Well…the break couldn’t last forever! As you are reading this, I am either in a teacher work day or getting ready to leave for my teacher work day. I thought it was going to be great to let me get my ducks in a row for this week, but we are in meetings basically all day. So, the work I really need to do will be on my own time. Also, we are expecting lots of kids in quarantine, so that requires more online resources. Sorry to start on such a Debbie Downer note.
Jack and Mason are home until Wednesday, so I also want to have some time to spend with them. Their college is going back on time an in person, but they are mandating the booster.
I am linking up today with Heather, etc. right here!
Thursday afternoon, Tom and I took Ernie to swim in the river.
The river was high and it’s been quite grey here. We headed home and I made burrito bowls and we watched tv with Jack and Mason.
Friday morning I met Elizabeth at Gralehaus. New favorite place! It has rooms to rent upstairs and downstairs it is a brunch place – only open from 9-2, I think – with a German-ish vibe.
There are maybe 6 tables inside and a bar where you can sit, but it wasn’t very cold and we chose to be a little safe by sitting outside in the garden area.
I got the “ugly frittata”. It did not taste ugly!
Eliz got the sourdough with burrata and apple butter.
We both loved it and I can’t wait to go back.
As Friday progressed, it got super sunny and warm!
I did a fun NYE mani on my patio with my dark purple/black and an overlay of OPI confetti polish I had. I also read and I am super into this book!
Look at these temps!
That night, for NYE, we went out at 4:40. Yes, I said 4:40! We are old. We met our friends at Harry’s to watch the end of the Cincinnati game because they have a family member on the team.
I had prosecco because I was wearing my new prosecco earrings I will show you on Wednesday.
We got the spinach and artichoke dip with the pasta noodles!
I also got sushi and Tom got his favorite salmon salad. Mason ate the rest when we got home around 7:00! Crazy NYE! Mason went to a party and Jack hung out with us.
Saturday it was warm and rainy and I love to visit my covered patio and sit in the rain.
Mason finally was ready to tackle his closet with me. A couple of the bags were my stuff. It felt so good to get this out!
I took it to the drop off center immediately and then did a grocery pick up for the rest of the time J and M are home and for the week. I am going to try really hard to not go to the store until next weekend.
Tom went to the gym and brought home donuts; balance, right?
Mason and I watched Disney’s Encanto.
We stayed home the rest of the day because it literally rained all day and it was just a good day to stay home.
Sunday was clean, meal prep, and then relax and get ready for a long and busy January. I’m trying not to be too depressed and I do miss my students and I have some fun things to teach and some fun projects coming up.
I will leave you with a few things I really liked!
This is my jam! It’s just such a good song that you can’t help but to sing and dance even if in a public place.
Have you been seeing all the CDC memes? So funny! I really liked this one:
And, this one:
Jack and Mason like to make fun of signs like this!
And, of course, Betty…
What a life, right? I started this post on a negative note, but Betty will help me to end it on a positive note.
I know many of you are ready for routine again after not knowing what day it was and after having so many holidays so close together, right?
Happy Friday and Happy NYE! I don’t think the Friday Favorites blog link up is happening today and by the way, the blog world has been mighty quiet this week. I have enjoyed some “Best Books of 2021” posts and some “Most Popular Posts of 2021”, though. I really hope that everyone isn’t heading to Instagram in lieu of blogging! I much prefer to read a blog post.
Also, did you know you can get my blog sent to your email inbox? Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your email. Or, click follow in right hand corner and enter your email address.
If you are looking for a certain topic, you can search with the looking glass at the top right or at the bottom right. That’s as high tech as I get on this ol’ blog.
My number one favorite is having Jack and Mason here! And, my second favorite is having this break. I love my job and my students, but it is so nice to just have some time off.
Other favorites are:
As much as I love Christmas, I am always ready to put everything away when it’s over.
I like minimalism, twinkle lights, and plants after all the Christmas color. It always feels so fresh when I get everything put away. I know I’m not the only one that feels this way, right?
