Tuesday, January 20, 2026

I had so much fun writing this post! It was enlightening! I went back through my blog photos from each and every month of 2025 – because I share pretty much every purchase with you all here! I definitely spent more during the second half of the year which makes sense. My mom passed away at the end of January and until about April you don’t see many purchases.

I think we can learn a great deal from past purchases. I hate when I waste money and believe me… as I was looking through my purchases there was some buyer’s remorse. How about we focus on the positive, though? I also get very happy to share a good purchase.

You’re going to see a lot of clothes and a lot of shoes. I didn’t buy much for the home over this past year. I purchased a few beauty products.

Forgive me if some things were actually first purchased in 2024, as might be the case with Loving Tan. This is the best self-tanner I have used but I was stubborn and wouldn’t try a mitt for application for a long time. This plus the mitt is amazing. It ain’t cheap but it lasts a really long time for me. I pretty much just do legs and arms.

Many of us suffer from dry winter skin. This is shockingly good. It doesn’t have a scent, but you could always layer a scented lotion over it.

In 2026 I got one with a pump and it’s even better!

Halara jeans. So, this was definitely a 2024 discovery because of Jenn. In 2025 I ordered a few more pairs. I think I started 2025 with this pile – a medium denim, a light denim, and a charcoal denim. They were all of the same style – high waisted wide leg pull on. I mean, the cost per wear is down to pennies at this point.

In 2025, I added another medium wash denim in extra petite – perfect length, a straight legged light wash, and the striped side denim:

Zero regrets. I also got a tiny hole in the first pair I bought and then took them to be hemmed and it got rid of the hole since it was close to the original hem. They were a bit too long to start with. I took the striped and the straight leg to get hemmed, as well. The hemming is about $20 a pair but worth it to me since I wear them so much.

I must have a phone case with a loopy or a pop socket to prop my phone up and to hold it. I was surprised to see how long I’ve had this current case.

These shoes and the fact that I got my foot professionally measured. I went to a local running store and tried on a few pairs and decided I wasn’t going to go by brand or looks. I ended up with New Balance 860 and they are the most comfortable exercise shoes I have ever had.

This is a continuation of a few years. Impress brand press on nails continue to make my life easier and make my hands look better!

It’s a bit weird how happy these shorts make me and how much I love them. I now have yellow, baby blue, pink, brown, black, and heather gray. I wear them pretty much every day. They are like cut off sweatpants.

They have pockets. They are so comfy. They wash well.

I might have purchased these in 2024 but I definitely purchased my cork Aerosoles in 2025. I always picked these over the way more expensive Aerosoles. Don’t sleep on Dr. Scholl’s. I really love these dressy sandals. I love the look of the cork, but the height is a little much for me. These are the ones I reached for in the warmer weather.

Hari Mari flip flops. I wore them almost every day this summer.

This smells divine and has the perfect texture. Lip spf is so important.

Small gold earrings from Pavoi brand on Amazon and from a local boutique. Smallish hoops and bows are shown here:

I stand by the brand Pavoi. The quality is really good. They also make great gifts! I am choosing smaller earrings these days.

These hobnail glasses that I got from World Market (and now also the icon glasses from World Market or Target!)

These next sandals shocked me – they are a little bit ugly and pilgrimy. No offense to any pilgrims.

I wore them soooo much this summer and fall. They were the perfect height and perfect neutral sandal to go with skirts, dresses, jeans, and shorts. The story behind them is sweet, too. My mom had purchased $200 snow boots right before she passed away from a local shoe store that carries quality brands like Birkenstock, Taos, Keen, etc. They were in the box and had never been worn. Her best friend insisted we take them back for a refund. I took them back and got a store credit and my sisters insisted I be the one to use it. So, I consider these a gift from my mom. The brand Kork-Ease is high quality and pricey. I never would have paid $170 for these but look how much I have worn them! My mom loved when we appreciated a gift and she would often ask about it. So, when I wear them, I say “thanks, Mom”.

This migraine ring from Amazon! I don’t know why, but I loved having a pointer finger ring! I linked a similar one; mine is no longer available.

Finally going to the eye doctor and getting new prescription sunglasses, distance glasses, and readers. I put this off for way too long but having new glasses and having prescription sunglasses again was a game changer. If you don’t have prescription sunglasses, do it!

These Free People Mary Janes. This was kind of an impulse purchase and I usually show my toes in the warmer months but I really loved having these as an option and I was surprised by how many of my tops worked with them.

I don’t know why but I loved this TJ Maxx linen fruit shirt! I saw an almost identical one at an expensive boutique after I bought it and I was even happier!

These neutral Adidas Sambas. I have worn these quite a bit!

This blouse with a gift card from the besties for my retirement – but notice in the picture I have the medium denim Halaras and the Kork-Ease sandals on. I wore this combo quite a bit!

