Friday, November 28, 2025

Happy Black Friday to those who celebrate! Ha! I am not sure what’s going on in the blog world but I decided to post today so you all don’t miss me too much! Just kidding, of course!

I am not planning to shop today but boy are there so many sale emails and texts coming through.

Some stuff from the week…

Eddie Otis needed a vaccination on Monday and he was a little angel. He was a good boy.

We got home and then he wouldn’t get out of the car for quite a while.

Do you spot his dolphin he took with him on the ride?

It was a treat to go to a Starbuck’s and be asked if I wanted my “for here coffee” in a real mug. I got a sugar cookie latte and I was tickled by the sprinkles, too.

I hadn’t had much lunch so I ordered the potato chive bake – recommend!

I am loving my short boots for our wet morning walks. I am on my second pair of Costco $20 boots in maybe 10 years and these are the ones I reach for the most. They are so easy to slip on. I really enjoy walking through the wet or dry leaves.

I feel like Eddie Otis looks at me to make sure I’m having a good time, too.

My Christmas library book requests are coming in… how fun is that? Yes, yes I do judge a book by its cover.

I had plans to get a pedicure on Tuesday but it was cold and rainy all day and it just didn’t seem like a good time. I piddled around the house and stayed in much of the day because I knew Wednesday would be a long day.

Wednesday morning I left my house around 9:00 am and it was blustery cold and super windy for the drive to my hometown. We finally got a closing date on my mom’s house and it happened to be the day before Thanksgiving. Molly was the only one who had to sign but I had told her I would accompany her.

We met at a cute coffee shop and I got a really good brown sugar flavored coffee and some egg bites.

I told Molly I hadn’t claimed my Dad’s wedding ring but that I had been wearing it on my middle finger since the day of the offer back in early October and look at this…

She had on my mom’s wedding ring! We didn’t even discuss this and I honestly didn’t know which sister had my mom’s rings. We haven’t divided up jewelry yet.

Kate didn’t come for the closing because she is 3.5 hours away and we understood. We want to do an overnight with all of us when it’s a better time.

I don’t know how to describe the closing rather than it was a really special time. We met and sat across from the buyers – the wife was actually a student of my mom’s in the early 80s and the husband lived in China for his job for a bit and my mom loved China. They are grandparents of 8 and my parents were grandparents of 9. They talked about the layout of the house and how it would be nice for their big family and we told them how our parents used the space. They offered for us to come by anytime and we exchanged phone numbers. It was a closing, and it was a sweet closure. We left the office and cried a bit and hugged and then called Kate and shared the experience with her.

We drove to the Airbnb that we rented for Christmas to check it out in person and then we went to this cute store:

We ate lunch:

We tried to go to a few shops and they were closed until Friday.

We went to a winery and had the weirdest tasting with a gentleman who works there. It was like a Seinfeld episode. I got in trouble multiple times. I yawned and he asked if he was “keeping me awake”. He told me I didn’t taste correctly, and I had to cover my tongue for 15 seconds. I had no idea what that meant.

A group of four came in and he told us he was going to start from the beginning for them so we had to listen about the first few wines again. It was a tasting with a side of lecture. He told us one wine would pair well with ostrich. Someone from the other group asked what would be a good palate cleanser in between wines and he said “roast beef” and my sister asked if anyone had any in their pocket.

Anyway…it gave us lots of laughs!

We went to another winery and it was a Christmas wonderland…

It was a nice day with my sister after a hard thing.

I am still processing what this means. My parents moved to this town in 1975 and owned a house until 2025 which makes that a 50-year run.

Thanksgiving came and we drove a couple of hours to meet Tom’s family at a state park. This was different than the usual tradition.

Someone in the lobby started a fire in the fireplace for us.

It was sooooo cold so these were the photos I got from the lodge balcony.

They had a buffet and we ate.

Former student dog sitter sent us a pic of our boy:

I am wrapping up acorn spice just in time to use peppermint and Iowa pine!

And, now I will let myself use this:

Tell me a favorite of yours from the week!

Amy

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to say how thankful I am for my loyal blog readers. I really feel like we are friends! The amount of support and encouragement you give me is insane and I really don’t know that I deserve it. I am grateful for this space. If you are struggling today, maybe my post from yesterday will help you.

I had a really good November – boy did it pass quickly. I guess being stuck in a school all day made time slow down because time seems to be moving much more quickly now.
I am still trying to be the best version of myself and figuring out my new routine!

I want to be home most nights at dinner time. It’s important to me to cook and spend time with Tom. I like to have no more than one week night out and by out I mean still probably home by 7 or 8.

