Today I thought I would re-visit my posts from here and here and give you an update. You all have been so supportive and I can’t thank you enough.
So, I have now lost 25 pounds! It is very slow going – for two weeks I only lost .2, but then I had a nice 2 pound loss last week.
I bought these Fiber One lemon and chocolate fudge that are 2 points each for a little dessert. I don’t know if I will buy these again. They are very crumbly and there isn’t much to them.
I also got the coffee cake and I feel the same about them. I will use these up in my school lunches I think and then probably not purchase again.
Pretty much all summer I have gotten in at least three servings of veggies at breakfast. Prepping these veggies once or twice a week is such a game changer. I top them with two scrambled eggs usually.
I’ve been eating veggie burgers quite a bit. I made a yummy wrap with some potatoes on the side.
I invested in a food scale per the recommendation of my friend Kim. A few years ago, I didn’t believe I could make a true friend on the internet, but my mind has been changed. The support I have gotten from Kim is a true blessing. Thank you, Kim!
Below you will see me measuring out 1 oz. of feta for my whole grain pasta I made one day for lunch. I did the Tik Tok pasta with the roasted tomatoes. It had potential, but I needed more tomatoes.
I like to add a squirt of this to the fiber one brownie or to my bowl of strawberries.
I love this recipe for Mexican quinoa was given to me by another blogger, Kristen. I changed it to make it easier, though, because I’m lazy. I prepare a cup of quinoa by boiling it with two cups of water and then simmering for 15 minutes. When done, I add as much jarred salsa as I want with a can of green chiles. I add a tiny bit of shredded Mexican cheese when I am ready to eat it. Everything except the cheese is zero points!
I have increased my fruit intake and I am loving the strawberries that are so flavorful right now – with a dollop of Reddi Wip! I just noticed there is no “h” in Reddi Wip. That is weird!
I have a banana almost every day.
I have plans to make some homemade egg breakfast sandwiches with these below. They are 3 points.
I have one of these every day and yes, I do eat it by the “string”. What kind of monster just bites into it? Ha! I have told you this before, but Ernie comes running when he hears my string cheese being opened.
I love a Dum Dum sucker for a little something sweet in the evenings.
I have a half of a Premier protein everyday – either in the late morning or in the afternoon.
I will need to fall back on some fast food as school starts. I really want to try this “Burger in a Tub” from 5 Guys. I would try to make it less than 10 points – maybe by ordering the kid’s size burger. Doesn’t this sound good?
Or, I could make it homemade with ground turkey and a “special sauce” from Greek yogurt again. Yum!
And, I thought this Chick-Fil-A guide would be helpful. I love their grilled nuggets!
Happy Hump Day! I am linking up today with The Style Six here!
I don’t have many outfits for you this week I’m sorry to say.
This is what I wore to dinner Thursday night – the black $13 Walmart dress, gold jewelry, and my cognac MIA clog sandals. We ate with Beth and Bob and Beth had on the same sandals. I should have gotten a photo of her outfit – all white – white jeans, white tank, and these sandals and she looked chic as always.
On Friday, I wore the yellow but didn’t take the time to adjust it for the photo, apparently. This time I made it more casual with gold Birks. The black is the most flattering of three colors I own. I have black, yellow, and a dark cornflower blue.
Monday for my professional development I wore this new blouse. I love the pattern. I wore it with the white Old Navy jeans that I frayed myself. By the end of the day they were so stretched out and looked frumpy. Do you all have that problem with Old Navy, too?
Tuesday for the professional development I wore the black dress but paired it with the gold Birks and my leopard headband.
O.k…. I have managed to not get on the Nordstrom website for their famous anniversary sale, but I have made two more purchases since we last spoke about new purchases – ha!
This first one is going to be controversial. Please don’t send me hate mail. I kind of think of the goose that lays the golden egg but then it makes me chuckle.
I purchased GOLD clogs from Lotta of Stockholm.
I warned you….the summer of 2021 is the summer of gold in my school wardrobe. Did I do this because of the Olympics? I don’t know. The summer of 2020 was the summer of red – remember my red saltwaters and my red clogs and my red Dr. Scholl’s? Yes, I do realize I have a problem. I am consistent, though.
I picture styling these gold clogs with my fun ruffle pants, skirts, dresses, and jeans.
