Wednesday, May 30, 2018

O.k. guys!  One more day of school for us after today!

My work/school outfits have just been about comfort lately, I think.  I haven’t put much thought into it and I tend to go with black and white when I just need to get dressed quickly.  

On Friday I wore these black patterned pants and my black tee with lace up detail that you can’t see along with my new shiny black Birkenstocks that were my Mother’s Day gift.

On Thursday I wore my other pair of black patterned pants with my new black Universal Thread flutter sleeve top (much more flattering than the black shirt in first photo I think) and my new shiny black Birkenstocks.  

Saturday night’s outdoor concert outfit. 

What’s Up Wednesday Link Up

What I’m eating:  I’m eating a few of Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook recipes and starting to enjoy more summery recipes and we grilled out Monday.

What I’m reminiscing:  I’m doing a lot of reflecting on this school year and thinking what I will do differently and the same for next year. 

What I’m loving:  I’m loving getting so much closer to summer break.

What I’m up to:  I’m finishing up grades for the year, cleaning, organizing, and packing up my classroom

What I’m dreading:  How quickly the summer will go by as I already have a two day workshop August 1 and 2 on my calendar.  Once I start getting back into things August 1 summer is OVER.

What I’m working on:  I need to start working on June birthday gifts and Father’s Day gifts soon.  

What I’m excited about: Summer!  I need to create my summer bucket list.

What I’m watching:  The Bachelorette, Bravo’s Below Deck and Southern Charm, and I need suggestions on what to start on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video now that I will have more time.

What I’m reading:  I’m still reading The Weekenders but I’m also starting my new stack of library books soon.

What I’m listening to:  Spotify 90s country

What I’m wearing:  On the weekends I’m wearing lots of shorts.  I need to improve the athleisure section of my closet for summer.  Any suggestions on stores or brands?  I don’t like tank tops so I need short sleeve lightweight material and athletic shorts.

What I’m looking forward to:  We just found out 2 weeks ago that our 17 year old German cousin is coming for a visit!  My husband was born in Germany and has 3 first cousins that live there.  This is the youngest daughter of one of his cousins.  We had a family vacay in Germany in 2016 (I need to do a blog post about it) and really got to know her then!  

Friday, June 1, 2018

My boys get to sleep in today!  I will start the summer chores list on Monday but today is their day. They are hoping to be called for jobs they applied for soon.  Then, each of them have a different camp to attend in about a month.  They have worked so hard and had a great sophomore year.  They have both grown so much and matured so much.  They are such good boys.  I don’t write much about them here because I want to respect their privacy, but I’m so utterly proud of them, which leads me to my first favorite.  

#1)  First and last day of school pictures.  My boys don’t smile big for photos in this stage of life.  They smile a lot when no one is taking a photo, though.  They are smart and funny!

#2)  These timehop photos are both a favorite and a least favorite.  This was last day of 4th grade.

#3)  I finished my 24th year of teaching and wore the same outfit on the first and last day.  The only difference – the bags under my eyes are bigger and I’m much more tired!  How have I been at this for 24 years?  I have a good friend retiring this year and she just doesn’t seem old enough!

#4)  Eating lunch at home and not packing my lunch for awhile!  I need good lunch suggestions that are healthy but delicious!  

#5)  Book club!  We had book club Wednesday night and we all agreed this was our least favorite Liane Moriarty,  Next book is “A Man Called Ove”.

#6) Electricity! This post is late because a storm hit yesterday right as we got out of school.  The wind was so bad that a light pole hit a girl’s car as she was leaving school.  I have heard she is o.k. and it only hit the car and not her.  Our power was out from 2:30-10:45.  I’m finishing this post this morning and I overslept until 6:55 and I’m supposed to be at work at 7:30.  This is not like me!  We have to work today and Monday tying up loose ends and meeting.  

#7) Greekfest – Hoping to eat dinner and watch some dancing at our local Greekfest tonight.  I love the Greek culture!  I have a very good friend who is Greek that will be there, too.  

#8) Hub off every Friday in June!  He just informed me that he has days he has to use before the end of June so he’s taking off each June Friday.  

