Tuesday, December 29, 2020

So that my post yesterday didn’t get too crazy long, I decided to only talk about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In today’s post I will talk about the rest of the week and update you on a few other random things.

Tom is now back at work after being home from December 18-27 and it’s just the boys and I. They get a Covid test on January 3 and then can move back in the dorm if all is well on January 5. I’m not sure they will get the results back that quickly, though…hmmmm. Also, their first week of second semester classes will be virtual only. Then, after that, they will have a combo of online, in person, and hyflex which is a mix of in person and online. I am getting sad about break being over. I think the combo of the cold weather and them going back will be hard for me. Plus, I have a lot of uncertainty with my job/school. They say we may go back in person in March. It’s just hard to not know. O.k., Amy, let’s enjoy this week and leave the worrying for later.

So, Tom has been working on the Master bath. The plumber did finally come back Saturday, December 19 and I guess he plumbed. Then, Tom had a part to do involving the insulation and the subfloor. There was a lot of cussing involved and I asked Tom if he thought the subfloor was sub-par and he wasn’t amused.

Photos that may interest some of you:

One evening – Tuesday – Tom wanted to go to Taco Tuesday at Agave and Rye. The inside was open but I have said I am not dining inside yet. So, we sat on the patio.

They have really unique tacos and chips and queso. Yum! Over than that, I cooked dinner every night, I think!

It was 19 degrees the day after Christmas, but I was excited to go to Target for the first time in a long time. I went around 7:45 a.m. and bought some wrapping paper. I didn’t really need to stock up but it was kind of fun to see what they had.

I couldn’t believe that they were already stocking for the next thing – and that the Christmas was pretty wiped out.

I thought this paper from the dollar spot for 50cents was super cute. It is the half roll size which I also like.

Do you do after Christmas sales?

I had a bad, bad thing happen. My mom gave me red Matilda Jane pants for Christmas and I washed them. Well, they came out of the washer with tons of giant blue patches! I was so upset! I washed them again. Again, they came out with blue patches and maybe even more!

Here is the culprit:

Say what? I asked Facebook what to do and then I went and bought Tide Free and Gentle and washed them again. I am happy to say that all of the blue is out – I had never put them in the dryer and wasn’t going to – I was only going to lay flat to dry. I am done with blue pods. I did read to put the pod in the bottom of the washer and not on top of the clothes and I have been making that mistake, but I am done with these little blue devils.

The day after Christmas, Tom’s parents did a drive by for us to exchange gifts. I wished they could stay and have some food but we have to do what is on their comfort level.

I picked up pizzas for dinner the day after Christmas because I was tired of my food. Tom likes this one with jalapeno and pineapple.

Whoa – this was huge!

We played some Rummy.

I finally got Mason in a picture.

Sunday we had a nice surprise. My high school friend Jim has a junior in high school and wanted to tour the boys’ college – unofficially – and Jack and Mason served as tour guides. We had a much warmer day of 50 and it was nice to walk around campus.

Then, we sat at two patio tables in a tent next to each other at a nearby burger place. They claim to have invented the cheeseburger? I had a hot buttered rum!

Tom had a traditional burger and Jack is my chicken boy and had a chicken sandwich.

Mason is my foodie and wanted to try the black bean burger so we split that and brussel sprouts.

They are also known for milkshakes and alcoholic milkshakes. We had non-alcoholic milkshakes to go for dessert.

It was a nice day and so nice to see my old buddy. I am still in touch with a lot of high school friends and Jim is one of them.

So, we have spent most of our time at home, but we have had a couple of fun outings, too.

What about you? What has life lately looked like?

I am taking Christmas decor down, by the way. Once it’s over, it’s over and I want to move on! I am going to focus on fresh and clean de-cluttered spaces, plants, twinkle lights, and cozy. Are you like that, too?

Amy

Monday, December 28, 2020

O.k., now Winter Break Can slow down….

How was your Christmas? Ours was really nice – I would say it was simple and just right for us for this year. After having the boys gone from August 14-November 20, it was a good year to have a quiet couple of days with just the four of us, you know?

On Christmas Eve morning, I had one more little grocery trip to do. I had made a big Click List order for a few days before this but there always seem to be a couple of things I forget. Oh well – I was in and out of Kroger in a couple of minutes. After I got home, my sister in law dropped off gifts for the boys and Ale 8 One for Tom and Prosecco for me. Yum!

It was super cold on Christmas Eve with a winter weather advisory! We watched a movie we had been wanting to watch in the basement in the afternoon called Serenity. We had just completed a show called Firefly as a family and this was the movie made after the show ended.

I made popcorn and Christmas nachos for the basement. The only thing that makes them Christmas nachos is the red and green chips!

