Friday, February 19. 2021

I am all out of sorts! I could not remember what day of the week it was! With no school on Friday and Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences on Monday, my boys being home, and all the winter weather I could not keep it straight. But, I know today is Friday and I am actually looking forward to a “normal” (What is normal anymore?) five day week next week!

I am linking up with Andrea, etc. right here if they are able to do the link up. Praying for relief for Texas! I think anything bad seems even worse in the pandemic. It is just too much. What a crazy year it’s been.

Here are some favorites from the week.

Another round of snow hit Wednesday overnight. It is so pretty at first, but then it quickly turns ugly. It will be a favorite when it all melts. I cannot wait!

A favorite from this week: Look at my green chile stockpile, y’all. Yeah, baby! Don’t come try to rob me! Are green chiles a sign of life returning to “normal”? Maybe?

Another favorite from this week: The day after Valentine’s Day I changed it over to St. Patrick’s Day! I am maybe 25% Irish! The only thing I bought were the Rae Dunn book stack and a new box of Lucky Charms! I’m so weird; Jack told me this, too, but I’m fine with that label.

Lucky Charms have replaced the conversation hearts, of course.

I think I got these shamrock lights at The Dollar Tree last year.

Garland from TDT, too!

Kinda tacky but I like them – faux carnations.

I did self-tanner two nights this week after my shower. I slept on it and showered in the morning. I just do arms and legs, but it is nice to get a little color.

Using this; it has a faint odor but that is why the night time application and quick rinse in the morning works well.

An upcoming favorite… get ready for National Margarita Day on Monday!

I think the to-go cocktails from the pandemic are so fun. I will probably make my own because I like mine better! Maybe I will splurge and get some more special ingredients.

Tuesday night for Mardi Gras, I made a purple vodka drink, King cake out of crescent rolls (it kind of looks like a brain!), jambalaya and spoon bread. I forgot the photo of the other foods. Like I said, celebrate any holiday you can. It really helps me and I really just do it for myself!

Look at that face? How can that not be a favorite every week?

What were your favorites this week?

Thanks for visiting me today!

Amy

Do you still love your wedding ring?

Thursday, February 18, 2021

This photo is from our professional photographer wedding album. It was the first time I ever had a professional manicure and pedicure! I was 28 years old. This photo is really funny because Tom had these bumps on his knuckles from weight lifting at the gym. We thought it was hilarious. It’s also one of the only photos we have with Tom wearing his wedding ring! Isn’t it so pretty? He keeps it on his keychain now. Actually, he lost this one and he keeps his replacement on his keychain now. I cannot tell you how many times he has almost lost his replacement. Most recently, he dropped it in the brown river and dove under to save it. You pick your battles, right? He is not a jewelry person. He does put it on for date night every now and then. Oh well.

Gold was not in vogue in the year 2000. It was all about white gold and platinum. I felt it was really important to do platinum. I was not a bridezilla, but that seemed important to me at the time.

20 years later…pale winter hands!

I still love my rings even though I like yellow gold again and have for some time. I wanted a classic square cut diamond and I didn’t want to break the bank (Tom’s bank at the time!). It was also important to me that my wedding band was unique and would look good on its own.

I got engaged on Christmas Day of 1999 and then got married July 15, 2000. Funny story involving our wedding bands… Tom’s best man thought it would be funny to play a trick on us. He found a pawn shop in my little hometown and bought two rings. When the minister did the blessing of the rings, the best man handed the pawn shop rings to him and that is what we had to put on each other. Sadly, I don’t have a photo, but they were bad! At first I was sad that the real rings didn’t get “blessed”, but then I thought it was funny.

On our 10 year anniversary, Tom surprised me with this white gold 10 diamond band for my right hand. He is not a guy who buys jewelry for me so this was very special. I am still waiting on my band with 20 diamonds for our 20th anniversary last summer… ha!

I love all three of these rings that I wear daily. I think the fact that they are simple and classic is why I still love them. I can add my trendy earrings, necklaces, and bracelets and they all work together. I would advise any brides today to go with a classic style!

By the way, whose old hands are these anyway? I guess I could have done some self-tanner!

What say you? Do you still love your rings?

Amy

P.S. – I am praying that my Texas blog readers and friends get some relief soon. I am so, so sorry. It is a totally different ball game to lose power in the winter.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Linking up with The Style Six here today! Did you catch my blog post “What’s Saving You Right Now?” yesterday? Well, another thing that is saving me is…dreaming of spring and spring fashions!

