Friday, June 25, 2021

Happy Friday! How was your week? I am linking up today with Andrea, etc. right here!

Here are a few of my favorites from this week…. I would love to hear yours, as well! In fact, what a positive way to greet people that you see this weekend…”Hi! What was your favorite thing from this week?” Is that weird?

Two TV Shows:

Luckily, our kids will still watch a show with us any evenings we are all home together this summer. We sadly finished Blessed this Mess but we started Derry Girls and I have not heard Tom laugh this hard in a while. I requested subtitles but no one else wanted them so I miss a couple of things. It is quick humor and a thick Irish accent. Anyone watched it? Anyway, when our kids became teenagers having a show that we all enjoyed was a way of bonding. I’m so glad the tradition continues.

Summer Reading:

I hate to ever say a negative thing about a book (just the fact that someone wrote a book is amazing and I hate to be critical) but I also want to be honest. I had to make myself read this book and finish it. Beach Read was my favorite chick lit summer read of last year, but this was meh. Also, neither title fits the book (in my opinion) and that really bothers me. I am very big on book titles, song titles, nail polish color names, etc. Why am I like this? I don’t know. So, I did finish it but it was a chore. The girl annoyed me. Also, they called Indiana University in Bloomington U of I and it is IU. Details! I would love to hear others’ thoughts if you have read it.

I had too many books and I had due dates looming so I had to take some back. I am very excited to start Lauren Weisburger’s next I think!

Beauty Favorites:

I am still keeping a mask in my purse and a bag of masks in my car, but I have not put one on in days and it feels so good. I feel for those with young kids because I think if I had small kids they would mask up for public indoor places and I would probably still wear one, too. Last summer I talked about wearing studs with masks but this summer I like to wear studs to the pool or on the boat. I picked up these little cubic zirconias that look pretty darn good for $4.99 at my consignment shop that sells new jewelry.

Have you tried Sally Hansen Pure? I bought it in Rose Petal. It is a very nice formula. It’s a very light pink that almost looks white.

Food Favorites:

Have I told you about “Skinny Biz Pizza Dough”? My friend Kim told me about it – just Google it and it will pop right up. I made this sauceless pizza one day for lunch and it was amazing! Mushrooms, onions, and fresh mozzarella balls that I cut up were the only toppings I did.

I had a bit of leftover dough and I made a breadstick for Mason. It’s so cute! It turned out like a little baguette. I think I am going to make more of these for both boys!

Possibly Favorite Purchase:

I have been walking quite a bit and really needed new shoes. My current ones are really old and I like them but I really think a newer pair will help me. I ordered these and I’m excited. That price tag hurt. Anyone have this brand? I will send them back if they aren’t perfect for me.

Favorite Snacks:

When I need something sweet I have the classic dum dums suckers in a treat jar. I have a light string cheese every day. I love string cheese! And, I order a box of these individual popcorn bags from Amazon. I have a bag of this most days, too.

Favorite Experiences of the week:

On Tuesday I met up with two friends for lunch at a cute spot called Noosh Nosh. Heather is my college roommate and Dee was her high school best friend. Heather introduced me to Dee during college and we became friends, too. Dee had identical twin boys before I got pregnant. I remember her saying her stomach itched so bad as it was stretching to accomodate them. Well, one year after Dee said that I was walking with Heather and I said to her, “My stomach is really itching.” Guess what? I found out I was having identical twin boys not long after! So, Dee and I have that connection. I was bad about taking photos but we had a nice time catching up.

I had a Greek salad with salmon.

And, on Wednesday evening, I had an amazing coupon and asked Mason if he wanted to enter and try Grassa Gramma for the first time. It is located in a strip center which is shocking. The interior is out of this world. It is an Italian restaurant where everything is made in house – homemade pasta included.

The server does a toast to life with you when you are first seated.

They give you homemade focacia bread. Mason loved it and has become quite the foodie.

We split the Caesar salad and they split it in the kitchen for us. The lettuce is roasted and is has pumpkin seeds. It is the best Caesar I have ever had.

I ordered pasta primavera with goat cheese.

Mason ordered salmon with crab risotto.

The attention to detail is incredible. It is really dark in the restaurant and Mason kept talking about how much he liked the dark lighting. I had to use my phone flashlight to see the menu.

We got to sit on the balcony which I had never gotten to do.

The men’s and women’s bathrooms share these sinks in the outer area.

Anyway, it is a really cool place. I enjoyed having that one on one time with Mason. I told Jack I wanted to take him out next. Jack has the palate of a 5 year old so I will look for the best chicken tenders in the city.

I love my area of town so much, by the way. The strip center that this is located in also has my Kroger, my tailor, our Thai restaurant, our Mediterranean restaurant, my Cuban restaurant, and my UPS store for all of my Amazon returns (ha!). Tom jokes that I stay within a 5 miles radius of our house and that I won’t go any further. And, post-Covid (or hopefully almost post-Covid), I think I appreciate these places even more.

Funny side note: my kids say I know someone everywhere I go and it really is true. Even though we live in the biggest city in our state, I see someone I know as if it is a small town. I have lived here for 23 years. Our water and bread girl was my student from two years ago. I see someone I know every time I go in Kroger. I saw three people I knew at the DMV recently! To those of you that currently live in small towns, this may surprise you.

WIshing you a wonderful weekend full of even more favorites,

Amy