I also assembled apps for our dinner/game playing later that evening. I did the ham and swiss sliders,

the cream cheese and red pepper jelly with wheat thins,

the mini bagel, veggie cream cheese, cucumber bites, as well.

Movie time in the basement:

The movie ended around 5 and we did a family Ernie walk. The boys walked really fast because it was the coldest it had been so far!

Then, the boys opened their Eve pajamas (they just get pj pants now) and our family gift of a game this year was Monopoly Deal. This allows you to play a much quicker version and only requires this deck of cards. It was pretty fun.

I set out all the apps and added the tomato and mozz balls, and the beef and cream cheese rollups. I like cream cheese in my apps in case you were wondering.

And, I had little smokies in the little crockpot with grape jelly and chili sauce. Pink meringues were for dessert! I didn’t end up baking a bunch this year. We received lots of chocolate in our stockings and then I made peanut butter balls and pink meringues and I felt like that was enough.

We played the game and then the boys went down to the basement to hang out and I went to bed fairly early. Tom stayed up to watch t.v. for a bit.

Christmas morning I drank some coffee and read a bit – still got up around 6. I made a new recipe called bubble up casserole. It involves canned biscuit dough on the bottom. It turned out really good – eggs, milk, biscuit dough, green chilies, cheese, and sausage (already cooked).

And, a monkey bread done cinnamon roll style – so good! I don’t think I want to make the traditional monkey bread anymore because I loved this version so much.

I always arrange the stockings and the presents in the morning – the upside to having older kids is that they sleep later! Jack got up around 9, though, because that boys loves Christmas the most, I think. He and I talked for a bit and then he woke Mason and Tom up. His big gift was hidden because the shape would give it away! It doesn’t look like they got much, but they did. Plus, as the kids get older the presents get smaller – and more expensive!

I had a bourbon hot chocolate and…

a mimosa and it was so exciting to have our first white Christmas in such a long time! We woke up to barely an inch and then we had some more flurries during the day.

I loved what the boys gave me. Mason gave me this super soft brown infinity scarf and Jack gave me the buffalo plaid poncho.

Ernie loved his new toy in his stocking.

Jack was super surprised.

I decided to be casual and comfortable in my leggings.

We played a new board game that Jack got called Root. Mason’s big gift was new headphones and Bluetooth receiver so he can listen to his records in the whole house. I forgot to get a picture. They were thrilled with all of their gifts – big and small. They got some clothes, Crest white strips, new guitar pics, new pens, journals, Mason got a zen garden (sand and rake), and other little things. I think I did pretty well. I did all the smaller stuff and Tom did the big things. Mason immediately opened the zen garden and put in his bedroom. He also put on his new sweatshirt. It is so sweet to see 18 year olds still get excited and be so appreciative. We got lots of thank yous.

Tom and I just filled each other’s stockings with chocolate and magazines and didn’t do gifts this year. This year we made a pact to not do anything else because of our Master bath.

The game Root:

This game is hard and we had to read and study!

After the game, I slipped away to watch a bit of Bridgerton by myself.. Not sure what I think yet… Anyone else watch?

Then, around 5 we had our ham, rolls, mac and cheese, potato casserole, brussels sprouts, broccoli and watched a show together after.

It was a really nice two days. We did not do church on Eve because we had wanted to do the parking lot service but decided it was too cold. It was not a stay in your car thing. At times, I felt like it was a normal Christmas because we do have a lot of time that is just the four of us. And, like I said, it was even more meaningful this year after having the boys gone for college.

Tom’s parents were supposed to do a quick visit on Christmas Day but they postponed because of the snow and roads where they live – about 1.5 hours away. My mom went to my little sister’s house on Wednesday and stayed through the weekend. My sister and her family had been isolated at home for about a week by that time.

I did a lot of cooking but I love that! I was disappointed in our Thanksgiving meal that we bought and knew I wanted to cook more for Christmas so that goal was accomplished.

I hope yours was just what you needed for this crazy year. I know lots of people struggled and just wanted to the day to be over. What was the highlight for you? Did you find some good in this crazy year?

Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for a more life lately! I also have best books of 2020 and thoughts on 2020 coming your way this week!

Amy

Friday, December 25, 2020

Wishing you the best possible pandemic Christmas! Stay safe, mask up, and enjoy the simpler holiday this year!

I did a deep dive into my non-digital photos from Christmases and winters past. Get in the photos, moms! I have so few photos with me in them. Put on the clothes, do a little hair and makeup because you only get one Christmas 2020, o.k.?

