Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Are you a winter person or a summer person?  I am definitely NOT a winter person but I’m not an extreme heat person either!  I like May and June weather the best.  Can I be that specific?  I like sitting outside.  I like wearing shoes without socks.  I like not needing a jacket.  But, when I start hating winter I try to think of all the good things about the season.  There are no mosquitos right now.  Chapstick won’t melt in your car.  You can leave groceries in your car for longer because it feels like a freezer outside. I can wear my rule of three layers of clothing easily.  

And, in the end, I really value living somewhere with four distinct seasons.  And, let’s face it, I’m only in Kentucky so it could be a whole lot worse!

So, let’s embrace the rest of this season, my friends who live in cold climates.  Let’s enjoy some hygge and some fika, o.k.?  

HYGGE=a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.  

FIKA=a part of the Swedish culture that pertains to making time for sharing a cup of coffee or tea and a little something to eat with friends and colleagues.  

So, I think Denmark, Norway, and Sweden know a little about cold weather!

-Make it a point to invite friends to share a coffee at your home or at a coffee shop.  Maybe do this on a weekday to make the week feel more fun!

-Buy a new to you tea and try to enjoy an extra cup of something warm when you get home in the afternoon.

-In Germany they tend to do a 3 p.m. ish coffee and piece of cake.  That sounds like a nice thing to do with family or friends.

-Enjoy your cozy slippers or socks and your cozy blankets.  

-Light your candles.  Everyone looks better by candlelight!

-Make your beverages at home a little more special with some whipped cream.  I like a decaf coffee in the evenings and these are two of my favorite teas.  The Chai is caffeinated, so be careful if you are drinking tea close to bedtime. 

-This is a great time of year for hot chocolate!  I found dark hot chocolate!  I sometimes make a “mocha joe” and put half of a packet of this in my coffee. 

-Bake something new to you.  These are my hawaiian sliders but on hawaiian crescent roll dough.  This is also a great time of year to bake bread, make soups, and any kind of comfort food.  

-Play a game with your family or invite friends over to play.

-Take lots of naps and snuggle with your pets.

-Get outside even if it’s only for a 10 minute walk. 

-When it has been days since you have seen the sun and it’s finally sunny, drop everything and get outside.  You need that vitamin D even if it’s cold vitamin D!

-Use the extra indoor time to declutter, catch up on reading, movie and t.v. watching.  

-When you go outside, cover all of your skin and you won’t feel as cold.  A hat really does help – your parents were right!  So, find a cute hat!  

-Remember that the shortest day of the year December 20 is way past us!  It is now staying light out as much as 30 minutes later!

-Wear cozy fabrics.  

-Decorate for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.  It adds some winter fun and whimsy.

-Groundhog Day is coming up!  Maybe have a Groundhog Day dinner and reveal whether he sees his shadow or not.  

What do you think?  How do you survive winter?  Or, do you love it?  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Monday, January 28, 2019

Well, here we are again, Monday.  I’m linking up with Heather, Lindsay, Johannah, and Tanya so go here if you want to see other posts!

This weekend went by very quickly and I didn’t do a whole lot, nor did I take many pictures.  

Friday night we ordered pizza and watched Enlisted.  It’s a hilarious show that all four of us enjoy.  We try to watch something together each night which gets hard with teens.  Our favorites have been The Office, Psych, Frazier, Whose Line is it Anyway, and Franklin and Bash.  

Saturday morning one boy had to be at school for academic team and then hub and I went to the annual boat show to support his sister and brother in law’s business.  If you are nearby and in the market for a boat, come see them!

It was so cool to see the new boats with all the upgrades!  

I’m still enjoying Limelight by Amy Poeppel and had a cup of hot chocolate along with my book Saturday afternoon.  

Saturday night we went out with two other couples to watch the UK basketball game and eat dinner.  

Four Roses and gingerale and honey mustard popcorn to get started.  We shared The Royal Crostini and boneless wings from the menu above.  