This leopard blouse

These Old Navy graphic tees along with a Santa one for Christmas, one with little pictures on it, and a few other graphic tees. I am loving the shape, fabric, and designs on their tees lately. They are cute more for a woman’s body and are shorter than a man’s tee.

Ordering my own custom bag made from recycled Guatemalan garments.

I picked this bag style:

This garment:

I think it will be a fun piece to have and I have already used it several times!

This TJ Maxx fall vibes blouse which is light enough for our hot September and October weather:

My electric frother – man, does this make me happy and I really would love to know how much I have saved on getting coffee out of the house because of this gadget!

My Anthropologie sale room glass and mug:

Yup, I just bought one of each!

Starting to sleep the Scandinavian way:

Yeah, it looks a little odd. We bought two twin sized down comforters from Costco and two twin sized duvets from Amazon. I predict we will be seeing more custom sized ones here in the US in the future because I have seen some ads for them lately. Tom and I are both in love with the weight and feel of this combo and I personally have never had so much cover at my disposal. Tom has accused me of the “tuck and roll” where I would take the comforter and roll it away from him. My defense is that I never had much to tuck and roll. I have had only mere inches of cover. We both talk about how happy we are being Scandinavians.

So, what is something you purchased in 2025 that was a good buy?

Amy

Monday, January 19. 2026

I know many of you are enjoying a three-day weekend in observation of MLK, Jr. Day but Tom is back to work, so it feels like a Monday to me. I am linking up with Sarah and Holly if they are still doing it today.

January is really flying by! I’m so glad I put my Valentine’s decor out so I can enjoy it longer. I’m also enjoying my red love, love, love mug below. After V Day, I will put up my St. Patrick’s Day decor, then Easter, then Derby (I live in Louisville, KY so it’s a must). I basically just do my mantel and my hall table so it’s pretty minimal.

I took a look at my Winter Goals list and I am doing pretty well. I ordered new pillow covers for the couch, a new blanket, and a little candle warmer lamp since one of my goals is to hygge up my living room. Those things will arrive soon and I’m excited.

Let’s go back to Thursday late afternoon. I went to a different library branch for an event. Look how modern it is with the books laid out.

It looks cool, but I actually don’t like this library as much as my quaint library. This library has a demo kitchen and a different chef each month this year will be doing demonstrations for free. Thursday was the German cookbook author/chef and she was demonstrating pretzels and a cheese spread.

Elizabeth met me there.

It was fun but the demo was really crowded, and the chef was super disorganized. I think she was nervous because of how many people came but she didn’t have her supplies organized and she didn’t explain the process very well or work out the timing well. She was the same one from the cooking class Tom and I took that we paid for which was much better.

The library staff wasn’t handing out the materials in an organized way or handling the seating overflow in an organized way. As a teacher it is hard to see this. I chatted with a woman on the other side of me and she was having a hard time with this, too, because she leads lots of events at University of Louisville. I’m glad it wasn’t just me.

I think I will go back in a couple of weeks with Elizabeth because she wants to do the schnitzel one. I’m hopeful that the other chefs will be good.

I made dinner before I left so I had that when I got home:

I am obsessed with doing laundry because of this smell and that is how I started my Friday – it makes the whole house smell good. I would go in a Bath and Body Works and smell for yourself. They also have maybe nine other scents.

I also re-created the spread that the chef taught us. It is a butter/cream cheese mixture with relish, grated onion, and spices.

I got my Zenni glasses in the mail. I picked a very similar style to my doctor office frames but these are a dark green tortoise shell. I love them! I get a little twitchy when I don’t have a spare pair so this was needed.

Eddie Otis loves to help take trash cans down and bring them back up. I try to involve him in as many activities as I can. He felt that he needed to take Elefante out with us. I hope he always loves his stuffed animals so much.

I have to tell you what he does when he sleeps in Mason’s bed. I open Mason’s door and EO is sitting at attention on the bed waiting like a good boy for a human to release him. I walk to him and he hands me his paw like we are shaking hands and he hands me his paw a few more times. Then, in order to get down from the bed he needs to get a stuffed animal in his mouth and then he jumps down and heads to the kitchen. Mason stays asleep during this whole process. EO sleeps all night in bed with us about half the week and with Mason half the week.

Tom is so tired by Friday so I usually order food or make something rather than go out. We decided on frozen pizza, but I had some pimento cheese and the spread I made on some bread and some V Day Junior Mints out for him.

I think he loves a little appetizer when he comes home. Then, we walked EO together in the brutal cold.

We built a fire and started His and Hers and Seven Dials on Netflix.

Saturday morning was a little icy. We didn’t get nearly what they said we would get.

Tom and EO left for a longer walk and I did all the things. It’s so much easier to clean when Tom takes him out of the house so that is the routine for now.

I got out around noon and got a car wash…

and went to this boutique which is closing in March, sadly. The owners are retiring but so many things around me are closing and it’s so sad.

We went to dinner around 5:30. I picked last Saturday so Tom got to pick this weekend. He picked Martin’s BBQ and it was really good. I really liked my salad and…

the nachos were good, too. I will never pick bbq over another type of food but it’s fine.

