112 degrees!

Friday, September 4, 2026

Happy Friday! I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites from my week.

Tomorrow is my twins’ 24th birthday! It will be the first time we can’t really celebrate together. Even when Mason studied in England, he didn’t leave until after his birthday for fall semester. Now, Mason is in Santa Fe and Jack works until late that night. I have sent both of them gifts. I thought Jack would enjoy a surprise package even though I could hand deliver. I am getting a cake Door Dashed to Mason and I am delivering a cookie cake to Jack at work. I could be in my feels a bit on Saturday. 24 seems old! How did we get here so fast?

And of course Facebook would do me in with this photo of third grade. What a sweet age that was!

Mason, Jack

My least favorite thing this week has been the heat! My car dash read 112 this week! Eddie Otis and I have walked around 8:00 am and then I’ve taken him on a car ride to another walking destination around 10:00 and it hasn’t been too bad, but after that it is so hot that he has asked if he can use the hall bathroom instead of going outside. Just kidding!

We have driven to this neighborhood that has an enclosed dog park that no one is ever using. Outside of the park is this field and we sniff around.

And, we have gone to this little garden to explore, too.

I call these our “field trips”. EO is really good getting in the car and riding in the car but if a bike or a motorcycle pulls up beside us he loses his mind.

I have enjoyed seeing my bow! Now, I just need coordinating mums and doormat. I am still debating between faux mums and real mums. Let me know if you have an opinion on this!

One morning I stopped in our little market after the gym and bought a single Diet Dr. Pepper. Boy did that go down well. I love it in this type of glass, too. I am not a regular soft drink drinker but every now and then it sounds good. My cousins in Michigan call it “pop” and where I grew up everyone called it a “soft drink” or everything was “Coke”. Diet Dr. Pepper would always be my first choice, I think.

I did some cooking this week –

we had salmon, zucchini, and taters:

I had taters, AmyLu sausage, and my microwave single egg casserole with chives one day:

We weren’t very hungry this night so I made a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, cottage cheese, tomatoes, and we had homemade fries on the side:

My sister and her husband celebrated 24 years this week and guess what – I had my twins 5 days after her August 31st wedding. You do not want to see me in my maternity bridesmaid dress. I also have a very similar photo of Tom and I on the town trolley. Tom and I were the first to use the brand-new trolley and Molly got to use it 2 years later! She is such a copycat! She also copied off of me and had twins 5 years later! Don’t worry; it’s a family joke!

It was so fun to get to see two students and attend a book release party this week!

I saw so many great graphics this week!

My twins love Gilmore Girls. They think the writing and acting is so good. They are big fans of Amy Sherman Palladino who also did Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

I started Love is Blind UK this week! So silly and fun! I have not been able to finish Sterling Pointe. It got too teen/angsty for me. I also haven’t finished The Other Bennett Sister, My Brilliant Career, or Woman of Substance. I need to go back to those. Tom and I are watching Ted Lasso right now together.

I’m excited about this!

I got this funny message from a former student:

So sweet to think of me!

I know. I know. AI. I tried this out on ChatGPT:

Pretty weird, right? I saw someone else’s and they had many of the same words on the left.

And, lastly was giving some gifts to my newly engaged niece…

this planning notebook:

this ring dish:

and we had some tacos for lunch:

The taco place is right next to an iconic Louisville bakery, and I bought us each an “angel dip” to take home for dessert. It is angel food cake “dipped” in the best chocolate buttercream frosting. Oh my!

It was a good week despite the heat!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Amy

27 thoughts on “Friday Favorites”

  1. The extreme heat is something to talk about/mention/complain/exclaim about, etc. Looking forward to it breaking… HBD to your boys! It is hard to be physically away from our kids especially that first birthday that you don’t get to see them on their birthday or even the day or two after. Your boys and Abby are very close in age! She will be 24 in just about a month. It does look like you had a nice week. If I’m ever in Louisville again, I want to try the iconic bakery. “The best chocolate buttercream frosting” sounds intriguing/delicious! Have a great weekend!

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  2. I’m impressed you were able to make it to her wedding that close to going into labor. Other than the extreme heat it sounds like a really lovely week.

