘spread too thin’. 

Teaching last year! There is just so much to do as a teacher. I visited my school for the first time since June 4th on Monday. It was a teacher day so I got to see my old department and some office staff. I didn’t wander the whole building.

4. What’s your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

I love bright pink as you can see above. Other than that, you see lots of black and white and patterns.

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

I’m not sure if I am interpreting this question correctly but managing people is really hard. I do think I have an authoritative tone, and I have a voice that projects to get attention when needed. But, after that, I don’t think people respond well to yelling. I like clear concise directions without repetition. People respond better when they feel free to make choices and not like they are stuck, if that makes sense.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was not “allowed” to go to my school until after October 1st (3 months after official retirement date in the state of KY).

I was waiting for a teacher workday to go visit and Monday was my first opportunity. I was worried about how I would feel, but I felt great. I felt like that chapter was closed and I was not sad at all to not be a part of it anymore. I wasn’t able to go in my classroom as the teacher who now uses it was absent and I didn’t ask to have it unlocked or anything. Now, it may have felt different with students there, but it didn’t on a teacher workday!

A few people asked me about subbing, but I just don’t want to do an 8-hour day right now and it might be too soon to do that anyway. One of the reasons I retired was because I didn’t want to be out of the house for so long anymore so my next gig would have to be shorter and much more flexible.

What would you say to any of these questions?

Amy

Monday, February 16, 2026

And, just like that, Valentine’s Day is behind us! Let’s link up with Holly and Sarah to share!

Last Wednesday I had my second dose of the Shingles vaccine, so I didn’t plan much for Thursday until well over 24 overs after the dose. I had no problems with the first dose other than a very sore arm. I am happy to report the second one was fine, too. I drank tons of water, electrolytes, and a probiotic soda. I again had/have a very sore arm and a big bruise, too. My sister got actual Shingles this summer and she was miserable. She had only just turned 50 and had not gotten the vaccine yet.

Do you remember my pink consignment pants I got this winter? I put this outfit together for a Thursday night Galentine’s event.

All the stores in the shopping center where the event was held were open late and there was some free swag at many of the stores.

There was so much spring stuff out!

Puppies up for adoption:

And, a random lady with two baby goats?

I went with my friend Jessica and we ended the evening at Steak and Bourbon at the bar and I got a delicious lemon drop martini:

The famous butter candle has experienced “shrinkflation”. Now it’s only 3 rolls instead of 4.

We had some spinach and artichoke dip, too. We called this girl dinner. That’s the only thing I bought while out!

Friday morning the clouds were so fluffy and pretty. Eddie Otis and I walk every morning before I get ready for the day. I listen to podcasts or talk on the phone.

We had 40s and 50s and a lot of sun but there were still so many patches where the sun hadn’t hit.

I had a Kroger pick up for my Valentine’s meal. Look at that blue sky!

And, I had a Target pick up and did a drive-up return for the first time. I ordered a “set” that I didn’t love on me that I returned, and I picked up a darling sweater. I still want a set, but the pants were too long, and the sweatshirt was too cropped. It was a very nice scuba material but $70 for a Target set seems like too much. The sweater is so cute! I hope it softens up a bit after the first wash. I still want a set and might try Aerie.

Friday I had no other plans other than a friend stopping by to drop something off for Tom. Tom had helped their daughter with her internship application in architecture. I also had to start my Valentine’s red cabbage.

I decided to put on my cherries shaped like hearts with bows tee.

My probiotic soda in my lobster glass:

When my friend arrived she wanted to sit on the porch and I made us the best drink if I do say so and even better in the heart glasses, no?

She is a dog whisperer and when EO barked she did a trick on him and it worked!

We chatted for quite a while and it was really nice. I miss having my patio hangs!

For dinner, I decided to do my Trader Joe’s blooming onion from the frozen section – meh, I won’t buy it again.

I even made the sauce.

veg, twice baked potatoes, and fake chicken minis (idea from Jen) with Bare nugs and Sister Schubert’s:

Valentine’s coffee in my Love mug:

I tried to make Tom heart toast. You press your fingers to form a heart and then toast it. MIne does not look like the example!

