Friday, August 31, 2018

Happy Friday! I’ve had a good week and I hope you have, too! Linking up with Andrea, etc. today for Friday Favorites.

Favorite 1)

I can’t believe I hit my 100th post this week. I started blogging in April and have posted 5 times a week with just a couple of exceptions. I thought I would run out of stuff to say by now.

Favorite 2)

Facebook memories are bittersweet. I believe this was 3rd grade, the first year they had to wear a belt with their uniforms. Look at those cuties! I have loved every stage and love being their mom so much!

Favorite 3)

I’m hoping to get my hands on the Fall edition of Pioneer Woman magazine this weekend and I may also decorate for fall. The long weekend would be a good opportunity to do so. Are you ready?

Favorite 4)

If you didn’t watch season 1 last year of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Instant Video, run and watch it now. It’s written by the writer of Gilmore Girls – so witty. Season 2 is coming out soon. Let me know in the comments if you know the exact date!

Favorite 5)

I’m about halfway through this book and I really like it. A high powered female exec that works in the stock market is trying to balance home and work. It is chick lit but that’s my speed right now.

Favorite 6)

Did you catch my monogram post here? Southern gals love all things monogrammed.  I can’t believe I forgot my boat and tote from LL Bean in that post. I love this bag and they last for years. Mine is the large size.  I need to throw it in the wash soon.

Favorite 7)

Hooray for long weekends! I hope to boat one day and we have plans to go to dinner at friends’ house one day.  I am just happy for an extra day to relax and it comes at a great time –  3 weeks into the new school year.  I love this hat with my Louisville abbreviation.

Anyone plan to hit any Labor Day Sales? Let me know if there are any good ones!

Have a relaxing long weekend!

Amy

P.S. Check out my post about Tory Burch flats here if you missed it yesterday!

P.S.S. Check out my post about fall trends from Tuesday here if you missed it!

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Are you a fan of Tory Burch?  I am not a big name brand person or a big status symbol person, but I do like quality and I like what I like.  I love her logo.  I think it looks so cool and chic.  I was really coveting some flats about six years ago.  But, the price tag was out of my league.  I believe most of her flats start at $200 and can go up to $225ish.  I stalked and stalked and thought and thought and finally ended up with the beautiful cognac pair for around $175. I can’t remember how I justified the cost.  Maybe I had some extra money that I put toward them.  Then, I really wanted black ones.  I found them on sale for $150 and used my birthday money from my parents and in laws to buy those.  So, like I said, I have had both pairs for around six years.  My husband thinks they look like hubcaps on a “shoe” and hates them.  My husband would like for me to only wear what he calls “practical shoes”.  I hate wearing socks so flats without socks are a great option for me with jeans or work pants.  Since mine are so old, they still have the elastic backs.  I have heard the new models don’t have that feature anymore.  Many people prefer the elastic backs from what I have read.

So, are they comfortable?  Yes, they are pretty comfortable except they bother the bone under my big toe where the leather comes up on the foot a bit.  I will usually have a red spot on that area, but it’s not too bad. 

Are they worth the price tag?  Well, if you divide $175 by six years, that comes out to be $29 a year.  If you divide $150 by six years, that comes out to be $25.  Do we spend $29 or $25 on flats from Target?  Yes, we do, easily.  

I feel like these still look almost new – the black look a little bit better because you can see some scratches on the cognac toe.  These probably won’t go out of style.  They are classics.  So, I am glad I bought them and I will hang on to them for a long time, I’m sure.

Are they the most comfortable flats I own?  Definitely not.  My new consignment find Tieks are more comfortable (Retail for $199 and I got mine for $35).  

Before I found the Tieks, I found my other favorite flat.  They are Hush Puppies from Amazon.  They are wonderful.  I will still wear them along with the Tieks I think.  You can tell how much I’ve worn them.  Here is where you can find them on Amazon.  They come in 16 colors/patterns and their cognac is seriously beautiful.  The price ranges from $31.86-$88.  Why Amazon?  Don’t you hate how the price range is all over the place based on size and pattern?  

