Friday, August 1, 2025
Happy First Day of August!
It’s so weird that it’s August! It’s always been one of my busiest and hardest months and the heat and humidity are usually through the roof. It’s going to feel differently mentally this year for sure and I am hoping Mother Nature owes us some more mild weather. Please? I think I am going to get my wish for the first few days of this month at least.
Forgive me for sounding like a broken record but I am having a bit of an existential crisis – I am not researching comfortable but stylish shoes, shopping for a first day of school dress, buying school supplies, taking things to my classroom, crying in my bowl of ice cream, meal prepping or shopping for school snacks for myself, or any of the things I have done for the past 31 years! I alternate between being giddy about this and being a bit melancholy about this.
Enough of that and now, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for the happiest post of the week.
Here are some of my favorites and I would love to hear yours in the comments!
Monday was a pool day! My friend Victoria belongs to a club called Lakeside that is really unique. It is a massive pool built into an old quarry right in the thick of a Louisville urbanish neighborhood.
I brought rafts and we stayed in this raft area below the whole time. You can even get sprinkled by the water fountain if you want! See the lime green raft below for context:
It felt so nice to be in the water chatting. I am such a water person! The minute we got out the sweat was pouring down our faces. It was a hot one!
The best meal I made this week was blackened tilapia sandwiches with remoulade sauce and avocado. I have made this a bunch this summer!
I love the skinny frozen haricot verts (that’s green beans for those of you who aren’t cultured – lol – just kidding) cooked in a skillet with some EVOO and soy sauce and various spices. Yum!
And, I have now made these twice… you heat oven to 400 and slice baking potatoes in half and cook them face down atop a pat of butter and a small pile of shredded fresh parm and this is what you get:
I think it took me about 45 minutes to get them to this state.
I also made a new Rosie Reisman dessert:
It’s like a way easier and not as bad for you s’more!
Click on the red font and I will let her tell you about it.
But, can I also say that I have such respect for these ladies older than me who are killing it on Instagram.
This is yummy! I still am obsessed with my Trader Joe’s brown sugar oat milk creamer, but I bought this and it’s a sweet treat.
Ok – stop what you are doing and go buy this mix. It is light – not like a heavy pound cake – and the glaze is perfect. I actually spread my glaze all the way out.
I took this to a old friend hang this week.
One of the ladies made sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies – omg!
So, about this hang. I became friends with two ladies during our kids’ elementary years. We were all “walkers” because our kids walked to and fro and we would wait for our kids to come out the “walker door”. There were maybe 20 parents that waited there. Then, our kids would play on the playground for a bit before we headed home. So, I got to know two ladies really well – Cheri and Jasmine. We had some happy hours and then kept up pretty well until all the kids graduated from high school and Cheri moved out of town. The last time I saw them was four years ago when they thanked me for teaching their last kids in my senior AP Spanish class at a happy hour. So, we had a lot to catch up on! We were at Jasmine’s house from 3:30-9! Cheri came to town for it. Jasmine had all kinds of appetizers set up and of course, I was too busy to take any photos.
And, I had a second pool day this week with a friend for her birthday! It was so uncrowded and lovely. We split a burger for lunch and it was next level. They have a fancy restaurant attached and the pool serves really good food.
So, I had a very social week!
Happy Friday! I hope you had lots of favorites!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I think Presentation Catholic high school is looking for a Spanish teacher , maybe you could teach just a few hours ?
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Too soon! Thank you though!
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What a week!! Yes, the next couple weeks will be “weird”. . .roll with it. You will find your “new normal”. And think of every annoying thing you’re missing out on – yay!!! You’ve earned this time.
All the pool time and friend time sounds like a perfect way to spend your week.
I want to try your black bean burgers – if you read this before I start hunting for a link will you post it again please?
Have a great weekend – enjoy the cooler temps.
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Thank you for the encouragement. It’s from
budget Bytes website but let me know if you can’t find it there.
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found it – thanks!
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What a great week! That pool built into the quarry is so cool – I love the setting and would never want to leave. Sounds like the perfect day.
Your hang with the 2 moms sounds great too – you sure did have a social week!
xo,
Kellyann
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What a fun week! Your friend’s pool is beautiful!
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Ohh I want to try the snores dessert.
Your pool days look fab! The Lakeside pool…wow! Some of the pics remind me of Italy for some reason. So cool. I saw that Chobani creamer at Target but didn’t get it …maybe I will try it next! That’s so great that you got to catch up with friends. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to get together and then we wonder what took so long! I hope you have a great weekend
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That quarry pool looks amazing! I swear I’m coming to see you next summer just to swim in a boutique pool. I love that you had such a social week; maybe it helped with what you’re facing being retired? I would think it’s good for you to keep busy so that your mind will stay occupied. I hope you do some fabulous things this weekend! I wish you were here so you could come with me and Marilyn tonight! xoxo
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That quarry pool looks fabulous! Just keep taking it one day at a time until you figure out a new rhythm and how you want to spend your days. You seem to be keeping yourself occupied…do you have friends who aren’t working to do something with once school is back in session? I think one of the challenges is if everyone is working, but you will eventually plug in somewhere and have some new people too. Have a nice weekend!
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I need to try those baked potatoes. It sounds like you had a great week. I think you are really going to enjoy being retired!
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That quarry pool is the NEATEST thing I’ve ever seen! What a fabulous list of favorites this week. Those potatoes look delicious.
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I would love a pool like that! It’s been so hot!! Glad you were able to hang with your “walk” friends. You’ll have fun, in a couple of years, just gliding by the BTS supplies.
https://marshainthemiddle.com
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Um, yes to that first pool! Glad you had a fun week of pool days and time with old friends. I haven’t made the chocolate chip sourdough discard cookies yet, but maybe I need to do that this summer before Brook leaves. I am sure you have all the mixed feelings with the beginning of school. Day by day we make it. Have a good weekend friend!
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I hope you get some cooler weather, it is a lot cooler here and I am loving it. It must be so strange for you at this time of year, not planning on going back to school.
The pool at the old quarry looks amazing!
Over the past few weeks I have discovered I am starting to love green beans, yours look delicious!
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I almost never bake in the summer anymore, so I’m excited to do that again in cooler weather! The cake looks really good.
I had to look up the quarry pool…you know it’s exclusive when you can’t find the membership fee on the website hahaha.
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I’m trying to join the sourdough cult but I don’t either.
My friend reduced her family membership to just a single and it’s $700 a season and she can bring a guest for
$10 but she is limited.
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Sure this is a strange time for you….change, even positive change is always hard!! That quarry pool is awesome and your old friend hang sounds like it was good for the soul. Oh and Krusteaz makes the best boxed mixes, will be trying the pound cake stat. The cinnamon swirl cake is divine, people at work go crazy over it as if it’s my grandmother’s secret recipe or something. HA.
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Hi Amy. I bought the poundcake mix you recommended above. I can’t wait to try it. In your photo it looks like it might be in a sheet pan, but the box recommends a loaf pan. Just wondering how you cooked it. Thank you!
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I did a small Pyrex. I hope you love it!
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