Wednesday, September 10, 2025

It’s Hodgepodge with Joyce day!

1. What gives you energy? What takes it away? 

Laughing with people I love and deep conversation and connection with people gives me energy. Toxic people take my energy away. Stupid stuff takes my energy away. People that make things more difficult than they have to be truly drain me. You know those “you had ONE job” memes? I think I am a fixer and I look at a situation and want to do it a better way. This was the problem I started having with how my school was run. It was frustrating that the higher ups didn’t do things the way I would have done them. Are you like that, too? Sometimes I wish I could just chill.

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear? 

I am doing really well with not surfing online or shopping for recreation. If I see an ad or someone recommends something I do think about it and shop if it fits my needs. I do like to shop in person as the season changes and just see what trends are out there, see what I have in my closet, and go from there.

I am realizing that I just don’t need as many clothes now.

I am trying to do less fast fashion and chose quality over quantity.

My last purchases were shoes and jeans.

I love sunglasses and bracelets the most and want to try a scarf ponytail or half up style with a scarf.

3. What’s something free that you feel grateful for? 

My library!

Sunshine!

Fresh air!

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner…which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What’s your go-to comfort food? 

I love breakfast food. I can eat it at any time of the day. My comfort food is probably mashed potatoes or a baked potato. I also love macaroni noodles with just tomato sauce and that was a fave of my mom’s. She hated breakfast food and often had leftover spaghetti or a typical dinner food for breakfast – lol. My Dad loved breakfast food.

5. This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges? 
9/11 is also my Dad’s birthday and he would have been 83! My mom’s birthday is 9/13 and she would have been 83, too. My sisters and I talked about marking their birthdays by doing something but they are so busy with their teacher jobs and kids so I don’t think it’s going to happen this weekend, but maybe we can do it later.

I was teaching when 9/11 happened. My principal came on the announcements and said “Teachers turn on your tvs to channel 3 (that was back in the day when we had the small tvs mounted high up on the wall near the ceiling and had the universal channel for broadcasting things) as there is something that is happening in our country right now” or something like that. We actually saw the second tower get hit live. The rest of the day was a blur and we did nothing academic, obviously. Students got picked up by their parents and I went home at the end of the day and put a VHS tape into my VCR and recorded the Spanish channel. It was just Tom, me, and our dog Archie. I didn’t get pregnant until February of 2002.

I feel like I keep referencing pre-pandemic things and post-pandemic things now.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I had a calzone last weekend and I can make this better. It wasn’t that good. The dough and the sauce were mediocre. I’m going to use my Budget Bytes stromboli dough recipe and just buy the Kroger brand pizza sauce which is a bit spicy.

It’s both exciting and disappointing when your food at home is better than restaurant food.

Amy

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

I am a packing nerd! Like, I really like to pack! This past weekend I had to pack for just one night away but I wasn’t quite sure what the weather would do. There was a chance of rain and the temps would be from 50-80 degrees!

I packed:

my rain jacket, one sweatshirt, sleep shorts and a tank, only one other bottom (I wore cut off jean shorts and only packed a pair of jeans), three more top options that would work with the jeans or jeans shorts. I wore flip flops but packed two pairs of sneakers, mary janes, a dressier sandal just in case for my foot wear. Shoes always get me in trouble. But, I packed really well, other than my shoes.

I didn’t wear one pair of shoes and I didn’t wear the sweatshirt or one of the top options that would have worked with cut offs or jeans.

TMI: My other tip is to bring more undergarments than you think you need. They don’t take up space and you will be glad to have them.

I thought it would be fun to bring a bunch of Trader Joe’s snacks for the car or the hotel room:

I made us hotel charcuterie!

We stopped for lunch on our way and then we had this around 5:00 and it was perfect to tide us over until we could get situated at the festival. Tom ate dinner at 8:30 and I didn’t even need dinner. You just never know so it’s good to have some back up food. Our room had a little fridge so it was perfect. Also, I brought some wine and prosecco.

