How was your week? I will share some things that made me happy this week!
I changed my press ons to this color. I thought it was going to be less summer aqua and more of a light fall green (yes, I’m crazy!), so it looks pretty summery to me.
While my grey and my black lasted 7 days, these popped off after 4 days. I don’t know if I needed to let my nails “rest” or I didn’t prep them well, but now I am letting my nails stay naked for a bit before applying any more.
I was looking for the wonderful Truly Holiday pack and found the Celebrations pack instead:
Ok – love! I have only tried these two, but I really like them.
I meant to get the sugar free, but I love this peppermint mocha. Yes, I jumped the gun a bit. I need to do more pumpkin before December!
Monday was my turn for lunch for Erica and I and this turned out great – cauliflower rice, grilled chicken, black beans, red onions, sweet potatoes, and I made a little chipotle crema to go on top. Erica gave it two thumbs up, too. I made up the recipe.
I’m kind of obsessed with sweet potatoes lately and I love the combo with black beans.
The weather has been fabulous even though it’s getting dark earlier. I have made it a point to sit outside in the morning, after school, and in the evening after dinner.
Monday after school I had my friend Beth over and Ernie was waiting for her. I forgot to take pictures but we had some wine and truffle popcorn and chatted. I could do this on a Monday because I was off Tuesday. What a treat!
When I was off Tuesday, I picked up two books I’m excited about from the library. I didn’t even know Sophie Kinsella had a new book, so I am super happy. I love her!
And, here was a Christmas book I have not read:
Tuesday I voted, of course, but I also got a bunch of errands run. Erica wanted me to help her put some outfits together and we had lunch at Cheesecake Factory after shopping. I ordered from their Skinnylicious menu and it was really, really good.
I had salad and a chicken sandwich:
Texts from Mason continue to be a favorite. He often starts texting me at 3 or 4 am my time and then I wake up and see them and text back. I wouldn’t have it any other way! He seems like he is doing well and I know he is growing a ton from this experience.
Neither of my kids really like Thanksgiving food. I love it!
Mason had an adventure this week. He had two whole days in London which is a little over 3 hours away from where he is studying. He left really early one day and stayed in a hostel and left really late the next day. He did it all with just a backpack.
Coffee shop pic he sent:
Japanese food for lunch:
Crossing the Thames:
Portuguese piri-piri chicken for dinner.
Such a foodie! Also, he bought a famous James Smith and Sons umbrella as a souvenir. He texted and said he just passed a really cool umbrella shop and I told him he should get one as his souvenir. He did (a lesser priced one) and texted that he loved having it to walk around the city. He is such an old soul.
I plan to finish this book this weekend, but it is so good! I think I know what is going to happen and it’s a little silly, but I am enjoying it.
First, let’s start with some new items I added to my wardrobe.
On my birthday, I visited my local boutique and saw this dress:
I love black and camel and black and gold and it had my animal print! How much animal is too much? I have my aqua blouse (spring/summer) so that is put away now and my hot pink blouse. So, this makes only my third!
If you spent $30 or more, you could pick a free poncho, so I picked this one!
Did you see the Target Rowing Blazers collab? Never heard of it, but this v neck sweater made me gasp. I ordered mine online.
I had wanted a washable black silk skirt so I tried this one from Target and I love it!
I also ordered 5 basic long sleeve tees from Target to be able to wear under things. They are really nice quality. I feel like they are a step above t-shirt material.
I decided to keep the camel coatigan in the larger size. Here is me trying it on one last time with a column of black underneath.
Now, I will try, try, try to be content with my wardrobe. I am really proud of how little I have purchased since school started and I am also proud of being more thoughtful about purchases.
Here is what I wore on my birthday! It was super cold and I had lots of errands to run. I wore the new long sleeve black tee from Target, leggings from Costco, and last year’s Target plaid flannel.
For my birthday dinner, I wore the new silk skirt, an old black sweater, my new to me booties, and my favorite beaded clutch.
