Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

You all are my people! I loved reading your comments about my new red Dr. Scholl’s sandals yesterday! I am linking up today with The Style Six so go here for more fashion posts.

So, my outfits from the past week both involve the aforementioned red Dr. Scholl’s!

First, this is what I wore on Tom’s birthday last Saturday. Tom and Jack went to the guitar store while Mason and I went to World Market. We got Mexican take out and came back home. I have on my simple knit button down from Loft and my Target Universal Thread cut offs.

This is not a good angle. Mason is my photographer and we are trying to figure out lighting and locations. But, again I wore the simple Loft knit button down and my Loft knit pants. I fell in love with the print a couple of summers ago.

Before I ordered the sandals, I thought carefully about what I would wear them with. I had about 3 things in mind. But, when I went into my closet, I couldn’t actually believe all the things I could see them with.

I love this combo. It’s a sleeveless Loft top and a kimono from TJ Maxx. This is an easy combo to put on when I don’t have much time to plan.

I love my white knit skort (I think it looks like a skirt) from Kohl’s several years ago. I love to wear these navy tops with it – so nautical. The short sleeve is Target Universal Thread and the tie-dye is Kohl’s. Adding the red sandals I hope will be fun and not look too costumey.

I love my light denim skirt from Old Navy a couple of seasons ago. I could wear this plain white blouse from Old Navy this year or this knit embroidered blouse from Kohl’s several years ago. I am not a big fan of Kohl’s, but I do love both the navy tie dye above and the embroidered top below. They are both the Chaps brand. I find this brand to be of good quality.

I thought they would also look cute with my black and white gingham blouse – old from Loft. I love this fruit blouse from the brand Democracy that I found at Steinmart last year.

I love how one new item can help breathe new life into pieces that I already have in my closet. Do you find that to be true, too?

Also, shhhh – don’t tell anyone. I ordered the red Saltwater sandals yesterday. I read some mixed reviews so I will totally send them back if I think they are too flat or too little girly/young looking for me.

Also, will you judge me if I buy red clogs in the fall? This is kind of what I do, so I have to be careful. I go ALL IN. I love the style trick of copying something from one season into another with adjustments – for example, if your winter look is black pants, an olive sweater, and black booties you can switch to black shorts and an olive top and black sandals. Do you do that? I do! So, I could carry the red sandal look from summer into the fall with the red clogs. But, then I would also need red flats because I can’t wear clogs every day, you know? I could become known as that lady that wears only red shoes. I could also sport a red lip? Help! Stop me now!

What have you worn lately? I was happy to have two days that I got a little more dressed!

Thanks for reading!

Amy

“Let’s dance. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” – David Bowie

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

I haven’t done many fashion posts lately and I think we all know why! There has not been much fashion in my life! But, now I am starting to do a bit more; fashion has always been a hobby of mine.

So, today we are going to talk about red shoes! You didn’t expect that, did you?

For the past two years I have been grappling with a decision. Should I buy red flats? Rothy’s? Tieks? What about red clogs? How about red sandals?

Why was I so intrigued? I don’t know! I don’t even wear much red clothing, to be honest.

Dorothy’s red shoes were magical and could take her home.

Carrie Bradshaw’s BFF Stanford told her that only little girls and loose women wear red shoes.

While I was preparing this post I read that red shoes were historically a sign of an unruly woman! I like that!

So, where do you get outfit inspiration? It can be found anywhere. I find it in blogs, catalogs, magazines, movies and t.v., friends, strangers out and about. I wasn’t, however, expecting to find inspiration from a Facebook ad for the Peach Truck coming to a parking lot near me.

Look how cute!

You know I love a white blouse and we all have jeans or denim shorts or denim skirts, and then look at the pop of red. These look like Saltwater Sandals which have also intrigued me for a while. Anyone have them? Advice?

So I did a little more “research” and look how cute they look with this Mexican embroidered top.

And, the red clogs! I can see these looking great with an all black outfit.

And, again, just a simple pop of color adds a lot to this outfit, in my opinion.