I don’t pack shampoo, conditioner, or body wash for just one night. I love how many hotels now have this set up:

I loved these products and plan to look them up – Alice + Co Botanicals. I stayed at The Graduate in Nashville and then ordered their brand of products. So fun!

These sneakers were my walking sneakers and I wore them for my Saturday morning walk.

Friday afternoon festival fit:

Saturday festival fit:

It was a little cooler Saturday and I was happy I chose jeans. I did end up switching to flip flops when it got warmer.

Our hotel room was huge and really nice:

The hotel included breakfast and it was one of the nicer hotel breakfasts I have seen. Their coffee was really good, too. So, Saturday morning Tom and I went down to breakfast before we went to the farmer’s market.

Are you a good packer? I think I am. When my boys got a bit older (maybe 4 or 5), I would have them lay out what they planned to take on their beds. I would sometimes give them a checklist. They liked checking things off. We went on so many little weekend trips back in the day. We had family reunions, weddings, and just met family sometimes. They loved staying in hotels and immediately claimed their bed and got in it. We have so many fun hotel memories with them. One of these days I need to recap some of our family trips.

Do you immediately unpack when you get back home? I usually do! This time, I waited until the next morning and also did all my trip laundry. Ahhh there’s nothing like being back home and all organized.

Amy

Monday, September 8, 2025

Linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday!

Well, my twins turned 23 on Friday! They each got a cookie cake like this and we gave them actual gifts and some money, too. Jack got a Trader Joe’s gift card and money for a Costco membership – lol. They were thrilled with their adult gifts and then went to a bar with video games together – still got some kid in them, for sure! I love when they spend time together and try to encourage it without Tom and I in the way sometimes!

But, the day before that I gave myself a gray mani. Exciting!

And, I had a girls dinner out on the most gorgeous patio and in the most gorgeous evening weather. I ordered a fancy burger and grit cakes.

Friday we did our birthday celebrations early because Tom and I had a little road trip around 2:00.

We drove to my hometown of Madison, Indiana but for fun this time. We checked into this old factory that is now a Fairfield Inn right on the river.

We had tickets for a music festival and they were for both Friday and Saturday.

You guys – Tom is beaming!

We listened to music for a few hours without our chairs and then went back to the hotel and changed and got our chairs. The view from our room was amazing!

We lasted until about 11 pm!

The next morning Tom dropped me off at the farmer’s market and he went to buy protein shakes and go to the gym.

I bought a couple of things from an Amish girl (at the farmer’s market – she wasn’t ust a random Amish girl on the street) and then went to a coffee shop and got a maple cold brew.

Stars Hollow vibes on Main Street for sure. It was nice to have it to myself because it was so early.

I walked all down Main Street and then walked by the river and sat on a bench and called my sisters. It started raining on me so I went back to the room and Tom got back about the same time.

This little town is just such a part of my history. I actually won a speech contest about the town and had to give it on a stage over the river a long, long time ago. Nerd alert.

We checked out of the room and then Tom and I went together to a few little shops. We both loved this one and both found treasures. I found a candle, marble salt keeper, produce bag, and Tom found jam, jelly, and pickles.

We ate lunch at The Red Pepperoni pizza place.

Then, back for more music from about 2-8. It’s such a nice venue right on the river and we really enjoyed ourselves. We saw a teacher from my school so that was fun and we met up with a couple of friends Saturday afternoon, too.

The hotel was just a straight shot down the river from the festival and it was awesome to be so close.

Tom had suggested sleeping on the floor of my mom’s empty house. I vetoed that idea.

Did I tell you that I accidentally booked a hotel in Madison, Wisconsin instead of Madison, Indiana for the night of my mom’s funeral? Oops. I was able to get my money back after explaining what I did.

Also, there was a house showing at 10 am, so I don’t think that would have been a good look to present!

