Uncategorized – Page 194 – Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Posted on July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 by scottaew · 5 Comments

Wednesday Whereabouts and Recent Consignment Finds

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

What have you done so far this week? This is my son’s second and final week of an in town acting camp so it’s made me get up and out the door by 9 a.m. I have enjoyed some free time last week and this week getting things together for the upcoming school year. I have purchased some new school clothes for the boys. We purchased two new pairs of shoes back in June so we’re good there. We’ve ordered and started reading summer reading books. I bought a bunch of 25 cent notebooks for the boys and I. Target doesn’t have the major school supply bargains that they used to have, you guys. I’m waiting to buy the specifics after the first day of school so that I don’t waste money on things we don’t need.

Monday night, my husband’s wonderful company hosted an appreciation night for employees and spouses at a wine bar with heavy appetizers. We stayed out until 9 on a weeknight!

Tuesday morning after dropping my son off at camp, I met my former work neighbor (next door teacher for 17 years!) at a cute new bagel place. It was great to catch up!

Last week I had a chance to visit my three local consignment stores. I don’t always find things and you hear me talk about going often because you really have to go frequently to find good things. The stock changes daily. About a month ago, I mentioned that anything else I bought this summer would have to work for school. Here is what I found:

Our school colors include maroon, but maroon is also part of my fall and winter clothing palette. I highly recommend deciding what your colors are and only buying these colors. This is a Target brand long sleeve with a cute lace detail at the shoulders and at the hem. Sometimes when you are shopping consignment you will need to go up a size because things have been washed and dried. I actually think this can be an advantage because you can see that it held up in the machine.

Here is another Target brand long sleeve top. I think this will look great with white jeans. This will be good if I’m supporting UK, my husband’s college team, too. $6

This is a brand I hadn’t heard of but I like the boho chic nature and the light cornflower blue color. It’s long sleeve, too. I’ve already worn it! $8.

These were a little pricey, but you know how I feel about Hue leggings/jeggings from my post here. These are full length, not capri length and I had recently thought I needed olive pants in my closet. These were $15. Original price would’ve been $30-40, I think.

Finally, I found some shoes. Now, I will say that the shoes I buy at consignment stores look like they have never been worn. I know some people might be squeamish about used shoes. Also, the clothes are oftentimes not worn more than once or twice and I just wash them right away. I thought this shoe would be great for fall and it mimics my summer sandal at the top of the photo that I have worn a bunch. Don’t overlook metallics in your wardrobe. They are great! So, this is almost the same but a different brand and a little more gold, but with a closed toe for when open toe no longer seems appropriate. $15.

I also might add that I sold clothes to the consignment store and earned a whopping $8 to put toward these purchases!

How do you think I did? Just go into your consignment store or even your Goodwill or thrift shop with an open mind and see what you can find. Don’t buy something just because it’s cheap, though. Really make sure it fits your lifestyle, your needs, and your color palette. Or, if you can’t get out easily, check out the online consignment options such as ThredUp. I’ve heard of people finding great things.

Happy second hand shopping! I’ve gotta go and see what else is new at mine!

Amy

Posted on July 24, 2018July 21, 2018 by scottaew · 9 Comments

Tuesday Tips – Costco

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Are you a member of Costco? Have you thought about joining? My husband and I just went this past Saturday and I looked at my membership card and was shocked that we have been members for 12 years!

Do I think Costco saves us money? Yes, but you need to be careful. I also think you can waste a lot of money on things you don’t really need. You kind of get swept up in the excitement when you enter a Costco. I have learned a few things over the years and will try to share what I know with you.

It’s important to note that they are awesome about returns. I opened a 3 pack of deoderant and hated it – it felt like rubbing sandpaper on my pits! I told them exactly that and they took it back and refunded my money. I have opened up packs of socks that were the wrong size and they took them back.

I have also learned that if you see something you like and it is a seasonal item, buy now and you can always return later because of their easy return policy. I have gone back to get something seasonal and it’s been gone. I don’t want that to happen to you.

Here is a photo of a seasonal item that I took for you. School uniforms won’t last long at 7.99 for the shirts and 8.99 for the shorts. I’m not sure you would pay less at a consignment store or a school uniform sale.