Monday, I went to the library and choose these three books:
I started with the first one and I am enjoying it so far. It is about a woman in Manhattan in the 40s-50s who gave up her job as a UN interpreter after getting married and starting a family. She is bored with her life as a young mom and is going to get an offer that pulls her back into her past… It’s also nice that I have gotten to read outside this week!
I went to Penzey’s Spices for the first time ever on Monday. Do you all have one where you live? I enjoyed looking at all the spices and blends.
These are what came home with me:
I have already used all of them!
Just because I’m on break doesn’t mean that the meal prep stops. I made a bunch of cauliflower rice and got things prepped for Greek Bowls for my lunches a couple of days this week.
I also cut up celery to have with laughing cow wedges and everything seasoning.
Monday afternoon, Tom and I saw The King’s Man at the theater and it was really good. Funny Tom story…he had vacation time to use and took off the week before Christmas. He went back to work Monday, only to find out that the office was closed for their Christmas holiday as Christmas fell on a Saturday. I laughed my head off because he had even been to the gym at 4:30 a.m. because he thought he had a work day. He went and got his tire repaired and then met a friend for lunch that he had been meaning to catch up with. I told him he should probably read his work email a little bit more carefully. So, he was free to meet me for the 1:20 movie.
I really like this “snowdrop” scent. I don’t love all of the Mrs. Meyer’s scents, but this is one that is really nice and reminds me of snow! Teachers love a snow day! Our district has announced that we will go back to the traditional snow day unless we have a freak weather event resulting in us needing to be out for multiple days at a time. That means no online/virtual work for our students and they can simply play in the snow! But, we do have to make them up so I don’t want too many. I may do a “make my own snow day” if you know what I mean – wink, wink. Look at me – on break – already planning for the next time I will be off.
I made an iced coffee with this syrup and vanilla Premier. It was pretty good! I miss my peppermint mocha, though. It is my best concoction.
I was “influenced”, but this is a pretty darn good cup. It fits in your car cup holder, too. I have a cup problem, but if it helps me drink more water…maybe it’s an okay problem to have?
They wasted no time…the Valentine’s Day stuff is out! I love Valentine’s Day, but it seems a long way off.
I went in a boutique that I always forget about. If you are local, all of their clothes and Christmas is 40% off. I love having the time to pop in places I don’t frequent when I’m working.
A really cool favorite this week…I got to see a girl who I taught with for only one year back in the school year 2000-2001. She taught German and so we were in the same department then moved to another city for a different job. We have only seen each other a couple of times in 20 years, but we have followed each others’ lives on social media.
She was in town with her son for a swim meet and we met for dinner. It was so fun and we had lots of laughs! We have the same sense of humor and it was as if no time had passed.
I had red wine, salmon, and broccoli.
I have my new January mantle:
Weird angle – I took it while sitting on the floor playing with Ernie. He will be 9 next month but is still so playful like a puppy. If you sit on the floor, he goes to his toy box to bring something to you.
I saw this on Instagram. Teen parenting is not for the weak and you may be in the throes of it or just entering it. I think this is some sound advice. Also, try to get them in the front seat with you one on one. Lots of good stuff comes out when there is no direct eye contact – lol!
I also saw this and love it…
This was pretty much what I tried to do from age 13 on.
I am trying to do this on break, too. I think you kinda need to treat them like cats. Let them come to you. Don’t make any sudden moves. And, please, do not agressively punctuate in your texts. They get really scared off by the… dreaded “!”.
I am going to ask mine to sit down with me to get on their college website to set up their payment plans for next semester, show me their classes, and talk about their progress thus far in college. We also are starting to talk about summer jobs and internships. This is a weird in between stage of parenting.
Do you have plans? I don’t have any yet at the time of this posting. I don’t like to be out on the roads and I don’t like my kids to be, either. I want everyone to stay put! If Jack and Mason don’t have plans, I might just suggest sushi and a movie at home. We do have some movies we want to watch together before they head back to campus. I think it’s probably too late to make a reservation anywhere at this point.
Just like last year, I am not gonna mess around. I am going to eat all of the good luck foods that I can. Here I come Kroger, I am ready to prepare myself gastronomically.
-Make any holiday foods that you didn’t get to make on Christmas Eve or Day.