Ok, I will say one negative thing about the experience. Everything was perfect – the venue, the weather, the stage, the music, but…

The 80s called and they want your cigarettes back! There was so much smoking! Like real cigarettes smoking! Have you not gotten the memo?

And, we also smelled the devil’s lettuce A LOT. This is not legal in the state of Indiana.

Our eyes were burning from all the smoke. I also hate the smell of both kinds of smoke. HATE.

Honestly, my life had started to seem a bit Groundhog Day so it was a great little 28 hour getaway and it was important time for Tom and I to be just us doing something we enjoy. I’m hoping to do more of this. Mason was our dog sitter and we so appreciate him.

The drive home was beautiful.

It’s exactly an hour drive so it’s not too bad.

Sunday morning the temps were chilly!

I think it’s really nice to get a mug or a candle or something small that helps you remember a special time or place. My candle is called “Autumn in Madison” and smells of apple cider!

The striped jeans were ready for me on Friday and I took them for a test drive yesterday!

Tom and I went to Tom’s cousin’s daughter’s soccer game for about half of it yesterday afternoon. They were in town for a tournament.

And, I will leave you with the cutest view. Eddie Otis liked to mow with Daddy.

What filled your cup this weekend? Let me know!

Amy

Friday, September 5, 2025

Today is my twins’ 23rd birthday! It’s hard to believe they are 23! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites of the week.

I know many of us get a little nostalgic when Labor Day has come and gone. I liked this…

I feel differently about it this year. I have had 31 super busy Septembers – it’s seriously so crazy in teacher land – and now I don’t. I think I will be doing a fall bucket list.

In addition to turning 23 today…

This short week had a big impact on our lives/my life – Jack moved into an apartment on Tuesday and Mason started a new job (last week) where he has to leave the house by 6:45. He is planning on subbing at my high school, too, because this job is flexible but starts early!

They asked for stuff for the apartment (Jack) and succulents and a nail care kit (Mason) so we are definitely growing up. Mason also had his roommate from college stay here one night after they went out for birthdays together. Their birthdays are two days apart.

I also really liked this graphic from Mix and Match Mama:

I agree with many of these things!

And, I saved this outfit because it spoke to me and I have many of the pieces:

There’s just a nice sweet spot when you can wear jeans and a blouse and be done. No jacket required.

Over Labor Day weekend, I put away my lemon patio decor and told Tom I was doing so. He asked if there was a “no lemon after Labor Day” rule and I chuckled lightly.

I’m so proud of myself. I donated so much old Halloween decor on Monday. I then kept basically just this:

In October, I will add a couple of more colorful Halloween specific pieces that I kept and then after Halloween I have a few Thanksgiving specific pieces I will trade out the Halloween stuff for.

Mason and I went to Bamboo coffee shop on Monday and I got to see a student who just graduated and it was such a treat!

Tom mentioned this movie so we went to the theater on Labor Day with Mason because he was off work. We all really enjoyed this! It’s so funny because it only had one showing and wasn’t really advertised but it was really good with some bigger name actors.

I described this as “baller”. I ordered our popcorn when I ordered our tickets and it was ready when we got there. It was nice because there was a long line at the concession stand. We were the only 3 in the showing of the movie! Have you ever ordered your snacks along with your tickets? I thought it was great!

I have enjoyed some patio reading time this week and this is what I’ve been reading:

Monday night we did Taco Luchador because I was craving it again. But, we got takeout because no one felt like going out out.

Other favorites this week…

It’s always fun when Preppy Empty Nester comes back to blogland after Labor Day!

I received my Halara stripes and again, I am taking them to the tailor. They are petite in length and even at least four inches longer than my other petite flares. So frustrating!

Storytime/Reminder to always call about dental and medical bills: I was super proud of myself because I got a $331 dental bill in the mail (well I would rather not get any bills in the mail). I thought I paid in full at the dentist for my fillings as I paid $204 on the day of service. I called their office and they said they showed I had a $222 balance remaining and the dental insurance rejected the claim. Ok, so first off, that does not match $331 so I would have paid $109 too much had I just sent the money in.