Happy, happy weekend!

Amy 

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Today I’m going to talk about swimsuit cover ups and I will also recap my Monday.  If you want to see Friday through Sunday you can read here. 

O.k. I have a theory… as a woman of a certain age, more people will see your swim cover up than your swimsuit.  

The only year that I really thought I looked o.k. in a swimsuit was the summer I was pregnant with my twins.  I had a maternity tankini and I had an excuse – I was pregnant!  With twins! 

I know now that I was wrong and I looked just fine in a bathing suit before getting pregnant at age 30.  Now I try to remember that everyone is worried about their own body more than they are critiquing yours.  Please don’t let worry ruin the fun of summer for you.  

I’m partial to a black bathing suit. I have a couple of tankini tops and skirted bottoms that I mix and match.  I have seen some cute one piece suits out this year, but I’m not sure I can rock one.  I look for cover ups with black in them so they match my black suits.

This is my current favorite cover up below.  I bought it at Old Navy last year and the jungle print and small black pom pom trim spoke to me.  It’s made of a gauzy material.

This next one is around 6 years old from Kohl’s.  I loved the peacock looking print.  This is the same style as the first but it’s made of more of a silky material. 

Next is the one I purchased this season from Target.com.  This Target Merona was recommended by Sheaffer.  The jungle flowers and the vertical slimming line down the front were what I liked most.  This is also a silky material.  Problem:  It is not black – it is navy.  I broke my rule!  It will still be fine with my black suits, I think.

A current trend is to wear a kimono over your suit.  I bought this from Nordstrom.com back in February and have worn it a lot with a black knit dress.  I plan to try it as a cover up this season.  

I don’t love to run in a store in my cover up.  If I know I have to go in a store I will usually choose my black knit tank dress or another color that I have.  

For affordable choices, I suggest a look at Kohl’s, Old Navy, and Target.  You should be able to find one for $20 or under.  The big department stores have cute ones but the price point will be higher right now.  Don’t delay too long – remember that after the 4th of July the back to school stuff will be out and the summer wear will be picked over, especially swimwear and accessories. 

Monday we did some much needed house cleaning and my hub mowed and we both cleaned up the patio.  The boys chipped in but then had to start studying for finals.  We let them take a break to go to a friend’s house for a couple of hours and hub and I ran to the mall for an exchange for him – not me!  I checked out Macy’s Reef flip flop selection and added the black pair that I needed.  I loved these brown and gold  ones but I held back because I already have brown.  These are seriously the most comfortable and durable flip flops I’ve ever owned.  

These are the ones I picked.  They are pretty basic and now I’m wondering if I should have gotten the black ones with shiny straps. 

After all of the cleaning, I enjoyed my patio for a bit and read.  

Because we are still in school and this was a week night for us, we didn’t socialize Monday evening.  I made oven roasted potatoes with cajun seasoning.  

I cooked the Mojito Lime Chicken I marinated and used my grill pan for zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.  So, just the four of us enjoyed a nice meal.  

This is the beloved marinade packet recommended by my sister.  

This is our forecast for the week.  It looks like we will get some of tropical storm Alberto.  We will be in school until Thursday at 2:20 and I will still have to work Friday and Monday.  

Let me know your thoughts on swim cover ups!  Any suggestions for me?  I hope you had a great long weekend!

Amy 

Monday, May 28, 2018

Thank you to all of our service men and women!

I think most bloggers will wait until Tuesday to do a long weekend recap, but I thought I would go ahead and talk about the weekend thus far.

As you know, I’m a high school teacher.  Friday was an emotional day at school.  We have a tradition where the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, as well as the teachers, line the hallways while the seniors proceed down giving out flowers and little gifts to their underclassmen friends and teachers.  They play music on the intercom and it’s just a nice send off.  I taught some of the seniors for three years – sophomore, junior, and this year.  We spent a lot of time together and got to know each other really well.  Also, we have gone through a lot together – personal triumphs and losses, national tragedies, and this year was especially emotional as we lost a student to suicide.  