Promise?

That darned groundhog! We have had snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain, cold temperatures, and zero sun for the last week and a half. I could not be more tired of my winter clothes coupled with my WFH attire! Ha! I have no interest in adding any more winter clothes to my closet so that’s good!

Rainboots work for most of my snow needs here in Kentucky. I have tall black Hunters that are 12 years old and these fun yellow short ones that are a few years old. I stand by the quality of Hunter boots! Ernie loves the snow. It makes him so happy when you walk him in the snow.

So, I haven’t been in many stores lately, but for some reason this Free People clog dupe popped up in my Instagram feed from Cabela’s? Say what? I love this style and think it would work really well for our spring and fall. $39! Wow! I am a bit worried about the wood looking cheap?

Then, I started digging on their website. Remember that my sister says she doesn’t really “shop”? She just finds interesting things when she is out and about sometimes. I found lots of popular sandal styles on the website at really good prices. Bonus: maybe your husband loves Cabela’s and you can trick him into going with you?

I have this sandal in black. Mine are the brand Soda from Amazon.

This style was really popular last summer.

I have the OTBX from a consignment store that looks similar in style. Mine are metallic gold.

Look at this next deal! I think I need these! At first I hated the white sole trend, but now I like it; it looks really fresh and current.

I will let you know if I jump on any of the Cabela’s deals.

I am really thinking about these! I like the clear. Lisa has these!

And, I want this Anthro bag in black! It’s so cute!

So, here I am wearing tired winter clothes but dreaming of spring!

What do you want to add to your spring wardrobe?

Amy

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

I want to give credit where credit is due – Modern Mrs. Darcy blog explains this idea taken from Barbara
Brown Taylor here.

Basically, it’s a great question to ask yourself during difficult seasons in life because it helps you find the good when it’s harder to find! These are meant to be rather lighthearted; it’s the little things in life sometimes!

Here is what is saving me right now:

The days getting longer! We are really making progress and I believe daylight savings time is only a few weeks away!

Watching my plants grow and tending to them – hoping and praying I don’t kill them!

My almost weekly one on one social dates with friends! It’s nice to have something on the calendar and even nicer when you get to spend safe one on one time with a friend!

My Bravo shows and then listening to my podcast Watch What Crappens as they make fun of the shows!

Currently enjoying Below Deck and Summer House the most!

What’s saving you right now?

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Monday, February 15, 2021

And, just like that we are halfway through February! I am linking up today with Heather, Tanya, and others here today! As I am typing this on Sunday late afternoon, we are expecting an overnight snow of 1-3 inches and then a break and another 4-8 inches before the end of today. We shall see. But, winter, I am over you! What good is the snow if it doesn’t lead to a snow day anymore? Ha! I am a little bit bitter!

But, what I am not bitter about is…

Our boys have been home all week with the exception of a Friday class for Jack! They had no classes on Wednesday of last week, then Thursday they had classes cancelled for the weather. Mason has zero classes on Friday!

Here is Jack playing one of our many instruments!

I was off on Friday and lit my winter candle, drank my coffee, and stayed in my pjs until noon! This is not normal for me, even on the weekends.

A morning chat with Mason! We all fight over this chair, including Ernie. I start my day in this chair and then I let others use it – ha!

I made perfect pancakes one day for my crew! I use the Heart Healthy Bisquick and then I have an electric non-stick skillet that makes perfect pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. I keep in in the box in a spare closet when I don’t use it because it is big!

And, I made Jack a perfect grilled cheese one day.

Oops, he caught me!

Ernie loved having them home, too.

Tom’s company gave him a Christmas gift card for anything in a gift catalog. He gave it to me and I ordered a cappuccino maker with a frother. I had fun learning how to use it Saturday morning!

I also picked up a heart shaped tray of chicken minis Saturday morning. I met a friend at Trader Joe’s to try to show her the ropes and CFA was close by so I thought why not?

Saturday night we had salmon, shrimp, green beans, mashed potatoes, and bread made by me.

I still haven’t finished my second attempted book of 2021 but I picked this up on Saturday and started it. It involves Nantucket, a restaurant, and three sisters.

For my Sunday Valentine’s activity, my Valentine took me to Homegoods.

These two Rae Dunn mugs were next to each other on the shelf so I had to get them. Her mugs are huge!
These are my boys’ first names.

I also picked up cotton candy for a champagne drink! And, I have been thinking about this tea and found it for like a third of the price, and the cute napkins will be part of my March decor which I plan to do today.

