Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Monday, March 18, 2024

I had a really solid weekend! I had sunshine and quality time with my crew. I had reading time. I had cooking time. I had outdoor time. I took two long walks. I’m thankful!

I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to share more details in their Hello Monday link up!

Friday after school means happy hour! I went to Mojito Tapas with…

Mason! Mason had come home Thursday night because of no classes on Fridays and he wanted to write a paper at home and work on homework during the day. He tried his first mojito and liked it. We also had some shrimp and queso dip with chorizo.

Tom met us after work and on his way to Walgreen’s for his shingles shot. He was only able to stay a few minutes before his appointment, but it was nice he got to partake, too. Jack was off teaching music lessons.

When we got home I air fryed some potato peels I had been saving in the freezer. Weird, but Tom liked the first batch so much he wanted to try it again.

And, I made beef bulgogi bowls for those who needed dinner. I wasn’t hungry after the happy hour. This recipe is so good and really easy. I was able to get this ready in about 15 minutes.

I was so tired Friday night that I went to bed at my normal weekday time of 9:30.

Saturday morning – look at that frothy coffee! I am using hazelnut creamer right now. So good! I am still carrying on on with my traditional coffee pot for now.

I made cinnamon toast for anyone that wanted it.

Tom and I left to go to the boat supply store and to walk by the river. This is River the dog again, customer service at the shop. She puts her paw up to touch you to either tell you to keep petting her or for her to pet you back. She’s hilarious. She only works the counter on Saturdays.

We visited our boat:

The river is super high…

this was our first walk by the river without Ernie. No comment.

They have finished renovating our beautiful water tower and were doing tours:

Look at the color of the sky!

We kept on walking along the river…

I had on my green hat and beerrings, of course.

We walked to Haymarket which is a gourmet farm stand/farmer’s market with a nice outdoor area with a coffee counter, tables, and a place to order food. It also has a full bakery and pastry counter:

Tom wanted some pumpernickel bread, country ham, and bacon, and I wanted a candle.

Then, we drove to this marina on our way home. Most of the boats are still all wrapped up from winter!

Then,

Tom mowed and I made lunch and then I read outside for a few hours. I came inside and made green chocolate chip cookie dough!

He, he – they are super ugly, but funny. It looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream in the bowl. Or, they look like Shrek cookies!

First yard mow of the season. The grass looks so lush and the clouds looked so cool.

So, remember how I said Tom had his shingles shot? Well, we had plans to go to a pizza place as a family and he felt too bad to go out. When he had his first dose he got it at the same time as he got his flu shot and his C-vid booster. So, yes, he had shingles, c-vid, and flu shots all in one day. 3 days later and he was sick for like 2 weeks with what I call “man flu”. It turned into a sinus infection and It was very dramatic. I never got sick. That was a few weeks before we left for England and then he was sick on our trip, too.

So, it was just the kids and I…

We went to Parlour Pizza which we ordered for delivery while they were on spring break, and they were really impressed so I had wanted them to try it there.

Thankfully, we got home and Tom was showered and eating a snack and wanted some pizza. Was this a ruse to get out of leaving the house? Then, we attempted to watch Oppenheimer in the basement. I kept falling asleep when I wasn’t googling facts about the real deal and the key players. I finally gave up and went to bed again at 9:30!

Sunday morning I slept in until about 7:45! I guess this is the time of year that teachers are just worn out. I had plans to make my egg casserole and to start the brisket in the crockpot and to make the Irish soda bread. I was using Jen’s recipes, of course!

Finished product:

I started the crockpot and then Tom and I went for a walk at a historic home (on their grounds and in the woods on paths on the property).

After that, we came home and got cleaned up and then had an epic fail. We were meeting friends Michael and Beth (of Host It Notes) at a brewery for their St. Patrick’s Day event. We both pulled up around the same time and the gate was closed. We checked the event, we tried to call but got no answer, and then finally our friends noticed it was Saturday! Oh well. We were all dressed in green and Tom said he “wasted his St. Patrick’s Day outfit”. We ended up with green margaritas and guacamole. It was still fun to visit!

