Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

October 17, 2023

I hardly feel qualified to write this post and that’s why I’m calling myself a mere “apprentice” at this stage in the game.

My regular readers know that I am trying to save money this year and one of the ways I have done that is by trying different grocery strategies. Up until the end of May I was a loyal Kroger pick up shopper with an occasional trip to Trader Joe’s, Walmart Neighborhood grocery (just a grocery – not the big ol’ Walmart), Fresh Market, and my local Paul’s Fruit Market. In June, I tried Walmart Plus and I think the convenience of it caused me to lose my mind and spend a lot! Ha!

The best way to save money on groceries is to not waste food. Another important key is to meal plan and stick to your list. I also feel that by not going in and only doing pick up, it reduced the impulse items and made meal planning and sticking to my list easier.

So, let’s talk about Aldi…

Aldi is not that easy for me, but it’s also not that hard. It’s about 10 minutes away as opposed to Kroger which is 1 minute away! I decided I pretty much have to do Aldi on Saturday or on a day off from work. The traffic gets really bad after I get done with school and that just puts me in a bad mood. Also, I don’t have the energy required that late in the day. Know yourself!

I took Tom the time before last and he liked the small size of the store. I think many people are also attracted to that. He gets overwhelmed when he goes in a big grocery and he often goes in hungry and comes out with a lot. He was also impressed by the prices, although he doesn’t know prices as well as I do.

Here is last Saturday’s haul for $130. This included two big packs of chicken, bacon, Canadian bacon, and lunch meat. These bags hold a lot and I paid 12 cents per bag so I was stuffing them. I did self check out and usually do have old bags, but this time I forgot.

I’m still using K cups and theirs are about $1-$2 less than the ones that are store brand at Kroger, I think. I am using Aldi fat free creamer and this time, I picked up a pumpkin pie spice creamer, too. Unfortunately, they are out of the pumpkin spice K cups that I really liked, but I have liked all their K cups that I have tried.

Their cheeses are really great. In fact, you can find shredded gruyere which I have never seen at Kroger, and this blend was intriguing, so it came home with me.

I haven’t tried these yet:

I love these bags of little potatoes:

I bought this for my apple cider sangria:

I bought blue cheese and canned chicken. I’m using the blue cheese for a wedge salad and for the buffalo chicken dip. I’m using the canned chicken for the buffalo chicken dip. It just works better, in my opinion.

This cheese is less than $2 and makes a great fancy grilled cheese.

Jack really likes this:

There are still things we have to go to Kroger to get. Tom didn’t like the Aldi skim milk and he drinks a lot of milk. So weird when a grown up drinks milk with dinner, no? Maybe it’s me but I only use milk in cereal. I think I will need to continue going to Kroger once every week or two, Trader Joe’s at least once a month, and Walmart on occasion when I can’t find a few things at Aldi or Kroger.

So, where do you stand with Aldi? Groceries in general? Any tips that work for you?

I made this wedge salad Sunday night, this spicy turkey and green bean for Erica and I for lunch, and this bacon brussels pasta last night for dinner and for Erica and I for lunch if you are looking for ideas!

Thanks for stopping by,

Amy

Monday, October 16, 2023

Happy Monday? I am linking up with Sarah and Holly and I must warn you that I mostly took food photos this weekend! If you are hungry, you may be triggered!

Let’s go back to last Thursday after school…I invited my friend Heather and her golden retriever over for a French happy hour. I made truffle fries with aioli and truffle popcorn and we had French white Bordeaux. So fancy, no? All you do is buy a bottle of truffle oil and then you can be fancy. I feel bad that Ernie is alone on Thursday for a bit more time so this is my compromise. Bring the happy hour to me!

Erica took her mom to Italy for fall break for her mom’s birthday and while there, they did a pasta making class. Guess who benefited? It was Erica’s turn to do our lunch Friday and she made us a lemon pasta for lunch Friday with a….

deconstructed Caprese salad. I was like, is this real life? Could my 20 minute lunch in a student desk BE more decadent?

After a long week, after school, we went to a marina with a Mexican restaurant – random, but wonderful!

Chorizo queso!

We walked down and looked at boats, too. It was a lovely way to start the weekend. I came home and made the family random stuff for dinner but I wasn’t very hungry so I just nibbled a bit.

