Well, I bought one thing from the Nordstrom sale – I have thought about buying these Wisdom black pants for years and I really do need a nice pair of work pants. I have so many blouses and not many nice pants in solid colors. Did you purchase anything? I will let you know when these arrive if I keep them!
I haven’t done Fashion Files in a few weeks and seriously, it has taken me this long to have some outfit photos to do a post! I have been living in my lounge clothes/jammies, exercise clothes (love my two pairs of black biker shorts with pockets!), and bathing suits and coverups.
I wore this to go out to eat with Tom a couple of Saturdays ago. The skirt is from TJ Maxx, the top is J.Crew new with tags from consignment, and the sandals are Target. Yes, I did make a good purchase with these. I would say they are the most worn sandal of Summer 2023.
I wore this to the social security office and it was my goal to put on jeans to “keep it real”. Well, it was kept real. The jeans are Target Universal Thread, the top is J.Crew Factory that I got for $13 this summer. And, the Target sandals – of course!
I need to replace this brown purse with another purse that I can use all my straps with. I am thinking gold. I just haven’t found what I want at the price I want yet.
For our anniversary, I gave Tom a choice of 3 dresses and he said the floral so this is what I wore. The dress is from Walmart and the sandals are a few years old – Coconuts by Matisse. What is going on with my mirror?
And, let me introduce you to my new blouse. I purchased this from a local boutique but the brand is Umgee. It looks like a pajama top, but I love it. I wore it to run errands to try it out. I wore my cut offs and my gold lace up Marc Fisher sandals that are a few years old. I can picture this with black pants in the fall and winter and I think it will be a fun blouse to have. The print is jaguars or cougars or some kind of wild cat. MEOW!
Look how cute my friend Beth looked at the pool. She said this is a dress she has been using as a cover up:
And, that’s all I’ve got for you today! It still isn’t too terribly hot here. We have had a few unbearably hot days, but we aren’t to the sticky heat yet. It’s coming. That is the point of the year when you can hardly even put on real clothes and right when we go back to school – ha!
Are you a wine person? As you can tell by my blog name, I would have considered myself a cocktail person until this summer. I do love red wine, but that is mostly in the cooler months. It just doesn’t seem as summer or warm weather appropriate to me!
Well, I have been embracing the ease and the deliciousness of wine this summer.
I have to tell you that I pretty much stopped drinking all whites except for champagne or prosecco because I thought they were all headache inducing.
I have found that really isn’t the case. I have been picking slightly more expensive wines and I really think that makes all the difference. That and that I am not picking the super sweet wines.
Here are my favorites:
Red blends
Pinot Noir
Prosecco – My favorite brand is La Marca
Pinot Grigio
Chablis – new and very surprising to me!
Rosé
Here are the places I normally shop for my wine:
Trader Joe’s – easy to navigate and the employees are so helpful
Costco – my friend recently told me to shop their wine selection and I have been pleasantly surprised!
Kroger – I know the wine shop manager and he is very helpful, plus I get fuel points with my Kroger card
Total Wine – So big that it can be overwhelming!
I am also trying to take pictures so that I remember what I like.
This was really good and recommended by the Kroger wine shop manager:
This is the famous Cheese Gal on IG recommendation and I love it – from Trader Joe’s:
This is great for a mimosa because of the screwtop from Trader Joe’s:
And, don’t sleep on the now $5 Buck Chuck ($4.99) – I thought this pinot grigio was really decent!
I think I like all Apothic wines. This one is so good and summery! I am currently saving this for the right moment!
This was really too sweet for me, but if that is what you are looking for you might enjoy it. It’s very inexpensive, too:
I used to find it very hard to spend more than $10 a bottle, but now I am up to $16! Ha!
Are you a wine drinker? Do you have any favorite brands? I’m here for the recs!
Summer isn’t perfect, but it sure is filling my cup! I want my summers to feel different than the school year, so I have been taking steps to eek all the summer out of my summer. I create a list of summer goals that are fun (for me!) and I have a list of just things that are easier to get done in the summer – dentist appointments, social security office for a new card, car registration at the county clerk – definitely not fun, but it you are a teacher you understand!
I thought today I would put together a list of things making me happy….
I would love to hear yours, as well!