I finished this – very cute and fans of The Bachelor would enjoy!

I decided to start this, and I was even able to read outside a bit!

I went to Haymarket to see what they had for Valentine’s Day:

Then, Tom and I ran a couple of errands together. It started raining late afternoon and I had to get serious about my meal!

I had marinated the red cabbage for 30 hours at this point and then it had to cook for 1.5 hours.

This is the Ziguener schnitzel sauce:

Pork schnitzel:

Tom’s favorite German meal! I did it!

Our other Valentine had a face-off with Tom because he wasn’t getting enough attention!

Sunday Tom took Eddie Otis to Home Depot after his walk:

I went to Trader Joe’s for a few things and brought home white hydrangeas for my mantel:

I put my V Day away and put up my St. Patrick’s Day, but I swear I have more! I can’t find it. I do usually find green books to add.

It rained but some snow is still holding on. The big piles of dirty snow are still in the parking lots and still taking up parking spots.

It was so nice to see my rain chain going like crazy:

Yup, I managed to read a bit:

I told Tom I was reading the sequel to “The Last Thing He Told Me” and asked if he watched the show with me. By the way, season two starts on February 20 which might be this book? He wanted to know if the sequel was called “The Next to the Last Thing He Told Me”.

After all of my cooking Saturday and heating things up on Friday, I was done. We had mediterranean for dinner last night!

How was your weekend?

Amy

Friday, February 12, 2026

Let’s link up with Andrea and Erika to share the week’s faves.

Tomorrow is V Day, of course. I am making dinner at home for Tom. I asked if he wanted to know what the menu was or be surprised and he said “surprise” and I asked if he wanted to cook with me and he said “yes, like in the movie Ghost” and so I turned him down because I couldn’t imagine him behind me holding the wooden spoon with me. I am making his favorite German dish that translates to “gypsy schnitzel” and red cabbage that has to be started 24-48 hours before serving. What have I gotten myself into?

Sunday, I took myself through a psychedelic car wash. This is the only time I wish I took drugs.

I thought it would be safe to get the nasty snow/ice gunk off my car since the weather would be turning – which would be my fave of the week! How dependent is my mood on the weather and sun – turns out, quite a bit.

Trigger warning…

Do you remember me doing the foot booties “baby foot” thing?

I know – why would you? Well, you wait 7-10 business days and then you start to molt. I know some of you want to see this. If you don’t, I want you to scroll quickly to a photo of my friend Katie and I, ok?

I warned you…

I feel like now is the time to do this before sandal season.

I had a fun day on Tuesday with my friend Katie who is my high school friend Jim’s wife. We consignment shopped, ate salad, and chatted for several hours! Read yesterday’s post for more details.

I loved my salad!

I made bourbon chicken Monday night and it turned out great but I need to always double or triple the sauce part of Asian recipes.

I made lemon spinach orzo with chicken Tuesday night and I loved it. Why don’t I made more orzo? I linked the recipe I kind of used. I only did about 1/2 c. heavy cream and I didn’t have any parm and I added lemon (freshly squeezed) so I did change it up quite a bit. It was lighter the way I did it.

I bought the Trader Joe’s ready made lemon chicken and this made it super easy!

My hyper-fixation brunch as the kids would say. I roasted my sweet potato cubes on Monday and then added Amylu chicken sausage, did my Pyrex egg mixture and added avocado.

By Tuesday afternoon this is what it looked like. It had been over 2 weeks since we had seen any green or an almost clear back deck:

I needed some new products and tried this – love, love, love the smell. It might be a men’s product but I like it for me.

The new thing in shampoo is “bond repair” and I like these pretty well. I have decided to stop decanting into my bottles because they just don’t fit the shelves very well. I felt I was wasting some product, too.

I just think he looks so cute like this:

He seems to know which is his newest toy – Octo:

I guess I do one of these a day now. I love these!

This neck light is what has helped me to read more this winter. I love it. Tom loves getting blinded by it nightly.

Currently reading this and I’m laughing out loud at some of the parts!

I tried to read outside for a minute this week but EO was barking at who knows what.