This photo was on the way to sing in church and someone (Jack) was not feeling very jolly this Christmas Eve. My boys had a very long train obsession and these were their train ties. Look at their hair. My sisters liked to tease me that I could finally look like I had naturally colored hair since my twins turned out to have my exact highlights! Now their hair is very dark. They started out dark, turned blonde for several years, then got dark again.

Better moods upon arrival at church – I guess!

These t-shirts said “My brother is the naughty one” and “Don’t talk to my teacher”. I just thought they were funny. They were angels (most of the time…)

I don’t know what we were thinking – horizontal sledding with our babies? That is our old chocolate lab, Archie, supervising. And, yes, that is about how much snow we typically get – the grass is still showing!

This really shows how much we have changed our house. This was before we built the garage/patio and the old stoop and railings.

The first time we attempted skiing – and the last – ha!

Christmas at my parents’ house with Aunt Kate and Aunt Molly.

My mom’s Christmas card one year – My parents only had grandchildren in pairs until their 5th one. I had twins and then 4 years later my sister Molly copied off of me.

We used to say Mia (from the bottom left above) looked like a china doll and you couldn’t look away. This thing is almost 14 now! Here is a close up of what she looked like as a baby. She liked very few people and I was one that she liked – just saying…

Christmas morning reading the paper after presents had been opened. Not a flattering picture but there was no place I would rather be.

Moms of teens – put your phone on silent and just take the pictures. Tell your husband to do the same and get you in the pictures.

This year stinks but you know what – there will always be something. It will never be perfect because perfect just doesn’t exist. Get dressed up if that is what makes you feel good. Put on the makeup, do the hair, cook the traditional foods or don’t! Do what makes you happy this year!

Blessings,

Amy

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you are ready to go and not too frazzled. I also hope you are taking some quiet morning time to read my blog with your coffee – ha, ha! If not, this will be here for you later. Also, today’s post may be as exciting as watching paint dry. I will totally understand if you want to click away. We can still be friends.

Last Friday I posted a short survey asking what type of blog posts you enjoy the most and what you would like to see. Thank you, thank you, thank you for responding and also thank you for alerting me that it was messed up at first! I was able to figure out what I did wrong and edited it to make it work around 6:30 a.m.

I always like to know survey results from ones that I fill out, so I thought you might, too.

I asked you to rank what type of blog posts you prefer and the choices were food posts, cocktail posts, fashion/what I wore posts, Friday favorites/product recommendations, Hello Monday/weekend recap posts, or other.

#1 – Friday Favorites and product recommendations. I love writing my Friday posts and find them fairly easy to do. I snap photos all through the week of things that bring me joy. Even if you don’t have a blog this might be a joyful thing to do. I also like sitting down to write Friday Favorites on Thursdays because I reflect on my week and I just think it’s good to be reflective about life. I love recommending things, too. If I love something I want the whole world to know and agree with me! Just kidding – you don’t have to agree with me. Some asked for more links to products and I will try to work on that. That would be helpful, I know. Also, I don’t want all of my favorites to be materialistic things; I like to also include favorites that are moments of the week or good things that happened.

#2 – Hello Monday/Weekend Recaps. This kind of surprised me because I have found myself thinking how many photos of my patio can I show these people? How many photos of my coffee cup do people want to see? I guess it is nice for me to have a digital scrapbook of my weekends, though. I feel like sometimes my weekends don’t have any big events or outings. But, you know what, that is life – especially right now. And, sometimes the joy is not in the big events, but in the ordinary days – oooooh, so deep, right?

#3 – Food Recipes. I love these on other blogs, so I was glad these came in third place. I also like some suggestions to do more about food shopping and meal planning. I have some other ideas in regards to food posts, too! One suggestion was easy dinners and that is my jam.

#4 – What I Wore Wednesday/Fashion Posts. I really enjoy fashion and putting outfits together. I love shoes and accessories. I think it can be a challenge to find your style when you are 40-50. I need to work on my photos and figure out a routine for getting a daily outfit shot. I want to focus more on what we have in our closets than on buying new stuff. I have some ideas for these. You all really liked my faux leather leggings review where I compared 3 brands. Let me know if there is another category I can review that you would be interested in.

#5 – Cocktail Recipes. These are fun but I feel like I have used up all of my recipes! I should do a post with all of them grouped together. I also don’t want to give the impression that I am a heavy drinker. I drink more in the summer than in the winter. I like to drink on patios. I probably drink one-two times a week. I am kinda weird in that I don’t like alcohol with food very much. I want a drink before dinner or a happy hour drink. A morning mimosa is a rare treat. Water is my dinner drink of choice. Anyone else like that? I guess an exception would be wine with cheese.

Other-Anything that includes Ernie (awww!), movie, book, t.v. show reviews, everyday life, home tours, renovation, home decor, everyday life.

