Friday, July 5, 2024

Did you survive the 4th? I am happy to link up with Andrea and Erika today to share some favorites of the week!

As usual, my favorites are all over the place, but hopefully there is a little something for everyone! And if there isn’t, I guess my blog isn’t for you! What is wrong with me lately?

Here we go…

I was able to find this creamer again and I love it! It’s so summery tasting to me. I have tried to quit creamer, but I just can’t. I don’t use any sweetener in my coffee besides this, so that’s good, right? I finally changed the batteries in my frother and boy am I frothy again.

I tackled my Tupperware! I am doing a declutter challenge, in case you haven’t heard. What do you call these containers? I guess I call all of them Tupperware like I call all bandages Band-Aid. I am more likely to call all soft drinks Coke, too. We actually have a Tupperware brand store in Louisville. I love these meal prep containers, but should I be using Pyrex or glass? I just don’t see me transporting those to school.

I’m enjoying my three little Trader Joe’s candles. This raspberry and roses is my fave. I love their cute little tins, too.

Mason and I took an hour road trip to see my family and I enjoyed our conversation – especially on the way home. Mason was feeling quite chatty. Eddie Otis was so good in the car and here he is on my mom’s porch:

Do not buy these if you don’t want to eat too many! So good! They remind me of a candy from my childhood, too, but I can’t think of what it was – maybe those peanut shaped candies that were flaky and had peanut butter? My Dad loved peanut butter and so do I. My Dad used to say that it didn’t get much better than peanut butter on a saltine cracker. He used to eat them in front of his radio shows and that was when saltines came with four crackers attached in a tin can. My blog is so weird. You just never know where my brain is going to take you.

I enjoyed some patio reading time this week. I find that even in the 90s it doesn’t feel that bad under my patio overhang. I’m so lucky to have a fan, too.

My style this summer has been graphic tees or dresses. I realized what trend I apparently am following:

It’s called Surfer Nephew:

There’s Coastal Grandmother, Coastal Aunt, and now Surfer Nephew. Ummmmkayyyy…

Who comes up with this stuff? I guess Alison Bornstein who I follow on Instagram.

I bore myself by how much I talk about the grocery. But, I received this email:

Thanks, Walmart Plus! I have saved 3 hours and $49 apparently? So, this week I had a Walmart delivery and I went to Trader Joe’s for just a few things.

This is cute:

I was able to watch it one afternoon this week while Eddie Otis was napping. Have you seen it on Netflix?

I am trying to watch this but it’s got some weird fantasy elements so it’s not holding my attention that well. It’s on Prime.

I just started this:

Our 4th was weird. Tom was technically off but went to the office for a few hours and then Home Depot.

I wanted to go to a market and it was a bust. It was supposed to start at 10 and we got there at 11 and it wasn’t set up. It might have been pushed back for our yucky weather?

Anyway, we went in the food hall and got some donuts and sat outside and had a few bites!

For lunch, I made us Jimmy John’s (fake) with the day old bread I had gotten on Wednesday.

I froze most of it!

I am really into veggie sandwiches with this cream cheese as a base. I just pile on the veg and it’s so good to me!

I got to read on the patio but soon heard thunder!

And, it stormed and stormed for a few hours. Then, the storms brought even more humidity! Oh well!

I let myself order two books and spent some time reading them yesterday:

They are really short and just for fun. I love stuff like this and my library didn’t have them. Get ready to see me turn into the most Chic Summer European Amy you’ve ever seen! Ha! Wait, can I be Chic if I’m a Surfer Nephew? Ok, I will be the most Chic European Summer Surfer Nephew you’ve ever encountered. I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Happy Friday!

Amy

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Happy 4th of July! Tom is off today! We do have rain in our forecast, sadly.

I have two new fashions to show you, but I didn’t do a great job with outfits or outfit photos this week!

First up is the green Walmart dress:

And, second is a Walmart blouse that I happened upon online. I loved the print.

It’s the same print as my black and white dress, by the way.

I am currently reading:

I really like it! I just haven’t had much time to read lately.

I am going to have to bite the bullet and order a few summer books that either I can’t find at my library or that will take too long and no longer be “summer reading” by the time they get to me. That’s ok. I save so much money by using my library.