Our routine in January has been to eat at home on Friday and go out on Saturday and it’s just been the two of us and it’s been really nice. We like to go out around 5:30 and it’s perfect. We came home and watched another Seven Dials. We also started Best Medicine and Tom is not sure if it’s his cup of tea but it is kind of cute. There have been lots of things for us to watch in this bitter cold.

Sunday was mopping, grocery, and a few other things.

I found these at the store:

$1.75 tulips!

I made lunch and then we did another fire and watched some shows together and I read.

My 5th book of January:

It is Christmasey but it sounded good so I went with it!

I’ve been seeing everyone take it back to 2016 – is that just because it’s 10 years ago? So much has changed for me since then. My parents were traveling together and really enjoying semi-retirement and they were visiting grandkids any chance they could. My twins were 13. My camera roll on my phone goes back to 2017 so I will have to do some digging to find 2016.

Facebook memories that pop up can be really fun like this one:

Ok, Mason…

Tell me something you did this weekend!

Amy

Friday, January 16, 2025

It’s Friday! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites and hopefully to make you smile at least once. How was your week? Ours was cold again, unfortunately. I got to the gym a few times and Eddie Otis and I walked but last week was definitely easier when it was mild out.

I was not lifting 67 pounds at the gym…

I did do 6 or 7 reps, though. Seriously? Can the 6 7 thing end?

I am feeding myself better and that’s a favorite.

New strategy. Yogurt as dessert. I like OIKOS Pro Vanilla. I like frozen fruit and I like to set it out to defrost so all the juice gets in the yogurt. I think I am going to add a few mini chocolate chips and put it in the freezer for after dinner, too. I currently don’t have pb powder but that would be good, too. Do you have a favorite yogurt? I tried straight up Greek and couldn’t do it.

Another new strategy – getting protein through the humble sandwich. Did you read my Tuesday post? Thank you for your comments and ideas for me! I love pickles. This is turkey, pickles, and a little bit of mayo on a light bread.

I got to the gym the morning after doing my nails and realized that I did one navy press on the night before. Oopsie.

I fixed it! All better the next day in the gym!

I think this is actually a good idea and I had already heard of version of it on the Midlife Matters podcast. You get together with friends to tackle those nagging tasks like cancelling subscriptions. Would you go to an admin night? I would have to go to an admin day or admin morning. I know myself and I can’t tackle anything like that after dinner.

Incoming ground beef photo…

I made lasagna for dinner this week and did the meat in the morning. Having the biggest element done for dinner really is a favorite for me.

I made a cake and tried a hack I had heard of – you put the cake on the lid and use the body of the container as the “new” lid.

It worked!

I have fine hair and it gets tangled so easily. This is sooo expensive but it really works. I try to use a very little amount. It smells great, too.

The best winter moisturizer made even better with a pump. Get you a pump!

I “made” a new outfit this week!

I found a brand new hat with tags at a consignment store and ordered a fisherman’s sweater from Amazon (Amazon Essentials).

I did a fun project of drying out lemon slices in the oven at 225 for 2 hours. I took mine out a bit before 2 hours. These are all the rage in cocktails right now.

Mason brought home donuts last weekend as a nice gesture.

They are square! I had the oddly shaped one telling myself it was smaller and less caloric.

A library branch near me has a demo kitchen and each month they are having a different chef do cooking demos. How cool is that? This month is the German cookbook author/chef that gave us our cooking lesson.

I finished this. It was enjoyable at times. It has lots of Iceland descriptions if you have been or want to go. It was cheesy and many elements were farfetched and not realistic. The author doesn’t have children, and I didn’t like a couple of things that she said the mom did – lol.

I started this. I love a book with a family tree in the front of the book and I love a book that toggles between present and past. This book has both of those elements.

Waiting outside Mason’s door for him to wake up. This guy is going to be so sad when Mason moves out.

I made more sugar cookie creamer this week and it’s even better. Am I never going to have to buy creamer again? This time I reduced the sugar content and did half white sugar and half brown sugar.

We had mediterranean chicken and cauliflower bowls for dinner and this is one of my favorite types of meals.

I did a really good brunch bowl where I microwaved the egg mixture in a round Pyrex dish instead of a mug. Look how cool the egg turned out. The avocado is just so good, too!

I had a library pick up this week and got this:

Laura suggested this author and I thought I would try it. I am not normally a mystery genre reader.

I saw this on a library shelf and picked it up on a whim. It has so many great sauces that I would actually make! I will be taking photos. I feel so proud of myself when I make a creamer, dressing, or dipping sauce. Do you?

I love to check out cookbooks, and this is probably Pioneer Woman’s best cookbook ever. I would make pretty much every recipe. It’s real food for real people. Now, she makes her own mayo and cream of mushroom soup and I probably wouldn’t do that, but it has things like enchiladas, alfredo, chicken cutlets, pot roast, macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes.

