Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

I thought I would update you all from time to time on how I’m doing now that I have officially decided 23 for 23 was a dumb idea! I was only going to buy 23 new items this year but let myself buy unlimited consignment items. Even though I have already bought several new things, I feel that I am being more discerning and intentional, so I am not really mad at myself.

Here is what I have bought since January 1, 2023…

Earrings:

Hot pink Gucci-esque bees from local boutique – I still love them but have only worn them twice so far.

Slim gold hoops from J.Crew Factory – what a great purchase! I have worn these multiple times a week. Dare I say that every woman needs gold hoops in her earring wardrobe?

Scarves:

Amazon black leopard patterned – I have worn this twice and I really like wearing it “bandana style”.

Consignment store green, yellow, white – I have not worn this yet because it is very springy, but I have plans for how to style it!

Clothes:

Old Navy:

I need to stop making declarations about things, because I am always made to look like a fool. I had said that I hardly shop at Old Navy anymore and then, look what I did below!

white polo pullover sweatshirt – absolutely love this!

Ecru collared blouse – love! I think I will wear this more and more as spring approaches!

Chambray collared blouse (identical to Ecru) – I have worn this more than the ecru above. I just wore this last week. It’s so easy to throw on and look fairly decent.

Vive Feliz t-shirt – this was on sale for $3 and it is so cute. I just wore it last weekend.

Jeans:

Target Universal Thread slim straight jeans in light wash (identical to black ones I had)

Target Universal Thread slim straight jeans in medium wash (identical to black ones I had)

I have already worn each pair of jeans at least 8 times.

Loft: (I will show you these very soon!)

green floral blouse – wore it once and can’t wait to wear it again!

green/white striped button down shirt – can’t wait to wear this!

white/cream sweater jacket (kind of a hybrid between a sweater and a blazer a la Chanel) – can’t wait to wear this!

Fails:

Vaugu – I succumbed to a Facebook or Instagram ad. I ordered the above shirt and two dresses. They were each around $30, bringing my order to about $108 including shipping. The order took 31 days to arrive. The sizing was off and the material was flimsy, slimy, and tragic. I immediately emailed their contact – I could not find a phone number.

Here is what we have been doing back and forth…

I think the next email offered me $55.

We ended on this:

What the what? So, I think I will get all but shipping costs back and I’m ok with that. I will feel awful if I influenced anyone to shop with them, though.

Wishlist:

I have done really well with shoes. I have not bought any yet this year. But, I have my eye on a couple of pairs:

Nike Daybreak sneakers in white on white

Olukai woven brown slip on mules

Then, I recently saw these and thought they would be great for summer!

I am a big fan of Birks and have several classic and rubber pairs (not real Birks) in my summer shoe wardrobe. I wear them all the time.

To wrap this up, I did not buy any winter clothing. All of my purchases can be worn now and into spring.

Any thoughts on how I did?

What have you bought so far this year? Any retailer you are loving in 2023?

Amy

Monday, February 20, 2023

As many of you are sleeping in and still in your pajamas, I am trying to look professional and talk to parents. Lol! The way my district does conferences is that it is an extra day’s pay and not required. I chose to do it so I’m not complaining, plus I have to talk to parents if they need to talk to me, you know? I think it’s important and I do like a bit of extra dough!

It’s time to link up with Sarah and Holly.

Friday I came home and let Ernie out and then went to Drake’s for just about an hour happy hour. I had one of the smoothest old fashioneds and…

pretzels beer cheese and mustard to split. Yum!

I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home and got pizza by the slice and kale salad. I was in bed by 9:00 something. I am just tired at the end of a work day, you know?

Saturday bright and early the plumber came! We have been waiting and waiting and waiting…

He plumbed! Now we do trim and paint and put in the vanity and toilet.

Look at that blue, blue sky! After the plumber spent about 3 hours with us, we took Ernie down to the very high river.

We stopped in and saw the cashier at Marine Sales and Service. She is friendly than many cashiers and especially more friendly than the self-checkout cashier – me!

I put away the V Day and got out the St. Patrick’s Day minimal decor. I love it because it means spring can’t be far behind?

I made a Greek bowl for lunch and then went out and did a few errands on my list. One of them was TJ Maxx for new coffee syrup and a candle. I am super happy with what I found:

It has a wide wood wick and it smells amazing. It does not really smell like cigar because I wouldn’t go for that!

I brought home Chick Fil A for dinner – it had been a long time! I watched some tv and Tom got home around 8. He had gone to a hometown funeral visitation and I was on my own most of the day.

Sunday morning I read for a long time. I am into this – it is way different than I expected, but I don’t want to give it away.

I made 10 breakfast burritos!

I started this and I am into it!

I was able to get outside and enjoy the sun but it was super windy!