For school the next day, I wore leggings, my new TJ Maxx striped pullover, and my New Balance sneaks.
For Friday night birthday dinne with friends, I wore the silk skirt again, the booties again, and my hot pink sweater.
One of my friends got me this cool necklace and I wore it Saturday with this fun print blouse from TJ Maxx.
And, Monday for school I wore a fall colored blouse, my mustard cardigan, and my Dillard’s jeans with my Danskos.
And, Tuesday when I was off for Election Day, I wore Target jeans, gold clogs, and my other new TJ Maxx top (both turning out to be good buys!). This is the first time Ernie has tried to hog my spotlight. Look how sweet! He was like, “Who cares about your outfit, woman. You are off today and I want another walk.” And, yes, I did change shoes and walk him before I went out!
My goal is to wear all my fall colors this month before I switch to black, wine, royal blue, and plaid for the month of December. I think this helps me to wear more of my closet!
What have you purchased lately?
What have you worn lately?
It was cold last week, but now we are in the 70s again! This is why we need fall colors in lighter fabrics. It never fails that we get warm weather again. I’m not complaining because I love it!
Have you ever played that drinking game? You say “never have I ever done____” and then if someone in the group HAS done it they have to drink? This might liven up your Thanksgiving if you play this game around the table? Ha!
I thought I would share some things I have never done. I will not be drinking during this post because I really have not done these things!
Had a facial – Seriously! I have had maybe 3 massages in my life (full body is what I am talking about- one was when I was pregnant and I got to lay on my stomach with a hole cut out for it!) But, I have never had a facial. I am most interested in a neck and scalp massage which some have told me is part of the facial.
Been fired from a job – Nope! I have also gotten the three post college jobs I wanted (3 different schools) and have never been rejected in the work sense. I was a model employee from the time I had my first job. I was a lifeguard, manager of a pool, newspaper ad designer?, Talbots surplus store worker, PIzza Hut server, floating restaurant on the river server, and I think that’s it. I took pride in being on time and being a good worker. The job I liked the least was working with clothing at Talbots. As much as I like clothing, hanging it up and folding it for a job is super boring. I mostly unboxed and tagged items.
Had a gel pedicure– I guess I never saw the need because my pedi would last a long time, even at the beach. I also really didn’t know people did it! It seems weird to have to put your foot into the gel curing light!
Done the drink wine/paint a picture activity – I actually have a Jack/Mason funny. We drove by Pinot’s Palette which had just opened and I said, “Oh that’s one of those places where women learn to paint and drink wine!” My twins were probably 8 and one of them responded, “I thought women were just born knowing how to drink wine.” Anyway, I hate doing crafts and art. I am not good at it. I also don’t know what the heck I would do with my crappy painting after I finish. I don’t get why you can’t just drink wine. I did really enjoy a woodworking place where my friend Beth took me. You picked a wood think and painted a stencil on it. I did Tom and my intials and still love it.
Spent night in hotel alone – I don’t have to travel for work and the one time I did go to a American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language conference in Dallas, I took Tom. It was allowed! So, I have not done this yet!
Go to a movie alone – This has been on my list to do in the summer, but I just haven’t done it yet.
Eat in a nice restaurant alone – I think I have eaten in Panera and places like that alone, but I want to go to a nicer restaurant alone sometime. My friend loves doing this.
Cooked a whole chicken or a whole turkey – Can you believe I haven’t done this? I will admit that I am scared. I don’t want to know what animal my meat used to be.
What would you say that you have never done? What should I do from my list?
I hope you enjoyed this! I know it was random, but these were the things that came to mind!
Today I thought I would share my birthday gifts and throw in some ideas for the women in your lives that you might be shopping for this holiday season.
First, though, have you made your list?
I start with a list in my planner of who all I need to buy for. I list possible ideas next to their names and I am not afraid to go with a theme. For example, this year, everyone gets something cozy, this year everyone gets jewelry, this year everyone gets something personalized.