It was so nice to run some errands without the holiday shopping crowds. I went to a super popular shopping center that has Trader Joe’s, World Market, Old Navy, and more and the parking lot was empty-ish. I went in all three places.

I wanted to see if World Market had spring stuff out – not much. Here are the latest icon glasses:

I didn’t buy any. I am sticking with my four Valentine’s ones for now.

I did buy this cute little croissant spoon rest:

I tutored my student this week at Starbuck’s. It was good. He passed his midterm and improved his grade!

A sad story and a giggle…

I get my mom’s mail forwarded to me. She received a holiday/new year newsletter from couple friends from the military that basically only corresponded through holiday cards for the last 30 years. They listed their email addresses so I thought I would let them know my mom had passed away. I wrote the email and cried while doing so. I got a nice response back and they were appreciative of the news.

But then I read their newsletter, and it made me giggle so much. They talked about how their daughter was visiting but their son in law couldn’t come along because someone had to watch their Harris Hawk. I looked it up and it’s literally a hawk – bird they are talking about. That got me thinking about hawk sitters. It also got me thinking about excuses not to visit the in laws. You know Tom is my soulmate when he came home and also thought it was hilarious and said he wished he knew that was an option to get out of an in-law visit.

Anyone want to see the anime version of Eddie Otis? No?

Look at the anime version of my floor and rug.

Does this cheer anyone up?

I think it’s a little too early to start the count down or we will feel that we are forever counting down!

Tell me a favorite of yours this week!

Amy

Thursday, January 15, 2026

January is trucking right along this year, isn’t it? It’s not a favorite month for getting dressed traditionally. I’m usually just trying to stay warm. We’ve had a mild January so far. I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill to show you what I’ve worn, nevertheless. Did you catch that, Kellyann? Read her Monday post! I get to get dressed in January nevertheless!

Friday I could go out in just a blouse and jeans! I wore my leopard print Mary Janes.

Saturday it turned cold again so I wore jeans, my hot pink sweater from Old Navy, and Adidas Stan Smiths.

Sunday I wore my black cowl neck, black leggings, faux Uggs, and my new Target Joylab vest.

Monday I wore jeans, faux Uggs, black long sleeved tee, and my leopard vest

Tuesday I stayed in my gym leggings but put on another black long sleeved tee and a black fleece vest

I wore it to a warehouse sale of one of my favorite boutiques. I left empty handed and I consider that a success because last year I bought a lot and almost all of it ended up being donated. I have always had a problem with a sale, sale rack, and a warehouse sale. I have been working on that.

Last week I received an Old Navy order. I got another white crewneck t-shirt to wear under my sweaters

black everyday leggings that aren’t athletic

and thinking ahead to spring I ordered this white blouse

I am keeping all three pieces.

I have been watching Love is Blind Germany and two people have been wearing NY Yankees ballcaps. I found one at my consignment shop new with tags from Urban Outfitters and I got it.

Then, I thought I needed a navy sweater so I went to my trusty Amazon Essentials and got this:

An outfit is born! Ha! Yes, I know it was silly but it was silly to the tune of $10 for the cap and $20 for the sweater.

I signed up/applied to be part of The Halara Circle. They let you pick an item from a few items and you try it and review it. I hope I get to do it!

I am getting ready to publish a “Best of 2025 Purchases” post. I had so much fun going through all of my 2025 photos to see what was a good buy. I have mostly clothes and shoes in the post so I thought I would mention it here. I also have included some beauty and random purchases. I think we can learn so much about our spending through an exercise like this. I can’t help but think my “research” affected my wise spending/not spending at the warehouse sale!

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to answer some questions with Joyce!

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

A little bit of each. I love watching snow come down during daylight hours. When all of my people were in my house with me and it was snowing, it was just sublime. Those snow days when Tom left for work and the twins and I were left home were wonderful, too!

I love a fire – indoor or outdoor. I love finding restaurants or bars with a fireplace. I love going out in the snow and in winter when it’s not super cold. When it’s really cold, I am happy to hibernate, but I know it’s not healthy to stay inside too long. I think I’ve decided I’m a 30 degrees and up winter person!

I have been seeing lots of things about letting babies sleep outside in my IG feed. I had heard of this – leaving a baby in a stroller outside in Scandinavian countries. I saw a daycare in Holland maybe with outdoor sleeping compartments for kids! I do think all humans need to get outside in the winter!

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes ‘peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset’. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

Are the Pantone employees on psychedelic drugs? What is a cloud dancer? How can I get that job? I often wonder if they are laughing their butts off at the thought of everyone jumping to their “color of the year”. I feel that I have come to a place of peace and I have clarity after quite a bit of quiet reflection. I have been reflecting on the lives of my parents, the stage of my adult children, my life’s (paid) work from which I recently retired, and a bunch of other things. I am ready for renewal and soft reset.