Then, we capped off the weekend with a trip to Texas Roadhouse to use up the rest of our gift card.

I was pretty good and ordered a salmon salad.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, February 17, 2023

I will be really honest with you. I’m dragging. We have had a long stretch of school and I am ready for a break. We usually rely on a few snow days or early releases or delays, but this year we have only had one snow day so far. Our students are off on Monday and Tuesday and have a four day weekend, but teachers have conferences on Monday and a teacher work day on Tuesday. So…I hope that is the respite I need. I feel myself getting less patient and less willing to repeat myself and that usually means it’s time for an Amy Day. Ha! Don’t get me wrong… I have had a good week, too. We had a great round table discussion in four of my classes about love and friendship in high school, my Spanish IIIs made a collage about their accomplishments using a particular verb tense, and we have had lots of laughs and learning (I think!).

Here are some favorites from the week as I scroll through my camera roll…

I am linking up with Andrea and Erika!

Sunday at 5:00 was when my Valentine and I celebrated. It was perfect. We went to Selena’s Willow Lake as we had not been there in a long time. I have been cooking mostly lately so this really felt like a treat to be waited on. It is an Italian/Cajun fusion restaurant I think you would say?

They have a really pretty outdoor space when the weather is nice, but there is a train track that runs right by it so you might have your conversation interrupted by the train whistle!

I ordered a really nice sangria but I do not approve of the glassware. I am very picky about the kind of glass I get. Are you like that?

Tom and I both ordered the spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and fried onion straws. If there is a hot bacon spinach salad on a menu, you better believe both of us want that! We should have split it because it was really big.

I ordered corn meal encrusted fish fingers and sweet potato fries. They both had amazing dipping sauces. Tom had gumbo and ate my food with me, too. He decided that was enough.

We even had leftovers that he ate the next night.

My routine this week has been to come home from school and then walk with Ernie for about 30 minutes. We have both benefitted from this routine and it has been such a nice week!

I left a couple boxes of candy in Tom’s truck on V Day morning:

He was instructed not to buy me any chocolate! We don’t do gifts for the little holidays anymore but just try to spend time together. It has been freeing and I prefer it this way. Plus, I order myself something like clothing or shoes and justify it! Ha!

Ernie met a neighbor dog one evening. Isn’t he cute? I have also been walking with Tom before dinner with Ernie. We discuss our day and enjoy seeing Ernie so happy.

For V Day dinner on Tuesday night, I made pork chops, brussel sprouts, and a sweet potato that turned out to be white inside and had the best flavor!

The weather on Wednesday afternoon was my favorite!

And then today we go back to winter! But, we have mild temps for this time of year again for a stretch starting on Sunday. Maybe we won’t get any more snow this year?

Wednesday called for a skinny margarita on the patio after my walk. I know my weather app said cloudy, but it was actually sunny!

I bought a different kind of English muffin for my faux Egg McMuffins this week. They are called Bays and are refrigerated near the yogurt at my store. They are a WW point or two more but are really, really good. I think someone recommended them to me. I think sometimes you should spend a few more points to be super satisfied and take that from something that is just mediocre, you know?

Look how professional! These two girls asked me to be a guest on their class podcast and it was a lot of fun. I told them to let me know when it comes out and maybe I will share it here!

And, that’s about it!

Now, for a not favorite…

Do you remember the stuff I ordered from Vaugu? Well, it took 31 days to get here and I have been duped. I do not think that the items the models are wearing are what I received. The fit is off and the fabric is just weird. The fabric is super thin and slimy. I know that is not the right word, but it is just weird and cheap and tacky.

This top is the most tragic. It is not sewn on as it looks. It is denim printed on a sad polyester fabric.

Gosh, I hope no one ordered anything because of me. I can’t even find a customer service phone number. I emailed and we shall see. Amy, you know better. Have you ever ordered something and you know they stole the photo from a higher end company? I’m pretty sure that is what this is.

I don’t want to end on a bad note, so here are some daffodils! They are out so early and I fear they are confused!

What were your favorites this week? May your weekend be filled with non-tragic fabrics!

Amy

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Another Thursday, another Fashion Files! Click here to see many more!

Sunday night was our Valentine’s dinner reservation and it got chilly after the sunny afternoon was over. I wore my Hush Puppies suede pumps, my cherry brown leather Chico’s pants, and my black puffed sleeved sweater that is Amazon Essentials.

Monday we were supposed to dress up for a theme week so I wore this dress, cardigan (Target Knox Rose dress and Target Universal Thread cardigan) with some old booties.

Tuesday for V Day I wore my red clogs with a Canadian tuxedo – lol. I wore my consignment Kut from the Kloth jeans with a white Kohl’s button down and a very old Old Navy jean jacket vest. The mirror is foggy from Tom’s shower.