I love getting a candle. A friend gave me this great smelling one:
I am definitely more into soy and less into cloying Bath and Body these days.
Most girls would love anything by Sol Janeiro – they make the famous Bum Bum Cream. There are amazing gift sets out right now, too.
I love these knotted headbands and wear them often.
I love getting earrings!
I also got a boutique gift card and an Amazon gift card. Seriously, most people would love an Amazon gift card.
I love my pillow spray and this is a splurge so it makes a great gift. My first bottle lasted a year!
I love foodie gifts – there are so many cool things from local cooking stores. Spice mixes, rubs, sauces, how about champagne mustard that my friend Beth from Host It Notes recommends? You could even pair it with a new set of champagne flutes if the person enjoys champagne, prosecco, or mimosas.
If it is a coffee lover, I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed my frother! The teen girls would love this, too. Maybe in one of the fun colors?
This is a weird week for us – in a good way! We have school today but not tomorrow due to Election Day and then we will only have Wednesday through Friday left. We have a full five-day week next week and then just a weird little two-day week before Thanksgiving break. November is going to be busy, and I have a feeling it’s going to fly by. I love November, though!
I am happy to link up with Sarah and Holly to share my weekend. I debated breaking this up into two parts, but I will try to be brief!
I am going to start out with Thursday, my birthday! Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes. I know that I confused you with my posting goof up.
I had the day off and I made the most of it. I treated myself to my first Starbuck’s in a long, long time.
I enjoyed getting a holiday cup and since I never get Starbuck’s anymore, it really did feel like a treat. I am also trying to not eat out much between now and Winter Break because that is also not feeling like a treat anymore.
I did this order from Macro Barista on IG:
I did a small Goodwill drop off. I keep a bag in my closet and when anything is not able to be sold to either of my two consignment stores (and for non-clothing items) I donate it.
I had a Target return. I wandered the aisles with my Starbuck’s and I only picked up a few things I really needed. It was nice, but I think I am a happier and healthier shopper when I use Target.com and only go in for returns. There are a bunch of temptations that lead to impulse spending in Target, no?
I got some frozen foods at Trader Joe’s because I have a freezer finally!
I went to the mall to the Kendra Scott store and got my half price item.
I chose a black short necklace because I wear black so much this time of year. Note: Kendra Scott has necklace extenders if you need more length. They work great!
My Impress order came in the mail on my actual birthday! I got a super dark green, a wine, a shiny red, and a more emerald green. I decided to go to their website to see the options and got all of these for around $25.
Since it was a “school night” Tom and I made a super early dinner reservation so Tom could meet me on his way home from work.
I chose Steak & Bourbon and I love the cozy dark interior and the food is outstanding.
We got the deviled eggs to start:
We split the wedge salad:
We split the pot roast and still had leftovers!
We added a side of brussel sprouts:
And, I got a delicious and lovely piece of cake to end the meal. I also couldn’t eat much of this, but enjoyed the rest on Saturday night.
We were home by 7:00, I think! Jack had late class but came home soon after that and had shopped for me and bought me a pair of earrings- so sweet. Mason had called me earlier in the day, too. It was fun to get a few gifts dropped off and some in the mail and I enjoyed getting texts and Facebook messages. I had a really good day!
Friday it was back to school and it was “bread of the dead” bonus day. I had at least one kid make the traditional bread in each class so we got to try it. It has an orange glaze on top and you can make dough knobs to denote people that have passed.
It was a good day. My school just got metal detectors installed and they get turned on this week, so many of the kids were talking about that.
Friday night was time to celebrate with my two besties and their hubs. I chose our favorite Mexican place and got a skinny? margarita. It looks chubby to me!
One of my friends brought upside down cupcakes from local bakery and it was funny because they look like sombreros!
They sang and brought me a shot of tequila and I could barely take a sip. Flashbacks!
