Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Remember my “Fashionable Friends” post with Beth? Well, today I have “Stylish Sister”with my sister Kate! Sorry for my cheesy blog titles, by the way.

Kate is three years younger than me. She is talented, smart, witty, and stylish. If she weren’t my sister I would want her to be my friend. When she was born I yelled, “I hate her! Take her back!” but I am glad that my parents didn’t “take her back”. We are very different as far as personality goes, but I talk to her four to five times a week and we also share the same sense of humor. It is rare when we don’t laugh during one of our phone calls and she is also a great listener. Both of my sisters and I have some of my Dad’s traits, but the older Kate gets the more I see the calm, listening side of my Dad, followed by either a witty or astute comment.

Kate and I have some similarities in style. I will let you see for yourself and let me know what you think. The rest of the regular font will be Kate’s words and my thoughts will be in italics.

Kate says:

I teach elementary art, so my wardrobe is super casual. I need to be able to move freely. Since I’m on the move all day long, I get hot and wear layers that I can shed. I have a lot of open front sweaters and thin casual jackets for this reason. I don’t spend much money on single items of clothing because I will inevitably spill paint, but I do have a lot of clothes. I like to have choices for the colorful mixing and matching.

Kate, I want this necklace! I actually have something a bit similar, but this is stunning and makes the outfit! I also have these earrings! Kate uses my rule of three – always have three items on to make it look more pulled together, like an “outfit”.

I don’t have separate choices for work and other – that’s too much planning. When I analyzed my closet, I found these main categories:

-casual jackets

-button down blouses

-black tops of varying styles and fabrics

-jeans

-casual dresses that can be layered with tight pants

Example of a black top with jeans:

Kate is very hip in her Rhianna boots; I asked her if she had been shopping at the Sesame Street yard sale. She loves them and they are very “her”. I bet the elementary kids think they are cool!

I usually wear jeans or jean-like pants.

Here is my variety:

My favorites are the two-tone jeans at the bottom. Believe it or not, I got them at Meijer about three years ago! I only go there about once a year, but I also found the olive green jumper that will be shown further down this post, for only $6.98!

I absolutely love my polka dot jeans from Kohl’s. They elevate a simple jeans with black top outfit. I like jeans with a design along the outer seams for the same reason.

These yellow jeans are so cute and qualify as the Pantone color of 2021!

This totally looks like my type of outfit!

The Meijer olive green jumper for $6.98:

She can do neutrals, too, but I like all of the color the best!

I have tons of button down shirts. You can see here that I might be obsessed with the bird print. I also have a group of florals and a group of stripes.

My problem area is my stomach and I feel button downs hide that a little. They are also great for layering and when you pair a button down with jeans, you still look a little put together.

Lately I’ve been into one piece jumpers. You can wear things over or under them. I have some sleeveless ones from Target and Old Navy, both from the active wear section. I personally don’t think they look like active wear.

Well, I’m exhausted after this fashion show. Who knew blogging was such hard work? I wasn’t too excited about photographing myself, but my mom always taught us that you can’t tell what something looks like on a hanger.

Kate’s Favorite Stores:

I don’t usually “go shopping” for specific items. I’m always on the lookout for interesting pieces, whether I’m at Target for groceries or picking up something for my kids. My most frequented stores are probably TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. Kate is also not a big online shopper; she likes to see things in person and touch the fabrics and I think she sees clothing with an artist’s perspective!

What do you think? Which is your favorite outfit of Kate’s?

Thank you to my stylish sister,

Amy

Monday, February 8, 2021

Linking up with Heather, Tanya, and others here!

How was your weekend? Mine was good! I spent some of the end of last week and the weekend getting ready for V Day! Yes, I am going to celebrate it; I will celebrate any and all little holidays because it just makes life more fun! I got to see one boy! I got to see some friends!

Let’s go back to Thursday afternoon…

I had been trying to get together with my sweet friend Jessica for quite a while. We tried to go to the heated tent but they closed it. So, we had a drink and appetizers inside. Now, I will say I am going to stay away from indoors for a while longer.

The show stopper of the appetizers!

We both love spinach and artichoke dip and this was a unique version served with toast. I think we both like a more traditional one with chips.