What I buy on the regular: (usually every 2 months or so)

dog food – the price is great on the type of food we need to feed our dog

papertowels – Kirkland (store brand) select a size

Facial tissue – Kirkland brand

Toilet paper – Kirkland brand

kitchen trash bags – Kirkland brand

dishwasher tabs – Finish

laundry pods – Kirkland brand

Kirkland breakfast blend coffee K cups

grapefruit in individual containers for my husband

toothbrushes – great deal

toothpaste – great deal

Glide floss – great deal

I do think I save on all of these purchases and it’s nice not to have to put these things on your weekly grocery list. You do need some degree of storage for these large quantities.

What I buy sometimes:

King’s Hawaiian buns – the price is like half of what you pay at the grocery and I use these for my ham and swiss sliders

Rotisserie chicken – great deal – They are around $5 and they are the Arnold Schwarzenenegger of chickens as compared to the David Spades at the grocery store. (First actors’ names to pop in my head – sorry!)

flour tortillas – great deal

bread – great deal

prepared spinach salad or other prepared meals

lunch meat

frozen organic chicken breasts

fresh organic ground beef

pretzel buns

frozen meals for convenience – my boys love the orange chicken

chips for lunches

breakfast cereal – great deal

baking mixes – Ghiradelli or Krusteauz especially

snack foods – nuts, jerky, cookies

gum – great deal on multi pack of gum that will last for a few months

clothing – great place to get my boys’ clothes and sometimes a cute item for me

birthday and Christmas gifts

I do not often buy the fresh fruits and vegetables because of the large quantities. I prefer to get those on my weekly Kroger or Trader Joe’s trip.

What I believe pays for the cost of my yearly membership alone:

By the way, we have the executive membership which is about $120 a year but we get a check back based on our purchases once a year so it ends up being only about $40 a year. There is a lower level membership where you don’t get cash back, too. I’m sure someone talked us into this level and we just stuck with it.

Christmas cards- You won’t believe the good deal if you like to send photo cards

Contact lenses – I think I saved half by ordering them at Costco instead of at the eye doctor

When to go:

I usually go right when they open on a Saturday during the school year. I don’t often bring my husband but sometimes he comes. He is not a lot of help because the entertainment/technology section is right at the entrance and he is pulled in by the glowing big screen tvs calling to him. Here he is Saturday gazing longingly at the section while trying to keep up with me and the cart.

It does get crazy on the weekends. Some people are all about the samples they have set up all around the store and you can hardly push your cart past. This is why I like to go early. But, you do you.

I hope this helps someone out there! I’m sure many of this applies to Sam’s Club, as well, but I don’t have personal knowledge of their products.

What can you recommend to me?

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Posted on July 23, 2018July 22, 2018 by scottaew · 6 Comments

Hello Monday!

Monday, July 23, 2018

Hello Monday! I’m linking up with My Glittery Heart, Lindsay’s Sweet World, and The Sirois Family today.

Here is my weekend recap:

Mother Nature must be mad at us! The concert and food truck event was cancelled Friday night so we just got Thai takeout (forgot to take a photo) and watched some telly. It stormed and stormed and our power flickered several times but it didn’t go out. We were lucky – we had some friends who lost power for over 24 hours.

I did try a new salad mix this weekend. See if you can find this in your grocery. I think the brand was Taylor Farms. It was good!

I also tried a new recipe for funfetti bars from a blog called Kleinworthco.com.

Yellow cake mix, a small container of rainbow jimmies, one egg, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/4 cup veg oil. Mix all together and bake at 350 in an 8×8 for 25-30 minutes. She also puts white chocolate chips, but I didn’t think I needed them. These were delish!

As promised in my Friday Favorites, here is my Strawberry Margarita mani that I did myself.

Saturday morning I was able to check this item off of my summer bucket list and my hub came along.

Here is my Farmer’s Market loot. The foil contains a breakfast burrito.

After that, I ran to the library to return a book and look what I found in the free magazine bin. I also left a few to donate. I will read these and put them back in the bin. The Seventeen magazine is for research purposes for my job as high school teacher!

I talked about ordering another maxi dress in my Friday Favorites, too. I’m not sure about this black/navy floral print. What do you think?

I tried this Pioneer woman salad on a stick. Isn’t it cute? I think this would be fun for entertaining or to take out on the boat.