I am buying:

100 Ways to Live a European Inspired Life by Fiona Ferris

How to Be Chic in the Summer by Fiona Ferris

Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins

What are you reading right now?

4th of July Menu:

hot dogs

corn on the cob

baked beans

mac and cheese

peach and feta salad

Some years I go to the store and look for red, white, and blue inspo. Some years I do a red, white, and blue charcuterie. This year I’m just feeling the summer foods, I think!

I will be back tomorrow with Friday Favorites!

Baby, you’re a firework! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Amy

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Wednesday, July 3, 2024

I love this Currently link up with Jenn, but I may sound like a broken record with my answers if you are a regular reader! Oh well… here we go!

Loving

The cool mornings of this week. I make myself start my day on the patio even when it’s humid but these cool mornings have been so nice. I needed a hoodie! I really think starting my day on the patio sets my whole day up in a good way and I know it’s good for the puppy, too.

I was telling someone that I can’t have my patio pillows and decor up this summer because the pup gets everything, but it’s been nice to not worry about it at the same time.; I think I’m a wannabe minimalist. On my patio, I have my 6 top table and my sectional with coffee table and use both of them daily. I really am not using my upper patio this summer because I want to encourage the pup to roam the yard and he will be wherever I am.

I am also loving a road trip that Mason and I took yesterday (Eddie Otis, too!). My sister was visiting my mom and I came as a surprise and my other sister came as a surprise, too! It was even a surprise to me! My family really likes surprises, so much so that we wonder if there will be a surprise! We had 7 of the 9 grandchildren present.

Since my mom didn’t know we were coming, I brought Hawaiian buns, a cheese tray, ham, and turkey and a box of chips to help with all the kids’ appetites!

My two Indiana nieces did a fake senior picture with the Indiana sweet corn my Indiana sister brought for us to take home…

Lena:

Mia:

Silly! We just hung out and talked and it was a nice day!

By the way, I live in Kentucky, one sister lives in Ohio, and the other lives in Indiana!

Looking forward to

I’m looking forward to more of the same summer activities! I am planning to get serious about my Summer List and make sure I accomplish what I want to accomplish. What a privilege that I get to do this. It’s not lost on me. I am hoping for more river days, more pool days, more happy hours, more breakfasts and lunch out, and more summer meals that I cook, too. What is a summer meal you have recently cooked?

Savoring

I am really savoring the slow mornings, the open days, and summer in general! I have friends who pack their calendar – but I love keeping my calendar open for things that come up.

Celebrating

I am not sure what we are doing for 4th of July – if it’s nice we will boat and if it’s not so nice we might go to a community event for a bit. We don’t really have a tradition. I do plan on having hot dogs on the 4th! Tom loves the Fresh Market hot dogs so I plan to get those today. I already bought buns, baked beans, and mac and cheese and I will probably do a grilled peach and feta salad that sounded good. And, now I want to make my corn on the cob!

I am also celebrating doing well on my 40 bags list! I am finally finding the motivation to really tackle my clutter. I just did my silverware and bought new silverware trays (used my Walmart Plus to get them delivered) and my messy cabinet above my microwave. I got rid of 20 candles! I was just using it as a catch all and it was bad.

Here’s what I think is motivating me – we need to be pretty minimalist with the new puppy (just like on the patio) and I want our spaces to be easier to keep clean. I am asking myself if I used it in the past 90 days or if I think I will in the next 90. I am also asking myself if I would buy that item again today for things like home decor items. And, finally, I have a CVS, Walgreen’s, and Kroger a stone’s throw away and can easily replace anything that I might need. I have a Target a little bit up the road along with a TJ Maxx and a Homegoods! I have Costco! I also have Walmart and Amazon!

Here is my list:

I have added new things, too. I am happy to say that now I have many categories crossed off.

And, one more tip – I am immediately putting the donation bags in my car and taking them to donate. I am also throwing away some things away that aren’t fit for donation.

This is helping me to not shop out of boredom or for an activity, too. I am letting myself shop for new kitchen towels, new glassware (after I go through the cups). That is also very motivating for me.

I think that if you make it to 20 years of marriage you should be able to register for wedding gifts again! Anyone? Ha! Seriously, so many of my housewares are really, really old.