We went home to check the crockpot and that was about it for our weekend, sadly.

What was the highlight of yours?

Amy

Friday, March 15, 2024

Ok folks, I still have 10 school days after today until Spring Break! Eek! Ours feels so late especially due to the fact that we had very little winter weather. I hope my sanity will still be intact by the time we make it there.

But, alas, it’s time to link up with Erika and Andrea for our favorite post of the week, though – Friday Favorites!

Tom and I stopped at the library (he stayed in the car – I think he is afraid of books) on Sunday while having an adult date. An adult date means running errands.

Look at the St. Patrick’s Day book display! I need to tell someone how much I appreciate the color they provide me each season.

For the better part of our adult date, we went to Manhattan Project for a late lunch. This is also where I went with Beth last week! Remember the fried banana pepper rings and nachos?

We split a salad and…

fish and chips and Tom always says I give the server “too much information” but since I had said we were splitting, they split it in the kitchen. See, Tom? Each thing was the perfect portion for us.

Ok, I ordered Saltair Santal Bloom body wash and deodorant. While I like the smell, this won’t be a re-purchase for me. The deodorant pales pales pales in comparison to Donna, so I have re-ordered Donna to do a warm weather experiment – to see if it still holds up to my sweat. It’s more of a winter smell to me, but I think it will be fine. The body wash isn’t strong smelling enough for me to re-order. This brand is carried in the shampoo and conditioner at Target I noticed. This is strictly my opinion. I ran out of Donna after having her for roughly four months. That’s pretty darn good!

This week I have taken and eaten breakfast tacos with the La Banderita low carb street taco sized tortillas. Yum! They have been so good!

I made an interesting dinner – hasselback chicken – I put laughing cow mixed with fresh spinach inside the slits of the chicken with a piece of raw bacon and baked it. I thought it was really good!

I have enjoyed my pale lime green press on mani this week. I put it on Saturday morning for the parade and it’s still going strong as I write this on Thursday!

Tom still wants to walk after work (even without a dog) and we have done this together around the playground behind our house before dinner. He likes to say hi to all his “dog friends”.

We are doing ok, but we really miss our boy, Ernie. I came home immediately after school on Monday of this week for the first time (I kept myself busy, busy, busy last week) and it really hit me. I should have been on the patio with him and I should have been tripping over him to get in the door – lol.

Jack also had a sad moment. He was vacuuming his basement area and said he felt bad because he saw the dog hair and it was the last of it. I hugged him and said, “oh I’m sure that’s not the last of it” but we had a nice talk and I think it was cathartic for him.

Some of Tom’s dog friends:

The walking has been nice. I have tried to be done with dinner so I can take that time to walk with Tom.

I got a really sweet gift from my college friend and blog reader Jennie of this frame in which to put a photo and his collar:

I also got a sweet, sweet book and card from Sally, another blog reader, and friend. I read it and bawled.

Kellyann also sent me the sweetest card. I can’t tell you how much the comments mean to me that you all have left. Making the decision to say good-bye to a pet is one of the hardest adulting things.

And, I believe in signs. Do you? I have told you a few times that my Dad leaves me pennies and I save them? Well, this is kind of weird…

I have a tiny little wooden birdhouse that had a cardinal glued to it. The birdhouse is probably 2 inches tall. I think it was meant to be an ornament but I set it on my mantel. It was made by a family friend. So, the cardinal came unglued and I meant to re-glue it or have Tom do it (because that’s what husbands are for, right?). Anyway, I forgot about the cardinal and it’s probably been a year. I was sweeping the kitchen and the cardinal bird appears in the dustpan with the debris I have swept up. My sister Kate would say it was coincidence because she’s a cynic, but I was sweeping the kitchen on Monday (I never do this on a Monday, but I was sad and channeling my sad energy) and this appeared. So, it’s my Dad telling me Ernie is with him or it’s Ernie telling me he’s ok.

