Monday, January 31, 2022

It’s time for another link up with Holly and Sarah!

It is the final day of January! Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out, January!

So…where do we begin…I will begin with the fact that I had a runny nose for a few days and then the mildest sore throat for like a day and then the mildest congestion for like a day but didn’t think much of it. I got my booster shot in December, by the way. The teacher two doors down had Covid along with her two daughters on Monday so Wednesday morning before school I took a home test and it was positive. I really didn’t think it would be! Then, the teacher between the one with Covid and I texted me that she was positive! I called in sick and just did nothing basically that day. I didn’t feel that bad!

The home test:

Later that afternoon I made an appointment for the drive through testing site. I had made it almost two years with never getting tested! Ha!

I drove through Chick Fil A and picked up groceries while awaiting my results! I had 5 real nuggets and a small fry with my grilled nuggets and a small vanilla shake. You gotta do what you gotta do when you are a little under the weather. The shake sounded really good.

I got my results and it was officially positive. By the way, Tom did the same drive through about 30 minutes after me and he was negative. So, I moved out of my bedroom into another bedroom and wore a mask when Tom was home and if I needed to be fairly close to him.

I made arrangements to teach from home Thursday and Friday if I didn’t get worse. They sent my students to the library and I used Google Meet. I didn’t have tons of energy and I couldn’t have taught in person even if I was allowed, but this seemed ok.

I ordered Panera delivery for lunch and tried their new Thai chicken soup – yum – and got a mediterranean vegetable sandwich but I put it in my own low carb wrap.

A couple of kids took pictures of our class. It was cute!

They wanted to see Ernie.

Thursday was the day I felt the worst I think and I was questioning my decision to try to teach online and not just rest. But, I finished up for the day and rested the rest of the afternoon and evening.

I woke up to this on Friday and hadn’t even known it was a possibility!

I made myself a homemade bagel sandwich and started teaching.

It was cold!

In the late morning, we got word that they would be dismissing school at 11:45 so I didn’t have to teach the whole day.

So, over the time at home I had some good tv to watch.

Watch this! It is on Netflix.

And this! This is on Hulu or network tv.

And, this is on Hulu.

Friday when Tom got home I walked Ernie with him and the fresh air felt good. Ernie goes crazy in the snow. He just turned 9 this year, by the way. He still seems so energetic and I do not want to think about him getting older.

Erica had dropped off her meals on my porch that I didn’t get to eat – Meatloaf and shepherd’s pie for around 6 WW points each. So, Tom and I split those for dinner with a couple of other leftover tidbits.

I am also really into this book and I’ve been reading while not watching t.v.

And, I think these glitter manis are lasting so long…

I have been going to bed at 9 every night and really trying to get the sleep I need.

I can imagine how challenging this would be to have lot of people in the house. Tom has left everyday at 7 and come home around 6 and then I just had to be careful/wear a mask when he was home.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling great! One of my goals has been to reduce food waste and use up foods. I had some holiday foods lingering – I made a half recipe of monkey bread. For some reason, I had used one of the cans of biscuits I bought, but not the other.

And, Chex Mix with Cheerios. Did you know they have heart shapes in the regular boxes now? They have some regular o’s and then the hearts! So cute for Valentine’s Day!

And, then I ate too much of each on Saturday. Oops.

Because February 1st is coming, I want to try one of these this week but with glitter! Lol! I also plan to wear my heart clothing! And, any red and pink I own!

I wouldn’t do the hearts and the dots – just the color pattern.

Sunday morning I had a Target drive up order and I had a testing appointment at 12. It is so nice to have delivery and drive up options for times like this.

And, Sunday afternoon I got a:

Woohoo!

Tom knew I needed to get out. We went to an Irish pub called The Raven.

a Harp beer:

fries with curry:

I got a leek soup and Tom got a seafood chowder.

And, Tom wanted a Guiness chocolate cheesecake.

They also sell Irish candy so we bought these but haven’t tried them yet.

It was just what I needed. Today is back to school but I’m really happy! I have a super busy week and so much to get caught up on, too. But, I’m happy to tackle it.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, January 28, 2022

Happy Friday! It’s time to link up with Andrea, Erika and many more right here!

