Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Friday, June 19, 2026

How was your week? I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some of my favorites from the week. The week passed quickly after Monday. Did you read about my Monday in my “day in the life post”? If you are struggling with insomnia, it might put you to sleep.

A favorite this week was a visit to the Myriad Swim Club! It’s a boutique hotel that lets you get a day pass. I met my friend Beth (I have lots of Elizabeths and Beths in my life!) who I met at my second teaching job in 1998.

I had a wonderful mimosa and we just stood/sat in the pool and got caught up on all the stuff of life.

We ordered homemade potato chips and onion dip. Sometimes simple is best.

I was thoroughly relaxed and couldn’t find it in me to cook when I got home so we had Chick Fil A for dinner.

Jen shared this post of your “green flags” and your “red flags” based on your birth month this week. Guilty as charged. If you want to look yours up on IG, search “awakening people” and it’s maybe 5 or 6 posts down.

If Eddie Otis were writing this, he would say Mason coming over was his ultimate favorite! I love EO’s facial expressions and thought this was just adorable.

Mason came over one day to get something and he stayed for lunch. We sat on the patio and talked.

We had some gorgeous weather until yesterday which is a favorite. I feel like June is sublime. July turns uncomfortable and August feels like an armpit. Still, I’m thankful because we don’t have this weather for months on end.

I love looking at fluffy clouds.

I was invited to play Mah jong at a stately country club one afternoon this week. It turned out to be lovely with a girl I hadn’t talked to in years and who was so positive and bubbly.

It was fun! I almost won a couple of times!

I am not motivated or inspired to cook much this week but I chopped up some turkey sausage, onion, and green pepper and put it in a freezer bag and then threw it on a sheet pan. I added corn on the cob and sweet potato that was already cooked. My plate has no green pepper as I don’t care for it!

Sometimes Eddie Otis acts like he’s doing me a favor by walking. He wasn’t interested in going too far one day and again, his facial expressions are so funny.

I tried out two brands (but only one flavor of each) of canned cocktails that you all recommended to me.

Carbliss Strawberry Margarita is so delicious! It had the perfect amount of fizz. I will re-purchase this.

Surfside Blueberry Lemonade + Vodka had zero fizz and not much flavor and I don’t think I would re-purchase it.

I tried Fresca Peach Citrus this week and I think I like it. I think the original is better but I was intrigued enough to try this.

I love this flavor so got some for the summer.

And I tried Chobani toasted coconut vanilla and it’s so good. My friend told me to try making a dirty soda with Diet Dr. Pepper, sugar free vanilla syrup, this, and lime juice. I am going to try it! I just need to buy a Diet Dr. Pepper.

Another meal I made this week was baby carrots, onions, potatoes all cooked on a sheet pan and German noodles that I still had from the winter so I boiled them up. Tom also had leftover meatloaf.

This is not a very summery meal but I was trying to use up stuff I had.

I started going through my mom’s (and dad’s) photo albums that are part of my stash. My sisters and I divided up the Rubbermaid totes of sentimental stuff to deal with later and now is later. I am such a sentimental person that I am finding this task so hard.

And, not a favorite was waking up to tornado sirens yesterday morning right after Tom left for the gym. Yes, he was at the gym and not home protecting Eddie Otis and I. Eddie Otis howls when the sirens go off.

I am thankful we didn’t lose power.

Boy, has Facebook been giving me memories lately! This is sister Molly’s 30th birthday party at a roller skating rink! I loved that chunky bead necklace that was popular during that time.

One thing I loved about my Dad was that he didn’t sit on the sidelines. He roller skated at the above party, he jumped on trampolines with the grandkids, and he rode around Molly’s acreage in the back of a pickup truck with all the kids. That’s Jack with his arm around Grandpa. Our dog Ernie is there, my nephew Miles appears to be tortured by Ernie, and niece Lena is in the truck. Before Eddie Otis we had chocolate lab Ernie, and before Ernie we had chocolate lab Archie. Tom is also on his third beige Suburban. The man likes what he likes.

My Dad’s side of the family used to have a summer picnic each year and this photo shows the 3 sets of twins that we have – my cousin Kelly had boy/girl twins, I had boy/boy twins, and my sister Molly had boy/girl twins. In this photo they were 19, 14, and 9. Another funny thing is that they are five years apart from each set!

