Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Happy 4th of July (if you are reading this today)! Here is my “report card” for June. It ain’t pretty. Pour yourself something strong. I’m really not excited to put this month’s spending diary out here.

Initial Thoughts before the Tallies:

This month should be interesting. I usually spend more in the summer for sure! I am continuing to record because it is making me pause.

June 1 – $156 Walmart Plus grocery order including tip. I was excited to try my new grocery delivery! It was also the last day of school for students. Your girl was wiped out and it felt good to have this service. Groceries dropped off on my doorstep? What can I say?

June 2 – $35 Lunch at Captain’s Quarters, $17 for 2 bourbon slushies at Norton Commons (one for my friend), $54 dinner at Fiesta Time which included take home for a kid, $28 shirt on sale at a boutique. Your girl was feeling giddy that it was finally summer!

June 3 – $0 Spend – Tom drove me to ER in Madison (my mom had had a stroke), back to ER in Louisville, my sisters came and after a long and emotional day, I made dinner for my sisters with stuff I had at home – Greek Bowls – friend Heather dropped off Crumbl.

June 4 – $33 Treated my sisters to Taziki’s take out that we ate on the patio before one sister – Kate – went home – we discovered whipped feta, $ 139 Walmart + grocery delivery

June 5 – $0 Spend Day – Molly went home

June 6 – $0 Spend Day

June 7 – $0 Spend Day – my mom got released and I took her home

June 8 – Erica invited me to her pool because she knew I needed a taste of summer – $23 pool entrance fee and salad for lunch, $22 dinner at Alchemy with my friend, $167 Walmart grocery delivery

June 9 – $55 Trader Joe’s, +50 Old Navy return, $21 Greek Festival

June 10 – Buy Local Fair $28 – pretzel bites from a food truck and a cocktail mixer

June 11 – $50 graduation gift, $188 Costco, $10 Walmart on a graduation card and aluminum disposable pans

June 12- $50 Captain’s Quarters gift card for friend who helped my mom, $33 Trader Joe’s

June 13 – $ 74 Kingfish Restaurant for Tom’s birthday, $50 small gifts for Tom

June 14 – $0 spend day

June 15 – $0 Spend day

June 16 – $74 Lunch with niece Brooke for her birthday at Parlour (included a carry out order for Jack), $19 bottle of wine at next door wine store

June 17 -Farmer’s Market Haul: $8 Benedictine, $5 sandwich, $7 tomatoes, $3 kale, $3 popcorn, $6 kettle corn – I feel really great supporting these local people and oh my were the vegetables so good. I loved the grape tomatoes I got and will definitely look for that farmer again if I can, $81 gas, $35 Target, $22 Canes, $42 Felipe’s

June 18 – Father’s Day – $0 Spend Day – I cannot even believe this. I packed lunch for the boat after making breakfast at home and then managed to use all foods we had at home to make a dinner for Tom.

June 19 – $65 Kroger

June 20 – $170 Walmart Plus Delivery, $30 J crew, $40 Trader Joe’s

June 21 – $28 Fresh Market, $14 KFC

June 22 -$95 Amy hair, $5 sleep/lounge shorts from tent sale at local boutique

June 23 – $30 Mesh lunch with Victoria, $50 movie tickets plus snacks (Tom’s Father’s Day gift with the whole family)

June 24 – Farmers market $30, $130 Walmart Plus delivery

June 25 – $30 Cunningham’s for lunch with friends – power goes out at 8:20 p.m.

June 26 – $16 Starbucks coffee and breakfast, $15 lunch out with Jack, $7 baby pool, $10 chilled white wine at wine store, $25 Kroger s’mores stuff and batteries, $55 Qdoba dinner – power out all day and night

June 27 – power comes on at 5 a.m., $85 in person Kroger grocery trip to replace lost fridge food just to get by until next order

June 28 – $172 Walmart grocery delivery to continue replacing lost food- Why am I spending so much? I don’t know, but even a carryout Qdoba order on Monday night was $55 for 4 people. We are making our own coffee, breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home most days for four people most of those days.

June 29 – $15 bagels after dentist appointment (for 3 of us), $30 Hotel Genivieve and dinner for Amy

June 30 – $0 Spend Day

$0 Spend Days: 6

Groceries:

Walmart Plus:

I did a 30 day free trial from June 1-July 1.

June 1: $140

June 4: $139

June 8: $167

June 13: $219

June 22: $157

June 24: $116

June 28: $172

$1110 (each of the totals includes the tip which was about $20, I think. It was based on a percentage of the grocery total.)

I think I spent almost $200 replacing some things after losing power. Most everything in the fridge had to go and some of the freezer stuff had to go (and needed to be cleaned out anyway).

So, on June 30th, I cancelled Walmart Plus. I know it’s more me than them, but if you include $12 a month plus about a $20 tip for each delivery, I just am not sure this makes sense. I didn’t want another monthly charge and I didn’t want to pay $98 for the year.

