Friday, January 17, 2020

Hello and happy Friday!  This week was the week I was dreading because I knew it would be the busiest of the month!  My son Jack has not been home for dinner since Sunday night!  And, he won’t be home for dinner again until this Sunday night!  Theatre is no joke and it makes me sad when all four of us aren’t home most nights together.  I guess this comes with having teenagers.  I am happy to link up today with Andrea, etc. so go right here for more Friday posts.  

Here are my favorites:

Organization!

What did help me this week is to be super organized with my breakfasts and lunches prepped for the whole week.  For dinner, we did get Jimmy John’s one night but other than that we ate from the freezer and fridge and tried to use up things that needed to be eaten.  

My new closet made it a joy to get dressed every day this week!  If you want to see it go here!  I need to shop for a few more baskets and things this weekend.  

The Bachelor!

Yes, I am entirely too old for this show and I can only handle it with the help of my beloved DVR so that I can fast forward when needed, which is often.  By the way, I watch very few shows live and love that I can set a series recording and watch any show at my convenience.  I have two friends that have no idea how to use their DVRs.  They are missing out.  If you have recording capabilities and are not using it, you should!  It is amazing and if I can do it, so can you.  

Photos!  

I came across this picture of me and thought it looked so much like my boys at the same age.  Most people say that they look like both hub and I.  

Me with really bad hair around age 10 maybe?  

The boys around the same age

What do you think?  

Dip Nails!  

I have enjoyed this white with a tiny hint of sparkle.  I think I had this done on Dec. 30.  They last 4-5 weeks if you can stand the re-growth at the cuticle.  This was a nice change, but I am definitely a darker color nail person.  What color should I do next?  

More organization!  

I have talked before about teens and I have given some advice even though I’m not an expert here.  I am a mom of teens, though, and I have been working with teens for 26 years.  I made Jack a schedule and put it next to his backpack Sunday night.  He came up and thanked me for it.  It could have gone really wrong with him accusing me of not thinking he could handle his own schedule – whew!  

And, more organization!  

I bought this to hold my purse next to me in my car.  I have been thinking about buying it for some time.  I haven’t gotten to really try it out yet but I thought I would share.  Anyone have this?  

And, that’s about it!  

How was your week?  Any favorites?  I would love to hear!

Thanks so much for visiting me today!

Amy

Thursday, January 16, 2020

I realized that along with my challenge that I may have left some of you hanging – pun intended! Before you start wearing everything or during your time of wearing everything ’til spring, you may want to start the purging process.  I started my wear everything last week and then moved to my new closet over the weekend.  As I did so, I went ahead and started my process.  By the way, I do this at least once a season.  I feel that if you don’t it is very easy to let things accumulate and then it becomes a bigger job.  

Just how do you purge your closet?  Have you let things accumulate over time?  Do you have multiple sizes, styles, and colors?  Why do we hang onto things we shouldn’t?  The biggest reasons are…

Guilt – We feel bad because we made a shopping mistake that may have been a costly one.  We feel bad because someone that we love gave it to us.  We love that person, but we don’t love the well-intentioned gift.  My husband often laments that adults should not buy other adults clothing, shoes, and accessories.  He says this not to be mean, but because it is a very personal thing and by the time we reach adulthood we should do these things ourselves because otherwise it causes guilt, extra trips to the store, or wasted money.  He is not wrong here! We feel bad that we can’t fit into the size anymore.  Guilt is a powerful emotion but it is not a productive one.

Fear – I will need this item SOMEDAY!  Yes, you may, but you should think more in terms of your present life.  One exception would be cold weather gear which really doesn’t go out of style and is expensive to replace. Keep a bin of gloves, scarves, tobaggon hats, etc. if you use them sometimes.  

Before you start my challenge here or during my challenge, I think you should do the following:  

Grab bags or bins and designate them as “donate”, “give away”, “sell” , “repair” –  whatever you like and whatever works for you.  