Saturday morning dawned and it was an Aldi trip and a library trip for me.

Look at all the fall goodies:

I had this on reserve at the library:

And picked up a few more that looked interesting:

I put away groceries, did some chores, ate some lunch, and then I enjoyed the covered patio in the light drizzle. This weekend’s weather was grey and cold. I was most excited about this book, so I started it first!

The highlight of Saturday was Facetiming with Mason for almost an hour while he made brussel sprouts.

He bought them at the farmer’s market. He is so cute! I already see how much he is growing through this experience. And we sent him cash through Western Union, and it was so easy. We also sent his new debit card in the mail. This mama definitely feels better. The bank has not returned all the money yet – $1908 including overdraft fees. But they gave him a “provisional credit” while they work it out with the online gambling site.

I was really lazy Saturday afternoon, but at around 4:30 (a new record?), Tom and I went to Waldo’s for dinner. We brought Jack home a meal and he went to a concert later.

I made a copycat Crumbl for one!

I finished David Beckham. He lays his clothes out for the week, you guys! After watching this, I really like both David and Victoria.

And, I started Lessons in Chemistry.

Sunday morning, I got up and started Don’t Worry, Darling with Harry Styles. I also realized our fridge and freezer weren’t working around this time…

Living like pioneers until we can call a repair man…

I figured I should drink a mimosa so I didn’t waste the oj.

And, in case the repair is too much, we looked at some new models at Lowe’s and Costco.

There’s been a whole lot of adulting this week. Mason’s money crisis, open enrollment for health insurance, and now a fridge on the fritz? Seriously, these are no big deal compared to the very real and very sad state of the world. I feel blessed to have these little adulting tasks, you know?

How was your weekend? Was it also cold and dreary? We hope to take the boat out next weekend and then it will be time to winterize. We hold off as long as we can.

Amy

Friday, October 13, 2023

Oh no! It’s a Friday the 13th! High school teachers get really worried about these kinds of superstitions! Have you seen kids when there is a full moon? Tread lightly today!

I am happy to link up with Erika and Andrea for everyones’ favorite post of the week.

Gosh, it’s been quiet in the blog world this week – maybe some are on fall break and there are only so many Prime Day posts I can read. I need some new blogs! I want to read about fashion, recipes, lifestyle tips, and product recommendations. Anyone?

So, I finish up my Hello Monday post on Sunday mornings usually because I just know that I am not great about working on my blog at night. If I do a Sunday activity, I usually don’t tell you about it until Friday because it’s always a favorite to cap off my weekend with a bit of fun.

This past Sunday, Tom and I went to the only urban winery in Kentucky and listened to their “Sunday Sippin” series from 1-4. It was lovely! They had the big window open, and I really liked the voice of the singer.

Then, Tom had brought something with him. He has a group of old gym friends. Like, they are retired men. They have given him so many gifts. One is a retired preacher and he gave Tom a wooden cross, one is a doctor with a daughter in Vermont and he has given Tom Vermont cheddar cheese. Tom has fixed one of their cars. Tom has given them construction advice and contractor names.

Anyway, someone brought him spaghetti seasoning and a gelato cone from Italy.

We stopped at the gelato place after the winery and Tom said to the poor teenage girl working, “Fill me up” while holding out his cone.

I stepped in and explained that Tom had a cone from Italy. She responded that she isn’t allowed to “fill someone up” but that Tom could get a cup of gelato and DIY his cone.

Tom conceded to filling his own cone. He’s so weird. We are just two weird people who found each other in a weird world, I guess.

I didn’t partake since I had wine. We were home by 4:00 and still had plenty of time to relax and get stuff ready for the week.

How does one leave a sweet baby like this to go to work? This cool weather has made Ernie so peppy! He deserved this little nap after his morning walk!

I got a sweet rainbow pic over campus from Mason this week! I love when he sends me photos!

This mama is worried, though. His debit card situation still has not be rectified and when it is, he will only have his card on his phone in the Apple Wallet and we will have his tangible card. He only has one other credit card and is running out of cash. I’m just so mad that this happened. Apparently, our bank is seeing this with multiple customers. The charges were all for Fan Duel which is an online gambling site. Ugh! I know it’s 2023 and there are multiple ways to pay for things, but I just worry that he will be in a place where only certain payments are accepted. Advice is welcome!