I am working on decluttering and organizing and being more minimalist and using space more wisely in my house.

November was a good month.

I completed my 9th week of going to the gym in the mornings.

I felt comfortable taking EO to the dog park by myself.

I enjoyed as much outdoor time as I could.

I celebrated my birthday – multiple times with different groups.

I enjoyed my new fall additions to my wardrobe.

Tom took a week off to do some house things – we got a dumpster and he ditched old fencing and old patio, we ripped up carpet, and he worked on the new fence. Wow! I couldn’t believe what he accomplished and I so appreciated his hard work.

I enjoyed some patio snacks and read some good books.

We did our final boat ride of 2025 before winterizing.

We enjoyed a concert; Tom really loved it and that made me happy.

We did a German cooking class and again Tom probably wasn’t that excited to go, but he ended up really loving it.

We went to the German Christmas market.

I had a nice lunch with Mason. We both love discovering new places and trying new to us foods so this really filled our cups!

I had a nice happy hour with Erica at one of my favorite bars in town.

I am excited to head into December, and I’ve already done some Christmas events and enjoyed some decor!

I hope you also had a good month.

What are you thankful for today? I hope that you have a cornucopia of blessings.

Amy

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

1. Do you feel like you have a ‘full plate’ at the moment? In what way? 

I feel like I finally have a manageable plate. I don’t want to fill my plate up again too full!

I did tutor a kid in Spanish this week at Starbuck’s and they have asked me to do that weekly. I committed for a bit – not forever.

I got there early, and the barista asked if I wanted a real mug for my sugar cookie latte. It was a treat! I went early to avoid traffic, but it turned out to be nice time to read my book before the lesson started.

I felt like I really help the student. That was a good feeling.

2. How did you learn to cook? If you have children did you teach or encourage them to cook? Do you like to follow a recipe or is your cooking style more ‘let’s wing it’.  

I really didn’t learn to cook until I was married at 28. I liked to bake as a child and did that a little bit. My grandma taught me how to make her mashed potatoes. My mom didn’t want me in the kitchen “making messes”. I had my kids in the kitchen quite a bit to make cookies or fun things. Mason likes to cook and is pretty good. I usually start with a recipe but then I go a bit rogue.

Cooking is fun to me (most of the time) and I love when someone likes my cooking. I get joy from cooking for others. I brought my friend Elizabeth quiche, salad, and some other goodies to her office. I think she really liked the food and the company since I stayed for a whole hour to chat with her even though I hadn’t planned to stay that long.

3. Last time you bit off more than you could chew? Elaborate. 

I tend to get really excited about a project and then fizzle when I realize how much work it will entail.

But, with that said I was good about saying NO to committees and extra obligations at work. I did a lot but those who do a lot are asked to do a lot more.

4. When did you last say ‘the more the merrier’ and mean it? 

I always feel this way when I go to festivals, events, etc. When I go to restaurants I don’t really enjoy shouting over a huge table. I think restaurants are most comfortable with 2-4 people.

5. Write an acrostic using the word T-H-A-N-K-S. 

T – time to reflect and just be

H – home – where I’ve spent most of my time and poured my energy into

A – attitude – I get to have this life now

N – “no” in November – being able to say this and respect my boundaries

K – keep – what to keep and what to toss

S – stay – true to myself and my values

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

This came across my Facebook feed:

My Aunt Judy made these and so many good appetizers and desserts, so I texted her this photo. They are so good! You could probably just do ground beef or ground pork and not the mixture. It’s kind of hard to find the cocktail rye, but usually it comes out at the holidays. I might make them!

Thank you, Joyce! I’m glad to link up today!

I hope everyone is ready for whatever your plans are for tomorrow and thanks for reading!

Amy

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Feeling blue like this tree?

There are lots of reasons why you may not be feeling very festive this year – changing traditions, family dynamics, the stress of the holidays on your finances, adult kids adulting and moving on, divorce, custody arrangements, illness, loss of family members, family feuds, etc.

I was reflecting the other day on some hard family holidays my family has been through. Some of these were in my pre-blogging days. I think there were two Christmases where my sister in Columbus, Ohio couldn’t travel to my parents’ town in Indiana, and we all went to her. Her husband was in the hospital with leukemia, and she had a new baby. Yup, she had a 9 month old baby. The next year his leukemia came back, and he had to have a stem cell transplant. Yeah, my sister has been through it. We laughed our heads off at the depressing Christmas decorations in the waiting room I remember. That’s how we dealt with it – inappropriate humor.