Remembering

I guess I am remembering all the fun summers of the past. I had so much fun!

Zoo Visits:

Pool Days:

And, I think I am also remembering to be a kid at heart this summer! Get in the pool! Read! Be spontaneous! Say yes! Have fun! Be silly!

I’d love to hear what you are up to currently, too!

Amy

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

This is not rocket science, but I thought it was post-worthy. I had to take my car in to get an oil change and a tire rotation and I decided to make it something enjoyable, too.

I could have asked someone to meet me, but I also relish some outings on my own, so I kept it just me.

Lucky for me that the car place is in an area that is walkable to a few places.

I dropped off my car:

I had a 9:00 a.m. appointment so I walked to Biscuit Belly. It was going to be a hot one, but it still felt pretty good outside so I opted to sit on their patio.

I brought my planner, a notebook, and my book. I love drinking out of a real mug!

I rarely go out for breakfast so it was a treat. I didn’t love what I ordered, but oh well.

I worked on my 40 bags list, my schedule for the week, sent a few texts, and then I just read.

I sat there for about an hour and then the stores surrounding opened at 10:00 and I did some shopping.

I went in Lotsa Pasta which is a gourmet market:

I went in a little boutique, too.

My car was ready around 10:30 and I was headed back home.

I felt like I had a fun little adventure and it was good to get out that morning!

Do you turn errands into outings? Could you? So much of life is about perspective, right?

Amy

Monday, July 1, 2024

I can’t believe it’s July 1st! But, I had a really good and really full (or as full as I wanted it to be!) June if I look back on it. I have about a month left of summer before I start my professional development and classroom set up. I need to look at my Summer List and do a halfway post on the blog, too. And, of course, I need to get on those goals I haven’t yet accomplished.

I am happy to link up with Sarah and Holly to share my weekend with you all today!

Thursday was a great day and I already talked about it on Friday Favorites, but I like to include it in the weekend..

I went to Myriad Swim Club with my friend Victoria for free. They had a teacher promotion in June and we were lucky to snag a spot. It was so fun and relaxing. We really should have gotten PD credit, right?

I went home and that night we ordered pizza because I had cooked 4 nights in a row. I like to save my take out for when I need it and not a specific day of the week. Our favorite good (read expensive)pizza right now is Parlour and we Door Dash it. Look at me using my wedding china again.

Friday morning was simply beautiful and I took a picture to remember how happy summer mornings make me. This was a non-humid breezy morning and Eddie Otis was chill and let me do my blog reading! He is getting more independent in the yard which is great! But, don’t worry, the humidity came back in full force Saturday and Sunday mornings! I opened the door Saturday morning at 4:30 am and it hit me like you wouldn’t believe.

Friday morning I roasted one side of this sheet pan with sweet potatoes and red onions and just basic spices and the other side with taco seasoning for that night’s dinner.

I went into Kroger for a big (pretty big) shopping trip for the first time in about a month. In June, I used Kroger pick up once and Walmart Plus delivery the other times. They’ve moved things around and added higher shelves that I can’t reach and yeah, I’m not missing out by not shopping in person. I did see two students so that was nice!

It took forever to unload and put things away and then I was out of steam.

Eddie Otis and I went outside again and I think he winked at me?

My bestie when it gets hot. I even use it on my patio:

Since we had ordered pizza the night before, I made burrito bowls for dinner.

And, I tried the mint chocolate chip Yasso bar and it’s delightful, too!

I haven’t tried cookies and cream yet.

Saturday morning I had the puppy out of the house (Tom takes him to swim in the river most weekend mornings) and I cleaned and mopped. I guess I took this photo yesterday morning and it didn’t look as good anymore!

Then, we went to Costco on our way to our friends’ pool for a Class of 1990 pool party. There were four couples who were able to attend that all live in this area now from my high school class. This is the pool of my friend Beth from Host It Notes!

The bartender (Mike, Beth’s husband) with Beth’s beautiful charcuterie tray:

She has also started a side charcuterie business and makes grazing tables!

And, these are the only photos I took because it was so hot and I was in the pool the whole time!

We had catered bow tie pasta and sandwiches and I brought a lemon feta arugula orzo salad.

We were the first to arrive and the first to leave. You have to keep them wanting more! But, we were there for almost 5 hours and I was so tired on the way home and when we got home. We watched the first episode of Season 3 of The Bear with our kids while we had a dinner of leftovers and random things. The episode was weird and I didn’t love it. Also, I have started Our Lady Jane on Prime and Tom is getting caught up to me to see if he likes it. And, my kids are watching How I Met Your Mother while I sleep. They usually ask me if I want to watch it way too late and then I fall asleep!

Sunday morning I got to sleep in! It was really nice and I needed it! What does sleeping in look like? I think I made it to 6:45?

Then, Eddie Otis and I sweated on the patio through the humidity!

We went inside and I guess he put himself in timeout. He loves the cool tile but this time it looked like he was staring into the corner.

I am so proud of myself for cutting down on food waste! I cut up salad fixings and put them in Tom’s snackle box.

I always have to remind myself that my energy happens in the morning and I need to to do stuff like this when I have that energy.

Tom and I asked a few people to go out on the boat but they all rejected our offer so it was just us – and Eddie Otis!

Wet boy:

He is really filling out his life jacket now!

I picked up Jimmy John’s on the way to the boat:

Our boy swam quite a bit!

We had a nice few hours relaxing in the cove.

We got home around 3:00 and I showered and read my book. I’m really enjoying it! Boy, my summer reading requests better start coming in at the library or I may be forced to purchase some!

We watched The Bear Season 3 episode 2 with our kids and we ate dinner together. And, that’s a wrap on our weekend!

Ok, July…you need to go much slower, ok?

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, June 27, 2024

It’s Friday and that means it’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some things that made me happy this week!

I am working on decluttering – finally getting the motivation to start on this. One of the things I donated were our really old plastic Target plates and my Pioneer Woman plates that you’ve seen in so many photos. I plan to get some new plates, but in the mean time I am using our white Pottery Barn plates and our wedding china that is almost 24 years old and only been used a few times.

Tom and I chose this:

We knew that we didn’t want anything super fancy and I think we chose well. I still like it. It is dishwasher safe, too.

I really cooked a lot this week – Sunday night we had blackened fish tacos with mango salsa.

Monday we had Greek bowls with roasted vegetables:

Tuesday we had spaghetti:

Wednesday we had chicken, broccoli, and homemade potato wedges, but no photo.

I also did a chocolate Bundt cake with chocolate icing:

By Thursday night I was tired of cooking and we ordered pizza!

We got some amazing rain Tuesday and Wednesday. It poured and poured!

In getting ready for the 4th of July, I picked up these Waterloo – yum!

And, Kroger gave me a sample of this Liquid IV flavor in my last pick up and it was so good, so it was just a matter of finding it in a store – I found both of my red, white, and blue products at Walgreen’s!

My Amazon summer tote is doing just fine. I’m loving having a summer option now!

Things We Never Got Over started to drag for me. It’s a really long book and I feel like I know what’s going to happen, so…

I started the next one and it’s so good so far! It goes into detail of characters that played small roles in the first one.

So, here is my declutter plan:

This is hard to do with a puppy underfoot, but I’m trying to use the times he is asleep to tackle certain areas. He comes running when I open the kitchen towel drawer and steals a towel. He comes running when I open the aluminum foil/baggie drawer and grabs a baggie. He also steals things from the fridge when it’s open – he has tried to pull out a wine bottle and he has stolen a potato.

I usually lose interest and never finish the list, but so far I am being ruthless. I’m kind of using this rule – if I haven’t used it in 90 days and don’t see myself using it in the next 90 days it has to go.

I’m already enjoying the space I have now that certain drawers and areas aren’t so stuffed full.

Have you all tried Yasso bars? I tried my first in the cookie dough flavor and it is so good! I can’t wait to try some other flavors.

I had to laugh at Eddie Otis playing with his margarita and his chili pepper. You know you are the puppy of a Spanish teacher when…

He also has a giant taco dog toy!

This has been my uniform – bike shorts, t-shirt, sneakers for morning walks and working around the house.

And, yesterday I had a really fun day with my friend Victoria. The Myriad Hotel Swim Club has had free Wednesday and Thursday for teachers this month so we took advantage of the deal! Victoria is a French teacher.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed chatting for a few hours. We had a couple of drinks and lunch there.

And, Eddie Otis and I had nice morning walks this week, too!

What was a favorite of yours this week?

Happy Friday!

Amy

Thursday, June 27, 2024

It’s Thursday and the most fashionable day of the week! I’m linking up with Kellyann and Jill to share what I’ve worn over the last week.

I went to dinner with my girlfriends at a steakhouse that happens to be in my favorite outdoor mall and I went early to shop in Ulta and Loft.

I wore my new Walmart Free Assembly dress again! This time I paired it with my metallic gold wedge sandals. This dress has pockets and I found out they did some other styles of dresses in this print and a blouse, too. The Walmart website is seriously one of the worst so it’s quite hard to find things. But, the dresses I have gotten are seriously just as good quality as the dresses I see in my little local boutiques. I do want to support them, but their dresses start at $68 and go up to $200 plus.

Loft selfie:

I did not buy anything, but they had some great sales going on. There are so many teachers who shop at Loft that I’m getting worried about looking like every other teacher.

Saturday farmer’s market outfit:

I wore my Old Navy linen shorts with my East Coast graphic tee from Old Navy.

Saturday night brewery ‘fit:

I wore my other pair of Old Navy linen shorts, a consignment J. Crew blouse, my gold lace up sandals.

Sunday lazy day of reading ‘fit:

I wore my Aerie gauzy shorts with my Old Navy cityscape tee and my Target silver Birks. I did run out to do a return in the afternoon in this outfit, too.

My return was to Old Navy. I ordered a t-shirt and wanted it bigger (not sold in stores) so they re-ordered it for me – I will show it to you when it arrives and if I keep it. While I was there, they had a table of $8 graphic tees and I picked up this “Paradise” tee mainly because of the hot pink in it. Then, I wore it the next day.

Car Service Appointment ‘Fit:

Sorry I didn’t get a better photo, but I wore my long white gauzy skirt with my paradise tee, raffia sandals, and my new summer tote. I dropped off my car and walked to breakfast where I took this bathroom selfie.

While I was walking to breakfast, a lady rolled down her window to tell me how beachy I looked. Ha!

My mysterious fourth dress from Walmart showed up! I had originally ordered 4 dresses about 2 weeks ago. I kept the black and white from the first photo, returned the other two, and then I think I am keeping this one. I just love kelly green so much!

The reason why I say I “think” I’m keeping it is that I just need to try it on with proper underpinnings to make sure the fit is good.

This is kind of fashion? I picked up some summer nails in fun colors at Ulta and Walmart (neighborhood market – just the small store with mostly food):

Wish list item:

These are the Vejas I’m thinking about getting! They are super pricey but I plan to wear sneakers er’day as the kids say. Is the velcro controversial or infantile? I remember the first person who got velcro tennis shoes in my small hometown. It blew our minds. What is this sorcery? You mean you don’t have to tie your shoes anymore?

It’s the summer of the dress and graphic tee over here for me.

What do you think about my “fashion” this week?

Tell me what you have been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Today I am participating in a something new to me – Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce! She has a series of questions that we are going to answer.

Let’s go!

1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life? How has your perception of yourself changed over time? 

Oh gosh, I have always been creative with an imagination, I would say. I had not one but two imaginary friends- ha! – and was an only child until 3.5 years old. I am the oldest of 3 girls. I learned to read in kindergarten and read to my class so I guess I have also always liked being the center of attention. I have always been a reader and when my head was in a book the rest of the world faded away. I wrote songs and poetry as a child. I wrote short stories, too. Isn’t it funny that all of this is still true about me? I love to read and write and I use my creativity as a Spanish teacher making up songs, jingles, and sayings to help me teach, and this is my favorite part of my job, I think.

I have always gotten giddy about a trip to the library, too!

I have always been pretty confident and I attribute this to my Dad. He was such a cheerleader to me and I don’t think it was warranted, but he always was in awe of things I did up until I was 48. My last memory of his celebrating me was when I was the guest host on my friend’s podcast. My Dad thought I was the bee’s knees for doing that and for how he thought I did. The relationship between a father (or father figure and this could even be a female) and daughter is so important.

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you prefer to cook or bake? 

My mom didn’t like me to make a mess in the kitchen but I first baked cookies or brownies and then probably got in trouble for the mess! I remember trying to make a broccoli casserole and my sisters told me it was horrible and tasted like grass. Soon after, my Grandma taught me how to make mashed potatoes because that was my favorite holiday food.

Who gets the last laugh now? Evil laugh and a photo of a gorgeous quiche.

I was always very relaxed about my kids in the kitchen. I also watched my nieces weekly and we almost always did a cooking project. I guess it helped that my kitchen was and still is in need of renovation. There is nothing too precious! We had so much fun helping one of my college kids cook and record results for the Chemistry of Cooking class this past year.

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. 

I am in a stage of transition with my kids just having graduated from college. They are living at home for a year to get on their feet as adults. This will be something to navigate as they are adults now. I also am in the last years of my career and figuring out my next chapter. I want to keep my husband as a priority as we head into true empty nester years. So, I would say keeping a strong relationship with my family and career decisions are priorities right now. It’s also hard to believe that I no longer have kids in school and that I have been a teacher for 30 years. It blows my mind!

We really enjoy boating together and it’s nice when it’s just the two of us (and our little Eddie Otis puppy).

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what’s your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? 

I spend very little time on my hair – eek! I make sure to never have wet hair in the morning because I hate a blow dryer. I’m really lazy in this regard. I start with a blank slate (stick straight hair) and curl my hair in the morning and it takes less than 10 minutes.

I have been going to my stylist (Hi Laura!) since my kids were in elementary school and yes, she knows everything about me and my extended family! I go once every 8-10 weeks and the only other beauty treatment I do is a pedicure about 4 times a year.

This is as good as it gets, baby!

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you’ve visited? 

This is tough – probably Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. This is the castle that inspired the Disneyworld castle. We got off of a train at the base and then walked up to the castle. Click on the red font above and you will see how high up it is.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Why is this hard today? I was in a couple of stores on Monday and found the music very distracting. If music is playing, I find it hard not to move to the music. I also love to snap. My kids hate when I snap to music. I used to do it in the car and drive them crazy. I’m a really good snapper – meaning really loud. Do you have trouble not dancing? Do you like to snap along to music? Maybe that is showing my age. Do young people even snap anymore?

A store with music – and cheese!

I’d love to hear your answer to one of these questions today!

Happy Hump Day!

Amy

June 25, 2024

Erica (fellow Spanish teacher, meal prep partner, friend) gave me a planner as a Christmas present. She also got one for herself. The cover has the “F” word! Ha! Do you use the “F” word? I use it very rarely but I do use it sometimes. I have noticed the high schoolers don’t think it’s a big deal to use in class anymore, but I do reprimand for using it. I took points off one team last year during a game because I had asked them to use classroom appropriate language.

The planner:

At the beginning of each month, there is a quote. Because I am a teacher, I have turned them PG-13 for my readers – ha! I think you can still figure out the original, though. Feel free to use the cuss word in your head as you are reading and I will not take any points off.

Isn’t this the truth? We have all faced so many trials in our lives and maybe they don’t seem that big to others, but if they are big for you, then they are big for you. But, if we don’t go through those, we can’t see the beauty and the “rainbow” after coming through them. One thing that comes to mind is our post-pandemic mindset. We all had a new sense of appreciation for “normal life”.

Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? Are you a positive person?

Do you believe that you have good things just around the corner? In this world of social media, we are constantly seeing the good things that are happening for others. We don’t see their storms, but only their rainbows. Comparison really is the thief of joy, so I try to stay off social media when I am not feeling as positive. I snooze lots of people for 30 days, too. Oops, did I just admit that?

Do you have people in your life that “yuck your yum”? I will admit that I do. Why then are they in my life? There are just some people you have to deal with in your work or personal life as adults.

I get excited about the little things in life and I love that about myself. My Dad was also like this and I love that we have that in common. He was not perfect, but he got excited about a funny name he had heard, a new recipe that he made or someone else made, a new shirt… really anything! When I tell someone something that I’m excited about and they try to take that excitement away it’s really about them and not me. I also hope to always share in someone else’s sparkle. This makes me think of child-like qualities that we should hold sacred.

Gosh, I love this next one!

I try to encourage my students to be who they are. We are in a good climate for this right now, I think. Unique people are celebrated. I think most students would say I dance to my own rhythm as a teacher. Why is rhythm so hard to spell? I had to look that up recently because I couldn’t figure it out!

I sent this one to my former student Ali before I wrote this post:

She is moving to Spain for a year to be a teacher’s assistant as part of the Fulbright program. She is nervous but excited, as you can imagine. I think of my blog friends Tanya and Marilyn and what it must have been like for them to move to a whole other country with kids, no less! When we “put ourselves out there” we can gain so much. Mason benefitted so much from his semester in England. Was it perfect? No. But, I see the growth that happened for him in his time on his own.

How often do you as an adult put yourself out there and do sh-t that scares you? My job scares me everyday! Just kidding – a little education humor there.

Which one of these mottos speaks the most to you in this season?

I think the one that speaks to me the most is about not dulling my sparkle. I think I let this past year affect my attitude way too much. I was not my best self. I wasn’t always fun to be around. I let my joy be stolen when I shouldn’t have. I questioned my career, my relationships, and I did a whole lot of overthinking.

But, I have had time to reflect on that and I’m moving on.

This post was fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it, but if you didn’t, I don’t care because I will not dull my sparkle! Hehe!

Cheers!

Amy

Monday, June 24, 2024

If it weren’t for my blog, I might not know the date or the day of the week, but sadly, I am all too aware that this is the last week of June. I am happy to link up with Sarah and Holly for some of my weekend highlights.

How was your weekend? I like to start with Thursday when recapping the weekend and this is how the sky greeted me when I got up! We’ve had some heat this week and weekend, but I’ve still been able to start my day outside.

Thursday was a pool day! Erica invited me to join her again.

It was super hot and I got to try out both of my new floats. We stayed in the water most of the day! Ahhhhh…. I only took one photo, too!

I’m watching Bridgerton and enjoying it now. I think turning on subtitles helped me focus! I just started season 3 and then I will watch Queen Charlotte.

I enjoyed being in my bathroom with my napping boy while I got ready for a girl’s dinner out. He was snoring really loudly!

I had a fun night at a steakhouse – Malone’s – with three girls.

I did my 4th press on mani of the summer:

Friday night I stayed up late and went outside to see the strawberry moon with my kids. It looked more orange to me!

Also, on Friday, Eddie Otis had his last puppy shots and he weighed in at 34 pounds!

Saturday I got up bright and early and went to the farmer’s market for the first time this season.

I wore this and ordered this summer tote from Amazon. It’s not super high quality, but it will serve my needs.

I bought bagels, zucchini, little potatoes, a tomato, a cucumber, and an onion. I can’t get as excited about the farmer’s market this summer, but I’m glad I tried it.

This weekend I replenished my brow gel and…

my deodorant from Ulta.

I decided to date it to see just how long it lasts. Nerd alert!

Next to Ulta is Total Wine so I got these cute little champagne cans to have on hand.

I’m still reading this but it’s dragging for me right now…

Saturday night we went to a greenhouse turned brewery with some friends and ate dinner there while listening to some music.

Tom being Tom:

It’s a really cool place!

Sunday morning the humidity lifted and there was a nice breeze.

It rained Sunday! We needed it so badly! I enjoyed the few bouts of rain under my covered patio and I was so happy.

I enjoyed my breakfast:

Tom and I were so lazy and literally sat on the patio all day Sunday. It was so nice to have Tom (and his many electronics join me – he had his phone, his laptop, his headset his chargers, but at least he was there!) Eddie Otis was with us most of the time, too.

I had a Greek bowl for lunch:

Here is what I did on the patio – I read this book start to finish from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 with only a few breaks. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t remember who recommended it. Has anyone read it?

I made blackened fish tacos with mango salsa for dinner:

It was a good one! We were going to go boating yesterday, but the rain changed our plans and that’s ok.

On Friday, I got paid for the last time until August 30th, so I have to be careful. We found out that we are getting a 2% raise for next year, though. That kind of feels like when I was a server and someone would leave a 50 cent tip, but I guess it’s better than no raise. Also, teachers in my district don’t get experience raises after year 25 and for me that was 6 years ago. Ho hum.

Tell me something good about your weekend!

Amy