Saturday dawned and I enjoyed some fall weather on the patio while also doing all my Saturday things – laundry, dishes, cleaning, tidying, etc.
Tom and I took a little road trip to my hometown for the day. There was a music festival going on and there were so many people. My sister was in town so we wanted to visit with my mom, my sister and her kids.
The drive was lovely and it gave Tom and I a chance to talk which was great, too.
We walked and walked and enjoyed outdoor street performers. We went in a couple of little shops and my sister ran into a high school friend, so that was fun.
Over the weekend I finished:
This may be my very favorite of all of Elin’s books. I really liked the Winter Stroll series and some of her earlier books, too. But, I really liked this and it was worth the wait!
I am now into this and really loving it, too. I am a happy library book girl right now!
I have more requests coming at the library, but let me know if you have any Christmasy books to recommend. I have already read many of the ones that bloggers recommend.
And, she has been winterized, so goodbye to boating season 2023:
Our first boat ride was mid-May and our last was at the end of October.
Sunday it was time to do breakfast meal prep again since I had a freezer. You guys, it is so nice to have a fridge! It’s so clean and organized, too!
What was the highlight of your weekend? I hope you had a great one!
Well, did you catch that I posted a day early for Fashion Files? Oops! I went to hit “schedule” and I posted publish” instead and then it was out of my hands! If you missed it, go back here if you are interested!
I am happy to link up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites today!
How was your week? I hope you also had a lot of favorites!
Sunday was the first time we have gotten to hear Jack sing this school year. It was in the beautiful church you have seen here on the blog before.
After that, Tom and I tried out a new taco place called Bakersfield. It’s a chain. It was meh. We just have so many tacos places here now. The guacamole had too much lime in it (mine is way better!) and it was fine, but not a place I’m excited to go back to.
I did really like the smoky old fashioned I got, though. It’s old fashioned season!
The esquites/elote off the cob was cold and tasted of an old campfire.
Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? But, it WAS a favorite to go out with Tom as we had not gone out all weekend or week, for that matter!
Ernie is always a favorite and walking in the leaves is even better!
The teachers in my department at school (6 Spanish, 1 French, and 1 Japanese) did a fun costume and we better have won!
On Halloween, The Flash gave me the side eye while we were doing our round table discussion. Some kids wore costumes to school. They all look really depressed, but we were having a conversation about favorite Halloween candy (and they could bring it in), favorite costumes, traditions, and what they did this year, so I don’t think they were.
My favorite costume ever was Barney (Mason) and Fred (Jack) that Tom made out of felt:
What I wouldn’t give to squeeze those chubby legs and kiss those chubby cheeks again. They look super serious here, but they were funny and happy babies.
I made mummy dogs for Tom and I and they were delish. Jack went to a costume party so it was just Tom and I. We only had about 8 knocks on the door from trick or treaters this year.
I stopped and treated myself to a classic Egg McMuffin Wednesday and it was yummy. McDonald’s is across the street from my school. Wait – does McDonald’s purposely set up shop across the street from all high schools in the US? My hometown high school also had a McD’s across the street!
My car is not new and and not fancy, but I love the heated steering wheel! I needed it this week!
Thank goodness for this little market right by my house. I picked up dinner there one night this week. They have fruits and veggies, but also prepared meals, dips, gifts, and so much more.
And, it arrived! Here she is! Adios to my four coolers that I have been tripping over in the mudroom!
And, thank you for the birthday wishes yesterday! You made my day!
Are you ready for this?
I thought we weren’t going to do this anymore? I guess we are! I hate it getting dark earlier!
I hope you had many, many favorites this week and thanks for visiting me!
It’s time for another edition of Fashion Files today with Kellyann and Jill!
Today is my birthday! I have always loved having a fall birthday and have used it as a time to spruce up my fall and winter wardrobes. Clothing and accessories have always been my favorite gifts to receive!
