Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Friday, August 4, 2023

Well, this is a Friday I just wasn’t ready for, but I am going to remain positive and focus on the things I am excited about. I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some random favorites from the week – there is a little bit for everyone, I think!

First up, is this book. After I finally got into it (it’s a me problem!), I really enjoyed it. Maybe Every Summer After is a little better, but it’s a close race for me.

I started this just yesterday and say what you will about “COHO”, but she sucks you in!

I got a text from my cousin and blog reader this week that said she had made the Crescent roll, fig jam, ham, and cheese thing and her family loved it and dubbed it the “figgy piggy sammich”. You could literally put any combo inside. This might be a weekend idea for you or maybe something to save as the weather turns cooler this fall? Or, it can be a quick back to school meal. We all need to make a list because things are going to get hectic. I handle my stress with lists!

I tried Sweet Magnolias when it first came out but never got past the cheesiness! But, I was desperate and the new season came out so I decided to give it another go. I am really into it now! I am at the beginning of season 2.

It looks like you can watch it in Polish if you prefer – ha!

I am a big fan of organic farmer Jeremy. I can assure you that I would have gone to the farmer’s markets this summer even more had Jeremy had a booth at mine. My farmers are either Amish (which I love – don’t get me wrong) or 85 years old. Oh well. We can’t get everything we want in life.

Farmer Jeremy:

The fruit and veg related innuendos between Jeremy and Dana Sue are laugh out loud funny/cheesy.

I decided to look for a popcorn spray that I can get at Kroger because my beloved Winona is not available there. I think I might like this guy better! I guess his name is “Kernel/Colonel Seasons” – Bahahaha! Anyone tried it? I pop my own popcorn from raw kernels and use this and a bit of salt.

Jennifer mentioned a brand of jeans at Dillards called Westbound that are pull on with no hardware. I took a chance and ordered a pair that were on sale for $29 knowing that I could simply walk into my Dillard’s to return them if they didn’t work.

Here is me just trying them on:

They are meant to be cropped but are more ankle length on me at 5’4. They have tiny front pockets that really work and normal back pockets. I really think I like this style for fall!

Then, I had an errand at the mall later in the day and saw these in Anthropologie and thought they were quite similar:

And, I wore them out for a happy hour:

Excited to add a new pair of jeans!

I had an errand to Costco this week to restock the freezer for easy things to help me out next week and went in the liquor section and picked this out and I love it! I will be buying more. I like a screw top because I only have a glass and I have wanted to try more Sauvignon Blancs.

I took Jen’s advice and made:

the one pot ham and cheese tortellini for dinner one night with peas.

It was delicious! I had a pack of pancetta from Trader Joe’s that I used for the ham and it was really good. This is an easy back to school dinner, too!

Now I will jump from food to razors – random, like I said!

I have not been happy with my razor choice for quite some time. I ordered a flamingo razor off of Amazon and I really like it! Have you tried flamingo?

The weather this week…I had to put on a sweatshirt to sit outside in the mornings! Love that!

Ernie liked it, too.

I debated getting a gel mani as a back to school treat, but I think I’ve decided just to keep doing my own. My nails are so healthy now and I hate to ruin that. I feel like my nails get ruined in the removal process of both gel and dip.

I had a fun book to pick up at the library this week! I have 4 books waiting on me now!

Remember my friend Beth and her new blog project all about hosting? Check it out here. She wanted to pick my brain about blogging and we met at Martini’s for happy hour this week.

I had a strawberrybubbletini:

and a Jolly Rancher:

We were able to sit outside and it felt amazing!

We shared some baked goat cheese in marinara:

I had to go to Dollar Tree for school stuff and they have gift cards now!

I worked on my room with Mason and it was really fun and he was so helpful!

I thanked him with Mediterranean!

Yesterday was my favorite type of morning – I read in the rain with a candle!

Thank you to reader Molly who suggested I adjust the straps on my gold Birks – duh! It worked like a charm and now they fit so much better!

I made Jennifer’s quiche! Yum!