Tom and I found these at Aldi and they are Jack’s fave kind of fry!

We also tried and liked Thin Wheat instead of Wheat Thin from Aldi.

It seems the ingredients are better. Did you know that regular Wheat Thins have BHT to preserve freshness and these don’t appear to. Apparently BHT is not good.

My fave meal of the week was this burger bowl. This was dinner one night and lunch one day for Erica and I.

I am just loving my fall scent. I use the body wash and lotion and it leaves a nice fragrance.

I am also loving my minimal fall decor in my living room. The front porch has some jack o lantern lanterns that I have had for years, the back has my pumpkins and mums because I should enjoy looking at them, right? I just can’t believe we are already halfway through October!

I’m so glad I bought this dough bowl at a flea market last year. I like my pumpkins in it!

I have a few other knickknacks around and I will add my Thanksgiving specific stuff after Halloween.

I was also happy this week to use my TJ Maxx fall cups from last year that I saved. I took a pumpkin spice coffee to work.

I broke out my acorn spice lip color, too!

Give me all the fall colors of burnt sienna, mustard, olive, camel, and orange! After Thanksgiving I will be sick of these colors, but I love them right now!

School was good this week. My Spanish Ones did Spanish speaking country presentations, my Spanish threes did Hispanic artist presentations, and my AP Spanish did famous Hispanic American presentations. The students have to take notes while their classmates present and then we have an open note test. The students are clamoring for a food day soon!

What were your favorites this week?

Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts this week! I did Hello Monday, news about our trip, quotes, and Fashion Files if you missed anything. Simply click on the red font to go back and read those.

Anyone feel like my apple cider sangria this weekend? I know I do! It’s going to be pretty cool here, I think!

Happy, happy Friday, dear readers!

Amy

Thursday, October 12, 2023

I have a lot to share this week as I link up with Kellyann and Jill. I have them out of order, but that’s ok, right?

The weather in the last week has been a mixed bag. We had mid-80s and we had 40s in the morning a few days.

I wore this to go to dinner with Tom’s work friend. It was raining and I had worn the jeans all day, but changed into a flowly black sleeveless blouse from Loft from maybe 10 years ago and my beloved star cardigan that my mom gave me last year for Christmas. My shoes are too big, but I wish I had them in a size down. They are Dr. Scholl’s. They have great potential. Why am I having trouble sizing my shoes in the last year?

Before I went to dinner I wore my new TJ Maxx waffle top (I think I bought it in August thinking it would be great to have for fall and winter) to read on the patio in the light rain. The shoes don’t work with the jeans, but I had fun trying out my new top for the first time.

I wore this to the mall with my friend Beth. I got so many comments on my hot pink animal blouse that I bought over the summer.

I wore this to my boutique hotel pool day. The dress is probably 10 years old from Target and I wear it over my swimsuit to look a bit more polished than a coverup.

I wore this to eat lunch at the French restaurant with my friend Elizabeth. The jeans are Target Universal Thread, the shoes are a MIA dupe from Amazon, and this is my new TJ Maxx blouse that I bought that very day and put it on immediately! Ha!

A week later, this past Monday, I wore the blouse again to school with my Matilda Jane pants and my new Lucky brand ballet flats.

This is my other TJ Maxx blouse that I wore a couple of days after I wore the first one. I have on my consignment Kut from the Kloth jeans and my Eurosoft sandals.

And, another school outfit this week. I wore my Old Navy chambray (love this! I have it in cream, too.) with my mustard Matilda Janes and my Danskos. Why can’t I figure out what to do with my face in my photos?

My mom bought me most of my Matilda Janes from a former rep – isn’t that cool? I found my first pair at a consignment shop, bought two pairs new after seeing how much I liked the first pair, found more at a consignment shop, and my mom hit the mother lode from a former sales rep in my hometown. The quality is freaking awesome. They wash well. They add a bit of fun and they feel like me. Do I look like a 5 year old? Maybe? Do I care? No! Being a teacher requires a lot of movement (yes, even at the high school level) and these are really a great teacher pant. Sadly, Matilda Jane is no more, but you could find some on Ebay or at a consignment store I bet. If the ruffles are not for you, they have a great pant with layers at the bottom that flair out a bit.

Anyway, that is what I have put on the bod this week.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Thank you for your excitement and kind words over my news yesterday!

Today I thought I would share some thoughts on some “wisdom” I’ve been collecting on my phone.

Fun fact – As a child, I collected quotes and proverbs and still have them in a file folder. I was a weird kid. I should dig them up and do a post with them!

I also do sayings and proverbs in Spanish with my students and use that as a jumping off point to talk about life. Kids are not getting enough “life lessons” from trusted older people and mentors in my opinion.

Do you also enjoy saving quotes and proverbs that speak to you?

I really like Gretchen Rubin and if you haven’t done/read The Happiness Project, I highly recommend it. I really think it had an impact on my life.

Giving more to myself over the last few years has really helped me. This is another way of saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. Does that mean more reading time? More time to go take a walk? It means different things to different people.

I love this. I believe I am an Enneagram 2 or “Helper” and I want everyone to be happy. I become deeply invested in finding solutions to make people happier. I also get frustrated when people don’t take my advice.

One example is my friend who works from home. She rolls out of bed at the exact time she has to log on and I have been urging her to get up earlier and start her day in a more gentle way. She is always frazzled and I just know she could be happier! Ha!

I tell my students that I hardly missed a day of high school because I would feel that I missed out (on the social stuff, probably!) and even now it’s really hard to see what everyone else is doing with their time on social media without feeling FOMO. But there is also joy in choosing not to do things. So, JOMO is my new term!

Yes! Love this! I used fall decor I already had and only bought some pumpkins and mums. Also, I am trying to be content with my fall and winter clothing and treat it as “new” since I haven’t worn it for a long time.

I constantly want to declutter. We all just have too much stuff, right?

Do any of these speak to you in this season?

Amy

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

So, I mentioned in my September Spending Diary that there was a reason that I have been tracking expenses and trying to live a more intentional financial life this year.

As my regular readers know, my college senior Mason is currently studying abroad in England.

So, the news I have for you is…

We (Tom, Jack, and I) have purchased our tickets to join Mason and spend Christmas in the UK!

I am still in the planning stages right now and I know that it is a little bit last minute, but we just weren’t ready to commit to the plane ticket prices until last month.

Here’s where you come in (if you are able to come in)…

I need advice and you all have had some of the best advice and recommendations for me in the past.

I believe we will be visiting Liverpool, York, and London in England and Edinburgh and maybe Glasgow in Scotland.

We are going to do carry on only. Mason will have a big suitcase and I haven’t quite figured out how to work that yet.

I am reading Rick Steves’ books! I got them at the library! He is great!

We are planning to use Airbnb’s. After a disastrous one hotel room situation a couple of years ago, I realize we need a bit of space. I also think a kitchen will be nice because we are not a “eat 3 restaurant meals in a day” kind of family. I also love to visit a grocery when I travel.

We will change where we lay our heads 5 times, I think.

We are not fancy travelers. We enjoy history, art, culture, people watching, eating as the locals do, and not rushing around trying to do and see everything.

I am a little bit worried about planning for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as far as things being open, but a pub meal would be fine. Worst case scenario, we can eat sandwiches in the Airbnb.

We are not planning to rent a car, but rather planning to use trains and public transportation.

Thank you in advance for any good tips you can give me!

Amy

Monday, October 9, 2023

Well, it’s a sad day for me because my Fall Break is over, but I am also excited and happy to see my students. We have a lot of fun stuff coming up this month and next. I really like what I teach fall semester, so it’s all good. I’m also getting more used to my new schedule and seeing more positives about it.

I am linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday, of course!

I had such a nice week. It was a good mix of social time, down time, productivity, and getting healthy after being sick, and catching up on my sleep.

I told you in Friday Favorites what I did up until Wednesday, so let’s start our weekend at Thursday, okay?

Also, having a blog is weird. I take lots of weird photos and oftentimes I’m thinking…”does anyone really care about my mundane life?”

I am not special and I don’t want to come off like I think I am.

Thursday was a crazy morning. Mason’s debit card was compromised and there were tons of online gambling charges. So, you can imagine the phone calls both Tom and I had to make. It is still not resolved as I write this on Sunday.

I met my friend Beth at the mall and to eat lunch at BJ’s. I had a wedge salad and an individual pizza. The wedge was the best part of the meal, for sure.

We saw these holiday shorts in one store at the mall. Anyone?

I only bought some Bath and Body lotion with a coupon, but had a lot of fun with Beth.

I came home and it was rainy and perfect for a hot chocolate on the covered patio. This mug is a gift from twin girls I taught. How cool is that? I go by this name at school!

Tom’s work friend invited us to dinner at Bonefish and it was delish!

Ernie!

I didn’t read as much as I thought I would, but I am enjoying this book that I just happened to find at the library.

Saturday, I knew it was time to get some meal prep done. I now have 10 breakfasts ready in the freezer.

Saturday the weather turned cool and I made the first pot of chili of the season.

Saturday was also an adventure for Tom. He and I went to Liquor Barn for his beer cheese stock up and then to Aldi. I think Tom is becoming an Aldi convert, too.

He was on the roof of the garage and the ladder fell. I was putting groceries away and saw his text.

Jack and I came to the rescue. I’m glad he had his phone because I probably wouldn’t have known he was stuck on the roof!

In Mason England news:

Saturday night was perfect for a fire and we watched football and enjoyed this:

I also started this and I am loving it. I loved the book!

I am able to watch it on Amazon Prime.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, October 6, 2023

Ah, what a week! We had summer like weather from Sunday through Wednesday and I was ok with it because I knew it was probably the last of it for us this year, but who knows? The world is quite topsy turvy, no?

Favorites this week:

Boating Time! We love boating after Labor Day because so many put their boats away and we have the river to ourselves!

Sunday Tom, Ernie, and I boated and had a lovely time.

Monday I visited my favorite consignment shop, Sassy Fox, and I had made some money from my fall and winter clothing I took there on August 1st! Woohoo! This goes into my clothing fund!

I went to bed early and felt so much better after having allergies last week!

Lots of Friend Time!

I had a lovely French lunch with my friend Elizabeth who I used to teach with. She now works in an office very close to this restaurant so it worked out perfectly for her lunch break.

I got myself a shiny navy blue pedicure.

Tuesday was the warmest day and I had a really fun plan! My friend Victoria and I met at Myriad Hotel, a new boutique hotel in town, and bought a day pass for their “swim club”.

The pool is heated and they have no closing date for the season yet!

The vibe was perfection, the lounge chairs were thick and comfy, and we had the whole place to ourselves for a couple of hours. Then, there were only a handful of other people.

We shared some lunch poolside:

We had a cocktail poolside:

It was a lovely way to spend a day!

Wednesday, I went to see my friend Jessica’s new house and she ordered us lunch. I got a Thai chicken salad and it was delish!

Don’t worry, I was home for dinner each night and Tom was fed well.

He had man approved meatloaf:

He had a German meal of sausage, fried cabbage and skillet potatoes:

He good!

I thoughtt it was funny to see my flip flops in the leaves. It was high 80s but the leaves had already started falling!

I haven’t been in a great reading mode this week, but have enjoyed some afternoon Netflix movies:

I had some glorious time this week due to fall break!

What were your favorites this week?

Amy

Thursday, October 5, 2023

This week is flying and it’s already time for Fashion Files with Kellyann and Jill.

Let’s go back to last Thursday…

I was feeling under the weather still and when I don’t have much energy, I chose black and white. I wore the black Umgee pants again (I wore them on Monday!) and my Old Navy blouse from last spring. Oh, and it was raining so I like to choose black in the rain. I start out with my waterproof Dansko clogs.

Friday also calls for black because it’s easy and a no-brainer when you are done making decisions for the week! I wore my Target Universal Thread jeans and my Loft blouse with my mules that really are hard to keep on. I changed into sneakers for most of the day. Let’s talk about this blouse. It’s going bye-bye. My hair gets caught in the tiny button at the back of the neck. Tom literally had to cut my hair at the end of the day to get it out. Now the button is covered in Amy hair. It annoyed the crap out of me all day! I will be looking for another 3/4 length sleeve blouse like this without an annoying button!

Saturday night we went to the Venezuelan place for dinner and I wore my Old Navy button fly jeans with my in-between season top. It’s good to find warm temp tops in fall-ish colors and I don’t have many. I’m wearing my Eurosoft slides that are comfy for dinner out but not for a whole day at school.

This looks frumpy, but I wore this to run errands on Monday. These Olukai mules were so appealing to me last spring, but mules just are hard to walk in – in my experience. I wore another pair of Target Universal Thread jeans and a consignment J.Jill blouse. Maybe I can improve the tuck situation?

I went to TJ Maxx and found two blouses that had patterns that just spoke to me! I am trying to be a better shopper and leaving things that are just ok behind. But, look at these two patterns:

I put the first one on and wore it right away!

A couple of days later I wore the second! That is a good sign for me. If I don’t wear something right away, it probably needs to go back. Pretty simple shopping rule!

I also purchased an Umgee blouse in University of KY blue from a little boutique called Darling State of Mind:

I would say all three of these blouses are 3 season blouses, so that is good!

And, I have purchased a coatigan and I need to make sure I got the right size. I need to try it on with a winter outfit and make sure it works. Yes, the bloggers are calling this a “coatigan” which is a coat/cardigan. I hate winter coats. Have I ever told you this? This seems like a smart option for one who doesn’t love a tradiitional coat.

Trial run:

I have loved having dressy shoe booties for those winter going out ocassions. I believe I have had my old pair for four years, at least? I happened to find a pair that looked brand new when thrifting with Jack at Goodwill recently. My old ones were really scuffed at the toe. Pretty proud of myself for this $5 find!

Old shoebooties:

New to me shoe booties:

It’s also just really fun to say shoe booties/shoebooties/ shbooties, right?

So, what have you been wearing?

Any favorites of my outfits?

Any thoughts on my 3 new blouses, my coatigan, or my shoe booties? Positive thoughts? Ha!

Amy

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

It’s time for another installment of Currently with Jennifer and others. Today we are sharing what we are “currently”…

Loving

I love early fall! These are not their permanent home, but this is where I put my new purchases until I can decide on everything:

I love looking at my new pumpkins and mums. I got one pumpkin with a bunch of bumps on it and I love it!

I was laying on my covered patio and leaves were falling on and around me and I loved it!

Trader Joe’s does fall like no other and I picked up a vanilla pumpkin candle. It’s time for all things apple and pumpkin!

I treated myself to fall magazines. Boy, they sure are skimpy these days and mostly made up of ads, but I still enjoyed flipping through them while on my patio with leaves falling on me!

I am also loving my sugar skull pillows on both patios. My sister said it best – she said that I really do treat these spaces as extra rooms in my house. I am sad in the winter when I don’t have these two spots to retreat to. The only months where I can’t use them are really January and February in my part of the country.

Excited About

I’m excited whenever I get a message from Mason in England. We Facetimed Monday, too, and it was great to “see” him. I already see how he is growing by being totally on his own.

His room is stuffy and he ordered a fan from Amazon. When it arrived, he needed a Phillips head screwdriver to put it together. He is figuring out how to get that now. I suggested hitting up a maintenance man, but he didn’t like my idea. He told me he needs to figure things out on his own. Message received. Ha!

Watching

I was pleasantly surprised by how cute this movie was! This would be fine for your teen or tween girls, too, I think.

I’m also watching my Bravo shows and loving them! So much is on right now!

Seeing

I’m also seeing sweet texts from Jack. My kids didn’t get a phone until sophomore year of high school, by the way. We had a pay as you go phone at home when they were home alone but it wasn’t a smart phone and it didn’t leave the house.

Your kids are huge narcissists until they realize that their parents are people, too. It took awhile but now I get questions about my day.

Observing

I try to sit and do nothing for a bit each day – no phone, no book. I love observing how the sun hits the trees and just all the beautiful nature in my little suburban paradise. I love seeing the rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and birds. We have a ton of them in our yard!

And, that’s my Currently! What about you? What are you loving, excited about, watching, seeing, and observing?

Did you see my September Spending Diary yesterday?

Come back tomorrow for Fashion Files!

Amy