In honor of Father’s Day…

It looks like Tom and his boys were all headed to the office in their khakis and polos!

Reds game. This was the day after we said bye to dog Archie so everyone has a sad face.

A paddleboard experience gift one year

And my Dad – the best girl Dad there ever was before “Girl Dad” was a thing.

Tell me a favorite of yours this week?

Amy

June 18, 2026

I decided to document this past Monday, June 15. This might be an extremely boring post because I picked my day most likely to be mostly at home. I am linking up with Joyce as this was her idea. I enjoy seeing how other people craft their day, though, so this would be something I would read! I did a much better job taking photos with the help of my phone alarm going off every hour or so. I decided not to do exact times for each photo, but I do have them for some.

Monday is a day that I usually don’t plan much. I like to make phone calls, schedule things, do my laundry, do some meal prep, things like that.

Tom’s alarm goes off at 4:30 and it often wakes me up, sadly. He is part of the “0500 Club” at the gym. Eddie Otis and I get up around 5:50 and this is EO waiting on Daddy to get home from the gym so that I can go.

I have friends that ask why I get up so early still. My body naturally wants to go to bed at 10 and wake at 6. Also, going to the gym before Tom leaves for work is better for us with the dog. Also, I have found that if I don’t go to the gym before my coffee it isn’t happening or it’s much less likely to happen.

I can’t believe how light out it is at this time!

Proof that I made it:

When I get home EO has been walked by Tom and is usually in the bathroom while Tom showers. He wanders out and hangs out with me.

I had some laundry that I didn’t finish over the weekend.

I made my coffee, read my devotional, and opened up by blog. I am still using an old fashioned drip coffee maker. It’s working for me. I am usually using Chobani creamers in my frother. I’m representing Kentucky with my Starbuck’s mug. These are still my favorite mugs.

I took a break to make Tom’s lunch to take to work. He is not eating lunch out much anymore. His work does a cookout on Fridays in the summer and every now and then he will meet someone out for lunch. He eats a banana and yogurt for breakfast at work along with his protein shake and for lunch he eats a sandwich or tuna salad and 3 Cuties mandarin oranges and some chips or other random things I pack.

Someone wants attention.

Then settles down.

I read all of my favorite blogs and also write my blog for the next day. I don’t get back on my computer the rest of the day, usually after I log off around 8 am.

Tom leaves for work at 7:30 and Eddie Otis and I give him a hug and watch him leave.

Sad boy stuck with second or third favorite human. Mason is second.

After I finish my blog stuff, I started laundry.

I make my way to my non-renovated kitchen (waiting patiently) to deal with any clean dishes.

After I have done a few chores, it’s time for EO’s second walk around 8:30. We like to go fairly early so he can be off leash and so we can have the whole playground to ourselves. I talk on the phone or listen to a podcast. I wear my short rain boots on our first walk since the grass is still wet.

We fill up the bird feeders and piddle around our outdoor space.

I feel like the birds love this cherry flavor I found on Amazon!

I continue the laundry.

I make myself breakfast between 9 and 10 most days. I take it outside and read while I eat and EO comes with me.

I almost always have a daily list on my notepad. I look at my agenda and write what I need to do that day. I look ahead and see how I can be organized for the week.

After breakfast, around 10, we take a longer walk. We walk in the neighborhood and veer into the tennis center and my old school’s grounds. I was scared to do this last summer because there is a rule that you can’t be on school grounds until 3 months after you retire. Isn’t that odd? So, I wasn’t allowed back on my school’s campus until October 1st after officially retiring on July 1st!

Eddie Otis barked at some ladies playing tennis!

This halter has made leash walking so much more enjoyable. I wear this fanny pack with treats and my phone and I can even fit a water bottle if it’s really hot.

We walked for about 45 minutes, and I was able to let him off leash for some of the walk, too. Some days I take him on an errand or take him in the car to walk elsewhere.

We went home and I showered and put on a dress and headed to Target. I needed a new phone charger, cleaning products, and a couple of little things to complete my dinner.

EO still gets crated when I’m gone but he doesn’t seem to mind. I was only gone about an hour or less. He goes outside and then comes back in and watches me unload.

I had a very random lunch of leftover German noodles from dinner the night before and some Mexican layer dip and chips leftover from the weekend.