One thing I think is happening is that I am not meal planning around sales and I just get what I want when I want. It was so easy to just place an order just like it’s so easy to do a pick up from Kroger and one thing leads to another and I end up with way more than the one thing I needed. There need to be more “this is what we have so we are having it meals”. Do you struggle with this, too?

Other grocery besides Walmart (gulp):

$578

This includes Kroger, Costco, farmer’s markets, and Trader Joe’s. Some of the purchases were not food, but things we need for household.

Meals Out/Take Out/Happy Hours out:

This is going to be super high due to celebrating! We had end of school celebrations, Father’s Day, Tom’s birthday, niece Brooke’s birthday, a couple of fun outings for me because I am off work, and a bit more take out than normal just for fun and for when our power was out.

Are you ready?

$601

OMG….This can really get away from you!

Amy clothing or accessories:

$28 – silky jaguar top

$5 white lounge shorts

$15 Pioneer Woman summer robe

$14 J. Crew Factory green and pink blouse

$13 J. Crew Factory black sandals

$16 Walmart fun printed leggings

$11 Walmart gauzy palm print blouse

$9.98 Walmart soft Pj set

$111.98 – Not bad! I am happy that I felt content with what I had and really only purchased things that I thought would work well and that were good prices.

So, I always want to put people before money. I will never regret treating my people or spending quality time that also involves spending money. When you are a teacher with a 20-minute lunch break, a summer lunch out is a total luxury, too, so this also counts as entertainment.

But, when I look at the food totals of $1110, $578, and $601 this makes me feel sick. I guess I should also say again that this includes Ernie food and toiletries/household supplies. But, still! What am I doing wrong? I really want to work on this. I thought Walmart Plus was going to be a big money saver, but if you go back to May, you will see it really wasn’t. I think this shows me I need work on meal planning, food waste prevention, and more. One idea I have it to buy less at a time so food waste doesn’t get away from me.

I am open to suggestions! Or, can you at least empathize with me? I am feeling pretty down about how I did this month.

How was June for you?

Amy

Monday, July 3, 2023

It’s time for both Hello Monday and Prime Purchases with Tanya.

On Thursday, late afternoon, I talked brunette Heather into checking out the new Hotel Genevieve’s Rooftop bar for $10 espresso martinis (spoiler – they ran out!). This boutique hotel is in one of my favorite areas of my city – NULU. Get ready because a Louisville favorites post is coming your way!

It was just so pretty!

It stormed while we were there! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy the open terrace.

Checking out the first floor of the hotel and being silly…

After, we walked down to Royals Chicken and split some chicken and potato wedges.

Friday morning was a nice and relaxed morning…

I made jam! It’s on my Summer List! Check!

I also threw chicken (not literally) in the crockpot with a can of diced tomatoes and a packet of taco seasoning for dinner.

Tom came home around 3:00 because Holiday Weekend! We took our boy down to the river and bought new boat batteries.

We had black beans, rice, Mexican chicken and tortillas for dinner with toppings.

Saturday morning I made homemade biscuits:

We enjoyed them with jamy (Amy’s jam).

Then, Tom and I went to see this and I didn’t have high expectations, but it was really cute and not too dirty or anything. Tom liked it, too.

After the movie, we did a quick Costco run.

I’m enjoying my glass iced coffee cups!

Saturday night we just had Costco Bare chicken patty sandwiches for dinner.

And, I will continue on Wednesday….

Now, for what I have purchased from Amazon lately…

I bought this two pack of 90s sunglasses on a whim. I bought these fly fans and I do think they work. These were a gift for Tom. I bought Turkish towels. We struggle to keep our glass shower door clean and I purchased this product.

Ernie loves these Rachael Ray treats. I am in a fight with the mosquitos already so I bought OFF and my friend swears this lotion helps keep them away. It is not totally working for me, but I do love the smell and the consistency.

I love my new iced coffee cups!

I bought these “sponges”. They are supposed to help your skin. I bought those for my kids. And, I bought myself a new watch.

What have you purchased this month? What have you done this weekend?

Amy

Friday, June 30, 2023

It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites!

First up is cooking! I am having fun cooking for a family of four (Mason just got a job that usually goes from 3 to 9 or 10 so I am leaving a plate in the fridge), but I have enjoyed cooking dinner for over a month.

Here is what we have had this week:

Sunday night – entree salad with grilled chicken and Cheese Gal dressing

Monday night – no power – Qdoba

Tuesday night – Mix and Match Mama’s bacon tomato pasta, roasted green beans (frozen thin – Jack’s fave), Texas Toast

Wednesday night- new Japanese barbecue marinated chicken, roasted broccoli, cauliflower rice and taught Jack how to make Hawaiian ham and swiss sliders

Thursday night – everyone on their own (Jack with friend, Mason at King’s Island Amusement park, Tom leftovers and ham and cheese sandwich, Amy out)

Sunday we tried to take our friends Scott and Jessica (there are two Scotts and two Jessicas in my life so you hear those names a lot!) to lunch by boat.

