Thursday, November 28, 2024

Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving!

I had my Spanish 3 students pick a person in our school that has helped them or meant something to them during the first part of the year. Then, I lead them in writing a thank you letter – yes, in Spanish. They question me, but I assure them I have been doing this for years and many teachers could understand the gist of the letter.

I hand deliver most and then ask them if they need help understanding it. The recipients are so touched.

I’m going to write one, too – to YOU!

Dear Blog Readers,

I want to thank you for being here. I have enjoyed this little hobby that I started six years ago more than I thought I would. I can’t believe it’s been that long and I kind of can’t believe I’ve stuck with it. I almost find it easier to blog daily than to do something like an every other day plan. That’s why I am usually here five days a week! I have found I have a lot to say. This is a great outlet for my thoughts even though I know I can be a broken record. Sometimes I let self doubt creep in and think I have nothing new to offer. I don’t think I would have lasted this long if it weren’t for you.

You all have seen me through some hard things! You saw me through the illness and passing of my Dad, some hard health things with my mom, my kids leaving the nest in one fell swoop, and a freaking global pandemic!

The fact that I have people coming here to read my words and to leave me sweet and encouraging comments – wow. Sometimes I can hardly believe it. I don’t know what this says about me or my life, but I get more encouragement here than I do IRL. Maybe it’s because we go deeper here than is possible on social media.

I love the blog world. I think blogs have added so much to my life. Where can you get such good recommendations and inspiration for living a normal life? I think having a blog has made me do more and get out more!

I try to be as transparent as I can but there are some things I won’t say here because it would hurt someones’ feelings or because it is not my story to tell. Otherwise, I do try to keep it real. I would never want to hurt anyone and I am sorry if I have in the past.

I love when I get a comment that I have helped someone. Whether it be a product, a clothing item, a tip – it makes my heart swell to think little ol’ me did that.

I love when I make someone laugh. It’s the best feeling. Life is ridiculous, isn’t it? To see the humor in our lives is such a gift.

Thank you to those of you who also have blogs. Please don’t stop! It’s so different from an influencer Facebook or Instagram. We really get to know each other and feel a connection through the blogland.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And, for those of you who just want to get through this day, I see you. This year may look different but I hope that you feel peace in what is happening in your life to get you to the other side. I pray for a friend spending her first Thanksgiving without her Dad. I pray for another friend who is a primary caregiver of a parent who is not the same as she was last year. I pray for all of you who are missing someone at your table or who are sitting at a table that looks different than what you have known.

Amy

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

T minus 24 hours now! It’s Wednesday and that means a link up with Joyce!

1. Talking turkey…are you cooking the turkey this year? Does ham belong on a Thanksgiving day menu? When it comes to gravy do you pour it over your whole plate, skip it altogether, or land somewhere in between? Cranberries-homemade or jelled right out of the can? Do you look forward more to the main course, the savory sides, or the desserts? 

I have never cooked a turkey! My sister in law is cooking one for Thursday and there is no ham that I know of. On Friday with my family we are doing ham only – HoneyBaked ham and it is $140! My mom wanted to do that and it is really good, but wow!

No gravy for me. It belongs nowhere.

Meh. I like the color the cranberries add but not that big of a fan. I have made them homemade as my contribution several times. Tom’s family always did the can where you slide it out and see the can markings – lol.

I like the sides!

I know there are at least a couple of bloggers who participate here who live outside the US and won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving. If that’s you feel free to adapt this question to your December (or any) holiday meal.

2. Holiday movies…tell us your favorite and what it is about the film that makes you love it. Is it the film itself or a memory it stirs? 

The Holiday – but really just the England part!

Home Alone – great memories of my kids thinking it was just hilarious and then trying to come up with traps for our house.

3. A favorite way to give back and help others?

I need to work on this. I heard about an opportunity to buy wreaths for veterans’ graves and I plan to do that.

4. Name a place or setting you encountered this month that made you feel grateful. 

My home, my patio, and a couple of areas of my community. I felt happy to live here when I went out to eat with friends at some of our wonderful spots and when I went to JingleFest in NULU, the German Market and Westport Village to some favorite boutiques. My school – it has been a second home since I have been there for 25 years. I run that place – just kidding!

5. Knowing what you know today, if you could redo yesterday what would you do differently? 

Maybe I would have eaten a little less at our school Friendsgiving? It was so good. I had a good day, though. I feel like I made a few people smile and I said yes to a spontaneous activity in the evening! I am working on this part of my being so I was happy my instinct was “yes” and not “no – I didn’t plan to do that”.

6. Spill your own random thought here. 

I am being kind to myself right now. I am choosing some easier routes for things I have to do for the holiday. I am trying to simplify. I am trying to think about what truly matters and what does not. I am buying pies instead of making them. I didn’t overcommit. I am simplifying my Christmas decor to what works in this season of puppy and what truly makes me happy.

I am going to work at seeing the humor in awkward situations. I need to be well rested myself and well taken care of to be this person I want to be!

Thank you for being here and look for a post tomorrow and Friday!

Amy

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Are you familiar with Pablo Neruda and his odes? He wrote odes to the tomato, the avocado, his socks, salt, the book, wine, to a large tuna in a market, maize, broken things, and ironing among other things. So, for him to write odes to these things meant that he cared deeply about these things.

So, in this month of gratitude, I asked my AP Spanish to write down 5 things that they might feel that strongly about. I discouraged big things that we would all say like friends and family, freedom, etc.

Here is what my students picked to write about; they all had to have a unique topic – no duplicates. Maybe there are some gift ideas here, too.

Yes, I still do some things “old school”! I don’t have my own printer and sometimes a notebook paper list works just fine.

The topics chosen were Christmas, jewelry, my bed(the student’s bed, not my bed – that would be weird), August, cds, River Road, art, fall, flowers, Cuban food, football, my watch, my cat, driving, my pencil, my stuff dinosaur, and rainy days.

I gave them certain verb tense requirements, length requirements, and read and critiqued all of their rough drafts. I will show you some finished products!

Here are some things that could be ode worthy for me and I would love to hear yours, too. Maybe some gift ideas can come out of the comment section?

that first cup of coffee from one of my Starbuck’s mugs

my key ring that fits on my wrist

my dumb (not smart) watch

this pack of coffee cups from Amazon

my backpack and being hands free

a clear desk

an empty planner

a fiction book and a book that inspires me to live a little better

my blog and the blogs I read

my patio and my patio lights

rainy days – especially when I can stay home

candles

the acting of chopping, stirring, and creating a meal for myself or someone else

What is ode worthy for you? I know I could have come up with many more things!

Amy

Monday, November 25, 2024

Ok, it’s a two day week! I am happy to link up with Sarah and Holly to share my weekend. How was yours? Were you frantically running around doing holiday stuff? I was not. I placed most of my stuff in a grocery order for pick up last Thursday.

Friday at school was cold! I had this roaring fire on my panel and some kids came up and warmed their hands and it made me chuckle. I still have my laptop hooked to a projector and use that daily in addition to this panel. I’m an old dog and I can learn new tricks but this set up is working for me.

No happy hour after school. I came home and spent time with Eddie Otis and then cooked a frozen pizza for Tom and I. We were the only ones home.

I took Fiona Ferris’ tips and got dressed for the grocery Saturday morning. I had a few little odds and ends to get that weren’t on my order Thursday and I thought I would browse any seasonal offerings. I hadn’t been in the grocery in I don’t know how long. I saw zero people I knew because I looked decent. Usually I see at least five people I know!

I picked this up!

And, I saw this cute mug and grabbed it for myself, too.

I went home and unloaded groceries and then just piddled around until 3:00. I did some laundry, some cleaning, and some straightening. I vacuumed, too. But, I had already gotten ready for the 3:00 activity, so it was nice to have that done.

Tom and I went to the German American Club’s Christkindlmrkt!

Yes, we saw some lederhosen! I had some gluhwein (warmed red wine)!

It was pretty cool outside but it added to the atmosphere.

They had booths of people selling things – not necessarily all German things -some could just be used for holiday gifts – but we did see a person from our beloved German restaurant that closed – the daughter of the owners was selling t-shirts and said she is writing a cookbook of the restaurant’s recipes. She also said she does some special orders. Guess who ordered a Thanksgiving apple strudel? Tom! We were excited.

A young girl had a pop up clothing and accessory booth and we talked and she told me about her website.

This cute sweatshirt came home with me! It says “The North Pole Cocktail Club”.

Our friends were supposed to go to the German market with us but something came up – they still met us for dinner after at Monnik Beer Company which has some German food. One of the owners is Dutch so some of the food is Dutch, too. The food is really good and the vibe is great, too.

Yesterday morning I started with my new devotional book…

And, I studied more about how to have a “soft, calm life”. Eddie Otis wanted to have a “hard, excited life”. We compromised.

And, those are the highlights of my weekend. I was glad not to be too busy.

I feel like both holidays are really melding together so instead of trying to fight it, I am also joining in!

I plan to post all or most days this week, by the way.

I am making a bundt cake for our school friendsgiving this week. The school is providing the meats and each department has certain things to bring, including breakfast items. We will have both breakfast and lunch available. My bundt cake will be a box spice cake mix (with my tricks – extra egg, sub butter for the oil) with a homemade cream cheese frosting.

Thursday we go to Tom’s sister’s house and I am in charge of a pumpkin pie, a pecan or Derby pie, and mashed potatoes. I bought a bag of Yukon Gold because they are already so creamy and ain’t nobody got time to peel. I don’t mind peeling because I have an amazing peeler (not a flex), but thought I would try this from TelloandRose on IG:

Friday we go to my mom’s and I am in charge of Jiffy corn casserole and a green salad. Here is the salad:

How are you feeling?

Don’t forget to go back and read my post whether you are a host or a guest – What To Wear, Say, Bring, Do for Thanksgiving!

Amy

Friday, November 22, 2024

Ahhh…Friday. We do have school Monday and Tuesday, but that seems do-able at this point. Maybe?

I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some faves from the week. Just like my brain, they will be all over the place.

I had this breakfast bowl a couple of times this week. I am low key obsessed with sweet potatoes. I didn’t think much of them for the first 51 years of my life – lol. This includes Amylu chicken breakfast sausage – love, two eggs, and a tiny bit of shredded swiss/gruyere cheese from Trader Joe’s. “Low key” is teen speak for “kind of”. You’re welcome!

For some reason, my Amazon is set to Spanish. I honestly think it happened in Spain. Isn’t that funny?

This Spanish teacher is “grading” the message and they even have all the accents right.

A couple of patio mornings really energized me this week. Also, I made sure my coffee pot was set and ready and the kitchen was very clean before bed this week. It makes such a difference to “ready” your mornings, no? On another note, last week I went to bed at 10 each night and I was dragging all week. This week I have put myself to bed at 9:30 and even though it’s only 30 minutes, I feel so much better! Are you like that, too?

Eddie Otis has been “eating” our outside doormats.

My solution is to not have doormats. Tom says he has to learn right from wrong. Um, when, Tom? I was telling him no and bad dog and not to do it and I swear this dog was moving his lips and mouth and mocking me.

We had a fire one night this week and need to do this more! We have a gas starter and just used a fake log, but we do have real wood. I guess we were just testing it out.

I did a dark green press on mani this week – way better than the long oval shape.

I started using my candy cane Chapstick again. Love it!

I wanted to buy these in Spain and looked at them in one store. Well, guess who placed an order from Spain? Me!

My Wednesday night outing this week was special! I have been wanting Mason to try this Venezuelan restaurant since i went with Tom. They have very limited days and hours and we finally made it happen!

We ordered choripan (bread with cheese and chorizo) and fried yuca along with some broccolini.

It was a treat!

With the holidays approaching, I liked mirabellecreations’ recent Instagram post:

And, this by Mel Robbins:

If you want to be outside more and it’s just too cold for you, designate an outside blanket that can easily be washed. This is mine:

And, yes I do look like the Home Alone burglars, but your Dad was right, hats really do keep in the heat.

So, what made you smile this week? Any faves?

Amy

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Well, we are one week away from turkey day. I am happy to link up with Kellyann and Jill to share the ‘fits I put together over the last week.

Here is what I wore to school last Thursday. It was rainy and I was dragging. I have on my Matilda Jane jeans which got saggy throughout the day, my Old navy striped button up, my 32 Degrees vest, and my new SoftWalk Arvana clogs.

Friday I wore..my new Umgee blouse, a shorter pair of jeans, the same new shoes, and my new Sherpa that I got for free with a $30 purchase.

I will tell you that the SoftWalk Arvana passed the on my feet 8 hours as a teacher on hard cement floors test. They were comfy right out of the box. I personally do not think that Birkenstocks or Danskos (the traditional clog that nurses wear) are that comfortable. Maybe I have had the wrong size or the wrong style. I am probably between a 38 and 39 in Euro sizes. So, this clog is like the look of the two if they were to have a baby, but much, much more comfortable. Macy’s online had a better price than the SoftWalk website.

Saturday I put on my pumpkin spice Walmart sweater with Matilda Janes, and the new shoes again. I got this sweater from Walmart on clearance at the end of last winter and also have a green one with pink lettering that says “Sweater Weather”. Lol.

Dinner out Saturday night…I put the new blouse on with my Chico’s buttery soft faux leather pantalones. These pants are lined and they feel so good on. I bought them in both the brown and black and they are perfect. The length is perfect, the fit and feel are perfect. Don’t you love it when you make a good purchase. I find that Chico’s is great for solid basics. Their prints can be too aging art teacher for me. And, I love any opportunity to wear my Hush Puppy pumps. Say that five times fast! Some of you have written to tell me you love Hush Puppies driving loafers. I have cow print! They are so comfy! And, their leopard print is calling my name. The prices are so reasonable for the quality.

I added my old consignment wrap for warmth en route. I found this new with tags several years ago.

This is my $20 final sale Tunie’s Outlet dress I told you about. I wore it to school on Monday. I was so comfortable and got a lot of compliments on the color.

And, Tuesday I thought why not wear my Thanksgiving wallpaper dress. But, Stan Smiths were the footwear of choice. Can we talk about these? I have determined these to be my most comfortable sneaker currently. I chose the gold backed but the green and navy are great choices depending on your wardrobe.

And that’s a wrap for the week. Do you have a favorite? What have you been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

I am linking up with Joyce and many more for Wednesday Hodgepodge! It’s such a fun link up and I don’t know how Joyce comes up with all the questions. I want to ask some of them of my students. Some would really get into them and others would be having cell phone withdrawals and the shakes.

Today should be fun! After school all of the language clubs (Spanish, Japanese, French) and the Latin Student Union, Jewish Student Union, South Asian Student Union are joining forces for a Friendsgiving. They can bring a dish from a country where their language is spoken or their family’s country of origin. How cool is it that kids want to do this?

Also, I never told you what happened with the Thriller flashmob on Halloween. The teachers went out to the courtyard and a huge crowd was gathered like everyone had let it slip and not kept it a secret. We couldn’t hear the Thriller song so it didn’t happen. Womp. Womp. I stayed after school twice to learn the dance routine and practiced in front of my mirror.

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown? 

My hometown is super cute with a vibrant downtown and several events that take place. Madison, Indiana is where I lived from age 5 until age 18, and then in the summers until I was 22. My mom and dad enjoyed being a part of the community and now my mom still lives there.

It’s on the Ohio River and we can actually boat there from my current home of Louisville, Kentucky.

I grew up in a neighborhood around a lake and it was a great childhood. We swam, boated, and ice skated. I had lots of friends to hang with. There are lots of stories that all take place on Hereford Lake!

2. Do you prefer ‘material’ gifts or ‘experience’ gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you’ve received and truly enjoyed. 

I don’t think I have gotten many experience gifts but I could be forgetting. I love both and really appreciate any gift when I feel “seen” – like the giver really gets me.

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What’s a favorite brown thing you own? Of the brown foods listed here which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed… brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

We have a brown leather couch and a fabric oversized chair with brown in it. I also have lots of brown in my wardrobe. I love a cognac and a deep chocolate brown the most.

I also love to decorate with chocolate lab fur!

Shades of brown:

Coffee would have to be my favorite brown food!

4. Which ‘Charlie Brown’ character do you relate to most? If you’re not sure, you can take a fun quick quiz by clicking here-Which Charlie Brown Character Are You?  or the one found here-Charlie Brown Quiz. I got the same answer on both. 

I am Snoopy according to one of the quizzes above! “You are loyal, funny, imaginative, good-natured, and always so happy. You keep people entertained and there’s nothing you love more than making people laugh”. I would say some of that is true, but it’s highly dependent on if I have gotten enough sleep and how early it is. I am the life of the party at brunch. After 8 pm, not so much! Also, I am not always so happy! Maybe I am geriatric Snoopy.

5. What’s a favorite item you’ve purchased this year? 

Definitely my Barcelona purse. It makes me so happy every time I look at it. I have used it every day since I came home I think. It stays tucked in my school backpack during the week. I’m really glad I got it for myself. Joyce, do I get extra credit for my favorite thing also being a brown thing?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am typing this from my slightly rainy/drizzling 60 degree patio on Tuesday morning. I am pretty sure this is the last morning I will be able to start my day outside. I was able to do this every single day since August with maybe one or two exceptions. That’s pretty sweet. It’s such a gift to be able to have an hour or a bit more to myself before I have to get all people-y. It’s also so nice to see Eddie Otis lay down and be calm with me.

You know, I do think Fiona Ferris would say I am living an “epic small life” for me.

We are going to be in the 30s and 40s soon. I will have to create my wintertime morning spot again complete with a candle and twinkle lights and teach Eddie Otis the new plan. Wish me luck!

Amy

Tuesday, November 19. 2024

Ok, let’s talk turkey. Lol.

What to Wear:

First check temps and then think about what you will be doing. Do you stay in the kitchen? Do you hang outside? How formal is your family or the group you will be with?

You can’t go wrong with a blouse that keeps you cool. You can pair it with a skirt and boots, nicer jeans, or pants. You can bring a wrap for going outside.

Or you can do a blouse in dress form which is just a dress.

These are some contenders for me.

Just remember you need to be comfortable because nothing will put you in a worse mood than if you are hot and itchy.

What to Bring:

Bring whatever the host has assigned you. Sometimes the host will get ‘mad’ if you bring more or vary from the assignment. I have gotten in trouble before for bringing too much. Seriously.

Most hosts would be touched by a ‘thank you for hosting” gift that can be opened later, but don’t go overboard.

I have given my sister in law a candle, seasonal hand soap or something to get ready for Christmas, and this year I gave her the turkey leg spoon rest!

It is a lot of work to host and I want them to know I appreciate them. Even if it’s a family member, I think it’s worth treating them as well as you would anyone not in your family.

If you are the host, be gracious about any gifts brought and just say thank you to the extras. It’s really no big deal.

What to Say:

Maybe call or text and ask if there is any last minute item they need. A bag of ice? Some hosts fear running out of ice.

If your host is prickly or if there is tension always start with a compliment. It’s hard to stay prickly when someone gives you a genuine compliment.

If you are the host, don’t run yourself ragged. Delegate. You don’t want to be in a bad mood when people show up.

Say positive things. Don’t be a Negative Nancy. Do not bring up politics or anything controversial. Don’t ask young marrieds when they will have a baby. Do not ask the 20 somethings when they will get a boyfriend, fiance, etc.

“What’s good with you lately?” is a nice way to ask someone about their life while keeping a positive spin on things.

Keep in mind that many teens today will say or think; “why are we celebrating colonization and cultural appropriation of native Americans with a dry bird?”

What to Do:

Come at the assigned time. Don’t outstay your welcome. Ask what you can do to help. Offer to collect plates, load dishwasher, put leftovers into containers, things like that.

Give people a chance to act better this year and don’t just assume they are a lost cause. We all have things that bother us but try to let those things roll off this year.

Or, as my sister suggested, try a secret drinking game. Everyone drinks whenever certain buzz words are said.

What would you add to this list? Just remember that no family is perfect and that we all have our stuff. The pressure is great to be perfect on a holiday and it’s just not reality.

Amy

Friday, November 15, 2024

Limping across the finish line to the weekend here. Who decided we should have a five day work week? We need to talk. I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for some favorites of the week!

This black Impress mani went 11 days and that was good for me. I then went bare for two days.

And, Wednesday night I did the Kate Spade set. I am having a bit of trouble typing!

I have worn my new Kendra Scott Yellow Rose every day and I love them!

These were another Big Boo rec and I find myself wearing them almost every day lately.

I haven’t done it much this year, but I treat myself sometimes on Fridays to an egg mcmuffin.

I am also trying to ‘take myself out’ to do a little fun shopping during the week. This is challenging with most closing at 5:00 but I am trying to add a little fun in my week.

I don’t remember where I saw this recommended, but I love this new shampoo and conditioner both for the smell and how my hair feels. Coupled with my new Trader Joe’s leave in conditioner and my Unite detangler – yes!

A couple of weeks ago I was in Target and grabbed these fun socks for my kids. They will laugh but they love wearing goofy socks.

And, look at this cute spoon rest!

I am so happy I ordered this pack of to go cups. We have enjoyed having them for coffee or tea on the go.

We have had a lot of rain this week and this picture I sent to Tom made me laugh and I thought I would share.

I put this post it note in Tom’s food bag (he takes yogurt and fruit) and he added the ‘2’ and sent me the photo. Such a Tom thing to do.

I know. I know. There are better choices but I love my pumpkin spice so much all frothed up. I also was able to find the brown butter chocolate chip again!

Combating the early darkness with my lights…

And burn your candles! Don’t ‘save’ them!

Enjoying this…

Thank goodness for Kroger pick up on a rainy day and a kid to carry all the stuff in! You all had lots of thoughts on my grocery post – love to talk about it! The carnitas bowls were a big hit Tuesday night and then on Wednesday we had breakfast for dinner.

Starting to do some fall screen savers at school!

Funny story if I can tell it in writing…

We have a friend who rented a small airplane hangar for a small plane to teach the son to fly. Well, he sold the plane and needed to vacate the rented hangar.

He texted Tom Friday night after dark and asked if Tom was available to help him move something from an airplane hangar. Tom asked if he would need a disguise. It just sounded very James Bond. And, when Mason asked where Tom was and I told him he also laughed at how crazy it sounded.

Anyway, it was good for a chuckle. I hope I made my students chuckle a bit this week. I really feel like I’m a not so successful stand up comic many days!

Any favorites this week? Please share!

Amy

Thursday, November 14, 2024

It’s time for Fashion Files with Kellyann and Jill!

Last Thursday a local boutique was having a holiday open house so I took myself. It was way too crowded so I went to another boutique in the same shopping center. If you are local, I am talking about Darling State of Mind and Tunie’s. Well, I also went to the Tunie’s Outlet where I picked up this magenta dress for $20! I see the need to have more solid colors in my closet and I loved the style of the dress, too. I think it will work in multiple seasons and I will show you a picture of me wearing it as soon as I can make that happen!

This is the only thing I came home with besides Qdoba for our dinner! Win!

Thursday for school and for the shopping I did I wore this:

This is my Target black slip skirt, my consignment rock and roll tee and my consignment magenta blazer.

I forgot to take a photo of my Friday school outfit, but I wore jeans and one of my fall blouses. I think it was a repeat of a couple of weeks ago.

Saturday I decided to wear black jeans and a black top with this poncho over it for brunch and JingleFest.

And, this is out of order, but I wore this to school one day last week. Meh. I have this velvet burn out poncho in both this color and black that I got years ago from Target.

This Monday I wore this fun skirt that is super old from Target with one of my favorite fall blouses. I am returning the vest because it didn’t look quite right. I ordered it on Amazon as a third piece but I’m not keeping anything that isn’t perfect from now on!

And, this Tuesday I wore my deer blouse with a fuzzy and warm vest and my brown Matilda Jane flares. I was so comfy!

And lastly, I feel like a 50s male college cheerleader…Matilda flares with my Target sweater from last year and my Sambas – lol.

Let’s talk underpinnings, ok? Dan, you can sign off now. I had Soma ones for years and they were great, but they have since retired. I was struggling to find something I liked and probably should have just gone back to Soma. The Big Boo Cast recommended these and I love them. I have thrown everything else out and ordered more. Here is the link if you are interested and there are different styles so read the descriptions.

So, that’s it for this week’s fashion!

What about you? What has been your workhorse this week?

Amy