I ordered a Sorel boot dupe made by Bob’s Skechers in black. I hated the toe (it was not smooth, but rather bunched up – made to look that way) and I thought they looked cheap. I didn’t even try them on. I have found a lower heeled Sorel that I would like to try in store. I just need to get out and look. I am looking for a black waterproof bootie, but I do have my short black rain boots that I absolutely love and have worn so much, so those might just do.
Let’s talk about the camel coatigan. I ordered the size down to compare and the shoulders and upper arms are too tight.
Here is the larger size that does fit:
I love the color, the feel, and it is incredibly warm. Do I try another brand or does this look ok? I want to wear it as a coat and as a third piece, I think.
I’m trying to really take my time with my purchases and be thoughtful. If you read my October Spending Diary, I didn’t spend much on clothing.
Ok, so let’s see what I’ve worn over the last week..
I wore this to school Monday. The gauzy pants were too thin by the end of the day when the weather turned colder, but I was comfortable all day. The poncho thing is made of scarf material, and I bought it from an online boutique years ago because I loved the “fall” print so much.
I had also worn it Sunday like this for Jack’s church performance:
Friday night happy hour on the Osteria patio:
I wore my Dillard’s Westbound jeans, my Hush Puppies pumps, a white button down, and a wrap my sister in law gave me for my birthday a couple of years ago.
I wore this to school last week and a student said I looked like a pirate. I’m wearing the other style of Matilda Janes in a dark cinnamon brown (they flare and have layers on the bottom), my Old Navy blouse, and my Danskos from last year. You are seeing me wear these brown Danskos to school a lot now.
Tuesday at school my department (6 Spanish teachers, 1 Japanese teacher, and 1 French teacher) had a costume. We were supposed to wear all black under, so I went fancy. I wore my Chico’s pleather pants from last year (have them in brown, too), a TJ Maxx sweater with sheer sleeves, and old black booties from Costco.
We were the game “Cards Against Humanity” World Language Student style. So these were things students might say.
When Target had 30% off clothing last week, I ordered a few things to try. I ordered this silk skirt in black. I have a silk skirt in leopard and really like this look. I thought black would work with so many sweaters and tops I have. I have not tried it on yet.
And, a big thank you to Lindsay for posting about these tops. They were down to $8.40 each. You all know that I need more solids in my wardrobe and I have so many vest and third piece items but don’t have many things to wear under them. I ordered this top in black, wine, camel, brown, and this really cool light mauve metallic. I am going to link the mauve metallic here because it is a slightly different material and would even work for a holiday party or New Year’s. You can’t tell from the website that it is metallic or that the material is a bit different. The tops are now back to $12, but still!
Sometimes we can’t wear everything in our closets because we lack some basics we need, you know?
Happy Wednesday! Who has a Halloween hangover today? Please pray for teachers everywhere as it’s not easy to teach the day after trick or treating – even at the high school level! Ha! And I was informed on Monday that today is “Senior Skip Day”.
I am joining Jennifer for her monthly Currently link up. I always find it hard not to be redundant in these posts, but I will try this time!
Loving
Well, I hope that by this afternoon I will be loving my new refrigerator! And I know you will be ready to stop hearing about it! You know you’re old when you are happy about an appliance, you’re happy when your favorite knife is clean, or you’re happy when your dishwasher is empty – lol!
I am also loving the leaf colors and the fact that I get to live in a place where we have a true fall. It seems like the leaves turn quickly and then don’t stick around for long so I will let myself snap tons of pictures and I will talk about the beauty ad nauseum!
I am also loving my fuzzy socks. I used to be really anti-sock. Like, I avoided socks until I had to wear them, you now? Now, I have a small collection of maybe 6 pairs, and I sleep in them. I keep them on in the morning until I get dressed. I keep them in my nightstand, and I need to add some sort of foot cream to this sock routine.