So, my recommendation to you is to buy a pair of Tory Burch as an investment if you love them and think you will wear them a lot.  This is a great use of some birthday money or maybe a department store gift card.  You can sometimes get lucky at Nordstrom Rack and find your size and the color you want.  

If you have wanted Tieks and you have some gift money, I would say they are also worth the money.  The same math would apply.  If you own them for six years at $199, that works out to be $33 a year.  

But, if you aren’t a Rockefeller and just want a nice pair of comfortable flats, I would think you would be very happy with the Hush Puppies.  

In the end, these are very personal choices.  We all value different things, we all have different clothing budgets and we all make choices every day about how to spend our hard earned money, true?  Some people are purse people.  I am not.  I do not own any designer purses and would much rather carry my Fossil tote and have some nice flats.  

Did you catch my post yesterday about doing something different on a Wednesday or taking a bit of time for yourself?  Well, I decided to go to Versona (do you have one? ) and nose around.  I just wanted to see what was out in the store for fall and I happened upon some great sales on summer stuff.  I hadn’t been in a store for the  couple of weeks since school started.  Versona now carries many of the brands that our little boutique clothing stores carry around town.  If you have a Versona, you need to check it out.  I used to go in only when I needed a specific color necklace because it’s great for that, too. 

I found these fun pants for $11.99 (original price $24.99).  Yes, they are quite summery but I think I can wear them a few times this year.  The length was perfect because they were meant to be capri, I think.  

Then, I remembered seeing this kimono about a month ago and wanting it.  It was on sale for 13.99 from $25.  I love the yellow and grey.

So, this post was all over the place?  You clicked for the Tory Burch and you got much more!  Ha!  

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

Amy 

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Happy Hump Day!  I didn’t realize it, but yesterday was my 100th post!  If you missed it, check it out here.  I talked about some Fall Trends and some of my fall pieces.  

Today I’m giving you my teacher outfits from the last week and one weekend outfit.  

This is an olive swing dress, a TJ Maxx kimono, my Kendra Scott Rayne necklace, and my trusty Danskos.  Everything is at least a year old.  I forgot to take my photo until the end of the day so makeup has worn off!

These are the Matilda Jane pants I got from a consignment store for $29, a shirt I have worn the heck out of from Nordstrom.com last year (I love the color and the sleeves and it’s very soft – this type of top will be a workhorse in your wardrobe), and a TJ Maxx vest along with a stone pendant necklace I believe I bought for very cheap at Versona.  I’m wearing my Corky’s Boutique wedges and I changed into flat sandals about halfway through the day. I loved the pants.  They were super comfortable and made from a very nice material.  I actually like the sleeves with the bottom ruffle, but maybe I look crazy.  

I should have worn different pants, but I love my consignment top (a brand I hadn’t heard of – but I liked the boho vibe) and my wooden tassel necklace that was $3 at Walmart several years ago.  I also loved the grey snakeskin looking Tieks from consignment.  The pants are navy leggings from J.Jill (great place for basic staples) but I don’t think the top was quite long enough for leggings.  

This is the new cacti top and this was my Saturday night outfit.  I’m wearing my Hue leggings from my love of Hue post here and my Corky’s Boutique wedges again.  

I did wash my Cacti top because I spilled Caprese crepe on it – of course!  I decided to go ahead and wear it again on Monday to school with my mustard LulaRoe skirt and the trusty Danskos again.  I think I’m talking in the photo – oops!

Finally, I wore my Walmart pants ($9.98) from my post here when I did some exploring of Walmart clothing this summer and my Old Navy top with my brown Dansko sandals.  I need to say thank you to my great co-workers who take my photos at school and my son who took my photos at home.  

Now I’m liking up with the ladies below for What’s Up Wednesday…

What I’m loving…I’m loving the thought of fall coming up and putting August behind me.  I’m not a big fan of August.