I hope I’m not stepping on any toes here – no pun intended – but what in the Steve Madden is he thinking giving a woman literal “camel toes”. I have so many questions. I can’t look away. Which toes go where?

What if you walk through a room full of confetti and the pieces get stuck between the camel toes?

Happy Friday to you!

Amy

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Welcome to the most fashionable day on the blog!

Did you ever wear a “dickey” in the 80s or 90s?

They are now calling them “fake collars” but I enjoy the word “dickey”. Look at the Amazon dickey offerings! My teaching colleague when I was 28 and I always talked about dickeys but I can’t remember why. Here me out – the dickey could be the perfect thing for the menopausal woman. The menopausal woman can’t handle a full on shirt situation!

Also, do you ever put a button down/up on under a sweater and feel that it is too bulky? Do you have issues with the cuffs? Step right up and buy yourself a dickey!

Did I sound like an infomercial? That is what I was going for. Because I am the most dedicated amateur blogger out there, I have ordered a three pack of dickeys just for the cause.

I chose this “scalloped” three pack for $23 ish dollars. I think the scallop/granny look is in and I confirmed it with this ad for spring clothing:

The dickeys I bought have an elastic that goes under the armpits to keep the dickey in place. It is adjustable.

It was very hard to get a photo. I was bothered by the elastic that went under the arms and I decided that with it being toward the end of winter (hopefully) to return them. I did take one for the team and try them out. Another brand might work better for me but I’m not sure I’m going to pursue it again this season.

I also started thinking I might need more crewnecks to wear with the dickeys and then I was like, “Amy, that’s crazy” but I still ordered this. It’s going back as well because I didn’t like the fabric.

I also tried to wear silk scarves this week…

With it being so cold I had some difficulty. I wouldn’t say I loved either outfit. I think spring might bring more opportunities to wear them.

Marsha in the Middle sent me her scarf ‘fits! I really like the pattern mixing.

Some more inspo:

I really like the way she tied hers! I have one very similar to hers, too.

This week I had a fun shopportunity. My high school friend’s wife Katie (and blog reader) had to be in town and asked that I take her to my consignment shops. She was specifically looking for some things for an upcoming cruise.

Here are the questions I like to ask when helping someone:

What is the look you are going for? She didn’t really have to answer because I got to see her photos. She was going for comfortable but put together if I had to name her look.

What are you already working with in your closet (take photos)? She did her homework and even took photos of her planned shoes and cover ups!

What color palette will you use? She was using blues, whites, creams, and a touch of black. I recommended she take an athletic/sneaker shoe, a black sandal (she already had chosen), and a nude sandal that could be dressed up. I gave her two pairs of sandals I didn’t want anymore!

What types of things do you feel most comfortable in – shorts, skirts, dresses, etc.? We thought dresses that could work as a dress or a coverup would be great. She had a few knit dresses after our day. She had a linen pair of pants and a few tops. This is a cruise with only excursions where you wear a swimsuit off the ship so that makes it pretty easy.

I was anxious to share with her the Sudoku method of packing that I had heard about. It’s probably more for a different kind of trip, but it’s pretty cool! I don’t play Sudoku so I might not be able to figure it out myself.

I also wanted to emphasize the need for coverups and lounge clothing. Sometimes we forget about the comfortable clothing for your cabin that also look good for a breakfast run, etc. I was thinking sets here maybe. We didn’t find any but I told her to look at Old Navy’s athletic stuff, Aerie, and Loft. What is already in your closet that can be like a set?

Always shop your closet first, then make a list, hit up consignment shops, then go new. I also wanted to tell her to be sure to pack a foldable “day bag” or beach tote. You can never have too many extra little bags.

Here is what I wore to go on our shopping day:

It was going to be 60 by end of day so I wore a long sleeve lightweight blouse, my vest, Halaras, and my Adidas. Shopping is my cardio!

Katie and I spent about an hour in Clothes Mentor. It’s a big store and everything is organized by both size and color. Remember that consignment clothing has been washed so you may need to look at a size larger. I actually like this because you can see how things held up.