Here is a hodge podge of things that were my faves this week when going back through my camera roll!

We went back to in person school on Monday and boy was re-entry a bit crazy. It felt like coming back again after winter break! But, it was so good to have the normal school noises and the energy of the kids. Also, we had 18 teachers out on Monday (out of 120)!

Last Friday when I had Erica and Elizabeth over my wine glass collection was embarrassing! I had my eye on these. I thought I was ordering 4, but I only got 2. They are awesome and bigger than I expected! I guess I will order 2 more!

I really like this and should have known I would because I love most Method products. I just want to clean more when I like my products.

I hate to waste WW points on creamer, but this is really good ; it is 1 point per tablespoon. I have gone back and forth about creamers because I have to have it!

I know someone recommended the show Younger to me a long time ago but I never got around to watching it. I saw it in passing on Hulu the other day and started it and it is so good! Anyone watch/watched it?

I thought I should show you the exact glitter color I am using. If you are a regular reader, you know I am on a glitter kick. It really hides any imperfections and it is just fun for this time of year? It is kinda surprising how different it looks on than in the bottle.

Above is two coats of Essie Marshmallow with one coat of OPI Cheers to Mani Years followed by an Orly top coat.

I think I want to try red for V Day? But, in the meantime, I tried my OPI Gelato on my MInd under it.

I really like it!

Check out my post from yesterday about my V Day sweaters! Yes, I am wearing them all the time now and I hope I will wear them past February!

And, this is the one my son said made me look like a Care Bear!

Monday the bathroom tile was completed! I love what we picked; I think we chose it three years ago so I was a bit worried that I would not like it anymore. Now we wait on the back ordered shower tile. We are having trouble finding a free standing double vanity. If you have suggestions on retailers, let me know. Tom is super picky and we are trying to stay within our budget = not a great combination.

I really want to drink more tea. The Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice is so good and I enjoyed a cup after school one day. It is caffeine free, which is also important to me in the afternoon. I double up on the tea bags to make it a bit stronger. If you are a tea drinker, leave me your favorite in the comments!

Another happy accident! I ordered what I thought was Dr. Teal Relax and Relief from Amazon but I got Soothe and Sleep and like it just as much!

And, I will leave you with the funniest thing I saw on the internet this week…

Hahahaha!

I hope you had lots of favorites this week! Can you believe it will be February next week?

If you missed any posts this week, I did Hello Monday, Eating Lately, Beauty Update, and Fashion Files!

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Hello and welcome to Fashion Files here where we link up to show our style each Thursday.

Here are my real life clothes!

My vibe last week was jeans and sweaters while I taught virtually from my classroom. This is my black Amazon sweater that I bought to wear with my leopard skirt, my Target jeans, and my new sneakers. While the sweater has some pills, I have worn it and washed it (laid flat to dry) enough to recommend it. I could have gone up one size I think.

Speaking of going up one size…a sweet reader talked to me in the comments about people gravitating towards ponchos to hide (and that I shouldn’t) and that is quite true. I am not excited to wear my ponchos anymore.

So, I can’t seem to help it – I want my holiday clothing. I ordered this but in no way is it off the shoulder. I don’t even think it would be off the shoulder on anyone because the neck is just not that wide.

Here is how it fits on me:

I wore non-jeans to start this week back with students.

Here I am wearing it with jeans on Saturday:

It comes in multiple colors and at $37, it is a bit pricey for an Amazon sweater, but this also fits my theory that one needs to pay a bit more for an Amazon clothing purchase to be a worthwhile one? And, maybe this isn’t true, but it has seemed true for me.

I also ordered this one:

And, this is how it fits me:

Again, this price point was a little higher.

I am happy with both of them and decided to keep both. My son did tell me I look like a Care Bear in the second one and gosh, I’m just happy that he knows all of the 80s pop culture I worked to instill in him.

I don’t know if dropped shoulders are that great for me, but on these two items I decided I didn’t care.

I know I said I was done with winter clothing, but I got bored. I needed something to show up on my doorstep, you know?

What have you been wearing lately?

Buying lately?