Below is my desk with my gifts.  I was overwhelmed with emotion.  There were some special gifts and letters that I will treasure always.  I was in tears.  

I will miss these kids terribly but I’m so excited for them to spread their wings.  

A sweet, sweet girl that I taught for 3 years gave me this beautiful necklace and earring set.  It is metal and really unique.  

A group of 4 senior girls gave me these cool sandals from Target along with a cute dishtowel from Target.  The sandals are by Universal Thread and the dishtowel is by Opal House.  Those are my two favorite new Target brands.  They know me so well!

Friday along with all of the emotions, I had a bad allergy attack.  My sinuses hurt, my nose was running, and my left eye was leaky.  Sorry for the graphic description!  Allergy sufferers unite!

Saturday I woke up with my left eyelid puffy.  I didn’t wear contacts Friday because I knew I would cry so I did without contacts again on Saturday and Sunday.  It is much better now you will be happy to know.  I had to put sunglasses on over my glasses and it was not a good look.  I’m one step away from those clip on sunglass lens!

So,  I still didn’t feel that well but I managed to vacuum out my car.  (I can’t stand a messy car!)  Then, I went to the bank, Starbucks, the car wash, the library, and Target.  I ordered a cold brew cold foam Cascara blend or something like that.  It was o.k.  I think it has too many words for me to order it again!  It was super humid so I wanted something cold. 

I had no books on order at the library so I just did a hunt for books that looked good.  I’m still reading The Weekenders and it’s just dragging for me.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a chunk of time to devote to reading it lately.  May is the new December, am I right?

After lunch and some time at home, I met a friend to get a pedicure and it was not a great experience.  They had hardly any selection of OPI polish and we had to wait in the chair with feet soaking for about 45 minutes before someone came to check on us again.  We spent almost 2 hours there.  It was a good thing we had each other to talk to, but I was impatient because I didn’t feel that well and I wanted to take a nap.  

I wanted to nap because I had plans to go to this concert!  It was still pretty hot, but the music was great and I bought a lobster roll from a lobster roll food truck.   I forgot to take a picture.  Actually, I forgot to take many pictures at all – oops! My hub got a philly cheese steak and my boys got quesadillas.  Our friends met us there and they ordered a few different things from the food trucks, too.  We stayed until 10 p.m. and closed it down!

This is the outfit I wore.  This is my light denim Old Navy mini skirt, my Target Universal Thread shirt (tired of seeing it I’m sure!), my TB sandals (consignment 4 years ago), and bright yellow earrings. 

Sunday I woke up feeling better.  I cut up a watermelon and marinated chicken for dinner.  I also boiled some chicken in broth to use for nachos. 

Hub went to paddleboard on the river and I met him when he was finished.  We boated for about 3 hours while our boys studied for final exams. This is a little area where boats hang out.  It was just the two of us but we listened to music and had a little picnic lunch.

After we got done boating, all four of us went to see the new Star Wars Han Solo movie.  I’m not a big fan but I have a rule that I go see almost all of the boys movies with them because it’s something we like to do as a family.  

Come back Tuesday for a “Tuesday Tip” and a brief recap of Monday’s activities!

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend so far!

Amy 

Friday, May 25, 2018

Here are a few of my favorites for this week!  I’m linking up with Andrea, etc.  and can’t wait to read yours, too!

#1) Long Weekends!  And, even better when it is a chance to celebrate our great country and the best combo of colors out there – red, white, and blue.

Looking for an easy “dish” to take to a picnic or a cookout?  I love to make these and I must give credit to my Aunt who first made these for us.

Buy square/waffle pretzels, rolos (unwrapped ones are great if you can find), regular M & Ms and pick out all of the red and blue (or see if you can find patriotic M & Ms in red, white and blue).  Heat oven to 350 and put as many waffle pretzels on cookie sheet as you can fit topped with a rolo.  Put in oven for 5 minutes.  Remove and gently squash the M & M on top of the rolo.  Put in fridge until solid – about an hour. 

I have done green for St. Patrick’s Day, blue for a favorite sports team,  pastel for Easter, red and green for Christmas.  

These are always a big hit!  I plan to make these this weekend!