I made a pot of chili for chili for dinner to be served with a grilled cheese with a heart on top! It is so cold that a simple meal sounded good. We don’t like to go out on major holidays anyway but hopefully we will go out sometime soon.

We did cards. Tom almost always makes mine. He chose a template that can’t even spell Valentine correctly so I had fun with that!

As usual, it went by entirely too fast!

I have virtual parent teacher conferences today and hopefully I will have some time to dedicate to planning and making some class handouts. I’m sure I will be looking out the window to see what snow comes our way, too.

How was your weekend? Any highlights?

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Friday, February 12, 2021

I am off today! It is part of a mini-winter break for students. They also have Monday off, but it is virtual parent teacher conferences for teachers. I am happy to link with today with Andrea, etc.!

This has been a crazy week – in a good way! How was your week?

Monday I did not leave the house! I taught all day and cooked dinner. I watched some t.v. It was a day. I think it is kind of nice to plan your Monday for your at home day?

Tuesday after school, I had a reservation at the cat café! It has a full bar and you pay for a 50 minute session to play with whatever cats they currently have from the Humane Society. This business is responsible for over 4000 adoptions in 2 years!

There were 10 cats there when I went. My French teacher friend Elizabeth accompanied me.

She got a cider and I got a “meowmosa”.

My favorite was Billie below. Elizabeth called the next day (because she may be adopting) and found out she had already been adopted! I am happy for Billie but she and I had a bond.

It was really fun. Does your city have one of these? I felt like it was a fairly safe pandemic activity. They were strict on masks and hand sanitizing.

They also had snacks and I bought some kitty litter popcorn to take home.

Then, Tuesday night my boys came home! Their college had a long ago scheduled day off on Wednesday – I think it was like a halfway to midterm day off? and also they took away spring break so they built in a couple days like this. I did not pressure them to come home and I didn’t even think they were coming home until they both told me they wanted to. Well, our weather turned snowy and icy and it was so nice they were home! This is one advantage of going to college closer to home, I guess.

I already had made plans weeks ago to do lunch with my two besties and another college friend of ours. We were in the way back all alone, but I am still not super comfortable being inside. It is like I am torn; I want to be social and see people but there is still risk. I will say that our numbers have gone down considerably around here!

It is a Mexican breakfast place. I got a burrito that had potatoes in it and then it came with a side of potatoes. Next time I will change the side or get something different, but it was good.

We dread the ice around here. I started getting worried about power lines. We got freezing rain and snow and this is what it started looking like on Wednesday.

I started Firefly Lane. I did not read the book. I am not sure how much I like it yet. I am not a huge Katherine Heigl fan.

Jen recommended these and they are fabulous! I ordered my normal size and they had a bit of give. Perfect! Look at the interesting ankle detail. I love the fabric and they have pockets.

Sarah recommended this and I saw it at the grocery last weekend and picked it up. Yum! I put in on a burrito bowl, on the side of a quesadilla, and in a flour burrito.

We had burritos and taco potatoes with the boys Wednesday night. To make the taco potatoes I cut baking potatoes in wedges and season with taco seasoning, olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes and then turn on the broiler for a few at the end.

After dinner, this is what our ice looked like. I was scared Ernie would fall.

And, he decides he really does not need to go potty that bad – ha!

So, my favorites this week were extra kid time, time with cats, time with friends for a Mexican breakfast during my lunch break, and the beauty of the ice but not the inconvenience. I also liked finding a new sauce and new leggings! What more can a gal ask for of her week? Oh, and a day off today!

What about you?

Stay warm! Stay safe!

Happy Valentine weekend!

Amy

Thursday, February 11, 2021

I have been intrigued by Tik Tok for some time. I am a high school teacher so I hear about it a great deal! I did get the app but then I was overwhelmed and deleted it. My sister, however, has a teen and a tween girl and she has been sending me Tik Tok recipes. Now, I can get down with using Tik Tok for that purpose!

Since my sister recommended this and I made it, I have been seeing it everywhere!

Looks good, right? Do you like my almost 21 year old Pottery Barn pasta bowl from a set that was a wedding gift from my dear bestie Heather?

I love a recipe with very few ingredients!

A container of cherry or grape tomatoes – I was thinking you could even do the pretty tri-color ones!

olive oil

salt and pepper

Italian herbs if you would like – basil would be good and pretty!

pasta of your choice

a block of feta – I am going to say use this sparingly. I do not feel that it needs the whole block.