Do you have a favorite outfit/non-outfit from above?

Amy

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

It’s been awhile, so I thought I would talk products and routine today. I use the term “beauty” loosely.

The final product – a tired 50 year old woman:

One of my goals this year is to use up what I have before buying new stuff. Tom rejected the Costco shampoo and conditioner below and I don’t love it, either. But, I will try to use it and be happy.

I love this Dr. Teal’s Relax and Relief and it works well for my evening shower routine. I take my shower after dinner and wash my hair every other night. When I don’t wash my hair, I still take a “body” shower because I just like to get in my sheets “clean”. I also take a quick morning body shower every day because again “clean”. I also just find it easier to do my saline and face washing in the shower. But, I am super, super quick. Why am I using so many quotation marks?

Love, love, love both of these products! I swear by this saline spray and use it twice a day.

I am “saving” my self tanner now because I can be January pale right now. I use and love Lubriderm. It really helps with winter dry skin.

I really like these eye drops and they do make the whites of your eyes whiter. I remember when my twins were little and one of them was asked what their eye color was; he said, “white”. Bahahaha!

So, The Ordinary products are very reasonably priced, but the facial wash and the moisturizer didn’t last very long at all. I do love both of these serums, though and they will last forever. I am really new to serums. Any serum people in the house?

On the non wash the night before hair days, I use this and love it.

I use a 1.5 inch barrel regular old curling iron. I never dry my hair since I wash at night.

I curl and then use this comb and this hairspray. Sometimes if my hair is too clean, I use the Dove to help hold my style.

I clip the top hair up and curl the bottom and then do the top.

This looks really messy and I need to clean it up, but I am still loving my Seint makeup system.

You use their brush and blend all of this together!

I am loving these lip crayons lately.

I really love this blush and will apply it on top of the Seint sometimes.

It has a nice subtle shimmer.

Remember how much I love cream eye shadow and specifically Charlotte Tilbury? Well, I found that Burt’s Bees is pretty darn good and much cheaper and can be found at your local drug store. So, I do that on the lid and then line with one of the powder shadows in this set.

I love this NYX brow and I’m using Grande mascara right now but I am getting ready to try Thrive Causemetics mascara.

You can see my eyes here:

This is what I use for undereye somedays but somedays I don’t do anything. Suggestions welcome!

I’m really content with most of my products for the first time in forever! But, I always love to learn about new things, too.

What is your ride or die product? Like, if you run out you might have a panic attack product? Are you a product junkie? I wouldn’t say that I really am. I find it overwhelming to walk in Ulta and Sephora. I don’t know where to look or what to do.

Talk beauty to me in the comments!

Amy

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Welcome to another round of “Eating Lately”!

I guess I could do an Eating Lately post each week, because I almost always have a new food, recipe or product to recommend! You all seem to respond to these posts. It seems that I’m not the only one trying to eat healthier!

But, first…my weight had not changed much between early November and January. At this point I had lost about 46ish pounds. I had my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, of course. And, I was not that upset. By the way, if you are new around here, I started on this journey on April 8th, 2021. I feel like even though the scale wasn’t moving that my body was changing, my face looked thinner, my attitude was changing, my energy level was changing, my mental state was changing, and so much more…you know? My goal was really just to maintain during the holidays. Also, I changed from WW Purple to WW Personal Points when they rolled out the new plan in early November. I think it took me a while to use my points in the most efficient way, if that makes sense.

So…finally, the first week of January the scale started moving! I am now down about 6 more pounds since early November for a grand total of 53 pounds!

I think the moral of that story is consistency. I stayed consistent. I kept it up. I didn’t get discouraged. So many times in the past I did give up and I did get discouraged.

And, really, the scale is just a damn number. It does not define you. I only weigh once a week. My sister only weighs once every two weeks. Some people stay off the scale totally. You do what works for YOU! You can fluctuate by 6 pounds in a day! Maybe more!

My current goals are:

-to eat 30 g of protein at each meal

-to drink half of my body weight in ounces of water

-to get quality sleep and go to bed when my body tells me it is tired even if that is earlier than I would really like it to be

-to get a cup of vegetables at most meals

-to eat less sugar

-to move my body more – right now I’m trying to do free YouTube workouts and soon Erica and I will start walking outside again.

Here are some not great photos of what I’ve been eating lately…

Also, I am not that great about recipes because I kinda go rogue. Let’s say I am giving you “ideas” and you can Google similar things?

My meal prep partner is stalled right now just like I was. She has lost around 30 pounds and wants to lose 10 more by April. I have been encouraging her to stay consistent just like she encouraged me when I was stalled.

Erica made the most delicious whole wheat linguine with chicken and broccoli and lemon cooked in chicken broth. I gave her the highest compliment I give. It is “restaurant quality”. I will be begging her to make this again!

One night for dinner I made French Onion chicken, roasted green beans, and roasted sweet potato.

Friday night for dinner I made skinny pizza dough pizza and one big breadstick. I just don’t even miss “real” pizza anymore. This recipe is just so good. Go to My Bizzy Kitchen for skinny pizza dough and your life will be changed.

I highly recommend this from Costco. My girl got engaged! We had an impromptu celebration at my house Friday after school and I already had this. I do save room in my points allowance for some wine!

Erica made the most delicious taco casserole last week. I think I’m getting the better end of the bargain here because Erica can cook! We knew we could work from home Thursday so we each took our meal prepped lunch home the day before to stay on track. Since I was home, I cut up two corn tortillas and baked them to make my own tortilla chips and they were the bomb. I will be doing that again soon! I think I did them at 350 for like 10 minutes? I need to figure that out!

I am obsessed with mushroom and onion and try to keep a container in the fridge that I throw in eggs or whatever.

I’ve also been on a red potato kick lately. I microwave and then finish them off for a couple of minutes in my skillet.

I discovered a one point tomato soup:

I made a 3 point Trader Joe’s frozen mini baguette to go with it. I take a bit of spray butter and add some garlic powder.

I also had veggie sushi from Fresh Market with the soup and breadstick. I was super hungry. Honestly, I think sometimes in my journey I needed to eat more to kickstart my metabolism. My WW app says that veggie sushi is about 9 points, but it’s worth it! I’m really trying to learn to listen to my body and not just worry about the points. There are days when you need to eat more. I found out why I was so hungry the next day if you know what I mean. If you don’t, then we will also be fine.

A favorite breakfast of an egg, an egg white, mushrooms and a turkey sausage patty.

I have not been able to find my turkey sausage links or my crumbles so I accepted this sub from Kroger Clicklist. Love them! They are 2 points a patty, but they really taste more like real sausage I think. Plus, it provides some of that protein for my goal of 30 g per meal.

Another happy Kroger accident:

I requested caramel and they gave me cookies and cream. Yum! It tastes like a melted Oreo.

It had been weeks since I had done my breakfast casserole so this past Sunday I got back to it. It is one point per serving for me with the cottage cheese, green chiles, and 6 eggs. I add whatever spices I want. The original recipe called for shredded cheese, but I honestly don’t miss it. That adds lots of points.

I bake it at 350 for 40 minutes and then make 6 portions. Yum!

This week I have 2 lunches to make and Erica has 3. I used these:

I found mine at Costco but my sis says Walmart has them. I really like them!

to make a traditional spaghetti with Laura’s lean ground beef. I added zucchini on the side because we get an extra point per cup of vegetables.

And, I did one of our favorites – AmyLu chicken, gouda, apple sausage and roasted vegetables.

Whew, that was a lot of food! I love what I am eating! I never feel deprived or hungry and when I want something I just eat it and count it and move on.

What have you eaten lately? Any recs? I would love to hear!

Amy

Monday, January 24, 2022

I am linking up today with Holly and Sarah!

I didn’t do too much this weekend, but let’s go back to Friday at school. I opened up my Google Classroom for my seniors and many of them had changed their background to me. I burst out laughing. I am trying to show you without showing their names as they appear on Google Classroom!

Anyway, it was really funny and made my day. Love these kids!

My tile is down!

I really like the tile we chose. It has a linen look.

Friday night was Totino’s frozen pizza for Tom and skinny pizza dough pizza for me. I watched some Real Housewives of Miami after we ate and then crashed at 9:00!

Saturday morning I did a walking exercise video with Bruno Mars music. I liked it.

Tom and I met Erica and Elizabeth and their men at brunch.

I really am liking this salad with my eggs thing lately. I had a vegetable omelette with side salad.

Tom had the same but with different sides.

I will tell you about my new sweater Thursday in Fashion Files!

Tom and I went to Costco in the late afternoon. I hate going there but some people love it.

Tom and I had tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner for him and random leftovers for me. Jack and Mason came home at 10:30 after a play they saw on campus. I found myself cooking food for them that late. Who am I? Then, they talked to us for a while and we ended up watching a couple of New Girl episodes!

Sunday morning all was right in the world with them asleep under my roof. I did some reading and finished this:

and started this:

Meal Prep time!

I went back to my egg casserole and it has been awhile!

Post coming tomorrow on my meal prep meals for this week!

The rest of the day was pretty lazy with some reading and some tv and then we ended the night with dinner for the four of us at home before the college kids went back.

I found out around 3:00 that our students are coming back in the building today! Yay! I will be one tired teacher, though, from pivoting and getting back in the in person routine.

I hope your Monday goes smoothly and thanks for reading!

Amy

Friday, January 21, 2022

I have said it before and I will say it again – the short weeks can fool ya! I am ready for you, Friday! I am linking up today with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites!

First of all, this was NOT a favorite. My Tuesday post disappeared! It had to do with me seeing it in my drafts on my WordPress app after it had published and then me trashing the draft. Poof – gone!

So, my post involved my two meal prep lunches this week. I did Buffalo dip stuffed baked potatoes and they were delish!

I topped with green onion, blue cheese, and a little bit of Mexican shredded cheese.

My other lunch was lettuce wraps. You can find lots of variations when you Google ground turkey lettuce wraps. This was not my best batch, but I will make it again I am sure!

Meal prep and good lunches are always a favorite!

So, Jack and Mason went back to college on Monday afternoon. Mason texted me Tuesday morning and said a friend he had seen on Friday while both were wearing masks tested positive. Mason got a PCR test at college and insisted on coming home because he was so worried about his roommate. Mason is about a month past the booster and I assured him that he was fine.

I gave him a home test and it was indeed negative. I convinced him to go back to campus. A day later and he got the PCR negative, too. I mean, I am glad my kids are cautious, but there is such a thing as too much.

It was definitely a favorite that Mason was negative but the drama involved – not a favorite.

Did you order your home tests? I did. Ugh. So over this.

Has anyone wondered about my bathroom project? Well, things have been happening again. We are getting the tile done tonight!

Waiting for my class to join. This person wanted us to see they were reading Harry Potter!

I saw these conversation hearts that are called End the Conversation Hearts. They are wisecracks and kinda mean.

I found them at Fresh Market. I didn’t buy them because I would be tempted.

I did buy this tomato soup there and it is really good. I will buy it again.

I had it for dinner one night and Tom had his favorite Fresh Market corn chowder.

One night I had a Boca cheeseburger.

Do you all know the bread trick? My cookies were not as soft as I like and I stuck a piece of bread in my container and it softened the cookies up.

Over the weekend, Mason wanted to make gluten free cupcakes for a GF friend.

He bought all the supplies and used this:

I took another load of donation bags out of the house this week! 8 bags gone!

I did a Valentine mantel without spending any money.

And, I had one social outing this week. Erica, Elizabeth, and I went to Cultured, our charcuterie place.

We realized it was staying light out so late and ran outside to document it.

I wore my sweater and the employees liked it.

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

Amy

P.S. – This week I wrote about my fashion, teen fashion, and my weekend if you missed any posts!

Wednesday, January 19. 2022

Today I have a fun and short post that my nieces helped me to write.

I have 6 darling nieces that are ages 22, 20, 15, 14, 13, and 11. This post is probably best suited for those of you who have girls aged 11-18 in your lives!

If you are having trouble connecting, maybe suggest a thrift store shopping spree?

Here is my panel:

These Nikes are super popular. I love the colors they chose!

Also, just so that you know, my niece Nora was diagnosed after a year of medical mysteries (including multiple ER visits and hospital stays) with something called POTS and is currently on a feeding tube that she has to wear 24/7. She is such a strong girl, but this has been such a hard year for her and her mom, my sister.

Favorite Stores:

Thrift! – I love this! I think it is so great that teens have embraced shopping second hand.

American Eagle/Aerie – I love my Aerie items. The quality is great and the price is not bad.

Forever 21 – I haven’t been in one in years.

Dry Goods – there is one at our mall and I went in several years ago. It seemed overpriced.

Aeropostale – we have one but I don’t think I’ve ever been in one.

Dick’s – I guess this is where they could get their Nikes, but also the athletic clothing is so popular.

Champion – I think we have an outlet store at our outlet mall?

Target – Yes!

They all agreed that it’s less about the brand and more about what the item is.

They love the trends of Mom jeans, belts, and cropped shirts.

They also wanted me to mention that they like natural hair with volume and they like layers.

What do the teens in your life wear?

Amy

Monday, January 17, 2021

Well…for most of us the weekend is not quite over! Yippee! But, the gals of Hello Monday are going on with the show so I will share what I have done so far! I am linking up with Holly and Sarah, our hosts. Check out some more blogs and maybe find a new one or two! If you are a blogger, link up!

So many wonderful quotes by MLK, but the one I am going to share today is…”You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

This applies to so many things…

Do you want to be healthier? Do you want to be more organized? We want it all now and don’t want to be patient, but it really does start with one step. I am only halfway up my staircase to being healthier. And, I am starting my 30 Bags in 30 Days challenge to have less stuff to organize!

Life may be hard right now. We have the quiet time at home to work on some things in our lives, possibly.

I’m feeling ok this January. I can’t believe it’s halfway over. I always have the hardest time with this month, I think. This week was hard, though. We went to virtual teaching for the week and my first day was rough. The rest of the week got better and some of it was due to my attitude. I made up my mind that the second day would be better.

As I write this on Sunday, I don’t know what the school plan is for this week – in person or virtual – so the uncertainty makes life hard. But, I told my students on Friday that either way we would carry on with our curriculum and our routine. Darn, it’s hard to be the adult sometimes. My attitude affects their attitudes, right?

Also, today is Betty White’s 100th birthday, so donate to an animal shelter in her name if you are so inclined and have the means.

And, now I will show you a margarita…hahahahaha! Isn’t she pretty?

There is a teacher at our school that has repeatedly invited us to a standing happy hour on Fridays at our nearby Mexican restaurant, but we have never been. The stars finally aligned for Erica, Elizabeth, and I to join this group.

Elizabeth teaches French so she did not get the t-shirt below that Erica ordered for she and I. It says “witch” because we call each other that and we think it’s funny. We decided to wear them on Friday.

It was a great way to start the weekend. I ordered a “skinny margarita” by asking for a shot of tequila, fresh lime, and a tiny bit of the “normal” margarita mix. It was amazing! Maybe I am on to something? It is most likely less “skinny” than my at home margs, but it’s ok.

There is just something so nice about talking to other work people who “get it”. We vented a bit about school, but then stopped the “shop talk” and one teacher told us the craziest story of winning his honeymoon trip on Wheel of Fortune and then being flown to the wrong city in Mexico. The story had several crazy details that had us all laughing and wondering how embellished the tale was!

We said goodbye and I took pineapple fajitas from the restaurant home for Tom and I with some chips and queso. Work smarter, not harder, right? Seriously, I had had that dinner planned all week.

Also, I had ordered groceries so I picked those up before heading home.

I wish I had taken a picture of the fajitas – they put the mixture in a half of a pineapple and it has shrimp, chicken, pineapple chunks, and onions, and then they give you the flour tortillas, rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, guac, sour cream on the side. Tom and I split a one person order and I use my own low carb tortilla. We watched a show together while we ate. Empty nester life…

As is typical with college kids, we were surprised when Jack and Mason came home Friday night at 9:00! I had thought they would come Saturday so it was a nice surprise. They had a three day weekend, too.

I woke up Saturday morning and I was excited to see the library books I had picked up on Wednesday waiting for me. I had been so busy I hadn’t even gotten to look at them.

I kinda hate it when all the books I request come in at the same time; makes me feel pressure to hurry up and read, but it’s also wonderful to have so many great options. Our library gives you three weeks but there are no longer any fines. Still, I feel guilty when others want to read the books I have.

I made myself a beautiful Spanish omelette of potato, onion, and mushroom. What makes it Spanish? They don’t fold it over as the Americans do. Don’t the French fold it thrice? Super fancy. I perfected the Spanish method of placing a plate over the skillet and doing a quick flip and slide so I like to do it often! Who knew how long I could talk about omelettes, right?

J and M are on a cinnamon toast kick lately when they are home. Yum! I made it in the air fryer on the toast setting.

I made giant chocolate chip cookies with mini chocolate chips!

I did my own laundry (we all do our own) and then piddled in my closet – one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday. I usually listen to a podcast while moving things around and tidying up. Kellyann mentioned that she changed her metallic laces to plain ones for a bit of a higher end look. I stole from another pair of shoes that are too big really and doesn’t it look great?

So, I have been an 8 in sandals and an 8.5 in closed toes shoes since I had my twins. I think before that I was a 7.5. I have a few pairs of 8.5s that are really too big now. Can your shoe size shrink with some weight loss?

I made myself a Greek Bowl for lunch – only for me! Yes, I am pretty obsessed with this meal.

I basically only used 3 WW points up until after lunch because I was “saving” points for dinner. My creamer for my coffee, my protein shake, and my tiny bit of feta were all I needed to count. And, I managed to eat about 3 cups of vegetables and drink most of my water for the day by lunch.

I showered and washed my hair – I am not washing my hair everyday lately. I think it’s been good.

I sat down in the basement to do a new mani.

I really liked it! I got several compliments on it when I went out.

I finally went out for the day around 3:00 and went to three boutiques in the nearby shopping center. I bought a couple of little things that I will show you Thursday!

I talked to J and M and made orange chicken, rice, and broccoli. They can make it but I do like to cook for them when they are home.

Tom and I went out with our two couples friends who we hadn’t seen for awhile.

We met at World of Beer which is pretty casual but has really good food in my opinion.

One of my friends and I tried a drink called a Greyhound with Tito’s, grapefruit juice, and lime. This is pretty much a Paloma, too. It was really good!

They have an amazing German pretzel!

I ordered the Cobb salad and look at the presentation! It looks small, but when you start eating it, it is a lot. I only put dressing on some of it so I could take the rest home!

We had a nice time and when I got home I microwaved a cookie and put a tiny bit of ice cream on it! Yum!

I stayed up kinda late watching Cheer 2. I also had watched part of Look Who’s Talking and Legally Blonde in the afternoon – such good movies! They just happened to be playing on YouTubeTV.

Sunday morning I slept in until 8:00!

I had my coffee and read a bit of this:

It’s really good and really makes you think about consumerism and what we really need and why we don’t let it go. I often like to read a fiction and a non-fiction at the same time.

I made a veggie scramble bowl:

The book inspired me to tackle my basement storage area with my seasonal decor tubs. I made a trash pile, a donation pile, and I got my Valentine stuff out.

I went to Starbucks and got a doppio with extra ice to put a Premier shake in and then I went to Target to get a few things. I have a problem resisting nail polish – I came home with OPI Gelato on my Mind and Essie Marshmallow.

I did the OPI Gelato for my pedi and then announced to Tom that I saved him $40. Lol. This is funny because I don’t save HIM and because the polish was $10! I may add a glitter coat because glitter! Y’all tired of my glitter? Don’t tell me if you are.

We got a dusting of snow and I was super lazy all Sunday afternoon until I made dinner.

And, that was about it! What was the highlight of your weekend? Did you get snow? Is anyone in your family sick? I hope not!

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Friday, January 14, 2021

Welcome to the happiest day of the week! In blog land, we share our favorites from the week with Andrea and Erika right here! Thank you to these ladies for helping me to get out of bed on Friday mornings. Coffee and a big blog day start my morning in a great way! Also, if you need more blogs to read…check out my post from Tuesday here.

