I have talked about this for years and I still do it. I absolutely think it helps me to be more content with what is in my closet! I think the key is to not take it too literally. Find something in the same color or color family. Find something you have that can can work. Do not try to be exact!
Here is what I do:
I do a very specific search on Pinterest or Google images or both for a piece in my closet that I want to wear. I type in “black button down shirt outfit”:
I screenshot the inspo that I like the best…
I like how she has light jeans and a brown belt. I probably wouldn’t have thought of that on my own.
I like her darker distressed jeans and the pop of red. I don’t have a red handbag but I have red clogs. See what I mean about not being too literal?
I really like the look of black on light jeans so here’s another inspo of that look…
Here’s another example. I just knew I wanted to wear a sweater with jeans but wasn’t feeling inspired…
I screenshot some front tucked sweater looks because I think showing some waist is more flattering…
And, I got a new fanny pack that works way better for me than my Lululemon bag, so I went to get some inspo for that! The pack looks kinda cheap in the Amazon photo, but it looks way better in person. I am going to use it as my wallet and throw it into my bigger tote for school, but it is plenty roomy for anything else I need to do.
I keep these screenshots on my phone until I try the outfit and see if it works for me.
Errand running outfit:
Do you think this method would help you to shop your closet?
I’ve learned that chili making can be quite controversial! I grew up eating chili and I had made chili myself lots of times before landing on MY recipe. Well, it’s actually stolen from a neighbor of Tom’s growing up and from the back of the Red Gold tomato juice can!
Ingredients:
-One big old can of tomato juice found in the juice aisle. I use Red Gold but you could use another brand I’m sure.
-one chili mix spice packet
-one tablespoon of sugar
-one teaspoon of cinnamon
-macaroni noodles cooked and added separately upon serving
-ground beef
-very tiny diced onion
-one can diced tomatoes
-one can chili beans – mild or hot – your preference
Brown your ground beef and when almost done, add onion. Drain on paper towel lined plate and then add back in to your pot. Add juice, tomatoes, beans, spice packet, sugar, and cinnamon. Let it all cook together and let the flavors marry. Serve with macaroni, Fritos, and some cheddar cheese.
It’s really simple, but it’s the best I have ever had!
Charcuterie with crackers, salami, cheese, green apples (their fave)
Breakfast:
Giant pop tart
Cinnamon toast
Cereal
Everything potatoes (diced potatoes with everything but the bagel seasoning)
Chocolate chip pancakes
I also made sure to have lots of chips and their favorite soft drinks – Sprite and Virgil’s root beer.
I ordered the groceries for pick up on Thursday. I was fully stocked going into the weekend. Are you trying this yet? What is your grocery day?
Now do I need to cook three meals a day for them? No! Did I cook three meals a day? No! But, I really enjoy making food for them and that is how I show love. They can make stuff for themselves, too, of course.
Mason loves my everything potatoes and this was just a snack I think. Bare Nuggets from Costco in the air fryer and homemade honey mustard and ranch accompanied both.
Jack got frozen fries with Bare Nuggets and the same two sauces plus ketchup. I broke out the fall plates for them, too.
If you belong to Costco, these are a must buy. They are really not that bad for you, either.
Mason laughed really hard when I suggested a giant pop tart. It was really too sweet, in my opinion but it was fun to make. Ready made pie crust, strawberry jam (that I made! this summer), another pie crust, and then after it cooled a simple powdered sugar icing and sprinkles.
I bought some Halloween candy to have out for them and then I made the S’morechuterie platter.
Chili with macaroni noodles, fritos, and a grilled cheese.
Jack likes very basic nachos. What are you gonna do?
I also made honey mustard salad with angel hair chicken alfredo.
Did Tom get fed? Yes! He gets fed every day!
The nice thing, too, is that I always get a “thank you so much for the food” from my kids.
I loved having them home and I feel lucky that I can bless them with some home cooked meals to give them a break from their dining hall food.
Friday was a really cool day at school – the guy in the middle blue jacket is from Puerto Rico originally and is a recording artist/singer at only 17!
Because it was also the end of Hispanic Heritage month along with Homecoming, we were able to have him sing in Spanish at our first pep rally since 2019! The kids showed him all the love and he worked the crowd. They held up their cell phone flashlights and it was so cool!
