Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Ummmmm, not sure about this title, but let’s go with it. This is what I ate last Thursday. My weekends look a little different so I wanted to do a weekday. This may be as interesting as watching paint dry; you have been warned!

I start the day with precisely two cups of coffee with one mini moo in each. Land O’Lakes half and half – I guess is the real name but I enjoy saying “mini moo”. I do not use any sweetener. I am not sure I could ever go with just black coffee. I think the coffee would have to be flavored for me to even attempt this?

I make my iced coffee/half of a Premier Protein to go. I drink it along with my water for the first couple of hours of work.

Around 8:00 am (still on my planning period), I put this breakfast mixture on a paper plate and heat it up and eat it. I am curious about intermittent fasting but I’m not sure I could do it. I stop eating around 7 or 8 p.m. and don’t eat until 8:00 a.m. Is that intermittent enough? I think so!

Around 10:30 am, I either eat a Built bar or a banana. I ran out of bananas on this day but wasn’t that hungry. I only had about 1/4 of it.

For lunch at 11:42, (Yes, I said 11:42) I have a fairly low carb meal. This particular day was cauliflower fried rice with egg roll in a bowl. If you are new around here, my co-worker Erica and I split up lunch duty each week. This has really been wonderful. We have seriously eaten better than we have ever eaten as teachers with a 20 minute lunch!

I can’t lie; most days I have a dessert. This was spice cake mixed with water and Greek non fat plain yogurt with a frosting of sugar free Cool Whip, pumpkin pie spice, sugar free vanilla pudding, and cinnamon. It was delicious and no one would call it a sub par “healthy cake”. It was fine to eat like a “bar” instead of cake, too.

At 2:20 when the final bell rang, I ate the rest of the Built bar and chugged as much water as I could. I started really trying to up my water intake which has me going to the restroom every 50 minutes.

I then walked for 30 minutes.

Normally I would have a snack, but I made a to-go cocktail instead because my friend and I were waiting in line to be one of the first 25 to win a free gift at a pop up shop.

I talked about it yesterday in Hello Monday. It was really fun. We drank my skinny margarita while waiting in line.

Dinner was really random. Tom wanted his soup from The Fresh Market and I wanted a very low point dinner. I had steamed broccoli, pickles, chicken sausage (apple Gouda by Amylu). I also made a mushroom frittata that wasn’t too pretty to look at.

This is what my app looked like at the end of Thursday.

At school I have a giant jug of water that I fill and at home I usually fill this big Tervis tumbler at least 4 times in the morning and after school.

So, that was my day. If you are thinking about WW, they are coming out with a new plan in November. I have no idea what it will be like but I do plan to adapt to it I think.

In other foods lately, here is my sheet pan of veg for the week.

I tried a ground turkey shepherd pie that I think will be a repeat!

I tried a Greek bowl that will also be a repeat!

It was fun to try 2 new recipes!

I had avocado toast on Keto bread for an after school snack. This never gets old!

The fam had Texas Toast and I made skinny pizza dough breadsticks. I do lots of little adaptations like this.

I have now lost 41.3 pounds. Yes, the last 1.3 has come off slowly, but I had Fall Break, Fall Break of my college kids, and I enjoyed life!

I am walking more, drinking more water, and trying to eat more protein.

This is my favorite time of year to walk! It just feels amazing outside!

Do you have any suggestions for me? Any foods or recipes you love? Any new finds at the grocery?

Happy Eating!

Amy

Monday, October 18, 2021

It’s time to link up with Heather, etc. for Hello Monday, where we share our weekends. I enjoy seeing how other people spend their time and sometimes I get inspiration.

I wasn’t ready for today; I will be honest. I have two pretty busy 5 day weeks ahead of me to finish out my October. I spent a lot of time planning yesterday and meal prepping, so that definitely helps. I don’t do well with a super full calendar.

What are your strategies when life gets extra busy? For me, I go into extra planning mode. I also plan for easier meals and leftovers. I also have a night where I know we can do takeout.