And, check out my friend Tanya here. I feel horrible that I left her off of my favorite bloggers post, but her blog was in my photo! She runs the Prime Purchases link up and my photo is clear evidence that she is one of my favorite bloggers. See, I always leave someone out and it makes me feel horrible!

Here are some favorites from the week…

I have a couple of policies. When your kid asks to hang out with you, the answer is always YES!

If anyone asks me to do something fun, I try to say YES! I used to say NO a lot, but now I am at a stage in my life where I can say YES more and it is a favorite. It fills my cup to have some fun things to do during the week and not just live for the weekends.

Mason wanted to see me but had just gotten to school a few days before. He suggested we meet for coffee and I suggested Gralehaus – new fave place in town for breakfast.

Look at his honey bee latté. He let me try it and it was delish!

Mason ordered the same that Elizabeth had ordered when I went with her. Burrata toast with red pepper jelly on homemade sourdough – I took a bite and it was amazing!

And, I got the ugly frittata again. There is nothing ugly about this in my belly. This is a reminder to me to make a simple salad like this more often with a really light dressing.

So stinking cute! It is a bed and breakfast! See the little sign above the cute blue fireplace?

I love this Instagram follow; it is a favorite.

Anyone else need this inspiration to keep going? Following her and other great influences for healthy living is a favorite for me.

Such a simple meal, but they are always my favorite. Roasted red potatoes, roasted broccoli, and a new find – frozen salmon burgers from Trader Joes that are only 2 WW points for me. I also purchased the Mahi mahi burgers for 2 points. I always wanted to make mahi mahi and couscous for my kids when they were little because they are both repetitive foods apparently. Dad jokes?

I put the salmon burger on a Keto bun with a little mayo.

Also, theses are only 4 or 5 WW points. Not bad if you are really craving a corn dog. Tom, Jack, and Mason eat these regularly.

Not a favorite on Tuesday, but Wednesday things got better. We got an unexpected day off Monday – no school for teachers or students – still not sure exactly why. Then, Tuesday we started a four day virtual class stint. I am teaching six 40 minute classes each day. Tuesday I had all kinds of problems with technology (the fault of the technology, not of me! We think?), but Wednesday I found my groove and had fun with it as much as I could. We have to work from school and are not allowed to work from home this time around.

I have been enjoying adding this glitter overlay to my nails lately. Still doing the home manis that only last for two days… It is hard to remove, because the glitter wants to infiltrate your entire being. I have found that soaking a cotton ball with remover and letting it sink on each nail for a bit helps.

Wednesday evening I got to meet Beth at Red Hog! They have heaters and it was the warmest day of the week, so it felt great. I love the vibe.

We had the purple people eater which was a beet infused tequila drink.

fries with curry mayo – yes!

Some house made bread and olive oil:

I ordered and tried the Kitsch pillow curlers and I am not sure…

Thursday was another great virtual day. Yes, it is hard, but I had so many kids out sick last week and this week my virtual attendance is close to perfect! My neighbor Elizabeth let her sweet pup hang out during her classes. He was so calm and it made her students so happy.

I don’t normally do back to back social things during the week; I usually only do one. But, my friend Jessica suggested the day after I had hung out with Beth and we had a nice time getting caught up and were the only ones in the place we chose. I got a pomegranate mimosa.

I really think this cup is making me drink more water. I really like it!

And, my final favorite is your comments! You all are so sweet to leave them and engage with me!

Well, that was a hodge podge! But, do you expect anything else from me? I’m all over the place!

What was your favorite from the week?

What’s on tap for your weekend? I need to place a grocery order. There’s talk that we might get snow and freezing rain on Sunday. I would love to have a couple of college kids come home for at least a night as they have a 3 day weekend just like me for MLK holiday.

As of now, we are supposed to return to in person instruction on Tuesday, but nearby Cincinatti public schools are virtual until January 24th. My niece works for our largest hospital system and they have more Covid patients now that they had total during the entire pandemic. So…let’s get this Omicron a-hole out of here. Bye Felicia!

Stay healthy and happy Friday!

Amy