I encouraged her to try things on that maybe at first she didn’t like on the hanger. This is Katie behind the door:

Here is her one non-cruise item. She loved this sweater. It was a boutique brand and I told her how much use she would get from it in the time between winter and spring, now, spring, fall and we talked about all the places she could wear it. I think it was $10.99.

I think she ended up with 5 items for $60.

She was very happy with her finds! I should have taken photos of everything she ended up with but I started getting hungry.

We went to Green District for lunch where you build your own salad.

We went to Target to see what their swim coverup offerings were and it seems like the days of the colorful printed coverup are gone. We saw plain white, black, blue gauzy button ups. We saw pants. We saw some sweatery crochet type things. She has two button ups that she will take as swim coverups or as sun protection. It was good to see what was out, though.

We went to one more consignment store and they just didn’t have a lot of spring stuff yet. All of their winter stuff was on major sale.

I told her to give it a couple more weeks and then to look at TJ Maxx and other stores for spring/summer offerings.

I think she is set right now, though, if she needed to be.

I did look for myself but didn’t find anything and that’s ok. I am getting more and more picky about what comes home to my closet. I said this both to her and myself, “If it’s not a ‘heck yes’, it’s a NO!”

Amy

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Linking up with Joyce for Hodgepodge!

1. What’s something recent that had you ‘tickled pink’? 

This isn’t recent but it came up in my Facebook memories this week. I was a teacher who liked colored paper and would even do colored paper for my quizzes. I asked him if I could take a photo and captioned it, “that awkward moment when your quiz matches your shoes”. I knew him really well and he was tickled, too.

I was tickled pink by the sun on Monday when I got out to go to the library and Trader Joe’s. We still had ice on the ground along with the snow, but the sun was powerful and it felt so good!

I was shocked to see hydrangeas – not that I know their season but it felt early. I saw several sweet treats, too, but only snapped pictures of most and resisted buying.

Look how pretty in pink my library stack turned out, too!

My sister Molly had flowers from my mom’s funeral pressed for Kate and I and herself. How beautiful did they turn out?

I am very easily “tickled pink” and I love the color pink!

2. A bed of roses, everything’s coming up roses, every rose has it’s thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns…which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way? 

I guess I have rose-colored glasses on this week because I am uplifted by the weather forecast. I am so ready to have this stuff melt and see some green. I know that we still have more winter but a brief February reprieve would be nice. March can still be really cold but I love March!

I am going through all the months as a new retiree so it’s giving me education and information on how each month looks. I am trying to stop and smell the roses instead of rushing through all of my tasks like I have done for 31 years!

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated? 

Acts of service – taking down the recycling and bringing it up, taking out the trash and recycling, shoveling off the steps. Anything I don’t have to ask for, really! And, then I am sure to say thank you.

I love Tom turning on the outdoor lights in the morning or the evening from his phone.

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what’s your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine’s Day? 

Tom’s first Valentine’s gift to me was ski pants! We learned to ski together at 26 and 30 years old. Tom learned to snowboard and I learned to ski.

I like practical gifts or gifts that show someone listened to me or really thought about me. I just got some surprise new Apple Airpods from Tom so I don’t expect anything this year.

These are dangerous:

I bought them for a gift and sampled.

5. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love. 

“Love is a battlefield” – Pat Benatar

Haha – that is kind of a joke, but I do think you have to pick your battles and not think the grass is greener. Love is hard and love is a choice.

Tom came home from work looking like a Yellowstone extra this week.

“Cause all of me loves all of you – all your perfect imperfections.” – John Legend

I really like this because you have to take the whole package and even the imperfections can be endearing and beautiful.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m not a big Bad Bunny fan but my students really liked him – especially my students with Hispanic heritage. His song said “I should have taken more photos” referring to when he had the chance before things changed and he lost family or familiar places. I have very few photos of myself with my kids because I was the photographer! I don’t regret a single professional photo or a single Christmas card photo or all the photos I took and printed out.

In going through my mom’s things, she was just like me if not more extreme. We have so many photos! I gave her this professional and it just captures the joy of my twins when they were three. I love it!

So, take the photos! Get in the photos! I think that is one thing that blogging does help with. We have to take the photos! Take photos for other people at special events when you know they are busy and send them to them.