The boat wouldn’t start and after an hour we determined we needed a new battery but it wasn’t going to happen that day.

So, we drove like peasants (just kidding – we have a peasant boat, too) to Cunningham’s on the River.

A favorite is time with friends even when it doesn’t go according to plan!

In the parking lot on the way in, we saw a woman crumple and fall to the ground and she took forever to get up. I was seriously worried about her. She had someone with her and tons of people rushed to help.

On the way out, I dropped my phone – hard.

I thought surely my phone was damaged, but this baby really works. I am glad I had two more in the package. If you don’t have this on your phone, you need it!

This is a lifesaver favorite!

Sunday night entree salad:

My kids went with a group of friends to see Spider Man in the late afternoon. When the movie was close to ending, we received word of a tornado watch and then the tornado sirens started going off. I texted to tell them to stay at the theater but the one not driving called and told me they were almost home. Thankfully they made it home and ate dinner. Then, Mason had plans to go stay with a friend and left after the storm had stopped – ish.

Jack and I watched a show and the power flickered a few times. Then, it completely went out. I didn’t realize another storm was coming, but this one did some serious damage to our area. A house was completely destroyed by a giant old tree. Two other giant trees took down power lines. We lost power around 8:20 Sunday evening.

Jack played guitar while we watched the rain continue to come down.

Then, it hailed!

It’s good to be a candle hoarder when this happens. When we went to sleep, we didn’t want to leave candles burning, so I was glad to have these cool lantern things.

I bought mine from a local boutique, but I have also ordered some for gifts. I couldn’t believe how long the little water activated lights kept working. They are still going strong. You fill the plastic luminary with water up to the half way point and drop the little floating “candle” in the water.

I slept ok and it was still pretty cool in the house. Monday morning I headed straight to Starbucks for two venti brewed coffees and I used my own stuff at home to doctor it up. Thank goodness that Starbucks had power! Most of the local businesses were fine except one gas station.

Monday was gorgeous. Mason came home and the kids played games (board games) in the house and Ernie and I stayed outside all day. I did run some errands, too.

I bought Ernie a baby pool in case the power was out for a long time.

Jack went to work and Mason, Tom, Ernie and I walked around the elementary school behind our house and it was damaged, too.

Tom and Mason mowed.

Mason and I went and picked up Qdoba.

Then we lit the mini Solo Stove for s’mores.

Monday night it was very hard to sleep. I moved to the basement couch because it was so hot on the main floor. Around 3 am, I went back to my bed and was in and out of sleep. At 5:00 a.m. something in the air changed and I realized the power was back! I slept so well from 5-6! Ha!

Now came the work to get my life back together. I tossed the contents of the fridge. Ouch! I checked the freezer stuff – most was still frozen solid. I did laundry, ran the dishwasher, placed a replacement grocery order and went to Kroger for some more urgent needs. Tuesday was just a day of re-setting. I was grateful and thankful, though!

It did motivate me to clean the fridge and a couple of other areas on my list, which is also a favorite.

I was so happy to be able to cook again!

Some more favorites…

I would not totally replace my beach towels with Turkish towels. I like the fluffy nature of a traditional towel for laying out in the sun. The Turkish towel was great for wrapping myself in at the pool party last weekend, though. I love that it folds up small for travel or for space saving. I love that it takes up less space in the washer. But your girl wants a fluffy towel. My favorites are Tommy Bahama from Costco.

I am a fan of Lume, but I ordered the wrong scents. I really like the cream and rubbing cream on my pits is better than I thought. The smell goes away after a bit, but this really does work for me. I put on regular deoderant the other day and smelled myself stinking. Anyone like Lume? What scent should I get next?

I picked up this cute summery necklace in Target a few weeks ago.

This is really good! Do you also love the chopped salad kits?

I love the rain water scent. You would think I had had enough of the rain from last week and weekend!

This is really good! It’s a big trend right now and with good reason. I marinated my chicken in it and then also served it with more sauce.

Here’s what it looked like:

I check out cookbooks from the library and this one is great! I read cookbooks like novels.

Ok, Jennifer, I couldn’t finish, but I got close. I skimmed the last 8 chapters or so and read the ending. It was a cute story, great location, good food descriptions, but the dialogue really bugged me. I didn’t like the dialogue between the teenager and the mom especially. It moved slowly, too, and I guess I wanted more to happen. This will make 4ish books in June for me, I think. Happy Place by Emily Henry, Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst, The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella, and The Temporary Roomie by Sarah Adams, The Party Crasher has been my favorite.

Up next is one of these. I am thinking Flying Solo. It is by the author of Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Reading is really so personal. We might be in different states of mind and have very different opinions from others. I wasn’t wowed by Happy Place but I have heard others say they couldn’t put it down.

