Friday, October 15, 2021

Happy Friday to all! I am linking up with Andrea, etc. right here to share what made me happy this week!

My number one favorite was having a FULL HOUSE while my kids were on fall break. They didn’t have class Monday or Tuesday so they stayed home Saturday through early Wednesday morning when they drove back to campus for Jack’s first class at 11:00. Mason’s 11:00 had been cancelled for some reason. Neither of them have a class before 11 a.m. on MWF! Nice schedule, huh?

We had some special snacks, of course! I cooked more and baked some brownies. I also found these and thought they would be funny. They are soooo good! We all commented on what we perceived to be a different ratio of the cream in the middle. They weren’t quite double stuffed but we agreed they were 1.5 stuffed, maybe? I found these at the end of the cookie aisle at Kroger. Jack and Mason used to be major Pokemon fans! Ask me how many WW points 3 Oreos is! 7 points!

We used my favorite fall plates from Target years ago. These just make me so happy!

We ordered take out Mediterranean food one night. We only order 3 entrees and then divide them up. We get two chicken kabob meals and one salmon kabob. I don’t eat the rice. They are very generous with their portions. I find it easier to split meals like this with takeout but I always feel so guilty about all of the take out containers required.

We noticed our rhododendron blooming again! We have had such warm weather and we feel like it’s confused. We hope this doesn’t mean bad news for next spring. It sure is beautiful to look at, though.

Last Saturday I visited a consignment store with my sister and niece. I had a $10 off of a $50 purchase and we combined purchases and really scored. I found only one thing but it is this orange Loft Lou & Grey sweater. I can’t wear it to teach in because I will get too hot, but I am anxious to wear it on the weekend if it cools down!

I was influenced by Melanie Shankle in her Fashion Friday last week. I love a Target poncho! I have several. This year’s version has the collar which I thought was so cute. Also, it is super soft! I wasn’t going to order it but I saw it and felt it in person and had to make it mine.

This week has been spirit week and next week is Homecoming week so we are doing two weeks of themes in a row! These girls did “dress like a teacher day” and did Erica and I and then also photo shopped us in their photo for reference. Never a dull moment!

Anyone seen White Claw Surge? I’m intrigued! What about Bud Light Seltzer Fall Flannel? It’s so cute and they knew just who they were marketing to when I received this flyer!

I am really enjoying this story! I came home for lunch on Parent Teacher Conference Day on Monday and read on the patio while eating lunch.

I also had coffee on the porch on a week day! These are little treats that really make me happy and I don’t want to only do on the weekends, you know? Every.single.day should have at least a small moment of special!

Sitting on the couch in our family’s “assigned seats” made me happy and I snuck a photo!

It’s a blurry picture but my Swedish friend and reader Tin-Tin wants Ernie at least once a week on the blog! I think he wanted me to fill up his Kong with peanut butter in this photo.

I love this shampoo and conditioner! I bought Olaplex twice but I just don’t think I need to spend that much because my hair isn’t super damaged. I do really like it, but $28 a bottle is a lot. As my hair has gotten longer I think I am having more trouble with tangles and I think this has really helped. It also smells really good to me.

Wednesday was pink day and I didn’t get a photo but I basically wore as many shades of pink as I could – including my pink nail polish.

Yesterday was “decades day” so we had to pick a favorite decade. Erica was 90s in her high school jacket and I was 70s because I have so much in my closet with a 70s vibe!

It seems so fun and so “normal” for our kids to do theme days!

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many! I also hope that you have a wonderful weekend! Can you believe we are halfway through the month? It’s crazy!

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Are you in a cooking rut? I am ready to switch to more cool weather dishes like soups, chili, and roasts while still making it fit my healthier eating plan. I use salt, pepper, and garlic powder the most in my cooking, I think, but today I want to tell you about my “spices” that really add the flavor.

Tom and I were big fans of Emeril Lagasse when we were dating. Super random, right? I have a couple of his cookbooks, too! I actually think what sealed the deal for Tom was me learning to make Emeril’s couscous jambalaya. Maybe I will surprise him with this dish soon!

That introduced us to this seasoning blend – Tony Cachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Do not buy any other brand. This is the best. Funny side story: We have neighbors named Tony and Cheri and Jack and Mason called this “Tony Cheri’s” when they were little. Yes, we had our little twins eating cajun spiced veggies!

This makes every vegetable better. We love it on broccoli, green beans, potatoes, zucchini, and more. I put this in my eggs. I put this in my egg casserole.

