Wednesday, January 15, 2025

I’m really late with this! Oh well! Can you even believe we are halfway through January?

-wear my blues, burgundies, white, and other non-Christmas colored winter clothes and toward the end of the month start wearing my Valentine’s Day sweaters

-read more and tv less/read more and scroll less/really try to stay off social media as much as possible

-plan something fun to do on MLK Day since I am off school

-at least one coffee shop date with Mason – this will have to be on a weekend or on MLK Day unless I get a snow day. We want to try a witch/Halloween coffee shop that is relatively new

-just found out one of my favorite restaurants is having a January special Tuesday through Thursday in the month of January so I plan to do that

-bake/cook a new dish

-enjoy a snow day – if I get one – if not…might be making my own if you know what I mean (I swear I wrote that before Snowpocalypse and 4 snow days for teachers last week and 5 for students!)

-get excited about meal prep again – this is hard to do when I’m off my routine/still on winter break mode

-walk with Eddie Otis after school even when it’s really cold

-listen to more music in the house – the Echo Show is already making this easier

-go to a speakeasy

-plan some cozy happy hours at places that have fireplaces or a dark ambiance

-work smarter, not harder with home chores-create a routine and assignments for people inlcluding myself, of course – stick to it.

-work on January happiness project – much will be the declutter part

-read How to Winter when it comes in at the library for me

-start a bath night ritual – I have a wonderful tub and never use it

-re-start my spray tan membership to fake Vitamin D toward the end of the month- it really helps! This time I will go clear and light or medium and no double leg. That’s too much. I just want that – ‘did she or didn’t she just come back from vacay?’ look

-see friends that I haven’t seen

-continue with “Soup Sunday” where I make a different soup and use that for one of my lunches during the week

-start planning my spring break whether I plan to go somewhere or stay home

I am sure I am forgetting things! As you can see these are very “low level goals” in the words of the Big Boo podcast. They just help me to be more intentional with my time and help me to enjoy life more, frankly.

What about you? January goals?

And, now for Hodgepodge with Joyce…

1.  It’s been said January is ‘the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change.” Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate. 

I think inspiration – for lesson planning, meal planning, how to use my free time wisely!

2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself? 

I used to tell my Dad I was lucky if something good happened and he said, “that’s got nothing to do with luck; it’s your hard work” or something like that. If you are a spiritual person you probably believe that opportunity comes from above. I think the opportunity might be there for the taking but that you have a part in making it happen for you?

Here’s a story…

When I started at my current job I was 28 and freshly married. Two years later I got pregnant and I knew that eventually my twins would go to elementary school from 9:05-3:45 and I went to school from 7:40-2:20 because this was how my district was set up.

There was a teacher who had a deal where she came in late and stayed late to do detention (just sitting in a room and having the kids do homework) so she could be on her elementary daughter’s schedule. I asked her if I could take that over when her daughter was in middle school and no longer on that schedule. She agreed and the principal agreed and I got to do that for 6 years and it kept me from having to take my kids to early care and I got a nice easy morning out of it. I was still done in time to pick them up at 3:45. So, I saw that opportunity and it made our quality of life so nice. I loved getting to both take them and pick them up. Picking them up meant walking to get them, too! How nice is that?

There is a lot of guilt about being a full time working mom but I think I was able to have a really nice balance. So, I think I helped to create that for myself. We also bought a house in front of an elementary school and near a middle and high school so that could also be a form of creating an opportunity for a simpler life. Our kids went to all three and it enabled them to walk, have friends over all the time, help other parents out that needed their kid to walk home with ours, and stuff like that.

Dropping them off to walk to school down the little pathway:

3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite? 

I like a museum in small doses. I don’t think I need to see everything and I don’t need to spend more than a couple of hours at once. The coolest museum I have been to is a tour of a certain longitude line around the world. It is in Germany and I hope I get this right – a man traveled the same longitude line as his hometown of Bremerhaven, Germany and you experience the animals, the terrain, the temperature, and the culture as he rounds the globe. Tom’s family took us there and even rented it out for us to sleep in overnight! That was crazy!

4. It’s National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day)…do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy? 

I love oatmeal and don’t make it nearly enough. My favorite is instant brown sugar or real oatmeal where you add your own brown sugar. Now I want oatmeal! I don’t want it in a cookie form and the worst thing you can do to a person is offer them a cookie that looks like chocolate chip but then you find out it’s oatmeal. Womp. Womp.

5.What’s something useful you learned in high school? 