-Have a game night with just a couple of friends.
-Do a potluck/pitch in and ask each person to bring something that showcases their word for 2022.
-Have everyone pick a word for 2022 – Maybe make a vision board. How funny would it be for adult men to sit around creating a vision board? Tom would so be into that – NOT!
-Do a progressive dinner with take out from a few different places or do a few different drive thrus. Kids would think this was hilarious.
-Eat your dinner out of order with dessert first. Kids would love this.
-Have everyone write a favorite memory from the year.
What ideas do you have? What plans do you have this year?
I had plans to take lots of outfit pics, but it just didn’t happen. I have been wearing jeans most days, but with a nice top. I change out of them into shorts whenever I am done going out for the day. The jeans are my accountability touchstone for remembering how far I’ve come and for keeping me motivated to treat my body right. Y’all, I went several years without wearing jeans much at all. I repeat, leggings were not my friends. Jeans are that bitchy frenemy that will tell you the truth, ya know?
I love fashion and this is my day of the week to talk about it. It may seem that I am obsessed, but I don’t think I am; I just really enjoy it as a hobby. I ask people if I can see their new stuff and if I can help them put outfits together. Style is a personal thing and your style can evolve. It’s just so fun! And, it’s all about being and feeling your best. If you feel good you will life your best life.
We have had very, very warm weather here in Louisville, Kentucky. I hear that was the case in many other locales, too. If I can’t have a white Christmas, I will take a balmy one.
A couple of nights before Christmas, I wore my Loft velvet leggings (very old), a new Loft blouse, and my faux fur vest (very old – from the Liz Claiborne line at JC Penney! This line used to have some decent stuff for great prices and I wear this vest and my tan one quite a bit).
On Christmas Day, I just wore jeans, my Feliz Navidad t-shirt tucked in with a belt, and my red clogs. It was perfect for being on my patio all day at home!
For the day after Christmas, I wore my new Loft quilt-esque blouse, jeans and belt, and my cognac booties (Jack Rogers, old).
The day after the day after Christmas, I wore another new Loft blouse. I’m not gonna pay for shipping, so they got me – I had to order enough to qualify! This blouse has a tiny gold thread running through it. I love it. I was letting my hair air dry here and I had no makeup on.
For Christmas, my mom got me some Matilda Jane items. I think this is a tunic. I am not sure what I will put over it yet. I do have a cardigan in this color.
And this kimono..
And, this kimono…
She also got me some brown bell bottom layered pants like my red and black ones. I cut them off because they are long on me and have them in the wash now. They don’t require hemming and just kinda roll up and look like they came that way. They are perfect teacher pants. They are super comfortable but still look professional. By the way, teachers are getting so casual. I think high school has always been a bit more dressy than elementary, but I’m noticing that we are getting pretty casual. Maybe it is this year with the mask situation. Nothing really looks nice with a mask as an accessory for 8 freaking hours!
I really don’t want to buy any more winter clothes. I think the new things I received will work well for spring and fall so I really like that. I can’t wear anything too hot to school so it’s almost like I need a seasonless teacher wardrobe. I am really trying to minimize my closet and only have things I LOVE. Right now I am using Mason’s spare closet as I try to better organize my space. I feel like I work in my closet so much. I just don’t have it fully functional yet. I might ask Tom for advice on where things make the most sense.
I said I don’t WANT to buy winter clothes, but I might have some deals too good to pass up, so don’t judge, ok?
What have you been wearing lately?
What is your current vibe – type of clothing, stores, etc.?
Do you like to look back on the year as it comes to a close? Are you a reflective person? I feel like I am. I had a little fun looking back on the blog and just thinking about this year in general. Loyal readers, you have been along for the ride! I had fun putting this together, but I will warn you…it is long.
What a year! I feel like I pivoted so many times! But, I did it!
January – was hard on me when the boys when back to college. I felt pretty sad. Jack moved to Mason’s dorm and that made me (and Jack) happier because of the strict no visiting other dorms Covid policy. They could now go to each others’ rooms. Jack was super scared of the virus. Mason was cautious, but not super paranoid. I felt so bad that they didn’t have a “normal” first year of college, but I appreciated the chance for them to live on campus and the efforts their college made to make the best of it.