What we’ve been up to…new school routine

What I’m dreading...nothing really right now

What I’m working on…school stuff

What I’m excited about…my boys’ 16th birthday next week and fall approaching

What I’m watching/reading…Bravo shows, Big Brother and Opening Belle (book)

What I’m listening to…Spanish music!  (for my classes)

What I’m wearing…see above!

What I’m doing this weekend…I’m hoping to do some fun stuff on my 3 day weekend but plans aren’t set yet.

What I’m looking forward to next month…getting out my fall decor and maybe adding a bit of new decor

What Else is new…I hit my 100th blog post yesterday!

A Wednesday Tip:

Because Wednesday if halfway through the week, I try to do a load of laundry so it doesn’t get too piled up by the weekend.  I also treat myself to a little shopping trip or a coffee after school.  I like to do something a little bit different and out of the routine on Wednesday.  This goes a long way toward making me happy so I don’t feel like I’m strictly living for the weekend.  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Guys, we are so close to September!  In September it will officially be o.k. to decorate for fall!  September is apple month for me.  I like to go to an apple orchard, make apple sangria, have an apple candle (Yankee has a great one), and I tend to start wearing more fall colors.  But, where I live it can still be 90 degrees in September.  

I started reading about fall trends and then I thought I would look at my “old friends” – my fall clothes that I store in another closet.  It was like a family reunion – but not the dysfunctional kind.  It was so fun to see pieces I had forgotten about!

First, this velvet kimono can be worn over short sleeve or a tank and then long sleeves later in the winter.  I got this last winter at a little boutique called Tunie’s in Louisville for $20 on the sale rack.

One of the 2018 trends is plaid.  Does plaid ever go out of style?  I found this on Amazon last year and wore it a bunch in December.  Look at the cute buttons.  You know me, I probably didn’t spend more than $20.

I love this plaid because of the pink and blue.  I have had this Old Navy shirt for years and I have quite the collection of these lightweight vests – post coming soon on my vest collection and why I love them so much.

Tip:  Look for fall colors in sleeveless or short sleeve.  This was Anthropologie sale room several years ago and I have worn it on Thanksgiving with a skirt, riding boots, and a cardigan.

This is a mod/retro LuLaRoe perfect tee.  I wear it with skinny pants and a vest.

This is another plaid find from Amazon last year.  I wore it all winter and especially around Valentine’s day.  I like the Burberry inspired plaid.  I wore it with a black tank or top and black pants.  

Here are some of the other trends I read about: (and see photos below of things I already own)

leopard – these flats are Coach consignment from several years ago, the skirt is Chico’s sale rack

camo –  the jeans are a very subtle camo from Land’s End, the flats are also Land’s End (both are several years old)

mules -got these mules at a consignment last year and I loved the western vibe – like a cowboy boot had been cut down

I was so happy these things are still on trend.  

I also like to break out my black distressed jeans from American Eagle a few years ago(top right of photo) for weekends.  I love American Eagle jeans.  I order several pairs of short online and return what I don’t want to my local store.  They fit me great because I need the short.  

In summary, here are the trends I read about:  camo, leopard, red monochromatic, floral, mules, plaid, magenta, and fur accents.  I’m on board with all but red monochromatic. I’m not sure I could do that.  Maybe a red jumpsuit would be cute for the holidays, but not sure I could pull that off?  What trends do you plan to try?  

Tip:  I rarely order anything full price.  I do, however, like to look at the catalogs I receive or the magazines I get with fall fashions.  I take a picture of the looks I like and see what I have to recreate that look or I try to shop for a similar vibe.  

I rarely shop at Talbots, but in my twenties my only retail job was at the Talbots Surplus Store in Lexington, KY.  I was already a teacher, but I worked there summers and breaks because my good friend was a manager and I had another good friend who worked there.  As much as I love clothes, I hated working with clothes.  

I love the scallops on these booties.  I love my booties for fall and winter.  I don’t have any suede, though.  