Suggestions from you all:

More book reviews with a rating system – I love this idea! I used to record every book I read in a year and I will bring that back along with a rating system. I am thinking of a coffee cup rating system – 5 cups – you must read, 1 cup – go mate your socks instead of reading this book, etc.

Keep sharing home improvement/renovation. I will, but my plumber got Covid the week of Thanksgiving and that was our next step. He is fully recovered, thankfully, and is coming soon. This is just the way of renovating. Things get going, then stall. I like to think it’s God’s way of helping me appreciate what I have and learning patience.

Teacher posts – I can do this. I am not always sure how many this would appeal to/I like the break from school talk here in this space!

Parenting college kids – I have had this on my mind lately. I am respectful of their privacy and am careful not to talk to much about their lives. I can do more of a my perspective type of thing on this topic.

More Product Comparisons – I need ideas! I think we are talking mainly clothing items?

Tourist Attractions Nearby – I can do this. I also have ideas for activities for young kids and teens.

Day in the Life – I have not done this in a while. I have tried and forgotten to take the photos during the day!

Favorite Stores – I have thought I need to do this again soon!

If you are still here, I just want to thank you for all the additional nice things you said to me. I teared up while reading them. Never underestimate the power of saying something nice to someone – whether it be a family member, a friend, an internet stranger – ha! I was feeling down and these comments boosted my spirits.

I hope you find joy in whatever your Christmas Eve plan looks like this year!

Amy

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Happy Wednesday! Today is The Style Six right here if they are hosting it today so close to Christmas!

Last Friday I went to Fleur de Flea vintage market. It was really cold out but I knew we would be inside the whole time. I wore my A New Day poncho from Target, my A New Day white long sleeve v-neck, my new pants! and my Madewell tennies. I also believe in bringing a crossbody purse when doing something like this. This is my very old Sak bag from consignment with my new Amazon bag strap.

Let us talk about these pants. They are listed under the Aerie Crackle product you guys! The fabric is like butter. They hold you in and are super warm but not in a bad way. I am 5 foot 4 and these run true to size. They have a flattering seam down the middle and look at the cute cut outs on the bottom. Click on the link “my new pants” above and then they are the last black color offered in the color selection. I also wore them to wore that day with a festive plaid button down and my gold Tieks. Anyway, I think you will really like them. I predict that more of a flare yoga pant will come back in style soon. You heard it here.

Monday we celebrated Christmas in my hometown with my mom. I wore my Lucky black booties, black leggings, black button down (my normal black tee was dirty) and this Amazon pink plaid that is 3 or 4 seasons old. This was taken at the antique mall we visited in the afternoon.

I also wore my Christmas mask!

The best masks I have found are called Pomchie’s and I found them at The Prickly Pear boutique. I have had my black and leopard for a long time. They are $5 each and are so comfortable. I don’t know how effective they are but they did pass the candle test – meaning I can’t blow out a candle while wearing.

I went a little crazy and got 4 Christmas masks – one for my mom.

We took Panera to my mom’s house because she loves it. We ate, opened presents, played The Game of Things (it was fun and easy!), and then we went downtown to an antique mall. We had a nice day and my mom liked her gifts – a pillow for her new couch and a notepad set from The Stationery Studio.

My mom gave the boys old books and money (Mason) and a guitar pedal and money (Jack) and Tom got a biking shirt and candy.

I got this beautiful sweater coat:

This cute kimono for spring:

And, this cute kimono for spring:

Prediction: We will see more long sleeved kimonos?

And, these red/cranberry Matilda Jane pants! I have these in black and I got them hemmed. I may keep these this length because they work with a slight bootie heel. You all know how I feel about Matilda Jane pants for women. The quality is top notch and they are unique and funky but you don’t sacrifice comfort.

So, you can see I made out like a bandit in the fashion department!

Do you like receiving clothes? I have – ever since I can remember! I especially liked new shoes and put them on right away. My mom says she dressed me up like a doll for the three years that I was an only child and it’s her fault that I like clothes and shoes.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Amy

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

I thought I would share last minute ideas with you in case you are in need of some at the last minute! If I’m too late maybe you can use some for New Year’s Eve. I feel like this is going to be like 1999 NYE? But, what will 2021 bring?

This Christmas probably looks different (if it doesn’t I’m calling the Covid police on you!); more of the work may be on you without the extended family to help. As if the Moms didn’t have enough to do already, right? But, maybe 2020 has forced you to simplify. If there ever were a time to choose simple, it is this year, right?

It isn’t too late to do one last grocery pick up. If you aren’t picking up your groceries, you should. It is truly life changing!