There was also the year we had Chick Fil A for a late Friday Thanksgiving in my Dad’s hospital waiting room. Gosh, that was so sad. I wanted to find some joy for the kids (my nieces and nephews) and gave out money for the candy in the depressing hospital gift shop that had bins of penny candy. We trashed that waiting room, but we did clean it up!

First, know that you are not alone. There are others who are in the same boat. There are so many people who dread a holiday for one reason or another.

-Remember that Thanksgiving is just one day. Remember that Christmas is just one day. The clock will strike midnight and the expectations for a magical time will be lowered again.

-Volunteer. Look for a way to give back or serve on the actual holiday.

-Offer to work your job if it is a job that stays open.

-Stay off of social media. It’s fake news. You see those photos, but those photos are just a mirage. I bet Aunt Karen was drunk and slurring her words and saying all kinds of inappropriate things. That cute kid in the cute outfit is a spoiled brat whose voice is so annoying I bet. Don’t compare your situation.

-Think of all the good things that you can enjoy. Think of the upside to your current situation. At least you won’t have as many dishes. At least you will have more peace. At least you can wear your favorite pajamas and have a hygiene-free day.

-Band together with others who might be in the same situation.

-Do something totally unorthodox or unexpected. Travel if you can, go somewhere different. Eat an unorthodox meal that won’t have you thinking of the feasts of past.

– If it your first empty nester holiday with just you and your spouse or significant other, think back to your first holiday pre-kids. This could actually be a romantic and cozy holiday for you.

Here is what Gretchen Rubin said on Instagram:

This may seem so silly, but I do enjoy seeing the holiday products in the grocery store. I really like this one! I am not a big soda drinker, but I love the little glass bottles of Coca-cola and I love the cranberry added to the beverages. I usually buy stuff to make Shirley Temples. Who doesn’t like a red drink?

I replace daily things like my hand soap, kitchen cleaner, candle, placemat, tablecloth, etc. These little festive touches work for me and make it feel like the season.

Read Fiona Ferris’ book! This really inspired me last year.

This year both Thanksgiving and Christmas are different for me. Also, I am missing the holiday excitement of working in a school. I stopped and thought about how many holiday things I did in my classes recently – I gave them Thanksgiving vocabulary and winter holiday vocabulary (can’t really just call it Christmas) and we had round table discussions about both holidays, we wrote thank you letters in Spanish, we decorated a turkey and wrote what we were thankful for…

The excitement about school breaks was in the air and it was so much fun and anticipation.

Survival Tips:

-If you are scared of small talk/awkward family interactions – arrive later and leave earlier. Small doses.

-If you don’t like the food/have a special diet or goals, eat something healthy first and then just pick a few things to eat. Most people are not going to be paying attention to what’s on your plate. Keep in mind that it is just one meal.

-If someone forces leftovers on you don’t argue. It’s not that big of a deal. My friend got so bent out of shape that her mother-in-law brought too many desserts and then wouldn’t take the leftovers home. I told her to put them in our faculty lounge. Teachers will eat anything! This is not the stuff to worry about.

-Stick to the positive. Try to think of a compliment for anyone you have to interact with. When said mother-in-law brings too many desserts, “Oh, you are so generous!”

-Bring a small gift to the hostess. It starts things off on the right foot. A kitchen towel, handsoap, hand lotion, a candle – something small.

-Avoid talking about politics or anything controversial. It’s really not the time or place.

-Try open-ended, positive questions like “So, tell me something good in your life right now” or “What good things have happened to you since I saw you last?” You might have to start and say – for example, “I recently got to talk to an old friend!”

-Bring old family photos. Your family may only have one thing in common – shared history or shared family members. Think of a photo like a visual aid that will help your conversation.

-Many people think alcohol is the only thing that can help a family gathering but drink lots of water and avoid over serving yourself. You will say something you regret and feel like crap the next day for more than one reason.

-You don’t owe anyone anything. I guess what I mean by that is that you can be sad, you can be quiet, you can be struggling this year, and you can even bow out. You can feel your feelings. Someone said to me this year that they hope I “can be happy on Thanksgiving”.

-Take a break. Go outside or to the bathroom to give yourself a time out. Let them think you smoke or have IBS.

-Bring stickers. Who doesn’t love to put a sticker on their shirt whether they are 6 or 86? Have you ever seen someone sad around stickers?

-If you need a laugh…read this off color McSweeney’s article entitled “Thanksgiving or Perimenopause”!

What other suggestions do you have?

Amy

Monday, November 24, 2025

It’s Monday and link up with Sarah and Holly day – to talk about our weekends.