So, it rained Friday night, off and on Saturday day, and then Saturday night we decided to see if the weather would cooperate for Shakespeare in the Park’s Othello performance. There was a rain delay, but we stayed for the first half. It’s a really cool venue and it’s free. I feel like I need a Shakespeare translator, though!

This is William Shakespeare’s tavern.

We waited in line for some food truck food.

Sunday afternoon, my boys had a friend over and I rented this movie to watch by myself. I thought it was cute and I liked the meaning behind it. There were some very funny parts that made me laugh out loud.

After the friend left, I wanted to ride down to the river with my husband and we sat on a swing for awhile before it was going to start raining again! So, no boating happened this weekend.

Did you have a good weekend? What are you up to this week? My son has another week of acting camp, we have orthodontist and dentist appointments, and I have a few things to cross off my list.

Have a good Monday!

Amy

Posted on July 20, 2018July 22, 2018 by scottaew · 14 Comments

Friday Favorites

Friday, July 20, 2018

Wow! How is it already Friday? This week went by so fast for me. This was our first week with all 4 of us at home and no “extra” people so that was nice to be just the four of us for the first time since before my son left for debate camp.

Today I’m linking up with Momfessionals, The Slaughters, and Grace and Love to share my Friday Favorites.

We have eaten dinner at home every night as a family so tonight I’m ready for a break from cooking. I must admit that one night we had a weird variety of frozen Trader Joe’s foods and a new to me salad from Lisa from Coast to Coast blog. It was basically just cucumber, avocado, dill, lemon juice, and feta and it was good! I’m starting to get in a rut with my summer cooking, so if you are, too, check out yesterday’s post where I linked up and talked about meal ideas here. I got some great ideas from the other people who linked up here with Sparkles and Lattes and others.

Favorite #1)

The name of my blog does involve coffee, so I wanted to do a quick update and tell about a new coffee related favorite. Last summer I was able to ditch any type of sweetener in my coffee and solely rely on my beloved creamer below. It does have a small amount of sugar, but I’m careful to measure my creamer portion and I just love this stuff. I love, love, love the Costco Kirkland Breakfast Blend K cup. But, I made a new discovery. I’m loving the Kroger brand Hazelnut. I have one of each every morning lately.

Favorite #2)

I’m not a brand snob, but I love a quality product and especially in something I use every day. Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project really influenced me years ago when she wrote in her book that you should “spend out” for something that can bring you happiness on a daily basis because you use it so much. Example: buy the good pens if that matters to you and if you use pens often like I do. It really makes a difference in your everyday quality of life.

So, that was a long introduction to say I really love my two Yeti cups. The first is for my water and it was a gift from my husband’s company to him, but he gave it to me because they also gave him a larger one that he uses. I love water so much and I love ice in my water. I purchased two monogram stickers from Etsy – one for this one and one for my coffee Yeti that I use at work. It keeps my coffee hot for hours. Disclaimer: the small Yeti doesn’t fit in my car cup holder.

Favorite #3)

I like to eat seasonally and I like to read seasonally. You know – books that are set in a tourist location or that take place in the summer. This is cute so far, but I will warn you that the writing is a little “cheesy”. I can’t think of a better word for it, but a conversation will come up in the book and it makes me think that was dumb or unnecessary. I hope that makes sense. Chime in if you agree?

Favorite #4)

One of my sons and I are watching Big Brother. It is silly, but we are really getting a kick out of the dynamics involved. And, if you have teenagers, you know that anything that you can do one on one is super special.

Favorite #5)

The other son is attending acting camp this week and I’m enjoying the one on one time in the car with him. Last week, he jumped into a pool with his cell phone in his pocket and it died on him. He was very apologetic and didn’t complain or ask for a new phone. My husband surprised him with a replacement phone Wednesday (used and an old model) and he was very grateful.

Favorite #6)

I don’t think I was familiar with the term “yacht rock” until recently and I’ll be honest, I’m still not sure what it means. If you are around my age – mid 40s, you will love this Spotify channel. I found my husband’s bluetooth speaker and I’ve been playing this a lot this week. I’ve heard songs that reminded me of 3rd grade and a particular friend when we went to her mom’s beauty shop after school! Ha!

Favorite #7)

Hey, it isn’t perfect but it was free – this is my recent OPI mani with “Let’s be friends”. I have had this for maybe two years and it was hard to find at the time. It is the perfect white/pink shade. This is normal OPI, but going forward, I’m going to try to only buy Infinite Shine by OPI. I purchased “Strawberry Margarita” and I will do that color next.

Favorite #8)

I wrote about how to wear white without fear here, but admitted I didn’t have many white tops. I picked up this white cute detailed short sleeve top at Old Navy when doing back to school shopping for my boys. It is a kind of thick terry cloth-ish material and it was $17. I have already worn it.

Favorite #9)

I also picked up these olive green athletic pants at Old Navy for $23. I really like this material and I plan to wear them as normal pants.

I picked up several shirts and jeans for the boys and didn’t spend more than $10 on any item. It says I saved almost as much as I spent.

Favorite #10)

I just saw this trailer and it comes out August 15! I read the book as I’m sure many of you did and can’t wait to see the movie!

Favorite #11)

These sunglasses! I had these in my cart to purchase when my hub told me he had these from the 80s or 90s. They’re mine, now! Thanks, hub!

Favorite #12)

O.k., I also did some back to school shopping for me. I love these flowy pants and found them at Steinmart.

Favorite #13)

So Prime Day Monday was a bust for me. There wasn’t anything I needed or wanted that was part of the promotion, so because I saved money… I ordered this dress for $17ish dollars. There are several different colors. I haven’t worn it yet, but I love the fabric. It is a nice cool non wrinkle fabric. I ordered it in the black floral already. I also saved money because I didn’t shop the Nordstrom sale. Girl math again, people!

Final Favorite)

I started enjoying sparkling water last summer, so I guess it makes sense that I also like these new to me spiked seltzers. My sister told me about Truly and it’s good. I can also vouch for the other three. Now, I will warn you, they are very light and they aren’t very sweet. You probably need to like regular seltzer to like these. I took these on our boat and our friends’ boat and they were perfect.

Happy, Happy Friday if you have stayed with me this long! I love reading Friday Favorites and have seriously gotten the best recommendations from other bloggers!

What are you up to this weekend? I’m hoping to go to an outdoor concert with food trucks Friday from 6-8, a Blues and BBQ Festival Saturday for a bit, a boat ride, and a movie. This is pretty ambitious, but I feel that I have to squeeze out the last bits of summer!

See ya Monday!

Amy

Posted on July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 by scottaew · 14 Comments

Thursday Thoughts – Girl Chat – Summer Meals

Thursday, July 19, 2018

I’m linking up today for Girl Chat’s theme this month of summer meals! I’m hoping to get some new ideas because this is the time in the season when I’m getting bored with my meals!

I’m definitely a seasonal cook and like to change up my meals with the seasons. I also like a good theme to guide my weekly meal plan. I usually do pasta one night and Mexican one night.

These babies below have really been on rotation for me this summer. The pesto sauce pairs well with whatever pasta you have on hand and some grilled chicken or shrimp and the mojito lime marinade is great on chicken with your Mexican side dishes. You should be able to find them in your grocery wherever the mixes are – like the mix for making chili. I have talked about these before on the blog but wanted you to know they are still very much in my rotation!

Some other easy summer meals that I make are:

fish (usually frozen that I defrost and sprinkle cajun seasoning on then bake), green vegetable, potatoes of some form

bbq, baked beans, macaroni and cheese

BLTs, salad, fries from the freezer

quesadillas, rice, corn

tacos, rice, corn

spaghetti, ceasar salad, bread

sheet pan suppers – turkey sausage and whatever veggies cut up

Ham (thick kind), green beans, ready made mashed potatoes

Soup and grilled cheese

Sloppy Joe’s, tater tots, broccoli

Tip* Type out a list of the suppers you make and just rotate those meals. I have a list that I created last year that has really helped me when I’m trying to do my meal plans. Add to it when you find a new recipe.

What are your go to meals right now?

Amy

Posted on July 18, 2018July 18, 2018 by scottaew · 6 Comments

Wednesday Whereabouts and Wheels

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

This week I am spending more time in the car than usual! My son who didn’t go to debate camp is doing a 2 week acting camp and I’m driving him there and picking him up and running all of the errands that I’ve been putting off since Pia arrived it seems.