After school, we had 50 kids show up for a taste of Latin flavors and Latin dance lessons!
This is my student from Peru dancing with the instructor. He was so good!
I was so tired, by managed to come home and make chili. My college kids were supposed to be coming home for fall break but they ended up dissing me and not coming until Saturday!
They came home and I made them food and then we had plans to go to lunch on the river. It was so nice!
We had a fire, ate dip, and had S’mores while watching football. My kids had tacos, but Tom and I were still full from lunch.
Sunday morning I was starving and made myself some hashbrowns and eggs.
I cleaned, spent time with my kids, and got ready for the week, and then had a really fun Sunday Funday that I will tell you about in my Friday Favorites!
It’s Friday! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika and many more for this fun link up. I have a hodgepodge for you today of products, moments, outings, and more.
Last weekend I went to Bath and Body Works with my nieces and found a new scent. It’s not super fall-ish, but I really like it. I seem to like things with the word “champagne” in them!
I needed to replace my nail polish top coat. I have loved using Orly and got another one at TJ Maxx. For only $3, I think this is a great product!
I told you the wrong scent when I talked about my two fall candle purchases. I bought “White Pumpkin” and this one… “Pumpkin Bonfire”. I love both and I am very picky about my scents.
It’s so hard, too, because you have to like the smell and what the candle design looks like on the outside!
Ok…my face is back to normal from the extreme dryness I was experiencing. Where has this been all my life? It is WONDERFUL! It will also last a really long time.
I don’t know if I have ever shown you the back of my yard and maybe no one cares? Ha! You could say that about most of the stuff I write, too! Our house backs up into an elementary school yard and I love that we have this extra space. Ernie loves it, too. He gets a few laps around the school yard most days.
I took a walk around my neighborhood and saw some fun fall decor.
This was dark – this yard has two figures hanging from trees – EEK!
And, this one might actually get a visit from the police..
Ok – the best way to do an at home mani is to sit at a table and have something to occupy you while you dry. I usually listen to a podcast. Having your hands flat on the table really is the trick.
I used my OPI Taupe-less Beach.
How do you show acts of love to your family? I make Tom’s yogurt everyday. Can he do this himself? Of course! But, it’s something I started doing for him and he appreciates it.
I put frozen berries in the big compartment and top it with a container of Oikos pro strawberry and then in the other compartment I put Nature Valley high protein granola.
He got a bonus the other day when I also made him a little charcuterie to go to take to work. He’s a lucky man, no? Ha!
I was skeptical, but man – these are good! I am happy to have some pancakes in my life now!
I need some recipes because I think you can do lots with this mix.
I picked this up on a whim and it made a great mimosa. I like bottles like this for the times in your life that you don’t want to mess with a cork. I found mine at Liquor Barn.
I finished my Hello Monday post before I did this last Sunday. I heard there would be a sailboat regatta and when managed to take the boat out and sit and watch for a couple of hours. I have no idea what was going on, but boy it sure looked idyllic!
Ernie came and was a very good boy.
My mom went to her miniature show last weekend and apparently left something behind. Tom brought this to me and asked if I would like a cup of tea. He does nice things for me, too.
I am still on the same jar of the Pixie eye patches. I like to leave them on for about an hour and I really do think they reduce eye puffiness. I would like to try a cheaper brand so let me know if you have one!
Monday night I got a wild hair and asked Tom if he wanted to meet at a new place called Waldo’s Chicken and Beer. He did and we sat outside and it was lovely and the food was great. We will be back!
I made chips/crackers out of my Cut Da Carb wraps and they were good! All of these chips are one WW point. I enjoyed them with hummus and cucumbers. This is a great afternoon snack for me!
I got bored with my last book and didn’t finish it – yet. I might finish it, but I’m not sure. I picked this up and I am enjoying the Puerto Rican cultural nods. It is set in Chicago in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood but there is also an Irish whiskey distillery next door to the main character’s family restaurant.
And, again reading outside for a bit each day is filling my cup!
I think these are the bomb! I have only had the little cotton no show socks to wear with sneakers, but I wanted something for my flats and Danskos. The price can’t be beat and I am not lying when I say I didn’t adjust them a single time during the 8-9 hours that I had them on. They prevented rubbing on the heel and side of my foot. Check them out here.
So, what were your faves this week? Can you believe we are halfway through October? No! Slow down!
Happy, happy Friday!
Amy
P.S. – Check out any posts you missed this week! I talked about Healthy Living and gave ideas for products and meals here, I posted the lasagna cupcakes recipe here, I showed my weekly fashion here, and I re-capped my weekend and talked about hosting here!
It’s Thursday and that means Fashion Files with Kellyann and Jill!
If you are new around here, I am a high school Spanish teacher and these are the outfits I really wear. I take one shot with my tripod and call it a day!
On this day, we were starting artist presentations so I thought it would be good to wear my Frida Kahlo t-shirt from Target with a fun printed LuLaRoe skirt (I know, I know, but I have about 5 non-wrinkle pencil skirts that I really like), a JC Penney Liz Claiborne knit cardigan, and my Shu Shop sneakers.
On this day I wore jean, a white t-shirt, a consignment scarf kimono and my Danskos. I had a near-emergency. I got the kimono caught in my zipper and thought I would have to cut it.
This was a Friday ‘fit and I wore my new consignment Kut from the Kloth flares with my new Amazon fall tee and a white button down over it. I wore my Hush Puppies cow loafers and my feet were so happy. They are so comfy!
On Saturday I wore my sweater vest finally! It’s a bit long and I wanted them hem of my shirt showing so I kinda rolled it under. My skinny jeans are constricting my legs now and they just feel too skinny. I really need a good stretchy straight leg. Recs needed! I can’t have the legs too wide, though! Kellyann made a good point – skinny legs just seem so hot now.
And, a fall boating outfit from Sunday. These Target Wild Fable camo leggings are so good. I am so glad camo is still “in” and I’m glad I bought these years ago. I paired them with an orange Loft consignment sweater and then I had a blue button down to change into when I got hot.
And, another weekend outfit – my higher waisted jeans from last year, an old Target blouse, and my Danskos.
In my Hello Monday post, I told you that I found some things at the consignment store with my sister and nieces. Want to see what I found?
This Loft blouse:
This J.Jill blouse. The fabric is soooo soft.
And, this blouse from Old Navy that was new with tags. The funny thing is – I was looking for a blouse like this last spring and summer.
I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me – I find exactly what I am looking for at a consignment store. I have one story about a ruined J.Crew straw tote and I found the same one new with tags! I have another about my Wine and Cheese sweater – it was out of stock in my size so I sized down but it barely fit. I found it at my consignment store in the exact size I needed!
If you don’t like the current styles in the stores, you may find that you like last season’s selections that people have discarded at your local consignment store. As you can see from my above outfits, I have a consignment item incorporated in most of my outfits.
Here are some looks I am wanting to recreate. I love going to Pinterest and typing in “vest outfit” or something very specific like that. It really helps you to use what you have in your closet I think!
By the way, I have a few more vests on order. I will let you know what I end up keeping. I think the vest might be a great thing for me because I get hot in a full sweater at work.
I also like to snap photos when I read magazines. I have a gold velvet top so I thought I could do this color scheme. This was an ad for my favorite consignment shop in a local magazine publication. See -they are good!
It’s time to talk about healthy living because it’s been awhile! I find this time of year very difficult – do you? First we have all the Halloween candy, my birthday is right after Halloween and that means cake, then Thanksgiving comes around, and then all the Christmas treats that surround me at school and at home. None of this is bad in moderation, but for me, it is a slippery slope. If you give a mouse a cookie…
I am trying to get back to basics until my birthday. I made the mistake of buying some candy corn and some Halloween chocolate for a couple of our candy bowls and now it’s gone, thankfully, and I didn’t do too badly. But, I don’t plan on buying anything else until a couple of days before the trick or treaters come. A holiday is ONE day, Amy – not an entire month! A trick to help with that is to not go in the stores. Use the pick up service!
Here is what I am working oncurrently:
-getting enough water – this is a constant struggle at school. You simply cannot drink enough water as a teacher because you just can’t get to the rest room as much as you would need to! I am trying to drink a big Tervis tumbler of water before my coffee at home and then at least one Stanley cup at work, followed by 2-3 more Tervis tumblers at home. I am also drinking La Croix on the patio most days in the afternoon, because it feels like a treat.
-getting enough protein – I have really let this slip. I am aiming for 30-40 grams per meal. If I can get this back up, I think my sugar cravings will be lessened.
-I never sit down during the day, so I am very active, but I still need to get back to the gym consistency and add more walking. This is my favorite time to walk, but I just struggle with being so spent by the end of my workday. I realize that walking would give me more energy, but… Teaching is hard, y’all. Teaching has never been harder than in 2022. That’s a separate post, though.
Let’s talk about favorite products and foods!
I am still enjoying two cups of coffee each morning before work. I take a tablespoon of this:
and a splash of a skinny syrup and…
froth it in the bottom of my coffee cup now before starting my Keurig. It is better this way than spooning it on top and I dirty one less cup. I’m serious, you need a frother. Starbucks who?
Thank you to the person who recommended Costco’s Kirkland brand egg whites. They come in a box with 6 of these cartons. I do a mixture of real eggs and this for my burritos and faux egg mcmuffins. If I am home making a breakfast bowl, I usually use one real egg and a couple of splashes of these. They taste great! Yes, I am an egg for breakfast person and I am a breakfast person. I wake up hungry, but wait about 3 hours to eat. On a perfect day, I stop eating at 7 p.m. in the evening, so I am hungry!
I am still taking my iced proffee (protein coffee) to work for my mid morning snack. Current favorites are these:
I usually reserve these for the afternoon because it feels like a treat. Favorites right now are black razzberry and razzcranberry. There are some flavors I don’t like. I think LaCroix is my fave sparkling water.
For an afternoon or evening snack, I like the portion control of the baked box of chips from Costco. I am pretty satisfied with these or the plain flavor.
I have to have a string cheese once a day. Ernie hears that wrapper and comes running. So, I really only have half a string cheese a day!
I have popcorn a few times a week.
I alternate breakfasts that I take to school – faux egg mcmuffins are on tap this week. I use the light Thomas English muffins, a half slice of Kraft American, a square of egg (I made them on a sheet pan in the oven) and two slices of Canadian bacon. Who knew Canadian bacon was so light and provides some protein?
Having these all packed up really makes me happy! My goal is to have as little to do in the morning as possible!
I am still loving Slender Kitchen for my recipes. (Click on the red type to go directly to the site.) Thanks to Erica, fellow Spanish teacher at my school and meal prep partner, for finding it. Tom is amenable to these meals for dinner and he also cares about getting lots of protein and being pretty low carb. He will eat anything, but he does sometimes say things like, “I would rather not see this on my plate again”. He says he just really appreciates not having to make a decision about dinner after making so many during the workday. He is fine with a dinner of frozen Totino’s pizza – the cheapest on the market – or tuna salad, too. He can make these himself if I’m tired!
I cobbled together a few non-light recipes for stuffed peppers this week and subbed cauliflower rice for regular rice. Brown rice would be good, too. These ended up being very low in calories, WW points, and high in protein. I used Laura’s lean ground beef and only did a bit of shredded Mexican cheese. I should have cooked the peppers for longer. You have to cook them before the filling is in and I only did about 30 minutes. I think they need 45-an hour and maybe even the broiler would be good at the end. These would make a great Halloween meal and you could also do orange peppers and yellow peppers. I did yellow here:
All packed up for school:
To keep with the orange theme, I did roasted baby carrots. Roasting any fresh veg just makes them so delicious, in my opinion.
I cooked onion and mushroom this week to throw in with eggs or some of our dinner meals, possibly. I like having this on hand.
I truly enjoy the chopping and stirring and find it very relaxing. I want to buy exclusively fresh fruits and veg, but having a few cans and frozen bags of certain things can be so helpful, too.
Ok – I ordered this for $15. I had been very curious. You can only get it online and there are 12 flatbreads in the bag. You have to keep it refrigerated. They are paper, paper thin. I used one as a wrap and it was not that satisfiying, but I made “chips” out of them to dip in hummus and they were so good that way! All I did was spray some Pam and salt them. I think 8 minutes at 350 in the air fryer was what I did.
I am pretty sure that anything you can do with a Cut Da Carb, you can do with my beloved La Banderitas, but I have not tried making chips with them yet. Also, I love to make my own tortilla chips out of very thin corn tortillas. They are seriously better than some of our Mexican restaurants’ chips. All it takes is Pam and salt!
I recently tried this and yum! They taste like buckwheat pancakes and I didn’t think I really needed much syrup. I used some of my spray butter.
I am still taking two of my multivitamins, but I have gone down to only one of my Vitamin D. My Vitamin D levels were low a year ago and this year they have increased tremendously! Yay! My cholesterol is higher than it should be so I am taking this liquid fish oil and getting it re-tested in a few months. I am also still obsessed with taking one Ashwagandha gummy 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. It contains a bit of Vitamin D, too. I think the Ashwagandha helps me to stay asleep. I really don’t care if it’s a placebo effect!
My WW app stopped working because we had to get a new credit card and I hadn’t changed the billing credit card. I tried for a week to “do it on my own” and “just write it down” but I decided that $20 a month is still worth it for me. Again, I have not yet reached my goal and I think this is the healthiest and most balanced approach. I just don’t think I am ready to be without the app yet.
Erica and I have both been struggling since August 10th when school started to get back on track. She says she is emotionally eating and drinking cocktails because school is hard. Her husband wants to eat out a lot during the week, too, which derails her. She does great during the school week until she goes home ravenous. I am struggling the most with after dinner treats right now.
My jeans all still fit, but they are tighter than they were last spring. I am trying to wear jeans a few times a week for accountability.
I want to repeat that I refuse to eat anything gross. I am not buying a lot of processed, packaged foods, but am cooking most of the stuff I eat myself. I have the time to do this, but honestly it doesn’t take much time. I spend about an hour on a weekend morning doing my breakfast prep and I cook every night for maybe 30 minutes and that gives me two dinners (Tom and I) and two lunches (Erica and I). I was making different things for our lunches and decided to work smarter like Erica had been doing.
My mom reads my blog every day (thanks, Mom!) and recently said “How are you doing on your diet?” I don’t feel that this is a diet, but rather that I am learning to feed my body in a healthier way, thus my blog post title “Healthy Living”.
She then went on to say, “From your blog, it looks like you are on a french fry diet!” That made me think maybe others think that, too! To that I say, I don’t want to live in a world without french fries. I probably have some french fries two-three times a month. I share them with other people and it’s a treat. If there are 21 meals in a week, I am eating a pretty good meal for 18-19 of them. It’s all about balance. That is why WW is so good and why it works. It retrains you about portion size. It lets you live your life. It is sustainable whereas diets are not in my humble opinion.
Of course, I show my treat meals more than my everyday meals in my blog posts because they are more fun to look at. I’m constantly working to figure this lifestyle out. I’m not trying to be fake up in here. I still eat too fast at lunch (we only have 20 minutes) and that sometimes carries over into my other meals. I still think I’m a member of the “Clean Plate Club”. As a child, I think our generation was taught that we had to clean our plate, but now I am working on learning to listen to my body’s fullness cues. I am working to take home half of my restaurant meals. I’m learning that a bite of something sweet does the trick just like the whole darn treat.
What I’m thankful for:
Tom – he is great at splitting things with me at restaurants, will eat any of my new experiments, and is super supportive.
Erica – it is so great to only have to make lunches two or three times a week. And, we eat like the Queens that we are! Ha! We have helped each other by all the new recipes we have tried. Erica has certain specialties and I have certain specialties.
That I like to cook! I feel for people like my sister Kate who just don’t enjoy it at all. It really makes it easier when you don’t feel like it’s a chore.
The people in my life who are supportive and say nice things. Never underestimate the power of a kind word.
You all! You are included in the above! No one can understand how supportive the blogosphere is if they don’t read and comment on blogs.
What recs do you have for me? Thoughts? I hope I gave one helpful tip today?
Sorry it has taken me so long to officially post about this recipe. I have talked about these a lot already, so I apologize!