I have busy days at school and on top of that, I have meetings after school 3 days this week. Yes, we are back to in person meetings, meetings, meetings. Not to sound like a whiner, but I need my after school time to get my walks in and after teaching in a mask for 8 hours, it just feels harder to go meet in a mask. Most meetings could have been an email – amiright?

Let’s go back to Thursday afternoon for a brief moment. We have a shopping center called Westport Village with mostly locally owned boutiques and restaurants. There are some vacant spots and one of them is serving as a pop up for Work the Metal which has a bigger shop downtown.

They had an opening celebration where the first 25 people got a pair of earrings and they served prosecco and their own handmade chocolate. Elizabeth met me and we spent a fun hour there and in the other shops. I love to shop locally and plan to do that as much as I can for the holidays. If you are local, they have great gifts!

Friday at school was “country vs. country club” so I tried to do both. It was fun. We have another spirit week this week. It’s not distracting to our academics and it feels fun and “normal” to the kids that get into it.

It rained most of Friday and after school seemed apropos for a hot chocolate, candle, and my blogs that I failed to read Friday morning.

I was kinda bummed because we had plans for an outdoor concert – the last of the season – but the rain cancelled it. We still went out to eat in the neighborhood. We had hot and sour soup perfect for the rainy weather.

They give you a complimentary cookie from a local shop called Penny and Pearl’s that are the best! We got sea salt chocolate chip and red velvet.

My car rolled over to 100, 000 miles Friday night and Tom forgot to announce it. I had been anticipating it. So, Saturday morning I noticed it when I went to Kroger very early. I love my car and hope to keep it for a long time. It’s a 2012.

I braved the store for a big grocery haul for the first time in a long time. It was a lot of work and lots of stuff was not available. It seems we have another green chile shortage afoot. We also have a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage shortage in my store. There were several other items missing but I’m flexible and realize it is definitely a “first world problem”. I saw a student (when do I not? lol) working Clicklist and he told me he had to substitute so many things already that morning and he hoped he wouldn’t get yelled at by the customers.

People… PLEASE do not yell at the teenager that brings your groceries out. It is not their fault!

It took forever to unload and put everything away but Tom was around to help me unload. I don’t like him to help put things away. Then, I made myself a fancier breakfast with red potatoes, onions, and scrambled eggs.

I did try to go to the Paristown Flea by myself but realized it wasn’t this Saturday when I got there and there was nothing = ha! I thought about doing some other shopping but opted to come home and clean and relax until the 3:30 football game. I had a margarita. Casamigos tequila is my fave now – only 2 WW points. I had 22 Tostitos bite sized and salsa.

Tom brought the tv outside.

I started reading this and it is good but darker than I usually choose! Anyone read it? I’m really into it and it seems pretty good for October, too! It was leggings and sweatshirt cold. We had all been wanting it but it came as a shock to the system and I didn’t last that long in the shade.

J and M came home to do some laundry and hang out around 3. I made tacos for dinner but I forgot a picture. I had a low carb tortilla with chicken, salsa, lettuce, and beans instead.

Yesterday morning I had my coffee and quiet time and then started meal prep, laundry, cleaning, and school work. It just seems to work better for me to get stuff done in the morning when I have more energy! I also think it helps me relax after accomplishing those things, you know?

Before I wrap up this pretty boring recap…

From last weekend, I forgot to show you my “joke”. My sister, niece and I accompanied my mom to a miniature show because my mom is really into creating little miniature scenes for different holidays.

I tried to make a miniature charcuterie to go box. It really filled everyone up. It is a tiny fork, tiny salami, tiny cheese in two flavors, a pomegranate seed, an almond, an oyster cracker, a wheat thin, and a mini chocolate chip.

I’m weird and I will do lots of things for a laugh. I will even do lots of things for a mere chuckle.

My niece Lena laughed the most. She is a lot like me, poor thing.

How was your weekend? I hope it was wonderful!