Step one:

Wash your tomatoes and put them in a dish with sides. Cover with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place your chunk of feta on top. This is a little over half of the piece I had.

Step 2: Boil your pasta. I like this cavatappi! I think this could also be good with zoodles!

After your tomato feta mixture has cooked at 400 for about 15 minutes it will not look much different:

But, be careful… as you start breaking up the tomatoes they will try to kill you and burn you with their hot, fiery juices.

Step 3: Break up the tomatoes and feta a bit.

Step 4: Pour the hot pasta atop.

Mix as much as you would like.

I was also trying to think of protein that would work in here? You could have already cooked/browned sausage? Shrimp? Chicken?

What do you think? Do you have time for a Tik Tok pasta?

Amy

Wednesday, February 9, 2021

Linking up with The Style Six right here! Did you read about my stylish sister yesterday? If not check that out when you’re done here!

Confession: I tend to get a bit obsessive about an item. I decide I might want a certain piece and then I look on Pinterest or Google said fashion item. I imagine how it will work in my wardrobe and how I will wear it.

Exhibit A: the red clog.

I have actually been thinking about them for a couple of years. I was open to many different brands and styles of red clogs.

Black pants, white top, red clogs. The pop of color really elevates the look in my opinion.

Jeans and a white top. Everyone has that, right? The clogs add that pop of color again and just take it from two pieces of clothing to an outfit, in my opinion.

I am intrigued by this white on white look for spring. Frayed white jeans and a white blouse with the bold statement of red.

And, these are the actual ones I decided upon. I went with genuine Swedish clogs from Etsy for $47. I am super pleased with their quality.

And, one outfit from this week…

I wore the Amazon sweater, black leggings, and the clogs!

What say you? Would you wear red clogs? Is there an item you are currently obsessing over?

Amy

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Remember my “Fashionable Friends” post with Beth? Well, today I have “Stylish Sister”with my sister Kate! Sorry for my cheesy blog titles, by the way.

Kate is three years younger than me. She is talented, smart, witty, and stylish. If she weren’t my sister I would want her to be my friend. When she was born I yelled, “I hate her! Take her back!” but I am glad that my parents didn’t “take her back”. We are very different as far as personality goes, but I talk to her four to five times a week and we also share the same sense of humor. It is rare when we don’t laugh during one of our phone calls and she is also a great listener. Both of my sisters and I have some of my Dad’s traits, but the older Kate gets the more I see the calm, listening side of my Dad, followed by either a witty or astute comment.

Kate and I have some similarities in style. I will let you see for yourself and let me know what you think. The rest of the regular font will be Kate’s words and my thoughts will be in italics.

Kate says:

I teach elementary art, so my wardrobe is super casual. I need to be able to move freely. Since I’m on the move all day long, I get hot and wear layers that I can shed. I have a lot of open front sweaters and thin casual jackets for this reason. I don’t spend much money on single items of clothing because I will inevitably spill paint, but I do have a lot of clothes. I like to have choices for the colorful mixing and matching.

Kate, I want this necklace! I actually have something a bit similar, but this is stunning and makes the outfit! I also have these earrings! Kate uses my rule of three – always have three items on to make it look more pulled together, like an “outfit”.

I don’t have separate choices for work and other – that’s too much planning. When I analyzed my closet, I found these main categories:

-casual jackets

-button down blouses

-black tops of varying styles and fabrics

-jeans

-casual dresses that can be layered with tight pants

Example of a black top with jeans:

Kate is very hip in her Rhianna boots; I asked her if she had been shopping at the Sesame Street yard sale. She loves them and they are very “her”. I bet the elementary kids think they are cool!

I usually wear jeans or jean-like pants.

Here is my variety:

My favorites are the two-tone jeans at the bottom. Believe it or not, I got them at Meijer about three years ago! I only go there about once a year, but I also found the olive green jumper that will be shown further down this post, for only $6.98!

I absolutely love my polka dot jeans from Kohl’s. They elevate a simple jeans with black top outfit. I like jeans with a design along the outer seams for the same reason.

These yellow jeans are so cute and qualify as the Pantone color of 2021!

This totally looks like my type of outfit!

The Meijer olive green jumper for $6.98:

She can do neutrals, too, but I like all of the color the best!

I have tons of button down shirts. You can see here that I might be obsessed with the bird print. I also have a group of florals and a group of stripes.

My problem area is my stomach and I feel button downs hide that a little. They are also great for layering and when you pair a button down with jeans, you still look a little put together.

Lately I’ve been into one piece jumpers. You can wear things over or under them. I have some sleeveless ones from Target and Old Navy, both from the active wear section. I personally don’t think they look like active wear.

Well, I’m exhausted after this fashion show. Who knew blogging was such hard work? I wasn’t too excited about photographing myself, but my mom always taught us that you can’t tell what something looks like on a hanger.

Kate’s Favorite Stores:

I don’t usually “go shopping” for specific items. I’m always on the lookout for interesting pieces, whether I’m at Target for groceries or picking up something for my kids. My most frequented stores are probably TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. Kate is also not a big online shopper; she likes to see things in person and touch the fabrics and I think she sees clothing with an artist’s perspective!

What do you think? Which is your favorite outfit of Kate’s?

Thank you to my stylish sister,

Amy

Monday, February 8, 2021

Linking up with Heather, Tanya, and others here!

How was your weekend? Mine was good! I spent some of the end of last week and the weekend getting ready for V Day! Yes, I am going to celebrate it; I will celebrate any and all little holidays because it just makes life more fun! I got to see one boy! I got to see some friends!

Let’s go back to Thursday afternoon…

I had been trying to get together with my sweet friend Jessica for quite a while. We tried to go to the heated tent but they closed it. So, we had a drink and appetizers inside. Now, I will say I am going to stay away from indoors for a while longer.

The show stopper of the appetizers!

We both love spinach and artichoke dip and this was a unique version served with toast. I think we both like a more traditional one with chips.

I tried a cocktail with peanut butter bourbon and it was really good!

Jess tried something with blackberry jam and Tito’s. I thought it sounded good, too!

We met at 4:00 and left at 5:30 I think. It was so nice. Even though we were inside, we were quite far away from others. Still, after not eating inside in so many months, it felt weird!

Friday I taught but during my lunch I ran to TJ Maxx. Usually I stay home for lunch break because it is pretty tight and I have to get ready for my next classes. I had needed handsoaps for the bathrooms and wanted to see what they had.

I got three nice soaps for now and…

we needed chocolate and I needed deoderant.

A Rae Dunn St. Patrick’s Day decor piece also came home with me!

And, I needed a new counter cleaner and they had a St. Patrick’s Day handsoap. I left very happy with all of my purchases.

After the school day was over I had to go in the grocery and get some of my Valentine’s present supplies and some weekend food and I had a library curbside pickup.

Friday night we went to Tom’s sister’s boat business for their winter boat show. Normally there is a giant boat show with other dealers in the expo center but they couldn’t do it this year due to Covid. Instead, they had an in-house show with catered food, a bar, a bourbon tasting table, and a band.

It felt very “normal” and my two college besties and their husbands also came.

Saturday morning I went to my favorite little market called “Paul’s Fruit Market” and they had lots of cans of green chilies! Why didn’t I try there? And, I bought supplies to make a Tik Tok recipe. My sister Molly is 7 years younger and maybe more hip. She has a Tik Tok and has sent me a couple of recipes.

This involves cherry tomatoes, pasta, and feta – and olive oil and seasonings. OMG! I may do a separate post, but just in case you can’t wait – here you go. By the way, I only made about a 1/3 portion of it for me for lunch on Saturday. Tom was bike riding and I was home alone.

Throw a container of cherry tomatoes in a Pyrex with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top with a block of feta cheese and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and add any herbs you want like oregano or basil or whatever. I skipped this step.

Pour just boiled hot pasta on top of the mixture and mix all together.

I can’t wait to make it again and it was restaurant quality!

I also tried my hand at bakery style sugar cookies Saturday afternoon:

My frosting got a bit out of hand but they were and are delish! I put them in the freezer.

Then, Jack came home around 4! We watched Gilmore Girls, then ate dinner with Tom and watched a show Tom also would like. I made my Soup Sunday soup – white chicken chili and made a burrito bowl for Jack.

Sunday morning I woke to just a bit of snow.

I drank my coffee, did meal prep, and

started this new book because I loved the two K.A.Tucker books I read in 2020.

I am working on V Day gifts for the boys and Mason’s roommate. I still haven’t decided what Tom and I will do or if we will give gifts? He forgot he had a gift card in his wallet to a nice restaurant so maybe we will do carry-out from there some night this week.

How was your weekend? Any highlights? Are you over winter?

Amy