Summer mornings – I am getting up, going to the gym, and then the morning is mine for my devotional, candle, coffee, blog reading, writing, and commenting, and then I usually do some tidying and get dressed for whatever I am doing that day. I just love a slow morning! I also love being able to drink my coffee outside!
That my mom is doing so well and for modern medicine. My mom is seriously back to normal and crafting it up, planning an art show in a gallery, and getting ready for houseguests and another small trip!
Seeing my kids’ car in my driveway – IYKYK, moms of older kids!
My iced coffee in my iced coffee cups!
A chilled glass of white wine or rosé – wine post coming tomorrow!
A salad that I have made with homemade dressing – bonus points if it has hard boiled egg and avocado!
Fun summery clothing – tomato girl summer, too!
Seeing friends more often!
Reading!
Here are the books I have read so far this summer:
8 books don’t seem like as many as normal, but I do read all year, too.
How was your weekend? Mine was good! I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to share a bit!
Friday I took a trip to Trader Joe’s to look for this wine and get a few other odds and ends. I really like a screwtop! It makes it easy to save the rest of the bottle. Classy, right? Some of you may never have leftover wine – just kidding! While the bottle is beautiful, this will not be a re-purchase for me.
Ok, guys – I’m obsessed. Carolina Charm posted about this on Friday and it is something I have made before, but her recipe was way better. Have you heard of Sub in a Tub? I think I could eat this every day for lunch.
For dinner (remember we usually stay home on Friday night!), I made the nachos my sister told me to make. She said to put Sweet Baby Ray’s on top (weird, I know) and to cook the chicken from frozen tenderloins in the crockpot all day. Restaurant quality! Yum!
Here it is with toppings added and a side salad:
Friday night was good because all 4 of us were home to eat together and then watch The Bear. We are loving it!
Saturday morning I got outside in the light rain. Wait – it was raining on a Saturday? How odd! I’m being sarcastic as we have had so much rain this summer. I guess it’s a good thing, but could I order it on a week day?
This is my favorite mug because Mason bought it in Prague on his junior year trip and brought it back to me. I collect these mugs and wish they still made them. They are the perfect size and heft. Thanks, Starbuck’s!
I’m reading this and it’s good so far!
I cooked up some mushrooms and spinach and had a nice veggie breakfast bowl.
I used a store bought frozen pie crust and followed Jennifer’s instructions, but added an extra egg because it didn’t look like enough to top the tomatoes. OMG – this tastes like pizza! It is so summery and yummy and I definitely will make it again.
Saturday was our anniversary so I used our leftover napkins for Tom’s lunch. If you were ever curious about how long napkins last – the answer is at least 23 years.
Our anniversary reservation was at River House. The weather had cleared up and we decided to sit outside.
I had a piña colada with a carmelized pineapple!
The best part of my meal was the salad with fried onions on top!
Tom loves a chowder!
He got salmon and I got grouper cheeks on a po’boy but didn’t eat the bread. We also got a squash casserole.
Mason ate my leftovers after work and loved it.
We are too old to know how to take an “usie”. That is “selfie” with more than one person and it’s from Ted Lasso!
We started the movie The Outlaws on Netflix but I fell asleep!
Sunday morning I read a bit on the deck…
Then we got out early on the boat…
Here is the river view of where we ate Saturday night!
We bobbed around in the cove – just the two of us – and had a picnic lunch and it was so nice.
We came in around 2 and Tom mowed while I showered and then relaxed a bit…
Then, Jack and I went to Kroger to get some stuff for him to pack for lunches. He is starting a summer opera program today!
I had a good week! How was yours? Mine was a good mix of leisure and productivity. I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.
First, let’s start with productivity…I lost my social security card so I spent almost 2 hours in the local office waiting to apply for a new one. Adulting, am I right? I also finally purchased (after weeks of checking prices) Mason’s plane ticket to England. Eek! My twins turn 21 and then Mason leaves for England right after that. Thank you for the suggestions for how to celebrate. It will need to be low key and in town because of the timing of their birthday on a week night after Labor Day weekend and with school just ramping up for Jack and I.