I then called the dental insurance and asked why they refused the claim. They said I needed a 3 month waiting period because my insurance was new. It was not new; I just retired so I am paying slightly more and have a new insurance card. The lady on the phone said she would fill something out to waive the waiting period since she could also see that it wasn’t a new new policy.

I then called the dental office back and they were wondering why I even paid $204 at the time of service. But, the insurance company only covers silver fillings and not the nicer tooth colored ones. They also don’t cover the desensitizing thing they put on your teeth, so that stuff would be out of pocket.

So, they are resubmitting the claim and we shall see what I now owe.

So, this was confusing and boring but the moral is to always call about all dental and medical bills. I at least saved myself $331 with only about 20 minutes of time.

Girl math: On the same day I called about the $331, I went to the Coin Star with our loose change and “made” $110 so I told Tom that I “made” $441 that day! Girl math rocks!

I wanted a pedicure that didn’t look either too summery or too fall-ish so I chose UK blue. I only did a polish change this time. Remember that is an option if you are short on time!

It’s bright but I like it!

I am in love with the smell of my new shampoo and conditioner. Should I use a more expensive brand? Probably. I have been curious about Redken Soft I think it is.

And, I love the smell and feel of my new body wash. Look at me trying new things!

I want to go outside and read in the evenings more but the darn mosquitoes. I have found that long sleeves and long pants really do help a lot.

Zero mosquitoes!

Thank you for being here and staying here for this long post! There will be a test to see if you read it all! Just kidding! I did Hello Monday, A Re-Introduction, Hodgepodge, and Fashion Files this week if you missed anything.

Thank you for all my comments this week! It’s been so fun engaging with you!

Happy Friday to you and wishing you the best weekend whatever that means for you – a little bit of fun, a little bit of relaxation, a little bit of productivity?

Amy

Thursday, September 4, 2025

It’s Thursday so I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill for Fashion Files. Let’s do it!

First of all, we have been enjoying 70s and low 80s here in Louisville, KY so that drives our fashion, of course.

Here’s what I’ve been wearing over the last week…

I had a late afternoon hair appointment so the sun coming in my bathroom window was strong. I am wearing my new light denim straight leg Halaras that were recently hemmed for me, old gold Birks, and a lightweight button up from consignment shopping. I always get hot under the hair cape, so I try to not wear anything too thick! Enjoy this horrible photo!

The next day I had new hair and a happy hour date with my old teaching buddy Elizabeth. This time I wore my Halara light flares with my Kork Ease sandals and an old TJ Maxx tropical blouse.

For Labor Day weekend Saturday errands I wore patriotic colors – my Amazon red/white check boxers, my white gauzy button up, and my navy Aerie sweatshirt.

For the movie theater, I wore my Target Wild Fable sweat shorts and my Aerie button up. I thought to have Mason take a real photo!

I love this outfit and I think I have similar pieces to basically copy it!

Do you follow Our Tiny Nest on IG or read her blog? She is super creative.

She just posted that it is Princess Di bike short season!

I have black biker shorts. I now have the mid calf socks. Look at her legs. Wow!

I do not have a Harvard sweatshirt but I did in high school. I loved that sweatshirt.

I received my Halara jeans with the stripe down the side. They came super fast!

I ordered these in petite length and they are at least four inches longer than my petite flares with no stripe. Come on! I have already taken them to my tailor. Short people problems! But, I’m 5’4 so I’m not that short am I? Why are pants so dang long?

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to link up with Joyce for Hodgepodge – let’s do it!

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent’s Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

Sadly, my Dad’s dad passed before I was born and my mom was pretty much estranged from her Dad because her parents divorced when she was 8 and he got remarried and had another set of kids. I had a maternal grandma who passed when I was in 4th grade and a paternal grandmother who I saw a couple of times a year. Neither women remarried and I think they were pretty lonely. My Dad’s mom was a great southern cook. She taught me how to make mashed potatoes. I have memories of her laughing a lot. She would give us a giant candy bar and money for Christmas each year and we had fun shopping with that money.