Buying
I started buying train tickets for our trip. My regular readers know we are going to England and Scotland next month at the tail end of our son’s semester abroad in England – wow, did I just say next month? I still need to book lodging for a few of our nights and finish buying train tickets. I am trying to arrive in our destinations close to check in time to avoid having to pay for luggage storage. Most train stations apparently have a place where you can leave your luggage for a fee (and with a reservation is probably a good idea), but I think that sounds a bit stressful to have to make our way back to the station. Since we are staying in mostly or all Airbnbs, we can’t really drop off luggage early that I know of.
There are so many moving parts, but I have a Google Doc with all my details, and I think it’s kind of fun. Tom wants no part of this leg work and I have always been our trip planner.
Pounds!
Preparing
I could really fill in all the rest of the prompts with trip stuff. I took pictures of clothing items I think I want to take. I am really going to pack lightly (I say this every time!) and we are doing carry on only, so I guess I have no choice. My color scheme is black! I will be auditioning my items by wearing them to school to test for comfort and wearability. Ha!
Pretty sure this is coming because it can work well with black leggings:
Pretty sure the Wit and Wisdom pants are coming. They are so comfortable!
Excited for
I can’t wait to see my Mason! I know it’s still a long way off, but gosh will I be so excited to hug my kid!
He continues to be very communicative, and I really appreciate that!
He texts in Spanish quite a bit, too! His texts really make me laugh many times. Mason has always had a dry sense of humor and a quick wit.
Planning
I am planning out the rest of the semester for school. I keep telling my students it will be winter break before they know it. Kids don’t realize how quickly time passes and maybe it really doesn’t for them. I start every week with a “so, this is the last of our series of 5-day weeks, next week is___, and then we only have one more full week until that awkward 2 day week of Thanksgiving break”. Our school calendar is easily accessible online, but I swear they don’t pay attention. They have told me I’m the only teacher that keeps them up to date on the calendar and what to expect? Our students have 7 periods a day that meet every day of the week. We are not on a block schedule.
At home I am planning for restocking the new fridge and for the things that need to happen for the trip. I am simply adding things to my Kroger app and my Google doc as I think of them.
For my own kids who are college seniors, they are already planning out their final semester of classes. Mason had a Zoom session from England with his advisor.
At school, I am planning but I stop to admire my press ons!
So, that is what I’m up to Currently over here. What are loving, buying, preparing, excited for, or planning?
Happy Halloween! You want to see something scary today? It’s my October Spending Diary! Ha!
I decided to post this today because I have a lot of other things to post this week. I do have plans today to get a few things at Kroger for tonight – having no fridge just means more trips to the store and luckily my Kroger is a stone’s throw away, so it hasn’t been too bad.
Ok, here we go! I am writing a bit more in my spending diary this month. Maybe I am getting more into the psychology of my spending? Gosh, I have now done this for 10 months!
Our fridge went out October 15th, so we spent half the month using our cooler set up in the mudroom. I can’t believe that was literally half of my October! It was also a stressful month with dealing with Mason’s debit card situation. But, I did also have a lot of fun and I enjoyed the beautiful early fall and fall weather!
Here we go…
Boating with Tom and Ernie
Oct. 1 – $0 spend Day – Way to start out the month, no? Tom and I (and Ernie!) went boating with a picnic I packed – Go Amy!
I was on Fall Break, so that means more time to spend money…uhoh!
Oct. 2 – $41 pedicure including tip, $34 bougie French lunch with friend, $59 TJ Maxx
One of my new TJ Maxx finds!
Oct. 3 – $15 boutique hotel pool entry, $49 drinks, lunch, and tip
Oct. 4 – $0 Spend Day – lunch at friend’s house and she ordered delivery and wouldn’t let me pay
Oct. 5 – $32 Lunch including tip at BJ’s, $12 Bath and Body lotion and body wash with coupon, $0 dinner with Tom’s work friend at Bonefish – the friend insisted on paying
Oct. 6 – $34 DSW new shoes for Amy!, $26 Blaze pizza with Jack
So, as I said, it was my fall break and I let myself have the treat of going out to lunch, but man was it expensive especially when I added a glass of wine – ha! I also bought 3 tops and one pair of shoes but made $74 at the consignment shop so it wasn’t that bad! So, my fall break basically cost me $302 and I had tons of enjoyment! If you subtract $74, then it only cost me $228!