I was teaching virtually from home and I loved not having to get out in the cold. We got a lot of snow! I did make an effort to get out of the house every day after school even if just for a library pick up, grocery pick up, etc.
Looking back, I now know that I also had a harder time because I just didn’t feel great physically. I made an effort to meet a friend for a lunch or happy hour. I remember sitting outside for safety on a few patios in January and thinking how wonderful it was, because normally restaurants close their patios in September/October and re-open them in May. We had heaters, of course. I embraced home manis and pedis. I did my 30 Bags in 30 Days decluttering challenge and I tried to be frugal after the crazy December month of spending.
February – think this was the month we found out the “plan” for returning to in person school from virtual school. There was something nice about finally having a plan, but there were lots of fears about how it would work. February 3 – I got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine in the same car (masked) with my 28 year old buddy Elizabeth. Basically, the school district facilitated our vaccines to get us back to in person learning. It was a surreal experience moving up in a line of cars in the two hour total process. Luckily, we passed the time deciding who we would allow to message Elizabeth on her Hinge dating app. Fun! Afterwards we ate lunch and drank alcohol with our Tylenol.
March – meetings, meetings, meetings about going back to school (on Zoom!) and on March 3rd, I got my second dose at Walgreen’s because my school district lost my appointment for the mass vaccination clinic. The joke was on them because Walgreen’s was a very quick process. I took Tylenol again and was fine. Jack and Mason got their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on campus! My sister visited for her spring break! My back was killing me and I remember going in to set up my room and having back spasms. I also wondered about what I would wear for pants and what I would wear in general after really not needing my teacher wear for so long! Mason was in a play that was live streamed, sadly; they didn’t allow anyone to come see it in person.
Watching Mason livestreamed in the play Proof
April – Spring Break where I worked and had meetings for too much of my time because we were headed back to school right after the break. April 8th is a big date for me because I decided to change my life through my diet – on my own, but by using a zero points WW list I found on Pinterest. (I didn’t tell my blog friends until July 13 because I was scared of failing.) I returned to in person teaching but it was super weird with some kids coming Monday and Tuesday and some on Thursday and Friday. I repeated lessons so much, because you taught each lesson twice for Group A and Group B. Classes were so small and the dynamic wasn’t there. It was good to see my colleagues again and be in the school. I also challenged myself to wear 32 different outfits for the 32 school days. Erica and I started walking a couple of days after school. Jack and Mason got their second dose of the vaccine before moving home and the change in Jack after the 2 week period was wonderful. He had been so scared of the virus. We talked a lot about how it had affected him.
May – May 1 – I officially joined WW and the purple plan. I was so happy the boys were back in the nest! I still had a month of school left. It was really fun at the end of the month when Jack got to act again in “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot”.
June – Summer Amy! I was nervous about being at home with all of the food after packing my breakfast and lunch everyday and having that structure, but I did well. I also started walking in the mornings on my own. Tom and I boated a lot and that was fun.
I had a staycation at the Omni and we used the rooftop pool. We ate dinner at Jeff Ruby’s and I rode in my first Uber!
July – We took a family trip to Nashville, continued to use our boat a lot, and to be social. Jack was in a Shakespeare training program that culminated in evening performances in the park.
We had several dinners out with friends. I think we were enjoying the new found freedom of the vaccine…until Delta came along!
We celebrated 21 years of marriage in July, too!
It has become a July tradition for my sister and brother-in-law to boat to us and we enjoyed a fun day again this year!
Getting ready to watch Jack in Shakespeare in the Park!
August – I thought I was going to have a normal school year, but Delta came on the scene. We found out we had to go back in masks and I am not going to lie – I cried. This was a hard month getting my stamina back to teach full speed. Jack and Mason moved back to campus basically on their own with no fanfare. I created a self-care syllabus for myself. It was also a good month getting to establish relationships with new students and connecting with ones from last year and/or the year before! Erica and I started doing our lunches together which was amazing.
