Monday, May 9, 2022

It’s time to link up here for Hello Monday and here for Not Just a Mom – Go To Gifts!

I was off Friday and I headed to the college campus around 9:00.

I was praying for the rain to hold off because we had to move out in a torrential downpour last year!

I just think these areas are so beautiful and I always take photos.

I went home with a full car and then the kids followed in their car. We were all exhausted. The rain continued to hold off and I enjoyed some patio time!

I was really excited to get this book in the mail!

I made teriyaki chicken and fried rice for dinner (cauli rice for me!).

Tom and I enjoyed a fire Friday night. It was so nice out.

Ernie didn’t look sure about this…

Saturday morning I went ahead and did my meal prep so I could stay out of the kitchen on Sunday. I did 5 breakfast burritos, buffalo turkey meatballs, and turkey sausage and veg.

I went to the gym because I had skipped Friday.

I tried the “viral” Tik Tok avocado toast that has grated hard boiled egg. Nope – sticking with my fried egg on top!

Tom and I went to my hometown to visit my mom and we went out to eat and had a really good meal.

It was also the Derby (we didn’t do anything this year!) and they had a couple of drink specials so I tried an Oaks Lily drink. It was so good!

We had some fried mushrooms…

my mom had a jambalaya pasta…

Tom had pork medallions with brussels sprouts and potatoes…

and I had a salmon grain bowl.

We took home half of our meals and Jack and Mason ate the rest!

Tom watched a Cincinatti Reds baseball game and I watched New Girl with the kids before I went to bed.

Sunday morning Tom took a 25 mile bike ride and I went to my happy place – Trader Joe’s!

You must try this if you have a TJ’s!

I made cinnamon rolls and made myself a veggie scramble. It was so nice out on Sunday!

Tom and I took Ernie to swim in the river and then sat on the patio together.

Jack and Mason got me sushi for Mother’s Day and we watched The Great together.

I had some much needed downtime this weekend; it’s going to be a long week and my big test is this week. I have 38 students taking a 3 hour exam to try to earn college credit. Eek! Nervous!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Go To Gifts:

For Kids:

-I really like to give kids their own umbrella and cool rainboots. I have sometimes done a raincoat, too. I feel like this is something different and have you seen how much kids like having their own umbrella? Ha! And, how much they like wearing rainboots?

-I like to give bath toys and bath crayons.

-I used to always give my March birthday nieces and nephews new swimsuits and goggles.

For adults:

-I like foodie gifts. I gave smoked bourbon pepper, bourbon caramel sauce, and bourbon barbecue sauce once.

-You can’t go wrong with a nice candle.

-I look at my Amazon purchases and see what I have really loved – along the lines of “Oprah’s Favorite Things”, but “Amy’s Favorite Things”.

-I think the straw headband, initial necklace, set of belts, visor, Diva laundry detergent would all be great things.

-I love to shop at local boutiques and find unique things. I try to include a gift receipt so they can exchange if needed. I won’t be offended!

What are your go-to gifts?

Amy

Friday, May 6, 2022

Friday!!!! It’s time to link up here for Friday Favorites; this Friday is a big day – our college kids move back home! They will have completed two years. It’s really hard to believe. I am so thankful for such a good year for them. It was so much more normal than their freshman year.

Also, we don’t have school today due to the Kentucky Derby so it works out well for me to help with move out.

Other favorites this week…

In case you were wondering…Tom and I are doing pretty well sharing a bathroom for the first time in almost 22 years of marriage!

We got the door put on our next bathroom project so at least I can close it and not have to look at it until we are able to start.

I got a light lavender polish that I am loving:

Am I really saving money on home manis if I keep buying new polish? Ha!

I also am really enjoying my new Target book purchase. I am a big library user, but I splurged on a couple of new paperbacks last weekend.

I shared about my eucalyptus in my Prime Purchases and this is how I’m using it:

I found three of these bottles on major clearance at Meijer this winter.

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week and I was surprised by this beautiful bouquet from a sweet student.

Yesterday was Derby attire day, but it was also Cinco de Mayo, so I did this:

Part of the Derby festivities includes a steamboat race on the river. It’s about as exciting as it sounds at 5 miles an hour. But, it was fun to see some people at my sister in law’s boat business on the river.

My roommate of 4 years in college and 4 years after college:

Add in my sister-in-law:

The dumpster left and I can park in the garage again!

I ordered this and I’m so excited. Do you listen to this podcast? I wish I had had Kendra when I had young kids. She has amazing ideas.

I had some time to hang out on my patio after school yesterday. Ahhhh….

What were your favorite things this week? I hope you had many!

Happy, happy Friday,

Amy

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It’s time once again to link up for Fashion Files with Kellyann and Jill.

What have you been wearing this week? We have had nice weather for the most part and 60s, 70s, and even some 80s. My classroom isn’t a refrigerator anymore. It’s a nice temp right now!

I continue to try to wear it all! I am trying to either wear or donate everything in my closet that is springy and school appropriate, because that’s the main place I go right now. There are things I haven’t worn since 2019 but that I wanted to keep. I am enjoying these things fitting again or fitting better than they did before. I am still struggling to understand how I wore these things when I was heavier. I guess the lesson there is that sizes of clothing fit bodies of many sizes and that you just have to try.it.on! Some like things to hang looser and some like things to fit tighter. Food for thought…

Here I decided to wear my beloved gold lace up Marc Fisher sandals from last summer (I didn’t have to re-tie them once at school!), my Amazon palm print skirt from a year or two ago, a basic old black tank from Loft, and my Walmart blazer.

Here I wanted to try out my black and white belt from my new Amazon Prime Purchases post. I have on my Loft blouse that I got a few months ago, high waisted Target jeans, and my pointy bow mules. I think I decided they are too pointy and too hard to walk in. Maybe they just can’t be a school shoe? I think I’m ok in this photo – I was probably just caught mid-sentence. Thank you, Erica! Are you so tired of taking my photo?

This is an old Amazon floral maxi and I just don’t think I love it anymore. I wore it with an older Versona sweater kimono. I was comfortable so there’s that. I kinda felt like I was in a nightgown.

This was a Friday outfit:

I wore my dark jeans, gold Birks, a very old Mexican-ish Old Navy blouse (sleeveless) and the kimono sweater again.

I wore these amazing earrings my friend Beth made:

She gave them to me because they were too big for her. Honey, those are small for me!

And, lastly, I wore my old Costco top with my Versona clearance pants. I don’t have a great shirt to wear with these pants and I simply adore the pants! They are like a swimsuit material almost. I wore my clear sandals that do pass the teacher all day test.

We have teacher superlatives and I keep trying for “Best Dressed” but it hasn’t happened for me. This year I’m getting “Most Likely to Have a Talk Show” I heard. Oh well. A girl can keep on dreaming, right?

Honestly, I haven’t really put much time into getting dressed lately. I just kinda spend 5 minutes picking something I don’t think I’ve worn yet. I look at the above photos and just think I look so tired. I am!

Do you have a favorite outfit? Anything that you think I should say good-bye to? I won’t be offended.

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

You can feel the excitement in the air around here! Louisville, Kentucky is the home of the famous Kentucky Derby horse race. Are you a fan of horse racing? I have been to the Derby numerous times, but I was usually in the in field where you didn’t see much horse flesh if you know what I mean. It is a giant party!

Since I have gotten older, I think I would much prefer to be at a party. Everyone is so happy because it is the first weekend of May and that means summer can’t be far behind.

Most parties would include some of the following:

benedictine sandwiches (cucumber, cream cheese, and green food coloring are the main ingredients!)

pimento cheese sandwiches

ham and biscuits

Derby pie – you aren’t really allowed to call it that unless the bakery that owns the recipe makes yours. It is a pecan and chocolate chip pie. I don’t like it because I don’t like nuts.

You might also see all manner of cream cheese dips. We love our cream cheese around here!

Some parties also have bbq and buns. That is also big in this area.

Have you heard of the famous Hot Brown from The Brown Hotel here in Louisville? It is decadent. A few years ago, I started making a Hot Brown Dip that I think is to die for! I like to serve it with Jimmy John’s bread thinly sliced and toasted in the oven for a bit. I may regret telling you this, but did you know that you can get day old bread there for very cheap? It’s great to use for appetizers, too!

Hot Brown Dip:

Mix together cream cheese (softened), diced turkey, bacon, a pinch of nutmeg, a bit of garlic powder, and a bit of pepper. Put it in a oven safe dish and heat for about 15 minutes, then top with cooked bacon and diced tomato and grate a bit of parmesan on top. Put back in oven for a bit and broil for a couple of minutes. This re-creates all of the flavors of the Hot Brown! Spread on bread to serve. Yum!

I also like to make a batch of store bought mix brownies and make my own icing and add a bit of bourbon to it. I got this idea from this blog! We love all things bourbon here, too!

Happy Derby,

Amy

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

It is Prime Purchases Tuesday! It’s the time that bloggers are very bad influences on our pocketbooks! I never use that term; it just seems appropriate in writing, you know? I say “purse”. Can’t help it. What do you say?

Thanks to Tanya for providing this link up!

I tried not to buy any new clothes for most of April, but I did buy some accessories and a few other little things.

First off, I really stand by Amazon Essentials and I love the minimalist look of these. They stretch a bit and stay on your foot really well. If you have a wide foot, they won’t work for you. If you have a narrow foot, they should work. I went with my regular size.

I love my cake batter delight flavor and it is hard to find.

I am out again and taking a break and enjoying caramel this week.

I showed you this, but wanted to show it again. I think it looks great with a black dress or a black blouse.

I really like NYX and love this new to me lip gloss!

I had the vision to use eucalyptus in my new bathroom and this is actually real!

I also got this little wastebasket for the bathroom.

Do you get dry eyes? I think it comes more with age, too. I bought these eye drops and really like this brand.

I needed a visor for summer and I think I will like this one.

I has velcro so you can adjust and put on after your ponytail is done.

I bought this 4 pack of belts that I think will be really useful.

The visor and belts were recommended by bloggers, but I apologize that I can’t give the correct people credit.

So, see – I didn’t buy any clothing! Ha!

What have you purchased lately?

Amy

Monday, May 2, 2022

And, just like that it is May! It’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday, where we report back on the weekend. Are you ready to see lots of food pictures? I hope so, because that seems to be the main thing I documented this weekend.

Friday was the fifth day I worked in a row. Ha! Does anyone think it’s just too much to work a five day week? Just kidding – it was fine.

Erica bought us Jimmy John’s unwiches for her meal prep day and it was a treat. You can order any regular sandwich, but they wrap it in several iceberg lettuce leaves instead of using the bread.

After school, Ernie and I walked for quite a while. I have been so sore. I really need to stretch more.

I made myself a super pretty drink – it was like my friend Beth’s wintertini. I used Blue Curacao, Grape Pucker, a little bit of lemonade flavoring (Mio), and Diet Sprite.

We got some sad news that our German restaurant is closing for good. They were offering take out one more time so I ordered for us. We also found out our kids were bringing home load number one from dorms so they got to enjoy one last meal, too.

Tom, Jack, and Mason had pork schnitzel and I had all the carbs – spaetzle (a noodle) and German potato salad, and their really good bread and really good butter.

I put some of my grilled chicken in with some of the German sauce that came with Tom and the kids’ food!

And, I made a salad for balance.

This dessert looked amazing, but none of us liked it. It was Irish cream cake.

The sign of college kids – these IKEA bags (that can also be found on Amazon) are my number one tip. They hold so much. I plan to have them wash all of the bedding, towels, etc. and pack it right back up in these to store over the summer.

So, we completed (mostly) our primary bath a week ago and we decided to go ahead and start the next bathroom project (what was I thinking?), so that meant a dumpster. Demo is horrible. Dust shows up everywhere; it doesn’t even have to be remotely close to where the demo is happening. I have spent Tuesday through today chasing all of the dust.

And, as will all renovation projects, things take longer than you think and get delayed. Demo was supposed to be Tuesday and Wednesday with the dumpster gone Thursday. Demo happened Tuesday and Saturday. Not ideal.

So, now we have an open space where the little primary bath was and the hall bath was. There will be a door on it (our new pretty big door) so I won’t have to look at it, but we won’t be ready to start this until our guy finishes another project. We will start ordering the supplies soon, we hope.

The crew left around 3:00 on Saturday.

Then, it was time to celebrate Dan! It is the season for all of my friends to turn 50!

He wanted to have a “roast” where people could come to the microphone and make jokes about him – and he would have comebacks. It was really funny!

Tom, deep in coversation:

Their sweet yello lab, Ruby, who only has 3 legs. She had cancer and they thought she wouldn’t make it, but with the love of a good family, she has done amazing for several years.

Yesterday morning, I did mild meal prep. I decided to do breakfast bowls for lunch one day and then I made breakfast tacos for my breakfasts. I also hard boiled some eggs. I am losing steam on meal prepping. I can tell it’s time for summer.

And, for breakfast Sunday, I made some hashbrowns (that I also used in the bowls), fake sausage, eggs, and a bit of cheese and mushrooms.

I won’t buy these again. They are ok, but I just didn’t love them. In the bowls, I am using AmyLu chicken sausage that I got at Costco. I think it’s really good. In fact, I can sign off on all of the AmyLu products I have tried.

See, I told you I was going to talk about food a lot!

I have added two things to my diet. I started drinking Metamucil (it is so gross!) and green tea. I feel that I have kinda plateaued and I added one super carby meal Friday night, the green tea, and the Metamucil to try to jump start things. I’m also not super worried and ok with staying status quo right now until I get the school year done. At the same time, we still have almost a month…

I ate super clean the rest of the weekend after Friday night, with the exception of birthday sheet cake for Dan. Love me some good old supermarket sheet cake, ya know?

I went to Trader Joe’s and got a little carried away. There are just so many temptations!

I took a walk and the weather was glorious. My neighborhood looked so pretty!

I was going to donate this old teak shower caddy but Tom suggested using it outside for plants.

I forgot all about my outdoor Derby decor and my bushes are looking so pretty!

I went to Target to get a couple of things and decided to buy a couple of books. I have not bought a book for myself in a long, long time, but I didn’t have anything to read and decided it would be ok.

Started this one:

Ah, it was so nice on my patio. I sat in the sun for a bit, but had to switch to the shady area.

Tom and I went to the marina to see what was going on and just enjoyed being outside some more.

And, then I cooked burrito bowls for dinner.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Thursday, April 28, 2022

It’s time to link up here for another edition of Fashion Files. How is it Thursday already? That’s ok; I will take the days going by quickly right now.

Spring Fever has hit the school grounds – especially with my seniors. Ay!

The teachers in my district are pretty mad right now. Remember the bad weather day we had on April 14th where we had an unexpected day off due to downed power lines and blocked bus routes? We had school cancelled and they decided to forgive the day for the students. In fact, they are not making students make up two of our bad weather days this year, but teachers still have to work them, because they pay us for a set number of days – 187 to be exact. Well, someone decided to suggest that they make the teachers work on election day, May 17th. Some teachers counted on that day to have appointments, work the polls, or other things so they are mad that a last minute change would be made like this. The alternative is June 1, so I think I would rather work May 17th. But, let’s be honest…three days without students at the end of the year will most likely not be very productive. I try not to get too worked up about things like this, but sometimes I fail.

Ok, so let’s talk clothes…

This is what I wore for Senior Awards Night. I am department chair, so it usually falls on me to present awards. I wore an old LuLaRoe skirt with oranges, lemons, and flowers, consignment Evan Piccone pumps, an old Old Navy blouse, and my Walmart Scoop blazer. My blacks don’t exactly match. Do you get bothered by that?

Then, for Prom, I wore a super old dress from Kohl’s that is a pull over the head dress that has fit me at a few different sizes. The layers are kinda forgiving. I wore my Target clear heels and a light consignment sweater. I really don’t have any nicer wraps or anything but I needed something to go over the dress. The necklace is an Amazon purchase that was influenced by Melanie Shankle. I hadn’t had a chance to wear it yet. One must have an LBD that works for many different events, right?

Sunday for a happy hour in our friends’ yard, I wore my old Old Navy butterfly blouse, my Walmart Time and True black cut offs, and my Marc Fisher lace up gold sandals from last year. I have already gotten my $13.98 worth from both my black and pink shorts. I probably should have gone down a size, but they are fine.

And, the only blog worthy outfit I’ve worn to school this week…J.Crew jeans that are very high waisted. I really think I’m a mid-rise gal and that is what most of my jeans are. I bought these on major clearance a couple of years ago. They didn’t fit then, but I couldn’t return them because they were clearance. My blouse is by online boutique Shop.Set.Apart and my shoes are my Amazon Essentials. Unfortunately, my blouse is kind of messed up in the photo, but I love it. It arrived super fast and I really love the owner. She has no idea who I am, but she is a WW person and her sweet Dad just passed away. She has two adorable little girls. Give her boutique a look because I like to help nice people!

I do think this would be more flattering with a bit of a heel, but I was at school so needed to be practical. Yes, I do wear white jeans to school. I live on the edge.

Do you have a favorite outfit of mine?

What have you been wearing?

I’m still trying to wear all of my spring clothes and trying not to buy anything new until summer. I may cave if I find a good deal or something I just love.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the fashionable ladies in the link up!

Amy

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

This post is for all of you who get mad everytime I do a Costco or a Trader Joe’s post! My regular grocery store is Kroger, but these items can be found at any supermarket, I would say!

Here are my cheese staples:

Babybel Light – I like it better than the original!

Light string cheese – Yes, I do “string it”!

Laughing Cow is great on celery with everything bagel seasoning, or a few crackers, and I use it to make a creamy sauce.

I will freak out if I don’t have these items in my cheese drawer.

I always have to have Greek non-fat yogurt. I use it for sauces and dips and I use it in my cake mix and for my skinny pizza dough.

Buffalo sauce is a staple. I love combining my Greek ranch above with this with some grilled chicken and celery.

Salsa! This is our favorite brand. I mainly use this in my burrito bowls.

Avocado toast! I have gotten Tom on the bandwagon, too.

This is my favorite brand of low carb tortilla. I found the street taco size recently, too.

I think it is nice to have a few salad or veggie mixes around. This was really good!

I am low-key obsessed with spaghetti squash right now.

I almost always have celery, grape tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, salad fixings, and a nice stash of frozen veg.

Eggs! I love eggs!

I will often cook up a mix of vegetables and have it on hand to add to different things like omelettes.

As far as drinks, I only drink water, coffee, sparkling water, and alcohol! Ha! I am using fat free half and half right now for my coffee along with a bit of cinnamon dolce skinny syrup. I need some new sweet options for after dinner. I usually have a Built bar for lunch dessert or a snack and for the evening I usually have a dum dum. Did you notice that I have multiple desserts a day?

Recent Meals:

The Teriyaki Stir fry kit from above:

Breakfast burritos and letting some cauli rice thaw:

Breakfast egg and veggie scramble:

Honey mustard salad:

Broccoli, homemade wedge fries, a roll and some homemade aioli:

Vegetable omelette:

I just made Allie.Carte.Dishes bbq spaghetti squash – yum! Follow her on Insta; I left this photo un-edited so you could see all the details!

Mine:

A recent lunch of Amylu sausage and veggies:

What are your grocery staples? I hope you have gotten at least one idea!

Amy

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

This project took a long, long time for various reasons, but it was worth the wait! You may remember that a few years ago, we started the project of adding on about 600 square feet behind our house to create a primary bedroom, a mudroom, and a deck. Well, the next phase was to turn our old bedroom into a bathroom.

Looking in from the hallway to the new hallway. This new floor is the same as the bedroom and we will be doing the same throughout the entire main level. The new bathroom is on the right in this photo.

Now, looking the other way into the hallway from the bedroom…

The bathroom…

We are also replacing all of the doors to look like these. We have already done most of them.

The vanity is grey, but comes off as a bit blue, I think, and we have ordered two separate mirrors that haven’t come in yet.

I shopped my house first, so it is not all put together yet as far as decor goes. I found a few things at Target and a few on Amazon. I need a rug and some wall art, but I plan to take my time and not settle.

Tom and I will have been married for 22 years this summer and we have never had to share a bathroom. When we moved in, we designated his bathroom as the tiny little one attached to our bedroom and I took the bigger hall bath. I shared with the kids and then when we added a basement bathroom (the former nicest bathroom in the house), that became Jack’s so Mason and I shared.

Should we do a vow renewal in our new bathroom this summer? “I promise not to hog the bathroom” or something romantic like that? This is all so new to me!

Today we are demolishing the tiny bathroom and the hall bathroom to start the project of making those into one bigger hall bath. I’m scared but those two bathrooms are literally falling apart and are so bad that I deleted the photos I was going to show you!

Tom is very opinionated about everything construction and interior design related. He did give me free reign on paint color (I chose to continue with the same bedroom color – Sherwin Williams Egret White 7570) and decor. Fortunately, I like what he likes, and I’m not just saying that. He has really good ideas and good taste – in my opinion. Heck, he picked me, right? I chose to stay with the same paint color because we have a ton of it and because I have lived with it in my bedroom for two years and still absolutely love the light and airy feel. We used SW Agreeable Gray for the mudroom and I love that, too, and have lived with that for two years. We also have a ton of that leftover. I am a little worried that the grey trend was so strong and it’s at the tail end, but I also think you should do what you like no matter what. So…we will see. Everyone says it’s easy to re-paint, but I strongly disagree. I think it’s a beast!

Anyway, things have been exciting around here!

Thanks for listening to me ramble,

Amy