Sunday was a lazy day with the exception of a son’s audition for another play.  He is already cast in two plays for this spring and I think that will keep him plenty busy!  This third one would be after the two current ones are over, though.

I did meal prep, made everybody lunch and dinner, laundry, cleaning, reading, and that’s about it.  

We are going to get some extreme cold this week and maybe some snow.  We have a super busy week and honestly, I wouldn’t mind some of it getting snowed out!  I should be careful what I wish for.  

How was your weekend?  Are you over winter or still wanting more?  

Thanks for reading!  

Amy

Friday, January 25, 2019

Happy, happy Friday!  And, just like that January is almost over!  Maybe I will get motivated to put out some Valentine’s decor this weekend?  

Today I am linking up with Andrea, Shay, and Erika for Friday Favorites.  Go here to check out some other posts!

Here are my favorites from this week:

I think that lucite or acrylic lightweight earrings will be all the rage this spring and summer.  Amazon has some amazing selections in my opinion.  Each of these pairs was around $10 and they are divine!  Go here to purchase some, but I have no affiliation.  I just love them!

I wore these yesterday – so you can see the size!

I also bought some athletic leggings from Amazon – with pockets!  I have never had pockets!  You can find these here.

These are the Jamberry nail laquer stickers that require no heat.  I have had them on for about five days and have showered, washed hair, and done a lot of dishes.  I think I really love these!  

New Trader Joe’s find:  cooked chicken that is not slimy and gross! I have been eating it plain for lunch with rice and green beans and using it for soups, nachos and quesadillas.  

Target cleaner that smells like the Capri Volcano candle!  This is only a buck fifty!  It was flying off of the shelves at my Target.  It was a tip on a Friday favorite last week, but I can’t remember which blogger mentioned it.  I also bought one for each of my two bffs that I had lunch with on Saturday.  We all love that candle so I knew they would love it, too.

I had to repurchase my students’ favorite lotions.  They had discontinued Happiness so I had to go with Energy but it is very similar.  The Bath and Body Aromatheraphy line is really good.  I am all about the good smells today, no?

I have been wearing boots to get to work and then changing into flats. These are the original Uggs and I think they are 18 years old.  My husband gave them to me when I did not even know what an Ugg was!  Talk about price per wear being really low on a good quality item like this that has lasted so long.  

What is on your weekend agenda?  I am hoping for some fun social time! Maybe I can watch a basketball game at a bar?  

Thanks for reading and happy weekending!

Amy

P.S. 

If you are new here or you have had a busy week, check out this week’s posts:

Beck from the Netflix show You’s style here

What I Wore Wednesday and Participants of my Style Challenge here

Tuesday Tip on How to Bless People With a Meal here

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Where do you get style inspiration?  Do you have a style icon?  A favorite store that puts clothing together in a way that speaks to you?  Favorite bloggers that you look to for inspiration?  I think you can find style inspiration everywhere around you.  

Confession:  sometimes when I’m watching a movie or a t.v. show, I forget to pay attention to the dialogue because I’m studying the outfits.  How fun would it be if your job was to dress a character for a show or movie?

I recently watched the entire Netlflix show You in a matter of days.  My senior girl students were talking about it and I was curious.  I’m not giving anything away today just so you know! But, I plan to talk about the style of the main character Beck.

Basically, her hair and makeup are perfection in my opinion and I love her clothing style.  It isn’t exactly me, but I think there are some good style lessons here.  

-She has a beachy wave hairstyle and a couple of half up hairstyle variations.

-Her makeup is very natural.

-She has an olive green military jacket and an olive green moto style jacket!  Many fashion bloggers swear by theirs. I would really like to add one to my jacket collection.  I had a knit one years ago but the fit was off.

-She has a cognac tote style everyday bag that again, many fashion bloggers swear by.  I had a Nordstrom one for years and now I have a Madewell transport tote.

-Her clothing is very J.Crew/J.Crew Factory/Madewell/Modcloth/Target Universal Thread in my opinion.  Not too trendy so it will be in style for several seasons.

-She has a signature half circle gold necklace that never comes off.

So, who would be your tv or movie style icon?  Mine used to be Rachel from Friends!  Now, in addition to Beck from You, I really like how Claire from Modern Family dresses!

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Hello!  This week’s themes have been: Monday:  wear something you haven’t worn this winter, Tuesday:  black and white stripes, Wednesday:  leopard, Thursday:  a cardigan, and Friday:  jeans!

So, starting back from last week – Wednesday was vest day.  Rothys mink flats, Target camo leggings, Amazon olive tunic, and TJ Maxx vest.

Thursday was black pants day so I wore Matilda Jane fin pants, Rothys again, blue shirt, black vest, and black necklace.

Friday I forgot to get my plaid shirt photo but on Monday I wore my pink ¨Burberry” plaid that I had not worn yet this year.  I wore black Hue leggings, black Chicos tunic, and black booties.  Can we call this a twofer?  

Here is Jill from Jill on the Hill blog!  Go here to check out her blog.  She looked so put together all week long.

And, here is Shannon from Slay it Again Shan blog.  Go here to check out her blog.  Shannon realized she wears a lot of pink and a lot of leopard, but I say it works!  

I hope the challenges have made it easier to get dressed each day and feel good about yourself.  Maybe you will get some ideas from Jill and Shannon.  Can you copy one of their outfits from your own closet?  Shopping your own closet feels good and you can make variations with what you have.  Also, taking pictures of your outfits helps you to see what ¨formulas”work for you. 

Thanks again to Jill and Shannon and anyone else that played along!  It has been so fun!  

Amy 

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

I was recently the recipient of several meals and it served two purposes – I didn’t have to think about dinner and it showed me that I had people around me who cared about me and what I was going through.  I was also blessed with meals when I brought my twins home from the hospital.  

I like to cook, so this is not a hard thing for me to do.  Maybe you don’t like to cook and that’s o.k.  

When do your people need to be blessed with a meal:

-a death in the family

-an illness

-loss of job/government worker furlough

-newborn baby

Consider asking if they need a meal train website set up.  My sister in law did this for her husband’s cousin (did you stay with me there? ) and last night was my turn to bring a meal.

If you don’t like to cook:  

-Bring snack foods – especially healthy ones.  Cut up veggies, fruits, cheese

-Bring breakfast foods

-Bring coloring books for kids

-Order Panera delivery, Jimmy John’s delivery, pizza delivery or even consider a nicer restaurant take out meal

Anything you do will be appreciated!

Tip:  Do not give them a meal in a container that has to be returned to you.  Use disposable all the way in this situation.

Tortilla chips, salsa, guac, Mexican lasagna, brownies and a sticker book for the 3 year old older brother!

I also prepped four breakfasts and four lunches for myself!  Plus, there’s a Mexican lasagna for our dinner tonight!

Today is black and white stripe shirt day if you have one!  

Hope everyone is back in the swing of things today!  It was a nice three day weekend!

Amy 

Monday, January 21, 2019

I debated doing my weekend recap on Tuesday or today, but decided to stick with my normal routine.  We are off today and have some appointments.  I plan to read some MLK quotes today.  I remember when my boys were in elementary school one of them said: “I always get Martin Luther King and Morgan Freeman confused.”  Boy, did they make us laugh!  

I was able to take my own advice I gave a long time ago about going out on a Friday to maximize your weekend fun.  As much as I wanted to just stay home, one son had a play to attend with a friend and my husband and I took him and then walked to a nearby brewery that has live music and Mexican food.  We were back home by 9:30 and it was a nice night out.  I tried the pineapple beer and really liked it – We will definitely be going back!

Saturday we woke up to rain, rain, and more rain.  I took one son to play practice and then was meeting my two friends for brunch.  We ate at Wild Eggs and then did some shopping.  

Sunday was just a lazy day of laundry, cleaning, reading (finished My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren -loved it, but warning that it’s a bit dirty), Netflix watching – You – Oh my gosh! – Don’t start it if you can’t afford to get sucked in, and errand running.  Sunday evening our boys had plans to go to a movie so after dropping them off, we went to Drake’s for some football.  

Also, I started this book and it’s cute so far!

If you are doing the outfit challenge with me again this week:  

Today is wear something you haven’t worn yet this winter!

Tuesday: black and white stripes

Wednesday:  leopard

Thursday:  cardigan

Friday:  jeans

I really appreciate Jill sending me her outfit pictures from last week!  I’m going to include them on Wednesday for What I WoreThanks for reading and have a great day and week ahead!

Amy 

Thursday, January 17, 2019

It’s black pants or jeans day if you are playing along today!

O.k., my thoughts today are all about Rothy’s shoes.  You can’t swing a stick without seeing ads for these shoes.  They offer ballet flats, pointy toe flats, loafers, and sneakers.  I was intrigued.  

I performed some girl math and determined that with some Christmas money, the $32 I got from cleaning out my closet, the fact that I used three library books instead of purchasing any books so far this year, and making dinner one night that I really wanted takeout that I could buy them.  

I did get a $20 off coupon code – just put in your email address on the website.  And it was free shipping.  I do wear flats a lot and I chose the ballet flats in the color mink.  

After the coupon code and including shipping they came out to $111.  Ouch!  But, I’m trying to shop smarter and buy things that will last and that are high quality.  

They are made from recycled water bottles.  The material of the shoe is very unique.  It’s extremely soft and it’s hard to believe that they used to be water bottles.  I currently have ten water bottles in my recycling bin at school.  Is that enough for a pair of shoes and why are they so expensive if they are just water bottles?  

They were packaged in a non wasteful slim box.  They came a day early and they only took about 3 days after I placed my order.  

I wore them to school and they felt so good on my feet!  I ordered my regular flat size, but if you are doing pointy toe you have to go up a half to a whole size.  

I will say that my feet sweat a bit in them and I think they will make my feet stink.  I will look into some sort of odor eater or spray.  You are supposed to be able to throw these in the washer but I don’t see myself doing that.  

The Verdict:  Rothy’s has no idea who I am – this is simply my opinion.  But, if anyone from Rothy’s is reading this, hit me up.  I love them.  They feel like they were woven by angels.  My feet were so happy.  

If you are a regular flats person I would say they could be worth it.  Some people can’t wear flats because they need more arch support.  

Does anyone own Rothy’s?  

Amy 

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Today is vest day if you are playing along!

This is last Wednesday.  I wore leggings, booties, black swing dress, vest, and scarf.  

Thursday I wore polka dot pants – old from Old Navy, butter tee, vest, booties, and necklace.  The booties were in bad shape so I said goodbye to them in my closet purge.  The pants might be headed there, too.  See how they are baggie in the legs and unflattering?  I find that to happen a lot with Old Navy pants for me.  I went to the funeral visitation in the top part of this outfit.  I swapped the pants for my black velvet Matilda Jane pants and wore my black Tory Burch flats.  

Friday I wore another swing dress, and a camel cardigan that I said goodbye to in the great closet purge.  I have never liked it.  It is too constricting and too hot so it ended up on my chair the whole day.  I wanted to try black tights with my clogs and I’m not sure I can pull it off but I was sure comfortable.  

Monday was blanket scarf day.  I realized from this photo that my shirt wasn’t long enough for these pants (thus the crop – you’re welcome).  Our heating is really intense and the vest came off and the scarf made me hot all day!

And, finally on Tuesday, which was long necklace day, here is my outfit.  I was the most comfortable on this day and really felt the most me.  I had on Tieks flats, MJ pants, waffle consignment tee, long KS necklace, and a vest.  

What have I learned from this week of outfits?  I have learned to not dress so warmly at school!  I really love the rule of three:  pants, shirt, vest.  I wish I liked to wear skirts and dresses in the winter as much as pants, but I just don’t.  I have also learned that maybe I wear too much maroon?  I don’t know – I like it and it works with black and brown.  

What have you worn lately?  Have you learned anything about your style or your winter clothes?  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Amy