Monday, February 27, 2023

Well, we are down to just two more days of February. I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to recap my weekend.

My college kids started their Spring Break! Yes, it is super early, but they get done with second semester at the end of April/very beginning of May. Do you want to know why? Because they want them gone before The Kentucky Derby! One will be home the whole Spring Break, but the other will be leaving in a couple of days for a conference out of town with one of his college organizations.

I finished this:

I don’t think I really recommend it. The author’s writing style is not my favorite. Her sentences are short and simplistic. You don’t really get to know or like any of the characters. And, this is super annoying…many times throughout the book she writes, “I already told you that”. Yes, I know you already told me that. I read it.

But, like a cultural anthropologist (? – Lol!), I was fascinated by the recounting of leaving New York City to flee to Maine at the beginning of the pandemic. I also read Jodi Piccoult’s pandemic centered book called “Wish you Were Here”. The only thing these two books have in common is the pandemic, though.

I guess I am intrigued by the fact that enough time has passed to both write and publish books about this topic. As strange as this sounds, I still have so many emotions surrounding my experience being both a parent with kids affected and a teacher and this book maybe helped me process more emotions and reach more closure. I feel strongly that we did so many things incorrectly but at the same time I have empathy because we didn’t know what we didn’t know.

I started this immediately after and I love a book set in Paris that has food descriptions!

Friday after school I had done a grocery pick up because I was lazy and didn’t do one Wednesday or Thursday. I also didn’t go to a happy hour because I went out to lunch on Monday and out for fondue dinner on Wednesday. I made us Asian bowls and all four of us ate together. We had sadly finished the show Shrinking on Apple TV. All four of us really liked it. Also, I pickled my own red onions and was quite pleased with myself.

All of this was cooked on the stove top or in the air fryer. My oven comes in next week!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early because I had gone to bed at 9:30. I finished catching up on blog reading and blog comments and cleaned up many areas of the house including my closet. I got a library notification that two much anticipated books were in!

Look at the cute green St. Patrick’s Day bookshelf!

Then, I had an appointment at my favorite consignment store, Sassy Fox.

They took most of my items. I didn’t really have that much because I like most of my spring and summer things. But, it forced me to go ahead and take inventory and that is always a great thing. I brought home one new thing – a graphic tee by Prince Peter. It retails for $54 and was brand new. I got it for $18. I had been wanting a graphic tee with pink in it.

For lunch, I used the Asian bowl leftovers and added arugula. I whipped up a bit more of the Asian sauce I had made and this turned out delish!

I made Tom avocado toast and we watched Outer Banks Season 3 Episode 1. I can’t believe Tom got into it last season, but he did.

It warmed up and it was really sunny. I made an old fashioned and lit my candle and did one of my favorite things – I read outside! I started Carrie Soto.

I’m not interested in tennis at all. I couldn’t get into Daisy Jones. I liked Malibu Rising ok. I liked Evelyn Hugo ok. I really liked her earlier books, though. I don’t think I’m going to have such a rave review about this book as others have had, but I am moving quickly through it.

For dinner I made spicy chicken alfredo with bowtie and rotini pasta. I had two boxes to use up and I did. My alfredo sauce is homemade and I indulged, too.

Then, Tom and I went to a comedy show at my school that was a fundraiser put on by the alumni association. I got free tickets, so why not?

I watched some tv with my kids when we got home and Tom watched the rest of his basketball game. We finished Cunk on Earth on Netflix and it was really funny.

I made these bowls for my breakfast both weekend days. I cook mushrooms, onions, and zucchini and top with scrambled eggs and cheese.

I also made some turkey meatballs and cooked some ground beef for dinners this week. My breakfast prep is still going strong for this week in my freezer. I think it’s smarter to do two week’s worth of breakfast burritos at a time!

Anyway, it was a very low key and also a very low spend weekend for me.

What did you do?

Amy

Friday, March 3, 2023

Happy Friday! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites!

It’s been a good week! I have enjoyed having my college kids on Spring Break! I have cooked dinner 7 consecutive nights and I am ready for a break tonight! This is all of my choosing, of course! You heard some of these in my Hello Monday post if you read it. Here is what I made: Asian bowls, chicken alfredo, burrito bowls, chicken cordon bleu, with sweet potatoes and broccoli, Korean beef bowls, and hummus bowls, and Costco bought tortilla soup and homemade quesadillas.