I sometimes feel bad that I didn’t get to have a Grandpa relationship. That sounds bad, but I think you know what I mean.

2. What’s a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

Oh gosh, I love quotes but I rarely remember where I heard them. I will quote Gretchen Rubin from The Happiness Project “Be Gretchen”. But, I will not be Gretchen; I will be Amy. It’s so important to not try to be anyone else. Sometimes I wonder why I want something. Is it because someone told me I should? Do I even like that something? It’s exhausting to try to be someone you’re not.

3. What’s your number one food pet peeve? 

I swear I’m not a snob, but I really appreciate nice glassware, plates, and cloth napkins. I hate syrofoam! Wasn’t that supposed to be banned? I rarely buy paper plates to use at my house. We use cloth napkins because I already go through so many paper towels cooking and cleaning. My mom thought it was weird that I didn’t buy napkins for everyday use. I do like little cute cocktail napkins.

4. What’s one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

There’s a really cool book called The Artist’s Way which I guess you could say is a workbook about tapping into your creative side and the part that stuck with me was a question about what you enjoyed doing when you were 9 years old. So many people don’t let themselves enjoy beloved pastimes. We cram our schedules with non-important things and we miss out on the creative side of our personality.

I recently asked my super creative “little” cousin Curt in Michigan how he fills his creative side and he loved that question. Curt was born way later than the rest of the cousins and we loved him. He was like our little toy. He has a serious safety job now and didn’t go into a creative career. He told us that he designs the boat decor for the boat parade on the lake each summer and makes funny videos with his dog and the family’s dogs.

Back to me…

So, I always loved reading and my parents could hardly get my attention if I was reading. I still love reading.

I loved writing, directing, and acting in plays. You better believe teaching is a lot like acting, and stand up comedy.

I loved making up songs. I made up songs for teaching things.

I loved baking. I still do and I love cooking even more now.

And, this might come as a surprise, but I rap. I wrote and performed a divorce rap for my sister.

Hahahahaha!

No, I will not be sharing it here. You’re welcome, Kate. And, there’s too much that is inside joke material and it’s not rated G for all audiences.

5. September is National Preparedness Month…does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that’s kept there. 

Um, no. I need to work on this. I mean – we have lots of things we could scrounge up, but not a dedicated kit unless Tom hasn’t told me about it.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Give me all the apple recipes! I bought this apple butter at Kroger this weekend. Apple butter always reminds me of my girl scout troop because we made it homemade one year! Also, I made it in my crockpot while I was teaching online during the pandemic. I forgot all about that. It smelled so good all day while it was cooking away.

Amy

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

It’s hard to believe I have been blogging for over 7 years now. Seven? 7? I never remember the rules about typing numbers.

The purpose of this post…

I realize I have some new readers around here and also I have some newish things in my life. I will try to pepper in some photos so you aren’t so bored.

My name is Amy. I am 53. Why lie? If I lie about my age, I’m only going up so people can say I look amazing – “Oh my gosh – you look so good for 73!”

I am married to Tom who is 4.5 years older than me. We have been married for 25 years. We have only ever lived in one home! We bought it a couple of months before the wedding. We have one more major renovation project to do and it’s the kitchen. I hate renovation commotion and mess but I love the results.

This is Tom:

He doesn’t normally smile for pictures but our friend got him to smile over his bowl of lit up ice he ordered for dinner recently.

Almost exactly two years after our wedding, we had identical twin boys! My kids are almost 23 and I don’t talk about them much on the blog because they are private and it’s not their blog. After graduating from college they moved home and it’s been a little over a year and one is getting ready to get an apartment here in town (moving out today, to be exact) and the other is working toward it. I seriously could not have done my last year of teaching without their help at home with our puppy.

I absolutely have loved being a mom to these two!