It is widely available. I get it at my Kroger and one canister lasts quite a while.

The second seasoning I love is the “Everything but the Bagel” blend. I usually get it at Trader Joe’s, but it is so popular that you can find it at other stores, too.

I love this on eggs, avocado toast, green beans, broccoli, and potatoes. I also use it on the ham and swiss sliders that I make more as the weather cools down. I use it a lot!

If you are trying to get your kids to eat more veggies or you are trying to eat more, experiment with different spices and seasonings. LIfe is too short to eat bland vegetables, right?

Everything But the Bagel Potatoes Recipe:

These are great for breakfast or dinner or breakfast for dinner!

Use one or two baked potatoes from the night before or pierce and microwave your potatoes.

Slice into chunks and heat a bit of oil in your pan. I started using avocado oil for heat and olive oil for cold dishes.

Salt and pepper your potato chunks.

Put them in the pan on medium low and let them brown up.

When they are browned up, add your EBB seasoning and let them cook a bit more.

Let me know if you try this!

Do you have any favorite spices or seasoning blends? Do you have a Penzey’s Spices near you? I do, but I haven’t been! I really need to go!

Amy

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Hello and happy hump day!

I have just a few outfits for you today and my thoughts on them.

We don’t have a teacher dress code so you can technically wear jeans every day if you want to. I typically wear them on Fridays and sometimes there is a “spirit theme” for that Friday’s game. I either wore this outfit on Thursday or Friday. I wore my new Target Universal Thread short jeans, my MIA clogs, and my Target Little House on the Prairie top. I don’t know if the light jeans (darker jeans are more slimming) and the high necked blouse do me any favors but I wanted to experiment. This top is really too short to do the “half tuck”.

My favorite outfit of the week is the next one. I just love the fabric of this dress – the design and the feel of the fabric. It is Umgee brand and I bought it on Amazon. I told you I was going to try it without leggings so I did. This is what I wore out to dinner Friday night. Tom did tell me not to bend over – meaning he thought it a bit short, but from this photo I don’t think it looks too short. I did wear my Jockey slip shorts under (very light biker style shorts).

Saturday I had an outing with my mom, sister, and niece. I wanted to have a fall look but it was in the 80s! I did my cut off Target Universal Thread jeans, my gold clogs, my fall TJ Maxx blouse, and my cross body with the leopard strap.

My sister wears the slip on tennies a lot for her job as a first grade teacher. These are snakeskin and she found some plain black ones at the consignment store we visited. She said she was lacking accessories but she looked very cute with the straw Amazon headband I gave her. She found and bought a cool necklace and earrings (they have new ones) at the consignment store, too, and put them on right away. I don’t have a photo, though.

If you want to look pulled together but don’t have much money to spend, a pair of well fitting jeans and a cute black top with interesting details is the way to go in my opinion. You can change the shoes to booties and this outfit can take you to school meetings, out for dinner, and more.

I gave my sister a big bag of stuff that no longer fits my style. I bought things for my pandemic virtual teaching life last year and I just don’t see myself wearing most of it. I hate that I only got one season out of some things, but I like passing it along and who doesn’t like going through a bag of hand me downs? It’s so fun! I generally ask myself if I’m excited to wear it this year and if the answer is no, I send it on. I think I do better with fewer pieces I really love.

What have you been wearing lately?

What is your favorite outfit and do you think I should try the high necked blouse with something different?

Amy

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

I am coming in a bit late with this post, but that is kind of par for the course with me!

I did a few tiny white pumpkins and my Day of the Dead pillow covers from Amazon. I also bought the pillow inserts. I take my cushions and pillows in every day because I learned the hard way how weathered everything gets.

I went with giant purple and yellow mums to fit the color scheme and do you see the Halloween and pumpkin tiny stakes in the mums? I had those from a long time ago.

My dining room is also Day of the Dead themed.

As the years go on I like more and more of a simple and clean look. My mantel has some burlap, tiny white pumpkins, and a leaf banner.

Last year I decided to frame some favorite fall photos.

I honestly don’t have a lot of surfaces to decorate. I keep it to the patio, dining room, and living room. I also have my favorite fall melamine plates from Target.

I will add some Thanksgiving touches after Halloween because I keep acquiring more Thanksgiving stuff and I think it has been more readily available in recent years.

How much do you decorate?

Amy

Monday, October 11, 2021

Monday, you came too quickly again. I am linking up with Heather, etc. here.