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Friday, October 15, 2021

Happy Friday to all! I am linking up with Andrea, etc. right here to share what made me happy this week!

My number one favorite was having a FULL HOUSE while my kids were on fall break. They didn’t have class Monday or Tuesday so they stayed home Saturday through early Wednesday morning when they drove back to campus for Jack’s first class at 11:00. Mason’s 11:00 had been cancelled for some reason. Neither of them have a class before 11 a.m. on MWF! Nice schedule, huh?

We had some special snacks, of course! I cooked more and baked some brownies. I also found these and thought they would be funny. They are soooo good! We all commented on what we perceived to be a different ratio of the cream in the middle. They weren’t quite double stuffed but we agreed they were 1.5 stuffed, maybe? I found these at the end of the cookie aisle at Kroger. Jack and Mason used to be major Pokemon fans! Ask me how many WW points 3 Oreos is! 7 points!

We used my favorite fall plates from Target years ago. These just make me so happy!

We ordered take out Mediterranean food one night. We only order 3 entrees and then divide them up. We get two chicken kabob meals and one salmon kabob. I don’t eat the rice. They are very generous with their portions. I find it easier to split meals like this with takeout but I always feel so guilty about all of the take out containers required.

We noticed our rhododendron blooming again! We have had such warm weather and we feel like it’s confused. We hope this doesn’t mean bad news for next spring. It sure is beautiful to look at, though.

Last Saturday I visited a consignment store with my sister and niece. I had a $10 off of a $50 purchase and we combined purchases and really scored. I found only one thing but it is this orange Loft Lou & Grey sweater. I can’t wear it to teach in because I will get too hot, but I am anxious to wear it on the weekend if it cools down!

I was influenced by Melanie Shankle in her Fashion Friday last week. I love a Target poncho! I have several. This year’s version has the collar which I thought was so cute. Also, it is super soft! I wasn’t going to order it but I saw it and felt it in person and had to make it mine.

This week has been spirit week and next week is Homecoming week so we are doing two weeks of themes in a row! These girls did “dress like a teacher day” and did Erica and I and then also photo shopped us in their photo for reference. Never a dull moment!

Anyone seen White Claw Surge? I’m intrigued! What about Bud Light Seltzer Fall Flannel? It’s so cute and they knew just who they were marketing to when I received this flyer!

I am really enjoying this story! I came home for lunch on Parent Teacher Conference Day on Monday and read on the patio while eating lunch.

I also had coffee on the porch on a week day! These are little treats that really make me happy and I don’t want to only do on the weekends, you know? Every.single.day should have at least a small moment of special!

Sitting on the couch in our family’s “assigned seats” made me happy and I snuck a photo!

It’s a blurry picture but my Swedish friend and reader Tin-Tin wants Ernie at least once a week on the blog! I think he wanted me to fill up his Kong with peanut butter in this photo.

I love this shampoo and conditioner! I bought Olaplex twice but I just don’t think I need to spend that much because my hair isn’t super damaged. I do really like it, but $28 a bottle is a lot. As my hair has gotten longer I think I am having more trouble with tangles and I think this has really helped. It also smells really good to me.

Wednesday was pink day and I didn’t get a photo but I basically wore as many shades of pink as I could – including my pink nail polish.

Yesterday was “decades day” so we had to pick a favorite decade. Erica was 90s in her high school jacket and I was 70s because I have so much in my closet with a 70s vibe!

It seems so fun and so “normal” for our kids to do theme days!

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many! I also hope that you have a wonderful weekend! Can you believe we are halfway through the month? It’s crazy!

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Are you in a cooking rut? I am ready to switch to more cool weather dishes like soups, chili, and roasts while still making it fit my healthier eating plan. I use salt, pepper, and garlic powder the most in my cooking, I think, but today I want to tell you about my “spices” that really add the flavor.

Tom and I were big fans of Emeril Lagasse when we were dating. Super random, right? I have a couple of his cookbooks, too! I actually think what sealed the deal for Tom was me learning to make Emeril’s couscous jambalaya. Maybe I will surprise him with this dish soon!

