Friday, June 5, 2026

How was your week? Let’s link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites and some things that made us smile.

I finally went in Kroger. I think it had been a month or so of just doing pickups. I just needed four things so it didn’t feel hard. I had to stop and admire this heirloom tomato.

Even though I live in a big city, my city has a small-town feel. That may seem crazy to read. Of course, I have my little pocket of the city – my house, my job, my kids’ schools, their orthodontist, our gym, my Kroger, and several restaurants were/are all in walking distance.

While in Kroger I ran into two people, an old friend and a former student. I see someone everywhere I go.

In my continuing nail saga, I went back to press ons Sunday night and admired them at the gym on Monday morning. Red is speaking to me lately! I heard red is a neutral.

This may not seem like a big deal, but I can take EO to the vet by myself now. I used to need help (usually Mason). EO has calmed down and he made me so proud at the vet. We love our vet and have gone to him for 26 years – our whole marriage! It makes it sound like I married a canine, no? Dr. Hill complimented my calm dog mom demeanor. I have rarely been complimented on being calm, by the way. Our boy is 96.6 pounds. Lordy!

I try to reward him with a new sniff walk after a traumatic vet visit. I actually don’t think he thinks it’s traumatic but it’s different and people are messing with him.

This book is so cute and what I needed after a pretty heavy book. It includes a hunky Brit, food talk, tea and coffee talk, small town charm, and the stuff I like in a light summer read.

Our weather has been the stuff that dreams are made of! I have been outside as much as I can be. There was an unfortunate “wasp rave” going on in a hole in my porch railing, though. I watched as wasp after wasp entered the party. They were about a foot away from me and I remained calm (there goes that word again!). I did tell Tom we needed to break up the party, though, when he got home.

One thing that might surprise you about me is that I don’t freak out about bugs – except for ticks and mosquitoes. I am not scared to touch or move a bug and would always simply put them out my classroom window and not kill them while my students shrieked.

I made myself a fab bagel sandwich for my brunch one day this week. I like to wrap it in foil to melt really well.

I got several IG comments asking where I bought it!

I made a yummy romaine, feta, dill, green onion, lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper salad this week a few times.

I made a sheet pan dinner of turkey sausage, onion, pepper, and potato this week.

The photo is blurry but I made funfetti cupcakes, iced them, and rolled them in non-pareil sprinkles this week. I gave some away to friends. This is apparently a viral trend right now? What’s new about sprinkles? I really don’t know!

I played mah jong this week! It had been three weeks and I was rusty. Dang, this game!

I won once so that gave me a confidence boost.

Look at all these people playing mah jong and there was a lower level, too.

I found this really funny…

I thought I had a stain on my shirt or my mirror when I shared this on Fashion Files. When I zoomed in, I realized it was my sunglasses! Duh!

This is my favorite face cleanser I have ever used. Don’t let the name Vanicream brand name fool you – it’s a facial cleanser. I love the consistency and the clean smell. I am very picky. This will be a re-purchase for me. A little goes a long way, too, and makes the best lather.

This winter/early spring I was into my “colors”. My mom had my colors done in the 80s and I was a “summer” and she was a “winter”. I still have my palette. One thing recommended for summers is brown mascara. I’m in love. This looks so natural, but I feel like it enhances my eye color and my skin tone. I have been using this along with brown eye liner.

Another easy meal this week was jacket potatoes. I feel that you have to devote almost two hours to get the right texture. I wash them, poke them with a fork, squirt EVOO, massage sea salt, then wrap in foil. Perfection. I think I checked them at 1.5 hours this time and they were done because they were a little smaller.

I bought this Trader Joe’s meatloaf, did corn and brussels sprouts during the last 30 minutes of potato cook time. Tom gave the TJ meatloaf his approval which is a big deal! He is picky ’bout his loaf.

Jenn and I did some enabling of each other one day this week and it was fun! She went to Old Navy and found some awesome things; I can’t wait for her Fashion Files next week.

She found things I didn’t know about like this linen skort. I couldn’t find white like she did, but I found orange and loved it!

I also got out my old lace up sandals!

I had tried to find this skort before but they didn’t have my size and I didn’t want to order it. I found it in my size this time! It is the cutest print!