I love my current car and I’ve had it for a little over 2 years and it still seems new to me! I bought it used (as we always do now) and it is now 6 years old. It’s my first black car and it’s a Dodge SUV. It has all the nice features like bluetooth, a sunroof (my first!), heated and cooling seats – basically everything I never knew I needed! I keep it as clean as possible and try to take good care of it because in our family we keep cars a LONG time.

Before this car, I drove the same awesome white minivan for 11 years, people! But, we will get to that…

In my 30 years (what?) of driving, I don’t think I’ve had very many cars. I also still remember each and every car my family had as I was growing up and maybe I should do that post another day!

My very first car cost $800 and I found it myself at age 16 and begged my Dad for it. It was exactly like the photo below except is was tan. It was a Plymouth Champ 4 speed stick shift so I had to learn to drive it first! That was an adventure!

I drove that all through high school but I went to college without a car. I think it was my junior year that I made the argument that I needed a car again to get ready for student teaching. My second car looked like the photo below except it was a darker grey. I don’t remember it much because I only had it for maybe 2 years and I don’t think I liked it very much.

I graduated from college and couldn’t wait to buy a new car – yes, I think I bought a brand new car. It was a light blue 4 door Honda Civic. I would’ve kept it longer than 3 years, but a lady pulled out in front of me and it was totaled.

So, I upgraded to a sporty red 2 door Honda civic and I guess I had that for close to 10 years. It was a peppy manual transmission again and I loved driving it! I had this when I met my husband and he drove this when I had twins to transport and I drove his Suburban for a couple of years.

I tried really hard to avoid the mom-mobile minivan by choosing this baby next when my husband and I decided the red Honda didn’t fit our family of 4 lifestyle anymore. I wanted a white car and found this used and only kept it for 6 months. With 3 year old twin boys I finally admitted to myself and my husband that I needed a minivan with sliding doors and the space it offered with the ability to fold all the seats down into the floorboards. This was a Chevy trailblazer and it drove like a truck.

So, I traded it in for this bad boy below. I loved the fact that I was high up but it drove like a car and was a much smoother ride. What a good car for us! I should’ve gotten it sooner! It went everywhere – Disney, D.C., Michigan – everywhere! I still feel nostalgic about this car and I traded it in for my current car and have seen it around town a couple of times.

So, that’s it for me. I definitely like a car that sits higher off the ground and can’t see myself back in a sedan really, but you never know! This was was a fun post to write and I hope you enjoyed it, too!

Amy

Posted on July 17, 2018July 16, 2018 by scottaew · 9 Comments

Tuesday Tip – Back to School!

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

You may think it’s too early to talk about back to school, but my sister goes back at the end of July and I know many midwest and southern schools start back at the beginning of August. We start August 15 in my district.

I have a love/hate relationship with back to school time! The first time I see school supplies out in stores my heart just sinks because it is end of June or early July and I’m not nearly done “summering”. When I look at it in earnest toward the end of July I’m about ready to think about school again!

The love: Oh, the thought of new school supplies! I love new pens, pencils, markers, notebooks! I not only buy for my sons who are in high school, but I stock up on the cheap, cheap filler paper, notebooks, etc. for me at home and in my classroom as a high school teacher. If you don’t buy it during back to school time, you will pay at least 10 times more for the items sometimes – especially notebooks.

The hate: My beloved summer is over or almost over when it’s time to get ready for back to school. I love the freedom that comes with summer and how many full time working adults get an entire summer off? None! It is a true gift to get to recharge my batteries and remember who I am and not who “Mrs._____” is at school.

Here are the things I do or recommend that you do:

*I have been teaching high school for 24 years and have put my twin boys through 11 years of public schooling – these are my credentials! Ha!

The School Building:

Hopefully you have already found out about your school’s open house, registration, or meet the teacher day or night. Please try not to miss this and try not to schedule vacation for this time. This really helps kids (and you) feel so much more comfortable with their new school year. Now, I realize this gets tricky if you have multiple kids in multiple schools, but please make this a priority even if you have to divide and conquer with your spouse, an aunt, a grandparent, etc.

Summer Reading or Summer Homework:

Hopefully you have obtained any summer reading lists. If not, do that now. These are usually on a school website. I actually think it’s better to read closer to school starting so the student doesn’t forget the information.

Questions:

Remember that your school administrators, counselors, and possibly other school personnel start getting ready in mid July. There should be someone answering phones if you have any questions. We’d rather you call and ask than to be unprepared.

School Supplies:

When you obtain your school supply list, let your kid(s) see it and help you make a list of stores. They could even research the stores with the best prices. This time of the summer you are looking for ways to entertain them, right? Have them tell you what kind of budget they will need. You could also ask them to earn some of the money by doing special chores. Hey – I think kids need to know that back to school time in the U.S. has become big business. What is a need and what is a want? What still works from last year? I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought that my boys needed a new pair of scissors every year until about 3rd grade when I realized that we could just use the ones from last year! Duh!

I know some moms that also creat(ed) an at home homework station. If they could only use yellow pencils at school, the mom would get the fun pencils for home. Genius!

Please don’t call your kids’ teachers bad names because of the supply list. Do you know how much each teacher spends out of their own pocket each year? If a teacher asks for items, it’s because he/she wants to do the best job they can do with the optimum supplies. If you truly can’t afford the items, please tell the teacher and volunteer some time to help instead. Most teachers will totally understand and support you. If you complain and your kid hears, this sets a really bad tone for the year.

Ask a beloved grandparent, aunt, or uncle to do the shopping if you can’t. Many people love to do this and would love to be asked. I helped my friend’s kids last year and had a blast! Each kid got their own list, their own cart, and had money from the parents and we knocked that list out. Someone like me thinks that is fun!

Back to school shopping can be stressful. Go as early in the morning as you can and on a weekday if possible. If you are fighting crowds or if everything is picked over, you will truly be miserable.

I prefer to do my back to school shopping at Target. Sometimes I will need a couple of items from Office Depot, as well. Don’t forget that you can do your back to school shopping on Amazon with Prime, Walmart online, or another online shopping service. If your school offers a package of back to school supplies, by all means, buy it! Your time is worth money, too. I think this is genius!

High school age: The students don’t know what they need until day one of school oftentimes. Usually the teachers give them a few days to get those “3 inch binders”, “green notebook for lab work” type of things. I have my boys pick up several generic things to start with and I tell them we will get the specifics later.

School Attendance:

Please do not miss the first day, week, two weeks of school. Do you know how often this happens? It happens a lot more than you would think for reasons that aren’t illness. We set our next school calendar over a year in advance. The kids that start off missing really never get caught up for that grading period or semester sometimes.

Clothing for School:

Before shopping for anything new – whether you wear uniforms or not, take an inventory of last year’s stuff. Remember there are only 5 days in each week and in our district we have many weeks that are less than 5 days now! So, you really could get by with 5 outfits. Check the school’s dress code and come up with some outfit ideas that parents and kids agree upon. Give your kid a budget and have them research clothing store sales.

My boys won’t wear shorts to school. They only want to wear jeans or athletic pants. When our AC is cranked in August and September it is really too cold for shorts in the building. Ask these type of questions. Do they need PE clothes? Is it easier to wear PE appropriate clothing every day? If kids at my school take chemistry, they must wear closed toed shoes. Look at schedules and ask these questions. High school kids get really picky about clothes and some are self conscious. I have some students who are most comfortable in a school logo sweatshirt. Maybe you should save your school budget for the school bookstore’s clothing items?

If your state has tax exempt shopping days, make sure you take advantage!

Back to School Expenses:

Start saving now. I’m posting this in mid-July because many schools go back earlier than ever. But, if you still have a month or so, you should plan for expenses. I will give you an example of my twin junior boys’ costs at a public school. If you are in a private school or have more than two kids like me, my heart goes out to you because it will be even more, I’m sure.

3 AP classes for one and 4 AP classes for the other at $90 each class = $630

General supply fees and locker fees = $150 for both

New tennis shoes for both (we purchased these already) = $150

New jeans and shirts for both = $200

Notebooks, pens, etc. = $60

Summer reading books = $30

New scientific calculators =$200

This is just an estimate but it totals $1420 for just two kids! My husband complains every year because he thinks our tax dollars should cover everything, but that’s just not how it works in our district.

What have I forgotten? What tips do you have? Are you ready?

Amy

Posted on July 16, 2018July 15, 2018 by scottaew · 4 Comments

Hello Monday!

Monday, July 16, 2018

Don’t forget Amazon Prime Day starts at 3pm ET today! I am more excited about this than the Nordstrom sale, but I don’t know why. I don’t really need anything right now, but I guess I’m excited to see the deals. I’m not organized or motivated enough to shop for Christmas presents yet, but I admire those who are!

I’m going to start my weekend recap with Wednesday, actually! I talked about what we did at the beginning of the week in my Friday Favorites here. We took the boat out on a weekday and had the river to ourselves. We swam a bit and enjoyed the weather. Pia (German cousin) discovered Arizona Arnold Palmer half tea and half lemonade and loved it.

We did a little tubing, too.

Wednesday night we all went out to dinner for a special treat for Pia which was my SIL’s and BIL’s idea. My boys are on the left, Pia is in the middle, and my nieces are on the right. If you are local, we really enjoyed The Levee (next to The River House) and we took this picture on the balcony after dinner. I think they make a nice little group of teenagers!

Thursday night was our goodbye party for Pia. She wasn’t leaving until Saturday but had a ticket to Forecastle music festival from 2-11 the next day so we had to do it on Thursday. She planned and cooked the menu.

She made meatballs, potatoes with onion, bread with chive butter, green beans, deviled eggs, and hot dogs and a German marble cake. We enjoyed it immensely!

Here she is with the Goodbye cookie cake I surprised her with!

Friday morning (and Wednesday and Thursday mornings) she started her day with my hub paddleboarding on the river. She was hooked and wanted to do it every morning!

Friday afternoon after we dropped her off for the music festival, hub and I got a chance to try out our friends’ new boat. Then we went home and had some family time with our boys and ate ALL the leftovers from the German feast and the Mexican feast I made for Pia’s lunch before the festival!

Saturday morning we had to say goodbye, but it was a great two weeks!

I wore my new consignment Tieks to the airport to test the comfort level. I would say they are, in fact, pretty comfortable. I did hear a tip to put a semi circle of moleskin in the toe box to protect them from wearing out and to not show the big toe so much. For the original price of these bad boys I say Tieks needs to include that in the design!

Saturday night we went out to dinner on the same friends’ new boat with a group of 9 people. We parked in Jeffersonville, IN which is directly across from downtown Louisville and enjoyed our food at O’Shea’s Pub. After we parked, we walked about 3 blocks. It was pretty hot from 5-7, but on the walk back to the boat and on the boat ride back to the marina, the weather couldn’t have felt better.

Sunday was a slow morning but I did go to Whole Foods to check out the Amazon deals – I wasn’t impressed. The prices are just so high. I followed that up with my regular Trader Joe’s run.

I finished this book below. If anyone else has read it, I’d like to hear your thoughts. I didn’t like the main character much and it was a bit painful to read about her modern dating life using Match.com. I did see it through until the end but I’m not sure I recommend it. Sorry!

We tried to see this movie but it was sold out. Bummer!

I had coupons for Bath and Body and really only needed some wallflowers. I love Mahogany Teakwood and ended up with room spray and a candle and the two wallflowers, some $6 Beach body spray and some free hand cream. Their coupons make you spend more! Oops!

Sunday was kind of a blah and bummer day with intermittent rain. I didn’t accomplish much, the movie didn’t pan out, and I was kind of in a funk about the summer racing toward the end and not doing enough. Just keeping it real. I also probably looked at too many social media posts about what other people were doing. Comparison is the thief of joy or something like that, right?

Here’s hoping you have a great Monday!

Amy

Posted on July 13, 2018July 17, 2018 by scottaew · 7 Comments

Friday Favorites

Friday, July 13, 2018

Happy Friday!

We have enjoyed hosting our German cousin Pia this week and sadly, she leaves tomorrow morning. We hope that she has had a great stay! I love that my husband loves and cherishes his German side of the family. He took off from work this week to make sure she had a good time. A little more back story – Pia’s father is almost exactly the same age as my husband. Her father came and stayed with my hub one summer as a teen, too.

Favorite #1)

Monday my friend invited us to her swim club. Pia has gotten a nice Kentucky tan!