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many!

Amy

Thursday, June 29, 2023

June….why do you have to go so fast? I love everything about you!

Today is Fashion Files day and I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill. Thanks, ladies!

Last Friday I wore this dress to go to the vet and to lunch. For the vet, I wore my flat sandals and then for lunch, I changed into my wedges. I would not normally dress up for the vet (do not get any ideas!), but I had a tight window of time between the appointment and my lunch date. You see the wedges below:

Boy, have these both been my go to shoe this summer for leaving the house. They are both very summery.

Wedges:

The wedges are Coconuts by Matisse from two to three season ago. There is an updated model this season that I like better but they aren’t different enough for me to justify the purchase.

Flats:

The flat sandals are from Target this year.

I guess I really like this vibe for summer, she says as she pats herself on the back for both of these shoe purchases. I think when you really like your options, you need less and you feel more content? I guess that is just common sense.

Later that afternoon for the movie, I changed into my black cut offs and my white polo sweatshirt with my new J. Crew Factory sandals. Dang, the sandals must run narrow. I think they would not work for anyone with a bit wider foot. I really like the look, though!

Comparing the Target flat sandals and the J.Crew Factory flat sandals:

See the tan on the left and how much more footbed there is?

Saturday and Sunday I wore bathing suits and cover ups. Monday, I wore my strawberry t-shirt to run errands and I want to tell you about a trend I just learned about!

My strawberry t-shirt is a v-neck and Old Navy from last year. You may remember that I also bought strawberry earrings and orange slice earrings last year. They are made from real fruit and lacquered over.

The trend is called “Tomato Girl” and it is not just about actual tomatoes. You can wear tomato red clothing, or you can wear any fruits, I think. Lol! I read that it comes on the heels of “Barbiecore”. But the Barbie movie is coming out soon so maybe Barbie and Tomato Girl will get in a girl fight. I am having a hot pink summer and it makes me happy. I really do need to add some tomato red to my closet.

The earrings:

I also have pineapples. Does that count?

I have fun with my clothing and I wear what I love. You may not agree with that and that’s ok. I understand I am coming very close to the teacher who wears apples on her clothing territory, but again, if you are a teacher who wants to wear apples – go for it.

Yesterday I put this ‘fit on for morning errands and an afternoon dentist appointment. This blouse is last year Kohl’s Lauren Conrad and I just gasped when I saw it. I really don’t shop at Kohl’s but I saw it online or in the store when I was looking for something I guess.

You know how I bought these leggings from Walmart? I also ordered a biker short version and they were too big so I took them back and found…

The softest pj set. I am mad because I paid $9.98 and you can have it for $7.98! It is a tank and shorts – my fave. I got the little bicycle print. So cute!

And, this top was gauzy and linen-ish and on clearance for $11! You know how I love a palm print! I hope it doesn’t look like marijuana leaves because I couldn’t wear that to school. It says it is a sleep top, but why would I dress up to sleep? I would not be able to sleep in a blouse? Sleep blouse? Do not let labels hold you back, ladies?

The Pj set and the blouse are hanging out in the mudroom because I cut the tags and washed them right away. That is a sure sign for me that I love a piece. If I don’t do that it means I didn’t really need it or want it that badly.

Well, I don’t know how much actual fashion is in this post, but thanks for reading!

What have you been wearing lately? Any clothing item you are just loving right now? How do people wear full on jeans in the summer? I’m going to try it next year and see if I can do it.

Amy

Reflecting on 29! years in the classroom…

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

This post is a little late, but hey…maybe you are like me and it takes you a bit to process and reflect.

I gave all of my students this little paper questionnaire. I called it a “grade” and enjoyed reading them when they turned them in. I also commented on paper or out loud and tried to dig a bit deeper with some of my students who were open to it.

I am really proud (even though I know I should not be prideful) that I have lasted this long in education as a classroom teacher. I have taught at only three schools in that time. It’s always been high school and I have taught every level of Spanish. Did you know that only 50% of teachers make it past 5 years in the classroom?

I thought I wanted to pursue a principal position (or an assistant principal position) and got one of my Master’s degrees in admin and supervision. I even took the big long expensive test and passed it. This was all before I was married or had kids. So, my priorities changed when all that transpired. I really don’t regret not pursuing it.

I am happy to be back to sharing more of myself in the classroom. When my kids were at my school for 4 years, I tried to tone down the personal anecdotes and be a little less “weird”. I feel strongly that the more you give of yourself in this job, the more you get in return. Teenagers are smart and they see through you. I truly love teenagers and I love my subject. You can’t fake this!

Here is what I gave them and yes, we did fill it out in English, rather than Spanish.

1. What was your rose?

2. What was your thorn?

3. What are you most proud of?

4. What was most difficult?

5. What could you do to improve that?

General health:

Getting enough sleep?