How cool is that? Anyway, we are doing ok and are talking about how to bring home our next fur baby.

Gosh with the Facebook memories, no? This was our favorite bagel place right by our house and my twins acting silly:

They dressed like old men and called any plaid button up a “Grandpa shirt” because that’s what my Dad wore.

I did something crazy this week (crazy in a boring middle aged woman way) and ordered pick up from Aldi for the first time. Tom asked if they were going to chuck the items in my car bagless, but I showed him that they charged me for their bags:

It was a great experience and I price compared with Kroger and did a Kroger pick up, too, but chose which thing to buy at each store. Do I want two pickups each week? No, but I can see doing every other week at each? Maybe?

And, you guys! I finished my Grocery Diaries for The Kitchn and they are paying me! What? I thought it was just for fun. I will let you know when it will be published. Does this mean I’m a real writer that gets paid? Ha!

We had some fab meal prep meals for lunch at school this week:

Erica’s shrimp curry:

My pizza bowl with quinoa this time rather than cauliflower rice:

Sub in a Tub:

And at home…

One night I didn’t feel like eating the bbq Tom was having and made myself 2 Kodiak pancakes. Bad photo, good pancakes.

Another night Tom had teriyaki chicken over rice and I had it over leftover quinoa. Having a real quinoa moment over here!

Are you all concerned about Kate? I am! What is going on? I hope all is well!

Ok, I made it to the gym at 5:30 three times last week and three times this week. I’m trying!

And, for laughs – my new hall pass:

We all had the same color clipboard for a hall pass in my hallway – each hall has a different color – well, the kids mix them up all the time and then it causes tons of emails about “hall passes missing” and it’s just silly. I had a mannequin arm in my classroom (don’t ask questions and nobody gets hurt) and had a muy artistic student give her a tat. There will be no mixing up of my hall pass now! Insert evil laugh! I will report back if I get “in trouble” for having a unique hall pass.

Well, as usual, we were all over the place for my faves this week. I hope I made you smile, drool, or chuckle?

Happy Weekend!

Wear green! We are all Irish this week!

Amy

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Happy Pi Day! My school might have an abundance of round desserts today. The math teachers used to do it up big, but not sure if they are still doing that. I may or may not have visited the teacher’s lounge in the past for the leftovers!

I’m linking up today with Kellyann and Jill for Fashion Files. Let’s see what the past week has looked like…

I am trying to be content and wear my previous season spring items. Even though I have a big closet, I have commandeered Mason’s second closet for my out of season things because I don’t like to see them. I want them to feel new and I want to meet my “old friends” again.

Exception to trying to be content:

I always feel like I need things to wear under things and some of my old tanks were not cutting it. Some were too low cut in the chest and some had the tiny little pin holes in them. So, in comes…

The Target A New Day muscle tee – it makes a great first layer, workout tee, you can wear under cardigans, kimonos, or alone with a printed bottom. I got 2 blacks, 1 white (need another one), lime green, and yellow. It appears they are now on sale for $7.

I have the black one on in this photo:

So, I tried a lewk above with my black Target silk skirt, my black Target muscle tee, and a white button down. I wore my Adidas Gazelles with a higher white ankle sock. I was super comfortable, but I’m on the fence about the outfit.

Here it is for the gym: Trigger warning my face apparently had not woken up yet.

The next day I wore my J.Crew Factory $12 clearance blouse with my J.Crew consignment pink cardigan, jeans, and I started in these old Tory Burch flats and they are so uncomfortable! I quickly switched to the Adidas Gazelles. Who knew I had so much pink and green?

For the parade on Saturday I call this “50 Shades of Green”…I wore my Target lime green muscle tee with an old Target green cardigan, and old shamrock headband, and old shamrock looking necklace, my green beer earrings (bearrings), and I decided to wear my Kut from the Kloth flares with my New Balances because we were walking at least 2 miles.

For school Monday, I wore my really, really old Old Navy butterfly blouse, a consignment magenta cardigan, my Matilda Jane Fin flares, and my gold clogs. I changed into my white leather Madewells sneaks after two periods. Lol!