If I were still teaching, I would be headed into a two day week before the holiday. Those short weeks often felt the longest! Also, I am not contributing to two meals like I normally would. We always went to Tom’s sister’s house on Thursday and my mom’s house on Friday and I always made 2-3 dishes for each. So, I am not trying to get through the last two days until break and I am not food shopping, which is actually kind of nice, but odd, of course!

This year we are eating at a state park buffet and the forecast looks to be super cold for the holiday.

I think I’ve decided I will do my own Thanksgiving-esque meal sometime over the weekend. Maybe all the foods will be on sale!

Friday was another gloomy day and Eddie Otis and I did our playground walk while the kids were inside learning.

I stayed home and did chores and then at 4:00 I met Erica at Grassa Gramma for their happy hour special at the bar.

It fit the vibe of the moody, gloomy weather.

I had the $7 happy hour old fashioned:

Italy is imprinted on the ice cube:

Before happy hour I had pre-ordered pizza for dinner for Tom, Mason, and I. Did you know you can do that? I went to bed around 9 and slept in until 7:15!

Saturday morning Tom took EO out of the house so I Swiffered, mopped, dusted, did laundry, and decided to go ahead and take down the fall decor, including the few Thanksgiving pieces. I got out the Christmas decor to assess. I ran to Paul’s Fruit Market to get a few things. Now that I think about it, I accomplished a lot between 9 and 11 Saturday morning!

We met our friends at the German American Club (where we went for the cooking lesson last week) for their Chriskindlmrkt or Christmas market. It’s pretty small and quaint, but still fun!

I got some Gluhwein and a mug to take home. It has the recipe on the back of the mug – it’s red wine with spices served hot.

It was fun to be outside and to visit with our friends. On the way home we stopped at a Nordic bakery, and it was so cute! Yup, we went to Germany and Norway all in one day.

We came home and it was time to cuddle and watch sports…

Yesterday morning I used my new mug for my coffee and enjoyed some…

Nordic bread!

I cleaned my closet and gathered my Chirstmas accessories. I have just enough. I don’t want to go overboard. I pulled out my Christmas clothing, too.

I went to the basement and sorted some of the Christmas decor and went to Target to get some new twinkle lights and just see what they had.

I like this (all of it is old):

But I’m not really happy with the mantel yet:

Tom and I went downtown to walk around and see some new businesses that I was curious about…

And then we stopped at an outdoor store for some new socks for Tom.

We came home and I read on the patio for a bit:

And then….

Raw meat alert

Can you take it?

Are you sure?

It was time to recreate the schnitzel!

Cheating:

I bought this special seasoning at the market; they used it on their schnitzel. It’s really fun to say “schnitzel” instead of a cuss word.

Anyway, I will let you know know how it turned out later in the week!

Tell me a highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, November 21, 2025

It’s Friday and time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share our favorites from the week. How was your week? Ours has been cooler and rainy. We haven’t really seen much sun.

We have really been tossed around with the closing of my mom’s house. About a week ago they said they thought we could close today, then they said no, but maybe the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, then they said nothing, then they said they can do it today at 1:00 and we made all the plans, then they said no they can’t get the paperwork together but maybe next Wednesday but wait then the realtor called yesterday afternoon and said that they could do today after all but at that point it was too late in the day for Molly to get a sub! Yes, I did intend for that all to be a run on! Who does business like that?

Molly is the only one who has to be there as the first trustee (because she is the only one who lives in the same state and my mom talked about how that would be the easiest potentially when she was drawing this up), but I told Molly I would go with her since I’m only an hour away. Anyway…I don’t have confidence that it will be Wednesday.

Here are some favorites from my camera roll this week…

I started my week by finishing this book:

I loved it! I loved the Germany references, the house swap premise, and more. There were some goofy parts but I really enjoyed it.

I got to pick up:

Yup, I have started my seasonal reading!

It’s getting ridiculous at this point but when I was in Kroger for one or two things I perused the holiday offerings and they have a Santa lambie! Raise your hand if you do a stocking for your doggy! Tom has named all of Eddie Otis’ toys and here is his list of lambie stuffed animals:

Lambie Pequeño (small lambie)

Lambie Gigante (giant lambie) – it is so big that he looks hilarious walking around with it in his mouth

Lambie Halloweenie (lambie with a witches hat on)

And, look at you, Kroger! They had my peppermint! I have been looking for this flavor everywhere!

For my birthday, Blonde Heather gave me this wonderful spray (that Tom hates apparently – he asked what that awful smell was). It really smells like a Christmas tree, and it is strong. I am making myself wait to use it but I have tested it out, obviously. I love it and that’s all that matters.