And, I went to another TJ Maxx for some reason and found this Cynthia Rowley blouse. I thought it was super pretty.
What have you been wearing lately?
What have you purchased lately?
I can’t believe that one of my consignment stores is putting out fall stuff this week!
Thanks for reading and remember not to bully me about my GOLD clogs. Don’t they say “Go for the gold”?
I wanted to write this post because the time is nigh! We had varying degrees of “normal” school over the past year and a bit. So, it may have been quite a while since you have thought about stuff like this. Last year was all about survival. Many schools didn’t allow parents in the building. Everything was different!
My perspective comes from 27 years as a high school Spanish teacher and 13 years as a k-12 mom.
-Don’t complain about your school, teachers, or school or district policy in front of your child. I have been frustrated looking for a certain color folder or I have wondered why my child needed 24 pre-sharpened pencils, too. It’s stressful. Think the thoughts, but don’t say them in front of your kid. It’s important for us to stay positive and model respect for school and teacher rules. This is small potatoes in elementary school, but it becomes large potatoes in high school. If you complain about the high school dress code or act like it’s not important, that carries over into other rules that your child will have to follow.
-Any time the school opens its doors to parents, go! It amazes me how few parents come to our open house. What a unique opportunity to get to meet all of your big kids’ teachers and essentially walk their schedule and live their day. Your presence is just as important in high school, and maybe even more as your high school kids tend to communicate less.
-Get the school calendar now, mark dates, and don’t plan trips during school. Pulling your kid out makes it hard for kids to keep up and honestly, it sends the wrong message. Of course, there are always exceptions – weddings, funerals, and a few other events. I can’t tell you how many of my students complain about their parents making them miss school. I ask that my students email me if they must be absent – preferably before our class meets so that I can help keep them on track. This also adds a layer of accountability and maybe, just maybe this improves attendance. Picture this – we have a 7 period day. Your kid misses one day and has 7 assignments to make up. That can be overwhelming.
-Don’t bombard the teacher at open house. Send an email if there is important information about your child. The teacher may have to give multiple presentations. At my school the teachers have taught all day and come back to school that night for the event. He/She will not remember the details because they will be so exhausted!
-Let your child start doing the emails to the teachers when age appropriate. “Hi Mrs. Jones, I just wanted to let you know that I am home sick today. I will talk to my classmate about what I missed, but feel free to send me anything I need if you have time. I hope to be back tomorrow. Thank you so much, Student.”
-I always tell my students to have a “phone a friend” in each class. As a parent, it would be good to encourage this. Pick one student that usually knows what’s going on and ask for their number. Most kids are happy to help a classmate. It would be great if this was a reciprocal relationship and they can both help each other when absent.
-Do not be afraid to email the teacher! This is really the easiest way for us to communicate. We just don’t have much time for phone calls and rarely have an empty room to have a private conversation.
-Go to the parent teacher conferences. We want to be partners with our parents. Meeting the parents can really help us to better serve our students.
-If there is a problem, try to fix it with the teacher first. I have heard stories of parents taking the smallest complaints to the principal without talking to the teacher first. Most teachers enter the profession because they care about kids. I have heard parents talk like a teacher is “out to get” their kid.
-Please don’t treat your child’s teacher like “the help”. I have heard one parent complain about a teacher and say “I mean, I pay her salary; she should do what I ask”. The teachers in your school have a great deal of education. I have a bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees. Plus, think of all the experience and on-the-job training they have. This is so disrespectful. These same parents probably say, “I could never do their job”.
-Do not always believe your child, as bad as that sounds. I have seen some parents not even listen to the teacher’s account of what happened. Where did the notion come from that a parent must always side with their child? There is right and wrong and sometimes your kid will be wrong! Wouldn’t you rather your child be wrong at age 8 than age 18?
-Do not stress about gifts for teachers. Sure it is a nice gesture, but I always worry about the kids who can’t afford gifts feeling badly. An email, a card in my mailbox, or a note sent with a student (even better when it is written by the student) means so much to me. I have every single one saved. I even have some of the emails printed out, but sadly, I didn’t do this with all of them. If your child loves a particular lesson, send an email saying how much they talked about it over dinner. This makes our day!