I am planning for a Christmas Eve dinner for our family of four, Christmas morning brunch for our family of four, and a Christmas Day dinner for our family of four. Then, on December 26, somebody better go get me some take out food, ok? I love menu planing and cooking but I know I will be done by then.

Here are some ideas and I will share my/our menu plans at the end of the post.

Christmas Taco Salad – If you can find the red and green chips this can be really fun. Just do your taco meat and add whatever toppings. I bet kids would love a Christmas Taco Bar!

Order a Chick-Fil-A Heat it When you Need it tray. Or, if you don’t need that much, just get some ahead of time and heat in oven when ready. Serve with toothpicks. My kids loved foods with toothpicks and dipping sauces when they were little. Pick out the red and green toothpicks from your container!

Have Appetizers! This is what we are doing for either Eve or Day – haven’t decided yet. Here is one recipe I plan to make.

Open Faced Mini Rye Toasts – I love rye bread and this little cocktail bread is hard to find. My Aunt Judy has the best recipes and I have so many memories of her food upon our yearly Christmas trip to her house in a suburb of Chicago. Here is her recipe:

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. pork sausage

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. oregano

1 lb. Velveeta

Brown the sausage and beef and drain. Add W sauce and oregano. Add Velveeta. When cheese is melted, spread the mixture on top of the little rye on a cookie sheet. Broil for a minute then serve. You can prep ahead and it will work fine, too.

I am doing this but cutting the recipe in 1/2 at least for my family of four.

Think Red and Green Foods! Spaghetti, Lasagna, broccoli. The food can be normal dinner food.

Order pizza a day or two before and freeze. It warms up nicely on a cookie sheet in a low temp. oven.

Order Chinese or Mexican food for Eve. Most of our restaurants are open but some close early. I would say order early and then re-heat. I am re-heating for at least 20 seconds anyway just to be safe. Use your Christmas plates and it makes it really fun!

Just order chips and salsa/queso! We have been doing this for the last few years to have on Christmas day. The boys thought of it one year and it stuck.

Here is my menu:

Christmas Eve or Day:

ham (Kroger had spiral cut hams on sale for $8. They are huge) We usually get Honey Baked Ham but I don’t feel like spending $75 to get the ham sweats, you know?

Hawaiian buns or Sister Schubert’s rolls (I bought both)

Potato Casserole

Macaroni and Cheese

Green beans

Christmas Morning:

Egg Casserole (I will make this the day before)

Mimosas for the over 21 females (just me)

Virgin Mimosas for the rest

Monkey Bread (I think I can assemble the day before)

Christmas Day or Eve:

Cocktail Rye open faced toasts from above

Lil Smokies (small crockpot with grape jelly and chili sauce)

Beef and cream cheese roll ups (thin beef – spread cream cheese and roll up and cut – Jack loves)

Chips and Salsa

cream cheese and pepper jelly dip

carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, grape tomatoes veggie tray

grape tomatoes with tiny mozzarella balls and balsamic

mini bagels with veggie cream cheese and cucumbers

The family is getting Monopoly Deal this year (upon a rec from a friend!) and we have last year’s game that never got played – The Game of Things – still bitter about that! I think it might be fun to do the apps with the games. My boys are hilarious (not biased at all) if we can get them to play a board game with us and if they are in the mood to be hilarious. Teenagers.

What are your plans? I need to know!

Amy

Monday, December 21, 2020

Linking up with Heather, Tanya, etc. here if they do the Hello Monday link up today! I decided to go on with the show today. I hope someone is out there! Ha!

Happy first day of winter! I am going to note the time of sunset and then keep track of it each day going forward – because what else do I have to do? The good news is that each day will have a little more light after today. I am dreading January and February. I need to find the good in those months.

Let us go back to Friday – I went to school to take a photo for my students at my classroom door (not a soul was around my classroom) and to pick up my gift. Our school gave the teachers a giant golf umbrella with our school logo and a…

mug with our logo and on the other side it said…

I used it during class when someone forgot to turn their microphone on. It was a nice gift. I finished teaching and did a little cleaning. Gratuitous photo for proof of mopping the mudroom floor. I use the Swiffer with the velcro and attach a disposable mop pad. I use a bit of Pine Sol and it makes it really quick. I am really into mopping my mudroom floor. I should look into the kind of mop pads that you wash and re-use. There is a January goal for me.

The time is flying by with our boys at home and I really am dreading that adjustment again. We found out they have to take a Covid test before moving back on campus. It is administered at the college so that makes it easier for us since we are close. I guess the kids that are further away can do their testing at home. I am so over Covid. It just really stinks.

Mason has really gotten into thrifting. He goes to Vintage Vibe and Vintage Banana with some new college friends. Jack likes thrifting, too, but not as much. The whole family set out to go to Fleur de Flea around 3:00.