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which ‘cloud’ idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

Man, Joyce, this is a tough one. I guess the silver lining and on cloud nine right now. right now. It relates to my answers to the last question. I am seeing some silver linings in my life with my kids being older and the stage where I am. I am on cloud nine especially on Monday mornings!

4. coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing…of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

I like everything except coconut. I would have to say mayo because it is the chef’s kiss to a perfect sandwich and it makes good sauces and dips.

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year.” 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

I agree with this. I think winter is a time to slow down, reflect, rejuvenate, and refresh. Nature goes to sleep and is dormant and we wouldn’t appreciate spring so much without winter. This is why I am deeply grateful to have a four distinct season place of residence. But I have never lived in a place that doesn’t have four seasons so maybe it’s wonderful, too.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This will always be one of my favorite verses…

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Amy

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

I hear that many of us are trying to cleanse the old gut after a holiday season of indulgence. I thought I would do a chatty post about foods I’m buying and eating in that vein. I will also be linking up with Joanne so check out some other posts over there.

First, let’s talk about drinks. I use a giant (UK – University of Kentucky but I also like the United Kingdom) Tervis Tumbler at home and I drink my water room temp and without a straw because I think I drink more that way. I also keep water in my car and get as much in while driving. What has happened with my Tervis Tumbler? It’s become the community cup! Tom waters plants with it and takes ibuprofen with it and Mason uses it to fill Eddie Otis’ dog bowl. Ahem.

I try to chug water while my coffee brews. Then, I drink two cups of coffee, then I have an electrolyte drink in the morning of the afternoon and continue drinking water all day. I also love sparkling water whether it be flavored or not.

I’m trying to get back into the proffee (protein coffee) – I do a scoop of the espresso powder with some water, add ice, and then add about 1/2 – 3/4 of a Premier Protein.

In the afternoon I try to do a hot tea. We are enjoying this Christmas tea.

The proffee:

I love oatmeal! This is zero WW points if you mix it with water. I like to add a dash of milk after heating it and then a sprinkle of cinnamon. My favorite breakfasts are breakfast bowls with Amylu chicken sausage, one egg and some liquid egg whites, cottage cheese (not pictured) and some sweet potato cubes if I have them.

I added a small amount of Mexican shredded cheese, too.

I also have been doing a mug omelet which turns out so good:

I love breakfast and I love breakfast food. I don’t eat it until between 9 and 10 depending on the day. I was considering eating oatmeal for breakfast and this for lunch.

Lunch seems to be the hardest for me to pull together these days. I want to eat more beans and I have been. I also want to eat more lentils. Here are some things I bought to do this:

I sometimes bake a few potatoes and re-heat one. I like to make sauces from Greek yogurt like ranch and tzatziki sauce for mediterranean inspired bowls. It’s a goal to eat more apples!

For snacks, I love dipping things so if I have some veg cut up I can have that with ranch. I have been having buffalo, homemade Greek yogurt ranch, shredded chicken, and these vegetables. The Built Puff cookie dough is the best protein bar I’ve had. These are the best rice cakes I have had and I have only seen them at Trader Joe’s. They are delicious with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese which I always try to have on hand.

These are the best tortillas I have tried.

I’m also trying to eat more avocado and made this breakfast bowl and it was delicious! I used grape tomatoes, spinach, egg, egg white, cottage cheese, and chicken sausage and then topped it with avocado.

Not pictured but my protein of choice is chicken. I like to have some chicken ready to go in the fridge.

It’s also really important to me to drink from a nice vessel. I love to put sparkling water in a wine glass or use my new icon glasses and my old Amazon glasses with lids.

I was really good about meal prep when I was working full time. I did breakfast bowls for the week, Amy McMuffins (like an egg mcmuffin), and breakfast burritos. I shared lunches with my co-worker Erica and that worked out so well. I feel like prepping a few things for my stay at home life is also a good plan to keep me on track.

Here is what I plan to prep:

roasted vegetables

hard boiled eggs

tuna salad

baked potatoes

low carb egg casserole

Dinner is more tailored to make Tom and Mason happy and I can adjust as needed for myself.

This week I am making my sister Molly’s delicious and easy lasagna here and I’m excited!

I mean – tell me that doesn’t look good!

It uses the noodles that you don’t boil before hand, there are no eggs, and it uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta. So, you could say this could be a high protein lasagna! Lol!

I’m also really excited to make this sheet pan chicken and cauliflower shawarma.

Tell me what you are eating and any recommendations!

Amy

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

Friday, January 9, 2026

It’s Friday and I’m on a mission to enjoy January! How was your week? Did you appreciate getting back to normal routine? I am happy to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites from the week.

I was kind of happy to get hub back to work this week because it also meant I would be more structured.

I got myself to bed between 9:30 and 10 each night this week and it made a big difference for me. I naturally wake a bit before 6:00 when I do this. Over the holidays I let myself stay up until as late as 11:00 (late for me) and slept in until between 7 and 8. This showed me that 10-6 is really my optimum!