I think I will save this bottle when it’s gone.

Tuesday morning (and really all day) I was so thankful to be able to stay home. It rained and I opened a window near me. I love the sound and that fresh rain air. I stayed home all day until about 4:00 when I met Beth and Becky at a holiday fair where different vendors had their wares on display. It was fun to get out and look around!

I had simmered a pot of soup all day and had that when I got home.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Wednesday I picked up pants from my tailor. I hemmed the leopard barrel leg (still not sure I can pull it off but they are in my first photo) and my original first pair of Halara jeans. A hole developed toward the bottom cuff of one leg so I cut them off and they looked bad so I had a professional hemming done. I love repairing clothes. It makes me feel very pioneer woman and resourceful woman. I act like I did the repairs!

I have been using this lotion on my body but it says you can use it on your face…hmmm…should I? This lotion lasts through a couple of showers, even. It makes your skin so soft. I can feel the collagen just pumping through my skin.

I’m still going to get the tub of Cerave lotion for winter, though. It’s so good.

This is really good mascara! It is tubing. I realized how important mascara primer is several years ago (for me). This has the primer on one end and the mascara on the other and it won’t break the bank. I am really loving it.

Did you read my Dinner Queue post on Tuesday? We had spaghetti one night this week. Everyone loved it and it hit the spot. We like angel hair!

Here is a statement I never thought I would utter. I have a new favorite lettuce. It is butter lettuce with “immune supporting mix of lettuces, pea shoots, and lemony sorrel”. I don’t know what any of that means but trust me when I say that this combined with some grated fresh parm and my simple salad dressing – a little bit of EVOO, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and minced garlic – was delicious. It’s only about $3 a container.

I am trying to perfect a winter white cosmo. It’s impossible to find white cranberry juice so I ordered it on Amazon.

I like my cocktails to have a fizzy element so I am adding cranberry Sprite.

Blah, blah, blah Trader Joe’s. Let me tell you that your regular grocery probably has really good cheese, too. They even have a little basket of tiny little cheeses that are like $2. It’s a good way to try out a new to you cheese.

I got an enormous hunk of dill havarti at Kroger and it is so good. It was triple the size of what you see below for $6.

Cute little napping boy on top of Vaca Frita (Tom named it “fried cow” because that is on the menu at the Cuban restaurant) and an emotional support cloth napkin.

Tom doesn’t speak Spanish, but I guess I have rubbed off on him due to all the Spanish involved in Eddie Otis’ toy box.

I enjoyed my fun leggings at the gym one day this week.

Mason and I had a fun lunch one day this week. We went to Blue Dog Bakery.

Pretty coffee in a mug:

I don’t think I have ever had a wheatberry salad but I really liked it:

I had a French jambon sandwich:

We actually sat outside with heater and it was vibey!

This is the book I started next and it’s cute so far:

It was a good week!

I am not sure of when I will post next week but it will probably be most if not all of the week, so come see me!

Happy Friday!

Amy

Thursday, November 20, 2025

It’s already Thursday! That means that Thanksgiving is exactly one week away. I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill for Fashion Files and Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings today.

I have been on a bit of a shopping spree. I usually buy some things for my November 2nd birthday and then I have opened the floodgates. I am going to try to stop now.

I have been buying brown! I bought American Eagle classic sweatpants in brown and Quince wide leg lounge pants in brown. Brown is the “it” color apparently.

Let’s see what I’ve been wearing in the 50s and 60s degree weather we have been having.

I wore this to take lunch to my friend Elizabeth at her office. I am wearing black Halara jeans, an old green Walmart sweater, and a no wrinkle button up underneath. I think I should have tucked in the shirt and not left it hanging.

My shoes are new. I bought Dansko black Mary Jane clogs. Amazon had the best price I could find.

I wore this for some errands. I have on my Target cow mules, my striped Halara jeans, and my white button up from Aerie. I have two of these and I love them.

For a birthday dinner out I wore my new Old Navy black skirt (I got it in burgundy, too), my boutique blouse that you have seen a lot of, and my scalloped black cardigan. I have on my old suede boots from Target that have a bit of a country vibe.

For Saturday things I wore my Land’s End striped track pants, my exercise sneakers, a white tee and I think I put a jacket over.

For the German cooking class later that day I put on my boutique blouse, and….my extra petite medium wash Halaras came in that I pre-ordered a couple of months ago. They are perfect. I love them so much. I think my collection is complete now. I have 6 pairs of Halara jeans! I am wearing brown mule/clogs from last season.

