Friday, May 9, 2025

Happy Friday! How was your week? I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share about mine.

My regular readers know I am retiring after 31 years as a high school Spanish teacher. It’s starting to feel more real now. I guess I should start my countdown on my whiteboard. I now have 12 days left of being a teacher and then 5 days left of teacher days after that.

Here are some random favorites from the week; it wouldn’t be my blog if it weren’t totally random!

I have started cleaning out my room and a sweet girl made this for me about 5 years ago. I am going to start posting it as my header or along with my header!

I finished this on Sunday. It was super cute. It was like Eleanor Oliphant as an air traffic controller in South Africa. Sounds weird but the observations she had made me chuckle.

I love that the library is open for very limited hours on Sunday afternoons and was able to pick up this request because my Saturday was too busy. Yes, I am trying my hand with another Scottish book; this time no one is a lochness monster who changes back and forth into a man. Yes, I do judge my books by their covers. The kilt! The yellow boots like mine!

I also had requested this:

I can’t remember why I requested it so I will have to look into it and see if it is my cup of tea.

I have a few other books I renewed. I just haven’t had much reading time lately. That makes me sad.

Cute boy! He is so in love with Tom and it makes me happy to see them “cuddling”.

I keep remembering Tom saying he doesn’t like who he is without a dog in the house after Ernie died. Tom has always been a dog person.

This may ruffle some feathers. I do not have a sourdough starter. I am not a sourdough queen. I bought this 3 pack of loaves at Costco and you bake them for 12-15 minutes and they are pretty darn good! I did see on a blog that I can buy an ancient sourdough starter off of Etsy for $12!

I have a student who just started calling me “queen” and I think I like it. I have two classes who wouldn’t stop saying “Sra. Scott” and I asked them to call me “Juanita” for the rest of the year and it has stuck. So silly.

I am loving my salmon lately with this seasoning. It makes a super easy sheet pan dinner.

I ordered some fun summery colors. I use Impress brand and they take a sweet forever to come in the mail. But, I almost always have some sort of discount. You can get two manis out of one box.

I can’t remember the last time I had the same color on my toes and my fingers. I plan to do a neutral pinky white next time I get a pedicure which is soon. That way it will work with any of the colors.

I did the colar red color first! I love it!

I took my AP class to our art show and basked in the sun on the way back.

My special girl dedicated this piece to me. I love this girl and have taught her for two years.

Do I have favorites? No – but some kids are open to letting you get to know them more and others are very closed off. When a kid volunteers and shares more of their life, I can get to know them better.

We had our last food day on Cinco de Mayo Monday. I let each class vote on the day they wanted. My very last food day of being a teacher was spectacular! One kid brought pupusas with a delicious slaw and sauce.

All of my food days this year were really great! They went to a lot of effort to make authentic dishes.

Eddie Otis never gets on the outdoor sectional with me but he will for Mason. His profile looked so handsome one day after school.

My weekday outing this week was a lovely early dinner with my high school friend Beth. I have two Beths and two Heathers, by the way. I have one Elizabeth. Lol.

We went to Captain’s Quarters which just reopened after the flooding. We both ordered a pineapple rum cocktail and it was delish. Beth is the Host It Notes friend and we talked about some of her recent charcuterie and grazing table projects. Her side business is taking off!

I love the drive to the river, too.

I wore this:

I couldn’t get this in time for Fashion Files yesterday, but I ordered some new pants from Amazon and my theory of spending around $30 to get a good quality on Amazon held true. I had white linen pants from Old Navy that were really old. I have been looking for some that aren’t too long and maybe had more of a modern wide leg silhouette without being too voluminous. Cue the ones I tried from Target and Old Navy this year – too wide. The only weird thing about these is they have built in white liner shorts just at the top of the pants. The line kind of looks like the pocket lining. Yes, they have pockets. The fabric is divine. It’s way softer than a scratchy linen. I really love them. I maybe should have gone down a size because they did stretch out a bit. I wore them to school all day and then changed shoes for my dinner out. I wrote lots of words but I wanted to share if anyone is around 5’4 like me and looking for the same.

Advice for Mother’s Day that I am taking, too:

My crew sometimes isn’t great about Hallmark holidays. I don’t want to do any chores on Sunday so I am going to work hard on Saturday to make that a reality, if that makes sense.

This year could be hard for me. I have gotten a sweet inquiry from Mason about what I want to do and an invite from a friend to hang out.

I am going to make a breakfast casserole Saturday that I can pop in the oven on Sunday am. My crew is better at dinner than breakfast so we might have a nice dinner that I don’t make – not sure what that will be yet; I would even be happy with a prepared meal from Fresh Market and their chocolate cake. Basically I am going to plan my own day. You can’t get mad when you don’t ask for what you need, either. So, I will ask for what I need this year.

I am doing some self-care but that is probably Saturday. I have my Japanese head spa appointment Saturday and I am getting a pedicure – probably Saturday, too.

I just wanted to share if anyone needs encouragement or if this year will be hard for you, too. And again, why do Fathers get the relaxed June holiday and Mothers get the crazy Maycember one? Not fair!

Happy Friday!

Amy

16 thoughts on “Friday Favorites”

  1. That needlepoint is so cute! I don’t feel like I’ve had much time to read either lately; in fact I’m still reading 2 I started when I went to see you. I have 3 books that I have to return the library soon since they have no remaining renewals but I haven’t even cracked them open.

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  2. This post is filled with so many good things – I love that your student dedicated her piece to you – what an honor! You are well loved!

    You might want to try the linen pants from Quince – I get the cropped length and the leg is not too wide at all – plus they are soft and not scratchy. The best part? They are $39 and don’t get baggy. Sorry for the sales pitch but I wore mine yesterday and realized how much better they are than all the ones I have had in the past.

    Have a good Mother’s Day Amy! I agree, plan your day and make it what you want – our happiness is not up to anyone else!

    xo,

    Kellyann

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  3. There was so much here! Plus, I caught up on all.the.posts last night so my head is full of thoughts ;). You are so close to the end. . .glad you had such good food days and you have TIME to say goodbye, clean out, etc. I know the “adult” stuff is what is driving you away – hate that it hasn’t softened in these last days but maybe that is to remind you that you put in your time. Thirty-one years has exponentially multiplied in ways you’ll never fathom. Onward and Forward!!

    Mother’s Day can be a tough holiday for so many reasons. My sister used to take a group of us to her place in SC for a long weekend to celebrate – that was always nice. This year we have tickets to a Broadway show in Cinci for my mom (and we will enjoy too!). I kind of felt bad when my kids said, “Mom, what do you want to do?” and I told them I wasn’t going to be here. But really, I feel like I hit the jackpot, getting to become a Mom almost 27 years ago and truly, I don’t “need” a day because they do a good job of making me feel like a “good mom” all the time. You seem to have that same relationship with your boys – they WANT to spend time with you, not because it’s a holiday but because you’re YOU. And theirs.

    Lastly, love your linen pants. They aren’t the same that I’ve bought from Amazon but I have gotten three pairs of another brand and really like them. A coworker (short like us) was wearing a great pair of white “jean-like” pants the other day and she sent me the link. I immediately ordered them and have already worn them twice. If you’re looking for something like that, I’ll share :). Depending what this next life looks like for you, I will tell you I miss “dressing up” the most – working from home three days a week really limits my times to get to wear fun outfits :/.

    Have a great weekend – love that you remind us to ask for what we want and/or prepare our lives so we can limit disappointments. The best book I’ve read lately is “First Lie Wins” – it came out a couple years ago so likely you have read it but if not, you might want to look it up!

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    1. Thank you!
      You do get what I am going through. I feel lucky, tired, emotional, blessed, and all the emotions all at once.
      I am not expecting anything big for MD this year but I would love a slow day!
      What a gift to get to slow down, right?
      I love that you have those plans. I am sure your kids are ok with it and can celebrate you a different day.
      I would love the link.
      I am trying to be intentional about what my retiree wardrobe will look like! I think/hope/plan to put on a real outfit after exercise clothes each day.

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  4. Your pictures didn’t load the first time I read the post (I’m sure it’s a me/my computer thing). It’s weird what pictures do for a post (though I don’t mind reading posts without any- somehow knowing pics are there but I can’t see them is disappointing- FOMO I guess!!). Anyway, now I can see them- crisis averted, lol. Lots of neat art work from your students from the needlepoint to the sculpture. The food pics look good. So glad that food days worked out and students seemed to really care about them. Have a great weekend!

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  5. You are going to be so missed by your students who aren’t graduating. It’s been so apparent (not intentionally, I know) you are loved and create lasting relationships with so many. How lucky are you to have so many Beths and Heathers! I hope you report back on your massage…sounds intriguing. I never expect anything for MD so I’m never disappointed. But, a quiet day sounds perfect for you.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

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  6. Happy Friday, friends! I love that you always took the opportunity to get to know the students who let you in. That is what has made you such a wonderful teacher for 31 years! I know you will be missed, but I’m excited to see what you do with the time you’ll have in the future.

    I love your advice about Mother’s Day, and the reminder to communicate. I feel like my crew isn’t great at the Hallmark holidays either; communication is everything. I think you would be smart to spend the day doing things that fill your cup. I love the thought of you doing something to honor your mom on that day…whatever that may look like. You’ve got a good grasp on what could possibly come, and I’m glad your people are watching over you. I’ll be curious to hear about what you did on that day next week.

    Meanwhile, I hope you have the best day! Thanks for my early morning text to check in with me! It feels good to be cared for. xoxo

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  7. I hope your last days as a teacher goes well. What a lovely gift from that girl.
    How great that the library is open on a Sunday. It sounds like you have some good books to be getting through.
    The food days at school sound like so much fun.
    Sending love and hugs. I hope you have a nice weekend.

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  8. I read and liked the Serial Killer book. It’s different but good – hope you like it too. That is really nice that your library is open on Sundays. Hope your Sunday is relaxing and restful!

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  9. I’m glad you are planning your own day. A couple of weeks ago my hubs asked where I’d like to go to dinner as the place he wanted to book was already full. I said I didn’t care so he suggested another spot and I said, ‘no not there’ at which point my daughter piped up and said, ‘apparently you do care, you have some expectation so just say it.’ She’s wise : ) So I spoke up and all is well. Hope you have a happy Mother’s Day!

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  10. Those are cute white pants! I am hoping today is a good day so you can relax and focus on you tomorrow. You are such a good mom and hope you enjoy some time with your boys!

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  11. LOVE the cross stitch. Too sweet! Captains Quarters looks like just the right way to spend an afternoon! Glad it’s reopened.i bet cleaning out your room is such an odd feeling!

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