Close up of the print:

I said I was set for summer but summer clothes are so fun! I can’t help myself! The shorts, skorts, flip flops, coverups – ahhhhh! They are so much more fun to buy than winter clothes, in my opinion.

I think the weather was the highlight! It’s been so beautiful here!

And I will leave you with niece Lena in her itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini! She is 16 now and I sent her this photo!

Cheers to the weekend,

Amy

24 thoughts on “Friday Favorites”

  1. Wow! Did you know you are now an influencer after making those cupcakes? Ha! I am seeing them everywhere. You always rock the press on nails. I really think I need to learn mah jong- it seems like it is all the rage- do you like it? Is it fun?

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  2. My friend who lives in Chicago says the same thing. Her neighborhood feels like a small town. That said, even living in her area with nice homes, it does not feel safe to be outside late which seems so sad to me. Her son is at college in Oxford (small town in Ohio) and she said it freaked her out at first when she saw from his phone location that he was out. She’s learned to relax since Oxford ain’t Chicago!!I like the brown mascara. That’s the color I wear year round. Bright black is too harsh for me. That is funny that the “mark” on your shirt were your sunglasses! Your niece was rockin’ that ‘kini!

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    1. I agree that I wouldn’t like that either. My mom was from a suburb of Chicago that had a small town feel. I feel that Life360 makes college parent so anxious. My friends are constantly tracking their kids. I am new to brown! Who knew? You did!
      Her baby tummy!

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  4. The weather has been so nice. I’ve enjoyed sitting on my front porch and going for walks in the evening. I love that TJ meatloaf. Your new skort is perfect for summer!

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  5. Look at us enjoying summer cooking this week…and shopping, too! I’m so glad we did that together, and it was fun talking to you a few times while we shopped. I really do love that patterned skort that you found. I bought one last thing today…and I’m done. I bought the petit length denim dress that’s button up! I can always return it if I need to, but it was only $20. Yay for being able to take EO to the vet alone now! That’s a big deal. He is such a big boy! I can’t wait to see him soon.

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    1. Yes! It was fun! Thank you! I still want the white one but I’m trying not to want it. That denim dress will be great for fall and maybe winter with something over it. I’m glad you had such good luck. I hope you feel better about getting dressed. Put those leggings away and show those great legs!
      Thank you! Gosh, hope he behaves!

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  6. I am right there with you on summer clothes just being fun. I keep telling myself I have plenty then next thing I know my car rolls into Marshalls and TJ Max just to kill time and there I am with something summer cute in my basket. I do live in Florida so the summer is long (like until December some years.) I have that sundress from Old Navy in the black print and found a cute matching shorts outfit at Sams last week that is really cute on in royal blue (the shorts are actually short enough for shortie legs like ours. I loved it so much sweet husband made a special trip into Sams to buy it for me in black. Good men are such a blessing ! Hae a wonderful weekend.

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  7. I also have several skorts I bought probably 5 years ago and I still wear them every summer. EO is big! Oh my! The summer sausage and veggie tray looks yummy! I had a friend in high school who would say “I don’t eat anything that begins with M and ends with eatloaf!” 🙂 Have a great weekend!

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  8. Oh wow! That is a big tomato and that is so good that everything is in walking distance. Your nails are so pretty, I do love a red and well done to Eddie Otis for relaxing a bit at the vets. Eek to the wasps! I am allergic and I think I have PTSD from having a nest in out bathroom a couple of years ago. Everyone playing Mah Jong looks fab and I love your new Skort, the print is fun.

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  9. What a pretty boy! I’ve seen a lot of dogs when at the vet’s (cats here) and it’s amazing how differently behave at the vet’s. I’ve even seen big dogs having to be carried in.

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  11. I think summer clothes are so much more fun to buy too; plus they take up a whole lot less room so I can fit more of them into my closet!

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    1. Awww, thank you! Some weeks I think they are so lame and so ordinary. But, you know what? Life isn’t always full of big moments; the little things have to be appreciated, too.

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  16. One time we had a big spider in my classroom. We trapped it and the kids were REALLY into it – they named it and everything. I called another teacher over to help me get the spider outside and she snatched the container off the spider and SMASHED it with her foot. Not what we were expecting at all! It was a little bit traumatizing!

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