Here I am in the new brown sweats (sorry for the sun glare), a brown shirt, and my leopard vest.

The brown sweats are a bit long but I can roll the waistband. They are so cozy. Why did we ever stop wearing sweats? By the way, they call them a “jogger” but to me a jogger has a pretty big band at the bottom. A sweat has an elastic bottom.

I got it in my head that I “needed” a hot pink sweater and I found one for 40% off at Old Navy in store. I have now worn it 3 times since Sunday!

It matches my new bag, too!

I also bought the cutest graphic tee while in ON that I will show you soon. I need to back off the shopping now!

I have no idea what I am wearing for Thanksgiving. I will have to look at the weather and look at my options.

1. I love mashed potatoes! I really like the whole combo of the meal together, though.
2. My sister in law’s mother in law makes the best stuffing/dressing. It doesn’t go in the bird cavity so I guess that is dressing. It is made with Stovetop cornbread box mix but with added sausage and things. It’s so good. I need to ask for the recipe.
3. I am not. Our Christmas will be small and just the four of us but since Jack is out of the house I guess I will feel that I am kind of hosting this year. I want to make it special.
4. Probably neither this year. I have never done or gone to a Turkey Trot on actual Thanksgiving day. We have almost always walked our dog at the nature preserve or done some exercise before eating the meal, though.
5. The earliest I would do is the Wednesday before. I kind of like that. You come home (since we never host) and poof – it’s Christmas!
6. Sit down.
7. I am a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving person because it’s really the only time I eat it!
8. We are doing a day trip only I think.
9. No! I do not want to be in that mess!
10. I am most looking forward to some time with our family of four and then seeing my side of the family in a happy occasion and not a sad one – I hope.

Whew! That was a lot!

What are you wearing/buying right now?

What would you answer to one of the questions?

Amy

Wednesday, November 19. 2025

1. Let’s do our gratitude question first this week…what’s the best thing about your home, and have you taken time to enjoy it lately? 

You guys might not believe this. I lived in my childhood home, went to college and lived in dorm/sorority house all four years, lived in three apartments (two with my bestie Heather and one alone), then bought my current home with Tom. So, I have only ever lived in two homes! I feel like that is kind of rare when one is mid-fifties. We bought a modest ranch when I was 28 and Tom was 33. It had four bedrooms and two baths so it was a house we could grow into. One bedroom was in the basement, so it is kind of cheating. We built a garage, added a bathroom, renovated the basement, two bathrooms, added 600 square feet on the back to become our primary bedroom, mudroom, and patio.

It feels like home. It’s comfortable. No space is wasted. I have a basement with a huge storage space. I love my outdoor spaces. Tom had the idea to create a side patio on the garage with an overhang? It’s nice to have a covered space and something I wouldn’t have thought of.

I love my garage and side patio so much and you hear about it often! I would love a new table but there is nothing technically wrong with my old table.

Tom also replaced all the doors and door hardware and now they are beautiful paneled doors and bronze handles.

As you can see the door trim needs a re-paint which is part of the plan.

I grew up in a house that didn’t feel comfortable. The furniture wasn’t comfortable. I didn’t feel like I could set a drink down.

Mason keeps asking for coasters but Eddie Otis eats them so they are put away and you have to go get one.

I don’t really have enough indoor space to entertain so I like to only do that in patio weather. But then I think of people making NYC tiny apartments work or people in Europe entertaining.

2. Do you like squash? Of the varieties listed, which one’s your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Is squash of some sort on your Thanksgiving menu?? 

I love squash! I think I like yellow the best but I also like it mixed with zucchini and I really like spaghetti squash, too. The other ones I have only had rarely or not at all.

We had yellow squash casserole one year that Tom’s brother in law’s sister brought. That is the only time she came to Thanksgiving, but her squash casserole made an impression on me. I can’t remember her name, though.

acorn, butternut, delicata, spaghetti, zucchini, crookneck (yellow squash), patty pan

3. Last time you were ‘squashed in’ somewhere, or felt squashed? 

I felt squashed in a booth for 6 people last Friday night. Tom’s coat was on the seat next to me and was making me hot, too. He did not need to bring it in. It was 70 degrees.

4. Have you ever played squash? What about other ‘racquet sports’ such as racquetball, tennis, pickleball, badminton, table tennis (ping pong)? Are these sports something you enjoy? 

I don’t think I have ever played squash. We used to set up a badminton net in my childhood backyard. I took tennis in college as one of my PE requirements. I like ping pong on occasion. I just rarely have the thought that I’d like to have a paddle in my hand.