We kept enjoying the nice weather on the weekends after school started like this outdoor concert below with our friends.
I think it really helped my students to go outside for class a few times!
September – We had our first fall break ever for teachers. It was so nice! We started up Spanish Club again and had great success and a lot of fun. I went to a few football games.
We celebrated Jack and Mason’s 19th birthday with sushi and cookie cake!
Tom and I boated to my hometown for an arts festival with a high school friend and his wife. It was a gorgeous day!
October – I threw myself a Day of the Dead themed 50th birthday party! Well, I made Tom do a lot of the work. It meant so much to have my best local friends all in one place! I kept the party small and totally outside.
I continued having a happy hour/friend meet up almost every week. I discovered a new favorite perfectly boujie place called The Champagnery.
Tom and I tailgated for the big rival UK and U of L game and then he stayed for the game.
November – I turned 50! I took the day off and for the first time ever – Tom joined me. It was really nice. We celebrated Thanksgiving with both sides of the family (with one family missing because they had Covid, sadly).
My mom treated me to a girls’ weekend a couple of weeks after my birthday, too. We had so much fun!
December – I limped across the semester finish line, did all of my Christmas shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I got my Moderna booster shot. I was happy to have the kids home from college on December 10th for almost a month! I started cooking for four again!
My dear sisters and our “wintertinis”!
A dinner and play out – the play was not great, but it was fun!
Shopping:
I used Amazon a lot, of course. I also used Target drive up quite a bit after learning how awesome it is. I continued to do consignment shopping and at the end of the year I started shopping at Loft again.
I really worked on saying Yes more! I said “yes” to my health and I said “yes” to pretty much anything social that I could do. I actually think I had a lot of fun this year. I loved my happy hours and lunches with just one friend at a time. I said no to things that didn’t fill my cup. I set boundaries for the most part that really helped me. Learning to work from home is hard and you need a quitting time. I stopped checking emails on the weekends when school started and really did follow my own rules as much as I could.
I talked about Non-Scale Victories – It can get frustrating when the scale doesn’t move much or at all! But, there are so many other ways to measure your progress.
This is MY blog and not Tom’s, Jack’s, or Mason’s. I really try not to get too much into their lives because that is not my story to tell, but…
Tom was my rock in 2021. I am so grateful to him. He is a good sport about most of the things I want to do and he is funny. You can’t tell from his non-smiling picture face, but Tom makes me laugh more than anyone else.
Jack and Mason bring me so much joy and laughter, too. I had a great year with them both together and doing things one on one. I am learning how to be a young adult parent and they make it so rewarding.
I owe so much to my friends Beth, Victoria, Elizabeth, and Erica for being available for fun and for listening to me vent! And, work would be so boring without Erica and Elizabeth!
I love my students and they added so much to my 2021, as well. They are smart, funny, and compassionate.
And, finally, my blog readers and now friends…thank you for being here in 2021. Your comments have been so supportive and encouraging.
Wow – that went by quickly! Today Tom is back to work and I am going to take down the Christmas decor. After Christmas, I am just ready, you know? I do add snowmen and keep up the twinkle lights until it’s socially acceptable to do a bit of Valentine’s decor!
I am linking up today with Heather, etc. for Hello Monday!
Let’s go back to last Thursday night. We went to dinner and a play as a family. Mason had been sick most of the week and then Jack got it. They were Covid negative and it was just a cold with a cough. But, we had to mask up for the play so I thought it would be o.k.
I wore a new Loft blouse, my faux fur vest, velvet leggings, and dressier suede booties.
I ordered the buffalo grilled chicken sandwich.
The play was a bust and we left at intermission. Oh well – I thought some small local theatre would be a fun and seasonal thing to do.
I enjoyed lots of patio time over the weekend!
I walked by myself and with Ernie. He found a very large stick and tried to bring it home.
I just couldn’t finish. It was kinda cute at first but then the cheesiness just got to be too much.
For Christmas Eve, we decided not to go to in person church because of the coughing that J and M were doing. Also, Mason got the Covid booster that day. Jack decided to wait because he left his card at college and because he was still in the throes of his cold.