And, finally yesterday I wore my Loft green blouse for the first time with jeans and old clogs.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Seltzer or Sparkling Water!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Do you love it, too?

This is a new love for me.

So far, I have tried…

Bubly

La Croix

Kroger Brand

Polar

Any favorites? I would love to hear brand and flavor.

You know what else I love? The option of making fun little drinks like…

I got these ideas from a person I follow on Instagram, but the world is my oyster now and I have so many flavor combo ideas!

I feel like these (whether alone or mixed with a drink mix) have helped me to drink less alcohol and to get my water intake.

This is a fairly new love for me. I avoided sparkling water until just a couple of years ago. In fact, I think hard seltzers were my gateway to non-alcoholic seltzers!

What do you think? I would love to know!

Amy

Tuesday, February 14, 202

Happy Valentine’s Day! I haven’t done one of these in a long time, so I chose yesterday (a fairly typical Monday) to document.

I got up at 5:00 and enjoyed two cups of coffee (while using my new heating pad thing) and read my devotional and blogs.

In between cups of coffee, I unloaded the dishwasher.

I pulled my meal prep stuff out of the fridge to pack for the day. We have a faux egg mcmuffin and Big Mac bowls for E and I (my turn for lunch).

There she is! My shower cap and I took a very quick body shower around 6:20.

I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair and did my makeup.

I arrived at school at 6:48. Too early.

Look at all the crazy teachers there before me!

I get to my room around 6:55 and have a bit over a half an hour before any students come down the hall. They are not allowed in the hallways until the bell rings at 7:30. During this time I ate my faux egg McMuffin.

First period starts at 7:40 and we do a listening activity.:

Second period is my study hall and I am able to do tons of work which included cutting apart the valentines I am handing out today.

I graded some papers and thought this Spanish I family tree was funny – “Shout out to John!!!” I’m not sure what John did but she labeled all the divorces (we hadn’t learned that word yet).

Then I taught two Spanish III classes.

I drank as much Stanley water as possible.

Then, it was the magic time of 11:13 when I can eat lunch!

Big Mac Bowls:

Then, I taught two more classes…

And, then it was time for my favorite at 1:26 – Planning Period. Just kidding!

I did lots of organizing and a bit of copying and got all ready for first period. Then, I made a quick Tik Tok video about the difference between saber and conocer.

I went home and Ernie and I took a nice walk and it was so pretty out!

I had stains on two shirts from the weekend that I dealt with:

Then, I was starving and that is why there is no picture; I bascially inhaled my snack. I made a piece of avocado toast and some popcorn and ate it on the patio while reading this:

Around 4:30, I went inside to work on blog stuff, bake the rest of the red velvet cupcake batter from Sunday, and to start dinner.

I pulled together my second lunch of the week which was also the same as dinner.

Zucchini lasagna bowls:

I walked with Tom and Ernie when Tom got home around 5:45.

Ernie found a water bottle:

Then, Tom and I ate and Tom watched tv while I read.

Then it was shower time and a hair washing night.

And, I did a mani.

Then, it was time for my Bravo shows.

And, I went to bed at 9. This might be the most boring thing you’ve ever read!

Amy

Monday, February 13, 2023

How was your weekend? I hope it was great! Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day or The Superbowl, both, or neither? I am linking up with Sarah and Holly to tell you about mine…

Friday I met Erica and Elizabeth for a happy hour at Brick House. They had an awesome fireplace and fire going.

We had a drink and split this giant pretzel.

I went home and made dinner at home and fell asleep super early.

Saturday morning I had to do my own grocery shopping so I hit the store early. I wasn’t organized and hadn’t planned well in my last pick up which I did on Tuesday.

I came home and did some egg mcmuffins for breakfast prep. The eggs look weird; I cooked it in the air fryer!

I started this movie:

Then, I got both my kids to go to this week’s edition of a coffee shop – Please and Thank You!

I made a special-ish V Day meal and gave them their gifts.

Then, my kids and I went to a flamenco party that we were invited to by Erica who is taking lessons. Jack was interested in hearing the flamenco guitar and they both love the Spanish language so we had a good time. We practiced our Spanish most of the time we were there.

Sunday morning I did lots of meal prep for the week and then enjoyed an omelette on my sunny porch.

Tom and I walked Ernie and he found a football so he was ready for Superbowl Sunday!

It was a very relaxing weekend. The sun and 55 degree temps yesterday were exactly what I needed, too.

What about you? Highlights?

Amy

Friday, February 10, 2023

What a long week! It’s time to link up with the Friday Favorites gals here to share some of our faves from the week.

Did you think it was a long week, too?

Here are some things that were my favorites this week as I look through my camera roll…

Another wonderful Hawaiian coffee! Have you tried this one?

I plan to make some V Day treats this weekend. Fruity Pebbles treats like Rice Krispies treats are one of them!

Red Velvet cupcakes is another one!

I need to find these Friends conversation hearts! I think they are available at Walmart. I do love this candy. Some people hate them!

I am putting together a little gift bag for my 3 loves – my kids are getting a new charger. This is really a gift for me. Stop stealing my chargers!

Tom was my Sunday Funday date last Sunday. We went to a brewery called Ten20.

They have two food options – one is kind of Asian eclectic and one is pizza. We got some Asian nachos and a pizza.

We both liked the food ok but probably wouldn’t pick it again on purpose. The space was really cool, though.

My breakfast burrito one day made me happy!

My other classes had their food day and now all have had one!

My dinners this week were good ones. One night it was the bacon and tomato whole wheat pasta again wtih broccoli:

One night I made Tom the heart shaped nuggets and grilled chicken for myself with some buffalo sauce and homemade light ranch:

And, one night I made Thai peanut sauce with crunchy peanut butter atop cauliflower rice, chicken and vegetables:

My friend Victoria brought this to my house when she came recently and I just tried it. Really good!

The heart shaped nugs of love if you can find them this weekend! I tried one and they are really good!

Tom liked them. Don’t worry – I added more stuff to his plate.

I have been on the hunt for a green and white striped shirt.

I liked Gap’s:

I also liked Target’s:

But, I decided on Loft’s and placed an order. I will let you know if it works out!

I still really like Gap’s version, but I went with the lighter shade.

This was a really random round up of favorites!

What were your faves this week?

Amy

Thursday, February 9, 2023

It’s time to link up with Kellyann and Jill to share our recent fashion.

Get out that red and pink, girls! We only have 5 more days to wear our hearts and Valentine’s Day colors.

Last Thursday I wore my Amazon heart sweater to school. I like the material of this sweater and it doesn’t make me hot at all! I paired it with new Target Universal Thread jeans.

Friday I broke out my old white booties. I wore them with my Costco Lucky brand sweater. I’m wearing the same jeans as the day before – gasp!

Sunday I wore this to have a Sunday Funday outing with Tom. I wore my new silk scarf with an old black Amazon Essentials sweater.

These are the same jeans as above but I think they look frumpy with these sneakers. I needed to be super comfy Monday for my three food days.

Tuesday I wore my grey jeans with a black blouse and my J.Crew consignment cardigan I found this year.

And, finally yesterday I wore my very old Amazon pink Burberry with a black column underneath. I did wear shoes – you will be happy to know!

So, nothing really to write home about? I like the little silk scarf outfit the best I think.

What have you been wearing?

Amy

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

We are at that point where many people have abandoned resolutions now. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate some of the routines in your life? I am constantly trying to do things more efficiently.

What’s Working for me right now:

You have heard many of these things, but I want to tell you what I am still doing that is working.

I am washing my hair every other night. I still take a nightly shower. I also take a quick morning shower. Yes, I like to shower. My Dry Bar shower cap is amazing! I never thought I could love a shower cap and never even had one until my late 40s!

Doing my personal laundry and some light cleaning tasks on Thursdays. I feel great getting a few things done before the weekend.

Doing grocery pickup and not going in the store. I had to go in the store Saturday and it was not pleasant. It took way too long at the checkout and I picked up way too many impulse items.

Doing grocery pickup on Wednesday or Thursday so I go into the weekend fully stocked.

Not checking email after hours or on weekends. Just not doing it. I am so much happier and it’s even made me a better teacher because my batteries are re-charged and I can be fully present during my work hours. If you are a teacher, don’t “@ me” as the kids say. There are very few “true emergencies” in my line of work. I respond as soon as I get to school if I got a message after hours.

My new Shark cordless stick vaccuum. I am using it in place of the broom and dustpan. It’s great and maybe even the best on hard floors.

Here are some posts I wrote if you are feeling stuck:

Just click on the red font and it will take you to the post. As you can tell, I love to talk and write about life hacks.

Decision Fatigue

Automatic August

Self-Care Syllabus

Set Yourself up for a Great Weekend

What I don’t really do, but I think would be great: Pasta on Monday, Mexican on Tuesday, Asian on Wednesday, etc. Some sort of dinner routine.

Great idea I heard on Lazy Genius podcast:

A listener said they always have breakfast for dinner on Sunday nights and they cook extra for their breakfasts throughout the week. I thought this was a great idea. Work smarter and not harder and breakfast for dinner on a Sunday night sounds like a nice treat – especially if you weren’t able to do a big breakfast in the morning.

What’s working for you right now? It can be the smallest thing, but it might help me or someone else!

Amy