And, I want to leave by asking you to pray for a blogger that has no idea who I am, but whom I really admire. Susan was just diagnosed with breast cancer and her long time partner who she calls Mr. Mickey was just diagnosed with bladder cancer. Susan is such a role model and inspiration to so many and here is proof; as I am writing this there are 571 comments on her post. I have been reading her blog for many years and this is the weird thing about the blog world. I cried when I read her post. You feel like you know these people maybe even better than the people in your “real life”.

Make it a great weekend because tomorrow isn’t promised and live your best life as Susan always does! What were your favorites this week?

Amy

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Today I am linking up with Kellyann and Jill, but I am not showing you any outfits. Let’s talk shoes for this part of the year and especially for me as a teacher. So, these are the main shoes I plan to start the school year with so maybe from August – October-ish.

I am so happy that sneakers are in style! I love the sneakers with dress look and really, are there any better shoes for teachers and nurses? I observed the many nurses I saw at the beginning of June when my mom was in the hospital and there are very few Danskos now. Most of the nurses I saw had on running shoes. Hokas were popular, but I also saw a lot of On Clouds.

Here is my collection for the start of the school year:

Left to right:

I wore out my other Shu Shop sneakers so this is my first pair that have the pink star. I have lots of stuff with pink in it, so this well work well. I love not

In the middle are my white-on-white New Balances that I bought brand new at my consignment store for $30 a few years ago. These are hands down the most comfortable. The arch and the heel height are just super comfortable.

On the right are the Madewell leather sneakers that I bought right before the pandemic hit in 2020. They still look brand new and are still sold by Madewell.

I have also purchased one more pair of sneakers that I will tell you about soon if they work!

The middle ones probably look the most casual. I am actually more comfortable wearing sneakers with a dress or a skirt than with a pair of pants. I think that can look frumpy, but I need to get over that.

Many teachers wear Birkenstocks. I have the gold pair on the left and the black patent on the right. The black are so comfortable that I was even able to walk to school in them last year. Maybe the gold just aren’t as worn in. I do think Birks get more comfortable over time. I also wonder if the style of the black are just best for my foot.

I debated the following shoes for probably 3 seasons and I finally bought them and I think they are going to be so comfy. They are the Crocs Brooklyn and they really don’t look like Crocs to me. In fact, you really can’t tell they are rubber in less you are super close. I got mi$43.

When I was in Shoe Carnival, I saw some interesting shoes and Kristin had recommended this brand for teacher shoes. The brand is Vintage 7 Eight and I think it’s only sold there. I love a metallic shoe and think it is so versatile.

These were on clearance in my size for $20. I got to the register and they rang up as $15. The cashier told me I had a $10 coupon. I got these babies for $5, y’all!

So, both of the new pairs I got have a mix of black and tan or metallic so I think they can be worn when I need a black shoe or a tan shoe.

I usually start the school year with a couple of changes of shoes in case I need them. I keep a couple of pairs of flip flops handy!

I’m sorry, Kellyann, I have still not tried Vionics. I know that I need to, but I am waiting to see their fall shoes come out. I am super picky about my shoes and I have always been shoe obsessed. I would have picked style over comfort any day for many, many years.

I’ve often thought to add a Mr. Rogers style song and changing of my shoes to start each class. Like, I stand at my door in stilettos to greet the kids and then shut my door and walk to the front of the room and let out a “It’s a beautiful day in my class-room, it’s a beautiful day in my class-room, let’s change my shoes, let’s change my shoes…”

Thoughts?

Do you have any recs for me? I may not take them! Just kidding!

Amy

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

I am linking up with Jennifer today for Currently!

Loving…

Honestly, I am just loving/savoring these quiet unhurried mornings I have left before I get on the school train. I am loving being at home and available to my kids when they want to talk, watch a show, ask me to make a food for them.

Looking forward to…

I am looking forward to our German visitors, but I am also worried that I will be too tired from school to enjoy having company. I hope that I am able to get into a good routine by then.

I am also looking forward to celebrating my twins’ birthday next month. How is it possible that they will turn 21?

Starting…

Meal Prep – I have enjoyed having the summer off from prepping so hard core, but I am ready to start back. I plan to make 12 Amy McMuffins this week to put in the freezer. I use English muffins, Canadian bacon, egg, and either a half slice of Velveeta or a slice of Sargento very thin cheese.

Erica and I are doing lunches together again and I will try to have the same thing for dinner and make extra for our lunches.

Thinking…

About school – I am trying to stay in summer mode, but those back-to-school emails have started rolling in!

Wearing…

I’m going to be wearing my lounge clothes a bit longer – my favorite hot pink and blue shorts from Aerie! Then, it will be time to get dressed again. My plan is to cycle through all my dresses, skirts, and palazzo pants without repeating. I plan to wear tennis shoes and comfy sandals like Birkenstocks because those hard cement floors are brutal on the old feet and legs and they take some getting used to.

What are you up to currently?

Amy

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Should I continue doing this? I don’t know! I can’t believe this is my 7th month of recording all of my discretionary spending.

July 1 – Saturday – $20 movie tickets for No Hard Feelings, $8 popcorn, $227 Costco (mostly Tom’s protein shakes)

July 2 -$55 Captain’s Quarters lunch – tried to go by boat but it stormed so went by car, $14 Paul’s Fruit Market (just a couple of things for burgers)

July 3 -$113 Kroger, $29 Captain’s Quarters lunch with friends we had to reschedule with so we did get to boat there

July 4 -$35 pizza delivery (so tired from river all day) We spent day on the river with my sister and her hub and brought all of our own food

July 5 – $5 coffee in Madison, $85 Kroger a “few” things we needed to make dinner

July 6 – +$27 Sassy Fox consignment sales, $0 library, $0 J.Crew blouse with part of my earnings

July 7 – $11 coffee shop with M, $22 Trader Joe’s wine, $95 Trader Joe’s food

July 8 – $10 car wash, $40 Ulta, $14 Bath and Body, $7 Total Wine, $17 Barnes and Noble, $54 Alchemy, $10 Gelato Gilberto

July 9 – $133 Kroger, $22 Taco Bell

July 10 – $5 coffee shop with former student – wanted to buy hers as well, but she had already paid!

July 11 – $20 Mexican supermarket (Summer List item), $59 blouse that I could not live without from Tunie’s local boutique, $13 tickets to see Barbie on sneak preview night!

July 12 – $17 Liquor Barn – Tom’s beer cheese, one bottle of Apothic rose wine

July 13 – $10 breakfast with Beth at Biscuit Belly(supposed to go to pool but weather – ugh), $17 Lotsa Pasta, $22 Rainbow Blossom (cocktail mix and stevia drops), $22 Napa with Elizabeth (last minute happy hour invite on her way home from work) , $147 Kroger pick up

July 14 – Trader Joe’s $40, $40

July 15 – $0 anniversary dinner (gift card), $20 tip

July 16 – $90 Kroger run

July 17 – $22 CFA dinner for T and A – salads and a bag of ice for $1.59 – J and M had leftover alfredo because they were home later than we were

July 18 – $16 pool entrance fee (up from $10 last year), $60 Kroger for a French dinner Mason wanted to cook with me

July 19 – $25 Cafe Classico with Victoria, $50 Nordstrom Wit and Wisdom pants

Clothing – J.Crew blouse new with tags from consignment Sassy Fox ($13 but paid with money earned and still received +$27 in more earnings)

July 20 -$156 Kroger pick up, $30 in store at Kroger, $13 movie concessions for Tom – not me!, $13 movie ticket for Barbie for Tom (I already ordered mine)

July 21 – $44 Mexican, $125 Costco (Tom’s protein shakes)

July 22 – $28 food truck food at outdoor concert

July 23 – $126 Kroger pick up

July 24 – Omni Day – You don’t even want to know! Ha! I think all said and done it was $120 for the resort pass, valet parking, lunch, and a couple of cocktails

July 25 – $60 Fresh Market – went in for the 2.99 chicken and came out with more

July 26 – $25 Lunch with Erica at the Goose

July 27- $20 coffee shop, $12 canes,

July 28 – $211 Kroger pick up – couldn’t make it until August, $51 dinner out – met Tom at The Goose on his way home from work. It used to be Goose Creek Diner and now it is more upscale and closer to our house. It makes a great meeting spot for us. We arrived at 5:30 and had no trouble getting a table on a Friday night.