Erica, my meal prep partner, brought these for our lunch one day in mid-September:
It’s hard to believe that these are healthy and lower calorie, right?
Did you know that wonton wrappers are very low in calories and make a good pasta substitute? Pioneer Woman has been talking about them for sometime and I never really listened. I’m sorry, PW.
I found my wonton wrappers near the cream cheese in my Kroger. Weird, right? Erica found hers at a little Asian food market near our school.
Here is the official recipe. Just click on the red “here”. Did you know that I link many things like this? You just click on the red word or words. I am not trying to insult your intelligence, but I have had some questions and I wanted to clarify.
Erica and I both added Laura’s lean ground beef to get that protein in. The original recipe is meatless. You could customize this in so many ways. I want to try a Mexican lasagna with chicken, corn, black beans, tomatoes (maybe Ro-tel?), and Mexican shredded cheese.
Each muffin tin uses two wonton wrappers so you will need 24 in total.
You put one wrapper down in the tin after spraying Pam and then layer a zucchini/spinach garlic mixture that you sautee, a bit of ricotta, parmesan, and shredded mozzarella, a bit of marinara sauce of your choice, and then I added the beef, you do this again and put another wonton on top, another layer of the zucchini mixture, the ricotta, parm, and mozz, the sauce, the meat. Then, you put a bit more mozz and parm on top and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
The hardest part is just the layering. If you have ever made homemade lasagna before, this was faster and easier.
You can tell that I had to immediately sample one!
Tanya suggested freezing these and pulling out a portion when you needed a quick meal. Genius!
Let me know if you try them! All the credit goes to Erica for finding this recipe!
Linking up today with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday and many ladies here for Not Just a Mom – How We Host. I have talked about this often and it’s an area I constantly strive to improve.
Let’s go back to Friday…
The day was beautiful – sunny and crisp – and I had made plans for a happy hour with Erica and Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth is no longer teaching with us, we have been good about seeing each other often.
We headed to Captain’s Quarters (are you tired of seeing it?) because it really is the best view of the river and the closest to our school.
I had a Kentucky lemonade – bourbon and lemonade.
We had some green chili wontons and
split a caprese pizza. Elizabeth took home the leftovers.
We hung out until about 4:30 and then I went home to Tom and we just had random things out of the fridge for dinner and watched tv. I wasn’t hungry so I just had a few bites.
Saturday morning, my sister and her two girls drove my mom to my city for a miniature show. My mom makes scenes out of miniatures and this is a good opportunity to buy the elements of the scenes. We dropped my mom off and then took the girls consignment shopping. Everyone found at least one thing!
I found three blouses that I will show you on Thursday – one was even new with tags!
Then, the girls were getting a bit hungry so we went to my favorite cookie shop called Penny and Pearl’s and took our cookies next door to a mediterranean place and shared some pita and hummus. Lena (the blonde) loves hummus so much!
We sat and laughed and laughed. These girls are seriously funny. They are quick with the jokes and they laugh at everything I say. Molly is really funny and quick, too.
We picked my mom up and she scored big time in her words. She founds lots of good stuff and it all fit in a tiny bag – miniature jokes. We made miniature puns most of the day, by the way.
Then, my mom was hungry and we had only had a few bites of pita and cookie, so we headed to Drake’s which is a sports bar. It was extremely loud, but everyone liked their food. Tom met us there, too.
Mia got sushi.
Lena got sliders.
I got a salad with green apple, blue cheese, sunflower seeds – yum!
and some sushi. I took half of both things home with me.
After lunch, we went to TJ Maxx and Bath and Body Works and then came back to our patio where Tom had started a fire. We sat around and then they left.
Jack came home because he had worked nearby and we all sat outside and had take out German food for dinner. Our German restaurant that closed had offered a special take out experience for Octoberfest so we jumped on that. I made the carrots.
I had my first apple cider sangria of the season – but I had to use apple juice because I didn’t buy any cider yet.
I made a s’more for dessert, too!
We watched games outside and then I got cold.
I was also really tired from my big day out!
Mia took this black and white of Ernie and sent it to me.
I fell asleep pretty early and then I was up early – oh well.
I had bought this trio at TJ Maxx and couldn’t wait to try it. I am saving peppermint until after Thanksgiving if I can.