I tried a cocktail with peanut butter bourbon and it was really good!

Jess tried something with blackberry jam and Tito’s. I thought it sounded good, too!

We met at 4:00 and left at 5:30 I think. It was so nice. Even though we were inside, we were quite far away from others. Still, after not eating inside in so many months, it felt weird!

Friday I taught but during my lunch I ran to TJ Maxx. Usually I stay home for lunch break because it is pretty tight and I have to get ready for my next classes. I had needed handsoaps for the bathrooms and wanted to see what they had.

I got three nice soaps for now and…

we needed chocolate and I needed deoderant.

A Rae Dunn St. Patrick’s Day decor piece also came home with me!

And, I needed a new counter cleaner and they had a St. Patrick’s Day handsoap. I left very happy with all of my purchases.

After the school day was over I had to go in the grocery and get some of my Valentine’s present supplies and some weekend food and I had a library curbside pickup.

Friday night we went to Tom’s sister’s boat business for their winter boat show. Normally there is a giant boat show with other dealers in the expo center but they couldn’t do it this year due to Covid. Instead, they had an in-house show with catered food, a bar, a bourbon tasting table, and a band.

It felt very “normal” and my two college besties and their husbands also came.

Saturday morning I went to my favorite little market called “Paul’s Fruit Market” and they had lots of cans of green chilies! Why didn’t I try there? And, I bought supplies to make a Tik Tok recipe. My sister Molly is 7 years younger and maybe more hip. She has a Tik Tok and has sent me a couple of recipes.

This involves cherry tomatoes, pasta, and feta – and olive oil and seasonings. OMG! I may do a separate post, but just in case you can’t wait – here you go. By the way, I only made about a 1/3 portion of it for me for lunch on Saturday. Tom was bike riding and I was home alone.

Throw a container of cherry tomatoes in a Pyrex with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top with a block of feta cheese and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and add any herbs you want like oregano or basil or whatever. I skipped this step.

Pour just boiled hot pasta on top of the mixture and mix all together.

I can’t wait to make it again and it was restaurant quality!

I also tried my hand at bakery style sugar cookies Saturday afternoon:

My frosting got a bit out of hand but they were and are delish! I put them in the freezer.

Then, Jack came home around 4! We watched Gilmore Girls, then ate dinner with Tom and watched a show Tom also would like. I made my Soup Sunday soup – white chicken chili and made a burrito bowl for Jack.

Sunday morning I woke to just a bit of snow.

I drank my coffee, did meal prep, and

started this new book because I loved the two K.A.Tucker books I read in 2020.

I am working on V Day gifts for the boys and Mason’s roommate. I still haven’t decided what Tom and I will do or if we will give gifts? He forgot he had a gift card in his wallet to a nice restaurant so maybe we will do carry-out from there some night this week.

How was your weekend? Any highlights? Are you over winter?

Amy

Friday, February 5, 2021

Linking up today with Andrea, etc. right here!

Here are just some bits of happy from the week! I hope you, too, can look at your camera roll and find things to smile about from this week!

I am not even an Oreo person, but I happened to see these on a quick Kroger run (forgot a couple of things when I did my online order), so I grabbed them! They are vanilla/golden flavored but the colors are fun. We all tried one and then I sent them to college with one son. Where are my Girl Scout cookies? That’s the real question!

We got another pretty snow on Monday, but I could not enjoy it because I had to virtual teach, teach, teach. I want snow on the weekend while I look out the window and sip hot chocolate, o.k.? Just kidding, I think I have had my fill for this year. We may get some more this weekend, though.

Last year I made an impulse purchase at Target and got some Valentine socks. It was fun to pull these out and put them on – “Aloe you vera much”.

You know how I am constantly finding pennies and I think they are messages from my Dad, right? I got a text with this photo from Mason – he found one. It made me happy that he remembered/believes this, too.

I had an indoor (gasp) drink with a friend one day after school. We spread out and there was not another soul in the place. We both got a bourbon cocktail and…

split these potato skins. It felt weird to ease up a bit and go inside. Both of us have been super careful and it was really cold out. But, still, you would feel horrible!