Looking at records and not realizing someone was taking their photo…

Some of the booths are boutiques that have gone out of business, sadly. It is a really huge space. I could’ve seen everything in about 30 minutes but Jack and Mason looked through lots of records and old books, and I think we were there for almost 2 hours. It made me happy to see them enjoying this. They both picked out a few gifts for friends.

When we got home I decided to cook some easy stuff. I made fried rice – guys, seriously, this is so much better than a restaurant in my opinion. Use my search bar to find my post on this if you are interested.

And, I made grilled ham and provolone on a fancier type of bread. I also made a slaw type salad from a mix but forgot a photo.

We watched some t.v. together and then I think I tried to watch some Christmas movies on Netflix but I was tired.

Saturday morning I read with my coffee.

And, then it was hair day. I always take the first appointment on Saturday and I go about every 2-3 months. You have to stand at the door and get your temp taken. I was the only person in the whole salon for quite some time!

Two sweet senior girls dropped off gifts on my porch this weekend. Brownies and a Target gift card and…

cookies and a candle. So sweet. I live really close to school and my next door neighbor is a senior so lots of my students know where I live. I am o.k. with that.

Saturday we had a plumber at our house most of the day. I think it was 3:00 by the time he left and Tom helped him most of the time.

I made a simple dinner of pasta with turkey sausage and corn and a salad and crescent rolls. I put a mixture of butter and seasonings on the inside and they were really good.

And, after dinner I started wrapping in my bedroom. I like wrapping but I am not that great at it. Also, I do wrap everything or almost everything in the stockings. Is that weird? I also wrap everything for the boys. We open one thing on Eve – pajamas and a game for the family – and everything else in the morning. The kids love seeing Ernie get his stocking. We need to get him a few more things.

Sunday morning I was lazy but did my coffee, some reading, showered, and then went to this cute little boutique owned by my friend. It is called The Prickly Pear and I have mentioned it before.

She has purse straps! And, the purse below comes without any strap on it. I think it is a great concept!

I made the pink meringue cookies! Mason wanted to take them to his friend’s house later in the day. They turned out kind of flat – meringue doesn’t like humidity and it had rained in the morning.

I am excited about Bridgerton coming to Netlflix! It comes out on Christmas Day!

My sisters and I decided over Zoom a few weeks ago that the smartest way to do Christmas was for each family to celebrate separately with my mom. So, one sister went there this weekend but wore masks. It stinks that we aren’t all going to get together, but we plan to do a re-do in the spring with maybe White Elephant gifts?

It is really hard not to get down about it, but things got real for us last week when one of our good friends tested positive. We also had a neighbor in the ICU – he is only in his early 50s. Thankfully he did come home yesterday!

I want to say thank you for filling out my survey. I will share the responses in a post because I am always curious to see results of the ones I fill out! There were some really good suggestions – a rating system for books that I read is one of those. Love that! I would also like to do a dedicated monthly book post. I am working to improve my photos. Anyway, you all are the best.

Happy Winter Solstice! Leave me a comment about your plans for the day or what you did this weekend!

Amy

Friday, December 18, 2020

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

Are you ready? I am waiting on a couple more things to come in this weekend.

Here are some things that made me happy this week! I would love to know your favorites, too! Leave me a comment! We can all use more happy.

In addition to virtual teaching this week, I had a bit of down time to start watching The Crown. I had watched a couple episodes of season one a long time ago so I jumped right back in and now I am on season two. I am watching this by myself usually in the afternoons. I find myself Googling information about the royal family. I cannot wait to get to season four but it will be a while. Anyone else watching?

Also, one of my sons wanted to try Gilmore Girls with me. We started it together and for some crazy reason watched the first episode in Spanish. Did you know you can go to settings in Netflix and do captions and change the audio? We are watching it with English captions and Spanish audio. Hilarious! By the way, I turned on the captions for The Crown just in case I need them for the accent.

I also abandoned my Christmas books for now for Sophie Kinsella! I could not believe how quickly the library came through on her newest book. Anyone else a Sophie Kinsella fan?

I got a local coffee this week – actually two – one morning I had to be out before classes started and I got a caramel latte at Sunergos. Another day I was out around lunch and got a toffee latte from The Coffee Zone.

I finally wore my Scotch tape leggings to teach in. Photographer son was up and able to take my photo. I love this pullover so much and reach for it more than my Aerie leopard one. It has pockets! I was so comfy in this outfit.

I meant to do a full house decor tour but I decorated on Thanksgiving night and then never really did anything else. I added the small bottle brush trees to the mantel but the other decor is old. I love our stockings from Pottery Barn – they are 18 years old. Ernie has our old dog Archie written on his stocking. He told me he is o.k. with it as long as he gets the contents now. I tried to find these stockings again but no luck.