#2)  I love my plastic stemless wineglasses from Target! I get excited about patio tablewear.  I have a problem and need to donate my least fave of the bunch.  This is my Villa Alena peach moscato with a few strawberries I added.  This was a sunny day after school.  I really believe in taking some time for yourself every day and not just on the weekends.  Even 30 minutes can do good for the soul.  Don’t worry, I only had one glass.

#3)  Starbuck’s cold teas.  This was the peach citrus.  I prefer the peach green tea, though, so I won’t be ordering this again.   While I was there I treated myself to a resuable Starbuck’s cup with straw to make my own iced coffee or tea at home.  

#4). All of the outdoor concerts that are happening starting now!

Saturday night is the first of the season at our favorite venue. They are FREE.  They are at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with grass and stone steps and you can bring chairs and a cooler. I think there are 6 this summer.  We made it to almost all of them last summer.  They also have food trucks available.  Last year there was a German food truck, a crab cake sandwich food truck, a pizza food truck, among others.   I usually pack some appetizers and drinks and then we buy something from a food truck, too.  We have gone as a family, as a couple, and with friends.  I’m hoping this weekend we will have several who want to meet us.  Our boys really enjoyed the British invasion band last summer.  

#5)  My hub started playing on a work sand volleyball team on Thursday nights.  Last night I got to go watch and the weather was gorgeous.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Amy 

Thursday, May 24, 2018

My friends always tell me I’m organized.  I think being organized can free up time to spend with family and friends and lessen the stress in your life.  Nothing I will tell you today is rocket science.  Some of you out there are more organized than I am, too!  I’ve always loved organization, list making, journal writing, etc.  Some people feel boxed in by too much structure.  But, I think we can all agree that we want to live our best life and be our best selves.  Sometimes all that takes is a little prep time on the front end of your month or week.  

First of all, I think it’s good to question everything you are doing in your life.  Do you need to do everything?  Is there a way to out source some of this if it truly is necessary?  What can your kids or husband do?  MOMS, DO NOT BE A MARTYR AND DO EVERYTHING. Is there anything that you absolutely hate doing that you could afford to pay for?  Examples would be a house cleaner, lawn mower, online grocery shopper, dry cleaner to press shirts, etc.  

Here is one example that has made me happier and made our mornings easier.  This year our school district started providing free lunch to every student, not just those with financial need.  I was buying brown paper lunch bags (no lunch boxes anymore for my boys when they hit high school), baggies, big boxes of individually wrapped chips at Costco and making sandwiches to put in the freezer on Sunday evening.  Obviously, high schoolers can do this themselves and they did sometimes, but I liked having everything ready.  I think in March my boys said they didn’t mind eating the school lunch and that some days they were supplementing their bag lunch and getting the school lunch, too! So, they stopped bringing a lunch. I’m sure you can find an example of this in your life, too.  

I work over 40 hours a week and one thing I try to do is to keep my work life and my home life separate.  I come in early and stay late most days instead of bringing work home.  When I’m ready to leave work each day, I leave a post it note list of what I need to do the next morning.  I also empty out my email inbox each day unless it’s something I need to save.  I hate email inbox clutter!  I do this with my personal account, too.

I love my iphone and keep lists on it for all types of things – take out ideas, movies I want to see, things we need from Costco, birthday days, etc., but I use a paper calendar to stay organized.  When a new month is coming up, I look at the entire month and see what birthdays and holidays we are celebrating, and any other special things that month.  I start thinking of gift ideas, place orders, go to Dollar Tree for cards one Saturday when I can.  On Sundays, I look at the week ahead and meal plan and see what will be happening that week.

I try to keep the weekdays pretty free except for school.  We don’t plan much during the week because it’s just too hectic.  My boys have activities right after school and don’t have many evening activities right now.  Each night, I make a list for the next day.  I will write down the silliest little things because I truly don’t remember it if it’s not written down.