Amy

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

I saw this prompt and thought it would be so fun to do with Marsha. I just went with the first 10 things I could think of. I can’t wait to hear what other people say.

1.McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish sandwich – I would say I only have one a year but “it slaps” as the kids say. My Dad loved this, too. As a kid we only got McDonald’s on road trips, and we took a lot of road trips. It was always our go-to. My Dad was annoyed with Kate for having to wait on her “plain cheeseburger”. Lol.

2.Fun glassware – I have two hearts, one bows, and one lobster so far. I also love my hobnail glasses and my wineglasses that are more square looking. Drinks taste better in a pretty glass.

3.Scrolling on my phone – Sometimes it’s what I want to do. I do have a timer set on my phone and that helps. I love the funny Instagram reels especially. People are so creative. I like to share funny things with Tom, my sisters, and my friends.

4.Getting packages – It’s just so fun to get something, isn’t it? It’s like Christmas! I hate returns with a passion, though, so this is what helps me to not go overboard.

5.Tea/Gossip (as in “spill the tea”) – I like to think I am just interested in people. I am a student of human nature. I just really like to hear crazy stories. When anyone asks if I want to hear something I’m like – do you even know me? Of course I want to hear something! Now, with that said, I am a vault. If someone tells me to keep a secret, you better believe I will – unless it’s something that is unethical, of course.

6.Classic potato chips – No flavoring, no dip to dip it in, just a small bowl of regular potato chips. My Dad loved potato chips so much. I do this maybe once a month. My Dad was a big runner and ran from age 30 until he passed at 76. He didn’t eat red meat or drink hard liquor, but he did love his sweets and his chips.

7.Brunch – I love brunch food and a brunch mimosa. I usually am good for nothing the rest of the day – ha!

8. New shoes – I immediately put them on and stare at them. This goes back to childhood.

9. Creamer – I add it to my stand up frother and it’s just divine.

10. Reality TV – Again, I’m a student of human nature.

Can you relate to any of these? Tell me one thing you hate that you love!

Amy

Monday, February 9, 2026

First, I must correct myself – Bad Bunny is Puerto Rican/Boricuo and not Cuban. I knew that but had a glitch. A Cuban American student of mine was obsessed with him so that is how I made that mistake. I was going to make Cuban sliders for the Superbowl, but I made ham and swiss sliders. I’m sure you were quite worried about that! As a high school teacher, I had to know all the happenings that kids cared about but now I don’t have to!

Let’s link up with Sarah and Holly to share the weekend full of sporting events. Isn’t it fun to sit on the couch and eat chips while we watch our best athletes?

Friday morning walk…

This is snow with ice on top or ice with snow with more ice with more snow with more ice. All I know is that is it so difficult to walk in. I can walk on fresh ice snow or walk where Tom and I have made footprints. I feel like Tom, EO, and I are the only ones who have left footprints in a long time.

No wonder we are tired of it! I bet some of you live in areas with similar statistics.

I finished this and really enjoyed it. I have read two chick lit books from the Valentine’s shelf at the library, but they have both been deeper and had a message of moving forward. That is my favorite kind of read – chick lit romance that is well written but also leaves you with a message.

I started this next – the premise sounded fun to me. A woman realizes her high school ex is the next contestant on a Bachelor like show, and she reaches out to producers to try to get on the show.

Friday afternoon I had a happy hour with some of my former colleagues. One was unable to make it at the last minute but I enjoyed catching up with the other two. I just feel so far removed already! They have had some drama that makes me thankful not to be in the mix. We went to Mojito Tapas.

Anyway, it was nice catching up!

I had already made pasta sauce and boiled pasta for dinner. I thought this looked like Olympic rings.

And I made cacio e pepe with bucatini. It’s a very simple pasta and bucatini is like spaghetti with a hole in the middle.

I found both of the pastas at World Market and this Italian cola, too. It was good! See the parmesan on the bucatini? Guess who stole the remainder of my wedge of parmesan. It wasn’t Tom or Mason if you guessed one of them. It was Eddie Otis!