I picked up this buffalo chicken dip at TJs and It is good. This has been part of my lunch this week. It isn’t very spicy and you can add some hot sauce if you like it with more heat. I may never make this dip from scratch again!

After meeting my friend for happy hour I was so happy to realize how much lighter it is staying these days. Have you noticed this, too? It gives me hope that spring isn’t too far away… maybe??? The groundhog did see his shadow, but are we really going to trust a rodent?

I finally learned that I can refrigerate my avocados. I let it ripen almost and then put it in the fridge. I take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before I want to use it. This gives their lifespan up to a week more! Such high maintenance little buggers but they sure are good. This really made me laugh:

Wednesday was my school’s day to get vaccinated. Teachers are in Group 1B in my state. It was a crazy operation but it was pretty efficient! We have to go to the state fairgrounds and it took two hours!

I rode with Elizabeth, my French teacher friend and we wore masks. I’m so glad I had someone to talk to.

You actually drove into at stadium.

So, we got there at 11:40 and finally sat down for lunch afterwards at 2:00. And, we were inside with only two other people behind us. Who am I going inside? It felt weird but really nice.

We shared friend pickles and then eat got a sandwich and I was too hungry to remember a picture.

Now that teachers are getting vaccinated, there is lots of talk about returning to in person instruction. I saw a meme that said “let’s open schools!” and the response was schools have been open since August but in a virtual form. I think we only hear the negative but there has been lots of positive, as well. The teens are learning to communicate with their teachers via email. They are learning some self-discipline and organization skills, their schedule is very much like a college schedule right now. Some of our teens with social anxiety are finding this platform to be more comfortable. Some of the kids I had last year that missed school often have perfect virtual attendance. Of course, the flip side is all that we are missing from “normal” school. I really do miss the physical classroom and I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is much more effective. I am seeing deficiencies that I can easily correct when I can walk up to a kid at their desk and simply point something out.

This is not an easy decision and it’s not that teachers don’t want to be open. There are many factors/issues a high school of 2000 students has to deal with. It is a whole different ball of wax than an elementary that can be rather contained with a smaller group in a classroom, in my opinion. But, I am not going to pretend to know what it takes to open an elementary school.

-First we have to poll our parents to see how many kids will come back in person and how many will remain in our “virtual academy”. Right now we think we have about 1400 that wish to come in person. The students will not have been vaccinated and I am worried about the new strain that is even more contagious. Also, we have to create the virtual academy!

-We will have to change the Master schedule to reflect who is in and who is out. A high school Master schedule is a beast.

-We also have to match that up with what teachers have been approved to remain virtual. If a student is in a class of a teacher who is virtual but the student is in person, that student will have to have a space to go to in the school building to do that class.

-Arrival to school – we obviously cannot have 1400 kids arrive at the same time and come in the same door. Same thing for dismissal.

-We have to make stairwells one way and teach the kids the routes to their 7 classes.

-We have many interior rooms with no windows. Our building was built in 1960 and the ventilation and air systems are not that great. We will try to move as many classes to exterior rooms as we can.

-How will we do lunch? Seating charts will be needed for contact tracing. Can we move some tables outside? Our weather is fickle in March, April and May.

-How will we conduct some classes outside? Is this an option? Will we move furniture outside? Does our school wifi reach all of our outside areas. Chargers, outlets, etc. will be needed.

-How will we temperature scan 1400 kids?

-What will we do for mask wearing infractions?

-If I have a class of 30 and only 5 want to remain virtual and my classroom is not big enough for proper spacing, where do the “extra” kids go when I am the only teacher that teaches that course? Do I kick out the lowest grades? Where do they go?

-We are trying to continue using the computer for most things, we will still have to mask and be 6 feet away. Do we have extra computers for the ones that break or the kids that forgot them?

I am barely scratching the surface here, but you get the idea.

And the big question, is all of this worth it for about a 6-8 week span of time to finish out the school year? I really don’t know.

Wow – my Friday Favorites really took a turn, but I am going to go with it and say that a favorite is that I am not the one making the big decisions.

What is something that made you happy this week? Any favorites?