When I am going to an event I always plan to leave extra time.  If I’ve never been to a venue, I will mapquest it and see how long it takes to get there and add about 10 minutes.  I hate to be late and I am rarely late because I allow enough time.  I also try not to run errands at rush hour and just plan for easier times to do things if that makes sense.  I hate wasting time in traffic and I’m glad that is not part of my daily routine.  I try to combine errands and go places when I know I will be in a certain part of town.  

One of my sisters is super organized – maybe more so than me – and the other is still a work in progress.  I am trying to get her to get a paper agenda and to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  I think this will make a big difference for her.  She needs more routine and needs to make things automatic.  She claims that no two days are the same and I say even more reason to be organized.

What are your best tips on staying organized?   Leave me a comment because I’m sure I can improve!  

Amy 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Today I have a few outfits and some ideas for you as you are preparing your summer wardrobe.  

This is a Chico’s consignment skirt that doesn’t wrinkle with my sleeveless Loft tassel top.  I ordered this top back in February with one of Loft’s online deals where everything was 60% off.  I only kept 4 items and returned the rest to the store, but each thing was between $7-12.  Check Loft out if you haven’t already and never buy anything full price.  I put a yellow sweater over it but had to go without most of the day because my classroom was so hot.  And, my shoes were exchanged for flats after about 3rd period.  Oh well.  I love these shoes by Nordstrom BP from last season but they are not all day teacher shoes.  

My Friday outfit was pretty casual.  I wore my frayed hem white Old Navy rockstar jeans and my new Target twist front top.  I also had a denim looking cardigan to go over it.  I must work on my posing face.  Scary.  

This is my new orange blouse from my Saturday consignment store trip with my black ankle length pants (Chico’s consignment) and a turquoise Kendra Scott Rayne necklace.  This was the perfect teacher outfit for me.  I felt so comfortable but I think it looked “put together”.  One tip I have is if you aren’t excited enough to wear a new piece right away, take it back.  

Let’s talk about summer staples.  First of all, I’m a big believer that you don’t need a huge closet full of things.  In fact, the capsule wardrobe idea really intrigues me but I like variety and don’t want to limit myself.  

If you are a jeans person during the fall, winter, and spring, simply repeat that on the bottom in the summer.  I have a light denim skirt (Old Navy last season) on the left and my chambray drawstring shorts (Target this season) on the right.  You will seriously reach for these items constantly.  You can’t go wrong.  Most of your tops will work with these bottoms.  

If you are a black pants person in the fall and winter and maybe spring, repeat this look with black shorts -if you are comfortable wearing shorts.  Remember that shorts come in different lengths.  I look better with a 3.5 inch inseam because my legs are not long but some look better in a longer short.  Also, make sure the short follows your leg line and doesn’t flare out too much.  I made that mistake a couple of summers ago. 

If you are not a shorts person, you could do a black mini or maxi skirt.  Below are linen drawstring shorts from Old Navy maybe three seasons ago, but I know they still carry these.  I love these shorts and have them in tan and white, too.  Each season they come out with more colors and they wash and dry in the dryer well.  I may add their olive green this season because I think they would look great with my black or white tops.  They don’t need to be ironed if you immediately take these out of the dryer.  Mine have been in storage so I will have to iron them.  

I love the look of white in the summer and I stopped being afraid of wearing white several years ago.  If they get a stain, it’s not the end of the world.   In fact, my college friends love to tell the story of me wearing white denim shorts to a bar (Why, young Amy?) and falling and sliding down a ramp on my bottom.  I had to untuck my top the rest of the night to hide the stain.

I have more white bottoms than any other color for summer.  I have two pairs of white jeans (one distressed and one not distressed), a white knit skort, and the Old Navy white linen drawstring shorts.  I just think they look so crisp and summery.  

I hope I have made a convincing case that you really don’t need a lot.  You could get by with summer denim, black, and white and mix and match with many tops you already have.  If it is not that hot yet where you live, I love the look of shorts with a long sleeve top and a sleeveless with white jeans.  

Most of the tops I have for summer look great with denim, black, or white, too.  I have made many, many shopping “mistakes” in my day and one of the big ones is I have not limited my colors.  You shouldn’t own the entire rainbow, in my opinion.  Pick a few favorite neutrals and a few favorite pops of color.  You shouldn’t have any one trick pony pieces in your closet and the best way to avoid that is to pick your colors.  When do you get the most compliments?  Is it when you wear the teal shirt that brings out your eyes?  That should be one of your colors.  