After I finish each school year, I buy myself a little gift. So, this year I decided on the red sandal. I decided to go with the classic Dr. Scholl’s – yes, they still make them.

They are so comfortable to me. You can adjust the strap to how it best fits your foot. I have a long history of these. I begged for fake ones when I was little and got them. I also had custom painted ones in the early 2000s. It was a brief trend.

From the website: “From the moment its iconic exercise sandals hit the shelves in 1968, Dr. Scholl’s has been a brand synonymous with comfortable footwear and healthy feet.” So, apparently you get exercise while wearing these, too!

Get ready for some real life outfits with these! I actually can’t believe how much I have that works with these. Even though I don’t wear a great deal of the color red, I have a lot of pieces with a hint of red in them. I also have things that just work with this color.

Where do you stand on red shoes?

Is there another color of shoes that you like?

I need to know!

Amy

Monday, June 15, 2020

What a full weekend! How was yours? I am linking up today with Heather, Tanya, and many more so go here to see some weekend recaps!

Let’s go back to Thursday morning… my highlight appointment. My stylist came out to check my temp before I could go in. The processing part was not fun. I could smell it really bad under my mask at first but then I got used to it. Each station had a plexiglass partition and there were only a couple of other people. When I processed I had the room to myself for part of the time so I loosened my mask. Anyway, my hair looks much better!

The boys and I also did a book store trip that day. I picked these two and I am already finished with American Dirt. I could not put it down! Anyone else read it?

Thursday afternoon I had a friend come over for happy hour but I forgot to take any pictures. It was so nice to see her and it had probably been since January since we had gotten together in person.

The mornings have been cool like Michigan lately. I say that because I love summer Michigan weather. I wore a sweatshirt and brought a blanket each morning to the deck.

Friday Tom was off and we decided to go boating for a picnic lunch – just the two of us!

It was gorgeous and we had the river to ourselves almost!

That evening the boys wanted me to make homemade pizza again using the Skinny Biz recipe so I did and it turned out even better. I preheated the pizza stone and cranked the oven to 500. Next time I am going to do real mozzarella and a better sauce and we will be in business! Thanks again to my reader Kim for telling me about this!

So we left the boys with the pizza and went to the grand opening of these little temporary shops. They were too crowded so we just set our chairs out and listened to the singer.

It was really nice to be out in the nice weather and hear music!

Saturday was Tom’s birthday so I got him an Ale 8 slushie from the gas station (we are very fancy!), a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit from McDonald’s, and a glazed donut from a local shop. One present was from me and one was from Mason. Jack told him his gift was going to the guitar shop to get a couple of things Tom needed.

This made Tom’s day and he is wearing my gift while eating his breakfast treats. If you need a Father’s Day gift this might be an idea. Tom is very picky about his clothing and he is obsessed with these Free Fly brand lightweight long sleeve tees with hood. His favorite store in town is Quest Outdoors and they carry the brand. You can also go on the Free Fly website and maybe have something in time for Sunday?

I made a delicious iced coffee late morning. I bought these milkshake straws that I found at Kroger and they make it a little nicer, too. It’s so funny that I don’t even think about buying coffee out any more. It just doesn’t even cross my mind.

The whole family got in the car to do the guitar shop excursion in the afternoon. Mason and I went to World Market next door while they did their guitar accessory shopping.

And, Tom picked Taco Luchador for his birthday lunch/dinner. I think we ordered around 4:00 and it wasn’t busy at all. We did wear masks while ordering and then went outside to wait. We thought about eating on the patio but decided to just take it home. Jack didn’t feel comfortable eating on the patio for some reason. This is the frozen sangria swirl margarita to go!

I got a vegetarian taco that was delicious and we ordered sweet potato fries along with many other things. This was my plate.

Then, after we ate we went to a small brewery for live music. The boys came, too. We only stayed for an hour but it was nice.

And, Tom is wearing his gift from Mason. Mason fell in love with this shirt with hermit crabs embroidered on it. We said this is Tom’s spirit animal.