And, here is our hall table with all of my Christmas cards. When your kids turn 18 and you have had a card for almost that many years, you run out of space. No card for us this year.

Tom turns the patio lights on in the morning and I think it looks so pretty. We had rain/frost this morning so I snapped a picture.

Today is the two year anniversary of the death of my Dad. We all miss him so much and it is crazy that it has been that long. Holidays make it harder, of course. I feel like now I remember the funny or good things more. Have I ever told you about my pennies from Heaven theory? My friend Victoria told me about it a long time ago. Your loved one sends you pennies or coins. I have found so many! Recently I have found several. And, there is a coin shortage! I usually find them in parking lots when I am getting out of my car. Now, do not try to tell me that people drop them. I want to believe these are messages and I save most of the ones I find.

These two peace lilies from the funeral are living in my mudroom and I swear they like the agitation/noise of the washer and dryer. This one is from our good friends and it has some new blooms.

And, this one is from one of my assistant principals. I am going to send both of them a picture and just say how much I love these plants and the daily reminder of their generosity warms my heart.

I really want more plants! I am going to work on that in January.

Other favorites this week were just getting to talk one on one with a couple of students. I had a couple of kids stay after virtual clases and it was so nice to feel like I am helping them. One boy confessed that he is struggling with this format and I gave some suggestions and I hope I boosted his morale. I miss the connection with my students. Our district is talking about being able to go back around Spring Break? I have my doubts but I hope that is true. It will be very hard to adjust after so much time away – for both the teachers and the students.

I signed up for the vaccine this week. Our governor is making teachers a priority and we are in phase two which should be around end of January. We get to choose if we want to take the vaccine but we had to express our wishes so they can have enough. I said I would take it but I am a bit nervous, I must admit.

I am not sure how much I will post over the break. This is my favorite hobby so I may post semi-regularly or even regularly.

I really enjoyed doing the faux leather leggings review on Wednesday and loved all the comments. Also, check out my potato soup recipe from yesterday.

Now, I have a favor to ask…

Would you mind filling out a very quick 3 question survey to help me plan for future posts?

Here it is! Thank you in advance!

Amy

Thursday, December 7, 2020

Are you ready for a really easy recipe without a cream of chemicals soup? Just kidding. I do use canned cream of soups for our family potato casserole recipe.

This recipe is to die for – and I wanted to have it on my blog for both you and me! This would be great for lunch during winter break. Are you doing Soup Sunday? If so, definitely add this to your rotation. It is from Gimme Some Oven but I made it my own with a few adaptations.

Get in ma belly!

You will need:

5 slices of raw bacon – cut up with kitchen scissors. I think you could do more bacon than this if you want. Some can be saved for your garnish.

1 cup diced yellow onion

4 cloves of garlic (I just use the jarred already diced stuff)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk, warmed (I did not warm my second cup and it was fine)

1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, diced. I only had russets so I used about 4 of them and peeled them and diced them.

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt, pepper

Toppings: sour cream, green onions (do not skip buying these. I have become a big fan of these on my soups, baked potatoes, Mexican layered dip.)

First:

Cook your bacon in your big soup/stock pot. This will be a one pan meal, too! When crispy, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

reserve about 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease – keep that in the pan. I basically used a ladle to take out the excess that equalled more than 3 tablespoons.

Now, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and do another 2 minutes.

Keep stirring.

Stir flour into the onion and garlic and stir for about 1 minute to fully incorporate flour (this is what creates your cream of texture)

Add chicken stock

Add milk

Add diced potatoes. I diced mine pretty small.

Add some salt and pepper to taste. I also added Tony Cachereś cajun seasoning.

Continue cooking until the mixture just reaches a simmer before it begins to boil.

It will look like this:

Now, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Do not burn the bottom.

Once potatoes are fully cooked, add in the cheddar cheese and some of the bacon.

Serve with a garnish of bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onion.

Yum!

Amy

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Today we are going to discuss faux leather leggings. Do you need some in your closet? The answer is – faux sho’! I am linking up with The Style Six here. I appreciate them letting me link up with my super amateur photos! Check them out; they have some great style and you may be able to shop your closet with their ideas!

In the fall of 2019, I wanted to jump into the faux leather leggings trend, but I really was not very sure if I could pull it off or if I would even reach for them when getting dressed. I purchased the Target Wild Fable leggings in a size up (I was told to do this by someone) and I wore them every time I went out in fall of 2019/winter 2020. I more than got my $12 worth. Now they are $16, but I think if you have been curious about this trend,they are great quality for the price. You may want to try your normal size and a size up and see what you think. Here are those leggings.