The Korean beef bowl:

The hummus bowl – I added chicken:

I had a planned day off on Tuesday where I made an appointment and then spent the rest of the day with my kids! We went to Barnes and Noble (new space) and browsed around.

We got Blaze pizza and Crumbl cookies, too.

We tried the pink frosting and the donut cookie and OMG! Jack got a chocolate chip, but I didn’t try it. I do prefer our locally owned Penny and Pearl’s Bakeshop cookies, but Crumbl is also very dangerous and that is why I can’t go to any of them very often!

I also went to Fresh Market for their Tuesday meat sale. They have ground beef and chicken for 2.99 a pound if you join their loyalty program. I feel like the quality is really good.

The weather was amazing and I finished Carrie Soto this week. It did get better towards the end, but still I would just say it was ok. I learned more about tennis than I ever thought possible and I took tennis in college. It was one of my two P.E. requirements. I also took bowling. I am better at bowling than I am at tennis!

I started One Italian Summer and I remembered why I didn’t pick it up earlier. This is not a spoiler because it says it in the summary. A girl goes to Italy after her mom’s death and she meets her mom as a young woman. I wasn’t interested because I am not a fan of magical realism or whatever you call this. But, I am giving it a try.

On one of our Ernie evening walks, I saw a poor Ken? head that someone had stuck on a fence. It made me laugh!

There was a fly in my house this week! I absolutely hate when a fly gets in and I try to do everything in my power to keep it from happening, but you know what that means…warm weather can’t be far away! We spring forward on March 12th for Daylight Savings Time. One of my students said this is the last time we do that, but I wasn’t sure that was a done deal.

Jen has been talking about gnocchi and I saw this at Fresh Market and I’m gonna try it. I’m sure restaurant gnocchi is better, but what the heck. Anyone have a gnoochi recipe?

Our tree has bloomed so early!

Mother Nature is very confused.

I am excited to take a break from cooking after that long stretch! What are you excited about this weekend? What were your favorites?

Amy

Friday, February 24, 2023

Friday, I love you! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites!

I really like Cup of Jo blog. If you are in the throes of parenting pre-teens or teens, you should read this:

https://cupofjo.com/2023/02/20/preteens-teenagers-moody-moods/

There should be support groups for moms of teens. It’s a hard stage but it’s also so much fun.

I have been enjoying my mug warmer and my Cigar Lounge candle so much this week! I want to go back to TJ Maxx and get a few more candles of this brand now that I know they are good. They have a wide wood wick that I really like. They don’t crackle and are totally silent. I have some Woodwicks but sometimes I’m like, “Shut up, candle.” I am very sensitive to any type of noise sometimes. Representing with my Starbuck’s Kentucky mug!

Monday was parent teacher conference day and it went well. Tuesday we had a soup and chili cook-off in the cafeteria on our teacher work day. It was really fun and we had some nice fellowship with the whole faculty which is really hard to have in a big school on a typical busy school day. The chili that won had a name and it was “Vegetarians’ Worst Nightmare”. It had smoked beef, ground beef, bacon, and maybe one other type of meat.

Then, I went home Tuesday and made Emeril Lagasse’s Couscous Jambalaya. I have been making this since Tom and I were dating. We loved Emeril and he bought me a few cookbooks.

We continue our before dinner walks and I also walk Ernie after school. Spring has sprung. I don’t know why we trusted that rodent that said we had 6 more weeks of winter.

Tom got ashed on Ash Wednesday at the gym. There is a preacher that works out with Tom and I guess he carried portable ashes.

I had a Wednesday night outing. It’s hard for me to do things on a school night, but I did and it was a really cool experience. I had never been to The Melting Pot fondue restaurant.

They had a special Galentine’s BFFF deal and you could get a 4 course meal for $41 a person. That is still pricey, but wait until you see what we got. The tables have a little burner on them that keeps the pot hot.

This was Erica’s idea and Elizabeth had never been, either! You start by picking a type of cheese. We went with the classic but you could have gotten a Mexican type, spinach and artichoke, four cheeses, and a few others.

Everyone has different colored fondue skewers.

Then, we got to pick a salad.

Then, we chose coq au vin for our entree flavor.

Each person gets their own raw meat tray of chicken, shrimp, filet mignon and teriyaki beef.

There are 6 different dipping sauces and a platter of potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms to cook, as well. They have an app that has a timer with cooking times set for each type of meat.

For dessert, they have several types of chocolate flavors, too! We chose the classic.

It was a really cool experience and I would say this would be a great special occasion place. We asked the waiter when we would get our W2 for all the work we had to do. I bet he has heard that line before. I will say the conversation was stunted during the meat cooking portion because all we kept saying was…”I think my shrimp is done!” and “Oh no, I lost my mushroom!” There is a “search and rescue” giant spoon when something falls off of your skewer.

I had a really nice conversation with Jennifer this week, too. She and her husband are traveling to my city this spring and I gave some recommendations. She was exactly the same on the phone as she is on her blog.

This week has been a weird 3 day week for our students. In my Spanish 3, we are learning Spanish proverbs/ sayings like “Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres” (Tell me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are) and then discussing if we think these are good rules for life. I am also letting them ask me real life/adulting questions about college, finances, taxes, etc. I have mostly juniors and they are scheduling for senior year this week so it seemed a good time. I had them take a career aptitude test online last week with our careers unit. Teenagers aren’t really getting this kind of stuff in any of their classes. Gosh, I love them so much! They are really good questions and are just really great except for their tech addiction! I did have a few crazy questions like, “Will you give me money?” and “What is your opinion on chihuahuas?” but those also make it fun for me!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Amy

Thursday, February 23, 2023

It’s time for another edition of Fashion Files where I link up with Kellyann and Jill. Time is absolutely flying! Do you feel like that, too? February was quick! At the beginning of the month I wore all the pink and red. It was fun and gave me a goal to try to wear the clothes I own. After the 14th, I was quite tired of pink and red and our weather has been divine which made me want to wear green and color for the most part.

This is what I wore to school Friday – we were supposed to wear black for a spirit week thing. It was nothing special.

I do try to always participate in the spirit week/dress in a certain color events at school. I think the kids like it and it shows unity and community. Sometimes the days are too hard for me and I just don’t want to go buy a bunch of stuff like “Dress like your favorite Marvel character”, but when I can dress in the theme, I do.

This is what I wore to Texas Roadhouse for dinner on Sunday. This is a Loft flannel blouse I got for $3 back in the late summer. I think it was last season’s and they had tons of tops for $3! I wore my Hush Puppies suede pumps and put a Target Univeral Thread sweater over my shoulders because it was getting colder. I really liked this outfit and I love these pumps. I think they are so comfortable compared to other ones I have had.

Monday for conferences I wore black pants, a black blouse, my hot pink blazer, and my Hush Puppies black and white flats. I wore pearl earrings and my pearl headband. I did try on my pearl necklace but it was too much pearl and this blouse has a very high neckline, so the outfit looked better without the pearl necklace.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras and a teacher workday. I wanted to wear purple, yellow, and green but didn’t have anything, so I settled for green with a white top and a tiny strand of seed beads in multiple colors that I have had for a long time and came from a consignment shop. I guess the gold clogs kinda served as my yellow!

So, what have you been wearing?

Did you see my 2023 Fashion Purchases so far post? My return is on its way to Vaugu and I have given them my tracking number. I will let you know if they fully refund my money. I didn’t think of going through my credit card company, but I guess that is an option depending on the outcome. I think that has kept me from shopping! It was a good lesson learned! I believe this company uses boutique photos of clothing and then copies them with tragic fabrics.

Amy

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

I thought I would just do my own What’s Up Wednesday? today and just kind of chat with you…

Sunday, Mason and I did another coffee shop/reading date but we tried a couple that were too busy and ended up at Panera. We were both pleasantly surprised by how good the coffee was and we enjoyed a bagel, too. I requested a real mug. It really makes a difference to me.

Saturday Mason requested my brioche French toast so I obliged:

This is my secret:

I keep it in the freezer because we go through it very slowly. I think it’s a little too thick for grilled chcese, but I have done that before.

Sunday afternoon I had to catch what sunshine I could. I was craving a mimosa because it had been a long time since I had had one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading with my mimosa on hand for a bit.

I had gone to Trader Joe’s and one of my impulse purchases was baby zucchini! How cute it that? I got a whole pack – don’t worry. I think I will slice them in half lengthwise and then do some olive oil, salt, and pepper and air fry them. I still don’t have an oven, but I am doing just fine.

I am back on my Greek bowl kick. I used Chick Fil A grilled nuggets in this one and it turned out great.

During every walk, Ernie rolls around in the grass at least once. It makes me laugh.

5 years after my twins were born, my sister copied off of me. Miles and Mia just got their braces off on the same day. My twins had slightly different time frames for getting theirs off. These two are also learning to drive!

Our college kids have been coming home most weekends this winter on Friday afternoon and leaving after lunch time on Sunday. Once we told them about Ernie, I think that made them want to spend more time at home. This past weekend, Jack drove back to campus Saturday for a rehearsal for choir and then he sings in mass every Sunday evening at the campus chapel and needs to be there by 5. I do not encourage or discourage their coming home. I think there isn’t as much going on in the winter months on campus. I just wanted to put that out there. It is about a 20 minute drive to campus.

I am really enjoying my candle warmer at school. The students really like the smell of my Bath and Body Stress Relief candle. They say they feel so much less stressed out in my classroom.

Monday was conference day and it was really low key. I didn’t have that many conferences so I was also able to use my time to catch up on a few things.

Elizabeth was off from her new job and met Erica and I for our lunch break at Con Huevos.

I really love the Bravo show Family Karma. I was excited a new episode was recorded and ready for me. I usually watch my shows a day late because most come on at 9:00 p.m. And, look at my cute little buddy curled up on the end of the coach. Ernie is not a big snuggler. He does sleep with us and kind of sleeps up against my leg which I love.

I decided to start up my Ipsy subscription again! They offered me a free gift and it’s only $13 a month and I haven’t tried many new products in a long time, so why not?

What’s been up with you lately?

Amy

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

I thought I would update you all from time to time on how I’m doing now that I have officially decided 23 for 23 was a dumb idea! I was only going to buy 23 new items this year but let myself buy unlimited consignment items. Even though I have already bought several new things, I feel that I am being more discerning and intentional, so I am not really mad at myself.

Here is what I have bought since January 1, 2023…

Earrings:

Hot pink Gucci-esque bees from local boutique – I still love them but have only worn them twice so far.

Slim gold hoops from J.Crew Factory – what a great purchase! I have worn these multiple times a week. Dare I say that every woman needs gold hoops in her earring wardrobe?

Scarves:

Amazon black leopard patterned – I have worn this twice and I really like wearing it “bandana style”.

Consignment store green, yellow, white – I have not worn this yet because it is very springy, but I have plans for how to style it!

Clothes:

Old Navy:

I need to stop making declarations about things, because I am always made to look like a fool. I had said that I hardly shop at Old Navy anymore and then, look what I did below!

white polo pullover sweatshirt – absolutely love this!

Ecru collared blouse – love! I think I will wear this more and more as spring approaches!

Chambray collared blouse (identical to Ecru) – I have worn this more than the ecru above. I just wore this last week. It’s so easy to throw on and look fairly decent.

Vive Feliz t-shirt – this was on sale for $3 and it is so cute. I just wore it last weekend.

Jeans:

Target Universal Thread slim straight jeans in light wash (identical to black ones I had)

Target Universal Thread slim straight jeans in medium wash (identical to black ones I had)

I have already worn each pair of jeans at least 8 times.

Loft: (I will show you these very soon!)

green floral blouse – wore it once and can’t wait to wear it again!

green/white striped button down shirt – can’t wait to wear this!

white/cream sweater jacket (kind of a hybrid between a sweater and a blazer a la Chanel) – can’t wait to wear this!

Fails:

Vaugu – I succumbed to a Facebook or Instagram ad. I ordered the above shirt and two dresses. They were each around $30, bringing my order to about $108 including shipping. The order took 31 days to arrive. The sizing was off and the material was flimsy, slimy, and tragic. I immediately emailed their contact – I could not find a phone number.

Here is what we have been doing back and forth…

I think the next email offered me $55.

We ended on this:

What the what? So, I think I will get all but shipping costs back and I’m ok with that. I will feel awful if I influenced anyone to shop with them, though.

Wishlist:

I have done really well with shoes. I have not bought any yet this year. But, I have my eye on a couple of pairs:

Nike Daybreak sneakers in white on white

Olukai woven brown slip on mules

Then, I recently saw these and thought they would be great for summer!

I am a big fan of Birks and have several classic and rubber pairs (not real Birks) in my summer shoe wardrobe. I wear them all the time.

To wrap this up, I did not buy any winter clothing. All of my purchases can be worn now and into spring.

Any thoughts on how I did?

What have you bought so far this year? Any retailer you are loving in 2023?

Amy

Monday, February 20, 2023

As many of you are sleeping in and still in your pajamas, I am trying to look professional and talk to parents. Lol! The way my district does conferences is that it is an extra day’s pay and not required. I chose to do it so I’m not complaining, plus I have to talk to parents if they need to talk to me, you know? I think it’s important and I do like a bit of extra dough!

It’s time to link up with Sarah and Holly.

Friday I came home and let Ernie out and then went to Drake’s for just about an hour happy hour. I had one of the smoothest old fashioneds and…

pretzels beer cheese and mustard to split. Yum!

I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home and got pizza by the slice and kale salad. I was in bed by 9:00 something. I am just tired at the end of a work day, you know?

Saturday bright and early the plumber came! We have been waiting and waiting and waiting…

He plumbed! Now we do trim and paint and put in the vanity and toilet.

Look at that blue, blue sky! After the plumber spent about 3 hours with us, we took Ernie down to the very high river.

We stopped in and saw the cashier at Marine Sales and Service. She is friendly than many cashiers and especially more friendly than the self-checkout cashier – me!

I put away the V Day and got out the St. Patrick’s Day minimal decor. I love it because it means spring can’t be far behind?

I made a Greek bowl for lunch and then went out and did a few errands on my list. One of them was TJ Maxx for new coffee syrup and a candle. I am super happy with what I found:

It has a wide wood wick and it smells amazing. It does not really smell like cigar because I wouldn’t go for that!

I brought home Chick Fil A for dinner – it had been a long time! I watched some tv and Tom got home around 8. He had gone to a hometown funeral visitation and I was on my own most of the day.

Sunday morning I read for a long time. I am into this – it is way different than I expected, but I don’t want to give it away.

I made 10 breakfast burritos!

I started this and I am into it!

I was able to get outside and enjoy the sun but it was super windy!

Then, we capped off the weekend with a trip to Texas Roadhouse to use up the rest of our gift card.

I was pretty good and ordered a salmon salad.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, February 17, 2023

I will be really honest with you. I’m dragging. We have had a long stretch of school and I am ready for a break. We usually rely on a few snow days or early releases or delays, but this year we have only had one snow day so far. Our students are off on Monday and Tuesday and have a four day weekend, but teachers have conferences on Monday and a teacher work day on Tuesday. So…I hope that is the respite I need. I feel myself getting less patient and less willing to repeat myself and that usually means it’s time for an Amy Day. Ha! Don’t get me wrong… I have had a good week, too. We had a great round table discussion in four of my classes about love and friendship in high school, my Spanish IIIs made a collage about their accomplishments using a particular verb tense, and we have had lots of laughs and learning (I think!).

Here are some favorites from the week as I scroll through my camera roll…

I am linking up with Andrea and Erika!

Sunday at 5:00 was when my Valentine and I celebrated. It was perfect. We went to Selena’s Willow Lake as we had not been there in a long time. I have been cooking mostly lately so this really felt like a treat to be waited on. It is an Italian/Cajun fusion restaurant I think you would say?

They have a really pretty outdoor space when the weather is nice, but there is a train track that runs right by it so you might have your conversation interrupted by the train whistle!

I ordered a really nice sangria but I do not approve of the glassware. I am very picky about the kind of glass I get. Are you like that?

Tom and I both ordered the spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and fried onion straws. If there is a hot bacon spinach salad on a menu, you better believe both of us want that! We should have split it because it was really big.

I ordered corn meal encrusted fish fingers and sweet potato fries. They both had amazing dipping sauces. Tom had gumbo and ate my food with me, too. He decided that was enough.

We even had leftovers that he ate the next night.

My routine this week has been to come home from school and then walk with Ernie for about 30 minutes. We have both benefitted from this routine and it has been such a nice week!

I left a couple boxes of candy in Tom’s truck on V Day morning:

He was instructed not to buy me any chocolate! We don’t do gifts for the little holidays anymore but just try to spend time together. It has been freeing and I prefer it this way. Plus, I order myself something like clothing or shoes and justify it! Ha!

Ernie met a neighbor dog one evening. Isn’t he cute? I have also been walking with Tom before dinner with Ernie. We discuss our day and enjoy seeing Ernie so happy.

For V Day dinner on Tuesday night, I made pork chops, brussel sprouts, and a sweet potato that turned out to be white inside and had the best flavor!

The weather on Wednesday afternoon was my favorite!

And then today we go back to winter! But, we have mild temps for this time of year again for a stretch starting on Sunday. Maybe we won’t get any more snow this year?

Wednesday called for a skinny margarita on the patio after my walk. I know my weather app said cloudy, but it was actually sunny!

I bought a different kind of English muffin for my faux Egg McMuffins this week. They are called Bays and are refrigerated near the yogurt at my store. They are a WW point or two more but are really, really good. I think someone recommended them to me. I think sometimes you should spend a few more points to be super satisfied and take that from something that is just mediocre, you know?

Look how professional! These two girls asked me to be a guest on their class podcast and it was a lot of fun. I told them to let me know when it comes out and maybe I will share it here!

And, that’s about it!

Now, for a not favorite…

Do you remember the stuff I ordered from Vaugu? Well, it took 31 days to get here and I have been duped. I do not think that the items the models are wearing are what I received. The fit is off and the fabric is just weird. The fabric is super thin and slimy. I know that is not the right word, but it is just weird and cheap and tacky.

This top is the most tragic. It is not sewn on as it looks. It is denim printed on a sad polyester fabric.

Gosh, I hope no one ordered anything because of me. I can’t even find a customer service phone number. I emailed and we shall see. Amy, you know better. Have you ever ordered something and you know they stole the photo from a higher end company? I’m pretty sure that is what this is.

I don’t want to end on a bad note, so here are some daffodils! They are out so early and I fear they are confused!

What were your favorites this week? May your weekend be filled with non-tragic fabrics!

Amy

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Another Thursday, another Fashion Files! Click here to see many more!

Sunday night was our Valentine’s dinner reservation and it got chilly after the sunny afternoon was over. I wore my Hush Puppies suede pumps, my cherry brown leather Chico’s pants, and my black puffed sleeved sweater that is Amazon Essentials.

Monday we were supposed to dress up for a theme week so I wore this dress, cardigan (Target Knox Rose dress and Target Universal Thread cardigan) with some old booties.

Tuesday for V Day I wore my red clogs with a Canadian tuxedo – lol. I wore my consignment Kut from the Kloth jeans with a white Kohl’s button down and a very old Old Navy jean jacket vest. The mirror is foggy from Tom’s shower.

And, finally yesterday I wore my Loft green blouse for the first time with jeans and old clogs.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Seltzer or Sparkling Water!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Do you love it, too?

This is a new love for me.

So far, I have tried…

Bubly

La Croix

Kroger Brand

Polar

Any favorites? I would love to hear brand and flavor.

You know what else I love? The option of making fun little drinks like…

I got these ideas from a person I follow on Instagram, but the world is my oyster now and I have so many flavor combo ideas!

I feel like these (whether alone or mixed with a drink mix) have helped me to drink less alcohol and to get my water intake.

This is a fairly new love for me. I avoided sparkling water until just a couple of years ago. In fact, I think hard seltzers were my gateway to non-alcoholic seltzers!

What do you think? I would love to know!

Amy