The opening ceremony highlighted elements of Italian culture and here you go – a chic Italian lady in a silk scarf!

I was happy to receive my new prescription sunglasses in the mail from Zenni Optical. I am pleased with both my regular glasses and these! If you are a glasses wearer and you don’t have prescription sunglasses, you need them. I wear mine in the winter, too.

I did it, y’all! I finished my book about the widow behind Veuve Clicquot (Widow Clicquot) and I was on the hunt to actually try the product. I have lived a sheltered life of little champagne, you see. I went in our Kroger Wine & Spirits (in Kentucky they can’t be in the grocery; they have to have their own store front) and they had a mini bottle on sale for $49 and this normal bottle on sale for $54 so what was a girl to do? I performed some “girl math” to justify buying the…

BIG BOTTLE! I tried it Saturday and it is good! I have a little thingy to keep it carbonated so I will savor it.

FYI – it was on the menu at the happy hour place I went to Wednesday for $140 a bottle – not sold by the glass.

Here are the recipes from Friday night:

Cacio e pepe – this is such a good pasta to me. It’s so simple and it’s just delicious.

Homemade mild italian sausage pasta sauce that went with the Olympic rings – I didn’t love the flavor of this pasta sauce that used a base of crushed tomatoes. It needed something else, I think. I did add tomato paste.

I made French fries this weekend with Yukon Gold potatoes. Here me out – they taste like McDonald’s with this type of potato. I just air fry and use Pam, a bit of olive oil, and Lawry’s. I made them a little too salty.

We had salmon and zucchini.

I also plan to use this recipe this week – probably tonight:

Bourbon chicken with broccoli and brown rice – yum!

Another meal idea that I used this week was – a bag of ceasar salad mix with the Bare Nuggets or cut up Bare filets on top.

I made a care package for some friends that had a family member pass and took it to them – Valentine’s candy, flowers, the Hawaiian ham and Swiss sliders, Chex Mix, plantain chips and guac, regular chips, and kale salad from a local market. I also made plenty of sliders for us for lunch on Sunday or whenever. It’s been a while since I made them.

They wanted me to come in so I did, and we chatted for a bit, and I think I made them laugh. My sister Kate recently delivered food to a sick husband of a co-worker. It was like a meal train from her work. She said she was invited in and she said yes. We talked about how important it is to take the food, not overthink the food, and go in if you are invited.

We didn’t go out to eat Saturday as has been our winter routine. We tried a couple of new Netflix shows and ate at home.

Now, to link up with the Share Our Lives gals here…

Since I’m old I did not grow up on tv bingeing and streaming services. I will say that there was nothing better than coming home to an empty house with TBS Saved by the Bell on at 3:35 and 4:05 and opening our weird snack drawer where I could find Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies and Little Debbie Starcrunch.

The most bingeworthy show is Gilmore Girls! My twins also love it and they love good acting, witty banter, and all the elements of filming and production that I don’t see. They both started high school on the video production track and then dropped it for other pursuits. They both have dabbled in acting so they appreciate these things. We watched all the other Amy Sherman Palladino shows, too. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of hers.

New Girl is another that just makes me happy. I love so many of the characters. If you need a laugh and feel-good show, it’s good for that.

How I Met Your Mother – I was late to the game but it’s really good.

I guess you could say I sort of binged House Hunters. It used to be my “going to bed show”. I would end the day with at least one episode, but I usually only saw house number one. I had to re-watch the same episode night after night to find out which one the couple chose.

The Office, Friends, Seinfeld, and Parks and Rec would all be bingeable. I think they are only 22 minutes long without commercials.

Sex and the City was one that I had DVDs for! I didn’t have HBO, but I was given the DVDs when they came out and I remember watching those a lot.

Currently, I am re-watching Younger. It’s another going to bed show for me – it’s just soothing and I know the story already.

Yes, I know I shouldn’t watch tv before bed. I should read. Oh well.

I can’t wait to hear what others say and maybe I can discover a new to me show!

What did you do this weekend? I’m just having a hard time even leaving the house when it’s this cold. My weekend was mostly tv and reading, cleaning, and cooking.

Amy