I have slightly different colors for each season. In the spring and summer I love yellow, coral, navy, black, white,  and pink.  I also love fun flowery prints and stripes. But, pretty much everything must work with my black, white, or denim bottoms.  

For ideas on where to find these summer staples, I would start with Target, Old Navy, and Kohl’s.  I’m not a big fan of Kohl’s because it overwhelms me, but many people have luck with some of their brands.  You can also do a search on Amazon for the specific item.  For white jeans, I think American Eagle has some of the best around.  

When looking at your summer wardrobe, think about your life.  What occasions do you need to dress for?  I need summer outfits for:  errands, pool or boat, working out, girls night out, date night, summer concerts, church.  Think about your lifestyle and what is realistic for you.  There are only 7 days in the week so you don’t need as much as you might think.  

ACCESSORIES:  

I also put away my winter jewelry and get out my summer jewelry.  I put my most worn summer things on this cake plate for easy access.  

If you have a solid color tee, you can simply add a long necklace.  These are my most worn summer necklaces.  You can even find cute ones at Walmart, like my wooden tassel that I got for $3.  If you are wearing shorts and a tee, a long necklace just amps it up so that you look “put together”.  

And, don’t forget it’s garage sale season, folks.  I don’t find many clothes, but I have found some accessories. These two bracelets were 50 cent finds several years ago.  I have worn both of them a ton!  Adding a little bangle does a lot to amp up an outfit, too.  

Finally, if you have a favorite black and a favorite tan sandal, that might be all you really need.  I’m not fan of having all of the colors of the rainbow in my shoe wardrobe either.  These are two that are on constant rotation.  

I do want to state that I know this post and any post on fashion is a bit frivolous and it’s what’s inside a person that matters.  However, fashion and putting outfits together on a budget is a fun hobby for me.  Many women are struggling to manage all of their “hats” in life and I hope that this helps someone out there that needs a little boost.  I know that I can be the best version of myself when I feel good in my clothes.

What tips do you have for me?  What are your summer staples?  Will you wear red, white, and blue for Memorial Day?

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy 

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Have you tried grocery pick up yet?  It is life-changing and I don’t use that term lightly!  I use Kroger so that is what I will be talking about today.  If you don’t have a Kroger, my sister uses Walmart and loves it, too.  I know many other supermarkets are adding this service, too.

When I first heard about this possibility I kind of thought it wasn’t for me.  I don’t really hate grocery shopping and going in the store and seeing new products has always given me meal ideas.

Fast forward to my beloved Kroger closing for 6 months to renovate and this was what prompted me to try Kroger’s Clicklist.  

First, you go to the website and create an account or get the app. choose your store location, date and pick up time.  I think your order can be ready for as soon as 4 hours after placing it.  I found all of this very user friendly.  

You pick an hour window and can pick it up any time within that hour.  For example, I often pick 3-4.  I have only had to wait more than 10 minutes once.  They told me Sunday evening is the busiest time so now I avoid that.  

You add things to your online “cart” and it will even pull up past products you have purchased.  For Kroger, it is tied to your Kroger plus card number so you get the discounts and points for the things you buy.

I feel like you do have to be sort of organized to shop this way.  You must do some degree of meal planning.  You can sit at your desk and look at recipes while adding to your cart.  You can have your calendar open in front of you to see what your week will look like.  

It has a $4.95 service fee, but I know I spend more than that on impulse buys when I go in the store.

As you add to your cart, it calculates your total, so this is great for budgeting.

You can still use coupons.  When you arrive, they will come to your car, take them in the store, and change your total.  You do have to pay online when you order but they can adjust your total if you don’t accept a substitution or if you have the aforementioned coupons.

You can check a box to accept substitutions or to not allow substitutions.  I always allow.  I have gotten bigger sizes for the same price.  If they sub something, you still get the price of the original item.