We have a 1.5 year old chocolate lab named Eddie Otis.

Tom and his new baby last summer:

The baby is now big:

He is a handful but sure does make us laugh and add lots of excitement to our home.

I just retired from 31 years as a high school Spanish teacher on July 1. It’s still surreal to me and I’m figuring out my new normal.

Tom is a construction estimator. It’s great that he never has to be exact.

I had some fun on the first day of school in my old district:

I love reading, cooking, being outside in nature, fashion, quality time with family and friends and I write about all of that here. Thank you for being here! I can’t believe how much joy this blog has brought to me.

Tom and I have a lot in common but we also have a lot of differences; I just wrote about our extrovert/introvert natures if you are interested.

We live in Louisville, Ky now but are both from small towns. I am from a small town in Indiana and Tom is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky. But, Tom was born in Germany and lived there until he was two years old. Tom’s sister and her family also live here in Louisville but I don’t have any family here.

My twins first Halloween costume made by Tom:

Look at those chubby legs and cute feet! My twins were born at 30 weeks weighing only 2.9 and 2.14 pounds so everything seemed amazing for a really long time. They spent 6 weeks in the NICU.

I am the oldest of three girls and I adore my sisters. They are both teachers – one in Indiana and one in Ohio.

My Dad passed away in 2018 after a brutal 7 week hospital stay here in Louisville. For anything pretty major, people get transferred to Indianapolis or Louisville from my small hometown. It was a blessing that he was in the hospital here because I got to see him every day, but it was also extremely hard rushing from school to the hospital and all the other things I had to do. My mom stayed at my house during that time and we helped her get to and from the hospital. He had a hernia and when they went to fix it they found cancer and the hernia was probably caused by the cancer.

My mom passed away suddenly last January. It’s been a rough year. I am lucky I have two sisters to share the load with. In this photo, we visited our parents’ graves together. We also cleaned out the house over several weekends, had an estate sale, and are now selling the house.

So, in addition to my new retirement status I am adjusting to life with no living parents.

I try to keep it real here on the blog. Tom hates that expression “keeping it real”…

I hope that I am mostly positive, but there are times when I share the negative.

I love blogging and I think it’s a more sincere connection than social media. I do try to respond to all my comments but sometimes I fall behind. Just know that I read and treasure each and every one of them.

Did you learn anything new about me?

Amy

Monday, September 1, 2025

It’s Labor Day here in the US which is our unofficial end of summer. The official end isn’t until September 22 when the autumnal equinox occurs. I always get a little sad just because I love the feeling of summer (not necessarily the heat of summer) and I know it will be a long time and a lot to endure (winter) before another one comes around.

I thought I would still post today and join the Hello Monday link up if they have it.

Also, I posted on Saturday in case you missed it!

Nothing happened and I am not trying to send a not so subtle message; I just liked this:

You go, girl! Yassss, queen!

Why am I so bad at selfies? We’ll never know. Let’s go back to Thursday Hair Day…

Before:

After:

We had some grays to cover up this time and did that with low lights and I was very pleased with the results.

Eddie Otis and I noticed all the leaves in this yard on our walk earlier in the day…

I got home late from my hair appointment so we ordered pizza for dinner. We hadn’t done this in quite a while.

Friday I stayed home all day and just read and did chores. It was really nice. But, at 4:00, I went to Grassa Gramma to meet my friend Elizabeth for happy hour. They have a new 4-6 happy hour with $5 cocktails and specially priced apps, too.

I had a margarita with a sugar rim:

We had Tuscan potatoes and focacia and that ended up being my dinner because it filled me up; I went home and made corn on the cob, okra, and bbq for the fam.

Saturday morning I got to pick up the remainder of my new glasses!

Prescription sunglasses:

Prescription reading glasses:

I spent several hours reading this on Friday because I couldn’t put it down and then I finished it Saturday morning. I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t what I expected and I was also surprised that it interested me.