I did fondue and it was a lot of work.
And, I made salmon, potato salad, and broccoli for dinner.
We had a nice Christmas morning. Jack got a new guitar that was hidden.
Mason wore his Eve pancake pants.
Jack got another pair of Jack Skellington pants.
They loved the quilts! I didn’t think they would be as excited as they were.
It was 70 degrees and I enjoyed my mimosa on the patio after we opened gifts.
Tom always puts magazines in my stocking.
Tom’s parents came and we stayed outside. Unfortunately, his sister’s family was exposed to Covid and they stayed home.
We ended Christmas Day with a fire!
The day after Christmas, yesterday, we traveled an hour to my mom’s house and I made wintertinis for my sisters and I.
Nieces pic!
We did a white elephant/Dirty Santa that was really fun, in addition to opening our real gifts.
Merry Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas tomorrow! I am so grateful for you all!
The week went by so fast as it always does, but it was a good one. Here are some things that I would call my favorites…
I chose two books to enjoy over the break…
I still have a no book buying policy – I love my library! It’s not a hard and fast rule, but for my fiction books, I am not going to read them again so I just choose not to spend money on books. It’s also about the space/clutter issue.
Hair day – I had it this week! I get my hair highlighted every 8-10 weeks and I always enjoy chatting with Laura, my stylist. I always take a selfie under the dryer. I’m not sure why.
Tom and I had not been out to dinner in quite awhile. He has been out to lunch at work (er’day- annoying) and I have been out for happy hours (no more than once a week), but it had been some time since our last “dinner date”.
I wore the Amazon leopard skirt, Amazon sweater, and old witchy pointed suede boots.
We went to The Pine Room and it was great ambiance, food, drink, and we had great company with…
Victoria and Dave! We have been friends with them for 22 years I think. Victoria and I taught next door to each other for a long time and Dave is a former art teacher turned dentist. His slogan should be “your teeth are my art”. I don’t know why he doesn’t hire me for his marketing. He has an emotional support lap dog for his patients if they so desire. How cool is that? Victoria was born in Greece but came here for college and met Dave. They are interesting and fun people!
Here is a blurry photo of our pretzel bread and queso and behind it you can see the cauliflower with peanuts and hoisin sauce. Both were excellent! Sorry, but I was anxious to eat and didn’t take the time to take a decent photo.
I ordered a burger and fries and I think that is the first time I have ordered one in 9 months? I have been no stranger to fries, but this was a great burger to indulge in because it had brie! I was a member of the Clean Plate Club that night.
Tom got the fried chicken, salt and pepper biscuit, mashed potatoes and greens.
It was a fun night out!
I had my baking day this week on our coldest day. I told you about it yesterday, but it is still a favorite!
They must be stored in a tin like Aunt Judy did. We would go to their house and sneak goodies from her tins. Our cousin April (her daughter) is in between my age and Kate’s ages and we got into trouble together.
I tried Pioneer Woman’s devil’s food cake cookies.
And, I did regular and
white chocolate Chex Mix.
I am loving my air fryer. Tom says I talk about it too much. He told Victoria and Dave not to get me started. Oops.
I have been eating lightly as much as possible. I did the Greek Bowl for a lunch one day.
I did a taco salad while the fam had BLTS, tator tots, and a regular salad. I don’t feel one bit bad not eating the same things. These variations have worked for me. I had the taco meat left from the boys’ tacos the other night.
I am so excited about these gifts! I have been saving the boys’ vacation souvenir t-shirts since they were 2 years old.
Here is Mason’s quilt:
And, here is Jack’s:
The fleece on the underside is so soft. I realize that 19 year olds may not appreciate this gift now, but I hope they will as they get older. I used a local company and I felt that is was pretty expensive, but this is something I have planned for 17 years, right? I loved that I got to make an appointment, pick the side of the shirt I wanted, pick the border, the fleece color, etc. Here is the company if you are local to Louisville or nearby. They might also offer a mail in version. It took about 6 weeks and I had my appointment on September 30, fyi.
What were your favorites this week? Are you calm? Are you stressed? I am good. Very little is wrapped, but I am going to turn on a movie and enjoy the process. I have to clean the whole house, too, but again, I am going to put on a podcast and just do it, and be thankful I have a home to clean. I also have a list for my elves to do (Tom, Jack, and Mason!).
Yesterday was my baking day and I do not want to do it again so that will be my motivation not to eat too much of my spoils!
I still am making these but in red and green. They are just fun to add to any dessert platter, you know? If you still need something little – heat oven to 350 and place square pretzels on a cookie sheet, top with rolos and put in oven for 5 minutes. Pull out and gently smush your m and m. I put the m and m logo face down so I don’t see it!
I made our family’s favorite pink meringues!
They must be put in a tin like this and kept in the freezer because that is what Aunt Judy did.
I made Chex Mix:
I made white chocolate Chex Mix:
And, I made Pioneer Woman’s Devil’s Food Cake Mix cookies. They were messy to deal with but PW has never let me down. These are delish! Take a DF cake mix, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and whisk, then add 2 eggs, 2 teaspooons vanilla, and 1/3 cup of veg oil. Mix together and it will be super thick. Put in fridge for 30 minutes then roll in balls and roll in sprinkles. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
I think everyone will really like this new addition!
On Christmas Eve, it is just the four of us. We will go to church at 5:00, and then eat salmon, broccoli, and potatoes I think. Then we will open the family game we always get – this year is it Azul – and the boys will open their pj pants. It’s just pants now.
Christmas morning:
egg casserole and monkey bread
Christmas afternoon:
Tom’s parents and sister’s family are coming over around 2:00. We are having:
sweets platter
restaurant chips and queso
deviled eggs
Red Velvet cake
ham and turkey with hawaiian buns or biscuits
cheese and pickle platter
Tik Tok pasta – feta, grape tomatoes, olive oil
chipped beef dip
beef roll ups
Yup, it’s super weird, but I had to make a decision.
The Day After Christmas:
We go to my mom’s house and I am bringing:
(Plus there will be tons of stuff my mom and sisters are making)
little smokies
buffalo chicken dip and celery
bacon chutney dip
Mexican layer dip
We like our dips, you know?
I want to leave you with a recipe:
Chipped Beef Dip (another Aunt Judy recipe):
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons Miracle Whip
8 oz. cream cheese (one block)
a spash of Worchestshire
2 little packages of beef in the lunch meat section (the really cheap and thin kind) cut up really small
Mix all together and serve on Ritz crackers. I like to buy the snowflake shaped ones!
I thought I would throw in some talk about what I’ve been doing along with a very few outfit pictures. We are getting close. Are you ready? That seems to be all the talk right now. I have not wrapped a thing! I am going out to buy gift bags and tissue paper today and today might also be my baking day. I waited as long as I could so the temptations would not be around for long.
How have I done on eating so far? Pretty good! I used all of my extra WW Weeklies Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday but I didn’t go over my allotted amount. Monday I did pretty well with the exception of some white chocolate peppermint Hershey’s kisses. I am letting myself indulge this week but it is a slippery slope so I am being careful until Eve and Day. Also, I have worn jeans at least part of every day as a strategy. It’s hard to find the balance between being obsessive and careful, but I am trying.
Friday for our last day of school the weather was balmy and my classroom was tropical. I went with a blouse that is probably a bit big now but that was festive in its color scheme. I wore my Tieks to be comfortable. So these jeans fit in the stomach, but are big everywhere else and not that flattering. I am in between jean sizes, I think. I did have to donate my new consignment Chico’s jeans because they were definitely too big after wearing them a few hours. I am not going to buy any new ones for awhile if I can help it.
I really need to deal with my undereye area. Any suggestions?
Saturday was rainy so this is what I wore to the indoor flea market. I have on my new Costco lined boots – love!, my newish black jeans that fit pretty well but are a bit tight in the stomach right now, an old Old Navy feminine flannel, old Old Navy vest, and my Fucci cross body that is getting a lot of attention this week. I am trying to say Faux-Gucci and it could also come out sounding like Dr. Fauci. Lol! Sorry, but I do not want to wear his purse. It would probably only be approved for gatherings of two people outdoors. Too soon? Maybe so.
I swear I am not drunk – yet – lol; this is the only photo I have of this outfit. Other bloggers would leave it out. That’s why I’m different. I wore my pleather skirt, Target boots, another Old Navy old flannel, and an old Old Navy puffer to this small Christmas open house.
Basically if you see me this week I am wearing Christmas colors and my Fucci cross body. I will be tired of it December 26 and then I will put it in the back of my closet.
Have you heard of Strap-Its? I’m not sure if this is really the best name for this product. They are one size fits “some” and I have been eyeing them for quite awhile in my local boutique, Tunie’s. I don’t know why because I only have one off the shoulder slightly top. But, I couldn’t really wear said top because of the bra situation.
Anyhow, I am now one of the “some” category that it fits but I am at the top of that “some”. I bought this pattern below. I love it! The clerk told me this is the only bra she wears now so she wears them even when she is not wearing an off the shoulder top.
I also really like this one, but if I wore this with my Fucci it would be Fucci overload and no one wants that. No one wants Fauci overload, either.
Anyway, I will wear my ensemble soon, maybe? We have crazy weather right now. It is going to be quite warm for Christmas they say.
I am thinking about trying this for Christmas Eve like Cassie of Hi Sugarplum. I have a similar Target skirt that is 20 years old. Seriously, it is elastic waist and I love it so much. I can wear one of my plaids tucked in?
Wednesday Whereabouts:
Where have I been? Sunday I went to the library – I love that they have a few Sunday hours now. I spent most of the day at home just being lazy after a very busy week and a very full Saturday.
Monday I was off to TJ Maxx at opening time for one last present and a look around. Then, I met Tom to shop together at a couple of outdoors stores and World Market. By this time it was noon and traffic was getting crazy. Tom headed to do some chores for our bathroom remodel (things started happening again and more will happen in January apparently) and I headed home to make lunch for myself. Later in the afternoon I went to a smaller shopping center with Jack because he wanted me to and I don’t say no. I made spaghetti for dinner and we watched a show together.
Mason has had a little cold. We tested and it wasn’t Covid. He has started watching Parenthood; Jack and I have each already watched it on our own. They both really appreciate superb acting and writing in a show. So, I have been watching Parenthood again with Mason. The three of us also watch Gilmore Girls sometimes. As a family we are watching What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu. It is hilarious and about a family of vampires that live on Staten Island – not something I would normally like.
The dark side of having teens home from college:
They sometimes go out around 9:00 and then you have to try to wait up. Ignorance is bliss at college and you don’t know the hours they are keeping.
They stay up late. One night I got up to go to the bathroom and I could hear Jack singing in the basement. I had to impose a “singing curfew” and he has to bear with me calling him “my nocturnal songbird” for at least a few more days.
They eat a lot of snacks and a lot of ramen.
The wonderful side:
The first night they were home I got so much joy from listening to them just laugh and laugh together. They both think each other is the funniest person they have ever met.
They thank us for being great parents now that they have heard so many stories of their college friends’ parents. And, now that they have gotten the distance from us they have a new perspective.
They (usually) notice a full trashcan now and do something about it.
They love on their dog so much more because they miss him when they are at school.
Are you a fan of this dip? I am! Have you ever tried to make it? I have made it several times. I decided to lighten it up a bit.
You can use frozen spinach but I used fresh. I used the whole bag – it cooks down so much! I added some chicken broth, garlic powder, and pepper.
I then drained it on paper towels.
I chopped up my artichoke hearts before
adding them to my skillet with about a half of a block of fat free cream cheese, a half cup of fat free sour cream, and a tablespoon of olive oil mayo. I also added some garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cajun seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Lastly, I added a bit of parmesan and about a half cup of mozzarella – shredded.
Put it in an oven safe dish now and broil or bake for a bit to incorporate all of the flavors and to get it bubbly and hot.
I had it with celery and carrots but it is really good with pita chips, tortilla chips, or spread on a cracker.
If you don’t want to do fat free, you can do low fat versions or even full fat versions.
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 