I think Eddie Otis was down for the count after that. He seemed so worn out from our walk and maybe from the weekend of lots of river swimming. I was able to read on the patio and get some Vitamin D after my lunch. He was sleeping back on my cool bedroom floor.

I officially decided to DNF Sunk in Love because all it talked about was relations. Ok, already!

I picked this one up next:

Someone started mowing and I mowed inside to my cool leather couch. I was getting hot anyway.

I accidentally fell asleep.

My sister Molly called and we talked for 39 minutes. I love having my sisters off work for the summer so we can talk at random times. I would say I talk to them every other day.

I went back outside.

I moved to my lower covered patio and the weather was just divine. There was a slight breeze. I guess I really loved UK (University of Kentucky) because I had two drinks going – water and electrolytes.

Still working on laundry…

I started dinner of Mexican bowls.

EO was napping back in my bedroom so I got out the broom. Unfortunately, he heard it and came running. I can’t sweep or dust when he is around because he thinks it’s playtime.

Tom arrived home around 5:35 and the two of us were really happy! Tom walks EO a lap around the playground when he gets home while I finish dinner.

Eddie Otis and Tom and I all eat at the same time around 6 every night.

I bought this to try. I don’t think I will buy it again because I can whip up a homemade sauce that is better.

Tom and I watch tv while we eat. We also chat.

Eddie Otis takes an after dinner nap.

After dinner, I put away the rest of my clean clothes and organized my closet a bit. It wasn’t bad, but I let it get a little messy over the weekend. I worked in there for about 30 minutes and then got my pajamas on after a quick body shower. I showered in the morning but I can’t stand to have sunscreen or bug spray on my skin so it was necessary.

I went down to the basement to do some cleaning and Eddie Otis looked at me through the railing.

Then I had a bowl of ice cream!

I had to finish Real Housewives of Rhode Island – it’s horrible. Why did I watch this?

I worked on my nails and applied more OPI Nail Envy.

I should have gone back outside after dinner because it was so nice!

I said goodnight to Tom at 8:30 (and Eddie Otis) and I came to bed at 10.

And that’s a mostly at home day for me on a Monday!

Amy

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

It’s Wednesday and time for Hodgepodge with Joyce!

1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I’m guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren’t born yet but that’s part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here. 

I had just graduated from college, and I distinctly remember sitting in my friend Julia’s apartment and watching it. I think I was in town for a job interview and she still lived in our college town. I had graduated, gone to Mexico for two weeks, was living with my parents and working a waitress job to save money. I had gotten teaching job interview calls while I was in Mexico.

2. What’s your favorite summer salad that isn’t the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?

Potato! I like a good homemade potato salad and I think my favorite is the vinegar based – more like a German potato salad. I also love broccoli salad! Yum! I like salads with strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges.

3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be? 

I feel like guys have it rough in some cases. They could get in trouble for holding doors open, right? They could get in trouble for not holding doors open. A part of me thinks they still need to be taught this and a part of me thinks that it’s just human decency for both men and women to hold doors for others. There are so many instances where the person in front of me doesn’t hold the door!

Just to make sure, I looked up the word chivalry. It can also be:

the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak

I think all of these things are still important in modern society but of all persons regardless of sex.

4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about ‘Hawaiian pizza’ aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska? 

I think Hawaii. I have never been to either. They are not high on my list for some reason. I do really like ham and pineapple sometimes. I have never had Baked Alaska. It looks incredibly hard to make. It was all the rage in the 70s, I think.

5. World Cup play is happening now…are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches-

–Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle

along with  three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)

and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-

You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why. 

I’m not really following the World Cup. If I were still teaching, I would have to be up on it! My kids played soccer when they were 4 and Jack told another kid that “his grandma could kick harder than that”. Oh my! That was the end of the soccer career. I think I would choose Canada because the cool weather would be nice in the summer.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I should make potato salad! I have the ingredients to make Mix and Match Mama’s corn salad. My nephew Miles loves it and requested I make it for his graduation party last summer. I am not super inspired to cook, period, but I’m getting it done.

I love a salad with eggs and avocado!

I feel like all meal ideas leave my brain sometimes. I can’t even remember something I was obsessed with and made over and over. Are you like that, too?

Amy

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Hello and welcome to Fashion Files with Marsha and me! What have you been wearing lately?

One day last week I wore this… It’s my new Old Navy gauzy skort with an older (maybe last year) Old Navy graphic tee.