That introduced us to this seasoning blend – Tony Cachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Do not buy any other brand. This is the best. Funny side story: We have neighbors named Tony and Cheri and Jack and Mason called this “Tony Cheri’s” when they were little. Yes, we had our little twins eating cajun spiced veggies!

This makes every vegetable better. We love it on broccoli, green beans, potatoes, zucchini, and more. I put this in my eggs. I put this in my egg casserole.

It is widely available. I get it at my Kroger and one canister lasts quite a while.

The second seasoning I love is the “Everything but the Bagel” blend. I usually get it at Trader Joe’s, but it is so popular that you can find it at other stores, too.

I love this on eggs, avocado toast, green beans, broccoli, and potatoes. I also use it on the ham and swiss sliders that I make more as the weather cools down. I use it a lot!

If you are trying to get your kids to eat more veggies or you are trying to eat more, experiment with different spices and seasonings. LIfe is too short to eat bland vegetables, right?

Everything But the Bagel Potatoes Recipe:

These are great for breakfast or dinner or breakfast for dinner!

Use one or two baked potatoes from the night before or pierce and microwave your potatoes.

Slice into chunks and heat a bit of oil in your pan. I started using avocado oil for heat and olive oil for cold dishes.

Salt and pepper your potato chunks.

Put them in the pan on medium low and let them brown up.

When they are browned up, add your EBB seasoning and let them cook a bit more.

Let me know if you try this!

Do you have any favorite spices or seasoning blends? Do you have a Penzey’s Spices near you? I do, but I haven’t been! I really need to go!

Amy

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Hello and happy hump day!

I have just a few outfits for you today and my thoughts on them.

We don’t have a teacher dress code so you can technically wear jeans every day if you want to. I typically wear them on Fridays and sometimes there is a “spirit theme” for that Friday’s game. I either wore this outfit on Thursday or Friday. I wore my new Target Universal Thread short jeans, my MIA clogs, and my Target Little House on the Prairie top. I don’t know if the light jeans (darker jeans are more slimming) and the high necked blouse do me any favors but I wanted to experiment. This top is really too short to do the “half tuck”.

My favorite outfit of the week is the next one. I just love the fabric of this dress – the design and the feel of the fabric. It is Umgee brand and I bought it on Amazon. I told you I was going to try it without leggings so I did. This is what I wore out to dinner Friday night. Tom did tell me not to bend over – meaning he thought it a bit short, but from this photo I don’t think it looks too short. I did wear my Jockey slip shorts under (very light biker style shorts).

Saturday I had an outing with my mom, sister, and niece. I wanted to have a fall look but it was in the 80s! I did my cut off Target Universal Thread jeans, my gold clogs, my fall TJ Maxx blouse, and my cross body with the leopard strap.

My sister wears the slip on tennies a lot for her job as a first grade teacher. These are snakeskin and she found some plain black ones at the consignment store we visited. She said she was lacking accessories but she looked very cute with the straw Amazon headband I gave her. She found and bought a cool necklace and earrings (they have new ones) at the consignment store, too, and put them on right away. I don’t have a photo, though.

If you want to look pulled together but don’t have much money to spend, a pair of well fitting jeans and a cute black top with interesting details is the way to go in my opinion. You can change the shoes to booties and this outfit can take you to school meetings, out for dinner, and more.

I gave my sister a big bag of stuff that no longer fits my style. I bought things for my pandemic virtual teaching life last year and I just don’t see myself wearing most of it. I hate that I only got one season out of some things, but I like passing it along and who doesn’t like going through a bag of hand me downs? It’s so fun! I generally ask myself if I’m excited to wear it this year and if the answer is no, I send it on. I think I do better with fewer pieces I really love.

What have you been wearing lately?

What is your favorite outfit and do you think I should try the high necked blouse with something different?

Amy

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

I am coming in a bit late with this post, but that is kind of par for the course with me!

