Monday, January 12, 2026

How was your weekend? I know from experience how rough that first week back is after the holiday break. I hope you had time to recharge your batteries but if you are like my youngest sister, you had four travel basketball games for your kid and Sundays are no longer sacred with sports ball.

I am linking up with the spectacular Sarah and fabulous Holly to share mine…

Why do we recap our weekend? I guess for our memories to look back on…and my personal hope is that you see something you might like to do or try and that it makes you just a bit happier in your own life. I know that is why I still read and enjoy blogs. I always take something away!

I know winter is supposed to feel like winter but Friday I did my devotional time on my beloved patio. It was balmy!

Dog content – skip if not interested…

I get mad at Eddie Otis at least once a day but me saying “bad boy” seems to have very little effect. However, he does cute things so many times a day that outweigh the bad. He has a baby gate to keep him from going down the stairs to our finished basement because there’s just too much he can get into. When I go down the stairs, he has these rungs on the banister leading down the steps. I tell him I will be right back and then I put my hand through to pat him on the paw. We then play a little game where we each pick a space to put our hand or paw through.

It’s so cute! Look at his giant cute paws!

I ordered him 12 fresh tennis balls, and we played a muffin tin game and then showed Tom when he got home. You hide treats in some of the openings and cover all of them with a tennis ball and then he finds the treats. My dog is not normal and he trotted around the house with the muffin tin in his mouth afterwards and seemed to enjoy that more than the game.

I went to a grand re-opening of a women’s boutique and that was fun and something I always wanted to be able to do during the day when I was working! It is called Magnolia and Fig if you are local and if you are not, they have a website. I didn’t find anything to buy this time.

I enjoyed walking along the sidewalk and enjoying the warmest day of the week.

I treated myself to a coffee at Blue Dog Bakery and sat outside.

Then, I ordered some lunch. This little place is really good but I didn’t order well.

I will just let you read the description.

Yeah. Oh well.

Have you ordered glasses from Zenni? I just recently got new glasses and have my new prescription and it’s current, obviously, so I ordered a spare pair for about $40 when all was said and done. I picked this green tortoiseshell:

I will let you know what I think!

My sister influenced me with her new Zenni glasses:

I really love her new glasses. She wears glasses 24/7 and it’s part of her look. Did you notice her little nose piercing. She’s cool. I will never get one. Why would I draw attention to my big honker? Plus, what about blowing your nose. No. Not interested.

Saturday morning I did laundry, sweeping, mopping, etc. I got out around noon to return my Target bow track pants that didn’t work out for me – see Fashion Files if interested. They were just too long on me!

They had a big Valentine’s clothing display:

I don’t know why I giggled so much at this sweater:

No, I did not buy anything. Well, I did buy lotion and electrolytes and Boursin bites. But I didn’t buy any impulse clothing. I will say that I often see Target clothing new with tags at one of my consignment shops.

I did walk most of the store. They are setting up the outdoor furniture and accessory area already!

I treated myself to an afternoon movie. This was so darling, in my opinion. I think I’m going to watch it again. I don’t remember the book at all. In fact, the only book of Emily Henry’s that I really liked was the first one I read Beach Read. I didn’t like the title, though. It was the one about the male writer staying in a cabin in Michigan next to a female writer and they challenge each other in each other’s writing genres.

Tom wanted to shop for a new hat at his favorite outdoor store – Quest Outdoors, so I suggested we do that and go to dinner. We went out around 4:30 and shopped and then went to Molly Malone’s Irish Pub. I hadn’t been here in 15 years probably.

It was very aesthetically pleasing to me – I loved our low table and big swivel chairs next to the Jameson whisky bottles and the fire. We split both dishes and really enjoyed our food.

I love eating early and then still having the evening ahead of me. I don’t care what people say.

I have started the new season of Love is Blind Germany. You know what I just noticed? All the Americans say “I love you” before proposing but none (that I can remember) of the Germans did.

I almost feel like I’m doing research on the German side of Tom through watching this. It also affirms some of the stereotypes we have of different cultures. The Love is Blind Italy people were so stylish, for example.

I am watching it in German with English subtitles.

We woke up Sunday to a dusting of snow!

Cold and snow make me want to bake! I dried some lemon slices in the oven to make a drink fancy:

I made a good breakfast bowl!

Look at this! It’s so stinking cute! I was complimenting Tanya on her graphics, and she offered to make me one. Thank you so much, Tanya!

Currently was so fun last week! Thank you so much for participating or reading! The next one will be here before you know it – Wednesday, February 4th. Mark your calendars. I will be reminding you – don’t worry! But, for those of you that like to plan ahead the present participles will be loving, baking/cooking, watching/reading, planning, and savoring. Feel free to interpret those any way you like.

What did you do this weekend?