Thanks for visiting me,

Amy

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

I am linking up today with The Stylish Six here!

During the month of January, I participated in a frugality challenge from Frugalwoods blog. I did not take it to the extreme, but it was a way to re-set after the excesses of the holidays.

I think that frugality gets a bad rap. Do not confuse it with cheap, stingy, or any other word with a negative connotation. To me, it means to save where I can or when it does not matter to me so that I can spend out (a Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin term) or splurge where it does matter to me. Example: I am happy with library books and I think about how much money that frees up for shoes! Ha!

The other point I want to make is that money is a very personal issue. It is easy to look at others and judge, but that is really not for us to do.

“Frugality is not about depriving yourself; it is about being strategic with your resources.”

I really enjoy the Frugalwoods blog. The posting is not really very regular, but when they do post, it is very well thought out and very thought-provoking. They also have a book! I have now participated in their Uber Frugal Month a few times. I am not too strict about it like I mentioned, but it does reign you in. Each day you get an email asking you to examine different aspects of your life. The above is from one of the daily posts.

Grocery Bill: The boys were still home until January 9. They also came home for MLK three day weekend and were home parts of other weekends. I want to make sure their favorite foods are in the house and I want them to feel comfortable. I got our grocery bill down to $400-$500 when it was just Tom and I from August-November and I was pretty happy with that!

Kroger – January 6 – $88

Kroger – January 13 – $101

Kroger – January 16 – $70

Kroger – January 16 – $22

Amazon Smart Pop – $10

Kroger – January 20 – $109

Kroger – January 25 – $95

Kroger – January 29 – $75

Total for January: $570

Notes: This seems kind of high, but January is a LONG month and it was for four people for some of the weekends with very little take out. I am o.k. with this. Also, it was almost all online grocery shopping. I only set foot in Kroger maybe twice this month? Also, I was intentional and kept record so that made me more aware. I also really have learned to use my freezer and to cut down on food waste. Plus, can I mention how many nights I cooked when I did not want to? I feel like the money saved those nights should go to my shoe fund, too!

January Amy Clothing/Hobby:

Did I need anything? That is not the point! I feel like this is my hobby, too. I do not really have any hobbies that require money. Maybe cooking when I need a specialty ingredient or piece of cookware?

I started out really strong with very few purchases, but then I picked up speed. I do want to say that I had at least a 24 hour waiting period on each item.

Here are my January purchases:

This cream tunic with pockets came as a set with the fuzzy vest that is up next. I bought this from a Facebook boutique. It is a very thick material and I think it is good quality.

It came with this fuzzy vest. The set was $40. I have actually worn the vest with black more than with the cream tunic. I love this vest. It is so luxurious feeling. It is also a nice quality.

This is the Amazon sweater I talked about yesterday in my Prime Purchases post. It is a great sweater at a higher Amazon price point of $35.

My former student is making sweatshirts and I wanted a festive Valentine version. It was $20.

This was from another Facebook boutique and I thought it was so unique. It is kind of a light super soft sweater. It was $27. I think this is excellent quality, too, and I like having things that not everyone else has.

I went in one of my favorite boutiques about three times this month to look around and to visit a top I was thinking about. The boutique is about a mile from my house and it is pretty expensive but they have great sales. I found this pink camo on the sale rack for $20. I usually try to avoid impulse purchases on sales racks but I had been wanting more camo and I did not have anything pink. It is a top, not a sweatshirt, and I think this will work well into spring.

On another trip into the same boutique I decided to get this off of the $20 sale rack. I wanted more tie dye for spring. This is a really cool material. It looks like a sweatshirt but it is a cooler fabric. Both this piece and the pink camo are by a brand called White Birch.

And, I brought this Savanna Jane home after almost a month of thinking about her. It was $62 – gasp.

And, finally I bought these Vionic booties off of Amazon. I also talked about these yesterday.

I am super happy with my purchases. You cannot get a top from Target for $20 anymore so I thought the $20 purchases were really good. Also, most of these will work into spring. I do not plan to buy any more winter clothes unless it is a stupid good deal on something I have wanted.