Go ahead and get rid of:

-anything with stains

-anything with holes that you don’t love enough to spend time and money getting repaired

-anything that makes you feel bad about yourself right now at your current weight

-anything that is a duplicate.  Example:  You have 5 pairs of similar black pants.  There are only 7 days in a week and you probably only get dressed 5 of those 7 at most.  Are you ever really going to wear your 4th or 5th favorite of that collection?  

Going forward, keep a bag or bin to toss things like this in and you can sort and separate when it gets full.  

There is something really strange about having less but feeling like you have more!  It’s amazing how it feels to be able to move hangers and not fight with them.  

Remember that your goal is to wear each and every piece of seasonal/winter clothing until spring comes.  Let’s say you wear a piece and hate it all day long.  Where should it go?  In one of your bins.  

You may be thinking…

Isn’t this wasteful?  They are just clothes!  Well, you’re exactly right.  It really isn’t about the clothes, though, it’s about YOU and you feeling your best self so that you can live your best life.  Have you ever hung back in a corner at a party because you hated your outfit?  Maybe it didn’t fit quite right and you kept having to tug or pull or feel self-conscious?  This steals your confidence.  This takes away your ability to be you.

One thought that makes me feel better is that I may make someone very happy by getting my discarded article of clothing.  It may be perfect for them and they may be able to be their best self!  

Wouldn’t it be nice to have what you need in your closet and only have what serves you?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have only items that make you feel great?  The only way to get to that point is to lose the things that don’t do the above.  Maybe as you go through this process you can keep a list of holes in your closet or events you need to dress for where you didn’t have the right items.  

I would love to hear your thoughts if you are participating!  What have I forgotten?  Do you have any other tips?  

Amy 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

I am linking up today with The Style Six so go right here and check out more posts! 

I am challenging myself to wear every single piece of winter clothing I own until spring.  If I don’t want to wear it for some reason or if it is stained, ripped, too small, too big, etc. I am making myself put it in my donate, sell, or repair bag. 

I first wore this cocoon type sweater that is burgundy and black and I love it and plan to keep it.  I like the sleeve length and I think it looks good with a black shirt and black pants or leggings.  This is rather old from Nordstrom. 

KEEP!   

Then, I wore a basic grey swing dress with this on top.  It is very lightweight and I can really wear it in any season.  It is kind of a hybrid kimono/scarf.  I bought it at a local boutique a few years ago.

KEEP! 

Here I am in the above: 

Next I wore another kimono.  I love this pattern.  I don’t love the shirt under or the leggings with this.  I think it would have looked better with olive pants.  The kimono really works in any season and it doesn’t wrinkle.  It is a cool and lightweight material and it was from TJ Maxx last year.

KEEP the kimono!

DONATE the black tee!  (It is full of pills and not long enough)

KEEP the leggings but wear with longer tops, vests, kimonos, etc. 

Saturday errands outfit.  I bought this Kentucky shirt from a boutique for $5 last year.  I had a rain jacket on, too, but I got hot.  I will wear this to watch games or to run errands even though it isn’t very flattering.  There was a UK game on that day, too.  

KEEP! 

Why is the pic below so dark?  Burgundy swing dress, leopard leggings by Simply Southern, charcoal vest.

KEEP ALL!  

I will work on lighting – mustard Old Navy top, green Matilda Janes.

KEEP!  

And, that is a wrap for this week.  I will continue to document what I wore so you can see that I am not repeating! I am having fun with this project and it is helping my wallet, too!

Amy 

Monday, January 13, 2020

Thank you for being excited for me on Friday when I teased about something I was doing Friday after school!   I hope I didn’t over sell it!  

My new closet!!!!!!!

All mine!  My husband has an almost identical one across the hall (his is two feet shorter – ha!) The closet people came at precisely 2:30 and were done by 4:30 and I started working with glass of wine and a Spotify playlist and had a fabulous time.  So, this may not be everyone’s idea of weekend fun, but it is mine!  Just a little history – I have always had just your basic sliding door closet.  I lived in my parent’s house, then the dorms, then three different apartments, and then this house.  I don’t have a vary long list of housing.  So, this is a dream come true for me!  Come back tomorrow for photos of the finished product!  

Saturday morning was kind of crazy.  I had to make sure one son got up at 5:15 to go to an academic tournament 2 hours away.  I took him at 6:00 to meet the team and did my grocery shopping then came home and it was still dark outside and very balmy for January – 70 degrees!  So, I enjoyed coffee outside while the sun came up.  Being outside as much as I can is really important to me.  I love being outdoors. 

Saturday was rainy and gross.  Hub and I worked around the house all day while both boys were gone.  Our other son had choir and theatre and was also gone all day.  Saturday evening we tried a new to us Mexican restaurant.  We weren’t that impressed but our friends love it.  I did run into a former student, though, so that was nice.  

Sunday morning was laundry, meal prep, school work, and I made myself avocado toast. 

So, it was not too terribly exciting by most standards, but it was the perfect weekend to regroup after a first week back to school and before the busiest week of the year coming up.  My son will be at theatre every day from Monday – Saturday for opening week of Pride and Prejudice.  He will only be home for dinner one night.  

How was your weekend?  Isn’t this weather crazy?  I think it was 70 in Kentucky and it snowed in Texas!  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Friday, January 10, 2020

Are you ready for a short and sweet Friday Favorites because this week has been a rude awakening?  Ha!  

Here are my faves for the week…

Lotta from Stockholm website is where you can find these.  They passed the teacher test!  They are more comfortable than Danskos in my opinion and a much better price point.  As I get older I am really focusing on quality over quantity in my shoe wardrobe.  

I had been hearing about these in the blog world.  They appeared at my Kroger!  That is another reason why I really do prefer to go in the store – there are always new products to be seen!  They are really good.  Anybody else tried them? 

I am hooked on meal prepping for my weekday breakfasts and lunches.  I love seeing my 10 containers in the fridge and they have made my life so much simpler.  I am fine to eat the same thing everyday but you could mix it up if desired.  I switched my quinoa to cauliflower rice and I love it, too!  This is so easy!  Mix your cooked cauliflower rice or quinoa with desired amount of enchilada sauce and a can of green chiles, add a bit of cheese and bake for about 20 min. at 350.  Yum! 

Kroger does it again with the 79 cent soaps.  Fresh snow!  Bring it, baby! 

My mom introduced me to Farmasi skin care and cosmetics.  Have you heard of it?  I really like the products I have tried so far.  I plan to try more and then do a full report. 

I have ruined so many clothes cooking so I am trying to wear an apron.  I bought this two pack from Amazon for 8.99 for both!  I love them and they wash perfectly!  

I am also trying to use cloth napkins.  I  bought this pack and like them, too.  They do wrinkle quite a bit and I do not plan to iron unless we have company! 

I am still loving cashmere woods by Glade!  I have it in my classroom now, too. 

I keep needing more basic black tees to wear under things.  I am considering these two items.  So, they are not faves yet, but I thought I would show you in case you are in the same boat. 

What were your favorites this week?  Today after school something super exciting is happening!  Come back Monday to find out what it was!  I do not have many other exciting plans this weekend.  I am kind of sad because both of my boys are soooo busy!  Jack has a choir retreat until 10 p.m. tonight and Mason has a quick recall tournament Saturday and needs to leave at 6:00 a.m.  It is all good stuff, but our weekends definitely do not look the same anymore.  

Make it a great one!

Amy 

Thursday, January 9, 2019

Anyone interested in a challenge?  I mentioned it here yesterday in my What I Wore post!  Do you get bored with your winter wardrobe like I do?  I tend to wear lots of plaid and Christmas colors leading up to Christmas and then in January and February I wear lots of black and grey.  

Here are some outfits from last winter:  And, all of these pieces are still in my closet.  

I will challenge myself to wear each and every piece of winter clothing before I can repeat a piece.  I hope to challenge myself to wear pieces in different ways and in different configurations.  I mainly plan to do this for work, but you could also include the weekends. You do the challenge the way you want to.  I hope this will keep me from shopping and breathe fresh life into my closet!  

My Rules:  

-Wear every piece of winter clothing before repeating.

-This does not include staples like black tops to go under or black pants or shoes.  

-Keep two bags – one for Goodwill and one for re-sale.  If there is a reason I don’t want to wear a piece it should go in one of the two bags.  There are a few exceptions – like if it’s a sentimental piece or if it’s holiday or non-work appropriate.  

-Take a photo of each outfit.

-After wearing a piece, move to different section of closet.

Let me know in the comments if you plan to join in!  I plan to do some other challenges this winter, too!  I did this last year, too.  Example:  Monday – leopard; Tuesday – plaid; Wednesday – vest – You get the idea!  It was so much fun and so helpful to me!  

Amy 

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Happy Wednesday!  Here are a couple of outfits from break and one from back to school!  

I wore this combo a couple of different times.  Leggings, long tunic top, long vest.  So comfortable!  

Leggings and new Aerie turtleneck sweatshirt for a day at home

NYE outfit.  I could not resist this $12 Target blush blouse, black leggings and black sweater.

Let me introduce you to my new clog boots.  I have been looking for something like this for months.  The traditional booties I own are old and just not exciting me this season.  I looked at Dansko but didn’t like the prices.  Enter Lotta from Stockholm and the Sanita brand. 

They are super comfortable with or without socks (Fun fact:  I hate socks and my feet start getting claustrophobic!)

Back to school outfit above from yesterday – I did a school trial run with them yesterday and success!  I plan to wear them with black, brown, grey and feel that they are neutral enough that I can do this.  

I have a winter wardrobe challenge coming your way tomorrow!  I hope you will participate.  It involves you wearing clothes you already own and it will help you to purge, too, if that is what your goal is.  

Thanks for visiting!  Any favorites?  Is it time for you, too, to go back to wearing “real” clothes?  Ha!

Amy 

Monday, January 6, 2020

And, break is over!  Today we have just teachers at school and tomorrow students will be back.  I ended the break with a really fun weekend.  

Here we go!  

Thursday my friend and I ate lunch at Royal’s before going on …

a tour of Copper and Kings which makes brandy and gin and various other spirits.  We had both been wanting to do this for quite awhile!

Friday I set out to add some green to my house and started at Trader Joe’s.   I think everyone is in the same boat.  After the holiday decor comes down we want minimalism and natural decor? 

I had fun sprucing up the spaces just a bit. 

Saturday the whole family went to the Picasso exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.  This is the first time that these pieces have left Europe. 

Saturday evening I stopped by a gig with my student’s band.  He had asked me to come and it was on the way downtown to our dinner reservation.  They were really good! 

Then, we met our friends in The Galt House hotel’s new restaurant called Walker’s Exchange. 

It was really good and it was a fun way to end the break. 

Sunday I made myself do the grocery before the sun was even up! 

I spent a couple of hours meal prepping and doing school work.  I am trying to adapt my Mexican quinoa dish with cauliflower rice.  I think it’s going to be good! 

Meal prepping and refrigerator organizing going on…

And, that’s all that is worth mentioning, I think!  

How was your weekend?  I hope it was great!

My January calendar has never been so full.  I am nervous that I will make it through January without losing it!  Maybe there will be a snow day to help a girl out?  Ha!  What about you?  Do you dread January?  It is normally so cold but it looks like the first half at least will be warmer than normal.  

Make it a productive Monday!

Amy 

Friday, January 3, 2020

Happy Friday!  I really haven’t known what day of the week it is which is the best way to be during the break, right?  

My first favorite is simply the break.  I don’t take it for granted that I get these long breaks.  But, I will tell you that from August until December, it is a long stretch.  When the kids get days off the teachers often don’t.  Yes, we get out earlier in the afternoon than most jobs, but we cannot just leave during the day to go to an appointment or to even get real people food.  And, you are always on.  It is exhausting.  I love teaching, but it is exhausting. 

The unseasonably warm weather meant I could sit outside many days.  Give me a book, a drink, and a candle and that is my best form of self care.  This book was just meh but I didn’t have another option and I did see it through.  

I just started this below.  I have some more books ready for me to pick up at the library.  I love my library so much and I am still going strong not paying for any of the 50+ books I read each year!  