Then I started this:

At 5:00, we met our two couples friends at the boat (this was after the UK football game, of course!) I brought Heather, Heather, and I a giant Hugo spritz and used the last of the St. Germaine elderflower liqueur bottle. They loved it. We rode around and then parked at Captain’s Quarters in the last available boat parking spot for dinner. I think everyone had the same idea!

I ordered a mahi melt.

We rode around more after dinner…

Dudes in the back and chicas in the front!

Party cove was happening!

We don’t go out in the evening enough so this was really nice and the weather was amazing!

I had to make a normal grocery run Sunday and wore this:

Trying this out. Yes, I am kinda obsessed with brown sugar right now.

I read the Sunday paper on the porch, did some dinner prep, read my book, ate lunch…

Then, I made myself go work on bins in the basement. I have a huge holiday decor donation pile and I want to get that out so others can be enjoying it. I set a timer and worked for an hour and got a lot done.

And, that’s about it for the first couple of days of the weekend.

I hope you are having a good one!

Amy

Saturday, August 30, 2025

I’m coming to you on a rare Saturday to join in Share 4 Somethings with Jenn!

Things I’ve loved…

I live in front of an elementary school and it’s where my kids went from k-5. If I go out my back fence in the morning the grass is really wet, so sometimes I walk down to the path which is maybe 8 houses down from mine.

I love bamboo!

I love all this overgrown ivy (I think that is what it is) and I love to see this view in all four seasons. I am definitely a four season gal. It would be hard for me to live somewhere where you didn’t have those distinct seasons.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this gate open. There is a house that runs a bonsai tree (and other types of trees) business – can you see them in the background of the photo?

It warmed my heart to see all the neighborhood kids that are biking to school in 2025.

“Ma’am you’re going to have to stop taking photos on the school grounds” – just kidding. I didn’t get called out.

Things I’ve learned…

Even when I just read chick lit, I feel like I learn something or get a new perspective. I now want to go to a local bookstore and support them. I almost went to an event this week but I had another obligation and it would have been tight to get there. Tidy Dad is from near Louisville and was speaking at Carmichael’s bookstore. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a book event. I did go hear Gretchen Rubin speak once but it was at a big venue.

Anyway, this book was so cute. I really enjoyed it.

And, then, I started this and oh my goodness…I am learning things about space!

Some things the went well…

I had a really good week. Was this a one off or am I learning a new routine? Is it the fact that the weather has been so good. It’s probably all of that. I loved being able to have a patio lunch this week with a friend. I think I would like to do lunch out once a week.

This is just such a novelty for someone who packed their lunch and scarfed it down in 12 minutes for 31 years. I had a 20 minute lunch but I had to talk to kids, go to the restroom, heat it up, etc. Lol.

Some things I’ve let go of…

Well, I am in the process of letting go of cookbooks. I don’t want this rack when I have a new kitchen. It’s a hot mess. I do have a cabinet where I can not have my favorite cookbooks out looking messy.

I love this moms’ group cookbook, my mom’s best friend gifted us her recipes one Christmas, and then the last one is a cookbook I made for my family!

I am sentimental about keeping recipes with loved ones’ handwriting. I have my mom’s recipe box. I need a way to share any of her recipes with my sisters and their families.

How do you feel about cookbooks and recipes these days?

And, a little off topic…

It’s so hard to see these photos sometimes. This was about this time of year when they were getting ready to walk to school. We almost always put Jack in red because that was his favorite color. Mason was usually blue or green. Look how tan these little squirts were.

And, another little bonus. I often have people say I do a lot or I know about a lot of things going on in my community. Well, I did a really bad job at that this summer, but I do want to share my strategy.

I see lots of things on Facebook or Instagram. I screenshot them on my phone and keep them in my camera roll until they have happened. I also pencil them in on my agenda. If I am able to go, great. If the weather isn’t conducive or I don’t feel like it, no big deal. I also sometimes ask someone that I think would enjoy that event.

Here are some possibilities coming up. It’s Oktoberfest season!