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  3. What a great week! I love hearing about the “field trips” you go on with EO. I love that he loves to do this so much! Happy Birthday to your sweet sons! I know it’ll be hard for you on Saturday, and I’m so sorry about that. It’s hard having grown up kids sometimes…these moments are hard for me too. Maybe you can do something for yourself to celebrate them? I love that your student sent you what she did; how sweet to be thought of, right? I love things like that.

    Happy Friday, friend. Much love!

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    1. Thank you! I really do think they give him some stimulation. Thank you! It will possibly be hard. It really is. I like that idea and will try to think of something.
      Same to you, friend! Google is not letting me comment today!

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  4. Happy birthday to your boys! I can imagine Saturday might be a bit emotional (sending hugs). We call it a soft drink over here too. Dr Pepper made a brief appearance in Australia, but it wasn’t popular, so it was bye-bye. I tried it once!

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    1. Thank you! I will enjoy taking cookie cake to the one in town and then maybe I will do something for myself bc I’m the one who had the c-section! Lol. That’s funny that you call it soft drink just like we do in Indiana. But it’s so good and “spicy”. I’m surprised!

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  5. This heat and humidity here in Florida are just something else, sigh. I am not a Dr. Pepper drinker, but I do like 7 UP or Sprite. Have a beautiful weekend.

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  6. Happy birthday to your twins! I just dropped my youngest at college 3 hours away, and my oldest is a college senior 4 hours away, so this year will be an adjustment to celebrating no birthdays at home. That angel food dip looks amazing and as always, it’s such a testament to you that so many of your former students stay in contact!

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  7. Happy 24th Birthday to your boys!!! 🥳 Hope they have a great day! I know it’s so hard not being able to celebrate with them. I am already preparing myself for the holidays. My middle child doesn’t have much time off of work and she has to fly in from Florida and my youngest has a new serious boyfriend in the Denver area. I will be happy if I get to see them on Christmas day! Have a great weekend!

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  9. Happy birthday to your boys! My eldest is 24 of on Thursday and I feel the same, the years have flown over! The heat does sound awful, that is good Eddie Otis can still have his walks, the enclosed dog park sounds good. The bow on your door is so cute. We call drinks like Dr Pepper pop here too. Aww! Happy anniversary to your sister and her husband! I was just thinking about starting to watch Gilmore Girls again! It is the perfect show for this time of year!

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  10. Happy 24th birthday to your boys and happy 24th anniversary to your sister and her husband! I’m sure this birthday will feel a bit different, but you’ve found some special ways to let each of your sons know you’re thinking of them! We’ve always said “pop” when it comes to soda drinks and diet Dr. Pepper is my favorite, too, although I haven’t had one for a few years. It was becoming too big of a habit for me but, boy, I miss it! Enjoy one for me!

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  11. Happy birthday to your boys! I know it will be a different kind of birthday for all, but I love your gift and cake ideas. So thoughtful. The trolley pic is so cool. The text from your former student is so funny! The dessert looks delish!

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  12. Whoa that heat!

    I love that you sent the boys birthday treats, it’s crazy how fast the time goes.

    I was pregnant at my brother’s wedding and also a bridesmaid. I looked like a Volkswagen walking down the aisle – so huge and that was in October. Nolan wasn’t due until January but this girl was BIG. It was so funny now and then!

    I should watch the Gilmore Girls, such a sweet show that makes me wish I lived in a cute little town.

    Have a great weekend!

    xo,

    Kellyann

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  13. I am late responding/reading here, but hope your weekend is going well. Hope the twins had a great birthday yesterday. The time does go by fast and makes me miss those younger days, most of the time, ha! I really like your bow. John Mark calls the artificial mums “forever mums” instead of “fake mums”, which I think is great. I saw mums over the weekend at stores and I shake my head every year at them because they just can’t survive here until October, and even in cooler weather, I think mums are hard to keep looking healthy for very long. In their prime week though, they look beautiful! That upcoming movie looks like one I may watch. I have watched 2 episodes of Ted Lasso, which I like, I just haven’t been watching much tv this week. Hope y’all enjoy Labor Day! Will you take the boat out?

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    1. Thank you! It is. I hope yours is, as well. I love that name. I am still debating. We are really enjoying Ted again. We aren’t taking ours out but went on a really nice one yesterday.

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