I wore these little lemon earrings:

Sorry for the fuzzy photo.

And, my white Swatch watch. Do you still wear a watch?

This outfit was a bad move. I wore this in a storm and torrential downpour and my white shirt got wet and my flip flops squelched in the puddles. I think I need a short sleeve shirt with the skort, too. Oh well. I do love the skort so much. The print is just so cute.

I wore this to meet Mason for a happy hour and I was worried the yellows didn’t match. I probably won’t wear this together again. Maybe I will wear the blouse with my white gauzy shorts?

I will admit that my hair is still a little wet. I couldn’t fathom using a blow dryer on it when it was so hot out. I wore this to Tom’s birthday dinner. This is a J.Crew gauzy dress that I found at a consignment shop for maybe $12. It has pockets!

I didn’t buy anything new this week!

Let’s talk returns…

I decided to return this Old Navy chambray top for two reasons. It was short and hit at my widest point. It was heavy. I feared I wouldn’t wear it in the summer because of its heft. Also, it was $40 which is a lot for Old Navy!

I do love the look of the light chambray with orange so maybe I will find another version. It made me sad for this not to work out but I think I made the right decision for me.

I also returned my impulse Target.com order.

I thought this set was so cute but they were out of stock in many sizes and I knew the shorts would be too big and the top too small but my optimism was high and I did it anyway. I still think it’s cute but it does have a pajama quality to it.

I thought these were cute:

And, these were mentioned on a podcast.

I already have one pair of lace up the leg sandals and I have plenty of nude/neutral/brown options.

Ultimately, I decided none of the items were 10/10 and they could end up being wardrobe mistakes.

Do you have any favorite outfits? Thoughts on what I returned?

Link up here!

Amy

June 15, 2026

Hello Monday and hello to all of you! How was your weekend? Ours was mostly about Tom! Tom’s birthday fell on a Saturday this year so that was really nice for him. I did have some struggle getting him to tell me what he wanted to do!

Let’s go back a bit, first…

I did something whimsical on Thursday. I was shopping at The Dollar Tree and next to it is a Pizza Hut. I already knew I was going to do it sometime this summer but thought I would go ahead since I was right by one. I treated myself to a personal pan pizza for reading 10 summer books. I think I read 6 in May, and I have read 4 in June so that counts. Anyone remember the Bookit! program? I didn’t get mine for free, but it was only $7 and it was tasty!

Haha! I feel like I need to do more fun child-like things.

I finished this book this week and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the throwback dial up internet and lack of cell phones.

I started this next and it’s cute so far!

I made a personal pan egg bite for my breakfast on Friday. I did two eggs, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, bacon bits, and a sprinkling of shredded cheese and microwaved it in a glass Pyrex.

Friday I visited the library:

And played mah jong with two friends. After that, I picked up dinner for Tom and I at a little place called Gracious Plenty.

Saturday was Tom’s birthday and he requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting so I got to work:

He took a bike ride while I was working on his cake:

I made him bacon, eggs, and toast after he got out of the shower:

We were going to take the boat out but I think the bike ride did him in so he watched some movies while I ran a couple of errands and piddled around the house.

A family dinner came together! Mason suggested a new seafood restaurant by his house, and we stopped by to see some changes he has made. I was tickled by his kitchen shelf that houses his tea collection:

Mason and his roommate have shopped some flea markets.

I dropped off the cake, there, too, as we were going to have the cake after dinner. Jack met us at the restaurant; I can’t remember the last time all four of us could eat at a restaurant together.

It was delicious and reasonably priced. Mason got horseradish salmon, Jack got fish and chips, and Tom and I split a crab smash burger and fish and chips.

I think Tom was really touched.

We went back to Mason’s after dinner for the cake. It was really nice!

Sunday, we did make it out on the river! Eddie Otis did well once again!

We cruised around a little bit and let EO swim a little bit.

I met a former student at Haymarket, and we sat in the lovely garden. She did semester abroad in Spain last semester. It was so nice to hear about her experience!

I bought a baguette and brought some purse butter (butter that was in my purse). Lol.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Fashion Files! I’d love to have you join us with one outfit, multiple outfits, new summer clothing – whatever!

Also, because June seems to be flying, I will go ahead and announce the July Currently topics. It will be Wednesday, July 1. I hope my topics aren’t too out there but I was trying to be July-themed!