And, for my last outfit, I wore this:

It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the Matilda Janes are navy, the white muscle tee, a consignment kimono that I got stuck in the zipper of my jeans last year and had to rip it out (took to the tailor to be repaired and lesson learned not to wear this with a zipper nearby). By the way, I only wear the Matildas to school. I don’t wear them out anywhere really. They are the perfect school pant. They are comfortable and not fussy for bathroom visits if you know what I mean.

What have you been wearing?

Do you have a favorite of my outfits this week?

Let me know if you get the Target tee! A lot of bloggers raved about it last season, but I’m often late to the party! And again, I had to somewhat eat my words from my post yesterday about shopping at Target.

Amy

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

I often tell my students that the longest relationship they will have in their lifetimes is with themselves.

How do you speak to yourself?

Are you kind to yourself?

Here are things I do for myself that I equate with being kind to myself:

Candles – I light a candle in the morning, evening, or when I sit outside. I’ve been trying to “use up” old candles and haven’t bought one for quite a while, but I will buy a new one soon.

Warm drinks – Ahh, when it hits just the right temperature is there anything better than drinking coffee or tea?

Clothing myself – in things that make me feel great and not clothing myself in stiff, scratchy fabrics, ill-fitting garb, etc.

Time – I give myself the gift of morning quiet time, after school quiet time, unhurried time when I can.

Say NO and not over-fill my calendar – I know that my job is intense and full of people and decisions. Teachers make about 1500 decisions a day. That’s why I like routine and I already have my list of meals written out for me. I want to automate as much at school and home as possible. So, I don’t say yes to everything because I know I need down time.

Smells – I give myself good smells. I love nice smelling shower products and this is important to me. I like nice smelling lotions, too. This is why I splurge on Diva laundry liquid.

Laughing – I laugh every day. This is why I love my favorite funny podcast! Watch What Crappens makes fun of Bravo shows. I know they are good for a laugh if I haven’t had much to laugh about that day. I also laugh at myself and don’t beat myself up for the goofs I make on the regular.

Cooking – I cook for myself almost as much as I cook for Tom and my kids. I really enjoy the act of cooking and I’m proud of myself when I cook something great. I like the act of chopping. I’m so happy that I can feed myself the foods that I enjoy.

Exercising or taking walks – This is one I am working to incorporate in a more routine way. I know this is one of the kindest things I can do for my present and future self. I am also trying to walk with Tom because I think it’s good for us and a great way to talk.

Reading- I give myself the gift of time to read.

Nurturing my relationships – I am kind to myself by allowing myself to nurture my marriage, my relationships with my kids, and all my other relationships. That may sound odd, but they require work and care. and even the constant re-evaluating of what stage you are in with that relationship.

Maybe I am getting off topic a bit with my list…but have you been kind to yourself lately?

One thing I think we can all do to be kinder is to stay off social media or reduce our time on it. Sometimes I think it evokes the worst emotions in us. Comparison is the thief of joy, right? For some reason, I don’t think blogs do that to me. I do get ideas from reading blogs, though!

How have you been kind to yourself lately? Any recommendations?

Amy

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

I don’t know where to shop anymore. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this means I should just be happy and wear what I have?

Every time I say, “Oh, I don’t shop there anymore” something happens, and I have to eat my words. Are you also like that?

I guess I’m having a hard time figuring out where I fit in with retailers lately.

Here are some favorite outfits I’ve worn lately that feel like me:

Here is a favorite Walmart.com purchase in 2024. This breton striped shirt is so well made. I say Walmart.com because I don’t go in the store and only order online. Their website is really, really bad. I have learned that I really like Free Assembly and Scoop brands from Walmart. When you see my stats below, you will see that I have had a lot of luck with this retailer in 2024!

I ordered white wide legged jeans from Chico’s and they were just too voluminous in the legs. I went in the store to return them and looked around and it just didn’t feel right to shop there. I have loved some of their pants for basics in the past, but nothing this season appealed to me at all!