It looks like I cut off the details but I will look them up on their website.

Tom loves bluegrass so on a Sunday that we aren’t boating I thought this would be fun:

In addition, I keep a list on my phone in the memo of things I want to do or places I want to go:

I have not made an early fall bucket list, but I should do that soon.

It was fun to be with you on a Saturday!

Amy

Friday, August 29. 2025

Happy Friday to all! Not only is it Friday, but it’s Labor Day weekend Friday. Do you get a little sad when Labor Day rolls around? I do. I love fall but I have always dreaded winter. I am trying to work on that.

Let’s share some favorites from the week, ok? I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for their fun Friday link up!

I love my new glasses! I am anxiously awaiting the prescription sunglasses and reading glasses. They said they would take 2 weeks to come in – boo!

I bought this elderflower sparkling wine a few weeks ago at Trader Joe’s and finally tried it Sunday afternoon and it is good. It’s like a lazy man’s Hugo Spritz. I thought the bottle was beautiful.

I ordered pumpkin flavored Premier Protein last fall and didn’t use it all and it’s still not expired. I have several bottles left. It made a fun iced coffee this week. I added a splash of vanilla to it, too. Again, this Nescafe Gold is really good with a cold brew or made into a hot coffee.

I had a spur of the moment fun patio lunch Monday with my friend Beth. Sunday afternoon she texted and said she was free Monday or Thursday and I picked Monday. I love having the time in my schedule to be spontaneous.

I ordered a salmon taco and a chicken taco and they were so good for the price. I need to go here more. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you but the food is really good. I was super impressed.

I had more patio time this week. I love looking up at this tree.

I love when Tom turns the patio lights on in the dark. I rarely think to turn them on so it makes me happy when he does it.

I also had my first PSL on the first day of PSL at Starbuck’s. I got a tall and it was $6! I really do like my coffee better now, but this was a fun treat to celebrate the first day they had it on offering.

Then, I went to look at the fall stuff at Hobby Lobby and I was not impressed. Everything seemed really cheap looking and/or not my style. I left empty handed.

I was not prepared for how much Christmas stuff they had out.

I haven’t been this season, but I have been impressed with Michael’s holiday decor offerings lately. They used to be just a craft store but have gotten more decor. That is where my pencil trees came from, too. I still love them.

You might remember my coffee shop time a couple of weeks ago with my former student Madeleine. She taught in Madrid last year, is going back to Madrid in September for another year, and I met up with her when I was in Madrid last fall. Well, we had a goal to speak only Spanish the next time we met up and we made it happen this week.

We have a little tapas place called Mojito and we sat in this little area that tends to be quieter for dinner. We spoke only Spanish for two hours and it was wonderful! She is so good! We made the rule that we would correct each other if needed. There were a couple of vocabulary words that she didn’t know and I reviewed her on a couple of verb tenses but her accent is better than mine and she is just soooooo good! It was so fun!

When you are a Spanish teacher, you have to speak Spanish teacher Spanish to some degree – as clear as possible, verb tenses and constructions that they know, and vocabulary that they know. I was able to just speak as I would to a native speaker and it was really good practice for me. She is a doll and I am so proud of her! Also, Spanish is a hobby for me and I always want to try to improve and be better.

We had one margarita and it was good!

I let her pick the tapas since I can go anytime.

We had guac and plantain chips:

queso fundido with chorizo:

and not pictured and the star of the meal – dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in bacon.

I am pretty excited about football shaped chocolate chips:

It’s not because I love football, but I think the shape will be interesting in chocolate chip cookies! Also, maybe they will be bigger? I plan to look for them!

I like these salad kids and use them as a base for my lunch salads sometimes.

I caught a cute photo of Eddie Otis sleeping on his big lambie or as Tom named him “Lambie Gigante”. He also has a normal sized lambchop stuffie.

I love listening to Tom talk to Eddie Otis. It’s really cute.

What were your favorites this week?

Amy