I have always been pleased with the produce they have picked for me.  They probably pick better than I do!  I have also gotten deli meat.  

You can buy beer!

I get most of our toiletries this way. Kroger often has better prices than Target on shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and the like.

When it’s time to pick up, you pull into a designated spot and call a phone number and give your name.  Side note:  You either feel like a VIP or like the world’s laziest person.  I have chosen to feel like a VIP.  

You don’t have to get out of your car unless you want to.  They will load everything for you.  Too bad they don’t ride home with you to unload.  Wait – that’s what my teen boys are for!

This was life changing in the winter.  I felt so great when we had a big snow coming and I stocked up this way before it hit!  Where was this when I had infant and toddler twins?  This would be great for the disabled or the elderly (if they were open to learning the online system).

Let me know what you think!  Are you a grocery pick up person?

Happy shopping!

Amy 

Monday, May 21, 2018

Hello to you, too!  I’m linking up with My Glittery Heart, Lindsay’s Sweet World, and The Sirois Family for Hello Monday!  I’m also linking up with The Blended Blog to talk about long weekend plans.  This is an interesting Monday for me because we don’t have school tomorrow due to primary election day.  Then, we will continue our week at school Wednesday-Friday.  It will be a little weird.  

This weekend I said yes to last minute plans again!  These ladies with me below are college friends and we all live in the same city now.  We had dinner at a restaurant on the river that also has music.  I stayed out until 10 p.m. if you can believe that.

I ordered a chile mandarin mule and it was spicy.  It had ginger beer, mandarin vodka, and jalapeño juice and seeds.  It was intense!

I was still able to get up at 5 a.m. for The Royal Wedding!  It was beautiful and I watched while drinking coffeee, tea, eating breakfast, and folding clothes until about 8:30.

At 9 a.m., I went to the nautical yard sale I talked about on Friday.  They had this cute boutique in an RV that sold swimsuits, coverups, sunglasses, etc.  I didn’t buy anything but I had a nice time.  I did drink a mimosa, too.

This is a view of where the sale was held.  I love seeing all the boats.

I came home, did a few more chores, visited with hub and boys and then took 3 bags of stuff to Clothes Mentor.  If you don’t have a Clothes Mentor where you live, it is a consignment store chain where they pay you cash or store credit on the spot.  I did another clean out and decided I would rather have a small summer closet of things I love than a bigger closet with just so-so items.  I got $35 for the clothes I sold and came home with a Lucky brand navy tee with cute details and buttons ($12), a JCPenney brand bright coral blouse ($8) and silver flip flops ($8).  A navy shirt had been on my list and I thought I would get good use out of the other two items.  They do give you 7 days to return items which I think is pretty rare at consignment stores.  I may return the shoes if I decide I won’t wear them enough to justify keeping them.  

My hub put gas in the boat and did some cleaning and I met him where we keep our boat.  The weather was looking iffy and it had rained off and on.  My teen boys had friends coming over for another video project so we had to be home by 5, but I talked hub into a drink with a view.  

I did get to read a bit and then I made dinner for the boys.  

I snuck this picture out my kitchen window because it looked like they were having fun while dining alfresco.  I love for them to have friends over and I love to cook for them.  They spent 2 hours outside filming before they ate!  We want to replace our patio furniture this year.  It is looking rough.

Sunday morning I drank coffee on the patio.

I meal prepped for the week and then I walked in my neighborhood.  

Then, I met my husband at the boat and we took our first little ride of 2018.  

After the boat ride, we went to see Melissa McCarthy’s Life of the Party.  It was cute but I wouldn’t say it was one of her best.  

Our teens had lots of homework and projects because it’s that time of year with only one more week of school before final exams.  We ended the weekend eating dinner together as a family and watching a show.  I loved spending so much time by the river this weekend.  I love to be near water.  The ocean would be better, but hey, I will take what I can get.  

I did make 3 of JoJo’s recipes from The Magnolia Table cookbook.  I made her seasoned saltine crackers, her queso, and her bowtie pasta with sundried tomatoes and artichokes.  All 3 were winners!  