January Frugal Wins:

No book purchases – nice stack of library requests. I started one book and did not finish and now I am on another book. I have been so busy and when I do have downtime I want to mindlessly read the internet or watch t.v.

Eat at home – Have eaten at home most nights. Also, I am really trying to cut down on food waste by eating all of our leftovers or freezing them to bring out later.

Coffee at home – I did spend $12 on my new coffee contraption and then $20 on local or gourmet ground coffee

Water in car – I always keep water in my car and try to get a lot of my water in when I go out to run errands. This also keeps me from picking up a coffee.

Maximize savings – I feel like I have been saving so much money by not going into stores, not getting much food outside of the home, and not making many Amazon purchases.

Do your Return – I have a tendency to make do and not do my returns. I have been really good about this!

Examples:

Amazon sweater – was not perfect so sent it back and got smaller size.

Amazon sweatshirt – was not perfect and did not like the quality, plus I ordered another one from a former student and helped her out with her business.

Kroger Clicklist fail – they gave me wrong thing and I returned it for $8. In the past I sometimes would’ve just kept the wrong thing.

Verizon Cell Phone Savings – signed up for Autopay and have a $30 discount per month, finally uploaded my teacher ID for a discount (cannot remember the exact discount), and am using the $900 in gift cards I got to pay my monthly bills and we just had one come due mid-month. Yes, you read that right; we switched from ATT to Verizon in November. They have a “bring your own device” rebate where you get a $300 credit for each device/phone you bring that is unlocked or can be used with a Verizon plan; you can use this gift card in their Verizon store or to pay your bill. Jack, Mason, and I now are on this plan. Tom’s phone is covered by his work. So, by paying attention, reading the fine print, following up on things like this you can really save money.

My Why:

College – It is very important to me to help the kids get out of college with little to no debt. How can a kid making $40,000 out of college ever pay back $100,000? We want the kids to have some skin in the game but we know that we also have to help set them up to be in the best shape possible. Right now we are paying for everything but their small loan. I consider all of their scholarships they earned to be their portion, too. They worked really hard in high school and are seeing the financial reward.

Home Renovation – If you are a home owner there will always be something. We are doing our projects in stages and I am fine with it.

Mortgage Free by Retirement – I do not want a mortgage payment when I retire. I feel like this will bring so much freedom.

Travel – When the world is safe again, I want to be able to travel again and have money to do so.

One of the days of the frugal challenge was to know your why. Why are you trying to be frugal when you can? What are your financial goals? Do you have a fashion budget or a clothing allowance?

Amy

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

It’s time for everyone’s favorite post of the month lately! Tanya hosts her Prime Purchases as an opportunity for us to show our Amazon goodies. For the first time ever, I will be showing you every.last.purchase.I.made.this.month. In the past, I didn’t show the boring things. But, I was involved in a frugality challenge during January, so I am bearing it all. Spoiler: I did really well.

Honestly, sometimes Amazon is quicker than waiting on your next Kroger pick up order. I seem to go through these scrub heads quickly and I think it’s gross to use them too long, too. They didn’t fit on my current handle I was using, but I had saved another one which I think was Scotch brand and they fit.

Jack told me he needed new socks and I have been really happy with Amazon Essentials brand in other products. I ordered this pack for him.

I have not tried these yet, but I am excited. I have two dark spots on my face I am going to try to work on. I also recently heard about turmeric oil for dark spots. Any recs are appreciated!

I am trying to eat better and I am doing pretty well with the occasional treat. I really love this popcorn and like the price and the individual bags. Yum!

I can’t wear sweaters and sweatshirts to teach in when I am in person. The heat is so intense at school. Working from home, I just want a one piece outfit – a top, a sweatshirt, or a sweater. I ordered this and it was too big so I returned and went down a size. It is a really nice sweater!

This was my biggest splurge. These white booties have not been worn outside the house yet, but I have some ideas for how to style them.

I could have sworn we had a shoe horn around here but I found this boot horn and it’s been a nice little tool to have.

And, I talked a bunch about my new coffee contraption. It’s a lot of mess and work for a weekday coffee cup or two. I have gone back to my tired Keurig. I descaled it and it is working o.k. I am still thinking about my coffee quandry.