Eating well?

Enough water?

Moving body/getting exercise?

School/free time balance?

What can you take off plate for next year?

What do you want to work on over summer?

Goals for next year?

I do get into general health because I feel that lack of sleep is one of the worst problems facing our teens. Some of that is due to cell phone addiction and some of that is due to school schedules. Also, why is a teen expected to go to school full time, play sports, do extracurricular activities, hold a part time job, study for the ACT, decide on their future, do college visits all at the same time. It’s just too much.

They are not getting any sort of health education after freshman year. I think it’s important to get healthy messages from their seven classroom teachers after that. It is not lost on me how much influence we have. We are the adults that see them and spend the most time with them at this age. That is an incredible responsibility.

I try to connect with all of my students on some level, but there are some that I just can’t get more than a few words out of. I sometimes connect with a kid about foods that we both like. I connect with some by talking about protein or water intake. You just never know what will help you with that connection.

Here are my answers:

1. My rose was my students. I saw them really come out of their shells with a pretty normal year (back to pre-pandemic almost). Gone were the masks in September, the weekly Covid testing, the social distancing…You guys, we hurt our kids. They had to re-learn how to socialize and be “normal”. It was so wonderful to have to ask kids to stop talking a few times! I had smart and funny students. My favorite thing was at the end of the year when a little Spanish one student gave me a typed-up list of all the funny things I had said this year. He had been taking notes!

2. My thorn was all the meetings that came back! Ugh! Meetings that can be an email are the worst. Meetings for meetings’ sake is what they are.

3. I am most proud of keeping a positive attitude for the most part and trying to see the humor in things. I am also proud of trying TikTok and all of the new technology I learned through that.

4. The cell phones. Our school does not have a solid school wide policy. I have my own policy but it was hard to constantly fight it. I am still coming up with a plan for next year but I have some ideas. They get texts from parents, coaches, employers, and many more during the day and all kinds of notifications are set up on their phones. It seems that no one has boundaries anymore.

5. I am working on an incentive plan to go along with my cellphone policy. I have to do some more thinking and some research.

My sleep was really good this year due to me going to bed when I was tired (not pushing it to stay up to finish that show) and chewing one Ashwaganda by Goli nightly.

I still did my breakfast meal prep and my healthy lunches with Erica, but I didn’t eat as well as the year before and I gained back some weight.

I also could do better with my water.

I also didn’t go to the gym or walk as much after school.

I did have a good school/free time balance and I walked Ernie and read outside as much as possible. I watched less t.v. which was great. I also took more days off which helped me to have more balance.

I guess I could cook smarter and not spend as much time in the kitchen?

I want to work on a better exercise routine.

My goals for next year are to improve my general health habits and get started on that this summer with a good routine.

Whew! Are you a reflective person? Do you live your life on a school calendar or a traditional calendar?

Amy

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

This post may not appeal to all of you and that’s ok! Yesterday, I mentioned a vet visit for Ernie on Friday and I thought I would go into more detail.

So, I thought I would do a little Ernie update. Ernie is our 10 year old chocolate lab if you are new around here. At the end of January, we received some devastating news. He was acting lethargic and not eating. The vet reported that he had an internal bleed and he most likely had cancer on the spleen which is common to big dogs? We could opt for surgery, but at his age and due to the pain it would put him through, it wasn’t recommended by our vet and we love our vet. He told us we could try this Chinese herb that helps clot the blood and possibly stave off an internal bleed or help it a bit. You sprinkle a bit on their food (if you can get them to eat). So, I drove to the Chinese herb store (conveniently right by the vet), ordered Ernie a McDonald’s hamburger, cried all the way home, then sprinkled the herb on his burger. I continued to sprinkle the herb on his food for about 5 days and I don’t know if that helped, but he was back to himself really by that evening. He was no longer acting lethargic, and he started eating again. Thank you, McDonald’s! #notsponsored. Just kidding!

So, from January until now Ernie has been trotting along. He gets lots of walks each day, swims in the river on the weekends, eats a nice diet of kibble, boiled chicken, canned green beans and canned carrots – occasionally a scoop of canned pumpkin.

I committed to hurrying home each day from school to walk him and spend time with him after that vet appointment. We never called and said he is doing well and we never heard from the vet – which I thought was weird.

Ernie developed a couple of sores/patches on his face so Tom wanted me to take him to the vet. I did not want to at all but Mason agreed to come for support. I was triggered and didn’t want more bad news and wanted to leave well enough alone.

So, I get to the vet and he says he loves it when he is wrong and he says that there is no way he thought Ernie would be in to see him about a face sore 5 months later. I cried. He couldn’t believe how peppy Ernie acted. By the way, Ernie loves going to the vet and loves our vet. Our vet is also a lab guy – he has yellow labs of his own. Ernie told me that the smells outside the vet’s office and in the waiting room are just to die for. He also gets lots of treats.