Amy

20 thoughts on “Hello Monday”

  1. I forgot to mention that Friday was warm here, too, which was lovely but the rest of the weekend was very ¨January¨ weather, ie freezing cold. Your weekend looks nice! I love how you are taking advantage of doing daytime things that couldn´t do BR (before retirement- at least during the school year). Your meal out at the pub looks really good! The Target sweater message is… interesting. What if he´s a great guy, lol? Love the graphic Tanya made for you. Have a great Monday!

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    1. It was shocking to the system to go back to January! BR – lol – and – AR, I guess. The pub meal was really good but the sidewalk meal was really not.
      I guess you could stitch that below “Dump Him”… “unless he is a great guy”. Ha!
      Isn’t she good with graphics?

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  2. I watched People We Meet on Vacation this weekend too and enjoyed it.. funny enough I was thinking of Beach Read by her when it started so I was expecting two people writing while next door to one another having swapped the story lines in my head! That graphic is lovely, how sweet of Tanya! Thanks for the prompts. I love working on these ahead of time

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    1. It was better than expected!
      Beach Read would make a cute movie and I would enjoy the Michigan views.
      I know you are an early bird so I am glad I could go ahead and decide. Isn’t Tanya talented?

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  4. We had a couple of really nice, warm days and now are back to cold and dreary. I love that game you created for EO! He is so cute. I will try that w/ my labs. We use gates as well and my labs will stick their nose or pay through the slates. Have a great day!

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    1. Same! I saw the muffin game on IG – not my own idea. Tom didn’t think it was a very challenging game but who cares. I also did a thing where I put frozen peas in a bowl and he had to bob for them? Again – not very challenging probably.
      Labs are just the cutest!

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  5. Oh my gosh EO is the cutest!! Love the new Currently logo- great job! Your weekend looks and sounds like perfection. I will have to check that boutique out on line- thanks for sharing 🙂

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  6. Your EO story made me chuckle and reminded me of my naughty dog story from the weekend…I got home last night and took a shower; while I was in said shower, Chloe ate part of the stuffed animal I sleep with and the stuffing was all over my bed. I was so mad at her, because this is the perfect cuddling stuffed animal! I was mad, but I didn’t stay mad for too long. She probably thought it was hers! Dogs will be dogs, after all.

    I loved reading about your weekend! I also enjoy finishing dinner early and then having the evening ahead of you. My Saturday was like that, and I feel like I got a lot done! That pub is adorable; I love Irish pubs/food. I’ll be excited to see your new glasses! I like the idea of green. How sweet of Tanya to make that graphic for you! I love it so much. Have a great day, my friend!

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    1. Oh Chloe! That doesn’t seem like her. Stella maybe?
      The pub made me happy! I loved it! And, I spoke up for myself with Tom and the hostess and said “I don’t like high top tables” finally because I don’t! I asked for the seat I wanted and it was lovely!
      Thank you!

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  8. I don’t miss those days of my girls having activities on a weekend. Good on your sister.
    Eddie Otis is just the cutest and I can just imagine even if he did do something naughty you couldn’t stay angry for long at that cute face!
    Your town is so cute and it sounds like you had a lovely time at the women’s boutique.
    I always think people with nose piercings are so cool, I’d love one to but have a big honker.
    The Irish pub looks great and the food delicious!

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  9. I will send you Mav and you can teach him and he can play with EO. That dog was in very big trouble last week for eating a microphone, cough drops, and a book, all within 10 minutes of being left alone in the truck.

    I heard a rumor they want to downsize Target stores…our Target seemed so bare and empty on Saturday

    I’m looking forward to the LIB Boston season coming up because I can’t do the non-English ones. I’ve tried them all! Even the UK one annoyed me lol.

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  10. That Panisse Sandwich looks difficult to eat! Your pub meals were a lot more appetizing. I left a comment for Tanya about Canva, and she said she would put up a blog post about it. I hear about it all the time but haven’t explored it yet.

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  11. I am learning a lot from your blog – just this last weekend, I remembered that it was on your blog that I first learned about breaking the weekend into sections (to make it seem longer!)

    I also like how you and Tom make time for a dinner date pretty routinely. It is something that I forget in the midst of everyday life.

    Thanks for the heads up on the “Love Is Blind – Germany”. I will have to watch it and then ask my 20 something year old nieces and nephews that live in Germany if the show was an accurate representation of real life there.

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  12. Thanks for the shout out! Even though EO looks more like our pup Mollie, he acts more like our old dog Albie. I can just picture him playing the little game through the bannister. Yea for an early dinner – that sounds fun. I was laughing about the German show and characteristics. I am 50% German – Dad’s side of the family came to Pittsburgh from Germany in late 1800’s. I definitely think I have some traits that are based on my heritage, even though I wasn’t raised in Germany. Hope you have a good start to the week.

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