Have you ever tried a starter pair of something? When I want to try a trend, I sometimes get a cheaper version just to see if I like that trend. I think I first did this will tall boots a long time ago.

Now I own three pairs of faux leather leggings and today I am going to review them for you.

Left: Target Wild Fable, Middle: Aerie Crackle, Right: Spanx.

I thought some might appreciate this post because I am not young and I am not a size 2. Everything – every trend, even Mom jeans – looks good on you when you are 22 and a size 2!

First let us talk about Target Wild Fable:

They are more of a matte black. They almost can pass for regular pants when I pair them with a poncho and booties. Maybe this is because I went up a size. Honestly, I am reaching for these the least now since I purchased the Crackles this season. But, I have been so impressed with how they have washed. I lay flat to dry but I have probably washed them 30 times.

Pros: Price, quality, super comfortable, no rolling down at the waist

Con: I do not think they look right with tennies and dressed down outfits. I only wear these when I dress up a bit. The best shoes seem to be my black booties.

Aerie Crackles can be found here. I hope these are the same – the Aerie/American Eagle website makes them look a little bit more snakeskin-ish. Mine do not look snakeskin-ish in the least.

I personally love the crackle look. I think these look great dressed up or down and I will tell you, they are super warm. I wore them to eat in a tent on a really cold day and my legs were pretty warm. That could be a con for those of you in warmer climates, but I am not sure; you warm blooded gals seem to not tolerate the cold so these could be good. These are so comfortable and the waist stays put. I did size up one, but I feel like maybe I could have gone with my normal size. I think AE runs a bit big.

Pros: The price – under $30, the quality, the warmth, the unique crackle look, the waist band, the versatility, wash perfectly (Again, I wash in cold and lay flat to dry).

Cons: None. I love these leggings so much! And, I just noticed this week that they have them in other colors. I think burgundy/wine could be really cool! I really think Aerie quality is amazing for the price. I am all about good deals and I will pay for high quality. I would pay much, much more for these.

Spanx can be found here, or that is where mine came from. I decided to order directly from the website so I could get the short/petite length. I have only had these for a while, so I may not be as informed as I am about the first two. I think this photo does a good job of showing you the texture of the Spanx. They are like a baby Crackle.

I ordered a size up again (so all three are one size up) and the petite length. When I first tried to put them on I had to do some major body contortions. I was wondering if maybe I should have gone up by two sizes? Maybe by buying the petite length they are smaller all around? I found I had to get the ankles in the right place and then pull the leggings up more and more. My dog came into my closet and he was really judging me – I could tell. So, they are very hard to get on. My other two go on perfectly. Once on, though, they feel like a second skin. The material feels great on your legs and I think it flatters your legs the most of all three pairs. These can be dressed up or down.

Now, here is the problem that I am struggling with. These have the highest waistband and it rolls over when I sit. The other two do not do this. I find this to be very annoying and uncomfortable. Yes, I know my tummy is my problem area. My leggings do not need to betray me like that. I know what they are thinking – We must roll down because we cannot tolerate this spare tire. It is just rude!

Ultimately, I did decide to keep them because I am hoping to lose weight and because the texture, feel, and leg look is so good in my opinion.

Pros: look, quality, texture, dressed up or down, cannot speak about multiple washings yet

Cons: price $$$$, waistband situation, hard to put on

So, if I had to recommend only one pair I would go with the Aerie Crackles! I would order your normal size and one size up if you have a local store where you can easily return. If you do not, I would still say it might be worth it to try two sizes.

Do you own any of these? What do you like and dislike? If you own the Spanx, talk to me about how they have worn over time and the waistband issue.

Now, run, do not walk, to get these Aerie velvet leggings. I went with normal size because the size up was not in stock and they are perfection. They were $23 and I thought they would be so cute with a plaid shirt and more. They are so comfy and cozy and I love velvet, and

look at the adorable zippers at the ankles.

These can be found here. They come in short! I am 5 foot 4 and the short is perfect on me. I really appreciate that about American Eagle and Aerie – many of their bottoms come in short length. This is the perfect year for velvet leggings for the holidays!

Now, you may be thinking, why does one need 3 pairs of faux leather leggings in a pandemic. I definitely do not! But, the Target Wild Fable are from 2019 before the pandemic, so we will take those out of the equation. So, technically I only bought two pairs in 2020.

I am in a weird stage where I only want to wear black leggings. I have burgundy and grey leggings, too, and of course I have other cruel, hard pants – like jeans. If I am getting dressed 7 days a week then I will wear the above some days and normal black leggings other days.

I hope you found this post informative!

Do you own any of these? Thoughts? I will read all of your comments faux sho’!

Amy