I went in Old Navy to see if they had the $15 sale on a button up like they did online and they didn’t. Why are the prices so drastically different online versus in store? But, more than that, I had to get out of there. Everything looked so cheap, felt so scratchy, and just oozed fast fashion.

I am super happy with my two button ups I ordered in 2024, but shopping in the store was not pleasant! Like I said, it just felt too fast fashion for me.

I bought button ups in blue/white and pink/white online and washed them and shrunk them a bit on purpose and now I love them:

Target clothes don’t feel right now. Exception, I did buy the A New Day muscle tee in black, white, lime, and yellow. I thought it would be great for under cardigans, shirts, and even alone.

Is it me? Am I in a weird age for fashion?

Let’s look back at my January and February purchases and where I have been shopping:

Consignment: 4 items – 2 handbags, black sweater vest, black jeans

Carly Jean Los Angeles: 2 items – white kimono, blue and white boyfriend tee

Walmart: 5 items – pumpkin spice clearance sweater, striped breton, striped short sleeve sweater, navy tank swimsuit, green/white heart cardigan

Old Navy: 2 items – the blue/white button up, and the pink/white button up

Gap: 1 item – silver clogs

Dick’s Sporting Goods: 1 item – Adidas Gazelle platforms

Amazon: 3 items – fun print blouses and bright blue leggings with pockets

Marshall’s: 1 item – pink bird shirt

I like looking online and it’s so tempting to order online, but I hate returns with a passion.

I like ordering from places that have a brick and mortar to return to, but still, I don’t have unlimited time to make returns nor do I want to spend my time that way.

I have been happy with Nordstrom.com in the past and have found many great things that way! I can return to my Nordstrom Rack, which is the only Nordstrom we have.

I am super impressed with ordering from Walmart.com. They are so quick and communicative. They let you know the status of your order multiple times! This is a big plus for me. They are way better than Target.com who yanks my chain about when my orders will arrive.

Every now and again I find something at TJ Maxx or a local boutique, too.

Is it them or is it me?

Do you feel the same?

It’s like – I am a woman of a certain age with a woman-sized body, but I want to be modern, trendy but classy, and feel like myself. Does this store exist for me?

Amy

Monday, March 11, 2024

It’s the typical Hello Monday with Sarah and Holly, but also Share Our Lives with several bloggers and theme of “5 items I can’t live without”.

So, let’s get started by going back to Thursday, which is “Pre-Friday”, right?

Thursday was great because Erica brought lasagna cups for the first time in a long, long time! These are mini lasagnas made with won ton wrappers.

I met my friend Victoria for happy hour after school and she had been shopping at a boutique that was giving out free earrings with a purchase and look what she gave me! They aren’t her style, but she knows my love of fun earrings!

We had a lovely time chatting and she ordered…

eggplant rollups!

I went home and made egg roll in a bowl and fried rice for dinner, which would also be my lunch and Erica’s lunch at work on Friday.

Friday was a rainy day, but I love having my windows open and feeling the fresh air. I was feeling happy during my planning period.

I let the students play Spanish Bananagrams at the end of class.

After school I went shopping with Erica at the same boutique that was giving out the earrings because she wanted to look at some Derby attire and fascinators. We went in about four little shops and then ended at a restaurant bar for an old fashioned and my former student was our bartender!

And, wait for it. We didn’t order food, but they brought us bread and butter and it was a butter candle. You guys – a butter candle! My life is changed. You can blow it out, but why would you? The butter candle melts into the bread and it’s what dreams are made of.

Dinner was easy. My school had bought Chick Fil A box lunches for some student lunch group and there were leftovers, so this is what we had! Score! I love the bag of chips they give you.

Friday before I went to bed, I mixed up some four ingredient bread dough…

I baked it up Saturday morning:

I may have also made Jell-O shots after Tom and I did a small Kroger run.

I also went ahead and made spaghetti sauce for our dinner.

And some veg..

I met Erica and Elizabeth at a private club and we had lunch snacks before walking to the St. Paddy’s Day parade. I brought the bread, green butter I made, and the Jell-O shots.

I ran into two former students and it made my day. One is 33 now!

Erica, Elizabeth, and I together are a lot. It had been a long time and we had so much fun together.

I went home and ate spaghetti with the fam! I went to bed pretty early because I knew I had to spring forward.

Spring forward I did and Sunday was a day of lots of productivity. I also wanted to finish my Grocery Diaries for The Kitchn.

Here are my 5 things:

I did have to think about this a bit.

I love my frother and it has literally made me stop throwing away my money at Starbuck’s. I really can’t remember the last time I went there.

My Goli Ashwagandha is something I have used for almost 2 years. I chew one before bed and I even took it to the UK on my trip.

I love to pop my own popcorn in the microwave with my microwave popper and this is the spray I use along with a bit of salt. I seriously like mine better than movie theater popcorn.

I love Simply Saline and keep it in my shower. I use it every day twice a day. It is part of my routine to stay allergy symptom free. I have been using it for years.

And, finally my press ons are a newer must-have. I have now figured out to buy the petite size online. I don’t have to cut or file them (or I only have to do it a bit) and they fit my nail beds the best. Isn’t this a pretty lavender color for spring?

I can’t wait to read what everyone else says and it might be bad for my pocketbook! I am trying to not spend any money on clothing, accessories, Amazon, or anything frivolous for the next 3 weeks until spring break! I’m not sure I can do it!

Amy

Friday, March 8, 2024

Whew! It’s been a week! I haven’t slept great but I’ve been kind to myself in addition to starting some better habits for myself. Let’s dive in with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favorites.

My first favorite is you all and your sweet words and comments on my Ernie and Currently posts.

Thank you so much for the love you’ve shown me. It makes me tear up when I read them.

I went ahead and went to school Monday but I left plans just in case. It was good to be out of the house and busy and the students were really sweet to me.

I knew that after school would be hard so I have gone somewhere each day.

Monday:

Tuesday I ran errands – grocery pick up, spray tan, a boutique to buy a birthday gift for a friend.

I started back to the gym Monday morning at 5:30:

No picture from Tuesday!

Wednesday:

Tom loves to send me reels and some of them are recipes. He sent me this one to save your potato peelings (I was making mashed potatoes anyway), coat them in seasonings and olive oil and air fry. He loved them! We have no air fryer anymore, but are using the function on our oven, by the way.

Wednesday I met my other friend Beth at this liquor store/bar for a drink and then we…

had a second one at a restaurant next door along with some…

fried banana peppers and…

nachos.

I’ve been eating really healthy breakfasts and lunches this week – and dinners or just not eating because I’m not very hungry – so this was a nice treat. It was great to catch up, too.

Something exciting happened this week, too! Do you know of the website thekitchn.com?

They have a Grocery Diaries series that I really like reading. People say where they shop, list what they bought, and give you a week’s run down of the meals they made and ate.

I applied and I got chosen!

Here is an example of a Grocery Diaries:

I am working on it right now and I will be sure to make a blog post out of it. I’m super excited!

What were your favorites this week? I hope you had many!

Amy

Thursday, March 7, 2024

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to link up with Kellyann and Jill for Fashion Files!

Last Wednesday I was off and I put this on for a dreary, drizzly day. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was trying out platforms with these cropped wide legged jeans. I still think these jeans look the most flattering with ankles showing – with a platform sandal, a clog, or a pump.

Thursday at school we had our black history month showcase and were given t-shirts to wear. I noticed several other teachers did the yellow cardigan over it.

Friday was March 1st and it was a bit chilly, so I broke out the green hearts sweater. A note about the Adidas Gazelle platforms – the tongue is very stiff and it rubs slightly if your socks don’t come up high enough. I bought some socks that come up a bit higher to solve that problem, but I also hope that the tongue softens up.

Still wearing my coatigan as my coat:

Sunday I wore my weekend jeans – Old Navy button fly with knee holes. I also wore my Old Navy button up, my Olukai mules, and my Lily crossbody bag.

Monday for school I wore my last year Target blouse, black Umgee gauzy pants – love, and my new silver Gap mules.

Tuesday for school was “wear red for inclusion” day so I wore red pants with my last year Old Navy blouse.

Outfit Insp from Pinterest:

The color here makes me swoon! Her gazelles are a different color than mine, but she has a longer sock – see? I love how she paired them with a hot pink skirt.

The pink and green in this make me happy:

I like the idea of wearing them with all neutrals, too:

I love putting one clothing item into the Pinterest search bar! I also love doing that on Google!

And, love this – just taking a normal striped top ‘fit and adding them:

Other than the stiff tongue issue, they feel great! I really think platform sneakers have been missing from my life and now I also want some all-white ones. I like the added height they give to an outfit and to my stumps.

This is a hard time of year to get dressed for many – I am trying to embrace the green, continue layering for the varying temps throughout my day, and not rush the season – I don’t like to wear the super summery looking things yet.

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Today is Currently with Jennifer and what better way to share what I am currently loving, looking forward to, planning, wearing, and eating…

Loving

My loving section will take over most of this post! That’s a good thing, right? First of all, I am so appreciative for your kind comments on my Ernie post. They are hard for me to read right now, but you all taking the time to comment means so much to me. The last few weeks have been hard. If you have been there with an old or sick dog, you know what I mean.

I decided to channel my grief and dedicate Sunday to whatever Tom or the kids needed. Mason went to a movie with his roommate and went back to campus after spring break and Jack had plans with friends so that was good for them. They are both really sad, too, but seem to be doing ok.

Tom wanted to walk in the dog park/nature preserve first thing and of course I questioned it, but it turned out to be really cathartic and lovely.

It runs by the river and we had the place to ourselves. Tom surprised me by saying he is ready to adopt a puppy right away!

We had time to really talk and it was really good for us.

Later in the day we went to a neighborhood to walk around. We got gelato for Tom which he loves and a frozen swirl margarita for me which I love – ha. The sun was shining, and it was good to be out.

I went to school Monday and two sweet girls brought me these as a little gift:

I had several sweet messages over the weekend from students:

I had a couple of sweet friends drop things off…

My mom sent this beautiful springy arrangement, too:

These gestures made me feel so loved…

I planned to not go straight home after school Monday because I knew that would be a trigger and I had been turning down plans with friends over the last few weeks so I could hurry home.

Monday’s weather was amazing, and I was able to meet my high school friend Beth of Host It Notes on the river at Captain’s Quarters. Not bad for a Monday!

We both tried this berry fizz drink and it was really good and pretty!

I have more plans after school this week that I am looking forward to which segues into…

Looking Forward To

Spring!

These flowers recently came up:

I always feel so optimistic with the first signs of spring that Mother Nature gives us.

This weekend is the St. Patrick’s Day parade which is really fun.

Last year:

Planning

I did some meal planning and some school planning. Here is me combining my meal prep breakfast with my school stuff Monday morning. This week is back to Amy Lu chicken breakfast sausage from Costco and low carb egg casserole.

I want to make Carolina Charm’s Lucky Charms treats and give them to the students that run our copy center at school and make it so I never have to make copies!

I love rye bread and I am planning to use it this month.

I also plan to make Jen’s Irish meal!

Wearing

Well, on Monday I wanted to start the week out in green for March and it was going to be 70 degrees, so I dug out this Target top from last year – still love! I also love my black Umgee pants and my new silver clogs.

Sunday, I wore my weekend jeans – Old Navy button fly with knee holes for ventilation, Old Navy button down with a tank under, and my Olukais that are sadly too wide and hard to walk in, but I love their look. Tom wanted to shop in a store that he hadn’t been in for a long time before we walked around a neighborhood.

Eating

We have been eating pulled pork that a friend made for us and take out from Waldo’s.