Oct. 7 – $120 Aldi, $26 Liquor Barn (Tom’s beer cheese – it is a staple in our house, along with his Ale 8 One soda)
Sunday Funday listening to music at a winery
Oct. 8 – $12 Old 502 Winery listening to music and having some wine, $8 gelato for Tom – his friend brought him back a cone from Italy and he went to get it “filled”.
Oct. 9 – $0 Spend Day – Back to school after Fall Break!
Oct. 10 – $0 Spend Day + NO PRIME DAY SPENDING!
Oct. 11 – $0 Spend Day + NO PRIME DAY SPENDING!
Oct. 12 – $0 Spend Day – did have my friend over for a French happy hour! Heather and her gold retriever Sadie came and hung out and we had truffle fries (Trader Joe’s frozen and I add truffle oil), truffle popcorn (add truffle oil to my kernels), and a French white Bordeaux. It was so fun and I already had everything!
Oct. 13 – It’s Friday and we made it! Erica and I were finally able to go to a new place at a marina for happy hour. We got a margarita, a beer, chips and chorizo queso and guac for $18 each so not bad! I came home and was full but Tom and Jack had a combo of chicken nuggets from freezer, curly fries, ham and swiss sliders, and Totino’s pizza. I guess we will get our vegetables another day! I did have a couple of fries and one slider later.
What’s better than a margarita? A margarita with a view!
After a stretch of 4 no spend days, I am happy with that price!
Oct. 14 – Saturday means spend all the money and make up for lost time! $131 Aldi, $44 Waldo’s Chicken and Beer
Oct. 15 – $36 Aerie black tank swimsuit on clearance, fridge goes kaput and we bring out the coolers, buy ice, and save what we can save from fridge and freezer
Oct. 16 – $25 Paul’s Fruit Market – needed a wedge of parmesan cheese and left with a few more things – oops – cooking whole wheat penne pasta with bacon and brussels sprouts (managed to save these and put in cooler)
Oct. 17 – $52 Panera dinner delivery with tip – crazy expensive for what it is but I just couldn’t cook again from my coolers.
Oct. 18 – $49 Kroger pick up order to make yum yum bowls and Mexican. With only coolers, I guess I am planning for two meals at a time so yum yum for tonight (Wed.) and the Mexican for either Thursday or Friday depending on whether we go to a bluegrass concert Thursday night. If Mexican is Friday, I may grab chips and queso from a Mexican restuarant to go along with it.
Oct. 19 – $0 Spend Day
Oct. 20 – $13 happy hour with Erica but also ordered dinner to take home from Boombozz for $40 more, $50 birthday gift in same shopping center
Oct. 22 – $131 Kroger – bought very little refrigerated stuff because living out of our coolers. I focused on pantry things for the week as much as I could
Oct. 23 – $0 Spend day
Oct. 24 – $18 Texas Roadhouse take out – had a $15 gift card and the 3 of us split 2 meals
Oct. 25 – Too much! $16 Mexican happy hour, $30 decided to bring Mexican takeout to Tom and Jack, $20 Kroger ice for the cooler and milk and chicken for Tom and Ernie
Oct. 26 – $0 Spend Day – had an old friend over to my patio for water and popcorn. She was on her way to an exercise class, so no wine! She now works at the elementary school behind my house so she walked over after work. So fun!
Oct. 27 – $50 Friday Happy Hour at Osteria with my friend Heather. I took a pasta dish home after she and I had two glasses of wine over a span of 3 hours! We also had frites and baguette.