I love the opportunity to catch up with friends. Monday night I met up with two ladies I met when our kids were in elementary school.  We were part of the “walkers” – kids who walked to school and the parents would gather at the back door to walk the kids home.  We chatted each and every day and even had nicknames for all the parents – in a nice way, of course!  So, they both have college kids and sophomores in high school and guess who is their Spanish teacher?  Me!  It’s so cool to teach kids you have known since they were tiny.

We had happy hour at Napa River Grill.  

We all had martinis.  Lemondrop for two of us! 

Their guacamole and homemade chips were excellent! 

Some product faves I have been enjoying as my skin has gotten dry.  I love this lotion that you put on before drying off.  I hate to take the time to do lotion especially when it is cold so I love this option.  I also switched to this facial moisturizer from Trader Joe’s and I love it. 

O.k., I am in love.  I happened upon a Glade candle called Cashmere Woods at Target and then proceeded to order the plug in and refills on Amazon. I want to bathe in this scent.  I want to plug this in in my classroom and every room of my house.  So far hub has not complained.  It says it’s made with essential oils and it is a slightly masculine spicy woodsy smell.  Please check it out!  I love it so much!  

I haven’t decided if I will do a goals post yet, but one goal I have is to become the kind of person who wears an apron to cook in to protect my clothing.  I ordered a two pack from Amazon for 8.99 and I love the fabric. 

I am also trying to become a cloth napkin person.  I was unfolding them to wash them here. 

And, finally NYE was really fun.  Our boys both spent the night at friends’ houses and we went out with some of our best friends for Cuban food!  

And this meme applies to me. Crazy, right?  

What were your favorites?  

Happy Friday!

Amy 

Thursday, January 2, 2020

I received some really awesome gifts!  I love shopping for other people and cannot wait for them to open my gifts, but I must admit I really like to open gifts, too.  We had a small Christmas with my immediate family because of the renovation and then we enjoyed Christmas with hub’s family and with my family.  

Here are some of my favorites left to right:  

I cannot say enough about the brand Myra.  I have two tote style bags now and this clutch.  The prices are super reasonable and they are made from recycled fabrics.  They involve pattern mixing and I think they have a unique Anthropologie vibe.  I have been lugging one of the totes to school with me since early fall and I think the quality is great.  I would like to add a cross body bag for shopping or festivals.  You can buy these bags at boutiques or on Amazon.  Click here for Amazon Myra selections.  I love to carry clutches when I go out to eat and another trick is to keep the clutch in your big bag for when you run in and out of stores. 

The bee gold cuff is made by my high school friend and my mom bought it at an arts and crafts fair for me.  The artist/my friend uses vintage pieces to create jewelry.  I have asked her to be on the blog and she is working on getting an Etsy shop going.  She is seriously talented.  

The bronze colored leather earrings are from my sister and I have already worn them.  I think this color will work well with my winter wardrobe.  

My husband bought me a bracelet stack from local boutique Revelry which I love.  They are beautiful agate stones and I am really impressed that he picked these out.  

My mom gave me the leather and bronze hoop earrings that are really unique.  I really love them!  

And, my mom completed my Pioneer Woman cookbook collection with her latest.  

Hub also had the boys get me new dish towels which I badly needed!  I was waiting until the kitchen colors were established but it really doesn’t matter.  For something that I use multiple times a day it is great to have nicer replacements.  

My sister surprised me with a late birthday/Christmas gift of this awesome Aerie turtleneck sweatshirt.  I have been wanting one of these all fall.  I am now an Aerie convert!  I have always talked about the quality of American Eagle but now I am drinking the Aerie Kool-Aid, too.  This will probably be on my body as much as humanly possible this winter.  I also love the color she picked for me.  

My in-laws gave me some money so I took myself to the dreaded mall with the Aerie next to the American Eagle.  Basically the store was 50% off of everything.  I found this super soft v neck and sized down.  And, these leggings are the best things I have every put on my body.  They are the 7/8 and now I’m wondering why I have settled for too long leggings for my 5’4 frame.  Here is the sweater and here are the leggings.  I cannot recommend these items enough!  

I feel very spoiled!  

Amy