I did a few tiny white pumpkins and my Day of the Dead pillow covers from Amazon. I also bought the pillow inserts. I take my cushions and pillows in every day because I learned the hard way how weathered everything gets.

I went with giant purple and yellow mums to fit the color scheme and do you see the Halloween and pumpkin tiny stakes in the mums? I had those from a long time ago.

My dining room is also Day of the Dead themed.

As the years go on I like more and more of a simple and clean look. My mantel has some burlap, tiny white pumpkins, and a leaf banner.

Last year I decided to frame some favorite fall photos.

I honestly don’t have a lot of surfaces to decorate. I keep it to the patio, dining room, and living room. I also have my favorite fall melamine plates from Target.

I will add some Thanksgiving touches after Halloween because I keep acquiring more Thanksgiving stuff and I think it has been more readily available in recent years.

How much do you decorate?

Amy

Monday, October 11, 2021

Monday, you came too quickly again. I am linking up with Heather, etc. here.

Friday after school some students and I videotaped a 7 second dance to try to be on a Spanish teacher website – lol! One sweet girl brought me a pumpkin cold brew because she leaves school early for her co–op program and came back to school. Yum!

Erica and Elizabeth came over for a drink and it started raining. We were all laughing at how pitiful Ernie looked in the rain. We were under cover on the lower patio.

I let him in; don’t worry!

Friday evening we were celebrating my other friend Heather’s birthday at Malone’s. Get ready for some food pics, ok?

I got a raspberry mule that was really good.

Their bread and butter is good!

We tried their spinach and artichoke dip with fried lasagna noodles as dippers. OMG is all I can say.

Their salad is really good, too. It is like a BLT and it is family style for the whole table.

I ordered grilled fish and a baked potato.

Their chocolate cake was quite the spectacle and it tasted amazing, too.

Saturday morning I drank my coffee on my upper patio and I have made it a Day of the Dead theme. Post coming this week.

Then, my mom, sister, and niece arrived. We were attending a miniature show with my mom because she is into miniatures and makes little scenes with them.

Um, how did this little thing get this old so quickly?

We ate lunch at The Grape Leaf which is authentic Mediterranean food. Molly and Lena got frozen mint pomegranate lemonade.

Lena loves hummus and loved theirs.

Stuffed grape leaves:

Greek salad:

Lena got saffron rice and

the rest of us all got vegetable biryani. It is kind of a stew, I think. It is really good and I can’t stop ordered it when I go there.

After lunch we sat on the patio with Tom and Jack, too. Jack and Mason had arrived home for Fall Break while we were out and then Mason had left for a friend’s house right away.

Sunday Tom and I took the boat out for about 3 hours and it was really nice. We are having very high temps for this time of year.

It was a good one and it was a full one!

Jack and Mason don’t have classes until Thursday so they will probably stay home at least one more day. We are watching Ted Lasso again with them and we are going to try to get them to watch Schmigadoon with us. Anyone watching it?

Today I have parent teacher conferences and will be switching back and forth between in person in mask conferences and video call conferences in 15 minute increments so that will be interesting. When I say “interesting” I mean chaotic.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Happy Hump Day! Here’s a snapshot of what I have been donning…

Friday night Tom and I went to dinner al fresco. It was pretty warm but I wanted to break out this very lightweight fall kimono that I bought last year through an online boutique. I paired it with my light jeans and a very light black blouse. I wore my MIA clog sandals because it was so warm.

Saturday I wore my Umgee tunic with grey capri leggings from J.Jill (very old) and my old cognac Jack Rogers booties. I love the colors in this tunic! It is also such a great material!

Monday I wore my new Target Selena t-shirt with my LuLaRoe kimono and an old purple Kohl’s skirt. The booties are really old from DSW.

And, finally yesterday I wore this favorite dress to school – an easy one and done outfit.