Look how chic she looks.  I love grey and black.  I bet my good old Target might do a dupe for this poncho.  Remember to look for ponchos in the accessories sections of Target and TJ Maxx, not with the regular clothes.

I also looked at Family Circle.  

Love this look.  Do I need tall brown suede boots?  I have leather ones already.  I like her long denim skirt and her blouse.  

I don’t think I could pull off the metallic booties, but I love her jacket and her bucket bag.  Give me all the fringe and tassels.  

What do you think?  Are you ready for fall clothes?  

Amy 

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Monday, August 27, 2018

I actually don’t mind a Monday too much.  I think Tuesday might be harder.  Mondays I get to come home right after work so I try to just focus on that day alone.  Tuesday are my long day because I have meetings after work.  What about you?  

Anyway, back to Sundays.  many people get the Sunday blues on Sunday afternoons, or maybe even earlier.  I really don’t get the Sunday blues anymore.  I try to have a nice Sunday evening routine that I look forward to.  We have dinner at home (after usually eating out on Saturday night), I take my shower at night (so relaxing), and I polish my nails for the week and watch a movie I’ve taped either with my husband or by myself.  Last Sunday night it was “Bad Teacher” which I just adore.  I think it is so funny and clever.  It is from 2011, which is hard to believe, but they play it on cable tv quite a bit.  I try to get in bed no later than 10.  Sometimes I do have trouble sleeping on Sunday nights, but I’m usually o.k. to go to bed a little later because I’ve gotten more sleep on the weekend.  

If you can get your cleaning and errands done on Saturdays, then Sundays can truly be a day of rest.  Also, I almost never grocery shop on Sundays.  Or, if I do, I do it really early in the morning, so I don’t have it hanging over my head.  Plan something fun on Sundays and really enjoy the day.  Also, definitely take the time to meal prep on Sunday mornings.  I make my low carb egg casserole and my sauteed zucchini on Sunday early mornings.   I think getting a few things done will help you to have a great rest of the day on Sundays.  

This weekend: 

Friday after school I did some consignment shopping and picked up a take and bake pizza and stuff to make a good old iceberg lettuce salad with tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing.  We watched a show as a family and I was in bed at 9!  

Saturday was coffee on the patio and I loved the cooler morning and I was so thankful to feel better this weekend.  I lost a whole weekend almost last weekend!  There’s nothing like being sick to make you appreciate being healthy.

I did laundry, cleaned, Trader Joe’s, read a little, watched some Food Network, made some food for my boys, just had a lazy Saturday morning and day.  We were going to boat, but it started raining.

Below:  Me happy to wear my soft Old Navy nautical sweatshirt because of the cooler morning temps with shorts and using my Happiness hand lotion in the car.  

Hub and I left the boys this meal as we were going out with friends.  This is the Trader Joe’s chicken fried rice and orange chicken over the frozen Jasmine rice if you have wanted to see what it looks like.

My cacti top came in right on time for me to wear it.  My one son has been super sweet about taking some outfit pictures for me so I can move away from mirror selfies.  I’m wearing my light denim Hue leggings, and my favorite and really only wedges of the summer from Corky’s boutique.  

We went to the monthly outdoor concert and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect as the night wore on.  

There was a crepe truck and I got a Caprese crepe.  It was good.  

The first band was really good music like Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Jimmy Buffet, The Eagles.  The second band below was a Beach Boys cover band.  

Sunday was a relaxing boat day. This may or may not be a mimosa.

They have replica Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria or two of the three in town. They do this every year. We took our boys several years ago to tour the replicas.

I read a bit of this on the boat. I’m really liking it. My last book was slow so I gave it a pause.

Here is this week’s meal plan:  

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Amy 

Friday, August 23, 2018

Happy Friday!  Are you planning to do something tonight even if you are exhausted?  Check out my post here for some inspiration – I hope! I talked about why you should go out on a Friday and what it can do for your weekend.  Will I take my own advice?  You’ll find out on Monday!  

I’m linking up with Andrea, etc. for Friday Favorites today. 

Number One:  It happens every year, but as soon as school starts, I get in the mood for fall.  I’m excited to fill my house with Bath and Body fall scents.  I am going to try to have my coupons with me when I go in a few weeks. Did you get the recent mailer they sent out?

Number Two:  I don’t usually buy things at the beginning of the season – I wait for sales, but I was excited to look at fall clothes in some catalogs I got this week.  Love the outfit below.  I’m planning some fall fashion posts coming up soon.  I’m ready to see my old friends – my fall clothing!

Number Three:  Having a meal plan and following it to the letter until Thursday night this week was wonderful.  It really saved me this week.  I had all of the ingredients and at 5:30, I just followed the plan.  Thursday night I did hot subs again with loaded baked potatoes.  I click listed in the morning and picked up a small load of groceries after school at 3:00.  You guys, if this is a busy season of life for you, too, please meal plan and do grocery pick up.  It is so absolutely wonderful!

Number Four:  We had some spectacular weather this week so I made time to sit outside for a bit after school. 

Number Five:  I was excited to get library notification that this book is in for me.  My library is closed on Fridays so I will put library on my list for Saturday.   Just a note about reading.  I make time for reading during the school year.  I’m almost to the point where I’m more organized and using time more efficiently at school, so I will be working less at home on school stuff.  I can’t be a good teacher if I don’t do things for myself after school and on weekends. 

Number Six:  Yes, I’m confusing.  I was just talking about fall clothing, but look at this top below.  I was looking for something with cacti all summer long and I was searching fall fashion on Amazon and this came up.  It must be a sign.  I placed an order and want to wear it to an outdoor concert Saturday night.  I figured I could get a few wears in this year.  I’m hoping I chose the size correctly after reading reviews.  I plan to wear it on my shoulders and saw a picture of it worn that way, too.  I will be sure to report back.  It was $17.  

Number Seven:  Back to fall, I love this type of top.  I have one that is a cocoa color from last year.  I wore it a ton! I am not buying fall clothing yet.  I plan to inventory what I have and make a wish list and maybe do a capsule wardrobe for fall.  

Number EIght:  Speaking of wish lists, I would love to pull off a hat like this in the fall.  Where will I wear it?  Frolicking through a pumpkin patch, wine tasting, at a polo match like on Southern Charm?  Does my real life allow for a hat like this?  One can dream!

See my Pinterest inspiration below?

This is probably what I would end up looking like!  Haha!  No offense meant toward Red Hat Society ladies! 

Lastly:  I’m ready to bring out the fall foods!  This is a great little cookbook that I got at a garage sale.  I’m bummed that I missed a big used book sale last weekend!  I still love cookbooks.  In September I like to break out the apple recipes, including my apple sangria.  In October I like to break out the pumpkin recipes.  And, in December I do a lot of chocolate peppermint coffee drinks.  It’s so fun to change with the seasons, in my opinion. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! What are your plans?  As I mentioned, I’m hoping to do an outdoor concert Saturday night and then some shopping Saturday day or maybe Friday for my Friday activity, and a boat ride on Sunday maybe?  I still need to do that boat brunch with mimosas!  Leave me a comment!  I love reading what you have to say!  

Amy

Thursday, August 23, 2018

In the south, we love our monograms! Do we have an identity crisis?  Are we afraid we will forget our names? Are we afraid someone will steal our stuff? Who knows? Who cares!

Monograms add a fun touch to clothing, accessories, notebooks, cups, and much more. I even gave my bridesmaids sterling silver monogrammed earrings to wear in my wedding and beyond.  Someone gave me earrings at a wedding shower with my future monogram.  

I usually get my monogrammed items on Etsy. I love to support small business owners and Etsy has so many choices. Check here for their monogrammed products.  

When I bought my car two years ago I decided to put a monogrammed front plate on my car. I used my married monogram that uses my husband’s first initial, my first initial, and our last initial. I think this was $8 on Etsy.

You can find tons of monogram inspiration on Pinterest.  How cute is this shirt for the holiday season?  

I added monogram stickers to my Yeti cups for a fun touch.

What do you think? Are you a fan of a monogram?

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

(linking up with JessJess today)

So, I have some teacher looks from the second through fifth days of school. Some information: I wear lots of skirts and dresses until the weather gets cooler, then I switch to wearing more pants.   I must be comfortable. Sometimes my shoes ruin my outfit but, again, I have to be comfortable.  We don’t have a dress code, per se, but in my high school teachers dress up quite a bit.  It is frowned upon to wear jeans except on spirit days.  Many of the women wear dresses and many men wear ties on a daily basis.  

This was the second day of school and I’m wearing a LulaRoe Carly dress, TJ Maxx vest from last year ($10), Dansko sandals ($20 consignment from a few years ago).

This is a pair of Chico’s capris from a consignment store, black tunic tank from Soft Surroundings sale rack last year ($10), consignment necklace ($3), and the shoes came off shortly after!  I changed to flats.  

I wasn’t feeling well on Monday so I had to wear what feels like pajamas without looking like I was wearing pajamas.  Target top, Steinmart pants, Birks.  

Finally, I wore an Old Navy swing dress, Old Navy poncho/kimono from a few years ago, Target sandals.  

And, that’s a wrap for this week!  You do not want to see my weekend wear from this past weekend, trust me!  Have a great one!

Amy 

Monday, August 20, 2018

Well, I was under the weather all weekend.  I think I had food poisoning or a stomach bug.  From Friday after school until Sunday morning, I didn’t feel very good.    

Saturday around noon my husband took me to the library and Costco.  My stomach still hurt but I was o.k.  I came home and napped and then took my boys to buy the rest of their school supplies, mainly because I thought I needed to get out.  Next door to the Office Depot is Kirkland’s.  I took some pictures for you of all of their fall stuff, but I didn’t have energy to look at prices. 

Here is the Rae Dunn collection.  

Don’t they have such cute stuff? I didn’t buy anything, but I’m glad I saw the selection.  It really made me want to decorate for fall.  

After the school supplies, the boys and I picked up McAllister’s for dinner and watched a show as a family.  I ate a baked potato and that was the only thing I had eaten since Friday night except 6 saltine crackers.  I tried to go to sleep early, but I couldn’t get much sleep because I kept getting up because I was hot and cold. I finally got up around 5 and took a shower and that helped.  I watched some news and tried to grade papers!  I bring a lot of papers home at the beginning of the year before I can get my rhythm in getting more done at school.  Also, I assigned a one page paper for all of my classes that was due Friday – so I have to grade 130 papers.  

Around 9, I had the energy to do meal prep, meal plan, and grocery.  I bought this cute meal plan notepad from TJ Maxx about a year ago.  Dinners this week will be very easy because it will be our first five day week and I’m sure I will not have much energy.  They aren’t the healthiest.  I want to get better about making dinner salads.  I’m not sure my 3 boys would think that constitutes a meal, though!  

My boys had so much homework on the first weekend of school, so Sunday afternoon, hub and I went to see this.  It was very cute.  I loved it.  My hub laughed out loud several times, too.  It is a drama, rom-com, I would say.  

The boys’ friend came over when we got back so they got to have a little fun mixed in with all of the new school year homework.  I seriously hate all of the homework that high schoolers have.  They did homework Friday night, much of the day Saturday, and much of the day Sunday.

I made my easy Sunday meal – remember my Sunday theme is sandwiches – for now at least.  I found these brioche sub buns at Kroger and then deli turkey, provolone added melted, then added tomato, lettuce, and mayo.  

And, homemade potato wedges were made.  I’m still taking it easy – I didn’t eat any popcorn at the movies.   

I started this book from the library this weekend.  

Hope you all stay healthy!  The germs are starting to spread at school already!  

Amy