The face sores were not a big concern, but maybe just places where his fur got wet and didn’t get dried well – he gave him an antibiotic and a steroid to take for just 5 days to clear them up – hopefully.

While there, he said he wanted to do a quick ultrasound and saw that the spots were still there, but there was no fluid (blood) like before. He thinks the places are just stable for now, but they are still there and we just don’t know how long they will remain stable. Ernie has also lost about 6 pounds since January.

So….I guess it was good news…for now? We are going to continue to give him the best life possible for as long as we have. I do keep it in the back(front?) of my mind that this could be his last summer.

Thanks for listening,

Amy

Monday, June 26, 2023

How was your weekend? Mine was good! I am linking up today with both Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday!

Also, I posted on Saturday for Share 4 Somethings if you missed it, click here.

I started out my weekend with a nice library haul. Here is my approach. I have nothing to lose by requesting and checking books out and grabbing anything else that looks intriguing. I am not hard on myself if I end up not reading something and I do not feel compelled to finish a book.

I am sharing in case you need some ideas. Most of my books are based on bloggers’ recommendations.

Nice haul, right?

Next up was a trip to the vet (we haven’t been since January) for a couple of sores on Ernie’s face. He was given some meds but the vet wasn’t worried. Update on Ernie coming tomorrow for those interested. Mason went with me for emotional support, mainly, and was a huge help and totally handled Ernie alone.

Then, I had a wonderful lunch on a gorgeous patio with my friend Victoria.

I had a wonderful rosé with my lunch.

We had the smoked salmon appetizer:

I had Jamaican grouper:

Victoria had the beet salad:

After lunch I was ready for some relaxation:

I have moved my anti-gravity chair down to my covered patio.

Then, we met Tom for a family movie. This was his Father’s Day gift and he wanted to see Asteroid City. All of us really liked it!

I had prepped burrito bowls so they would be ready when we got home around 7:30.

Saturday morning I saw my cardinal bird who has been here a lot this summer. I have had the most beautiful bird visitors. I have a different kind of bird seed and I am wondering if different nuts and seed blends attract different types of birds. Hmmmm. If only there was a place I could type that in and find out. Nah, I think I will just wonder.

Ernie and I took an early walk.

Then, Mason wanted to go to the farmer’s market with me! Miracle of all miracles! We had a breakfast sandwich and then got some eggs and veg…

and more kettle corn for Tom!

And, basically Mason said he doesn’t get why I am so excited about it and it was way too crowded. I explained that I am middle aged and my excitement threshold is different now and includes farmer’s markets.

But, then I made some food and piddled around before going to a pool party!

My friends from high school, Mike and Beth, were high school sweethearts and live pretty close to us. They built a gorgeous pool and bar last year and invited some of the hometown people who now live in Louisville for a pool party.

Mike had me laughing at how he labeled the coolers!

Man drinks/beer:

Lady drinks/White Claws!:

And, kid drinks:

I was excited to use a Blackstone Grill for the first time. Man, I want one! The vegetables came out so good!

I’ve never seen more sunscreen in one place:

Our friend Dan developed a beautiful drink…

Michael just puts a beach scene on the tv and we felt like we were there!

I made the Tik Tok boat dip my sister told me about and it was a hit.

24 oz. sour cream (I used light and I only used 16 and it was fine)

1 can of Rotel drained

I packet taco seasoning

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

green onions for garnish

And, I made strawberry salad:

And, Mix and Match Mama’s corn salad:

We left a bit after dinner, but it was a lot of fun! Mike and Beth are the hosts with the mosts and when they say pool party, people actually wear suits. It’s not one of those “stand around a pool in white jeans” type things. I think I said the same thing last year after going to their pool but I will say it again.

Sunday morning we woke up to light rain. So.much.rain this week!

I did not let that stop me! I am reading Our Italian Summer as recommended by Jennifer and…

I wore my new leggings as influenced by Jennifer. Jennifer, you are the true definition of an influencer!

These leggings are from Walmart. They are under $17 and the pattern is to die for. Also, they are 7/8! That is my favorite fraction! Also, they have pockets! You know what they say – once you go to pocketed leggings, you never go back to non-pocketed leggings. They run true to size and they fit like a dream. I might have also ordered them in the biker short version at just $7! But, those were really going out of stock.

Ok, that takes us through to Sunday morning and if I do anything else worth noting you will hear about it Friday!

Tell me the highlight of your weekend and if it’s more than one thing, start a blog! Just kidding, but not really. I have some wonderful commenter friends that I just want to know more about.

Amy

Saturday, June 24, 2023

I am here on a Saturday, linking up with Jennifer and others for Share 4 Somethings.

ONE:

I just heard that barely polished nails are a trend! I am loving this look (without knowing it was a trend) and it’s so forgiving for all the water we are in during the summer. Even if you get a little chip, it’s hardly noticeable. I am currently using the Kur Londontown pinkish one. It’s all about “your nails but better”. It isn’t cheap, but I find that quality polish matters. I am set to use up the whole bottle which rarely happens.