Favorite #2)

Tuesday we took a break from the sun and did a bunch of little things around town including a visit to a real American high school – mine! Here she is sitting in a desk in my classroom (it is a mess because of summer cleaning!). We followed this with a visit to a beautiful old library, two cute little gift shops, and lunch at a hot chicken place – Royal’s Hot Chicken in Nulu if you are local. Have you heard of Nashville hot chicken? It has become very popular here, too.

One of the many horses decorated around Louisville. This one is on Frankfort Avenue.

My son wanted to split the kale salad with warm bacon dressing at Royal’s. And, we shared some wedges and chicken. Pia thought this was her favorite meal of her two weeks up until that point.

We came home and Pia napped while my boys did some gaming. Late afternoon my niece picked Pia up for her most important purchase of her stay – real cowboy boots! She really wanted these and my niece knew of a good place.

Favorite #3)

I did a little patio reading and I’m liking this book well enough to continue which is a first for me in a long while!

Favorite #4)

Blogger Kristin from Stuff, Things, Etc. blog was selling this beautiful Madewell tote and I claimed it first! This beauty is making me think of fall clothes!

Favorite #5)

I love surprises! My MIL is the great aunt of Pia and we wanted to have a goodbye party for Pia so I invited she and my FIL. My MIL’s birthday is Sunday so it’s also a birthday party for her, but she doesn’t know. So, they each think it’s for the other! Bahahaha (evil sounds). We are cooking some traditional German foods and making a German marble birthday cake. I also wanted a cake for Pia so I had the fine folks in the Kroger bakery write “bye” in German on this 4th of July cake – o.k., it was reduced down to $3.99, too, but it will still be good until tomorrow and I thought it looked very “American”!

What are your favorites this week? Leave me one in the comments if you aren’t a blogger! Favorite product, item, book, show, movie, etc.?

What are your plans for this weekend? I haven’t thought much beyond taking Pia to the airport Saturday morning, but I do have an 18th anniversary to celebrate!

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Posted on July 12, 2018July 22, 2018 by scottaew · 4 Comments

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Sometimes my Thursday Thoughts are deep like here where I talked about my thoughts on being a teacher.

Sometimes they are shallow like here where I talk about how to fray your jeans.

It’s all about balance, right?

In honor of my 18th wedding anniversary this weekend, I will share 18 things about our wedding and marriage.

1. I was 28 and he was 33.

2. One of my favorite things about our wedding was the cute trolley that we rode from the church to the reception.

3. I think this is my favorite photo from our wedding day.

4. This is our “courtship” scrapbook I made when we got engaged – it’s full of cards, notes, receipts, movie and concert tickets that meant something to us. The photo on the front is our engagement photo. Look at the hair on my man! He’s been compared to Michael Bolton by some of my friends. I thought he looked like Matthew McConaughey!

5. Even though I loved my wedding day and I’m so grateful to my parents for giving us a beautiful day, I was more excited about the marriage than the wedding.

6. It was mid July and things could have gone horribly wrong in the temperature department, but we were blessed with an 80 degree day!

7. We dated for about 3 years before we got married. One of those years was long distance and I think writing letters (yes, we wrote letters!) was an important thing for us.

8. We are both the first born children in our families.

9. The first year of marriage was pretty hard. We didn’t live together first and we were both already set in our ways. There was a learning curve.

10. I have had the same job at the same place since we were married. I just finished 18 years at my school!

11. He, however, is on maybe his fifth job since we married. We have been through two times of unemployment for him. Each one was under 2 months, but it made us stronger.

12. We are almost always in agreement on moral and political topics. I feel a closer bond when we agree on current hot button issues.

13. Since we are both first born we both often want to be in control. This causes power struggles sometimes but more often than not I think it shows we understand that we each feel a responsibility for our younger siblings.

14. No one has ever made me laugh harder.

15. He was a rock for me when we had preemie twins. Our twins were in the hospital for almost 6 weeks.

16. We travel well together and have taken a lot of trips together! We have been to Germany twice, Aruba for our honeymoon, Florida many times, Michigan many times, Chicago, D.C., Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Virginia just to name some.

17. He is such a thoughtful gift giver.

18. Everyone says this, but seeing him as a father made me fall in love more!

I could go on, but it’s only our 18th so I will stop there! Hope you enjoyed this!

Amy