Long Weekend Plans:  We hope the weather cooperates so we can spend one full day of boating on the river.  This will probably be Sunday and we might do Monday, too.  We usually invite another family and take food and tool around and then choose a spot to anchor and eat.  

There is also a free concert at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with food trucks.  We try to go to as many of these as possible in the summer.

I would like to take the boys to a military cemetary to pay our respects.  And, as the week progresses, I will see what else is happening around our town.  I’m sure we will probably grill out at some point, too.  Have you tried any of my favorite McCormick’s marinades yet? They are in the aisle with the chili mix and I love the mojito lime flavor but there is also a bourbon and brown sugar flavor.  You mix with evoo, vinegar, and water.  My sister told me about them.  

It’s hard to believe that the unofficial start of summer is finally here.  I haven’t decided if we will join the pool this year.  We didn’t join it last year because we weren’t using it enough, but it still makes me sad to not be a member.  I have such good memories of taking my boys there several days a week until they were 12.  

What are your plans for the 3 day weekend?  

See you back here tomorrow when I will talk about grocery pick up!

Amy 

Friday, May 18, 2018

Oh, Friday how I have missed you!  

Here are some of my favorites from this week.  I’m linking up with Momfessionals, The Slaughters and Grace and Love blogs.  I can’t wait to read your favorites!  If you don’t have a blog, leave me a comment and let me know a favorite of yours this week.  I seriously get the best recommendations from you all!

#1)  I love Target.com for clothing purchases.  I do in store pick up and then if it doesn’t work out at home, I simply return it.  They make ordering and returning super easy.  This time, I ordered this navy and white knit flutter sleeve top and the red twist front top.  These are both Universal Thread brand by Target.  This is my favorite new brand of theirs.

I was chatting with Kellyann of This Blonde’s Shopping Bag about how good Target’s new lines of clothing are this season.  They made me break my Target clothes shopping ban!

#2)  Confession:  I did not own any real pajama sets until I saw this cute set at Target when I was there for my pick up (You didn’t think I could just pick up my order and leave, did you?) and the softness and the lemons did me in.  It was $19.99.  It is shorts with a drawstring and a camisole top.  

#3)  My hub spoiled me for Mother’s Day.  He got me these shiny black Birkenstocks.  Magnolia Mamas recommended this style and I always feel like my black summer shoe game is lacking – but no more!  I have worn them every day since I got them!

#4)  My sweet boy Ernie.  He is so ready for us to be home for the summer.

#5)  Raise your hand if you are watching the Royal Wedding! I’m very excited!  I have my DVR set for 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and I actually might get up that early!  I wanted to have a royal wedding brunch, but I don’t think my family would like me to entertain that early. 

After the Royal Wedding, I plan to go to a nautical yard sale.  People can sell their boating accessories.  We have a small runabout boat that we use on the river.  I’m looking for something in particular but if I don’t find it, they are serving breakfast pizza, mimosas, and bloody marys, so it sounds like it will be a win either way!

I’m hoping to get out and do our first boat ride of 2018 Saturday or Sunday, too!

#6)  This was another Mother’s Day gift from my sons.  I have several pages bookmarked and hope to try a recipe this weekend.  Joanna’s recipes remind me of my fave Pioneer Woman.  Neither lady is afraid to use butter.  This is not a healthy food cookbook.  It is real food with real ingredients that real people eat.  Now, there are some healthy salad, soup, and vegetable side recipes, but I just wanted you to know what type of cookbook this is.  

#7)  I can’t remember which blogger recommended this book, but I am enjoying it.  I like to read seasonally.  I like to read about summer places in the summer and I like to read books set in colder climates in the winter.  I almost exclusively get my books from the library except for cookbooks.  I still really like to own some cookbooks.  I wrote about my love for the library here and how I have read over 20 books in 2018 without spending a dime.

#8)  I ran out of my favorite tanners that I talked about here.  I went to buy more and they were out of those brands so I took a chance on Australian Gold which was more expensive.  It doesn’t smell as good as my others but it gives you a nice pretty dark natural tan after two uses.  

Here’s to a fabulous weekend, friends!

Hope to see you back here Monday!

Amy