TWO:

I had my hair appointment Thursday, and my stylist mentioned a boutique we both like having their tent sale. I came home with some sleep/lounge shorts for $5 and the original price was $62!

I also got the most gorgeous bag and I save both gift bags and tissue paper and recycle them. Do you do that? I bet this bag would cost more than the shorts for $5! I rarely have to buy gift bags and I love having a little stash because I love gift giving.

THREE:

I am really loving salads lately. Tom sent me this one to try:

But, let me tell you about the most amazing dressing. This is Cheese Gal on IG’s house dressing. I am pretty sure I mentioned it before but I need to share again just because I have now had it a few times!

Get a Mason jar – they are so great for this:

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 T. dijon

1 t. pepper

4 garlic cloves minced (I just use the jar)

Shake up the Mason jar and you are done. It makes a lot so I halved the recipe. You may need to add a bit of salt, but the soy sauce is quite salty.

Trust me when I say this. Once you start making your own salad dressings, you can’t go back to the bottled stuff. You have all of these ingredients already, too!

Also, I like my lettuce chopped really small. It makes a big difference in my ability to eat it.

FOUR:

Are you comfortable doing things alone? I am. I really like running errands alone and I even like going to the farmer’s market alone.

I plan to go see this alone next week:

Tuesdays are $5 movie days at my favorite theater so I will try to go then!

What 4 somethings would you share? Share 1 something?

Happy Saturday!

Amy

Friday, June 23, 2023

Happy Friday! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share our favorites from the week.

The card we got Tom for Father’s Day was too perfect. Sunday he had to spend 3 hours fixing his car. We have also had our garage door opener motor break and that is on his agenda for this weekend. I am ready for our stuff to work! It feels like a long year of things breaking. When it rains, it pours!

My favorite is how handy Tom is. He really can fix so many things. He is very calm about the process, too, and just jumps in and does it. I felt like we put a spell on him by giving him this card and then him having more stuff to fix.

My kitchen is absolutely horrible so this is a hard picture to show. We are replacing all of our flooring on our main floor to the darker hardwood in our bedroom (we already have all the flooring in our garage) and painting the whole house next and then we will finally tackle the horrible kitchen. My kids are finally getting into cooking and it has been fun teaching them. They baked with me all the time when they were young, but cooking has been a different story. This was us making Sunday night’s dinner for Tom.

Monday morning was rainy and one of my favorite types of summer mornings. I took my stuff out to my covered patio and did my quiet time, my blog reading and blog writing there.

The rain kept up off and on all day and did change my plans for a pool day with Elizabeth who was off for Juneteenth. We pivoted and she came over for bougie grilled cheese and white wine. And, Erica was able to join us because something got cancelled. It was so fun and felt so summer and carefree! One of my goals was to have people over, so this was great!

Elizabeth brought her dog Banana. She didn’t bring her dog a banana; her dog is named Banana. She is so chill and just happy to be a lap dog.

We had French white wine because of the french fries and I guess because the grilled cheese was on brioche bread. I have found the best brioche for a fancy grilled cheese. It is in the Kroger deli and it is the perfect thickness. I made Caprese (tomato, mozz, balsamic, basil), traditional with Swiss and American, and one with green chili jam, turkey, and Swiss. We just mixed and matched.

We really liked this French white:

I bought iced coffee cups from Amazon and they came in this week. I love them!

Tuesday I ran in to our new J.Crew Factory store because it is next to Trader Joe’s.

They had some amazing clearance deals and I came home with a blouse and a pair of sandals.

We have also been on a Naan bread pizza kick. I have been making these for my kids when they are home.

The kids had a friend over Tuesday and I made bowtie alfredo for them and then our dinner that night was…

Pioneer Woman’s beef enchiladas:

Ok, I finally finished this. It was slow and melancholy but it did pick up about 3/4 of the way through and I did like the ending. I guess it was about how Book Lovers was, which I didn’t love. I did love the first Emily Henry book I read – Beach Read. I don’t know – maybe it’s me and not the book. Beach Read was probably my favorite book of the summer a couple of years ago.

Next up is a recommendation from Jennifer:

Most days I go to the gym and then have my coffee on the patio. I noticed that on Tuesday I took all 3 meals on the patio, too. Ah, summer. And, I feel like I have to soak up the wonderful weather we are having. Even though we had a lot of rain, it has been so mild out.

My car turned over to 111,111 miles recently. I love my car so much and hope it keeps on ticking.

Look what popped up on Facebook:

He must have been about 4 months old here. He was never tiny. He was the chubbiest of the litter and his full name is “Ernesto Gordo” which means “Fat Ernest”.

Wednesday I had my friend Beth over for breakfast on the patio.