Oct. 29 – Jack’s concert at a church and early dinner after $55
Oct. 30 – $0 Spend Day
Oct. 31 – guessing $30 grocery run
How did I do?
Clothing – $173- 3 tops – 2 from TJ Maxx – bright colors, woodland print and 1 top from brand Umgee from a local boutique, $34 black Mary Janes, $36 Aerie swimsuit online clearance, not counting my camel coatigan yet because still waiting on the size down. They sent me a second of the same size on accident so now I will have the two to compare, so that’s good. I made $74 at my consignment shop, so this would take it down to $99 – Woohoo! Fall is usually the time I shop a lot, but I am really proud of myself this month. I was thoughtful and careful about my purchases.
Beauty – $161 – one pedicure and one haircut and color
Groceries – $551 not including what I pick up today.
Meals Out/Take Out/ Happy Hour – $575 – this includes happy hours, lunches out over fall break, takeout, dinners out. Towards the end of the month I was over really over trying to cook from my cooler.
Zero Spend Days – 10 – Kind of pleased with this!
Refrigerators – $2500 – ouch!
So, are you sufficiently scared? I have learned so much through doing this each month.
It’s Monday again and time to link up with Sarah and Holly!
How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Halloween? It’s weird being in this stage where there are no kid activities and we also don’t know anyone who has a Halloween party anymore.
Let’s go back to Friday after school. Ernie and I walked in the leaves. Political signs ruin the fall views for me. Ha!
Ernie likes to do a little back scratch roll at the end of the walk and he looked so cute in the leaves!
I had happy hour plans with my friend Heather. We met at Osteria which you have heard me speak about – it’s an Italian seafood place that has a sweet happy hour deal.
We had half price wine and shared some bread, butter, and frites. Is there anything better? We had only planned to stay for an hour or two, but it turned into 3 hours chatting! We both found out our hubs were fending for themselves for dinner and the night was so lovely, the setting was so perfect, and the conversation was flowing. Her son is also in England this semester and her daughter is getting ready to do Spain in the spring!
I think we finally left around 8! Jack was out pretty late so I didn’t see him. I went to bed around 10 and was up with the birds and wanted patio time before it rained.
I spent the morning doing all the things I neglected during the week. Tom and I also worked together on a few things and he went to start unloading the boat for the winter and I went to Trader Joe’s, TJ Maxx, and the library.
I took a minute to admire the view from my bedroom window as I was getting ready:
I spent a delightful 30 minutes or so in Trader Joe’s. It was rainy and grey and not that many people were there when I arrived, but then all of a sudden it got so crowded! I was so sad to have to bypass the frozen foods since I was still freezer-less. I focused on the produce, the cheese, and a few other things.
I went home and unloaded and made myself breakfast, did a few more chores, and then went back out. Look at all the Christmas stuff! Also, the traffic and parking lot were insane! It really reminded me of shopping on a December Saturday. What is going on?
I left empty-handed and it was a good thing because when I left, the check out line was also of December proportions!
Patience is a virtue, right? I held off and waited (didn’t buy it) and this finally became available. A rainy Saturday and time to read? Yes!
An afternoon coffee was enjoyed on my covered patio…
And then, some popcorn was also enjoyed…
For dinner, we just ate a big salad and a grilled cheese.
Sunday morning, I enjoyed more of my book.
I took a shower and did my legs with this. I put on one rubber glove to do both legs. I hadn’t done this in a long time, but my legs are so, so white!
And, I removed the grey with dental floss. Most popped right off. So, that set lasted 8 days. Only one nail was starting to peel off at the edge. I am super hard on my nails, too.
I replaced it with this black:
I timed it for you, and it took 10 minutes to pick out the right size nail and to stick them on. It took another 5 minutes to cut and file them.
And, that’s about it!
What about you?
I wish I had a chance to dress up and go to a party this year, but my department at school has a group costume we are doing for Tuesday.
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 