Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Monday, October 4, 2021

Well, this Monday came too quickly. I guess they all do, right? I am linking up with Heather, etc. right here.

If you read my Friday Favorites, you know that I had my first Fall Break ever! My goals were fall decor, read, watch t.v., be social, go shopping, buy some new fall clothes and clean some clothes out of my closet, and continue to eat healthy while on break and walk as much as possible.

I think I accomplished all of that! On Friday I told you that I had a happy hour for my department on Tuesday, had a friend for lunch on Wednesday, met my niece for happy hour Wednesday afternoon, and then Thursday I made a major errand day.

I will say that I started getting a bit of a sore throat Wednesday evening and I gargled with warm salt water. I woke up with it again on Thursday morning and gargled again. I was kicking myself for not washing my hair on Wednesday before bed because the fall allergens love me. I started making sure I went to bed with clean hair and it made a big difference. I also use my saline solution morning and night year round.

The sore throat went away but then I had some congestion and painful sinuses. I tried to remember the last time I had this and I really think it was 2019.

Anyway, I went on with my day even though I didn’t feel 100%. I met Beth at the St. James Art Fair and wore my mask even outside because of the large number of people and just in case I could give something to someone. It was way too crowded for my comfort zone – pandemic or no. I don’t like being around that many people.

I bought one thing – this Ale 8 candle for Tom. He is not a candle person so It’s really for me. The scent is apple cider donut!

I only stayed at the art fair for about an hour because I had an appointment to design t-shirt quilts for Jack and Mason. I have been planning this for 17 years. I have saved all of their t-shirt souvenirs from our family trips.

This is kind of what they will look like.

I am so excited! I think I will like them more than they will, but I hope it will be something they treasure in the future.

I am on a good reading streak. I finished Maggie Finds her Muse and In Five Years in the last week and then I had a library pickup and got this. It’s super cute and very rom-com if you like that. It was just what I needed for break.

I think this is kinda funny – sitting outside with a pumpkin candle and bug spray.

I will show you my minimal fall decor soon but I am enjoying my Day of the Dead glasses. I finally found Casamigos tequila which is the lowest in WW points. I made a skinny margarita Friday afternoon.

Then, Friday night Tom and I went to Ramsi’s which is kind of a mediterranean vibe restaurant.

Tom is not a bread person but he couldn’t stop eating their garlic and goat cheese appetizer.

We split a brussel sprouts salad and I forgot to take a photo of the entree we split – grouper and crab cakes. We had so much food leftover.

Then, we went to Costco after dinner – very romantic!

Saturday morning we went to parents’ weekend at J and M’s college. We ate brunch in the cafeteria and toured classrooms. There were lots of activities like Bingo and a scavenger hunt but we only did a couple of things. You could also attend games and Churchill Downs if you wanted.

So pretty – this is the area between J and M’s dorms.

Then, the kids came home! We watched a couple of Gilmore Girls and I cooked my heart out. I made chili for dinner and their favorite honey mustard salad. We watched Ted Lasso with them, too. We went back to the beginning for them.

I went to bed between 9-10 the whole break. I was just tired and knew I needed sleep.

Sunday morning I woke to my favorite light rain.

I read and had my coffee on the patio.

I also did some meal prep for the week but I had already done a bunch Saturday morning, too. It was nice to take a break from my prepping, but I was also glad to start it up again.

Then, Sunday afternoon, the whole fam went to see Shang-Chi finally.

Mason also wanted to do some fall clothes shopping with me, so we did that.

I hope you had a wonderful first weekend of October!

Amy

Thursday, September 30, 2021

I love an outfit formula! We really don’t need much in our closets, but we need to have a go-to formula and we need a few things that we feel confident in, right?

I was thinking about what I have been using/wearing the most in the last few months and it wasn’t hard at all for me to see…

I really think my crossbody purse is a “style maker”! Plus, you are hands free for festivals, shopping, errands, and more!

So, take a basic black top, denim shorts, and a metallic shoe and pick your strap. Very little effort, but it looks put together.

Take the above and translate it for a bit cooler weather – jeans, black long sleeved or 3/4 sleeve top, and a closed toe shoe. Add your crossbody with fun printed guitar strap.

I love the idea of the metallic so here is another “fit” below using the formula.

I just think this purse is genius! You can fit so much! Is this the wooden handled purse of the 80s where you buttoned on a different cloth purse body? Remember those?