Luckily, it only lightly rained so it was fine. I turned on the patio lights because it was a grey day.

We had an egg bake with a bunch of vegetables, everything potatoes, Trader Joe’s mini croissants, bacon, and…

a fruit cup.

For dinner Wednesday, I used my farmer’s market grape tomatoes -seriously the most tasty I have ever had! I have got to get more! I made a big salad but had no meat to go in it.

I wanted to try the KFC nuggets so I ran up and got some of those. They are really good, in my opinion. Have you tried them? They taste just like their fried chicken, but in nug form. That might have been a really dumb comment, but it won’t be the first time I have made one and it won’t be the last.

I got myself a free trial of HBO Max and started watching BamaRush and the Sex and the City reboot? Just found out that I am a year behind, but oh well!

On the longest day of the year I made sure to go outside and enjoy and look at the lightning bugs. I am from Indiana and we call them lightning bugs. I never said “firefly”.

I changed out to a blue pedi done by yours truly.

Thursday was hair day. I was kept busy answering Sp;anish questions from niece Mia who is taking an online summer school Spanish class. Love it!

And, my final favorite is going to blow your mind. I found this at Fresh Market. My friend Jasmine served this in champagne years ago and i have been meaning to copy it. It is hibiscus flowers in syrup.

OMG – it looks gorgeous and tastes amazing. The jar is about $8 but so worth it. I am already thinking of other cocktails I can create.

It’s been a quintessential summer week. I didn’t get to go to the pool, but I spent tons of time outside reading and enjoyed showing hospitality and cooking for people!

I also got my 4th Walmart Plus delivery this week – Tuesday was the day. I am loving it. It’s really working for me this month and I’m finding it so nice to already be at home, making space in the fridge and pantry, in anticipation of the new stock of groceries. Anyone else trying it?

This week I wrote about my weekend in Hello Monday here, my clothing purchases of the last three months here, my Summer List here, and my Fashion Files here. Remember that you only have to click on the red font to be taken to those posts. Also, please utilize my search bar if you are looking for something specific. That’s as technical as my blog gets!

Speaking of my Summer List, I was surprised by the comments that my list seemed like a lot or too optimistic. I think it seems simple and maybe that I am not doing enough! Isn’t that funny? I guess that is another reminder that we all have such different perspectives. One comment was just to stay in pjs and have a totally lazy day and I do agree I need to add that!

I hope you had a great week! Tell me a favorite of yours!

Amy

Thursday, June 22, 2023

It’s Thursday and you know what that means. Let’s look at my fashion or lack thereof, ok? I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill as usual.

Last Thursday I wore my newly chopped off tassel blouse with my ecru Aerie cut offs. I am glad I chopped those puppies off. Why? They were so long they came down to my waist. I got this top for under $20 on the clearance rack last summer at a local boutique called Tunie’s. I have been reaching for these Target slides like almost every time I leave the house to do something more than errands.

Friday, I wore my new jaguar blouse that I also got on clearance but this year at a local boutique called Nicole B’s at Norton Commons. Roar! I paired it with my old Old Navy light denim skirt and my MIA clog sandals to go meet my niece Brooke for lunch.

Ok, look at this. Yes, I am worried that I will show up in this Old Navy top and see a million other middle aged ladies wearing it, too. When I showed my brunette Heather this top I said, direct quote, “It looks just like that boutique brand THML that they sell at Tunie’s and other local boutiques”.

Old Navy version:

THML version:

This photo is stolen from Lucky Peacock Designs on Instagram. Isn’t that crazy? I actually like the ON version better because your girl likes a bit more sleeve to cover up the ol’ upper arm situation

By the way, you should follow Lucky Peacock. Even if you don’t buy her items in her weekly sales, she puts together great inspo. Here are some other THML things if you are interested.

Here is my farmer’s market ‘fit:

It’s nothing exciting and a longer top would be better, but I wanted to show you I am wearing my hot pink Aerie shorts, my knit Old Navy top that was online clearance back in February, I think, and my rubber faux Birkenstocks.

For the boat Sunday, I wore my hot pink Aerie tank suit under my Target white coverup. I think this is one of my favorite coverups of my collection. I usually get one new coverup each season and now I have quite the collection. Coverups are the goat for me.

I actually wore this outfit both Monday and Tuesday (for part of the day). I wore the biker shorts to the gym with the black tank and then threw the chambray button up (now I know the difference between button up and button down!) over it. Button up is without buttons holding the collar down and button down is with the buttons holding the collar down.

Here is a look I want to try:

I have both a cotton button up in black and a black silk button up. I need to try this before it turns hot around these parts.

Tuesday I went in J.Crew Factory because it is next to Trader Joe’s. I hadn’t been in since winter. Look what I found:

These slides were $13 and I needed black!

This blouse was only $12! I have been having green and pink moments this year and combining the two? Swoon!

Do you have a favorite outfit from the week?

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy