Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Thursday, October 3, 2019

I try to keep it positive around here (I hope!) but today I thought it would be fun to share my pet peeves. Fun for me to get these things off my chest at least! You may read this and think I’m an insufferable grumpy middle aged shrew?  Hope not!  I hope you can relate or laugh! 

• When people are late – I’m not talking five minutes late – that’s nothing to me. I’m talking 30 minutes to an hour late kind of late. One of my best friends is guilty of this. One time I was actually so perturbed that by the time she arrived I was in a bad mood and it affected our time together. I hate that I felt that way, but I’m busy, too, and my time was wasted that I could have done something else.  
• Speaking of busy, I hate hearing people drone on about how busy they are – ha!  We are all busy and people really do not want to hear about it.  I try really hard not to do this.  
• When people don’t text me back it really irks me. I will even give you a 24 hour grace period. I have a friend who doesn’t text back sometimes. I am also best friends with her husband (I introduced them 20 years ago!) so I will just text him but it bothers me.  If someone texts when I am teaching or already asleep I may forget, too, but I try really hard to clean out my texts and make sure there was not one I missed responding to.  
• People who are rude to servers or who don’t tip enough. We had a friend who we used to go out with in groups a long time ago and he thought it was “cute” to give servers a hard time and then would only leave 10%. Needless to say we don’t go out with him anymore. My friend and I would go slip more cash for his tip! I was a waitress for several years and think everyone should do this job because it teaches you a lot about life.  I try really hard not to be difficult and to tip at least 20% but oftentimes more because they are working really hard and probably really need the money.  

• How hard is it to return your grocery cart to a cart corral? Park next to one if you can’t be bothered to walk 10 feet. I tell my students this is an informal personality test and you can tell a lot about a person by whether they do this simple gesture or not – ha!

• If I let you out in traffic you better give me the courtesy thank you wave. I guess this comes from living in a friendly area. Almost everyone lets people out and receives a wave. I wonder if this is the case for my northern friends?
• All.the.Walmart.blog.posts.can.stop.already. I just read one about getting tailgating supplies at Walmart – at least it wasn’t another fashion post. We know we can get Solo cups there, ok? I’m not even joking; the blogger linked to Solo cups.
• And speaking of Walmart fashion posts, another blogger had a caption that read a “Walmart Tops Under $100” and my head snapped and I did a double take! I had to click on her link and this is what I saw. So now Walmart is selling designer wear? I do have one Walmart Time and True blouse but the quality isn’t great in my opinion and the fit is a bit off. (Sorry to those of you that love your Wal-Mart clothing; I just don’t think it’s that good.) I am just tired of all of these sponsored posts. I don’t think these bloggers really wear this stuff. I read several blogs (probably too many) and on any given day, there may be five Walmart posts. I guess I should just click away! I have seriously had a bad experience every time I have shopped or returned something at Walmart.  But, I also know that many people who live in small towns rely on Walmart.  
• Target needs to stop trying to look like a high end department store in their clothing section (and other sections). Don’t mix the accessories with the clothes. I need Target to stay Target. I love you just the way you are/were, Target!  Do not change!  

What are your pet peeves?  Whew – I feel better!  

Let’s all get it off of our chests today!

Amy

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

This is a hard time of year to dress!  I have said it before and I will say it again!  I am so tired of my spring and summer clothes since I have been wearing them since April and they seem not quite right for the calendar.  This leaves me with a small selection of fall colored clothing that still works for the 90 degree weather!  

Here are a couple of recent outfits that I thought looked o.k. and some of my favorite tops that work right now!  

I love this blouse.  It has a built in tank and then is kind of a poncho on top.  I got it last year from Steinmart and it is the perfect blouse for this time of year.  I think I should have gone down a size, though.  I would love to find more patterns in this style.  Hue jeggings and faux leather clogs complete the outfit.  

Here are the stars of the last couple of weeks…

The famous Walmart blouse.  I actually liked the rust orange version better but knew this would work with my wardrobe.  

Give me all the camo, but especially this time of year.  This was last year from Versona. I also have a Target camo dress but I have not felt much like dresses and skirts lately.

This adorable (in my opinion) patterned top is several years old from Anthropologie and it was on major sale.  This rust color is supposed to be super hot right now, too!  I have to wear a cami under it and a cardi over it.  But, I did wear it last week and I will show that again below, too!  

The Steinmart blouse from the first outfit.  

Major sale from Anthro last year.  The length is a bit long.  Maybe I should hem it, but I really like the color and lightweight sweaterish material.  I like the long seam down the front, too.  

And, during jeans week I wore the Walmart blouse.  

I think the secret is to look for fall colors in lighter weight fabrics.  I love, love, love all of the fall colors – wine, olive, mustard, rust – what about you?  

What are your transition pieces and what have you been wearing lately?  

Amy

Monday, October 1, 2019

Happy October all!  It is now socially acceptable to make all things pumpkin!  

Hubs’ name:  My friend and faithful blog reader from Sweden guessed it on the first try – Tom!  

I am linking up with Tanya for her Prime Purchases.  Go see her – she is a sweetheart!  

Most of these items are for my son Mason.  He is in a women in literature class this year and the travel journal is required for his Europe trip and the Adidas are his back to school shoe.  

The mascara primer is for me.  The other beauty things are for my best friend – a favorite things basket.  The fortune cookies were for a school activity.  My students wrote fortunes in Spanish and I surprised them by attaching them to a cookie the next day!  

I have been buying the Amazon e-gift card and I really like that.  Everyone can find something they like that way!  

And, the killer bee glasses have been so fun!  

What have you primed lately?

Amy

Monday, September 30, 2019

This is going to be a short one today!  Linking up with Heather, Tanya, etc.  at My Glittery Heart and The Other Side of the Road.

Friday night I made a reservation at Ciao, the Italian restaurant next to the youth theatre.  

Their breadsticks are soooo good!  When our food came we were in a hurry to get to our play so no photos!  We saw a play called She Kills Monsters.  Our son wasn’t in it but wanted to support his friends.  

Saturday morning was a busy one.  I did get a pumpkin spice latte!  Who cares that is was 95 degrees and will be until this Friday!  This is not normal for us.  We are having a hot September/October.  Jack had theatre and all state choir try outs.  Mason had to go to a friend’s house.  I had to do grocery because it had gotten down to bare cupboards!  I have not done curbside pick up in months.  I need to get back to that!  The last time I did it was a royal disaster.  My order was really wrong.  

I started this – the first one is definitely way better but it’s still amusing. Is it wrong that I’m glad the world of elementary class mom, PTA, etc. are behind me?  I was classmom many times for one boy or the other (they never were in the same class) and I think I was inside the school at least once a week.  

This is really good!  

And, Sunday I had things to grade!

I read on my patio for a bit on Sunday even though it was hot; there was a nice breeze plus my fan!  

Hub and I went to Closets By Design and I went to Sherwin Williams again.  I am gravitating toward slate blue, grey, and greige.  We are basically re-painting the whole upstairs.  I want the dining room and kitchen to be the same because they are open to each other.  I want the mudroom to be a complementary shade to that.  I am not sure about the hallway, living room, guest bath, master bed and bath yet.  Lots of decisions to be made.  Sherwin Williams has paint 30% off right now and then it goes 40% off October 18.  Maybe waiting will pay off?  

Saturday night we got takeout and Sunday night we ate the leftovers.  

How was your weekend?  

We have a four day week this week and a three day week the following for a total of five days off for students.  This is all we get for a fall break.  I only have four days off because next Tuesday is Parent Teacher Conference Day, but I will take it.  

We are doing a college visit, working on college applications, getting haircuts, and trying out a new Mexican Restaurant with friends.  Also, this week we have a closet designer coming over and I am soooooo excited!  

Any more tips on paint or closet design or the college process are appreciated!  I need advice on everything really!  

Oh, also, I’m ready to start using hub’s name now, too.  Any guesses?  If you’re new here, I kept my sons’ names anonymous until recently.  It was fun hearing your guesses!  

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Friday, September 27 2019

Happy Friday!  I am linking up today with Andrea, etc. right here!  

For those of you following along on my dip nail journey – ha – this is four weeks tomorrow!  Sorry for the poor photo quality but you can see the regrowth at the cuticle.  I got tired of my first dip which was pink/salmon very quickly but as I am definitely more of a dark color person, this has not gotten old for me.  I plan to go back to get them redone either tomorrow or early next week.  What color should I do next?  I am thinking a wine/burgundy color – too soon for that?  

I have not really done much this week except work and go home!  I am starting to look at paint colors for master bedroom and mudroom.  Here is a mudroom photo that I really like.  I would like to do a grey somewhere and maybe the mudroom would work for that, but it will need to work with new kitchen color and I have not decided that yet, either!  

I do think I will stay in the warm tones for the bedroom.  And, I want that to work with the master bath.  Any suggestions?  I do believe we will use Sherwin Williams paint.  

I am trying this at level 2 and I have never done this before with that low of a level of Spanish.  I do this at level 3 and above.  I am excited to see if they can carry on a conversation only in Spanish after just having one year and 6 weeks of Spanish.  I know it is all up to me and how I set it up.  I am excited because I have some really great kids and I think they can do this!  

Our boy Jack joined choir for the first time as a senior.  I am proud of him for doing this and we witnessed his first concert Tuesday night in our open air courtyard.  

Back to house stuff – here is a kitchen color I like.  

I ran out this week and this is a lotion I really like.  It is very similar to Oil of Olay I think.  

Drywall started on our project this week and this will be my closet!  Just mine!  I have never had a walk in closet!  I get to help figure out how to configure the rods and shelving.  I am so excited about this.  My clothes are seriously unorganized right now.  

What have been your faves this week?  

Any color suggestions are appreciated!  Should mudroom and kitchen match?  Should master bed and bath match?  Would it look more modern and interesting to have complimentary colors?  

Happy happy weekend!  We are busy but not all plans are firm yet – see you back here Monday to find out what we did!

Amy

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Did you see my recent post on why I love Matilda Jane brand pants here?  Are you tired of hearing about them?  Ha!  I thought I would do one more follow up and show you my collection.  I wanted to show this for my first post but my full time job got in the way – just keeping it real here!  Only three of my MJ pants were purchased full price ($59) and the rest were consignment finds.  Yes, I am lucky to live in a city with GREAT consignment stores!  Also, this was over a year a year’s time and also these are the staple of my pants wardrobe.  I don’t think I need any more at this point!  

I apologize for the wrinkles in the photos below.  I let all of them hang dry and then I use Downy wrinkle release before hanging them.  They are excellent quality and the only thing I dislike is the giant tag.  

This is the $18 new with tags consignment pair that started it all.  I have noticed this is a 2019 Pantone color of the year, too, by the way.  It is a very dark evergreen with grey notes.  They have really worked with a lot of my clothes.  All of the pants you will see below I think work for all of the seasons except for my velvet ones.  

This light moss green color hits me where a capri pant would.  I wear these the least of all of my pairs but I still like them.  These were also around $18 consignment.  

These are a little bit lighter than a navy but I have had a lot of tops that work with them.  They were from a Facebook sale and under $15.  

Another pair from my local consignment store and these are really a size small but they work.  I have found I can wear 2-3 different sizes of these and I’m going to cover the waist with a top anyway.  I really like the brown and grey combo.  

These are my two full priced pairs that I bought together.  One is just the regular material and the other is velvet.  I found that I wore them to all of my holiday events last year.

And, this is my last full price pair that I ordered most recently.  These required a hem but my tailor was able to keep the fun bottoms.  These are called the Finn.  

And, my last two were also part of the Facebook sale along with the blue ruffle.  I thought this olive green was really unique and again they had to hemmed and my tailor simply moved up the detail on the bottom.  

And, finally these also had to be hemmed and she used the same method.  These are the most casual of the bunch and I think they will be my weekend pants. I am a little embarrassed as I know I have quite the collection.  This is kind of what I do – when I like something I go all in!  But:  they make me happy, they fit great and I think they are flattering, they are great quality, I love the unique vibe, and they work with my lifestyle and my other pieces.  And, I was lucky to find some great deals on them through my consignment shopping skills and the Facebook sale I found.  

If you want to jump in, I would definitely say to just get a black ruffle pair or the black Finn pant.  Let me know if you have any questions?
Also, do you have a brand that you swear by?  I am always interested in this because I truly value quality and tried a true products.

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Thank you for following me on my new blog Instagram account!  

Happy hump day to you!  

I want to work on the areas of athleisure and night out clothing in my wardrobe.  I picked up these blush pants at a sporting goods store by Carrie Underwood – the brand Calia.  They were majorly reduced.  

Last winter I really wanted a velvet kimono from this local boutique but it was $80 so I did not get it.  Target does it again.  A New Day brand had this in the accessories section for $27.  I can still return it, but I think it will be great for holiday and winter outings.  

Here is the detail in the light.  

Last week was spirit week and this was my attempt at decades day – I went with 70s.  

My co-worker did 50s.  

This was just a typical day at school.  Another day another pair of Matilda Jane pants!  

This was my Sunday boat outfit.  

This was outdoor concert attire.  I wore my most comfortable Reef flip flops, drawstring linen shorts, and white Old Navy top because it was still going to be hot until the sun went down.