Sunday morning I started my day on the covered patio reading in the rain. It is one of my favorite things to do and I’m sure you are tired of me talking about sitting out in the rain! My friend who came for happy hour brought me the best smelling lavender eucalyptus candle so I lit that. I was eager to read more of my American Dirt!

I finished it later in the day on Sunday. I know it will be made into a movie.

Sunday morning Tom got invited to go wake surfing and yes, he is wearing a wet suit because it was cool.

I made homemade bread to take to….

a little dinner for my niece Brooke who turned 19 yesterday and Tom who turned much more than 19 Saturday at my sister in law’s house here in town.
I got Brooke these cute little earrings and money.

We had charcuterie,

the most delicious salad with honey goat cheese, green apples, sunflower seeds,

and a pasta with sundried tomatoes, corn, pine nuts, artichokes, and parmesan and my bread.

The birthday girl and her dad.

My dog niece – Look at her eyelashes!

It was a nice little family dinner and a nice way to end a full weekend.

What about you? What was your highlight? We got out a little more this weekend. We were mostly outside and when we did go in we had masks on. There were so many cars out on the roads around here this weekend. Also, we drove by the mall and the parking lot was packed! I really hope that we don’t undo the good we accomplished. I don’t know if people are shopping for Father’s Day or they just want to get out so badly or a combo of the two? But, I was one of them. I still am not doing as much as I would normally do on a summer weekend, of course.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Amy

Friday, June 12, 2020

How was your week? Mine went by quickly! I will be linking up today with Andrea, etc. right here.

Monday was house cleaning day. For dinner that night I made homemade pizza using Skinny Biz pizza dough thanks to my reader Kim. It is really good! Simply google “Skinny Bi pizza dough” and you will find it. I also made a giant salad with homemade honey mustard dressing. My boys are loving my big salads at dinner. That makes me happy!

Tuesday morning I planned to arrive at Trader Joe’s around 8:50. The senior hour is from 8-9 and then they only allow 25 shoppers in at a time after that. You can, however, go in the liquor store attached, so that is what I did first and then I only had to wait about 2 minutes. This was only my second time to go to TJ’s so it was a nice treat!

I did my own pedicure on Tuesday in Alpine White. I am getting a bit better. One benefit of not going to the nail salon – I like to change my colors frequently and I do own a lot of polish.

I try to walk before 8 am so it isn’t too hot. This was a nice view of the sun coming up. I love the mature trees in my neighborhood.

Did you see my post yesterday about my Rice Krispies Cap’n Crunch Treats? Make them this weekend!

I picked up a plant for the master bedroom at TJ’s. I hope I don’t kill it.

Tom finished the stair railings last weekend and here is the end result! Hi Ernie!

I was going to do a separate post on this, but figured I would just include it here. We got our professional grad photos back. If you are in Louisville or nearby, Green Apple Photography is owned by a teacher at my school and his teacher wife from another school. They donated their time and talent to our senior class and offered a nice session for $10 a student. They emailed us the photos that evening! They took our family photos two years ago that we used on our Christmas cards, too. I highly recommend them!

Now, we did not get hair cuts before the photos. I asked the boys and they weren’t ready. I actually think it will add to the crazy memories from this time in our lives.

Jack:

Jack is my actor and singer. He is funny and sensitive. He likes to draw and is really good at it, too. He is teaching himself to play guitar. He is creative and might want to write t.v. shows or movies in the future, but first he wants to perform and is majoring in vocal music with a possible minor in theatre. Jack can do lots of different accents and has always made us laugh!

Mason:

Mason is a voracious reader. He wants to major in English and possibly minor in Spanish. I think he will enjoy the mandatory Theology and Philosophy classes he has to take, too. He fell in love with art in his Art History class in high school, too. Basically, Mason loves learning! He has a quick wit and is a compassionate person. Mason’s dry sense of humor has kept us laughing. He did debate for three years and then ended high school on the quick recall team that he had done years before. He loves music and has a nice record collection. He has quite a knowledge of music, too.

Jack is on the left and was born first (by a minute). He has always taken on the role of big brother. Mason defers to him on some decisions. I have always put Jack on the left in photos since they were babies. I didn’t tell the photographer this time so this was a lucky accident!

There is something about this photo that captures their relationship. Jack is confident on the left and probably making Mason laugh about something.

And, if you don’t know, they were both under 3 pounds when they were born and spent the first 5 weeks of their lives in the NICU. There were so many things that could’ve gone wrong or things they could’ve struggled with. We are blessed beyond measure and I know you can see my momma pride coming out.

This weekend is Tom’s birthday! He hasn’t told us what he wants to do yet, but hopefully we will celebrate him in a fun way.

I pray that you are still safe and healthy as things open up more.

I have spent a lot of time this week reading and listening to the current situation of unrest.

Thanks for reading and I hope you had a good week!

What was your favorite of the week?

Amy

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Do you read or follow Kristy Wicks? She has a beautiful California home and does great posts on travel and decor, mostly. She was talking about this recipe that her family has made on repeat during Quarantine on Instagram and I decided to try it! It was too good not to share.

Now, usually when I think dessert I think chocolate, but I am also a big fan of Rice Krispies treats. I will not eat a store bought one, though. They are gross to me. Maybe this is a fun treat because of childhood nostalgia or because it is such a rare treat?

These could not be easier to make, though. I use the microwave and then some patience and that’s really all it requires. If you have a budding young chef in the house they could easily handle this. Pioneer Woman has a nutella version, FYI, too, if that is something you would like.

You need:

A big microwave safe bowl

3 tablespoons real butter

10 oz. mini marshmallows (the normal sized bag)

3 cups of Rice Krispies cereal

3 cups of Cap’n Crunch

Put the butter and marshmallows in the bowl. I like to spray my bowl with Pam to help a bit. Get your 13 x 9 ready, too, because things will move quickly. Spray the bottom of that with Pam, too.

Go ahead and measure out your cereals and then mix together so that the cereals are pretty evenly dispersed.

Microwave the butter and marshmallows for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Quickly take it out of the microwave and stir to combine the butter. I spray my wooden spoon with Pam, too. Trust me, this mixture is sticky!

Quickly stir in the cereals. It may feel like too much cereal but it will work.

Now, press mixture in the 13 x 9. I like to use a Pam sprayed spatula to make the top even.

Finally, be patient. Let it come together on the countertop for maybe an hour or two and then cut into squares.

You thought these were good with just Rice Krispies? Wait til you try it with the addition of Cap’n Crunch!

Let me know if you try it,

Amy

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

I’ve been thinking about what I wore in the 90s lately. The young girls, including my nieces I saw last weekend, are wearing things very similar to what I wore and loved. I graduated from high school in 1990 and from college in 1994. I would say my clothes from 1994 – 1999 were some of my favorites. Would I wear some of the same things today? Maybe?

Now, disclaimer… these are real photos that I took to the drug store in the canister of film and waited approximately a week before I could go pick them up! All of the photos are from age 22-26.

Oh, the high waisted jeans! I am on the left with my two sisters. Everything was tucked in and we liked our belts or our scarf or ribbon belts. My sister in the middle was voted best dressed in her high school senior class, by the way.

This was my junior or senior year of college when my sisters visited and I’m on the far right. Look at the overalls on my sister. I also had overalls and loved them! I’m not sure why we were all wearing the same color.

This was maybe two years after college and I loved this denim jumper and kept it for several years. I put a little white t-shirt under it and I was done. I had on a silly hat so I cropped it out of the photo. This was a 4th of July party.

Tie – dye, baby! I loved this t-shirt. I made the cut offs myself from jeans I found at Goodwill and look at the scrunchie on my wrist. This was a college girls rafting trip on the New River in West Virginia a couple years after graduation. This was so much fun! We camped and rafted. We were a mess setting up borrowed tents.

I had a few little floral dresses and I would throw my denim button down over them. Look at my little cross body purse.

I wore this sleeveless tie waist top a lot. This was in Mexico. When in Rome, right? I remember my friend kept saying “Dos Dos Equis por favor” and that was her only Spanish.

And, I wore these white denim cut offs and the short sleeve denim button down all the time, too.

My sister had a summer internship in NYC at the Guggenheim Museum and my roommate and I visited her. I wore this denim dress with a black backpack purse and black chunky sandals.

Sorry for the poor photo quality! That was a fun walk down memory lane. I don’t really believe in fashion rules like “If you wore it when it was last in style you’re too old to wear it this time around”. You should wear what makes you happy! What did you wear in the 90s? Please don’t say “diapers”.

Happy Hump Day!

Amy

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Father’s Day is June, 21, friends! I hope my post today will give you some ideas and please leave your best ideas in the comments!

This year may look different. You may only be able to gather with immediate family. I think outdoor functions are still the safest. If you feel comfortable, I think most dads appreciate the gift of time more than anything else.

Some ideas for a gathering:

Order a favorite restaurant take out meal

Order part of a meal and fill in with the sides

Order a charcuterie board

Order a cocktail in a bag kit from a locally owned liquor store. We have one that is doing really creative bags at a discount.

Have everyone bring a favorite unopened pre-packaged food item and just see what happens! It could be really funny!

Do an interview with the kids or grandkids. We did this once and I typed it up and printed a copy for everyone. There are all types of question lists on the internet. I recently re-read everyone’s answers and all of the kids laughed and laughed. You would have to do this ahead of time.

Video interviews – same concept but put on video

Zoom with family that can’t be with you.

Ideas for Gifts:

College shirt – for example I am giving my FIL a shirt for the new college of my boys

If your child is getting ready to go to high school you could do the new high school’s shirts. Sometimes these can be found at local Target, grocery stores, or sporting goods stores or online.

Birdfeeder and bird seed – I have had so much fun watching my birds!

Jack Black men’s products. I got some for my husband and they are really nice and not too expensive.

Neck gaitors – My husband likes the brand Costa and Buff among others. He wears this instead of a face mask. It is like a fake turtleneck and you can pull it up over nose. I think fishermen also like these and it protects your neck.

My model:

Work out stuff – if his gym is still closed or he is uncomfortable going.

Magazine subscription

Car detailed

Photo gifts are always a big hit – Walgreen’s has lots of options.

I’m out of ideas! What are your best ones?

Thanks!

Amy

Friday, June 5, 2020

Today I’m linking up with Andrea, etc. at Momfessionals! This was our first full week of summer, but we had a lot of school related items to attend to.

My first favorite was seeing all of my students and former students post on social media how they were trying to affect change. I got the opportunity to share my love on social media to them, too. We were supposed to have a curfew until Monday, but our mayor cancelled it yesterday afternoon.

Here are some other favorites from the week:

Monday Jack had his advisor appointment for college to pick his fall semester classes. This was done by teleconference; I think they use Microsoft Teams. He seems to have a really full schedule including his choir practices as a vocal music major. I really hope they get to sing together because I have read that singing is not good with the virus.

Thursday Mason had his advisor appointment and his schedule seems so light! He promises me the advisor said that it was a typical class load and that he would keep himself busy. I was not involved in either of these meetings, either. It is time for them to take the lead now.

By the way, I haven’t announced where they are going and I am still thinking about how much to share. I will give you some details soon, though!

Wednesday were professional cap and gown photos in the courtyard of our school. I grabbed a couple of quick shots before we left. The sun was in their eyes and their quarantine hair didn’t work well with their caps, plus I think it will add to the memory of this strange time. I asked if either wanted haircuts yet and they don’t. Again, I’m trying to let them make these decisions.

I moved one of our macho ferns up to the deck and I like how it looks here. Tom is working on the railings for the stairs this weekend. They look like they will be tricky.

The birds (and squirrels) are eating me out of house and home! I have to constantly re-fill my two bird feeders. The squirrels have managed to flip this whole heavy bird feeder upside down twice. I wish I could see them do it! I also put a half an orange in this little cage thing. Who knew I would be provided so much entertainment? I have a Father’s Day gift idea post coming up and one of my ideas is a bird feeder and bird seed. I have had friends tell me how much they are enjoying their bird feeders right now, too.

Tuesday night we had our senior good-bye/diploma pick up. Our seniors never get their diplomas at graduation and we always send them by mail. So, a week after graduation, we did this instead. This was my attempt to be festive. I made a sign in Spanish and wore a sombrero headband and held a flyswatter to wave bye to my seniors. The flyswatter is because of a game we play where we slap vocabulary words or verbs. It’s really silly. So, my family’s car came by and I wanted a picture. Jack is very excited. It made it official to see those diplomas and put them in their covers.

I decided to move my graduation table to my mantel for a bit.

I ordered a glass nail file from Amazon this week. It is really good. I didn’t even know there was such a thing but someone mentioned it and lots of us are doing nails at home now.

I also ordered a lip liner sharpener. I lost mine but it was broken anyway and I have had it for at least 10 years. This one seems to work really well.

If I am out in the sun for a long time I wear 30 or 50 spf, but I have been sitting outside for 15-30 minutes most days and using this 15. This smells amazing and leaves your skin so soft. It doesn’t have that nasty sunscreen feel to it.

It gives your skin a subtle sparkle.

After that horrible super sweet $10 cocktail at Drake’s last Friday, I was happy to make my own one day this week and sit on the deck.

Bravo was replaying Millionaire Matchmaker and Jack stopped to watch for a bit and then he went on a rant about reality shows and how judgmental the people are. We had a great conversation and it was all because of my silly Bravo shows!

The end of elementary school is a big milestone and I am sorry for this year’s 5th graders who aren’t getting to do their traditions. Facebook reminded me of our trip. Mason laying on the tube and Jack shirtless in his tube. I was one of the organizers for the trip.

What were your favorites this week? Did you see any acts of kindness in the midst of a hard week? Did you look for the helpers? I tried to. I hope that our country can come together and makes changes and move forward.

Happy Friday,

Amy

Thursday, June 4, 2020

I always get ideas from bloggers’ menus when I get in a rut! I also like to see what others order for take out to give me ideas for my next take out order or for me to try to re-create at home! I thought I would throw several photos at you today and maybe you will get an idea or two.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those struggling now with the virus, protests, loss of jobs, food insecurity, and so much more. All of our restaurants and grocery stores are closing by 8:00 p.m. in our area to get people home in time for the curfew that is set at 9:00 until at least June 8. I saw a question posed on Facebook yesterday about grocery closing times because a mom wouldn’t have the cash to buy her baby’s formula until later in the day. I saw another post saying that all of these nights of protests including helicopters circling the sky above are causing lack of sleep for children. It is our right to protest and it is important to do so, but we must have leaders come together to create solutions.

We realized that we hadn’t had our favorite Mediterranean/Persian food takeout since maybe February. This is on regular rotation normally. It is kind of expensive, but we are able to split two or three meals between the four of us. We are so lucky to have an awesome Mediterranean/Persian, Thai, and Cuban restaurant so close to us. We ordered two chicken kabob meals with rice and vegetables and an extra kabob of salmon. We added a Greek salad and split all of it. My son Mason loves their salmon and salad. He is the more adventurous eater of the two of my sons.

One of my cooking goals recently was to experiment with orzo. I bought a bag of it for 99 cents at Trader Joe’s on my one pandemic trip. I boiled it according to package directions, rinsed in cold water and then tossed with feta, cucumber, tomato, EVOO, lemon juice, S and P, and Greek seasoning spice that I had in a shaker just like my cajun spice. This is really good and I made it a second time already.

So, I told you on Tuesday that I returned the air fryer. The 2 ingredient bagels turned out great in the air fryer but they are also great in the oven. Just google 2 ingredient bagel recipe and you will find this. You use Greek non-fat plain yogurt and self rising flour and sprinkle with Everything but the Bagel seasoning if you like.

I used my Trader Joe’s lemon bread mix. It is so good if you happen to get to a Trader Joe’s. It’s one of their seasonal products. Some say it is similar to Starbuck’s lemon cake but I haven’t tried it. I have been wrapping up at least half of everything and freezing it for a rainy day.

I told you about a month ago that my goal was to make more salads for dinner. The boys loved this! I made homemade croutons and homemade honey mustard dressing and the boys said they loved eggs in their salad.

I made homemade fettucine alfredo one night with Texas Toast. We always have a box of Texas Toast in our freezer.

This is a great recipe to copy. I made Outback Steakhouse’s Alice Springs Chicken. It is basically grilled chicken with bacon, cheddar cheese, honey mustard sauce and mushrooms. I left the mushrooms off this time because I forgot to order them. I did buttermilk mashed potatoes and green beans on the side.

I have been having this combo for lunch some days. Do you like cottage cheese and tomatoes? It’s so good!

This was a Dinnerly box meal but I kinda added to it a bit. It was pesto ravioli. It came with cheese ravioli and a small block of parmesan along with a pouch of pesto sauce. I followed directions on that but I stole some of the pesto to put on top of salmon. I will definitely do that again! It was so easy and the pesto worked well with the salmon. And, the standard green bean side. I love the frozen haricot vert green beans from Trader Joe’s, by the way.

So, we have been eating pretty good around here. We have also had the tacos, spaghetti, BLTs that are often in our rotation.

What have you been eating lately? I need ideas ALWAYS!

Thanks for reading today. You are the best!

Amy

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

I wasn’t sure if I should continue with my regularly scheduled/promised fashion post today. I haven’t talked much about fashion here since February because it wasn’t a priority when dealing with much serious issues, like a pandemic. It still isn’t my top priority as I see our racial tensions come to a head in this country. I have much to learn, of that I am certain. I have been a public school teacher for 26 years and I am currently in an extremely diverse school. I have been blessed to teach kids from many different backgrounds. I also get to talk about cultural differences because I teach Spanish. It’s a great forum to open that discussion and build bridges of understanding. I want to be a better teacher next year for my minority students. I want to read more books to help me understand and I want to listen to more stories. It saddens me that we haven’t come farther in 2020. My city is on night 5 of a 10 day curfew of 9:00 p.m. This is like nothing I have ever experienced. I pray for safety from violence and Covid. Can you recommend any books?

My new sandals:

Have you heard of the Sam Eddelman Audrea as seen here? Many bloggers have been wearing these. I wanted something with a little lift that could be dressed up or down and was comfortable. The price was reduced and I ordered them from Nordstrom. I also think they will make a good teacher shoe if we get to go back in person. They kind of remind me of those slides that older men in Florida wear? That was really specific!

I promised you I would show you my TJ Maxx purchases. I returned my chair last Friday and picked up a couple of things. I didn’t even look at the clothing. All dressing rooms are closed. They are accepting returns which is nice. I just didn’t want to be in there for long, so I did a really quick look in the accessories and home goods areas.

These were a total impulse purchase because I had already ordered new Reefs. These are C & C California brand and they were on clearance for $8. They are quite comfortable with a really substantial sole.

I knew I wanted to look at sunglasses and they have great ones. These were $9.99 by Jones New York. I love the tortoise and the blush combo.

And, that was that for TJ Maxx. It was surreal and sad to be in there. All of their Easter stuff was 75% off and it reminded me that Easter was at the beginning of the quarantine.

These are my Reefs. I love this brand and these were I think $22 with 20% off from a Memorial Day sale. I ordered directly from the Reef website.

So, I probably did not need two new pairs of brown flip flops but I don’t really like my last year’s models and I wear flip flops most days in the summer. I just love to buy sunglasses, as you know. And, the Sam Eddelmans hopefully will turn out to be a good purchase.

I would really like to do a shopping ban for the rest of the summer. I’m not positive I can pull it off. It just seems like a great time to do one. I am not going many places, therefore it’s hard to shop. I’m also not going places much to wear clothing! Where do you stand on taking breaks from shopping?

When I do good places, I am feeling the white top and denim bottom vibe. I have a light denim skirt, denim cut offs, and denim slightly nicer shorts. And, you know I have lot of white tops. What is your “summer uniform”?

Thanks for reading, thinking of you and hoping you are staying healthy,

Amy