5. Something in today’s society or culture that feels like a ‘racket’ to you? If you don’t like that one, tell us about a place you’ve been recently where there was a lot of ‘racket’. 

Fancy manicures with doodads and designs. Drive thru food. Drive thru coffee everyday. Some restaurants like steakhouses. Tattoos. Some beauty treatments and beauty devices like red light masks. Makeup – especially extensive regimens. But it’s a person’s choice to do these things. People have free will to spend as they like.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Tom’s new fence:

He’s got a little bit more to go but he is taking a break to visit the chiropractor. Womp. womp.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Amy

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Dinner! Why do they need it every night? For many of you, this is such a busy time of year. It’s not the time for gourmet meals. It’s the time for simplicity. I think most women I talk to are just exhausted by decision making. They can google recipes, but they just need the ideas.

Here I have a list of 20 plus meals that can get you through the holidays when you are just at home for normal dinners. This can save you having to use the drive thru and you can have many of these things on the table more quickly than you can order Door Dash.

Some of these things are not that healthy, but again, I think they might be better than fast food.

You will riff off of these ideas and remember things your family likes, I think. Open your phone memo and type what you like or get out your pad and pen.

Also, try to think of one meat but used two ways.

I have more energy in the morning so I sometimes will brown the ground beef or do some element of the dinner. I literally will set a timer on my phone to start dinner some days. Some late afternoons I am in a bad mood because I have to execute the dinner plan. I try to turn on a podcast or talk on the phone to make it more enjoyable on those days I just don’t feel like it.

American tacos – hard shells, lettuce, tomato, cheese, Taco Bell taco sauce, add rice as a side if you want

Spaghetti – make the meat at the same time you make the taco meat, add to a jar of Prego Chunky Garden or your favorite jarred sauce, use the good ol’ green powdered parmesan, and serve with Texas Toast

Fish sticks or filets, Kraft mac and cheese, can of peas

BLTs, frozen french fries, fruit – If you aren’t making your bacon in the oven on a sheet pan, start now.

Breakfast for dinner – can even make extra bacon and use for BLT night – pancakes, fruit, scrambled eggs

Rotisserie chicken, ready-made mashed potatoes or 90 second packet rice, green beans

Chicken Caesar wraps with the leftover chicken – buy a bag of Caesar salad mix. Frozen fries or frozen tater tots on the side. This was Kristin’s idea I stole this summer!

Salmon, baby potatoes, broccoli – can put this all on one sheet pan

Taco salad (can even freeze the taco meat from taco night) – iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, Taco Bell mild sauce, crushed up original Doritos

Quiche or crustless quiche and side salad

Baked cod or tilapia (use cajun spice), frozen broccoli, baby potatoes

Burger bowls

Hot dogs, baked beans, bagged salad

Sheet pan turkey sausage or kielbasa, onions, green peppers

Hot subs, chips, fruit

Grilled cheese, everyone’s soup of choice (get some fun ones with characters?)

Fake Thanksgiving (Pre-Gaming)- Stove Top stuffing, Ready-made mashed potatoes, can of green beans (we like Allen’s Italian green beans), and some slices of thick cut turkey from the deli counter – did you know you can do that? Add Sister Schubert’s or Texas Roadhouse rolls, too – if you want more carbs!

Loaded baked potatoes – you can make a bar and offer chili, chicken, shredded cheese, broccoli – great way to use up leftovers. Can make the baked potatoes in your crock pot!

Sandwich bar

Pasta bar – just boil two shapes of noodles and call it a bar?

Ready-made bbq, buns, beans or another side

I think my favorite thing in my kitchen right now is my sheet pan – I have three big ones and one small one. I love roasting vegetables on it and I daresay it might be the easiest cooking method. You chop and toss with some olive or avocado oil and use some seasonings and then forget about it. You’re done. You can chop the veg in the morning if that works best for you.

Tom said something to me early in our marriage. I was making complicated recipes (for me at the time) and he said I didn’t need to work that hard and he is fine with “meat and two veg”. Isn’t that simple? I think about that often when I don’t feel inspired.

Sound off in the comments on your easiest go to meals. What do you always have on hand that you can make? What are your strategies for dinner when life gets hectic?

Amy

Monday, November 17, 2025

How was your weekend? Let’s link up with Sarah and Holly to talk about it!

Let’s start with Thursday! EO and I did a walk and enjoyed it not being so cold anymore!

I have used press on nails for maybe 3 years now. I give my natural nails a break in between sets and this is what my natural nails look like. Gel and dip destroyed my nails, but my nails are staying healthy with press ons. I use the type with adhesive on already (no nail glue required) and I get about 10 days out of a set. I exclusively use Impress brand.

I did a gray/green at the end of the day Thursday.

I went to Whole Foods for one thing that they didn’t end up having but I found this peppermint bark creamer.

I made a delicious iced coffee.

I loved this blackberry acai. I think you can buy Whole Foods 365 brand on Amazon now since Amazon owns Whole Foods.

Thursday night for dinner I made lasagna cupcakes in my popover pan. I couldn’t find my muffin tin. I think I got rid of it because it was in bad shape and then forgot to replace it.

Friday, I went to Work the Metal and enjoyed seeing their holiday decor. I missed their holiday open house a week ago because I had something else going on.

My custom handbag was in! The shop is in the same building. The shop is gorgeous!

Here she is:

The business is called Bonhomia and you can buy ready made pieces or you can design your own. This would be such a great gift. They use recycled Guatemalan handcrafted textiles.

There is a Facebook group, and I was able to pick my own fabric, leather color, and bag style through a super easy process on Facebook messenger. The owner/founder had the goal of 75 custom bags, and she exceeded that and used the extra profits to send the kids of the artisans they employ to school for a year.

My bag was $139, and I think that is reasonable for the quality of the bag. Reach out to me if you want one and need more help than the website can give you.

I came home with my bag and the weather was amazing!

Have cow print Mary Janes and lounge chair – will read.

Friday night was the long-awaited birthday dinner with my two besties and their husbands. One birthday was October 16 and mine was November 2nd, and we were only just able to go out together because of conflicting schedules!

We went to Malone’s, which is always good, but they had us in that booth for 3 hours. The service was slow and drawn out. Do they think we are Europeans? They had festive holiday decor that I enjoyed seeing!

They give you the most basic salad that is really good! Sometimes you just want good old iceberg.

I ordered a chicken sandwich just to get a smaller piece of chicken (left the bun) and the potato croquettes, which are amazing. I was able to take one home and have it the next day.

They have a colossal chocolate cake (it’s 1/4 of a cake) and we got that complimentary for our two birthdays.

Silly photos:

This is like one of those photos that shows you what it is like to have an astigmatism, which I do have.

Joint blowing out of the candles:

I got really thoughtful gifts for my birthday, too. We had already given the other birthday girl her gifts when we went to brunch on her birthday. Yes, there is lots of celebrating because why not?

Saturday was another really nice mild day! I went out to a boutique to spend my birthday gift card that one friend gave me and I went to Paul’s Fruit Market to get a couple of things we needed.

I went home and Tom and EO were using Tom’s new backpack leaf blower. He bought this “toy” last weekend.

I gave up on:

I only had about 50 pages left, but it was just painful to keep reading it. I knew what was going to happen. I don’t even know how motivated I am to grab it and read the last page.

I started this and I love the premise so far! Someone in Dallas does a home swap with someone in Germany! And, you might say I had a German-themed day all around on Saturday because after reading for a bit with my lunch I had to get ready for…

A “day date” to the German American Club!

We ordered this cookbook from the people who owned the German restaurant that is now closed and I brought it to get it signed…

during our German cooking class!

Mom and daughter who wrote the cookbook demonstrated how to make pork schnitzel and spaetzle (egg noodles).

Peep Tom helping with the noodles:

We were told we would get a generous taste, but it turned out to be a full dinner!

It was so fun to talk to the mom and daughter, and the mom told us her stories of coming here. She also talked a lot about avoiding food waste and foods they prepared when they didn’t have much food to go around in Germany. She is 82 and raised 5 kids who all worked in the restaurant when they moved here in 1993.

We came home and I read outside and then I remembered we had our tv out on the patio, so I watched a show for a bit in the dark. I wanted to have a fire, but it was really windy. My windchimes were really noisy and made it a bit hard to focus. Lol. I went to bed at 9 after staying up too late Friday night.

Sunday morning, I got up early because I had gone to sleep early and made my coffee. I placed a grocery order that would be ready for pick up at 9!

This week I am keeping it simple with

Chicken tortilla soup (will make extra chicken for burrito bowls)

Classic spaghetti (meat is already made in the freezer from the lasagna cupcakes)

Frozen fish, mac and cheese, peas

Burrito bowls

That’s only four things but we will do leftovers or sandwiches or order take out one night I think.

My post tomorrow is a list of easy dinners to get you through this busy holiday season. It’s nothing mind blowing but I hope it helps!

I did housework and errands for a bit on Sunday mixed in with some sunny reading time.

Tell me something about your weekend, too.

Amy