They are:

Sparkling – What is currently “sparkling” in your life?

Grilling/Cooking –

Heating up –

Using –

Celebrating –

Tell me a highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, June 12, 2026

It’s Friday and that means it’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika for a fun post about all the things that made our week happy.

Look what I woke up to on Monday:

What a gorgeous sunrise. I’m glad I’m an early bird because missing that would be sad. I love to use Mondays as my admin day – laundry, calendar, phone calls, scheduling, etc. I made myself a pretty nice breakfast around 10:

It was diced potatoes, bacon bits, a little cheddar and some scrambled eggs.

It was gloomy and rainy but I had gotten lots of sun over the weekend so it was fine by me. Eddie Otis and I took a few little wandering walks. He likes to read his “p-mails”. Get it? Also, we have a neighborhood fox. He is pretty cute and has a den in the trees by the schoolyard. We see him sometimes on our walks. I get a little worried that EO will take off after him and if I see the fox I quickly leash EO up.

EO and I enjoy filling our bird feeders. Man, these birds are eating me out of house and birdfeeder. The squirrels also partake and I’m ok with that. I also saw a chipmunk. I see the birds and the squirrels eating together in harmony so it seems ok.

I talk to Eddie Otis all day long. I tell him it’s time to do certain things like fill the bird feeder. He seems like he understands. I guess I treat him like I treated my kids when they were toddlers. My sister Kate once commented that “I talk to my kids a lot” and she “didn’t know you were supposed to do that”. Kate always makes me laugh.

In addition to my home stuff this Monday, Mason invited me to meet him for ice cream after he got off work at 2:30. I did a Target return on my way (I returned the entirety of my impulse online Target shop – two sandals and a “set”) and met him at Retta’s which has been on my list.

If one of my kids asks me to do something I really try to say yes and if it’s nice outside, I really try to get outside. Those are two “Rules of Amy”.

They have house made ice cream, fancy desserts after 5 pm, and a chef’s tasting menu of food.

I picked caramel and it was probably the best ice cream I’ve ever had.

I can’t remember what Mason picked but he loved his, too.

I came home and made manicotti and a salad for dinner. This time, I used jumbo shells and they were much easier to stuff. I also added a bit of goat cheese to the ricotta, egg, parmesan mixture. Here is the recipe I used.

I really enjoyed this movie this week! Sadie Sandler is Adam Sandler’s daughter.

I also enjoyed this:

I love Brett Goldstein!

And, look at this news…

Louisville is getting a Jeni’s. We are a Graeter’s town, but I think we have room for Jeni’s, too.

My favorite part of every evening is when Eddie Otis climbs on his Dad’s lap with a stuffed animal.

96.6 pounds of chocolate labrador love!

Natural nails this week to let them heal. I really enjoy doing my nails in front of a show.

My friend Victoria and I tried a new place for brunch this week. Victoria and I have been friends since before she was pregnant with her 24-year-old and since before I was pregnant with my almost 24-year-olds. She was a French teacher at my school. This was a Mexican breakfast and lunch place, and it was pouring rain and storming when we were there.

After we ate, we walked through the Logan Street Market, which is a small food hall with some shops, too.

Our phones started blowing up with flood alerts, so we made our way home.

I made Tom Sloppy Joe’s this week. I use Pioneer Woman’s recipe because my mom didn’t write hers down. My mom made these all the time. The grandkids hated them! I sent a photo to my sisters and brother-in-law in honor of my mom.

Tom’s plate:

He never tells me what he wants for dinner and he eats whatever I make, but I can tell when he’s excited!

Sadly, I finished this book this week. I loved it so much! I might have loved it more than Nora Goes Off Script. So, my fave books of the year include this, Mad Mabel, and This Book Made me Think of You. Notice that I did not say Theo of Golden or The Correspondent. I liked them.

I started this and I’m loving it so far! Can I tell you just how much I love summer books?

I went for two weeks without seeing Mason but then I got to see him twice this week! We met for happy hour to celebrate his completion of recording an audio book. He auditioned and got the job and it took him about 100 hours to read the book and record himself reading it. This is why he has been so busy.

We got small plates off of the happy hour menu and this was my lunch.

Then, he came to see brother Eddie Otis and stayed for dinner. I made spinach salmon salad.

This might be a new thing. Eddie Otis decided to watch the neighborhood from the driveway gate.

I got a “mention” on Instagram this week that filled my cup…

This former student is a new mama, and she mentioned me in her Instagram story as she was reading a book with Spanish to her baby boy. I got to “tag” the mama’s siblings and say that I also taught them. I taught many sets of siblings during that 25 years and it’s something I really cherish. At one time, I could name all the families where I had taught all the kids and I did so in class sometimes “The Pulliams, The Burches, The Givens, The ___, etc.”

Both of the other siblings wrote me a message, too. See? That’s why I can’t hate social media. This connection is really important to me. I am now “coffeecocktailsamyscott” if you want to follow. I’m not looking for a 10K following but I like sharing things that make me happy.

I looked at Tom’s work website because I needed the address. He works for a large commercial construction company. While there, I clicked on their employees tab. I don’t think I had ever seen this photo and I told Tom he looks like a movie star. He looks super laser focused on the job at hand. That’s his “blue steel” gaze. Lol.

He comes from a long line of non-smiling Germans. Speaking of non-smiling Germans, Tom was born in Wiesbaden, Germany many moons ago tomorrow. That means his birthday is tomorrow! I am having trouble getting out of him what exactly he wants to do, so wish me luck today trying to prepare to celebrate him! I love birthdays!

What filled your cup this week – other than coffee? Ha!

Amy

June 11, 2026

I was asked to be part of the Global Writing Challenge hosted by a group of bloggers. My Fashion Files partner Marsha invited me to join in the writing fun.

Don’t you love how we can go shallow with fashion talk but also go deep with profound writing? That was said “tongue in cheek”. And is fashion really shallow? If something allows you to step out and be your best self, maybe that isn’t shallow at all?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

This month the topic is sunshine, and I’ve had a ton of inspiration for this topic lately. No, I haven’t been to a sunny destination. I live in Kentucky. We aren’t known for sunshine but rather for horses and fried chicken, right? But, even so, we also have sunshine here!

If you don’t know me, I was a high school Spanish teacher for 31 years and have lived my life on a school calendar for almost 50 years. I am a mom to twins who will be turning 24 this year. I am a wife and dog mom, too. Over the last year, I lost my last remaining parent, I retired, and my kids moved out after living at home for a year after college. I have had a lot of change. I have shed a lot of tears and have questioned my next chapter.

Chasing Sunshine at Home…

I have friends who only seem happy on vacation! I had an epiphany in my 30s (thankfully it was at a fairly young age) that I have to also find joy and happiness at home; I can’t wait until I’m on vacation to enjoy the sunshine that surrounds me! I can’t wait until “one day when I live at the beach” or “one day when I have time”.

I asked myself what I personally enjoyed the most about my vacations and one of those things was drinking my morning coffee outside. I also enjoyed a glass of wine outside in the late afternoon. So, I did my best to create outdoor spaces at home to mimic that feeling and to do those things at home. It made a huge difference to my everyday life! I have recently heard how beneficial morning sunlight/sunshine is to a human. If 99% of your life is not spent on vacation and only 1% is on vacation, that is a sad state to only be happy when you are away. I have other friends who have gorgeous outdoor spaces that they never use. A true tragedy, in my opinion! Are you willing to only be happy 1% of your life?

You can do so many things outside – you can eat your meals, drink your coffee, pay your bills, read your book, talk to your friend on the phone, fold your clothes even! I want to encourage everyone to do something outside that you normally do inside.

Even when I had to go to school each day, I made it a point to drink my coffee outside and to get outside after school, too. I was able to walk to school and did this the most in my last couple of years of teaching. If you have a dog, they force you outside, right?

One of the hardest part of my job was that I was kept in captivity. I had no ability to go outside for most of the day. I did have two windows, and I told the students that we would use natural sunlight and open the windows as much as we could.

I am a firm believer that kids need nature and sun! I loved that my own kids walked to elementary school and on the way home, they had to pass the school playground, so of course we played there after school. I also had rules about playing outside and forced it even when they didn’t want to. Adults are no different as they also need nature and sun.

So, I have enjoyed more sunshine this past year, and I needed it after some tough life things in my immediate and extended family. I have had all the changes that I mentioned, I have had some friends disappoint me, and there are some other things that aren’t my story to tell. In this human journey we are on, we need the cloudy and rainy days to appreciate the sunshine. Because of my job where I was stuck in a building, I appreciate my sunshine more now.

I have had the chance to notice the differences between morning sunlight, afternoon sunlight, and evening sunlight. I have enjoyed the fall sunshine, the winter sunshine, the spring sunshine and the summer sunshine. What a gift to get to notice and enjoy this! I have always struggled to get through the month of January but this year I had the ability to get more sunshine and that really helped.

The word sunshine is also used to denote warmth and positive feelings about the human experience. “Sunshine” can be used as a term of endearment as in “Hello, sunshine!” I want to be sunshine for the people in my life.

We also say one has had “dark days” or that they are in the “sunshine of their life”. No one wants those dark days but we all have had them or will have them. Without them, we take the sunshine for granted whether it be literal or figurative.

Sunshine can truly heal us. Sunshine can change our moods and our outlook. I will notice that I am in a funk but then the sun comes out and it’s like a switch has been flipped. It is powerful!

It probably seems like this has been all over the place, and it’s true, but it all makes sense in my brain. My message is to find the sunshine now and don’t wait for the sunshine later. This message is as much for you as it is for me. There is sunshine all around us in every season and in every iteration. We have to look for it, stop and enjoy it where we are in the here and now. We have to enjoy it when we are at home. We can’t wait for a sunny locale.

What is your best advice on chasing the sunshine in your life either literally or figuratively?

Click here to see all the Sunshine entries!

Amy

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

It’s time for another edition of Hodgepodge with Joyce today…

1.  How would you define ‘the good life’? 

I would define the good life as a good balance of time and money. You need money to live, and you need time to enjoy the people that make life worth living. You need a sense of purpose to your life, as well. Having the time to take in the sunrise and beautiful nature seems like the good life to me. Having enough money so that you aren’t kept up at night worrying is part of the good life. You need deep relationships and people you can count on.

2.  What’s the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

The texting app/feature, the phone call app/feature, the camera, and my blog app are my most used. Yes, I feel those align with my values of connection with people.

3. ‘Every rose has it’s thorn’, ‘everything’s coming up roses’, ‘looking through rose-colored glasses’, ‘it’s no bed of roses’ or ‘stop and smell the roses’…which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

“Stop and smell the roses” would still relate to my life currently in my first year of retirement. I have time to enjoy the birds in my yard and I feed them. I have noticed more this year, taken more photos this year, and really slowed down. I was wound up really tightly each school year with the stress of doing it all and the pressure to be organized to be able to do it all.

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

Not great! I do love St. Germain elderflower liqueur and a Hugo Spritz or a St. Germain Spritz. I was big into those two summers ago. Oh, and I do love putting a hibiscus flower in prosecco or champagne.

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

People. I have tried to figure out people. I have always had strong opinions on how people should act and this has caused me heartache. Tom says that I am going to be continually let down when I have these expectations. The Mel Robbins “Let Them” advice is good but leaves a lot to be desired for me because I can “let them” but that doesn’t mean I won’t still ponder why someone did what they did, said what they said, acted the way they did.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have a very good memory. This is not a good thing when it relates to number 5 above. I remember everything that a person said or did. I can forgive but I can’t forget and that sounds so bad, I do realize.

Have you heard the Rita Mae Brown quote, “One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.” I constantly work on trying to go easier on people, if that makes sense. I have definitely come a long way. I will think “so and so hasn’t checked on me for a bit” and I am the one who last made contact so it’s their turn. Then, I stop myself and realize we aren’t keeping score and I can always be the one to reach out. I am the one who has more time right now.

Wow, Joyce, we went deep today!

Amy

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

What have you been wearing lately? Thank you for joining Marsha and I as we talk fashion today!

Red is still the color! Have you seen red having a moment in fashion? I found this blog post fun to read! I have had so much fun with my red Free People espadrille Mary Janes and my new red Archie’s flip flops…and my red nails last week!

I have been drawn to red, white, and blue this summer. I wonder if it has anything to do with our country’s 250th birthday? Nautical theme is in! Sardines are in! Lol – I bet the sardines never thought they would be “trending”.

Also, here is a podcast worth listening to. I currently have probably five different sizes of clothing in my closet. I have learned to order two different sizes online if I can easily return the one that doesn’t fit to an in-person retailer. Also, it is your choice how you want your clothing to fit. That’s empowering. Jamie talks about how clothing that fits you flatters you so much better and reminds us that too tight clothing is not good. I don’t always get the sizing right. I didn’t find everything in the podcast helpful, but I found enough of it helpful that I want to share with you.

The podcast is called The Savvy Cast and I don’t always relate to the topics but I felt this one was good enough to share. I am linking her website which also has some great recipes.

Basically, don’t feel any sort of way about your clothing tag. Sizing is all over the place. Cut it out if it steals your joy.

I wore this one day last week. I wore it with my New Balances to walk the dog then I took those off and put flip flops on to go out and run an errand. Later that evening I switched to jeans for a mah jong night I went to. This is a new this season Target blouse that I love but that isn’t the most flattering on me. The shorts are old linen Old Navy. The flip flops are Archie’s.

Since it hasn’t been hot and it’s been so pleasant I have been putting on a slightly nicer shorts outfit and using that to walk the dog and run errands.

I wore this to go to a couple of places all in the same shopping center. I was in J.Crew Factory in this photo. I didn’t buy anything but they had a ton of gauze. I was wearing my Old Navy white gauze shirt, my old Old Navy green and white skort (athletic material). I also went in Trader Joe’s.

I tried this as a set at home. These are my Old Navy gauze drawstring shorts. I feel a bit like an orderly.

Different shoes can change things up.

That day I settled on this. I kept the shorts on but paired them with an old consignment button up and my lace up sandals. I walked EO in my New Balances and then switched shoes again.

I went back to Old Navy and bought this orange skort:

and this fun summer printed skort:

I’m not sure why I am standing that way – at attention!

Close up:

Wait – is that a sardine?

Fun athletic shorts – do you see how they have little wings on the sides?

and a short-sleeved chambray blouse that I thought would be practical to have. This was Jenn and I influencing and enabling each other. She shopped the day before at Old Navy. I can’t wait to see her post today. I’m telling you that Old Navy is pretty good this season!

Finally, this is what I wore to my niece’s graduation party. I repeated the dress I got for my day at the track – Churchill Downs Derby week.

I would say I am doing a good job of wearing and rotating through all of my shorts and short sleeved tops. I really don’t have that many but it seems to be enough for my lifestyle. I haven’t worn many dresses yet. I haven’t worn many printed pants or skirts yet, either. I am going to challenge myself to wear more of those things.

I also did another clean out of my closet. I was pretty aggressive about things I wouldn’t currently buy and what I wasn’t excited to wear.

I did a mini-Target impulse shop. I listened to a couple of influencers. I am going to decide what to keep. Even when I do get influenced I am getting better about knowing what to keep and what to return. I will show you those next week.

Link up here!

Amy

Monday, June 8, 2026

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

Friday was a really nice day! I was going to go to the library and maybe stop by a store by myself but Eddie Otis seemed to want to go in the car with me so I took him with! He waited in the car while I got my requests and then we walked around the library and the surrounding neighborhood. I think he loved it because we came home and I actually put on my bathing suit and read outside and he napped for a long time.

I took some photos of the pretty little yards around the library.

I ordered Domino’s pizza for dinner (it was gross) and Tom and I watched our shows. It was a super chill and relaxing day.

I got another Kroger delivery at 7:45 am Saturday morning.

I think this is the bread Tanya talked about. You bake it the rest of the way and have a fresh baguette.

I got a surprise visit from Jack and made chocolate chip pancakes for him; he was on his way to work.

I had a little project. I separated out all the red gummy bears because my high school mascot were the Cubs and we were red and white.

I had a themed cocktail I was taking…

to a high school pool party – my high school friends. I didn’t crash a current high schooler’s pool party.

I made the cream cheese and red pepper jelly dip with Wheat Thins and…

Mexican layer dip.

This is Ruby Sue in her pineapple bikini.

It was so nice! My friends Beth and Mike host this every year. They live about 20 minutes from me and we have local high school friends and some friends that travel to come to it.

It was one of those days where you don’t have your phone on you to take photos as it should be. We stayed from about 1-6.

The drive there is very “Kentucky”.

And Sunday meant a road trip for Eddie Otis!

We made the drive to Columbus, Ohio for a niece’s graduation party!

Sister picture – I didn’t have a drink.

Don’t forget that Fashion Files is tomorrow! Show us what you have been wearing or buying for early summer. Show us what you want to wear. Show us anything fashion adjacent!

Amy