Gosh – everything? I loved high school. I loved interacting with the teachers and I loved my journalism class and my US History class junior year because of the dynamic teacher. I thought my Spanish teacher was boring, but I loved the subject, of course. My Spanish teacher stood at a podium and read from her notebook. I do like her as a person and she helped me a lot, but I don’t remember it being very interactive. I was in a ton of clubs and I just loved it all, I think. I also remember so much since it’s still the world I live in!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

What is up with slow deliveries lately? I know we had some delays due to the winter weather, but it seems like my orders are taking 2-3 weeks to get to me when they used to only take a matter of days. Are you experiencing this? Also, I am talking non-holiday related deliveries since Christmas.

Another random thought…

I tried to place a grocery order Sunday morning and they wouldn’t have slots available until Monday. So, I took about an hour or so to make a short list, drive to the store, shop in store, pay, go home and unload. It got me thinking about how much brain space doing pick up takes. I think about what to order, when to order, when I will pick it up (and the last 5 times or so it’s been at least an hour late and they call me and tell me to wait), then I go pick it up. Do you know what I’m saying? Is this helping me or is it easier to go back to the way I used to shop?

Ok, your girl is out of words!

Amy

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Who is doing The Happiness Project with me in 2025?

For January, Gretchen’s goals were:

boost energy, go to sleep earlier, exercise better, toss, restore, organize, tackle a nagging task, and act more energetic.

Go back to my first post about it if you need more background!

I added to Gretchen’s January goals to create my January List (basically a list of fun things to do this month and post coming tomorrow), create my 40 bags list to start going through various areas of my house, learn to enjoy January, read more and scroll less, have a bath night – maybe Friday night? – where I read my book in the tub.

I’m not doing very well so far since I have still been in that weird limbo between Christmas and New Year’s with my week of snow days!

I am enjoying January more! What has helped me is keeping out the twinkle lights, making more hot beverages – two cups of coffee in the morning, tea later in the day, hot chocolate if the mood strikes, having some unexpected snow days and leaning in to the snow days, having my kids around, reading more and watching less tv and scrolling less.

For about a week of this month I was sick so that made it hard to improve my sleep and to be very motivated about decluttering.

I have already read two books! This is amazing for me because I prefer reading outside. I really tried to embrace indoor reading and it worked.

So, that’s how I am doing so far in January. I have to tell you that I wasn’t that excited about the January themes this time around. I am really anxious to have the roads snow free so I can walk more easily. I think that will be a boost for me.

How are you doing this month if you are participating? If you aren’t participating, how are you doing with any other January goals?

Amy

Monday, January 13, 2025

So, it’s Monday and time to link up with Sarah and Holly. I got an extra week of winter break, essentially. I did have to work from home Friday and had to attend a couple of Zoom meetings, do a survey, fill out some forms, and make sure I had my ducks in a row for the first day back with students.

I found myself really appreciative of being a teacher and not having to get out or even try to work from home most of the days last week.

It was good timing with my cold, too. I didn’t really feel bad enough to stay home from school if we had had school but I wasn’t sleeping well and I was low energy.

I cooked my brains out and really tried to use up things we had on hand. Well, sometimes it would just be called heating up or assembling foods .

My kids had their work cancelled or they weren’t scheduled except for one evening each so we had a lot of time with the three of us at home. Tom worked from home Monday and then left each day and came home each day at the normal time.

Eddie Otis and I had a lot of togetherness. He has a wild streak in the mornings where I about think I will lose it with him, but then he spends most of the day calmly napping, changing napping locations, getting up when I get up, and that sort of thing. He puts himself in his crate a few times a day, which is so funny.

This snow was hard to walk in. It snowed, then it iced over, then it snowed again. So, your feet crunched down with each step you took. I like that many neighbors still have their lights up and it looks just so gorgeous with the snow. I really think all these footprints are from my family alone. We haven’t seen many people out.

This is us walking Eddie Otis one evening:

I did a left over snow mani Thursday night – shiny navy blue with silver glitter accent nails and nail art. I bought this last year and saved the remaining nails. I can get two manis out of each box and they do keep their stickability after a year. I exclusively use impress brand and here is how I do it. These last me 7-10 days and I shower twice a day and wash a ton of dishes. I am not careful with my nails at all but I don’t open cans or anything with my nails.

I finished this over the weekend and I do recommend! I can’t believe how little I know about Sicily or Italy and it caused me to do some research. I have only been to Venice once.

My work from home at the dining room table on Friday:

Friday night Tom called and said he was on his way home from work but would stop at Kroger. He picked up Jack (he wanted to go) and they brought home some new provisions. I managed to make a really yummy dinner. We have a new rice cooker and I made Thai jasmine rice, teriyaki chicken and green beans.

Tom started his once a year cooking project. He makes this bean soup.

Did y’all even know there were 15 types of beans?

Saturday morning I piddled around and then I was ready to get my car out after a week of being on vacation in my garage. My neighborhood was still really bad but the main roads were fine and I felt like a 16 year old girl with a fresh license!

I went into a boutique nearby and bought a pullover thing off the clearance rack. It reminded me of a lot of the SSYS stuff that Jen loves. It’s super soft and I thought I could wear it over white or black.

Did I need it? No, but it was my duty to put money back into the local economy after many had to close and didn’t get much business this week.

For lunch I made avo toast and here is how you do it in the most delicious way:

I wanted to go out again and go shopping after lunch but the laziness won over shopping. I just laid on the couch and binged more Younger. Tom was home to be the point person for Eddie Otis and after 5 days of our “togetherness” I was happy to get a break. He really is doing pretty well, but he’s a 10 month old puppy so he is doing puppy things.

We got to go out for dinner! We met our friends at Mojito and I had a mojito!

I ordered the most delicious salad and Tom helped me with it and then the rioja short ribs.

Piles and piles of snow in the parking lot:

I wore my “Sweater Weather” sweater because it definitely was sweater weather with my Heathers. We ate with Heather, Heather, Scott, and Eric. Lol. Then, everyone wanted to hurry home to watch the UK game.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open for very long!

Sunday morning Mason and I had the opportunity to go to breakfast!

And, then we browsed in a local bookstore. I thought this was cool – a cocktail recipe book based on video games.

After our breakfast and shopping I did some cleaning and piddling around the house to get ready to go back to work today. Later in the afternoon I went to Kroger and shopped in store for a few things for the week. Then, I found out we had a two hour delay today – so I have to be at work at 9:30 and the students will start at 10:40 and we get done at 3:20 like usual.

And, I’ve had my fill of winter! I’m good now!

What about you? How was your weekend? Tired of winter?

Amy

Friday, January 10, 2025

First of all, I have been living in my own snow globe and I finally came out to see what’s happening in the rest of the country – oops. I cannot imagine the devastation going on in California. The only reference I had to the Santa Ana winds is from the movie The Holiday and this is part of what caused them I read.

It really puts things into perspective if they aren’t already there.

Sorry I have been slow to respond to comments this week, too. With my cold I just haven’t felt much like being on the computer.

So here are some favorites or maybe this week just happenings…

We had snow days all week long (today is another one but teachers are working from home) and I let my skin rest and did nothing but moisturize. It sometimes makes me wonder what would happen to our skin if we literally put nothing on it?

This:

Sorry to scare you like that!

I’m super impressed by this product and I have since looked into more makeup by Catrice, but haven’t purchased anything else yet. The prices are great and it’s available on Amazon. I believe it might be from Germany. I first bought the tan on the right and it worked great, but then my curiosity got the best of me and I ordered the pink and it’s even better for me!

I had my colors done in the 80s and they said that both warm and cool foundations went into my skin naturally. Am I a unicorn? I was a “summer”. I still have the fan of my best colors. I should find that. Does this change with age?

I took down the Christmas and now have a few white and blue things along with twinkle lights just on my mantle.

Old family photo in a snowy frame:

I was wearing a jean blazer from Target and I loved those turquoise beads. I always got my twins the same shirt in coordinating colors. I wish I could go back and squeeze those little things. They still let me hug them which I appreciate. They are actually pretty affectionate. It makes me happy.

Jenn sent me her quiche recipe and I lost it and then I asked for it again:

I switched out the spinach for broccoli. I used frozen broccoli but I heated it and seasoned it up in a skillet before putting it in my pie crust. I used a pie crust from Trader Joe’s that fell apart. I had to roll it out and piece it back together but it worked. My mom used to make broccoli quiche in the 80s. A quiche is a nice thing to have around. Also, you can be like, “I am having a slice of quiche” and you sound kind of fancy.

Holy yum! I used colby jack shredded cheese and some white cheddar. If I were a rapper my name might be “White Chedda”. I like to tell that to my students.

Eddie Otis brought in a frozen hunk of snow and played with it:

Younger was the perfect bingeing show on the day I felt the worst this week:

Sutton Foster’s hair is gorgeous.

It’s hard to be sick with this needy fellow:

We say he is our most “paw forward” dog we have had. He paws at us a lot. Our other dogs didn’t do that.

I finished this. I enjoyed parts of it but other parts I didn’t enjoy. I’m not sure I would recommend it. How’s that for a review?

Here is what my back porch looks like – still…

It looks like we don’t get above freezing temps until a week from Saturday.

A car got stuck outside my house:

We were going to help them but they left before we could offer them shovels and manpower. They came back with their own shovels and manpower.

Tom has been going to work and then a couple of evenings he has taken us where we needed to go. We had to kill some time at Target:

I couldn’t believe how bad the parking lot and sidewalk were…

And, then we killed some time at a little Mexican place that was really good! It’s called Taco Choza if you are local.

I said thank you to the few Target employees there and to the people working at the restaurant and gave them a big tip. I need to give money to local businesses when I can get out again. I hope they had a good holiday season and this didn’t hurt them too badly.

Look at Kroger’s message:

I just use the app as a place to put items we need in the future. I am not planning on ordering anytime too soon.

He wants us to participate in bone chewing. He brings us his bone and lays it on our leg. Very weird.

Look how cute:

Why is cinnamon toast – old fashioned, under the broiler so good?

I really miss my kitchen tv and my phone is just too small. Tom surprised me with this!

I need to set up all my streaming services on it. If you have one, tell me in what ways you use it?

This year I am trying to embrace January and you know what, it will be halfway over-ish come Monday. That’s both crazy and exciting.

Snow is weird. It makes everything look brighter outside and it muffles sound so much. I have enjoyed the quiet.

Also, it’s already staying light out later and it’s really noticeable now!

I will need some friend time soon. Our last couples’ dinner was cut short with Mason’s tire blow out. NYE was just me. Tom needs to get ready to be social!

It’s easy to save money when you are stuck at home. Or, is it? Do you want to online shop when you get bored?

Let me know what you think in the comments about any of my topics today – there’s a little bit for everyone here, right?

Ha!

Amy

Thursday, January 9, 2025

I don’t really have enough fashion talk or fashion photos to make a post, so let’s just talk as if we are sitting down to coffee, but make the focus more on fashion than anything else, ok?

The name of the game around here is just staying warm and cozy.

I am on my 4th snow day today! So, no online learning or online working for teachers – no nothing!

It’s actually been good timing for me because I think Tuesday I would have had to call in sick as that was my worst day. It started last Friday with a little congestion, then more, and more, and then it worked its way down to a chest cough. I’ve also had some sinus pain and pressure.

Anyway, some districts have a 3 week winter break and that’s basically what this has turned into.

Northerners don’t understand that we can’t handle even the smallest amount of snow. Add ice on top and we are literally debilitated. Add super cold temps and no chance of anything melting, and even worse…

So, the snow hit on Sunday and continued on Monday. Here is what Target looked like last night:

Before the snow hit, I wore my Halaras and my Koolaburras with my Walmart pullover from last season:

The next night I did the same thing but with the other pair of Halaras, my black Chelsea boots, and a sweater:

I tried the Rothy’s trick of putting a no show sock over the insert. I haven’t worn them out in the wild yet.

Leggings, Koolaburras, and my black turtleneck along with my black vest:

I enjoyed having a lighter pearly white mani after my Christmas colors and now I’m letting my nails breathe since I’m stuck at home. I am ready for color again!

Yes, my blue sweater badly needs this:

I’m excited to have a sweater shaver.

I hardly ever wear these 15 year old Hunters anymore. I find shorter boots so much easier to throw on. Also, these aren’t as warm as my short black boots. But to get 15 years plus out of a pair of boots is pretty amazing!

The other thing about living in Louisville, Kentucky or further south is we just don’t have the winter gear! We don’t even know what winter coat means here! A hoodie is not a winter coat.

People that live further north have real winter snow boots, waterproof gloves, serious hats, scarves, and winter coats, you know? I have all the stuff but I rarely need it here. Tom has more than all the stuff and our kids have all the stuff because Tom has bought it for them but they rarely even wear a coat because youth today, you know?

You can either be warm or be stylish but you can’t be both – lol. True or false?

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

I’m coming at you from my third snow day! We were supposed to go back with students on Monday but because of Winter Storm Blair (they named it!) we found out Sunday around noon that Monday would be a traditional snow day. Then, we found out Monday very early that they had given up on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I love watching snow fall but I was worried about ice and losing power. It was nice that my kids had everything cancelled or were scheduled off work for all of Sunday and Monday and it was the four of us plus EO snowed in. These times are rare so that was really nice!

But, I don’t like feeling trapped. It’s like I want to stay home but I want options to not stay home. Does that make sense?

So, let’s dive in to the first Currently with Jenn of the year!

Loving

I am loving looking at the snow still. It’s so rare anymore that we get a real snow. I’ve had a cold so I guess it’s as good a time as any to have a cold, right?

I’ve been loving a little more time in the mornings to sip my coffee and do my quiet time. And, Tom has been home to entertain and walk Eddie Otis. He couldn’t get out to go to work on Monday so he worked from home.

I’m loving my new Spain and England mugs.

Doing to Stay Warm

Staying inside! But, on the first day of the snow I enjoyed being out in it. Some winters I don’t even take this out, but I’m glad to have my big Costco coat when I need it.

Resolving

I am trying to embrace the month of January. It’s always been a long, cold month for me. I am trying to do my twinkle lights, read more, use cozy blankets, sip more tea in the afternoon, and things like that.

Organizing

Well, I did put the Christmas decor way and I have Valentine’s ready to go in a couple of weeks or so. I wish I could say I am using this bonus time more productively but I just don’t have it in me with my cold.

Wearing

Socks! Pajamas! Leggings! Sweatshirts! All of this is getting worn so that’s good. Yes, I do go outside in my pajamas.

The weird thing is that I have not seen a human when I go out. I see no cars driving down the street, no mail or deliveries have come, no one is on the school playground. It’s been weird!

Now it’s time for Hodgepodge with Joyce!

1. At the end of every year (or at least since the mid-1970’s) Lake Superior State University posts a list of words they think should be banished from the Queen’s English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year’s list includes-

cringe, game changer, era, dropped, IFKYK (If you know you know), sorry not sorry, skibidi, 100%, utilize, and period. 

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly or even just every now and then? How many did you have to look up? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you’d like to add? If so do share, then tell us why. 

I have only used skibidi and period but just to make students laugh. Actually, I will make a statement and one of them says “period’ and then I repeat it. I just don’t think to say it. Sometimes I follow up by saying “exclamation mark”.

2. Your favorite soup? Do you make this one yourself or is it from a can? 

This is a hard one. I didn’t love soup until a couple of years ago and now I really like it. Can I say chili? That is controversial! I also like lasagna soup, chicken noodle, and my new fave lentil soup. I really like most soups.

I really should have stocked up on my soups. I also have envy when I see everyones’ chili photos. I should have gotten stuff to make chili, too. I still had this lentil soup so I thought I was good.

3. How do you feel about winter? What’s one winter activity you look forward to? 

It’s not my favorite. I don’t love all the work involved in getting coats, hats, mittens and all the accessories on to go outside. I love one good snow and walking my dog in it and seeing how much he enjoys it. Our chocolate labs have loved snow and Eddie Otis is no exception!

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2025 is mocha mousse (sample pictured here). What say you? The website describes it as ‘a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nourishes us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort’. Is this a color I might find in your home or wardrobe? Is it one you might add in some big or small way in the year ahead? 

I really like this color. There is a pair of Adidas sneakers in this shade with white stripes that I am trying to convince my principal’s secretary and my friend to get. She wants a pair and has a neutral based wardrobe.

In a similar, but not really vein…if I were to offer you a choice right now of either a cup mocha or a cup of mousse which would you say yes to? 

Mocha, I think!

5. Which of the following winter related idioms can best be applied to your life in some way right now? Choose one, then tell us why you chose it.  

snowed under, on thin ice, tip of the iceberg, chill out, break the ice, snowball effect, not a snowball’s chance in hell, get cold feet, the cold shoulder 

Snowed under but I think I am taking that too literally!

Before I left for winter break on December 20th, I had all my lessons planned and copies made for the first week back. So, I am good right now. Also, grades were already done and posted ahead of time for semester one. So, right now is a lovely time of being caught up – at least at work. There is a lot I can do at home!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I saw that Younger came to Netflix yesterday. If you are looking for a chick show to watch on your own, I thoroughly enjoyed it and there are lots of seasons. I really love the actress Sutton Foster. I am planning to watch the series again! I feel like it didn’t get talked about much, but it’s so good. Hilary Duff is also in it.

Anyone have a movie or show to recommend?

If you are still here, thanks for reading!

Amy

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

I am happy to link up with Tanya today for her Prime Purchases because I have some things worth sharing!

First off, I want to share the most amazing eye brightener and I purchased it in two colors to see which one worked best for me. The pink is the best for me! But, at just $6, you could get both. I also think blending the two would work.

Thank you to the person who recommended this!

I purchased a new Bible and it would make a great gift. It’s so nice!

This deodorant is a re-purchase. I love it so much.

I splurged on some pricey olive oil for the holidays and frankly, I don’t notice much of a difference. I will save my $$ and just get something less expensive next time.

We’ve all gotten a big kick out of EO’s cigs!

This stuff is amazing! It cleaned off all the silverware scratches on our white dinnerware.

And, above you also see the other color of eye brightener.

You must, must, must have one of these protectors on your phone. I dropped a stack of Pyrex storage containers on my phone about a year ago and this protected it.

I purchased a notebook sized planner and really like it so far.

And, I ordered these eye patches which have also been soothing my sinuses. After this cold, I am going to look sooooo young!

I really want to cut down on my reliance on Amazon, but it helps save me so much time! I can’t find a lot of the things I need in the in person stores!

Amy

Monday, January 6, 2025

Yay! I remembered to use Sarah and Holly’s new graphic! Isn’t it pretty?

Let’s go back to Friday morning. I knew it was my last week day of break – wah! I went to a warehouse sale of my favorite boutique. They hold it in the back corner of a furniture store in the same shopping center – random.

Can you see the pep in the step of these ladies? We all got there right at the start of it.

Last year I didn’t buy anything at all; this year I knew if they had the black version of the magenta dress I bought this fall I would get it. The dress retails for $54 and it is by the brand Mitoshop. I got my magenta for $39. Well, they had it in black, rust, and a couple of other colors. They also had a short sleeve version. Um, I walked out with 5 dresses that were $15 each. The dress could literally be worn in 3-4 seasons. They are solid colors and you can put a cardigan or scarf over them.

The dress:

Did I go a little crazy buying these dresses? Yes. It’s a great material and the shape works for me – I think. I could have left with just the black but what’s the fun in that? Also, some people say not to get multiples but multiples have always been good to me.

Eddie Otis is a pack a day smoker these days. He loves pulling out the three cigarettes.

So, Tom passed his cold on to me – just sinus pain and a bit of congestion. It could also be allergies after kicking up a lot of dust cleaning. These freezer re-usable patches are great for sinus pain. I’ve also been using the retinol patches. They feel great under your eyes.

We went out to eat on Friday night and splurged a bit on their version of the blooming onion:

I found You’ve Got Mail for free on Tubi.

Saturday I got up feeling a bit worse. It’s hard to know if it’s poor sleep or my cold. I have literally not slept well for the last half of break because of Tom hacking for part of that time and keeping me up and now my congestion. Fun times.

People started getting very excited about the winter weather advisory and that’s all I heard about for most of Saturday!

I got an Amazon delivery, though…

I can’t believe the quality of the rose gold She Reads Truth Bible from Amazon for the price – $22. It looks like it’s now $25. It came in a nice box and would make a great gift. Thanks, Jenn, for the rec.

I also ordered a new planner that is notebook size. I hope I like the larger size. We don’t mess around with our planners now, do we, ladies? I liked the price at just under $10 and the space it has to write your to do lists is great, too.

I started feeling better to the point that I didn’t think I was sick and then felt the need to get out because of the warnings that we could be trapped inside for a few days.

I had a Kroger pick up at 1:00 and I feared I wouldn’t get a lot of my stuff but it ended up great and I only had to be without a couple of items.

I went to my two consignment stores but left empty handed and then the library where I didn’t leave empty handed and got all these requests. I love reading everyones’ favorite books from 2024!

You may notice the top book is the one I bought from Target. My plan is to give my Target copy to a friend and finish the library copy because it was too late to cancel my request.

One goal I have for myself is to scroll on my phone less and read more. Well, the barrier to reading in my living room is the lighting or me being close enough to a lamp. So, I am keeping my neck light in the living room now and it’s working great except when Tom tells me I am blinding him. Ha! This helps me be in the same room as Tom but doing my own thing.

When I got home from my Saturday errands I read and Tom watched Top Gun and I kinda watched, too. I stopped my reading for the football scene, k?

Saturday night I wanted to go out again because I knew lots of cooking was headed my way – whether it be weather related or just going back to school related.

We went to our closest Mexican restaurant and I’ve determined it’s not my fave Mexican food place at all. Their chips are not that good. I guess it kept me from eating too many.

I could only drink about 1/2 inch of this skinny margarita.

This was just meh.

Tom had enough to feed a family of four.

We brought lots home so as to not waste food.

I woke up Sunday to the starts of the snow.

These pictures are bad, but Eddie Otis picks a toy to carry and runs the lap of our living room, dining room, and kitchen and it’s so funny. He does about 10 laps several times a day.

In this photo, he has chosen his elephant that we all call elefante. He has lambie gigante (Tom named it), lambie poquito (Tom named it and it’s not correct), purple nurple (a purple bear), fox, taco, margarita, chili pepper, monkey, tug, and a couple more. He can get pretty much whichever one we tell him to get.

Here he is with lambie gigante:

Can you tell this dog gets no attention?

I complained to my students that the snow we got in December didn’t allow me to watch it coming down – my fave – because it occurred after dark or overnight. So, I guess I got my wish on Sunday!

Eddie Otis loved it!

This was 4 inches, but I think our total was close to 8 when later in the day.

And, we got the cancellation very early.

I made a cake! Snow makes me want to bake!

I parked myself on the couch most of the day with my cold supplies.

I tried to go out one more time but I could hardly walk in the crunchy snow. It was so deep and we were having freezing rain on top!

I made beef bulgogi bowls for dinner and all 4 of us were home due to the weather!

So, that’s all I’ve got for now. What’s your weather like? I don’t think we will go to school Tuesday but I hope that we use online learning. No, it’s not the same, but it’s something to ease the kids back in after break.

What about you?

Amy

Friday, January 3, 2025

First of all…

Our best friends’ daughters goes to Georgia and they almost went to the game.

Well, there is really no way to segue after that. I just don’t understand these acts.

There’s talk of a big snow coming on Sunday in my neck of the woods. For you, too?

Milk and bread! Milk and bread! You know what you really need if it snows? Alcohol and chips! Alcohol and chips!

In all seriousness, I haven’t had many cocktails over the break and I’ve done pretty well on sugar compared to years past. I had one drink on NYE – an espresso martini, nothing on NYD, and over the break if I did have anything it was probably a glass of prosecco. I did have a mojito at Mojito one afternoon. I feel like perimenopause is changing how it makes me feel and I do not like to drink too much and feel bad. Have you experienced this?

I’ve actually posted all week! Click on the titles below if you missed any:

Hello Monday

2024

Amy’s Happiness Project – Join me! I have had a few say they will.

Fashion Files

So, let’s talk about some favorites from the week…

Tom worked Monday even though he didn’t feel great. So, he left at 7:30 am and returned at 5:45 pm and we walked EO together. We both really enjoy this time and I need to be more intentional about being ready to walk. The barrier to me walking is that I need a break from EO by this time and that I am still cooking dinner. Well, I had picked up Chick Fil A (dinner was done!) and I got Tom a chocolate shake for dessert because I thought it would be good for his cold. I got the peppermint mocha for the first time this year – so good! We watched Bad Sisters while we ate. This is the only show we are watching together right now and we are enjoying it.

Tom went to work Tuesday (NYE) at the normal time but came home around 2:00 and watched games the rest of the day. I made him soup and grilled cheese for a late lunch. We were supposed to go to an early dinner reservation at Malone’s with our friends. Tom didn’t want to be coughing in a restaurant, so I went alone.

The weather was nasty. It was rainy and really windy, but I got a selfie outside the restaurant:

My college besties “The Heathers” and I got espresso martinis and they were good!

We let the guys toast with their bourbon and beer after our girls only toast!

I ordered something out of character for me – mini steak sliders with potato cakes. The steak was too salty. The potato cakes were amazing. I ate one and took the other one home.

Mason had to work but was home by the time I got home and then stayed home on NYE; Jack was out. I brought Mason home some fancy salmon (Tom didn’t want anything) and we watched a movie together.

We sent this photo to Jack. I missed Tom at dinner but I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. And, I was still home by 8:00!

I’ve been wearing my new Koolaburra by Uggs everyday – even in the house!

My library books haven’t really been floating my boat so I took a gift card a student gave me and put it toward a Target book. I had fun wandering around Target but I didn’t go crazy buying up sale items. I bought some food items, though.

I was able to enjoy it with some hot chocolate! Yes, you do need this many mini marshmallows!

I think I want to read this! Have you seen the movie of It Ends With Us?

My sister Kate gave my sister Molly and I late birthday presents at Christmas and this sweater hood thing was part of it. It came in very handy for all the cold dog walks I have been doing while Tom was sick. It’s very funny looking, but it keeps you warm!

Do you have this? Oh my gosh! I used it to buff out the silverware scratches on our white dinner plates and it works!

I found this at Target! Target has some food stuffs that Kroger doesn’t have.

Time to switch out the peppermint for the snowdrop!

Do you like lentils? I made this soup on NYD and I think it’s so good! I added kale to it, but spinach would also be good. You could also add sausage or another protein, I think.

Here is a tip I plan to try for my new Rothy’s that I talked about in Fashion Files yesterday:

Green tea in my England mug!

Patching!

I read the January chapter and took notes. It only took me about 15 minutes if you are wondering about how much time it takes.

I made another batch of Chex Mix to use up all the boxes of cereal from the first batch. Why is this stuff so good? I ate way too much. We enjoyed eating the soup and cornbread and snacking on this on New Year’s Day. It was nice to have Tom off and he got into a really big cleaning kick. It was opposite the usual. I took EO out so Tom could clean. Usually he takes EO and I clean. EO tries to “help” if he stays in the house. He is both fascinated and scared of the vacuum.

Have you tried the Elf lip oil? Look at my collection! I wouldn’t say it stays on that long but the feel is great and you want to re-apply. It’s really pretty!

I got some new mascara and I really like it. I have been going bare for quite some time because it was bothering me.

Cute boy:

The lentil soup was better the next day!

Get this away from me!

Mason was washing kale for kale chips and Eddie Otis said, “I’ll dry!”

Mason gets such a kick out of EO’s personality.

My sister Molly told me about this and I was skeptical. But, if you are going to TJ’s, grab a bottle of the almond sparkling wine.

What have been your favorites this week? I think it was really odd for Tom with him having a day and a half off in the middle of the week.

All our Christmas decor is put away except for twinkle lights on the mantle and the white pre-lit tree in our bedroom. I’m keeping those for January at least. I did look at my Valentine’s decor but it feels too early.

Alright, I better stop writing your ear off now.

Amy

Thursday, January 2, 2024

It’s hard to know what day it is, but I think it’s Thursday and it’s been a bit since I have done a Fashion Files post with Kellyann and Jill.

First of all, some recent additions to my closet…

Tom gave me these Koolabura by Ugg short booties at my request. This is a much more affordable option than the Ugg Uggs. I plan to wear them to work everyday and bring an extra pair of shoes with me, but honestly, I might not change out of them. I wear them without socks and they are so cozy without making my feet too hot.

This was a total impulse purchase. Jenn showed us her new red ballet flats from Walmart and I went looking and saw my fave Scoop brand but in silk? Don’t they look nice?

The quality is unbelievable and they were only $15 ish each. I may have gotten a half size too big but they are fine. I am a size 8 but in pointy toes I go up to an 8.5. So, that is what I did for these. I wore the red on Christmas Eve. They were very comfortable at the grocery and then at dinner and a church service.

And then I wore the black for NYE:

I had a great Rothy’s light tan pair years ago and then I washed the entire shoe and they were too snug after that. I forgot that they made my feet sweat something fierce. Anyway, I saw these on sale and I love black and tan. I have worn them for an errand. They are very comfy but the weird feet sweats were a bit bothersome.

I really want a pair of the Mary Janes by Rothy’s! I predict that we will be seeing Mary Janes a lot. Any tricks for the feet sweats caused by Rothy’s?

My recent flats are very demure, no?

I walked in Aerie and found these cute pajama pants on the clearance rack. I love Aerie’s quality and they have a scalloped hem and a little bow at the top.

My new bag, of course, deserves a spot.

And that’s it for my Christmas gifts or things I added in the last couple of weeks.

So, in the fall I wore all the fall colors – olives, oranges, mustards, browns. As soon as Thanksgiving Day was over I shoved all that aside for the reds, greens, and festive holiday attire.

Now, I want to wear my blues, blacks, burgundy and non-Christmasy patterns. I only want to put on my blue and black Halaras, guys! They are that good. I don’t like wearing skirts and dresses in the cold of winter. Leggings feel weird under those to me now. I can also wear all my Matilda Janes to work. I’m feeling more the flares than the ruffles.

I think I have three sweaters with hearts on them for V Day. I have seen some more cute ones but I am trying to restrain myself.

I really don’t want to shop for awhile. I want to be content. Also when I do shop online, I spend too much time checking on when it will arrive and anticipating its arrival. Are you like that? I want to get away from fast fashion but I get pulled back in!

Also, to be honest, winter clothes are my least favorite to buy. Come spring, I get giddy about the bright colors and patterns. So, I hope this will help me to be content with my current closet offerings.

Do you have any fashion goals for 2025?

Amy