I also was ready to stop eating the Christmas chocolate, cream cheese and Chex Mix!

Let’s talk about some favorites this week…

I had a nice lunch out with two friends this week and I chose a salad with blackened chicken. One friend said “do you mind if we refuse the bread?” and my heart was sad but it was for the best. And, none of us had alcohol with lunch. We all had water. How about that?

Now I know who goes out to lunch…

I say this because I always wondered what it would be like when I retired. Was everyone going out to lunch but me?

I tried two new laundry detergents this week. I tried a sample of Buff City Narcissist and really liked the smell and tried this from Bath and Body Works and I love the smell! This will replace my Diva at least until it runs out. It makes the whole house smell nice!

I bought some Saratoga sparkling water this week and love it! The pretty blue bottles are nice, too.

This is an Amazon purchase. I got a personalized notepad for my daily list. I prefer no lines and I need to be reminded of who I am – just kidding! Here it is if you want one for yourself or for a gift! I write lots of lists! I can’t help it – I love a personalization and I love a monogram!

Please do not get “Amy Scott” on yours.

I made my own creamer! Starbuck’s told me they are out of sugar cookie lattes (my new favorite this season) and I also can’t find the sugar cookie oatmilk creamer in stores. I found a pretty easy recipe and made my own. Do not judge the amount of sugar if I share it with you here. You take 1.5 cups of half and half and 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup heavy cream. You heat on stove until dissolved. Then you remove from heat and wait about 10 minutes and add a tablespoon of vanilla and 1/2 tsp. of almond extract. Then you put it in a mason jar and refrigerate. I will play around with reducing the sugar or switching to brown sugar next time.

New obsession – mug omelettes! The consistency is so good. I feel like the cottage cheese works better in this than on the stovetop and one might say that the mug is easier to clean after, as well.

Crack one egg and add about 1/2 cup cottage cheese and some liquid egg whites. Microwave in a Pam sprayed mug for 1 minute and then probably another 30 seconds. Holy fluffiness! Plop!

I diced two sweet potatoes and roasted them for the week and I am obsessed with Amylu chicken breakfast sausage links. They are the best I have tried. This breakfast keeps me really full until lunch.

Eating healthy can be scary…

Look at my sweet potato! She didn’t win any beauty competitions. This was picked out for me by the Kroger picker outer. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Tom really liked this dinner. I made taco meat and put his on red and green peppers that I roasted. I don’t like peppers so I put mine atop pinto beans and sweet potatoes.

I’m not sure why my book photos turned out like this but I really enjoyed this:

And, after two pretty serious books, I picked this for my next read:

Library pick up of two requests:

Have you been hearing about the icon glasses? I really have no idea why they are called that. I think Anthro, Walmart, World Market, and Target carry them. I have wanted some since the Halloween ones I saw. I finally got Valentine’s-ish ones but they really can be used anytime. I got two hearts, one bows, and this adorable lobster:

The red rim makes it even cuter. I wish they all had that rim but this is the only one. I got mine at Target. I’ve been using them for my electrolytes.

These electrolytes taste like a margarita and a paloma, by the way!

The bows:

I got the cutest vest at Target!

I ordered these because they weren’t in store:

They might work for you, but they didn’t work for me. They are way too long!

I did a $19 grocery haul at my Kroger. The salmon was $12 and everything else had a sale sticker. You can absolutely find better deals if you go in and I know I need to do this more than picking my groceries up. The challah is for Jack who loves it.

Speaking of, I had a really fun lunch with Mason, Jack, and Jack’s roommate. Everyone was off and able to get together yesterday. They picked Boombozz and wanted pretzels and cheese and pizza.

They chose a vodka sauce pizza and a white goat cheese pizza.

It was really nice, and I made the young people laugh a few times! Maybe they are laughing at me and not with me?

I came home and read outside with a gingerbread tea and it was lovely!

Our 80 pound chocolate lab climbs up in “Daddy’s” lap every evening. It’s the cutest thing and Tom loves it. These two have quite a bond.

Tom texted me from work the next day after receiving an email welcoming him to Disney +. Apparently EO had pressed the remote and I put this on Instagram…

I would say that means he wants more Disney movies in his life and less of Tom’s detective shows. Poor baby!

Happy Friday to you and thanks for reading!

Amy

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Thank you for joining me for Currently yesterday! I think I had 18 bloggers link up so go back and check those out if you missed it!

I am still figuring out my “retirement style”. I really want to have my colors done but man, is it expensive. I am hoping for a special pricing when House of Color Louisville moves into a shared space with a new to me boutique called Surprise Lily. I went in the store last week and the owner told me about the collaboration coming in the spring. I had my colors done in 6th grade and still have the color deck!

I enjoyed wearing all my “Christmasy” clothing in December after switching from my fall-colored clothing in November. I was ready to put those away and move on to my other winter clothes, for sure.

It was really cold last week! As a teacher, I couldn’t wear a full sweater to teach in. I could wear a cardigan but the way they overheated the school was a no go for a sweater. I even had to have a little desk fan on me sometimes! So, you could say that might be why I am enjoying wearing crewneck sweaters now.

Here is my newest:

It’s from Target’s apres-ski line and says “Les Alpes” on it. It’s very soft and very warm and by Universal Thread. I generally like that Target brand. I put a striped shirt under it. I don’t like the jeans with the boots. I wore my straight legs instead of wide legs which would have been better. I have already worn the sweater a lot so that means it was a pretty good purchase!

These are the boots, and they are very comfy. I think I have had them for four years? They are like the Dansko booties but the brand of mine is a bit less expensive – Sanita. I do have to use a shoehorn to put them on and to take them off.

One of my sweaters is royal blue with a bit of a puffy sleeve. It’s an old Loft purchase. I wore this another day with my striped jeans. The stripe is on the side and not visible in this photo.

Vests are great for this time of year and for women of a certain age that run hot. I really only have a black vest, a fuzzy cream vest with a hood and my new this season leopard vest now. I got rid of all the quilted vests that looked dated to me. I also got rid of some really old puffer vests that were too puffy. I have been tossing around the idea this season of getting a white or cream vest. I walked into Target for a specific reason (not a vest) and found this one just staring up at me:

I love it! It’s both cozy and lightweight because of the combo of materials, I guess. I wore it with black flared legging/pants and a black long sleeve here:

I wore it with chocolate brown traditional sweats from Aerie and a chocolate brown long sleeve here:

I’ve worn it for part of every single day since I bought it!

I had a lunch one day this week and wanted to look slightly more chic so I tried my best in my Halara dark wide leg jeans, a consignment Evereve brand blouse, an Amazon scarf, and my Walmart trench. My booties (not the Sanita above) seem so dated to me so I didn’t really know what to do with my feet. I wore my gold Tieks but didn’t love them.

I thought these looked so cute -from Target again! I fear they will be way too long and the whole point of the length is the slit. They will most likely be going back.

So, I have shopped a little bit. I don’t want to buy fast fashion but I just couldn’t help the apres ski sweater and the vest and the track pants – lol.

In my hometown with my sisters it was hard to know how to dress with such warm temps. Here is what I ended up wearing:

red/white striped shirt, striped jeans, and my Adidas Stan Smith with a cardigan over if needed:

light wide-leg Halaras, black boutique blouse, red/green strap on Amazon purse, headband with similar coloring:

black Halaras, white button up, same purse strap and same headband:

I think Tom is doing the “I am ok” hand symbol and not anything else. He hates having photos taken, as you know. He has on new boots by Danner which are made in the USA. He has a couple of new favorite clothing brands – Criquet and Poncho. I got him a Quince cashmere sweater for Christmas and he loves it, too.

I got one for Mason, too. He asked for professional clothing for Christmas and needed a new headshot. He got the plaid shirt for Christmas, too.

Tom and Mason do not know they are part of Fashion Files. Shhhhh……

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Welcome to my first link up ever! After Currently, you will find my Hodgepodge with Joyce responses.

I will keep the link open for a week so you can link up at any time and read the other entries at your leisure.

Thanks for linking up with me! Try to meet some new bloggers today!

Loving

To be honest, I am loving so many things. I feel that a weight has been lifted and I am ready to focus on the positive.

This is the first time I haven’t gone back to school after the holidays! I am loving the freedom but also, I’m craving a routine. I have made Mondays my “admin day” where I do some bill paying, scheduling, laundry, grocery ordering, and things like that.

I’m loving seeing 50s in the forecast and I will take advantage of that! I actually sat outside to read on Monday with that bright orb shining in the sky for the first time in a long time!

I’m loving seeing the Valentine’s Day stuff in the stores. I love red, hearts, and all the things. I’m a bit nostalgic about classroom Valentine’s parties of my own and of my kids. I also am thinking about my V Day activities that I did in my high school classroom as a teacher.

I love my library stack – I won’t read all of them. I like having choices. I also am going to try to do a better job with recording what I read for you all.

Resolving

I chose this photo because I look like someone who is not taking any BS. I am out in the rain looking like a fool but my face says “step off”.

I don’t really do resolutions, but I want to be the best version of myself I can be. I want to be a good wife, mother, sister, friend, citizen, etc. I want to stop wasting energy overanalyzing relationships and situations. I want to match energy. If someone doesn’t put much toward me, I should match that. I want to say YES when it’s a HECK YES and say NO when I am not sure it’s how I want to spend my time and energy. A YES to one thing is a NO to another, no? I want to open my circle to new friends that might come my way and let some of my friendships be more occasional friendships.

I am resolving to do the things that help me feel my best – getting outside each day, continuing strength training and walking, going to bed no later than 10, drinking enough water, feeding myself good healthy foods, limiting myself from social media and silly internet stuff, choosing to do things in person rather than online to keep community and connection.

Planning

I think we are finally planning the rest of our house renovation stuff. We are replacing flooring and painting the rest of our main floor of our ranch house, renovating the kitchen, and adding cabinetry to the mudroom. It’s going to stink to have the chaos but it will be worth it, and this is a good time to do it.

Eating/Drinking

All the vegetables! I love roasted vegetables.

I eat eggs for breakfast most days but I would like to mix it up with Greek yogurt and oatmeal, too.

I read how beneficial beans are so I added beans to this breakfast:

I also plan to put some beans atop my salads.

I want to eat more fish, too.

I have been drinking electrolytes, water, and tea after my morning coffee.

It matters greatly to me the vessel from which I drink! I love drinking out of a wine glass, mason jar, these hefty icon glasses, my pretty hobnail glasses, etc. I keep a giant Tervis Tumbler with water and drink from it all day without a straw. I rarely use a straw. I find I can drink tons more water if it is room temperature and straw-less. Some food for thought if you are a struggling water drinker. I love sparkling water and just bought Saratoga brand. I plan to put it in a wine glass!

Watching/Reading

There are so many Netflix shows starting tomorrow or Friday that I am interested in! I am still watching my Bravo shows! I love Bravo! I also really, really love the podcast Watch What Crappens that makes fun of all the shows.

I am loving Below Deck Mediterranean. It is a show about the crew of a luxury yacht. It finished filming in Barcelona a week before we arrived in October of 2024. They are docked in the marina where we walked around and took our sunset catamaran ride. They also show the America’s Cup Red Bull Racing building and team. The team lawyer (who knew they needed one?) came out of the building and talked to Tom and I about the boat and the race. She came out to smoke a cig and just chatted us up.

Here are some of my photos…

They show this hotel in every shot. This is the W Hotel.

The catamaran sunset cruise:

The America’s Cup sailboat:

It’s just so fun to be able to say I was there!

I am excited to watch the Olympics starting with the opening ceremonies on February 6th! I love the opening ceremonies because I am so interested in other countries and cultures. I always talked about it in class and told the kids to watch. Then, I showed some of the Spanish speaking countries’ outfits. He he or should I say je je.

I started Ripple on Netflix and it’s really good but pretty deep. I found myself crying pretty hard in one of the scenes.

I am reading:

I’m having a good reading spell which is a big deal because I always called myself a “fair weather reader” only being able to read outside and mostly in summer. My sister said the same thing when we were together. She was telling me she just can’t read when it’s not summer. Part of that is the “teacher brain” I think.

Scroll down after Hodgepodge to link up with me for your Currently responses! Thank you for linking up with me! I will announce the February date and present participles soon!

Hodgepodge

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025? 

hard, transitional, bittersweet

For anyone new around here, I lost my mother suddenly in January 2025 and I retired from 31 years of teaching high school Spanish at the end of the school year. I managed my mom’s estate and the sale of her house.

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn’t be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here’s the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Well, when I was a high school Spanish teacher, I used the kids’ words to get their attention or make them laugh. I translated what I could into Spanish for giggles. I am so glad I missed the “67” phase! I think it is so dumb. I liked “demure” and was glad the kids were learning that word based on a Tik Tok video. “Cooked” was fun to translate in Spanish and use in class – “cocinado”! The other ones I didn’t hear much, or they don’t bother me. I don’t use them much if at all.

Which one (if any) do you use most often? Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word you think should have made the list? 

I guess I do say “my bad” sometimes. Tom and I are both bothered by what we have noticed… many people on podcasts, the radio, and television have dropped the “r” in the word important so that it sounds like “impoant”.

Tom has said he would prefer that I don’t say: “low key” or “vibe”. I told him I would try to work on losing the teen vernacular. He also wanted me to say he hates “OG”, “back in the day”, and “it is what it is” when I consulted him on this question.

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your ‘ideal’ nightly ritual? If so what’s your ideal? 

I take a shower after dinner and that is when I wash my face and do some creams. I am trying to do a dark spot corrector from Korea and I do an all over night cream. I’m open to suggestions! Anyone have any? I really don’t know what I am doing in the skin care department. Also, how is it fair that I am dealing with pimples and wrinkles right now?

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

I did not know! I do like beans. I think I like pinto and black the best. I just watched an IG that we should be eating two cups of beans a day and you should have some for breakfast (see above photo in my Currently). I like making sweet potato cubes and having them with black beans.

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

Nope! I was always the one who raised my hand and wanted to get in front of the class. I have volunteered to go on stages and gotten picked. I don’t blush easily or at all.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This might win for most random. Bo Duke lives in my little hometown of Madison, Indiana! Raise your hand if you played Dukes of Hazard on your bikes with your neighborhood posse. I am raising mine. John Schneider and his wife moved to Madison from Hazard, I guess. I follow him on social media, and he is eating dinner at the place where we went two weekends ago. He is getting wine at the place where we went. Also, Kat Von D lives in a nearby town to Madison called Vevay. Sorry for the name dropping.

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