July 29 – $50 met Tom for dinner at The Goose

July 30 – $0 boat lunch with a couple Tom has been trying to treat – he rarely does the inviting so this is big for him and they ended up picking up the tab because they were quicker than Tom!, $70 dinner out before Jack’s opera program

July 31 – $0 Spend Day – packed a picnic for the boat

$0 Spend Days – 1 – I have realized this is very hard to do in the summer. I am able to do it quite a bit when I am working!

Groceries – $1203 – if you read my Share 4 Somethings, I learned that a moderate family grocery budget in 2023 is $1300 so I feel better.

Meals out including happy hours – $516

Clothing – $193 – I started getting ready for back to school and addressed some needs like black pants and basics and teacher friendly shoes so I am ok with this amount. I did less shopping for recreation this summer, for sure. I am subtracting what I made from my consignment store and not counting the Shein purchases.

Clothing Summary –

J.Crew blouse new with tags from consignment Sassy Fox ($13 but paid with money earned and still received +$27 in more earnings)

$59 Tunie’s hot pink animal blouse

$44 Shein order:

two fun earrings in a rattan type material

crochet headband

orange blouse

pink red floral blouse

lighter pink patterned blouse

My sister Molly has recommended Shein and had really good luck. I have only worn one shirt and one pair of earrings and the headband. I don’t love the fabric.

$13 Barbie t shirt – of course one must have one to see the movie, right?

$50 Wit and Wisdom pants

$50 tanks and tees re-stock at Old Navy to wear under things

$5 Vintage 7 Eight shoes

$43 Crocs Brooklyn sandals

Thoughts:

I am really proud of myself for reducing the huge grocery spending I did in June. I am also happy with less food waste. I feel like going to the store more frequently might help me in the future. Maybe I should take a twice a week approach because I lose a handle on what food we have that needs to get eaten. I don’t know – that could also cause me to spend more.

The meals out/happy hour/take out is ok with me because that is for four people and I enjoyed those opportunities. There was very little fast food or take out and mostly meals eaten in places with people I care about.

I may take a break in August, but it might be interesting to see the difference when I am busier. Part of me thinks – heck – I might as well do the whole year now!

Amy

Monday, July 31

Well, folks…today is the last day of July. Can you believe it? I can’t and I am in denial. Ha! Today I am linking up with both Sarah and Holly for a weekend recap called Hello Monday.

Friday was hot! My car said 100 but then it went down to 99 for my photo!

I am tired of my legs sticking to chairs so I wore my gauzy long white skirt to meet Tom for dinner on his way home from work – 5:30, baby!

I love this fun stack that I have had for a long time:

We met at The Goose where I ate with Erica for lunch on Wednesday.

We had their version of a blooming onion called “goose feathers”:

I had soup and salad:

Mason has been eating our restaurant leftovers after work and is really excited about it!

I watched this E! movie:

The E! movies are probably a step up from Hallmark movies in terms of acting and cheesiness. I liked it ok.

Saturday morning was blog reading time – Hi Tanya!

Tom has been trying to take a work friend out to lunch for quite some time and we finally made it happen Saturday. Tom found a trampoline and messed around.

It was hot but pretty. We ate in the AC at Captain’s Quarters and I had a mahi melt sandwich:

We already had dinner reservations – We never eat out twice in one day!

We went to a tiny little Italian place called Difabio’s Casapela:

And, had gelato after!

Again, we had tons of leftovers that Mason was happy to eat.

We saw Jack’s opera group sing and didn’t understand a word. I think it was all in Italian and French.

Thanks to a couple of people for encouraging me – I am now really into this book!

And, Sunday we took some other friends out but this time we just ate on the boat. It was a relaxing day!

The clouds were so fluffy!

Ahh….I was busy this weekend, but it was all fun stuff. I don’t normally have this little downtime, so I’m not used to this pace! I knew I had today to rest. I have four more weekdays.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Saturday, July 29. 2023

Happy Saturday and welcome to the once a month Saturday post from yours truly. I am linking up with Jennifer for Share 4 Somethings. Be sure to click on the red font to check out some other blogs!

We will be sharing what we have loved, learned, read, and ate or enjoyed recently.

Loved

I loved hearing about my friend’s new project! I have two Beths and an Elizabeth in my life, so this may be confusing. This Beth is my high school friend Beth. She is the one who hosted the gathering in her beautiful backyard oasis in June here:

Check out her new blog here! I am so excited for her. Her theme will be all things hosting. And I can tell you that she is a great hostess. She makes you feel welcome, and she is not formal or stuffy in her home. She graciously let me help use her Blackstone Grill, too. There were three kids attending and she even thought to have a table set up for coloring and a big box to be creative with and pulled out some old toys. She planned our 30th class reunion last summer, as well, so she is pretty darn good at this. I would love for you to follow her.

Read

Well, I started being able to relate to my more southern blog friends this week. We are having high 90s today and we had it several times this week with poor air quality and very high humidity, but look what I read on my weather app:

I will take it!

I do my best reading outside and it’s just been too hot. I just can’t get into this book:

I had heard it isn’t as good as Every Summer After, but should I leave it for a bit and try one of my others?

Learned

Tom suggested Mason watching a college show called Fresh Meat. It is set in the north of England. I learned new terms and I learned that subtitles are really helpful with difficult accents. Do you ever turn them on?

I also decided to do some light research. I was appalled that my grocery bill was $1600 in June, but then when I learned this I didn’t feel as badly.

I am happy to report that my July Spending report shows that I have greatly reduced that amount but have not sacrificed and have probably cooked more and eaten out/gotten take out less. I will post my July Spending next week!

Ate/Enjoyed

Mason and I are the only ones who drink coffee, and we started a thing where we try new coffee shops. We loved Haraz and I saw that they are actually a small chain, so click on it to see if there is one in your neck of the woods.

This was a Haraz latte which had some wonderful spices like cardamom.

This was an elephant ear:

Mason and I did another dinner of white wine chicken, arancini balls, and broccoli. His fancy Italian restaurant job had him wanting to try the arancini balls.

Yes, that’s a lot of broccoli. Mason plated it and loves broccoli. He wanted to bring broccoli to school instead of cupcakes in elementary.

What would you like to share today?

Amy

Friday, July 28, 2023

Friday – why you gotta come so fast? I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some faves from the week, though!

Monday I was downright mad to see rain. The forecast said sunny skies! It was not in my plan! My kids have been playing basketball in the school yard behind our house this summer and the pink pool was for Ernie and he showed no interest!

Not having the rain face:

But, this smile means that the rain went away and the sun came out for my Omni Hotel pool day! This is through a website called Resort Pass and there is only one hotel who does this in Louisville. You might want to check for your city or a city near you. You pay a fee to use the pool from 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. This pool is considered “rooftop” but it really is only on the 3rd floor. On the ground floor, they have a Con Huevos, Heine Bros. Coffee, market, bar with pizza oven, hot dog stand, and more. We checked it out a bit.

Ahhhh the pool…

We lasted from about 10 until about 5 and had a lovely and very relaxing day. We had some hummus for a snack and then ordered lunch poolside. We might have had a couple of cocktails, too. I hardly took any photos. Beth was my partner in crime for the second year in a row. This was a much-anticipated day and definitely a favorite of the whole summer!

Even though I’m not quite ready for school to start, I really miss my students. I posted this on Instagram and got some sweet messages.

Tuesday was Burrito Bowl night and it was really good due to…

this magical sauce! You only need a little, but it’s Amy approved. This is one reason why it’s good to go in the store from time to time (rather than just do pick up) – there are always need products that help me get meal ideas. This time I specifically looked for this on the app because Costco does not have the avocado crema sauce anymore! I am so upset!

Tom had a real highlight of his week when he was asked to go “wake surfing”. This requires a special wake boat and he’s pretty good. I got this video sent to me, but I didn’t get to go.

Not bad for a person eligible to be a member of AARP?

Look at my little cuties from a Facebook memory:

This was on Assateague Island, I believe. They used to get so tan. They had dark hair for a bit, then really blonde hair, then sandy brown hair, and now it is dark brown again. I need to show more photos of them as little blondies. My sisters said it was the color I paid good money to have.

I don’t know if this is a favorite, but maybe this means I will be awake for more sunsets? Ha!

Ok, forgive this photo, but the Wit and Wisdom dress pants are really awesome. I ordered my normal jean size and they pull on but do have two hook and eye closures and a button. They do have pockets. I did not get the petite and I am 5’4. I feel like I can wear a flat or a heel with this length. Sheaffer has been singing their praises and I finally did it. The sizes are limited, but $50 for a good and comfortable pair of dress pants is really good. I realize this is a really bad photo, but I will try to style them soon!

I have actually been going through my fall and winter clothing for a couple of reasons. My favorite consignment store is starting to take fall and winter clothes next week and I have an appointment. I am being ruthless and going through each and every thing to see if it still fits my style, fits my body, and if I wore it last season. This is really helping me to not be emotional about it.

The second reason is that I am working on a blog post of my favorite clothing items for all the seasons. I plan to show pictures, talk about the most common retailers, break down the colors of my favorite pieces, etc.

My school bestie Erica has been a busy gal this summer. I had not seen her since the end of June. She had an opportunity to spend 12 days in Egypt after leading a trip to Greece and Italy for adults. She is a traveler and is able to do this more easily as she and her husband have decided not to have children.

We met at a new place called The Goose that used to be Goose Creek Diner and has changed locations.

I had a Rhine Guist Glow from draft. I love this so much! It’s even a pretty color! It is considered a fruited sour beer.

We shared mozzarella rounds and they were the best mozzarella “sticks” I have ever had.

I had fish and mashed potatoes and the tomato slices were perfection. They were perfectly ripe!

Isn’t this pretty? Erica brought me this bracelet from Egypt.

Mason and I had the opportunity to visit a coffee shop yesterday and we found a gem. Haraz is a Yemen style coffee shop with amazing European style pastries. I should have taken more pictures.

I also made Mason a naan pizza for lunch and we are loving this option around here.

This week held lots of good stuff! I don’t have a photo, but I donated 8 bags of stuff that we didn’t need. It feels so good to purge. Talk about a way to keep you from shopping for more stuff you don’t need – you look at this stuff and just think that enough is enough!

What was the highlight of your week?

Amy

Thursday, July 27, 2023

I thought I would recap my Summer List to see how I’ve done and maybe give myself a “grade”! My original goals will be in bold type and my comments will be in regular font.

Read! – I think I am on my 10th book.

This was one of my favorites:

You can see my other books here!

Catch up on movies and tv – Yes, I would say I have watched a good deal, but I rarely have turned on the t.v. during the day. I usually don’t watch anything until after dinner. It’s funny because I keep a very similar routine in the summer as I do in the school year, just with times slightly later.

I have also gone to three movies at the theater! I saw Asteroid City, No Hard Feelings, and Barbie.

I got a trial of HBO for the Sex and the City reboot and I also enjoyed The Sex Lives of College Girls – not as bad as it sounds!

Go to the movies with the whole family – Saw Asteroid City

3 pm coffee or iced coffee – I have only done this a couple of times. It just hasn’t appealed to me and I am trying to get the rest of my water in, I think!

Start a stretching routine – I did not do this. I am still not flexible! Ha!

Move body each day/start a good exercise routine again – I have gone to the gym on average 2 -3 times a week, but I would not say that my heart is fully in it.

Try some new recipes – Yes! I especially enjoyed potatoes au gratin.

Celebrate Tom’s birthday – Yes! We had a nice family time!

Celebrate Father’s Day – We made a nice meal and gave Tom movie tickets!

Take a wine walk with wine in my Stanley Cup. This will also serve as a weighted walk since the Stanley is so heavy – Ha! – I did not do this. It’s just so heavy. I decided I don’t really like my Stanley. I am a Tervis Tumbler and a Yeti girl. Don’t fix what ain’t broken.

Buy a bag of Chick Fil A ice to keep in freezer – Yes, but not that impressed. I did it, though!

Shop at Asian Market and see if I can try something new to me – I did go, but left empty handed. It was very interesting, though!

Shop at Mexican market and see if I can try something new to me – I did and I left with a few things. I enjoyed buying some spices there.

Eat more fish/cook more fish/visit a local specialty fish market called Lori’s Fish Market – I ate fish a few times, but did not go to the market yet.

Go to farmers market – I went twice!

The Asian Market:

Go to adult pool – One of our pools has an 18 and over pool. It’s nothing inappropriate! – I went once with Beth.

Go to Omni rooftop pool – I just went this past Monday with Beth! Apparently Beth is my pool friend.

Enjoy the boat with just Tom – Yes! We have gone out several times with just the two of us.

Sunset on boat – we don’t often go out in the evening but everytime we do I wish we did it more – Once at the beginning of summer we were out until sunset, I think.

Invite different friends on the boat – Yes, we have gone out with friends more than with just the two of us.

Walk to breakfast with Tom – we have at least 3 breakfast places in walking distance – Tom is just so busy on weekend mornings! I can try to push this to the fall!

Make strawberry freezer jam – I did one batch.

Make pickles – Yes! I just plan to buy them now – they weren’t that good!

Use up gift cards from students – I used my Target and Taco Bell!

Declutter and prepare a nice area for houseguests at the end of August – I have started in the bedroom where they will be staying. I cleaned out an entire closet!

Go through my list of spaces and totally clean things out. I have already done my silverware holders. I need to do spices and things like that. – I have done spices, one closet, and silverware, and have plans to do more.

Try to play pickleball – No – the two friends who play are very busy. The one goes to play at 8:30 usually and that’s just too late for this gal.

Go to festivals and music events – I went to the Greek Festival and this outdoor concert.

Go hear live music – I only went to the concert in the above photo.

Have a picnic – maybe at the Sunday afternoon farmer’s market in the park nearby – I have not done this yet. Do you count a picnic on the boat?

Spend time in my hometown and hopefully match schedules up with all the busy teen nieces and nephews – I got to see all of them and look at their press on nails:

Go to my hometown by boat– We usually do this in September when it cools off a bit.

Celebrate our 23rd anniversary – Tom and I went to River House!

Take a short overnight trip with Tom – No – we talked about it, but had a lot of expenses come up and we are saving for something.

Try new restaurants with Tom, friends, and our kids – We have mostly been to old favorites.

A wonderful happy hour lemondrop martini with Elizabeth:

Hotel Genevieve with Heather:

Spend as much quality time as possible with my kids as this could be the last summer they live here – cue the tears – Yes! In fact, I have planned many of my days around when they would be home and waited until they were busy to do my things.

Go hiking – No I have not done this yet.

I had 38 things on my list and I did 29 of them according to my count. I guess I would give myself a B, maybe?

How about you? Did you have a list? How did you do?

Amy

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Well, no offense to my dear readers, but I am not especially excited to be marking the last Wednesday in July!

I will set up my classroom one day next week (we can pick any day and get paid so I will probably pick a rainy day – ha!) Then, I am back full time Monday, August 7th. We have two days for teachers and then the kids come August 9th. So.darn.early. In fact, I can’t remember starting this early in August. So, for the rest of my “free days” I am going to try to summer the heck out of them along with checking off some of my to do list items. One of those is to stock up on easy meal ingredients from Costco!

I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay to fill in most of their prompts!

What We’re Eating…

Well, I kind of lost my dinner making mojo. Here is what is on my list for the week, though, in case it gives you any ideas: BLTs, burrito bowls, bacon tomato pasta, and still going to Slender Kitchen for inspo. I feel like I’m in a rut and just making the same things over and over.

For breakfast, I love AmyLu chicken sausage, veggies, and egg for breakfast and this really keeps me filled up for a long time.

I’ve been playing with ham, cheese, and fig jam on Crescent Roll dough and puff pastry and in grilled cheese form.

And, such an easy recipe – from our French dinner – Take one thin chicken breast and spread Boursin cheese on it and roll it in bacon and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Anyway, I’m trying to use the things we have and make some decent meals for four most nights. I am doing really well with food waste (reducing it!) so that is great! My friend thinks food prices are going down, but I disagree. What do you all think where you live?

What I’m Loving…

Of course, I love having my kids home from college!

I love all the summer things!

I love this purse strap and put it on my cream purse and like how it looks. I am trying to replace my cognac bag with possible gold but I want light gold.

I bought some small hoops that are really nice!

I had my now annual Omni Hotel rooftop pool day Monday!

Outdoor concerts!

What I’ve been up to…

Summering! Relaxing! Reading!

I froze my Sun Tan City membership and this is me doing my own legs with a mousse self-tanner I had – not too bad!

What I’m Dreading…

This is me last year during the two teacher days where we have all.the.meetings, all the training videos, and all the things that we really need to do to get ready for kids. I found this in my camera roll – I think I sent it to Tom!

What I’m Working on…

Cleaning and purging!

What I’m Excited about…

We are not going to Germany, but Germany is coming to us! Tom’s German cousins are coming next month.

What I’m Watching/Reading…

I am reading this – I’ve just barely started. I am watching Bravo Real Housewives of NY and Below Deck the most!

What I’m listening to…

Right now, Mason’s clothes in the dryer. But, I absolutely love hearing my kids laugh together. They have the most special bond. They have never been apart for 3 months before. Mason will be in England and Jack will be on campus and I do worry. I hope they can regularly Facetime and stay connected with technology. I know my other twin moms out there get it.

What I’m Wearing…

I wore my fancy muumuu to the rooftop pool!

I wore my Old Navy dress to the art museum on Sunday!

Lots of pink!

My Barbie tee!

What I’m doing this Weekend…

Come back for Hello Monday!

What I’m looking forward to next month…

Meeting my new students, German visitors, and the start of Jack’s senior year (Mason has an extra month of summer!)!

What’s up with you on this Wednesday?

Amy

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

My sister had on a cute top and I complimented it, to which she replied “Shein”. Of course, I have heard of the brand and I have seen their ads. My sister told me to look to the “Curvy” part of their website and order up at least one size.

The prices are scary cheap. I read about the company after the order came and honestly, I probably won’t order anything else because of what I read. But, it got me to thinking – how different is this from other fast fashion I have purchased in the past? Does the fact that I have so much stuff in my closet from consignment help to offset some of the downsides of purchasing fast fashion?

Here is what I picked:

The three shirts are polyester and honestly feel not too different from the blouses that are $60 and up in my local boutiques. I have not worn anything out yet just because it just came and I really haven’t gotten dressed much. The fabric feels lightweight and cool to the touch but it also feels kind of flimsy. I steamed everything because it arrived very wrinkly.

I also bought these earrings:

I have worn the ones on the left 3 times already!

I also bought this headband:

Have you ever shopped Shein? The order took a little over a week to arrive. It was slightly quicker than my sister said it would be.

I want to buy less and more quality stuff and this definitely does not fit with that goal, but now I have it and I hope that I wear it and then pass it along to consignment when I finish with it.

Amy