You can find these in any little local boutique or of course on Amazon. Here is a link to mine again. I do not earn any commission; I just really love this purse!

Everyone has denim and a black top! Pick your shoe and put it all together.

Do you love outfit formulas? Do you have one you use?

Amy

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

The theme for this week’s outfits….jeans. My two pairs of Target Universal Thread $15 jeans to be exact!

I find myself wanting to wear blouses, jeans, and my new belts. Did you see my post from yesterday where I shared recent fashion purchases? I bought a two pack of belts from Amazon.

First up is my TJ Maxx little green leaf print blouse, the lighter colored jeans, and the brown belt.

Next I have the darker jeans, a black boho top from Old Navy (very old), and my black Target clogs.

The lighter jeans, gold clogs, and my trusty short sleeved TJ Maxx blouse were my Saturday outfit.

For my Sunday boat ride, I wore my drawstring denim shorts and this TJ Maxx 3/4 sleeve blouse.

And, last I wore my darker jeans, brown belt, very old consignment Target blouse, and gold Tieks.

Um, yeah, so these jeans have paid for themselves already!

Do you have a favorite outfit of mine this week?

What have you been gravitating toward?

Amy

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Have you bought any fall clothing for 2021? I feel like I didn’t really need much last year. Maybe it is because life was totally different! And, it is still different, but I am amongst people. So, I need clothes.

I purchased this adorable dress from Target. I am really happy with the quality. I can see this looking nice with a jean jacket or a vest.

And, I purchased this dress which is not that flattering on me. I need to try it with a long vest maybe. The material is clingy and maybe I should have sized up.

I bought my first belts since maybe the 90s? I am really pleased with this two pack.

I have been wondering about a backpack purse and I am still debating. I ordered this one.

And, I have a few Target finds on the way…. we will see if they work out.

I am still really liking the blouse vibe – with jeans or pants for work.

And, because we all love the graphic tee/cardigan or tee/kimono combo and because I’m a Spanish teacher, I ordered a Selena and a Frida tee.

What have you been buying or eyeing? Wait, that is an excellent blog post title…

Amy

Monday, September 27, 2021

Monday, you came too quickly! I am linking up today with Heather, etc. right here.

Friday after school, Erica and I walked and then went to my patio for about an hour before heading back to school for an alumni night, stadium dedication, and food trucks. We also socialized with this cute group of seniors.

Photo opp!

I was very tired by 7:00 so I didn’t make it for the game. I went home and put on my pjs!

Saturday morning it was rainy but I headed to TJ’s for a fall shopping trip.

I got mums, apple cider hand soap, and a couple of other goodies.

Saturday afternoon it had cleared up and Tom and I went to a couple of outdoor festivals. We ended up on this patio at a pizza place and ordered a drink. We were going to get pizza but they told us they were out of dough. Then, they told us they “found” a couple of balls. It all sounded very odd, so we opted out of the “found dough balls”. It was Saturday at 4:00 p.m., too. We bought sushi and soup at The Fresh Market and went home and watched Ted Lasso.

Sunday morning we did an hour and a half boat excursion to my hometown for an arts festival.

Our friends Dan and Kara joined us and Dan is also from the same hometown. We got German food, looked at some art, checked out a new hotel overlooking the river, and then headed back.

It was a beautiful 75 degree day!

Whew! It was a full weekend!

What was the highlight for you?

Amy

Friday, September 24, 2021

Time to link up again with Andrea, etc. right here!

I don’t have a whole lot to share this week. I didn’t really buy any new products and the week went by really fast!

I needed my boots this week for a dog walk – a few times. My Hunters are now 10 years old! I will tell you that I tried them on in Von Maur and ended up with the wide calf version. I would not say I have crazy wide calves or that I have any other boots in the wide calf, but I really loved where theses hit below my knees (#shortpeopleproblems). So, if you have ever considered them, the quality is incredible. I cannot speak to the normal tall ones, but I also bet it’s a bit more snug to tuck a pant leg in? I also love my short yellow ones and now that I have a shoe horn (Man, I am old!), that helps a lot with getting them off. I have no trouble getting the tall ones off.

I had a mid-week treat. Over the weekend, Mason had asked when we were gonna do a restaurant together like we did from time to time last year. Mason appreciates good food and is quite adventurous. His favorite food for many years as a child was broccoli and he wanted to bring it for his birthday in first grade instead of cupcakes. (That would have made him a pariah, so I didn’t let that happen – lol!)

I picked him up and we went to Agave and Rye and had some chips and queso and split three different giant tacos. One was Greek with falafel, one was called Yoda with an asian chicken and sticky rice, and the other was a ranchero breakfast type thing.

Their tacos are amazing and so creative. We were not able to eat much because they are so big. Mason eats a little amount often. He has always been a grazer. So, we had lots of leftovers and we both took stuff to Tom and Jack. Mason took Jack chips and queso and I ordered more tacos for Tom. If you get a chance, try Agave and Rye.

My seniors started doing something silly a few weeks ago and I thought they would get bored with it, but it’s only grown in intensity.

Someone started an Instagram account called “The Daily Scott” where they post photos of me or photo shop me in different things I have talked about.

Here I am running with the bulls with my favorite Spanish singer:

Here I am playing polo with my favorite Argentinian polo player (yes, of course I have a favorite Argentinian polo player. He is also the Ralph Lauren Polo model.)

Apparently I am “The Rock” or “La Roca”:

Here I am with my angelic students and my polo player at The Last Supper.

Anyway, this is what teaching high school is like…

What was your favorite from the week? It feels like fall around here! I think it may be safe to buy mums now!

Amy

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Do you take off work on your birthday?

It may seem kind of silly, but I tell everyone who will listen to take off on their birthday. I think it’s a great day to do what you want when you want. You may even take stock of your life and create some new goals for your next year of life. We only get one birthday a year. Life is hard. Life is short. We have all now had at least one pandemic birthday.

I do not believe in doing any chores on your birthday, either. I will intentionally make sure all of the dishes are unloaded the night before and there is no laundry hanging around in purgatory.

Kellyann likes to go collect her birthday freebies from her favorite retailers and I think that is so smart!

I love to go to breakfast or lunch and do dinner or or get takeout. I love to do some shopping. I love hearing from family and friends through calls, texts, or Facebook messages.

What is your ideal birthday?

Do you think it is weird when adults still get excited?

Tell me what you think!

Amy

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Happy first day of fall!

Last week I wore this (you saw this yesterday) to compare to when I wore the skirt back in May. Thank you for all of your sweet compliments. I did not/do not post to go “fishing” for them, but rather to help if anyone else is struggling.

I felt too summery in this outfit.

Saturday night for dinner out I wore my Little House on the Prairie dress from Target.

Monday I wore a dress that I ordered from Target. Tom asked where my pants were.

And, yesterday I wore my trusty Chico’s consignment pants and my Savanna Jane blouse. I made an impulse purchase and bought these Target Universal Thread clogs.

They are faux leather, of course, but they were comfy and the perfect height.

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

It’s time for another update! I am doing WW Purple if you are new around here. I started cleaning up my diet on April 8 on my own and officially joined WW on May 1st. I am officially down 35 pounds as of last Friday! These last 4 pounds have come off slowly. I was at 31 as of our last update.

Here is me mid-May:

Here is me last week. I was trying to wear an outfit that I wore when I began and this is what I found…

So, I don’t see that big of a difference in these photos. I had already lost about 10 pounds in the above and then below that would be about 25 more.

Here is the soup that Erica made last week! I am excited to check out more Food Babe recipes. Here are screen shots for you to see if you want to click. It was delicious and zero points.

I get 16 points a day and I am encouraged to eat lots of zero point foods. I love the app!

Recently I have had a veggie burger wrap with some hash browns

and zoodles with mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, and chicken.

I love this buffalo chicken dip recipe and no one would know it is light.

I make a different breakfast on the weekends than what I eat during the week.

I mix up my normal egg casserole, veggies, Jimmy Dean turkey sausage breakfast for these sandwiches sometimes.

An easy dinner is AmyLu chicken gouda apple sausage and vegetables.

I want to try these Greek bowls. I stopped following decadent food accounts and now follow snackin_n_trackin and other healthy accounts on Instagram. You can search “WW” or “low carb” in the Instagram search feature. Then, when you follow one, you will find others.

Meal prepping is a must:

I tried a new recipe with these noodles, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and “birdballs”. Thanks to Kim for the recipe that can be found here.

Erica made whole wheat pasta last week for one of our meals.

I think this Brownberry Keto bread is pretty good! I’m not doing Keto obviously but this bread is only one point per slice.

Cocktails really add up, so I like to look for alternatives. This makes a really good sub for a cocktail. I use half a stick of lemonade and pineapple coconut seltzer.

I really like Bubly.

I try not to have much in the way of processed foods or artificial sweeteners.

I am getting probably 8-10 servings of vegetables and fruits a day (combined), eating lean proteins, drinking two cups of coffee, and a half of a Premier protein, and then a sweet treat once or twice a day that might be a more artificial or processed food. I have popcorn, apples, string cheese, celery with a laughing cow of buffalo dip for a snack.

I drink as much water as I can.

I gave myself grace to not worry about walking for the first 3 weeks of school. I get 10,000 steps as a teacher no problem, anyway.

On the fourth week I started walking at least three times a week. Last week I walked four times.

I really like my On Cloud shoes. I love that you don’t have to tie them.

I am still drinking cocktails and eating out and I am LIVING life.

I can eat whatever I want when I eat out, but I have been choosing:

Mexican: fajitas

Nice Restaurants: salmon or fish and veggies

Chick Fil A: grilled nuggets and no fries but I will make a substitute type of some type of potato.

Thanks for visiting me! Share a food or recipe if you have any suggestions!

Amy

Monday, September 20, 2021

How is it the end of September? How is the weekend over? Ay!!!! I’m linking up today with Heather, etc. right here.

How was yours? Mine went by quickly!

Tom left for a boys trip on Thursday morning so I had extra Ernie duties! Walking at O’dark thirty!

And to add to the fun…. Tom’s vehicle went kaput the night before he left so he took mine and left me walking to school looking like a miner.

Seriously, who is the coolest teacher?

Ha – it is only a 10 minute walk and I should walk more, but all the stuff teachers have to take to school, you know?

The car was ready that afternoon so it wasn’t a big deal at all.

Friday after school, Elizabeth came over for an appetizer type dinner and she brought some stuff, too, even though I told her not to worry about it.

We walked to our football game. Our colors are not yellow and black, but it was a “yellow out” for childhood cancer. We have a big fundraiser dance marathon.

I “borrowed” some pom poms.

We didn’t last long because… teacher tired.

Saturday morning I got up and tried to catch up on blog reading and coffee drinking. Oh, Saturday, how I love you.

And, I made myself a yummy breakfast – everything but the bagel potatoes and eggs. Oh, and my groceries were done because I did a pick up Friday right after school. I really like going into the weekend stocked up I have decided. And, are you dealing with shortages? We are starting to see emptier shelves around here. Here we go again?

And, I had plans again with Elizabeth. We met at Butchertown Market and found out they have $1 mimosas while you shop on Saturdays! And, they had apple cider ones, too. It’s a really big space with multiple “stores” or areas. They have clothes, jewelry, home goods, gift items, natural body care stuff, hand made chocolates, and more. We spent about an hour because there is so much to see.

Then, we headed to Cultured, a fairly new charcuterie bar. I had been wanting to go for so long and it did not disappoint! Isn’t it the cutest? I can’t wait to take Tom because he loves his charcuterie, too.

I can’t wait to go back. It was amazing!

Then, we made it to one more store before we had to part ways. Red Tree is a cool home and gift store in NULU, an area with lots of restaurants and shops.

Elizabeth is always game to help me take blog photos.

I made a cake when I got home. Yup, it is the cake mix, one cup of Greek non fat yogurt, and one cup of water recipe. The frosting is Cool Whip, pb powder and I added mini chocolate chips. I did it in a bundt pan.

And, Saturday evening it was time to celebrate one of my friend Heather’s birthday. We went to the amazing Italian restaurant with the incredible interior.

I did this Orly denim color for going out.

Sunday morning was really nice and cooler than it has been so I enjoyed my coffee on the deck and read a bit.

And, Tom was wrapping up a few days in the mountains watch the World Mountain Biking Championships.

Funny spectators:

And, my niece went to her first high school homecoming dance! How is that possible?

I did my meal prepping for the week and it took quite a while but it is worth it.

I only left the house once yesterday to go to Target and I had a good old fashioned “no list, let Target speak to me” shopping trip. I also walked with Ernie, of course. I also finished the LuLaRich documentary and I found it really interesting. I love the Cassie skirt and still have about 6 of them. I have one kimono. I have a few pairs of leggings left and I really think they are cozy for winter. Some of the designs are horrible and I wouldn’t really call much of it fashionable. MLMs can be pretty scary and they prey on women who most likely will not make a significant living off of one.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy