Thursday, July 4, 2019

Happy 4th of July everyone!  

I’ve been keeping a “secret” and wasn’t sure how much I wanted to share on the blog at this time because there is no end in sight yet.  I teased a bit at this when I showed you some tile samples on my Hello Monday post, so here it is…  We are doing a pretty major renovation on our house.  

A little history:  We bought our 60’s ranch right before our wedding and have never lived anywhere else.  That was 19 years ago!  Our house was a 3 (4 if you consider the basement bedroom a bedroom) bedroom/2 bathroom house and it seemed huge until we filled it with a chocolate lab (our first boy was Archie and now we have our second chocolate lab Ernie) and twin boys.  And, it was still fine for our family of 4.  What I liked and still like about it is there is no wasted space.  The layout is comfortable and I really love my house.  

Right away, we did new appliances, new paint, and filled the house with replacements for our college furniture.  We put in new windows, we built a fence for our dog, we put on a new roof, and we did a new HVAC system.  

A few years later we added a garage with side patio and then a few years after that we redid the basement with drywall, a new fireplace, new built ins, and added a third bathroom to the basement bedroom.  

Our basement family room.  Yes, we let our dog on that part of the sectional!  

Our garage and side patio

New basement bathroom 

Why didn’t we just move?  Well, our boys walked out of our backyard to their elementary school, they walked out the front to the middle school and to the high school after that and located in between the middle and high school sits their daycare/preschool, orthodontist, and their oral surgeon.  Plus, I work at the same high school, as you know, and we have tons of restaurants, grocery store, and many other amenities within walking distance but still live in a quiet neighborhood with old trees in a good property value part of town.  

Current main floor living room:  Just wanting to rip up carpet because there are hardwoods beneath

Current dining room:  This will stay the same, except hopefully new paint

I’m not showing you current bathrooms, kitchen, or bedrooms because they are just bad.  Maybe I will at another time.  

Currently:  

We started phase one when we had to dig up an old septic tank in the yard by the house and take off our old concrete back steps.  This was Ernie’s spot and I took this photo because he looks so confused.  

Not to fear, we built a temporary wooden back entry that would eventually have stairs, too.  I can’t find a photo of this.  Just picture wooden railings and stairs – very makeshift.  

So, what are we doing?  

We are adding on to almost the entire back of the house.  We are adding a new master bedroom, two new master walk in closets, a master bath, a new hall bath (combining existing hall bath and existing master bath to created one), a mudroom/laundry room off of the kitchen, adding a patio off of the master bedroom/mudroom, extending the kitchen and redoing the kitchen.  In addition to that we are re-doing boys’ bedrooms, ripping up carpet and refinishing hardwoods throughout and painting the main floor of the house.  

We are doing this in stages and it will be a long time before everything is finished.  This will be an exercise in patience for me because it doesn’t come naturally.  I’m extremely nervous about the cost, the time factor, the chaos factor, and all that we have going on this year with the boys’ senior year, college visits and decisions, and much more.  But, that’s life.  There’s never a perfect time to rip up your house, is there?    

So, I will show you some progress if that’s your cup of tea and if it’s not, that’s fine, too. 

This was exciting because we were able to start the framing after the foundation had been poured.  We had lots of rain to contend with as we were trying to get this going.  \

This photo made me laugh.  Ernie lost his back porch, his wooden porch, and now he’s lost his driveway space.  I feel you, Ernie!  

It’s fun to see the progress!  The people working on it are so nice and such hard workers.  I try to give them ice water and popsicles as much as I can.  I think I painted a depressed picture of Ernie but he also loves seeing new people that come to work on the house and he has to sniff all the building materials.  

Have you been through something like this?  Any tips for me?  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

You guys, Steinmart is really becoming a favorite clothing store of mine lately.  While the prices are a bit higher than a TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, or a Ross, I think they have some fantastic sales and maybe a bit higher quality.  I have really become a better shopper and made more thoughtful purchases so for that reason, I didn’t need a lot for summer and I really am trying not to shop out of boredom or as a hobby.  So, I believe this was my only shopping spree of the summer thus far! 

First I picked up this basic hot pink tee.  I have a lot of patterned bottoms and wanted pink and yellow plain tops.  This brand is Cha Cha Vente which is a pretty trendy brand but with decent quality.  This was around $15.  The sleeve has a cute detail and the bottom is scooped.  

I just fell in love with this lemon and orange print below.  This was a bit pricier at $29 but I loved the style and the print so much!  I have already worn this several times.  I wore this with black linen shorts and black sandals to hear the band on Saturday night.  

This print on this linen skirt, you guys!  It has pockets and a cute undone hem. I like the fact that is has black in it because I have a couple of plain black summer tops.  This was $24.  I wore this to run to the mall Thursday. 

And finally, for only $15, I have worn these the most of all four items.  They don’t look like much but they are kind of a denim dupe, extremely light weight material with the cutest ties at the bottom that stay tied pretty well, by the way.  I just don’t wear jeans in the summer.  It’s too hot.  I sometimes wear white jeans if it is cooler than 90 degrees. This is a good way around that. I’m super happy with this purchase.  I actually thought about going back for another pair and I don’t do that very often.  

So, I don’t have links for you but they do have a website.  If you have a Steinmart, check it out!  They are having a July 4th sale, too, by the way!  

And guess what? I have zero outfit photos for you this week. Just picture me wearing the above items as I described and forgive me for being a lazy summer blogger!  

I do have my boating chic outfit on below.  When our plans got thwarted for boating on Sunday we detoured to Captain’s Quarters which is a restaurant/entertainment venue where boats can pull up and order or you can just go by car.  It’s on the river but a good distance from our downtown and it really has a bit of a resort feel to it.  I wore my last year’s Target cover up, my Crocs, old Ray Bans and my hair up.  

Hub doesn’t know how to smile for photos but I thought he looked kinda good and he agreed to a photo!  He loves his Keens, Freefly brand shorts, and his bucket hat!  

What have you been wearing this week? Any recent wardrobe additions?  The summer stuff is going to start going on major sale now!  I heard that one of my favorite consignment stores, Sassy Fox, is having their summer stuff on sale starting the day after Independence Day and they are accepting fall clothes very soon!  NO!!!!!

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Today is a super fun link up with my friend Tanya at The Other Side of the Road blog.  

We all love Amazon!  We all love Prime! How did we exist before Amazon?  I simply don’t remember.  While I love to shop locally, shop consignment, use the library, etc., I really do love me some Amazon.  It’s like magic.  It’s like Disney for adults.  It will never cease to amaze me what can be found on Amazon.  True story:  a few years ago I ordered Mexican jumping beans off of Amazon to show my students.  Isn’t that both weird and wonderful?

However, Amazon can be really overwhelming.  I love to take others’ recommendations and especially other bloggers’ I trust that I know are not just trying to earn a buck.  Not that there is anything wrong with affiliate links, but readers can tell when a recommendation is genuine, I think.  

I have a lot to show you this time around because there were just things I needed that I had been putting off on buying until the school year was over.  And, sometimes Amazon can save you money because time is money and because if you were to enter a store, you could make unnecessary impulse purchases.  

Here we go.

First of all, I really wanted a white boho chic summer dress.  I ordered one but it just wasn’t what I wanted.  I knew I would need this slip to go under it.  So, I’m keeping the slip but still haven’t found the dress.  I’m thinking I can wear this under other dresses as well.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CTUK4Y0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My next purchase was because of Kellyann.  I knew I needed a shot glass because one of my hobbies I guess you could say is coming up with cocktails at home.  I’m very happy with my new set of two, Kellyann!  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVG92M4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My grocery store, Kroger, stopped carrying my all time favorite hairspray!  My bff and I swear that Kroger stops carrying our favorite products on purpose because we can both name several items that they took away from us!  I usually paid just over $5 for the hairspray at Kroger, so this price on a two pack was great.  For the price, you cannot beat the holding power, combability, and smell.  I have probably used 10 bottles now.  I have never been that faithful to a hair product. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CC6T22N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Again, Kroger took this away from me.  This is a little pricier at just under $10 and I’m now on my 3rd bottle in a bit over a year.  This stuff helps my highlights last longer.  I take my shower at night, spray some in, and don’t even heat treat my hair until the next day and it works.  I am impressed by all the John Frieda blonde products, actually, but this is all that I currently use.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DK7DVC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I still love these shoes!  They are more stable than a flip flop and so comfy for running errands.  At $17, you don’t have much to lose, unless you’re like my sister and think they look hideous!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787LMXH9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wanted a big mini muffin tin to make mini muffins (duh!) but also some apps like tarts with wonton wrappers, crescent roll dough, etc.  I only had a silicone 12 count and don’t like baking with that.  So, I have upgraded and I have already made some mini muffins for my boys!  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EBS16G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is how I decided to jump into the jumper trend and I think it will work into fall, to be honest.  I like the material, I like the tie, I like the sleeve length, and I like the price.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R488QW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I guess I didn’t buy too much, but don’t tell my husband that I currently have 16 things in my cart.  Just window shopping…

Thank you to Tanya for this fun link up!  

Amy 

Monday, July 1, 2019

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Guys, it is already July!  My friend posted a picture of school supplies out in the stores.  NO!!!!!  It used to be that they waited until well after the 4th of July to put this stuff out.  I’m just not ready to think about that yet…

So, today in addition to a brief weekend recap, I’m linking up with some bloggers to talk about the 4th of July!  Please visit The Queen in Between, This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Coast to Coast, The Horton Family, Living on Cloud Nine, and Granola and Grace.  Click here to go to the link up!  

So, let’s start with Friday morning!  

Hub has a couple of extra days vacation to use up in addition to our summer vacation week so he took one of them on Friday.  We did some tile shopping and I will tell you why very soon :).  I’m not very good at interior design.  I know what I like but it’s definitely not my forte.  

That evening we went as a family to a community theater musical of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  I whipped up some quick street tacos and rice for our dinner before leaving.  

We all enjoyed the musical and couldn’t believe how professional the acting and singing were.  

Saturday morning I did one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning – hit up Trader Joe’s before the crowd.  I thought these 4th of July flowers were pretty but I resisted.  

I started my next library book and I had to hurry because it was due back today!  I abandoned my last book because I had already read it and didn’t realize it at first!  I really enjoyed the first third of the book, but then it fell off the rails and started developing a character that didn’t need to be developed in my opinion and there are just some off the wall things happening to some of the characters.  I would love to know if anyone agrees with me.  I’ve got about 50 more pages to go and let’s see if I can make it.  

After my Saturday morning TJ’s run (post coming this week on what I bought), my friend whose son is dog sitting/house sitting asked me to come over and sit by the pool for a couple of hours. What a nice spontaneous way to spend part of my day!  

Saturday evening, my boys really wanted our favorite Mediterranean take out, so one of my sons went with me to pick it up and then we ate together at home. After dinner, hub and I met some friends for some live music at a pizza place at a marina by the river.  It was about 90 something but it was fine.  They played 80s music and were pretty good, but loud!  

I thought our view was quite picturesque.  

I do want to mention that I considered just staying home, but I’m so glad we went.  We stayed from 7-9:30 and it was good to get out.  We haven’t gone out much so far this summer and this was a good reminder to just go when you have an opportunity.  My boys were happy to stay home as they have been super social lately and were out Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night for the musical.  

Sunday we got a late start but wanted to go boating.  Hub determined the river was still running too fast and had too much debris from all of our June rains and storms so we headed down to Captain’s Quarters to get a drink and sit by the river.  

People we knew started showing up and we chatted for a couple of hours.  We were still glad we made the decision not to go out in those conditions but also because my sister’s family was stopping by on their way back up north from their vacation to Memphis, New Orleans, and Mississippi.  

So, after coming home we enjoyed a short and sweet visit from the five of them.  Then, it was time for dinner and a few little tasks but no “Sunday Scaries” for me because it’s summer!

Now, let’s talk about the 4th of July.  Last year we had our 17 year old German cousin here so we really wanted to show her a good time and how we celebrate the 4th despite the 100 degree heat that day!  We went out on a boat with AC and I brought some festive snacks.  This year, we don’t know exactly what the weather holds or what our plans are!  

Home decor:  I do some minimal decor on the mantel, the hall table, and I have a flag tablecloth for the dining room table.  I have also done a minimal tiered tray decorating job!

Outfits:  I prefer just choosing two of the three patriotic colors.  I would love a cute graphic tee and have seen some really cute ones, so I might still have time to do that.  Other than that, it depends on where you’re going and what you’re doing for the celebration. 

hall entry table

mantel

capti leggings from Walmart last year

A lighter and a darker blue with red earrings looks tasteful.

I’m only doing two colors here and this can be worn over and over again this summer.

This is a little dressier because it’s a skirt. Again, the 3rd color is just in the jewelry.

Here I am doing all 3 colors, but one is in my accessory, so it doesn’t look too overdone.

Food:  I love to get a bit festive with the food!  

-I have seen red, white, and blue Rice Krispies to make treats with

-red, white, and blue potato chips

-red, white, and blue tortilla chips

-you could serve red salsa with blue corn chips

-there are red, blue, and normal potato medleys in the produce section to grill or roast

-make the waffle pretzel, rolo, and M and M with only the red, white, and blue M and M’s

-set out a bowl of red, white, and blue M and M’s

-just pick 3 types of candies in red, white, and blue

Here is my post from last year for more ideas!  

Have a fabulous Monday!

Thanks for reading, 

Amy