-YOU are your child’s first and most important teacher. They model your behavior, your speech, your tone, your attitude, and your etiquette. They watch you read for pleasure. They notice if you have a spirit of curiosity and if you are a life long learner. They notice how you treat your job or profession if you work outside the home. Take them to museums, historical landmarks, events, and festivals – but don’t go crazy. Don’t try to do it all in one weekend!
-Please stop overscheduling your child. They need time to play and be at home. They need time to do homework. I’m not a big fan of homework and I don’t believe that tons of it equals more learning. But, homework is still a thing to be dealt with.
That’s all I’ve got for now! Anything I’m forgetting?
How was your weekend? I hope it was great! As you are reading this, I am sitting in a two day professional development. Please keep me in your prayers. I am linking up today with Heather, Tanya, and more here!
Let’s go back to Thursday afternoon for a nail update. First of all, I removed my last color of gel with the method of filing down the color a bit, putting remover soaked cottonballs on each day wrapped in aluminum foil, waiting about 15 minutes, and then just wiping it off. The removal process is kinda tedious. I replaced it with this very light blue and I think I did a better job. We are going on three days now and it looks the same except for the nail I broke.
We rarely go out to eat during the week but we were invited by our friends because their weekends are booked. So, Thursday evening we met them at a Cuban restaurant where I did a make my own margarita – I asked for a shot of tequila, fresh lime juice, and a splash of Sprite.
I ordered grilled fish with cilantro. I only ate the fish and beans and a bit of plantain.
We had a nice time catching up with our friends!
The next day I took Mason to a place for lunch that I thought he would enjoy. Spoiler: he didn’t. We had such a nice time over breakfast but this was not as nice. They have artwork on the ceiling.
I ordered a combo lunch offering where you could get a house salad, a fish taco, and a vegetable and I got asparagus.
Mason got a combo with a Reuben.
Anyway, he thought the food was mediocre and didn’t like the clientele? Who knows? With teens, it sometimes can be a mood thing. We went home and I didn’t let it affect me. I wasn’t eating out at all until like two weeks ago and now we seem to have made up for it. I’m squeezing lots of things in!
Friday night we stayed in. I made Mexican food – using up a lot of leftovers. Then, the boys went to Shakespeare in the Park where one of Jack’s teachers was a cast member. I watched the Olympics opening ceremony. I love it so much!
Saturday morning I had my coffee on the patio because it was nice out finally!
And, I prepped and packed food for a fun day! My sister, brother in law, and one of their dogs boated to us again like they did last summer!
Jason, my brother in law, loves Mexican layer dip so I made that for him.
It was perfect weather and the time just flew. We always enjoy time with them. We invited my other sister but she had an obligation.
Saturday night we were worn out from the sun and water so we watched t.v. with Jack and Mason.
Sunday morning I read on the patio for a bit. This is my current read and it’s cute. My reading has really slowed down.
Then, we did it again! We met our friends Scott and Jessica and cruised a bit and then had some more portable boat charcuterie, ordered food from Captain’s Quarters and took it to the cove to eat and bob around in the water.
I am not anxious for Fridays to come right now! Time slow down! I am linking up again with Andrea, etc. right here.
Here are a few things that were my favorites this week or just things I want to tell you!
I still love my Charlotte Tillbury cream eyeshadow but about a month ago I took a chance on a Burt’s Bees version for less than half the cost. I really like it! It isn’t quite as good, but I would definitely buy the Burt’s Bees again.
I apply with a perfectly sized brush that I think I got in my Ipsy subscription a long time ago.
I have been drinking less alcohol this summer but sometimes I crave a fun drink that isn’t water! I have enjoyed this combo. I use about a half of a Crystal Light lemonade and add this Kroger brand Pineapple Coconut sparkling water. I’m sure you can find this flavor at other stores besides Kroger.
I enjoyed this podcast this week. Have you checked out The Lazy Genius? I feel like if I get one new thought or idea out of something it is worth my time, you know?
I loved the spicy chicken I got at the bbq place on Sunday.
Here is Tom’s pulled pork and beans with pulled pork in it. Sometimes I carry out just part of a meal. Do you ever do that? I added our own corn and potatoes.
Mason and I have been talking about doing breakfast one day for a long time. We finally made it happen this week. My favorite breakfast place is called Wild Eggs, but Mason had never been. I usually go with girlfriends.
Mason ordered a breakfast version of the famous hot brown from our fair city.
I ordered the farmer’s market skillet.
I forgot to tell you all last winter but I have made a decision. I really think the Felina brand black leggings from Costco are my favorite for lounging or wearing with an outfit. I am not the only one that thinks this because I have heard this from others on the internet. They are also available on Amazon but in Costo the two pack is $10 I believe. They were out at Costco a couple of weeks ago so I grabbed a pack.
These have a wide waistband where my original ones (that I have had for probably 7 years) don’t. These might even be better. I tried to get a photo for you.
Anyone else tried this brand?
It had been a long, long time since I had made my chocolate chip cookies (which are really Nestle Tollhouse’s recipe). Tom, Jack, and Mason were quite happy!
I thought this was the best!
I made an excellent buffalo chicken dip this week! It is actually one WW point if you eat all of it which I did.
It would be so good with celery or in a wrap with lettuce and tomato. I only had cucumber and it was great with that, too.
I saw pumpkin stuff out already! As much as I love pumpkins, I am not ready to think about them yet. I try to do apple flavored things in September and leave the pumpkin for late September – early October.
Let’s get serious for a moment – this is not a favorite. As I did my little errands this week I noticed more and more people – customers and employees – wearing masks. Apparently the Delta variant of the virus is crazy contagious and our numbers are up. Are you seeing this, too? I am so worried that this will mean another compromised school year. I cannot teach in a mask and I don’t want my students trying to speak Spanish in a mask.
And, I wonder about our immune systems in regards to other viruses. Will everyone get so sick from being so protected and isolated for so long?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I gave Aldi another chance. I have more time in the summer to do crazy things like shop at multiple grocery stores. I was really impressed with the re-vamp of my nearest store. I love many of the concepts they use! I love that it is German. Tom was born in Germany and I have German ancestry. I have been there 3 times and it’s a great country to visit. If you don’t have an Aldi, maybe you have a Lidl? I have heard these are becoming more commonplace here in the U.S. Also, Trader Joe’s is related and many of the products might remind you of theirs.
Let’s get started…
First, you have to have a quarter. The quarter gets inserted into the cart to release it from the chain of carts. I have seen Aldi devotees that have a quarter in a pouch that stays on their keychain. Apparently this is the first aspect of shopping here that saves us, the consumers, money.
The produce comes first.
3 beautiful looking zucchini for 99 cents. That is a good price. I love to go to farmer’s markets and support farmers, but dang, they charge a lot. Do you feel the same?
They do name name brands, but there is not much selection. I have one kid who loves Cheezits but not the “extra toasty” variety. Here are some other examples of name brands:
Some of the prices are good and some a more expensive than the on sale prices at my Kroger. I also live in an area where the cost of living is fairly cheap.
You see lots of the Aldi Clancy’s brand. They make the packaging look very much like the big national brands.
Wheat Thins are Thin Wheats – haha! Doesn’t it look just like the big name brand box? I have not tried all of these to compare.
They have a great cheese selection. I bought this Havarti again because it was delish. $3.00 for a block of a good cheese is pretty good. I went with the blue label because I knew we loved it but I was really curious to try the jalapeño.
I found these wraps that are zero WW points. There is regular and everything but the bagel flavor. I really like them.
Here I used one as a bun for my turkey dog.
Here I used one as a bun for my Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy veggie burger.
This is a decent price on the fresh mozz I use on my pizzas. These are also great with grape tomatoes and balsamic glaze.
I like the jarred salsa for my Mexican Lasagna and some dips I make. This is a great price on a giant jar. See how the stuff is shelved? Another money saving measure is that they don’t remove the items from the boxes and do the neat or not so neat shelf stocking as they do in regular supermarkets. Smart, I think!
My cart was starting to get full…
You also have to either bring your own bags or buy the bags at the check out. I bought 3 paper bags for this trip at 8 cents each. They are very cheap and I don’t mind this because it is standard in Europe and I think it’s smart. This is another way they save money. They don’t bag for you which is another cost-cutting measure.
I spent $70 and got quite a bit. I think the price would have been at least $100 at Kroger.