Then, I did some meal prep, which I truly enjoy. I love doing it in the morning when I have my energy.
I did mushrooms and onions for breakfast and other things during the week.
I did a mini sheet pan of eggs for my faux egg mcmuffins.
I did one recipe for the week that will be a dinner for Tom and I and a lunch for Erica and I.
I think this would be a great Halloween meal, too. I cobbled together a couple of different recipes and made it healthier with Laura’s lean ground beef and cauliflower rice.
How We Host:
My house is not great for hosting. If I do have people over, it’s probably just one couple in the dining room for dinner or games. I host on my patio the most because I have a table that seats 6 and a sectional that can seat another 6 or so. We host on our boat with usually no more than 4 other adults. I think we can think outside the box when we use the word “host”. It may not have to be at your home, you know?
If you have trouble hosting and you want to do it more, please read Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. It really helped me to see that I don’t need to do all that I thought I needed to do. My friend Kara agrees about what this book did for her.
A rare photography of Tom smiling:
He smiles often in real life, but to catch it on camera is truly a feat. He was happy about his nachos, it appears.
We hosted some of Tom’s work peeps recently on the boat. We board, we chat, we park at our riverside restaurant and that makes it super easy.
Tom’s boss: I think he is very afraid of Tom’s position as captain in this arena.
Hosting another couple and their dog this summer:
Here are the types of ways I host:
-happy hours after school with one or two other people usually (on my patio)
-summer brunch or lunch on my patio
-having a few people on the boat
-people over for dinner – sometimes take out and sometimes potluck
A couple things have changed the way I see hosting now. I think the pandemic changed my view on how elaborate or not elaborate it needs to be. I also think I’m doing it less now because I feel more freedom in meeting people out. I hosted a lot during the pandemic. I also think age has made me realize it doesn’t need to be perfect or so complicated. People truly just want you – they really don’t care about the other stuff.
Did someone say Friday? It’s time to link up with the ladies to share what made us smile this week. It’s always such a happy post and I get so many good ideas!
I finished this and despite the ghost in the story, it was probably one of my favorites of hers. Also, in the back of the book, Elin includes her recommendations for a visit to Nantucket. I thought that was a nice touch.
And, then I started this. I think I picked it up on a whim at my library and I am really enjoying it! I loved having time to read outside over my fall break and after school with our wonderful weather. Real question: what am I gonna do when I can’t read outside anymore? I am looking for an armchair for my bedroom but have not had any luck. I really want to use it and not just throw clothes on it or have a place for Tom to put his hideous Tour de Tom biking costume.
I didn’t get a great picture of the beautiful bride and her groom from last weekend, so I stole this one to show you.
Monday I was able to meet my friends for brunch at our new First Watch near my house.
It was really nice and a fun thing to do on my last day of break.
I got back to meal prep and am enjoying breakfast burritos this week. I use a La Banderita brand low carb tortilla, some scrambled eggs, some shredded cheese, one Amylu chicken sausage breakfast link, and a few pieces of microwaved and diced potato. I wrap them up and put them in the freezer and pull one out each morning to take to school.
I had a spontaneous happy hour Tuesday after school to hear about Erica’s fall break trip upstate New York where she visited family and toured lakes and wineries.
I hadn’t eaten much for lunch that day and was starving. We had their homemade potato chips with dips and…
pretzel sticks and beer cheese.
on a cute patio. Ok Amy, time to get back to normal!
My face has been so dry and painful. I finally slathered this on one night before bed and saw immediate results and relief the next day. I have never had such a dry face so I am trying to figure it out. Any recommendations?
Over break, I used my Bath and Body coupons (usually I can’t make this work – I forget them or they have expired!)
I got this for free:
And, the 3 wick candles were on sale for $13.50 and I had a 20% off.
I got this:
And cinnamon pumpkin. I’m enjoying burning one inside and one outside. I am not into “saving” things. I want to use them now and enjoy them.
One of our lunches this week made by me was this Doritos taco salad. We each only use 5 Doritos and it has iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, a tiny bit of cheese, fat free sour cream, and taco sauce, along with taco meat made with Laura’s lean ground beef.
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 