And, last outfit…

And, this week at school is jeans week to raise money for pediatric cancer.  If you are a jeans person, this is your fall uniform.  Get just a couple of pairs of jeans that fit you great and a couple of cute blouses and for simple accessory – ADVdesigns leather earrings on Etsy.  I have not talked about these clogs – I ordered them in the spring and they finally came in the summer.  They were around $20 and you get what you pay for!  They are not real leather but I guess they look o.k.!

What is your favorite?  What are you wearing this week?  

Amy 

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Before we talk shoes, I started an Instagram for the blog!  Please follow me on Instagram at Coffeeandcocktailsatthecasa!  I will follow you back!  I have a personal account but I use it mostly for Spanish with my former students.  I hope to use my new blog Instagram to connect more with my readers and with other bloggers!  

What are you wearing on your feet these days?  I keep a pedicure year round and I wear open toe shoes as long as I can.  

The front two have been my school go to shoes.  They are comfortable for teaching all day and one or the other goes with all of my outfits.  

The back two are closed toe but I will start wearing these soon, too.  I have already worn the clogs a few times – cannot say enough about them.  They are the Sofia by MIA.  The open cut out booties were a consignment find but I like the idea of cut out booties for this time of year.  

I find that most of my fall clothes have tan, mustard, olive so that works well with a brown or tan shoe.  

Any suggestions for my early fall shoe wardrobe?  

Amy 

P.S. – Follow me on Instagram if you have an account!  

Monday, September 23, 2019

How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty good!  I’m linking up today with Heather, etc.  so go there to check out other posts.  

Friday after school I enjoyed some time to myself on my new patio furniture.  As much as I believe that it’s good to go out on Friday night to maximize your weekend, we all agreed to just stay home and order pizza, so that’s what we did!  

My newly painted patio ceiling and ceiling fan.  I love this little space and even more so because I haven’t been able to use it this season!  

I was happy to start a new book!  It is so cute!  

Saturday mornings Jack has theatre now so I dropped him off and then took myself to the library for a couple books on hold and then stopped at the fabulous farmer’s market.  

I finally found my white pumpkins.  I bought two small ones for my porch.  

I came home with my library and farmer’s market finds.  

I went back out to my patio for some tea and bread with apple cider jam.  

I picked up this cookbook.  Damaris is from Louisville. 

Hub picked Jack up from theatre and took him to buy his electric guitar that he’s been saving for.  I took Mason to his friend’s house and then I got to go to Bourbon and Beyond!  

My friend and I split tacos and totchos.  

We got to hear Hall and Oates.  

Sunday morning was some work and then a boat ride with just hub and I.  This is not Starbuck’s!  

We stopped to eat and then found this shady spot and the breeze felt amazing.  I feel hints of fall in the air.  

I have a busy week ahead with two evening activities this week on top of the normal stuff.  Then the crazy of September will come to an end.  Can you believe it’s the end of September already?  

I hope you have a great Monday and thanks for reading!  I have been having trouble with comments to my blog by the way.  I have sent a message to WordPress so I’m hoping everything is back to normal.  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Friday, September 19, 2019

Hello Friday!  How was your week?  Mine was pretty good but hectic as I think all September weeks tend to be.  Linking up with Andrea, etc. today!  

I picked up this little apple diffuser at Trader Joes last Saturday because I have dedicated September to all things apple!  It was under $5!  

I also got this apple cider jam.  I am hoping to do something cool with this.  Stay tuned…

This scent has made my week sooooo happy.  I love it.  I think I would use it as a body wash or lotion, too, if it came in that!  

This is our favorite salad around here lately. Baby spinach, cheddar cheese cut in tiny little chunks, red onion diced, and green apple.  Hub has been using Poppyseed dressing and I have been using just a bit of EVOO.  

Also, I love my fall plates.  I bought them a few years ago at Target. 

I really want to make these Smores bars but I know I will eat too many! Chasing Sweet and Simple blog posted them but I have made them before and know how delicious they are.  

So, I am a Spanish teacher and we celebrate Day of the Dead.  I have noticed how popular the skull has become for the general public.  I found these really nice glasses at Dollar Tree.  How cute!  

Look at this!  I really want to re-create this!  I love charcuterie boards and this is just too cute for words.  

How was your week?  Any fun weekend plans?  I would love to go to Bourbon and Beyond which is a bourbon and music festival but my kids and their plans come first so we will see.  

Make it a great one!

Amy