Also, I ordered this cute sweatshirt but I returned it because it ran really small and it wasn’t the cozy thick sweatshirt I was expecting. It may work for you, though.

I am pretty proud of myself after my excesses of the last couple of month of 2020.

I returned things when they weren’t perfect.

I added to cart and then sat on said cart instead of impulsely ordering right away.

In fact, you do not want to know how many things are sitting in my cart right now saved for later! Ha!

Are you a big Amazon shopper? Any favorites this month?

Amy

Monday, February 1, 2021

Hello Monday and Hello February! I am linking up today with Tanya, Heather, and others here!

Bye, January! Wow – that was fast and slow at the same time, just like 2020, really. This weekend I was in the moment and took hardly any photos. The highlights were Jack coming home Friday night and getting Five Guys take out, Mason coming home Saturday, watching Gilmore Girls, and just spending some down time with all of us in the house. I am having some really good conversations with them and I am seeing so much growth.

When we got our big snow of the year (so far) on Wednesday, it struck me as really sad because it was the first time to not get to enjoy it with my boys. As a teacher, I loved being on the same schedule with them and snow was always so exciting. I would go in and announce delays or snow days to them in the mornings and it was so fun! I still enjoyed it with Tom and Ernie that evening, but you know what I mean!

As you can tell, I am still in a period of empty nester adjustment and I will take any bit of weekend time. I think it is helping them this winter to come home more than last semester, too. I am not putting any pressure on them to do so; they can come as little or as much as they want. I have heard different advice on letting college kids come home or not and I am going with my mom instinct here and what feels right; we are in a pandemic and things are hard. They are always welcome. They are both diligent mask-wearers and their college has a weekly update with testing continuing this semester. They come home to spend time with each other, too, which is hard to do during the week with their busy schedules.

I do like parts of winter, but it just seems harder than the other three seasons, you know? In the last couple of years, I have learned about hygge and it really resonated with me. Last year, through my Swedish friend, I learned about fika. And, this weekend I learned about friluftsliv. Don’t worry too much about pronouncing them; simply live them!

Here is a glossary below and my thoughts:

hygge – a quality of coziness and comfort that engenders a feeling of contentment (Denmark)

I know I’m not the only one who latched onto this. We are all about the cozy pants, sweatshirts, fuzzy blankets, fires and candles. If nothing else, we have learned that our homes are our refuge. No one will ever think their home is perfect, but after almost a year spent mostly at home, we have probably never felt so appreciative. Ok, 2020 – lesson learned!

Some of this comes naturally with age. I think as I have aged I have felt more confident to know what I need and to say what I need to feel content. I no longer feel the need to buy something because everyone else is buying it. If a fabric is scratchy, I’m out. I know myself better and that in and of itself is a feeling of hygge, maybe. Also, I don’t think we are all the same. If you like something, get it. If you don’t like something, don’t get it.

fika – making time for friends and colleagues that involves a cup of coffee, tea, and maybe a treat (Sweden)

I love this. In the American school system there is little time for socializing with colleagues. Even our meetings with our co-teachers are micromanaged and dictated, and usually involve some sort of tedious paperwork to prove that we produced something. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bit more time to organically hear about what someone else is doing in the classroom and of our own accord, learn from them and collaborate? Teachers’ lounges got a bad rap for being a den of negativity but I think back to my first school where I learned a lot in the lounge and had time to go there! Ha! And, at my current school, teachers used to go there to eat lunch but now it is really empty. Anyone want to analyze what has happened in education in the last 10 years through the lens of the teachers’ lounge. Hmmmmm.

And, I would say I am pretty good about this with friends in my after work hours. Having someone over for just a coffee or a drink is a very low level entertaining goal. Pre-2020 I felt like people were too busy and stressed to do much socializing at home. The pandemic really made simple entertaining possible. Heck, sometimes we would even tell someone to bring their own chair. It doesn’t get easier than that. Even an hour with a friend over a drink fills me up. I am trying to do this once a week. Tomorrow I am excited to go to a friend’s house for a drink and a fire.

friluftsliv – free air life (Norway)

I love this and this is the hardest thing about being a teacher under normal circumstances. I enter the building at 7:00 a.m. and leave between 3:00 and 4:00 without even a scrap of outdoor time most days. I am lucky to have windows which I keep open as much as I can. Hands down, the best thing about teaching from home has been my outdoor time. I have had my coffee on the patio, my lunch on the patio, taken walks at lunch, my afternoon snack on the patio, my evening cocktail on the patio, and it has really filled my soul. I started filling my bird feeders and watching nature more. I found out there is a rooster in my neighborhood – not good!

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel on a day you get fresh air? I think it’s super important to get it in the winter, too, but it is definitely more of a challenge.

I feel like Denmark, Sweden, and Norway might know a thing or two about cold weather!

Another thing I think helps me in the winter are hot drinks. Of course I have my morning coffee, but in the afternoon it is nice to have a warm beverage, too.

Irish Coffee: (also perfect with St. Patrick’s Day coming up!)

1 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream or another brand (this Trader Joe’s is good!)

Mix with a cup of regular or decaf coffee

Add whipped cream if you want to be fancy!

Mocha Joe:

One half to one packet of hot chocolate mix. Did you know they have dark chocolate? OMG!

Put the mix in the bottom of coffee cup, brew as normal, stir, and add a marshmallow or whipped cream if desired. You can also add some milk or creamer.

Bourbon hot chocolate:

Start with one half shot glass of bourbon and mix with the packet of hot chocolate in the bottom of the mug. (One full shot is really strong; ask me how I know.) Then, fill mug to top with hot water.

I find that keeping some whip cream at home makes it feel kind of special. I really don’t miss my coffee shop coffees when I have this on hand.

I always have big and small marshmallows on hand, too.

How was your weekend? It sounds like lots of you got more snow!

Any thoughts on hygge, fika, or friluftsliv? Any thought on hot drinks?

Amy

Friday, January 29. 2021

This has been a busy week on the blog! It started with Hello Monday, a hair post Tuesday, What I Wore and What’s Up Wednesday, and Thursday Monthly Musings about Valentine’s Day yesterday. I almost called today’s post off, but here I am! Ha!

I am linking up with Andrea, etc. right here!

Here are my favorites from the week – they involve a lot of simple things like a few new purchases and food!

I am trying to eat better but still enjoy a few treats here and there.

So, in that vein, I made the famous two ingredient bagels that involve self-rising flours, Greek non-fat yogurt, a bit of egg wash, and the everything but the bagel seasoning.

I re-created my weekend bagel purchase but without the bacon.

Then, I got to see two former students (while both of us wore masks, of course!) – one has started a graphic tee/sweatshirt business and I custom ordered this giant red metallic heart on a pink sweatshirt. She is now a teacher at another local high school and we talked for a good hour when I picked up my sweatshirt from her house.

Then, another former student is selling plants! I bought this pothos plant for $10 and she delivered. She also took my Amazon pothos to try to rehabilitate it for me! Lol! It was down to one leaf. Does Amazon take returns on plants?

On Tuesday, I had a zero point WW marinara in the crockpot all day long – for 8 hours. The recipe was given to me by my blog friend Kim.

On Wednesday, we got the most beautiful snow! It started around 3:00 and I just looked out the window and enjoyed it.

Then, around 5:00 I took Ernie out and he acted like a crazy boy. He absolutely loves snow! It was a white out and it was so cool.

I used the marinara to make Skinny Biz pizza dough. It is basically the same as the bagels but with an addition of yeast and water. This recipe was also given to me by Kim. Tom had leftover pizza from his lunch at work the other day.

I used Essie flowerista to do a pinkish purple manicure.

I like to keep it really positive around here, but this spoke to me. Just let us teach. I am so tired of having to do more work to justify someone’s position in education that does not directly affect a child’s learning.

Look at the Pantone colors of the year! This is literally my shower curtain. I got the idea from my sister years ago to put yellow and grey together. I am probably doing my Master bath in Agreeable Grey by Sherwin Williams and now this has me wondering if I should do yellow accents/decor with it?

I miss real school. This made me laugh. I have had so many kids through the years that just get up to sharpen their pencil when they are bored or want to walk by someone. I guess the days of that are gone with Covid. I do have a nice electric sharpener now! Will we even use pencils anymore?

And, that’s all I’ve got today. This chica is tired. What were your favorites this week? I would love to know!

Thanks so much for stopping by my little space of the internet!

Amy

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Happy Hump Day! Today I am linking up with The Style Six here and What’s Up Wednesday here. Aren’t I just a linking fool?

What I’m wearing:

I am continuing with black leggings and one of my sweaters each day for virtual teaching from home. I got a new one last week and wore it Thursday. It is so soft and I wouldn’t really call it a sweater. It is more like a fuzzy top. This was a purchase from one of the Facebook shopping groups I am a part of; I am helping a small business!

Ignore the paint splatter on the mirror I like to use.

Friday I did comfortable in my men’s Target Goodfellow pullover with a headband. Did you see my hair post yesterday?

I decided to do like the youngsters and I wore socks with Birkenstocks. My feet were cozy!

I have a couple of favorite little boutiques around town. I like that the clothes are better quality as I am really trying to get away from Old Navy, Amazon, and other “fast fashion”. This top was on sale for $20 and it would have been wrong not to buy it. It is so soft and lightweight; it looks like a sweatshirt but it is more of a top.

And, I am still debating this. I love it- the design, the sleeves, everything! The price is holding me back but it shouldn’t. Stay tuned….

If you are a loyal, long time reader (thank you!), you know I fell down a red sandal rabbit hole this summer. I bought Saltwaters and Dr. Scholl’s. They were so fun. Now, I find myself pining for red clogs! Am I crazy?

the MIA Sofia. I have these in tan and love the heel height, the comfort, the shade of red.

And, I keep looking at these Danskos, too, but I feel they are more matronly. Thoughts on red clogs?

I did something really crazy. I am 98% sure I am going to keep these Vionic white booties from Amazon. I was not into the white booties that seemed more of a 70s vibe, but I started seeing the ones with more of a Western vibe. They are super white. But, I have been thinking of all the things I can wear them with now and into the spring. I am super picky about heel height and wearability. These look like the leather will stretch a bit and that they will be really comfortable. I have never owned Vionic! Anyway, stay tuned on this front, as well…

For Monday’s virtual classes, I wore the new pink camo and it was perfect!

For Tuesday I did my second day hair in a bobby pin twist and wore my favorite Amazon sweater of the year.

What I’m working on:

I cannot help myself; I am looking at spring fashion trends and thinking about spring clothing! I guess you could tell!

Also, I am working on my 30 bags in 30 days project and I am supposed to be done by January 31st! I did my under sink and cleaning products last weekend.

What I’m reminiscing about:

I miss my college kids. I am reminiscing about their younger years. But, at the same time I am so grateful they didn’t have to do virtual learning. I feel for all the mamas of young kids.

What I’m up to:

Just trying to be a good virtual teacher…

What I’m excited about:

I am always excited for the weekend! And, I am feeling more positive about spring getting here eventually. I always say I can’t wait to make it through January, but February is the month we get more of our winter weather here in Kentucky, in my opinion. I guess it’s just a mental thing.

What I’m watching:

Below Deck, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (truly horrible!), Dallas (love it!), and Orange County (might be over), The Bachelor (love Matt!), and a Gilmore Girls with my sons when we can.

What I’m reading:

I am enjoying this but I just don’t read much right now. I guess I am a fair weather reader – like fair weather, on a patio, with a cocktail!

What I’m doing:

I am enjoying my Valentine’s decor. I am going to try to plan a special dinner for Tom and I am working on gifts for the boys. I love to celebrate small holidays.

What I’m loving:

I am loving being able to work from home and stay relatively safe. I know not everyone can do that. I have surprised myself! I never thought I would like this. I think one thing that helps me is leaving the house most days at 3:00-4:00 to do a grocery, library, coffee pick up. It seems like there is always a small errand I can run in the afternoon.

What I’m looking forward to:

Honestly, summer. I want to put this whole school year behind us. I know next year is possibly going to be bad, too. There are so many unknowns and that makes it so hard.

Well, that was a lot!

What’s up with you?

What have you been wearing?

Amy