Waldo’s salad with rotisserie chicken:

I had another salad Monday night but then was really sad and couldn’t eat much so I made myself a bowl of popcorn for the rest of my dinner.

And, that is what is happening around here Currently.

What about you?

I hope I wasn’t too melancholy in this post, but I also don’t want to lie to you all!

Amy

Monday, March 4, 2024

I don’t want this to be a sad post, but rather a celebration post of a wonderful furry boy who brought us 11 years of loyalty, fun, laughs, fresh air, and licks.

We truly don’t deserve dogs. We are not worthy.

So, I want to start by saying that everything happened in the best possible timing. I first told you about our boy’s cancer diagnosis in January 2023. We got an extra year plus with him. We feel so lucky for that. And it was a great year where you would hardly know he was sick. I was so scared he would pass while Mason was doing study abroad and I was scared that it also might happen in the 9 days while we were gone to pick Mason up.

Over the last month things really started declining. He wasn’t really eating and had gotten so skinny. When you saw the photo of us having a picnic on the lawn Monday it was because Ernie just couldn’t walk anymore and plopped down but seemed happy and content to be there.

We made the decision a week ago to say goodbye on Saturday. I wasn’t ready to talk about it on the blog.

Our kids were both home all week due to spring break and while that stinks for their break, it was also a gift to have them here.

Just Tom and I went, and our vet was so compassionate, and it was very peaceful and a privilege to be with our boy who brought us so much happiness.

The teeth in this position always made me laugh! I probably have at least 50 photos of this on my camera roll!

So serious sometimes:

When we went to pick Ernie out there were only two chocolates in the litter. The rest were yellow. Ernie was the calmer and the more blocky-headed of the two chocolates. We knew he was meant to be ours.

A pup cup:

Ernie was a great car rider. When he first came home with us, he walked with me to “pick up” the kids from elementary school every day. I got out of school at 2:20 and the kids at 3:50 so it was our routine. He rode with us to piano lessons once a week and I walked him while the kids were in the lesson. He went a lot of places! He was always welcome at family gatherings and he went to a few state parks for those and he vacationed at Lake Michigan a few times and at Dauhpin Island, Alabama once.

He loved the school playground behind our house and always found things to recycle and would bring them home to our recycle bin. Then he found balls to “play” with on the playground. No ball was safe!

Swimming was a big hobby and even better if best friend “Daddy” was in the water!

So Ernie’s spot was always by the back door to the house. we had a tiny little patio before the renovation, but he loved it.

Ernie was a very polite boy and would bark just once if he wanted back in the house.

This cracks me up seeing him after we ripped out the small porch. He was like, “What the heck? Where is my porch?” He made do. Ha! He didn’t have to wait long before a makeshift wooden porch was put up before the permanent one was in.

Then, he got a really good spot after the renovation where he could watch out over his backyard and school playground.

He wouldn’t let me put away the Halloween doormat that he liked so it just stayed and became faded.

He wouldn’t let me put the indoor Christmas rug away this year. Finally I gave up and put it back where it was!

He was a dog with the finer tastes in doormats.

Over the last week he seemed to want to “guard” his “brothers” at night:

Sometimes he was so close to their doors they couldn’t get out.

A very wet dewy puppy picture:

If Ernie could get wet, we would!

A snow lover for sure. This was this winter as Ernie made snow angels. I am so happy he got a good snow!

Christmas stocking gift from this year:

Of course he was in the family photos!

One of his two favorite furniture spots:

This fall was so fun watching him rolling in the leaves and taking leafy walks:

His spot:

Doing yoga with the fam:

Any time the cheese drawer opened or we opened a string cheese, Ernie came running. I probably shared 1000 string cheeses with him, one string at a time!

Boat boy:

Lake Michigan waves:

Our boy loved Christmas and his stocking, but I think he just loved the family all together in the living room, too.

His final playground walk. This is a really sad but beautiful photo to me. Tom had the idea to wheel him around and then he lifted him out to sniff around a bit.

What a face that I will never forget:

We love you so much, Ernie. Thank you for making us all better people.

Amy