Friday after school some students and I videotaped a 7 second dance to try to be on a Spanish teacher website – lol! One sweet girl brought me a pumpkin cold brew because she leaves school early for her co–op program and came back to school. Yum!

Erica and Elizabeth came over for a drink and it started raining. We were all laughing at how pitiful Ernie looked in the rain. We were under cover on the lower patio.

I let him in; don’t worry!

Friday evening we were celebrating my other friend Heather’s birthday at Malone’s. Get ready for some food pics, ok?

I got a raspberry mule that was really good.

Their bread and butter is good!

We tried their spinach and artichoke dip with fried lasagna noodles as dippers. OMG is all I can say.

Their salad is really good, too. It is like a BLT and it is family style for the whole table.

I ordered grilled fish and a baked potato.

Their chocolate cake was quite the spectacle and it tasted amazing, too.

Saturday morning I drank my coffee on my upper patio and I have made it a Day of the Dead theme. Post coming this week.

Then, my mom, sister, and niece arrived. We were attending a miniature show with my mom because she is into miniatures and makes little scenes with them.

Um, how did this little thing get this old so quickly?

We ate lunch at The Grape Leaf which is authentic Mediterranean food. Molly and Lena got frozen mint pomegranate lemonade.

Lena loves hummus and loved theirs.

Stuffed grape leaves:

Greek salad:

Lena got saffron rice and

the rest of us all got vegetable biryani. It is kind of a stew, I think. It is really good and I can’t stop ordered it when I go there.

After lunch we sat on the patio with Tom and Jack, too. Jack and Mason had arrived home for Fall Break while we were out and then Mason had left for a friend’s house right away.

Sunday Tom and I took the boat out for about 3 hours and it was really nice. We are having very high temps for this time of year.

It was a good one and it was a full one!

Jack and Mason don’t have classes until Thursday so they will probably stay home at least one more day. We are watching Ted Lasso again with them and we are going to try to get them to watch Schmigadoon with us. Anyone watching it?

Today I have parent teacher conferences and will be switching back and forth between in person in mask conferences and video call conferences in 15 minute increments so that will be interesting. When I say “interesting” I mean chaotic.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, October 8, 2021

Happy Friday! I am linking up today with Andrea, etc.

My favorites this week are a bit simple/boring? But, alas, here we go…

I was not 100% this week. Monday was the worst and I had to laugh at my little desk apothecary. Vick’s Vapo Rub under each nostril under your mask is good, y’all! I didn’t end up using everything but I had it at the ready just in case.

I felt better each day and I think it was just allergies or a little cold. I never felt bad enough to stay home. I used my Neti pot which I swear by and my congestion was really short lived.

I also wore my Dad’s Air Force ring on Monday. Whose old hands are those?

A top coat is a must. I found this Orly that is really good at TJ Maxx. Disregard the little mess ups I hadn’t fixed yet. I changed out my color one evening – it keeps me from snacking!

I did this old OPI dark brown. I think it was too old, but it was o.k.

Were you frantic about the events of Monday afternoon?

I didn’t know anything was up until after school and then I didn’t think much of it and I guess social media was back in action around dinner time.

Ernie cracked me up one evening this week. There was a cross country meet on the track behind our house (little elementary school track) and he “watched”.

The moon was really beautiful one morning but my picture of it was not.

Kroger gave me cinnamon roll Premier instead of caramel. It is pretty sweet but I liked it. Anyone tried it?

Erica made bagels out of the skinny pizza dough and made us the most delicious breakfast sandwiches one day this week.

I loved this dinner of ours this week. Tom had requested spaghetti squash and I paired it with salmon, green beans, and potatoes.

Kroger had several things out of stock when I did my pick up, so I filled in with a Target drive up. What a time to be alive! I still love going in stores but when you aren’t feeling great and you are busy, these are amazing.

My roots are getting dark and I like to use a bit of dry shampoo when this happens.

I love the smell of this and have bought it a few times. It also is good for “dirtying” up your hair to help you style freshly washed hair.

What were your favorites this week?

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Happy Hump Day! Here’s a snapshot of what I have been donning…

Friday night Tom and I went to dinner al fresco. It was pretty warm but I wanted to break out this very lightweight fall kimono that I bought last year through an online boutique. I paired it with my light jeans and a very light black blouse. I wore my MIA clog sandals because it was so warm.

Saturday I wore my Umgee tunic with grey capri leggings from J.Jill (very old) and my old cognac Jack Rogers booties. I love the colors in this tunic! It is also such a great material!

Monday I wore my new Target Selena t-shirt with my LuLaRoe kimono and an old purple Kohl’s skirt. The booties are really old from DSW.

And, finally yesterday I wore this favorite dress to school – an easy one and done outfit.

Any favorites? My favorite is probably the first one! I would like to try the Umgee tunic as a dress but I fear it will be too short.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

P.S. – See ya back here Friday! I am taking a break tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

I get so many good ideas from this link up! Thank you, Tanya, and I hope no one minds if I add my Target.com recent purchases. I just love it so much! Amazon, you better watch out!

Let’s start with Target…

O.k., all I want to wear right now is jeans and dresses. It feels so good to have jeans that fit and are comfortable. This time last year, my jeans size was leggings and I am glad I didn’t buy the next size up. But, I should say that everyone should buy clothes that fit and that make them feel good. I just didn’t feel good. I am not in the size I would like to be in but I know I will be here for awhile.

I feel dumb; I didn’t know these came in short! I am 5’4 on a good day and these are the perfect length. I don’t regret the regular length that I cut and frayed (actually, I think that is a way to make skinny jeans more modern looking) but it’s nice to have a non frayed option for work or other ocassions.

Here they are!

And, I wanted a lighter pair. I think darker is probably more slimming, but I like the on trend look of the lighter.

Now I have 4 pairs of jeans that combined cost under $100. I think the quality is pretty darn good, too! Let me now if you have tried these.

So, I mentioned I want to wear dresses or jeans. Well, one must wear a shirt with the jeans and I love the look of the feminine blouse contrasted with jeans. I chose to try these two and I am pretty happy. I am kind of between shirt sizes so I sized up.

This gives me Little House on the Prairie in blouse form vibes. It is pretty high-necked but I think I like it. It is a rather stiff material but I didn’t find it uncomfortable. I think it might soften up with a few washes. I will say that this blouse and another Target blouse I have seem very short, making it hard to tuck in, but not impossible.

And, this is the most wonderful material! It would be perfect for Thanksgiving. It’s a bit silky and super soft. It has a bit of a cooling feel to it for those menopausal persons out there. Or, just those who run hot like I do.

And, we love a graphic tee to wear with a jean jacket, kimono or cardigan. As a Spanish teacher, I had to get this Frida Kahlo t-shirt and this Selena t-shirt.

I wore the Selena shirt yesterday and got tons of compliments and yes, all of my students know who she is!

So, Target has really been source lately. I love the drive up and the shipping orders are pretty fast, too. They make returns super easy. Target, I will always love you.

Now, let’s talk about Amazon. I love you, too. You have seen most of these things if you are a regular reader, but I will talk about why I think they were good purchases or why I plan to buy them again.

Let’s start with fashion. I love the brand Umgee. It is high quality and it is available on Amazon. It is the boho vibe I like and feels age appropriate. I don’t know if I will wear this without something under it as I have worn leggings under it the two times I have worn it.

And, this dress is everything! My sister in law also bought it and she also sent me a Facebook picture of a friend of a friend wearing it. Oooops, is it too popular?

I will say that I ordered it in another cute print and the fabric was different and it didn’t lay right so I sent it back. I think that happens sometimes with Amazon stuff.

I have been enjoying having a good old fashioned watch and have gotten lots of compliments on this $20 time piece.

And, now to get a bit personal and to my one male reader, Dan – my apologies. I went down a bra size and ordered the same wonderful bra. Pro tip: If you don’t have a preference for color, some are cheaper. I went with rosewater because it was the cheapest.

I am loving this two pack of belts and would buy it again.

I need to order more of my favorite hairspray. It’s the only thing I have ever had on autoship, but during the pandemic I didn’t need much so I took it off.

If you don’t have a shower cap, you need one! And, this is the best one out there. I got this as part of my mom’s birthday gift. This will totally protect your hairstyle when you don’t want to wash your hair. I wash my hair at night – almost every night – can’t help it. In the morning, I just do a quick body shower wearing this.

I love this so much and more than I ever thought I could love a laundry detergent. It is worth every penny because your whole house will smell amazing – unless you live in a really big mansion and the scent doesn’t travel into all of your nooks and crannies. Those of us that live in 2,000 square foot homes are the lucky ones here.

And, I cannot live without this anymore. If you love popcorn, this is for you! I managed to totally avoid the movie theater popcorn when I brought my own with this on it. Yes, I did. My family still bought the real stuff.

And, finally I will buy this again. I only use the noodles as they are a great pasta option for me. You can also buy this at Costco, but sometimes Amazon is more convenient for me.

Ok, I’m tired.

Have you tried any of my picks?

Any recommendations for me? I love a shopping enabler, you know!

Thanks for stopping by,

Amy

Monday, October 4, 2021

Well, this Monday came too quickly. I guess they all do, right? I am linking up with Heather, etc. right here.

If you read my Friday Favorites, you know that I had my first Fall Break ever! My goals were fall decor, read, watch t.v., be social, go shopping, buy some new fall clothes and clean some clothes out of my closet, and continue to eat healthy while on break and walk as much as possible.

I think I accomplished all of that! On Friday I told you that I had a happy hour for my department on Tuesday, had a friend for lunch on Wednesday, met my niece for happy hour Wednesday afternoon, and then Thursday I made a major errand day.

I will say that I started getting a bit of a sore throat Wednesday evening and I gargled with warm salt water. I woke up with it again on Thursday morning and gargled again. I was kicking myself for not washing my hair on Wednesday before bed because the fall allergens love me. I started making sure I went to bed with clean hair and it made a big difference. I also use my saline solution morning and night year round.

The sore throat went away but then I had some congestion and painful sinuses. I tried to remember the last time I had this and I really think it was 2019.

Anyway, I went on with my day even though I didn’t feel 100%. I met Beth at the St. James Art Fair and wore my mask even outside because of the large number of people and just in case I could give something to someone. It was way too crowded for my comfort zone – pandemic or no. I don’t like being around that many people.

I bought one thing – this Ale 8 candle for Tom. He is not a candle person so It’s really for me. The scent is apple cider donut!

I only stayed at the art fair for about an hour because I had an appointment to design t-shirt quilts for Jack and Mason. I have been planning this for 17 years. I have saved all of their t-shirt souvenirs from our family trips.

This is kind of what they will look like.

I am so excited! I think I will like them more than they will, but I hope it will be something they treasure in the future.

I am on a good reading streak. I finished Maggie Finds her Muse and In Five Years in the last week and then I had a library pickup and got this. It’s super cute and very rom-com if you like that. It was just what I needed for break.

I think this is kinda funny – sitting outside with a pumpkin candle and bug spray.

I will show you my minimal fall decor soon but I am enjoying my Day of the Dead glasses. I finally found Casamigos tequila which is the lowest in WW points. I made a skinny margarita Friday afternoon.

Then, Friday night Tom and I went to Ramsi’s which is kind of a mediterranean vibe restaurant.

Tom is not a bread person but he couldn’t stop eating their garlic and goat cheese appetizer.

We split a brussel sprouts salad and I forgot to take a photo of the entree we split – grouper and crab cakes. We had so much food leftover.

Then, we went to Costco after dinner – very romantic!

Saturday morning we went to parents’ weekend at J and M’s college. We ate brunch in the cafeteria and toured classrooms. There were lots of activities like Bingo and a scavenger hunt but we only did a couple of things. You could also attend games and Churchill Downs if you wanted.

So pretty – this is the area between J and M’s dorms.

Then, the kids came home! We watched a couple of Gilmore Girls and I cooked my heart out. I made chili for dinner and their favorite honey mustard salad. We watched Ted Lasso with them, too. We went back to the beginning for them.

I went to bed between 9-10 the whole break. I was just tired and knew I needed sleep.

Sunday morning I woke to my favorite light rain.

I read and had my coffee on the patio.

I also did some meal prep for the week but I had already done a bunch Saturday morning, too. It was nice to take a break from my prepping, but I was also glad to start it up again.

Then, Sunday afternoon, the whole fam went to see Shang-Chi finally.

Mason also wanted to do some fall clothes shopping with me, so we did that.

I hope you had a wonderful first weekend of October!

Amy

Friday, October 1, 2021

Happy, happy Friday! Can you believe it’s October? Wow, September just flew by!

I am linking up today with Andrea, etc. for Friday Favorites!

And, now I will not feel guilty about ALL THINGS PUMPKIN! I have devoted September to apples – decor, candles, hand soap, but now I can switch to pumpkin!

I am happy to say that I didn’t cave and have a pumpkin spice latte yet!

Here are some things that made my list of favorites this week.

My sister sent me a box of assorted earrings from Amazon to celebrate my healthier living/weight loss. I hit 40 pounds last week. It was such a sweet gesture.

A super easy weeknight meal this week was a sheet pan supper with chicken gouda apple sausage from Coscto (Amylu brand), zucchini, onion, and mushrooms. Tom loved it as much as I did! You could turn this into a German Oktoberfest sheet pan supper, too!

Don’t you love it when you forget about something and it’s new to you again? I was switching out some candles and I saw my two Woodwick candles from last year. I like to burn these outside because the wick crackles and it is so soothing to me. This would make a great gift. I think I bought mine in person at Bed, Bath, and Beyond last year so I could smell them.

My InStyle and Real Simple came for the month of October and I enjoyed perusing them.

I finished this sweet story. I really liked it even though it took forever for me to read it. I just didn’t devote much time to reading during September. When I had downtime, I wanted t.v.! In this book, a writer goes to Paris to try to finish her book – lots of food descriptions and it was nice to have a 46 year old main character.

I started this and CANNOT PUT IT DOWN. Anyone read it? I only have one problem with it so far but I don’t want to spoil anything.

I only worked two days this week! We got a fall break for the first time ever! Well, the students always got a Friday, Monday, and Tuesday but the teachers only got a Friday (that they had to already have worked in the summer via professional development). In the past, we had parent teacher conference day on Monday and then a professional development on Tuesday. The kids would come back refreshed and we would be more tired. I really want to hug the calendar committee because we finally get a real break, too!

On Tuesday (our last day before break) I had my department over for a patio happy hour. We have 8 people in our department and 6 came. I made margaritas and sangria and everyone brought something. We had a nice time!

Then, Wednesday my friend Victoria called and I invited her for lunch on the patio very spur of the moment and she said yes. It was wonderful!

I made egg roll in a bowl and fried rice with cauliflower rice and mocktails. She loved it!

Wednesday afternoon I headed to one of my favorite streets to meet my 22 year old niece Morgan for happy hour!

What a beauty, right?

We went to Red Hog (my place from last year!) and enjoyed their beautiful patio, a cocktail, and their fries with curry mayo and pimento cheese with lavash.

Ernie had a good week with more walks and more time enjoying his lookout.

I did some boutique shopping this week.

I found out that Target Universal Thread jeans come in short length! Game changer! I added a light pair to my collection. I took this selfie in the store’s mirror.

I wear my mask in any store now. I stopped wearing it back in May through August, but once Delta became bad and I went back to school in a mask I just figured it was not that big of a deal to wear it. Most people wear them in my neck of the woods.

Oh, and I did the Target drive up for the jeans! Fabulous!

So, I think I have talked about these once or twice? If you are wearing your mask for a bit but taking it off at some point, these are amazing. I brought these three colors to the store with me to see if I needed more colors. I wear the middle one the most but I also layer the darker one with the lighter one sometimes. It is called the Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayon.

I added a fall scent to my car vent, too! It smells amazing!

Febreeze Auto Evening Woods is the name of this product if you want to look for it.

“Hi, my name is Amy and I am obsessed with smells.”

I am still loving my double pierced ears. I wear a tiny earring in the second hole and in the main hole, I wanted a medium sized hoop. I found these at Loft this week.

Loft also had a dress sale going on where all dresses were $24. This dress was marked down to $74 on the tag so it must have originally been way more. It is fully lined. I thought it screamed fall.

It’s been hotter than I would like it to be during our fall break, though! I am sitting outside in the evenings and still getting eaten up by mosquitos…

But, I also know I need to be careful wishing away the warm weather!

Many teachers I know traveled for this break, but to be honest, I am happy at home. I have been going pretty hard since the first week of August and it’s nice to catch my breath. What is it about being home on a weekday that is just so different?

Let’s not forget that we are still living life in a pandemic. School is trying to be normal but it isn’t. It’s incredibly hard to try to do school normally, but not do school normally because we are in masks all day, seating students facing the same way, and trying to socially distance. Not to go off on this tangent, but it has been hard. I think it’s ok to talk about it and I hope I’m not coming off as whining about it. I think being in school in a mask is way better than being virtual! I think our kids are so adaptable and they’ve done so well!

I hope your week had lots of favorites, too! Leave me one in the comments if you like!

Amy

P.S. – The Daily Scott has not posted anything new in a week so maybe they are bored with it and I wouldn’t hate that!

P.S.S. – I returned my backpack purse from Amazon because I wasn’t sure and if you aren’t sure you should probably return it. I’m getting better about that!