Any favorites? My favorite is probably the first one! I would like to try the Umgee tunic as a dress but I fear it will be too short.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

P.S. – See ya back here Friday! I am taking a break tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

I get so many good ideas from this link up! Thank you, Tanya, and I hope no one minds if I add my Target.com recent purchases. I just love it so much! Amazon, you better watch out!

Let’s start with Target…

O.k., all I want to wear right now is jeans and dresses. It feels so good to have jeans that fit and are comfortable. This time last year, my jeans size was leggings and I am glad I didn’t buy the next size up. But, I should say that everyone should buy clothes that fit and that make them feel good. I just didn’t feel good. I am not in the size I would like to be in but I know I will be here for awhile.

I feel dumb; I didn’t know these came in short! I am 5’4 on a good day and these are the perfect length. I don’t regret the regular length that I cut and frayed (actually, I think that is a way to make skinny jeans more modern looking) but it’s nice to have a non frayed option for work or other ocassions.

Here they are!

And, I wanted a lighter pair. I think darker is probably more slimming, but I like the on trend look of the lighter.

Now I have 4 pairs of jeans that combined cost under $100. I think the quality is pretty darn good, too! Let me now if you have tried these.

So, I mentioned I want to wear dresses or jeans. Well, one must wear a shirt with the jeans and I love the look of the feminine blouse contrasted with jeans. I chose to try these two and I am pretty happy. I am kind of between shirt sizes so I sized up.

This gives me Little House on the Prairie in blouse form vibes. It is pretty high-necked but I think I like it. It is a rather stiff material but I didn’t find it uncomfortable. I think it might soften up with a few washes. I will say that this blouse and another Target blouse I have seem very short, making it hard to tuck in, but not impossible.

And, this is the most wonderful material! It would be perfect for Thanksgiving. It’s a bit silky and super soft. It has a bit of a cooling feel to it for those menopausal persons out there. Or, just those who run hot like I do.

And, we love a graphic tee to wear with a jean jacket, kimono or cardigan. As a Spanish teacher, I had to get this Frida Kahlo t-shirt and this Selena t-shirt.

I wore the Selena shirt yesterday and got tons of compliments and yes, all of my students know who she is!

So, Target has really been source lately. I love the drive up and the shipping orders are pretty fast, too. They make returns super easy. Target, I will always love you.

Now, let’s talk about Amazon. I love you, too. You have seen most of these things if you are a regular reader, but I will talk about why I think they were good purchases or why I plan to buy them again.

Let’s start with fashion. I love the brand Umgee. It is high quality and it is available on Amazon. It is the boho vibe I like and feels age appropriate. I don’t know if I will wear this without something under it as I have worn leggings under it the two times I have worn it.

And, this dress is everything! My sister in law also bought it and she also sent me a Facebook picture of a friend of a friend wearing it. Oooops, is it too popular?

I will say that I ordered it in another cute print and the fabric was different and it didn’t lay right so I sent it back. I think that happens sometimes with Amazon stuff.

I have been enjoying having a good old fashioned watch and have gotten lots of compliments on this $20 time piece.

And, now to get a bit personal and to my one male reader, Dan – my apologies. I went down a bra size and ordered the same wonderful bra. Pro tip: If you don’t have a preference for color, some are cheaper. I went with rosewater because it was the cheapest.

I am loving this two pack of belts and would buy it again.

I need to order more of my favorite hairspray. It’s the only thing I have ever had on autoship, but during the pandemic I didn’t need much so I took it off.

If you don’t have a shower cap, you need one! And, this is the best one out there. I got this as part of my mom’s birthday gift. This will totally protect your hairstyle when you don’t want to wash your hair. I wash my hair at night – almost every night – can’t help it. In the morning, I just do a quick body shower wearing this.

I love this so much and more than I ever thought I could love a laundry detergent. It is worth every penny because your whole house will smell amazing – unless you live in a really big mansion and the scent doesn’t travel into all of your nooks and crannies. Those of us that live in 2,000 square foot homes are the lucky ones here.

And, I cannot live without this anymore. If you love popcorn, this is for you! I managed to totally avoid the movie theater popcorn when I brought my own with this on it. Yes, I did. My family still bought the real stuff.

And, finally I will buy this again. I only use the noodles as they are a great pasta option for me. You can also buy this at Costco, but sometimes Amazon is more convenient for me.

Ok, I’m tired.

Have you tried any of my picks?

Any recommendations for me? I love a shopping enabler, you know!

Thanks for stopping by,

Amy

Monday, October 4, 2021

Well, this Monday came too quickly. I guess they all do, right? I am linking up with Heather, etc. right here.

If you read my Friday Favorites, you know that I had my first Fall Break ever! My goals were fall decor, read, watch t.v., be social, go shopping, buy some new fall clothes and clean some clothes out of my closet, and continue to eat healthy while on break and walk as much as possible.

I think I accomplished all of that! On Friday I told you that I had a happy hour for my department on Tuesday, had a friend for lunch on Wednesday, met my niece for happy hour Wednesday afternoon, and then Thursday I made a major errand day.

I will say that I started getting a bit of a sore throat Wednesday evening and I gargled with warm salt water. I woke up with it again on Thursday morning and gargled again. I was kicking myself for not washing my hair on Wednesday before bed because the fall allergens love me. I started making sure I went to bed with clean hair and it made a big difference. I also use my saline solution morning and night year round.

The sore throat went away but then I had some congestion and painful sinuses. I tried to remember the last time I had this and I really think it was 2019.

Anyway, I went on with my day even though I didn’t feel 100%. I met Beth at the St. James Art Fair and wore my mask even outside because of the large number of people and just in case I could give something to someone. It was way too crowded for my comfort zone – pandemic or no. I don’t like being around that many people.

I bought one thing – this Ale 8 candle for Tom. He is not a candle person so It’s really for me. The scent is apple cider donut!

I only stayed at the art fair for about an hour because I had an appointment to design t-shirt quilts for Jack and Mason. I have been planning this for 17 years. I have saved all of their t-shirt souvenirs from our family trips.

This is kind of what they will look like.

I am so excited! I think I will like them more than they will, but I hope it will be something they treasure in the future.

I am on a good reading streak. I finished Maggie Finds her Muse and In Five Years in the last week and then I had a library pickup and got this. It’s super cute and very rom-com if you like that. It was just what I needed for break.

I think this is kinda funny – sitting outside with a pumpkin candle and bug spray.

I will show you my minimal fall decor soon but I am enjoying my Day of the Dead glasses. I finally found Casamigos tequila which is the lowest in WW points. I made a skinny margarita Friday afternoon.

Then, Friday night Tom and I went to Ramsi’s which is kind of a mediterranean vibe restaurant.

Tom is not a bread person but he couldn’t stop eating their garlic and goat cheese appetizer.

We split a brussel sprouts salad and I forgot to take a photo of the entree we split – grouper and crab cakes. We had so much food leftover.

Then, we went to Costco after dinner – very romantic!

Saturday morning we went to parents’ weekend at J and M’s college. We ate brunch in the cafeteria and toured classrooms. There were lots of activities like Bingo and a scavenger hunt but we only did a couple of things. You could also attend games and Churchill Downs if you wanted.

So pretty – this is the area between J and M’s dorms.

Then, the kids came home! We watched a couple of Gilmore Girls and I cooked my heart out. I made chili for dinner and their favorite honey mustard salad. We watched Ted Lasso with them, too. We went back to the beginning for them.

I went to bed between 9-10 the whole break. I was just tired and knew I needed sleep.

Sunday morning I woke to my favorite light rain.

I read and had my coffee on the patio.

I also did some meal prep for the week but I had already done a bunch Saturday morning, too. It was nice to take a break from my prepping, but I was also glad to start it up again.

Then, Sunday afternoon, the whole fam went to see Shang-Chi finally.

Mason also wanted to do some fall clothes shopping with me, so we did that.

I hope you had a wonderful first weekend of October!

Amy