Now let’s talk about the fun favorites…
I didn’t get a photo, but I got to meet with my former student (and recent college grad) for coffee this week! Madeleine was the winner of the Spanish award her senior year, by the way! This summer she is working for Jennifer Lawrence’s family’s summer camp, but she wanted to talk about applying for her master’s in teaching and starting in the fall. It was like no time had passed! I tried a lavender latte and no – just no. It just doesn’t work together. Also, Jennifer Lawrence went to the middle school where my kids went and she probably would have been at my high school had she not left for acting opportunities. My students several years ago were her classmates and I think one guy asked her to homecoming before she hit it big with Hunger Games.
Madeleine:
Last Saturday I went to Ulta on a mission. I bought this:
A little goes a long way and I really like it.
This:
It has a brow pencil and a spooly brush at the end. I still am using my NYX gel. too.
And, I have been so curious about Maracuja Juicy for years. I love it! It matches with your ph level and creates your unique color while giving you some plumping.
I love my bedroom. We haven’t done anything else yet like get a console table and put a flat screen above it or add a corner reading chair for me, but it makes me happy to wake up in my room every morning. I’ve been trying to open the French doors many mornings like they do in the movies…”Hello World!”
I’ve been pretty organized with meals this week.
We’ve had lemon grilled chicken with broccoli and whole wheat linguine:
Sheet pan fajitas with all the fixings:
Sheet pan turkey sausage with vegetables:
Yes, that is a cake spatula because all of my normal ones were dirty!
I visited the Mexican supermarket this week (Summer List item!):
I only heard Spanish and the cashier spoke to me in Spanish – so fun!
Cactus leaves:
I bought 2 giant carrots for 47 cents!
tomatillos:
I came home with a few produce items, pasta, and a couple of canned goods. It was very fun!
I finished this book and really liked it. I’m not sure it’s for everyone and some might think it moves too slowly. I liked the NYC and Jewish references and the characters and their relationships.
And, I have just barely started this. My library requests are coming in hot and I will have to make some choices.
After over a month of not meal prepping breakfasts this summer, I got back to a bit of it. I made my low carb egg caserole and cooked up some veg. I am obsessed with Amy Lu chicken breakfast sausage links.
I don’t think I will shop the Nordstrom sale at all this year and I haven’t for the past few years, either. Is it just me or does all the stuff look the same as last year’s stuff? Also, I think I am pretty set for fall and winter other than some waterproof short boots and some pants I would like to add. I may eat my words, though. What about you?
I did participate in Prime Days…
I needed new hairbands, a refresh of my pillow spray, and Ernie needed new treats. I have been unhappy with my eyeshadow situation so I’m trying these sticks, and I got new Pryrex lids – where do they all go?
The chargers have gotten swiped again! I ordered a two pack.
I also ordered a Barbie t-shirt!
What about you? Did you shop Prime Days?
I had a TJ Maxx gift card and wanted to get a pretty pink for my toes and found this color!
And, I scored my Barbie ticket for the Sneak Preview night with my besties.
I am trying to get outside early in the day because our mosquitos are just horrible by 5 p.m. ish. We have had lovely mornings this week!
This might be my new favorite scent for a candle. Have you smelled Lakeside Morning?
Yesterday I was supposed to go to the pool with Beth, but the forecast was iffy so we did breakfast at Biscuit Belly. We were kind of bummed when the day turned out to be pretty good for the pool but we had already pivoted.
And, yesterday afternoon, I got to see Elizabeth for the first time in about a month. We met at Napa and had lemon drop martinis – yum!
Do you remember that I got up early the first weekend of May to watch the coronation?
Do you remember that I bought some British foods at World Market and Trader Joe’s?
Our favorite were the crumpets!
Well, my family wasn’t just celebrating the coronation, but the news that Mason would be studying abroad in England in the fall!
I have his permission to share this with you all. Fall of senior year is not the norm, but for some reason he and his advisor worked out that this would work the best for him.
He will be in the north of England about 5 hours away from London. I am nervous and excited! We knew that this would most likely happen, because Mason did a scholarship competition as a senior in high school (at his current college) and didn’t win the big prize but did win a scholarship toward study abroad.
He will be living in a dorm and have a single room but share a bathroom with 5 other students. They have a communal kitchen with a table with 6 chairs, which I think is nice and I pray he meets some friends in them. He will also have a meal plan but it won’t cover all of his meals.
So, I also had this experience during the spring semester of my junior year in Valencia, Spain. Spain, Germany, and Austria were other contenders for Mason, but he chose England and England chose him – the semester calendar had to match up with his current college and you had to be accepted.
I was the only one from my college who did my program, and I met my 29 other Americans upon arriving in Spain. I had a roommate from California, and we lived together with a 50-something lady and her 70-something mother. They tried to pair students together to live with different host families. This experience was nothing short of life changing and I still remember everything so vividly. My sister Molly also did this in The Netherlands. My photos are in my classroom, but I will try to remember to post some of them!
So, thank you for listening to my news! Tanya, do you have any recommendations? Anyone else? He will be very close to Wales and pretty close to Ireland and Scotland so I know he hopes to do some traveling.
Did you study abroad? Have your kids or do you want them to do this?
It’s a pretty big milestone in our country, right? My birthday is on November 2nd and I remember that my 21st fell on a Monday night. My friends accompanied me to Applebee’s! It was the bomb in the 90s. The year was 1992, to be exact. Potato skins, anyone? Spinach and artichoke pizza anyone?
So, my twins turn 21 in a couple of months. They are not excited about drinking alcohol – seriously – so I am looking for a fun way to celebrate them. Right now, my best idea is just a fancy dinner out where they can order a drink just because they can. Their birthday falls on a Tuesday so maybe they would want to do Mexican for Taco Tuesday?
I look like I’m in kindergarten, so I’m sure I was carded. I am the 2nd one from the end on the right. I wore a floral turtleneck? Or are those leaves for the fall? Oh my!
Let me explain my title! You can find a million blog posts on the air fryer (guilty!), the instant pot, the crockpot (definitely not sexy!), and – not really an appliance – but the Our Place pans. It reminds me of all the hype regarding Buc-ee’s. Kentucky just got their first one fairly recently and so many people have talked about it. Guys, it’s a gas station. Just like…guys, it’s a freaking pan.
Let me talk about an appliance that I purchased maybe 10 years ago at Kroger for $19.99. It’s an electric non-stick griddle. Well, this isn’t that one. My colleague borrowed it to make arepas and then dropped and broke it so she replaced it with this about 5 years ago. Non-essential back story, but I want to make sure you have all the facts.
Here’s the box. I keep it in the original box, and it lives in my front hall closet because I don’t really have room for it elsewhere.
I recently took it to the bachelorette weekend where I was in charge of bougie brioche French toast and bougie brioche grilled cheese. You can fit up to 6 sandwiches, pancakes, etc. on it.
This would be great to take on a vacay where you will be feeding several people. Also, don’t forget that the knives always suck at rental places if you plan to do any cooking. BYOK!
Maybe this will go on sale more today during Prime Days?
You really don’t even need any butter or Pam because of the non-stick feature.
I use mine for French toast, grilled cheese, pancakes, and…
do you remember me getting to try out my friend’s Blackstone? I decided to do an indoor mini Blackstone hack.
Ok, this worked great! I need to get my hands on some of that magical Blackstone oil.
Does anyone else have one of these non-sexy appliances? Could you see this being useful for you?
What is your most sexy appliance? I am just getting weird now and I swear I am stone cold sober.
I also like saying the word “griddle”. I just don’t say it enough!
Hello Monday! How are you? Are you actually kind of glad we don’t have a holiday this week? I am linking up with Sarah and Holly today. In addition, I am linking up for 10 on the 10th here. I don’t think I have ever done this!
The beginning of last week was busy for me with 3 days in a row of boating (or trying to boat!) and a day trip to my hometown. Thursday, I woke up to nothing I had to do, and I was so happy. Don’t you love that?
Friday, Mason wanted to start our coffee shop mornings again that we did over the winter when we could. He chose Sunergos and the vibe is just so nice:
But, we chose to sit outside on their new patio:
Mason just had a little light reading of Francis Bacon’s poems and I had…
my new library request – The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth!
We enjoyed a nice time on the patio and then went to Trader Joe’s. Mason is my early bird and gets up around 8 most mornings. Jack is a late sleeper so he was up by the time we got home. He doesn’t drink coffee or really do breakfast foods, either. Jack works at different times giving guitar and voice lessons but never works after 6:30. Mason goes in to work at 3 and gets home around 9. He is hosting at a fancy Italian restaurant. I leave him a plate to eat when he gets home and he takes a sandwich to eat while at work.
I made the Peruvian chicken for dinner Friday night and added plantain chips and guacamole. I need to go back to Costco to get the avocado crema. I tried to make my own and it wasn’t as good.
I’ve decided/reinforced that I don’t want to fight the crowds and eat out on Friday nights and Tom would rather be home, too, after work. So, I usually cook on Friday nights in the summer as well as during the school year.
I do not want to cook on Saturday night, though!
When Mason got home from work I tried to make it through an episode of Abbott Elementary with both kids. They really love the show! I am going to bed around 10:30 lately.
Saturday morning I was anxious to get back to my book and I finished it by noon I think. It was good to have a book I didn’t want to put down. I really enjoyed the story. Anyone else?
I frothed up some instant coffee for an iced protein coffee. I love my new glasses if you are looking for some Prime Day items. Maybe they will go on sale? What’s your strategy? I am going to put some things in my cart that I need anyway or that I have wanted and see if they go on sale, but I don’t plan to go crazy.
Saturday was another rainy day for about half of it. It cleared up for a few hours and then rained again around dinner time.
I took myself on a fun shopping excursion around 3 when Mason left for work. I visited the Asian market (Summer LIst item) but didn’t buy anything, Ulta, Barnes and Noble, Bath and Body, Total Wine, and got a car wash. I know it rained but my car was in the garage and really dirty.
The Asian market had some interesting produce!
At the car wash – sing it! I used to be scared to go through them myself because of all the directions I thought I would mess up, but I faced my fear and now I kinda love it.
I got the Into the Night for free and the Lakeside Morning for only $13.
I really needed a new devotional book and I chose this:
I will show you my Ulta purchases on Friday (I think) after I have used them enough to say what I think!
Tom took me to dinner at a Venezuelan restaurant called Alchemy.
I chose a riesling and it was really too sweet. I am really loving chilled white wines, though.
We decided upon chorizo bread for a starter and then we split the national dish of Venezuela called pabellon al criollo. I forgot to get a picture of it!
Then, it started raining but we didn’t let it stop us from getting gelato!
Sunday, I got up and went to the gym and so did Tom. We drive separately because he takes way longer than I do. He is ready to leave the house before I am, too.
After that, I drank my coffee and Tom walked Ernie and started getting into this:
Tom, Ernie, and I decided to take the boat out. View of dowtown:
A good nap after swimming:
It was quite cloudy which made it very pleasant and not hot at all.
And, that was our weekend!
Now, for 10 on the 10th!
I am an early bird, so I would have to say sunrise. But, I really want to see some gorgeous sunsets this summer. My natural time to go to bed is by 10 and wake up by 6 without an alarm. That seems perfect to me.
Flip flops! Is there anything better than letting those dogs breathe? Students tell me they don’t want to see their teachers’ feet and toes exposed. I have conferred with my fellow teachers, and we don’t care. I don’t wear super casual flip flops to teach in, though. I have become more of a sneaker person in the last few years and they are so much better for your feet!
That’s a tough one. I would do both. I guess I will say tutu because I don’t want anyone to think that I think I’m a princess or a diva. I pride myself in being quick to get ready and pretty low maintenance.
Jello! I have great memories of jello shots and bad memories of having to take huge pills when I had mono in pudding because I couldn’t swallow them.
That’s too easy – a boat! If you are watching The Bear, a character stayed on a really cool boat in Copenhagen. Wait, that also happened on Ted Lasso when Rebecca was on a boat. I also love the House Hunters episodes when they show them a boat on a canal.
think a yurt. My aunt and uncle have done this. I grew up with a pop up camper and it was just cramped with 5 of us.
Sand, but grass is good, too. I just love being barefoot.
I used to water ski pretty well. I guess I would say tubing now. We have a tube and I should do it. I don’t know if I can trust my driver to not go too fast. True story- I bruised my eye tubing because I had a contact in and I was bounced super hard and my eye ended up being yellow until it healed.
Who writes these questions? Ha! Watermelon juice! The smell of ketchup sometimes is too much, even though I do like it.
I have grown up going to hot air balloon glows and races and it’s always scared me. I guess I would say helicopter.
You guys! The calendar is scaring me! It just keeps moving along and it is now July 7th! I dare not go to Target right now. You know what one will see, right? My love for school supplies runs deep but your girl is not ready to see them. Also, my school district gives each teacher an Amazon business account and a budget of $250 to spend now. How cool is that?
I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites if it is happening today! It’s so funny that the blogging world slows down so much in the summer, but I feel like I write more in the summer because I have more time. I also have more time to read blogs, so come on bloggers – I need your content! Just beware that you are going to see Prime Days and then the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale pushed here soon!
I thought I would start with a silly photo of me. My sister brought giant “noodles” to the river, and I could fit my cup in the hole of the “noodle” so I was able to “drink from my noodle”. My brother-in-law caught this flattering photo of me doing that.
Sister time is so rare these days with the ages of the kids, so It’s always a favorite.
The amount of stuff to go boating is comical! I snapped this picture before loading up.
We had a simple and cheap meal Monday night and then ordered pizza Tuesday night after being at the river all day. I have maybe 2 hot dogs a year, but boy are they good when I do.
One of my Summer List items was to make pickles. I did it, but they weren’t that good. I think I will continue buying my pickles unless anyone has a good recipe.
I’m still wearing my fun earrings. I wore these Topo Chico ones last week to hang with my friend at the new boutique hotel’s rooftop bar.
This rainwater scent is still making me happy every time I wash my hands.
One of our foods of summer has been naan pizzas in the air fryer. You buy the naan bread in the deli section of your grocery, and they come in various sizes. I put pizza sauce or just marinara and whatever toppings and then add fresh mozzarella. I bake it in the air fryer at a pretty high heat and they come out great. This one maybe was a bit overdone. Seriously, naan makes a great crust.
If you like sweet drinks, these are really good. A friend brought them to the pool party I attended recently and I forgot to share.
I also created a new drink with my hibiscus flowers and syrup, lemonade, vodka, and Fresca. Yum! I am calling it spiked hibiscus lemonade.
My twin niece and nephew turned 16 in March. They tried to get their license Monday in their city, but they were closed for the holiday. So, when they were at my mom’s house, they took the opportunity to get it there in my hometown. I got to go, too! How are they this old? Now we have my kids, my niece Samira, and Mia and Miles all driving.
I can’t even – Mia is so grown up. I have been helping her with summer school Spanish over the phone and it’s been so fun.
Wednesday, I went to hang out with everyone visiting my mom. The nieces drove themselves to Walmart for press on nails and junk food.
My mom took her three girls (my sisters and I) to lunch and she drove. I can’t remember the last time the four of us were all in a car together that my mom drove. I was maybe 15! It’s probably been more recent than that, but I can’t remember.
I got a mushroom panini and it was so good.
And, I got a cold brew after lunch. Yum!
I got to spend time with my newest nephew, Ezra. He is so chill for a puppy. He is obsessed with his mom, my sister Kate, and has to be in sight of her.
Ezra with Aunt Molly:
Ezra wanted my cold brew!
I made an easy chicken parmesan this week for dinner. I used whole wheat linguine and did my own chicken breasts with some jarred marinara, fresh mozz, and roasted broccoli. It’s starting to get hot now and hot dinners like this will not be the norm!
One of you may be wondering about the follow up from my Literal Coffee Talk post. For now, I am going to keep on with my original Keurig. The coffee is so much better than a pot of brewed. I am still loving Kuai brand and I like all the flavors. For now, I am going to use this until it goes kaput.
I use a bit of liquid stevia frothed with fat free half and half.
It was raining again yesterday morning, but it was already so muggy I didn’t go out and enjoy my covered patio.
I had some errands to run so I wore all Aerie. My Sunday shorts are amazing and I wish I could still find them. I got them last year. I got my Shell Yeah shirt this year. Am I too old? I don’t care. I usually get fixed up more to run errands, but I was feeling casual.
I picked up a small stack of book requests at the library!
I ran by my consignment store Sassy Fox and I had earned $40 on my items I sold and I found and bought this J.Crew blouse for $13 so still up $27 – woohoo!
I am trying to get back to healthier eating and made buffalo chicken, cauliflower rice, and Greek yogurt ranch for lunch yesterday.
Sadly, I had no celery.
What a hodgepodge! What were your favorites this week?
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 