I bought Keto one point buns for me and mini whole wheat pitas for me. I plan to make homemade pita chips using olive oil Pam and some salt.
The boys have been enjoying bagels for breakfast and they report that these brioche bagels are really good. They love mini muffins so I buy those for quick breakfasts. Jack leaves the house at 8:15 and is gone until 5:00 now for his Shakespeare project. He spends four weeks getting ready and then will spend the fifth week performing in our Central Park.
This is the produce I got.
During the pandemic I started making food for Ernie to supplement his dog food. He now gets cooked chicken, green beans, and carrots on top of his food. He is spoiled. So, these cans were great for that. I got a can of potatoes for a recipe and broth for soup. And, here is the salsa.
For snack items, I got these. Our friend told us the cookies taste just like Girl Scout Tagalongs. Why did I buy these? I put them in the freezer and only tried one but it was yummy!
The chicken was about the same as Kroger.
Below the chicken is an example of the German influence. My family liked these when we went to Germany so I bought them.
And, these are the sandwich and charcuterie items I bought, along with some butter for under $3 for baking. There is spreadable cream cheese under the butter. Don’t judge the cheap-o packs of beef. Jack loves the 80s appetizer my mom made where you spread cream cheese, roll up, and cut into 3 logs.
By the way, I took these photos on the long counter they have after checkout for you to bag your own purchases with the bags you either bought or brought. The cashier scans your items and puts them back into your cart. Also, the cashiers are seated, not standing, and are known for being super speedy and efficient. And, there is no small talk. It is quite German in the sense of no nonsense and efficiency. I like this because there are some cashiers in my Kroger that I avoid when I shop in store. They are slow, talk too much, and want to ask me about what I’m buying. Sometimes I’m in the mood for that, but sometimes I just want to get out.
Funny side story: I love going into grocery stores in other countries because I feel like it’s such a great way to learn the culture and not just be a tourist. During my semester abroad in Spain, my roommate and I would go to the grocery weekly to get our snacks. In Germany in 2016 I got in trouble by the cashier in a grocery for not being ready with my purchases on the belt quick enough. It felt like a “Soup Nazi” moment.
A better look at the cookies:
They may even be better than a Tagalong. And they don’t cost $5 a box!
So, I am trying to only do Aldi this week along with what I have in the freezer. My freezer is really full and I need to shop there!
Any recommendations? Are you an Aldi shopper? If you have a Lidl, how much resemblance is there?
Also, I heard that many young adults and college students shop at Aldi. My niece is one of them. I love that the younger generation is learning to be frugal and smart with their money.
I am sure there are much more informative posts about Aldi out there, but I hope you enjoyed this!
Linking up today with The Style Six here so check out some posts!
Here is what I’ve been wearing over the last week…
I have a new place to take my photos. Mason has been super accommodating about being my blog photographer. I so appreciate it. I haven’t used my tripod in quite awhile.
Here is what I wore to anniversary dinner…
Chico’s silky top, palazzo pants in petite from Steinmart (now gone from my city – boo!), consignment gold clutch, and Coconuts by Matisse woven wedges. I think a black wedge would have been better here?
This was a running errands outfit. Gold Birks (now nicely broken in), denim Target Universal Thread cut offs, new blouse from TJ Maxx.
Yes, I did get another new blouse from TJ Maxx. You see, my cell phone company let me pick a $3 gift card from a variety of stores and I picked TJ. What’s a girl to do? I got this for $15.
I had an Apple watch but then it was not fastened and slipped off my wrist and cracked on my driveway. I haven’t been able to figure out how to fix it. I have asked a few shops. So, I thought I would like an old fashioned watch. Ok, you got me, Billie from Sex/Life wears a super basic classic watch with a leather band.
I perused Amazon and found this for under $20 and it is Nine West.
I wore this Saturday to the Paristown Flea outdoor market. My other denim Target Universal Thread, new TJ blouse from last weekend, and Gold Birks.
Look what Mason sent me while I was on an errand. It should read, “I’m gonna miss taking outfit pics for you when school starts up again”.
Not sure if this is true but so sweet!
This is what I wore to the outlet mall. I think the flowy top needs a more fitted bottom.
And, I wanted to report back about my ON Cloud shoes. I love them. I love that you slip them on and there are no laces. I may need to tighten them at some point but I’m not sure how. If you have narrow feet, you may not like the slip on feature.
I thought it might be helpful to show you what I ordered and returned like this. It feels too fancy for a coverup and I really don’t need more. If I had a Mexican resort vacation or something it is really elegant but not coverup material. I think shorter looks better on me due to my height.
I ordered this and I’m so pleased with the quality but ultimately I decided to return it because of fit on me. I do recommend it to others, though!
And, I am in love. This looks like a boutique dress. I love the pattern so much.
The sleeves are cute!
So, let’s call these August back to school purchaes, mkay? See what happens when I try to do a shopping ban?
If you look at the above dress on Amazon, the listing has all different styles of dresses. Why does Amazon do that? It’s so weird!
I still do not have the privilege of shopping the NSale, but if these are still available, this is a great price. I had them and lost one. I wore them all the time. They are so fun.
What have you been wearing lately? What have you been buying lately?
I thought today I would take you through an entire day of my stomach. That sounds very science class documentary, no? I am going to show you in photos what I ate last Monday. I also will show you a few products I have been buying and enjoy.
I always start my day with two cups of coffee that end up being 1.5 cups because I throw it out when it gets cold. I gave up my beloved Dunkin Donuts Extra Creamy creamer because it was 4 ww points. I only get 16 points on WW Purple, so…nope.
I ditched sugar or any type of sweetener in my coffee several years ago but I am not woman enough to take it black. I wish I could. I discovered these mini moos and really like them. I use one per cup of coffee. If I just have one mini moo it is zero points but if I have two mini moos it is one point. I like saying “mini moo”.
One or two mornings a week I make a veggie mixture. I use olive oil Pam, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning and combine mushrooms, zucchini, and onion. I don’t really like green, red or yellow peppers but those would be good, too.
Then, for breakfast I have been making a veggie scramble most days. I sometimes will add some potato – I like to chop up a leftover baked potato. I sometimes add a tiny bit of shredded cheese but I don’t really miss it when I don’t add it. The cheese makes this breakfast one point.
This keeps me full until lunch time.
Around 11 I have a bit of instant coffee powder mixed with water and a half of a Premier Protein. If I don’t have it around this time I will have it for an afternoon snack around 3-4. I like to get in the 15 grams of protein from this shake. It is one point for half.
For lunch I had already cooked grilled chicken from Costco (will not buy it again – no bueno) with buffalo sauce and a homemade ranch I did from non-fat, plain Greek yogurt and some ranch seasoning. This was one point.
And, here is where I splurged with my homemade skinny biz pizza dough pizza. This was 6 points.
Dinner was a baked potato with spray butter, asparagus, corn, and a turkey dog wrapped in an egg wrap. This was four points.
My after dinner snack was this popcorn for two points, a light string cheese for one point, and a dum dum for one point. I went over by a bit, but I used some of my weekly extra points this way and I walked and got 3 activity points.
You will notice that I didn’t have any fruit on this day! I love my veggies but find it harder to make myself eat fruit. I know many might be the opposite!
Any suggestions? What meal would be your favorite?
How was your weekend? Mine was good! I am linking up here with Heather, Tanya, and more!
Let’s go back to Thursday night – our 21st anniversary! Thank you all for the kind wishes for a happy anniversary! Some years we don’t go out but this year I knew we wanted to try a new restaurant in town so I made us the only reservation I could get – 5:00, baby! Early bird special works for us. I met Tom on his way home from work and it was perfect.
It is a steakhouse; they started us off with a fresh baguette and a yummy butter.
I asked for a glass of La Marca prosecco and got this cute little bottle! I am a sucker for anything cute. But, I love La Marca. My SIL got me on this kick, I think.
I ordered grouper on a bed of zucchini noodles in a saffron broth. It was good!
Tom ordered a small filet with fried crab rangoon sushi and mashed potatoes. They also gave us a bottomless salad. I tried one piece of the sushi and it was delish!
It was really good and we took home a bunch of food and enjoyed it again the next night.
Tom semi-humored me for a photo. That’s how he feels about me asking the server for a photo and not how he feels about 21 years of marriage.
Friday a big thing happened – I found the unicorn at my Kroger! Do you like Reese’s Cups? I think this tasted like a melted one – but cold.
Also, Friday Mason and I started watching Big Brother. It’s our tradiiton of a few years. We tape them and were late to start but we finally watched episode one over lunch on Friday. It’s fun to watch together.
Friday night I made fried rice, egg rolls, and the leftovers from Thursday night. I made egg roll in a bowl for me.
Saturday morning I headed to the Paristown Flea. This was my second time to go and I was meeting Elizabeth, my friend who is 29. We also included a guy who is 27 who just moved here. He is a friend of my friend and she reached out when she found out he was moving here. I have been giving him information on places to go in town but I hadn’t met him in person yet.
Why are they so tall?
Elizabeth had a bloody mary and I had a mimosa and our new friend had an Ale 8 – Tom’s favorite drink and a Kentucky soft drink. He loved it.
We talked for quite a while at a table, walked around and shopped, then went to one of three food trucks. Elizabeth and I split this amazing pretzel with gouda beer cheese (and that was the majority of my food for the day!) and
Hooks (our new friend) had a gourmet hot dog.
It got really hot as we were leaving. I went home and cooled off then Tom had been wanting to go to the outlet mall to go to Columbia, Under Armour, and North Face. You may be surprised, but I am not a fan of outlet shopping. It’s a scam! Just kidding, but I just don’t think it’s that great. I will say that I was surprised by the decent end of season prices but I didn’t get anything. It was really crowded in many of the stores and I hate that.
Loft had some good things but nothing I had to have. Tom got some good deals at Under Armour.
He and I were on our own for dinner so we just visited the Chick Fil A drive through where I got 12 grilled nuggets. We went home and watched some tv.
Sunday I drank my coffee outside. I haven’t done this much lately because July and August are the devil’s armpit in Kentucky. I am in a reading rut. But, I started something promising yesterday morning. I will tell you if I can stick with it.
Then I went to Aldi for some staples and also for a blog post. I was a hater for awhile but my local store has improved. If you have an Aldi or a Lidl I think you can save some money. I will post about it Thursday, I think.
Then, for the first time since 4th of July, we made it out on the boat. I invited our besties but they were busy. I swear that I have seen less of my friends this summer than last. Do you feel that way, too?
But, something cool happened that might not have if I were entertaining on my boat.
See the boat below… that was as we were both leaving, but I looked over when we were anchored in the cove and told Tom I thought the woman was my friend from college. I had reconnected with her on Facebook and she also teaches high school at a school in my district. We had plans to do lunch some time this summer. I yelled, “is your name Shannon?”, because what did I have to lose? And, it was her! We both got on floaties along with our husbands and met between our boats. We talked for almost 2 hours. I didn’t even know they had a boat. I am so happy I took a chance and hollered at her. Ha!
This is the dumbest thing. This BBQ place is right by our boat launch and I have never stopped in! What is wrong with me?
So, I decided to do it after boating and came home with some delicious pulled pork for Tom and spicy smoked chicken for me. Look at me taking these risks on a Sunday! Just kidding, of course.
The weeks need to slow down! I have a professional development coming up at the end of the month and then I think my brain will be in “school mode”! But, I will still have a couple of weeks to eek what I can out of the rest of the summer!
I’ve hit that point of summer where I’m thinking I have to make sure I have done everything I planned to do, you know? And some of those plans include a day to stay in pjs and binge watch Netflix! Believe it or not, I have not had many lazy days!
I am linking up today with Andrea and many more here.
Here are my favorites from the week! I would love to hear yours in the comments, too!
I haven’t bought much in the way of beauty products this summer. I am trying to use up what I have and I am happy with what I have. I should do an updated beauty product post just in case you are looking for the best bang for your buck like me!
My dear hairstylist and friend recommended this eye cream and it’s magical. Some days I have deep craters below my eyes. This tightens instantly and it really is amazing. I got it from Amazon. I have been using this without a concealer, believe it or not.
I am watching Virgin River Season 3 and enjoying it. Yes, it’s very Hallmarky but summer is the time for that. I just finished Sex/Life (OMG – it’s very R!) and it was just a good summer show, too. I can’t really get into The Bachelorette. I tape it and skim but it doesn’t hold my interest. I am in a bit of a reading rut again. I have a few library books but I’m not really excited about any of them.
My hydrangeas are still going strong. I show you this because look what I found…
This must have been right when we planted/transplanted it from my childhood home!
So, that is why 17 years later it is doing so well! Moms, if you are looking for an activity, let your kids water the plants. I also found that kitchen utensils in a baby pool or a bathtub were tons of fun! You can see Mason using the measuring cup to water!
I had a goal this summer to try some new local coffee shops or go to them and sit and read. But, I have not wanted to drink my calories and just haven’t bought much coffee shop coffee. Mason and I had an opportunity to try a new one the other day, though, and it is super cute. I got a small Americano with one splenda. I really like it. An Americano is espresso with hot water so there is no cream but it’s surprisingly good!
They have a super cute interior and a cute patio.
Do you all have something like this? I bought it from a craft fair and it has little beans or something in it. You microwave for 45 seconds and put it on your head for a headache or on your abdomen for cramps or wherever. I used it this week for cramps and it really helps. This might be good for teen girls. They do have them on Amazon and I think they are considered heating pads.
O.k., I am so excited about this favorite. I did tell you about it last week but I have more to report. I bought a $5 LED light for gel polish. Seriously, it was only $5 on Amazon.
I received the base and top coat which are totally necessary. They make a huge difference.
This is the collection I got last week.
I went through the whole process correctly: one base coat, cure under lamp, one coat of color and cure under lamp, a second coat of color and cure under lamp, a top coat and cure under lamp. It sounds like a lot but I had a show playing on my ipad and it took way less time than going to the salon. And, they were dry instantly!
It’s not perfect, but I think I will get better. I am going on four days with no chips. I like to change my colors frequently anyway, so I am fine with only a week or so. I hope the removal process won’t be bad.
Anyone else try gel at home?
One day this week I cut some of the above hydrangeas for my friend Beth because we were meeting for lunch. Beth is the plant lady I want to be so I knew she would appreciate them.
We went to Cafe Classico which was the Argentinian place I went a few weeks ago. I got a salad and
lentil soup. I love lentils and had them a lot in Spain.
And, we had to split the pommes frites.
We also had a nice glass of Argentinian white wine. It feels so decadent to have wine with lunch.
My family really likes this queso from Costco. I have refrained except for a tiny taste. I put it on quesadillas and burrito bowls this week, too. It very much tastes like restaurant queso and you do need to put it in a bowl and heat it up in the microwave.
If you have not tried the Truly Punch it is time! The lady loading my groceries at Kroger said they can’t keep it in stock.
I am very much still a paper planner person. My current one runs out at the end of the month so I was in search of another July – July layout. I went to Michael’s in search of the skinny Happy Planner, but they didn’t have it. I found this cute plant design instead. It is pretty small but I switched over to it and I’m liking it so far. It will fit nicely in my purse or school tote.
I write everything down and cross things off after accomplishing them. I know phone calendars work for many but I still like paper.
We have the option to do online professional development or in person PD. We need 12 hours a year on our own – so basically two days worth. This is a recent change as we did have to do 3 days on our own. I decided to attend two full day in person sessions because I just can’t stomach anymore online stuff. I have a colleague who is doing an hour here and three hours there, but sometimes I believe it’s just easier to bite the bullet and get ‘er done. What do you think?
We also have two days before the students come back on August 11. So, we go in to our building for meetings on August 9. Before that, we have to set up our classrooms and get a day’s pay to do so. Mason has said he wants to help. He has helped a lot in the past. I spend a lot of time at home working on lesson plans, handouts, and stuff like that. Why am I talking about this? Anyway, at the beginning of August my mind will go to school mode.
So what were your favorites this week? Of course, you all are always my favorites. Thank you for your kind responses to this week’s posts. If you missed them, click here for hello monday, here for my news about what I’ve been eating, here for What I Wore Wednesday, and finally, here for my anniversary/honeymoon pictures.
Amy
PS – I don’t have cool tabs or anything fancy on my blog, but I do have a magnifying glass/search feature at the top right of my blog if you want to type in something you are looking for. If there is something you can’t find, let me know in the comments.
PSS – Fellow bloggers, advice on organizing my blog? Also, WordPress says they are charging me $300 (up from $60) for the year next month. I think it has to do with storage. Any advice on that?
