Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Friday, July 29, 2022

I swear that I keep typing these dates on each blog post with my jaw hanging open. Time has just flown; I know I am a broken record. Wait – what is the modern term for that – “a buffering streaming platform”?

Anyway, it’s link up day with the ladies here!

I found these plates for Shark Week at Target. We aren’t really into shark week, but it did get a laugh out of my college kids and I will do anything for a laugh from them. When you make teens laugh, you are winning!

We had a lot of rain this week. I had a nice rainy morning on the patio Monday.

I even worked on my blog posts on the patio.

Tom took off this week. He had some vacation days to use and I think he needed a break. He was off a week for Covid but he really wasn’t himself. I think it has been a struggle for him with fatigue since he went back to work. He also lost 6 pounds when he was sick. This week he has been working out a lot and doing all the little fix it jobs around the house. He is also working on our new hall bath and getting sub contractors scheduled.

He is also up for whatever I want to do, which is really sweet.

We visited a plant shop called Forage!

And, I wanted him to pick out our next plant baby. He picked this:

She (as the shop lady called her) is now living in our bedroom. The shop lady also told us, “She’s a thirsty girl”. It made us chuckle.

After the plant store, Tom got to go to Big Bad Breakfast for the first time.

He got a burrito and I got an omelette.

Tuesday night was a favorite because we all got to eat dinner together finally. I made salmon, broccoli, little red potatoes, and Sister Schubert’s rolls.

I noticed my nail color matched Tom’s shirt – lol!

I told Tom I “needed” to go to TJ Maxx on Wednesday to get more skinny coffee syrup and he said “let’s go”. I told him I would only let him go if he didn’t judge my shopping. I would give him a B+.

I picked up more meal prep containers. I also like to use these to give people things and I never want them back.

We went chair idea shopping. I have wanted a reading chair in the corner of the bedroom. This was our favorite, but we would do it in fabric.

We took Ernie swimming and visited the marine shop, Marine Sales and Service. The dog River works the counter. She is hilarious and keeps touching you with her paw. She is better at customer service than some of the sales people we encountered at other shops!

Tom hung my photos! He was concerned about not putting holes in the wall and not hurting the wall so we used the Command strips and we are hoping they hold up.

Also, a big shout out to Tom for being so handy. My check engine light came on and Tom was able to troubleshoot it for me. Our freezer didn’t seem cold enough to me and Tom replaced the fan himself for only $10. He saves us so much money by being able to fix things. Or, by being willing to watch a Youtube video and learn!

Wednesday night there is usually a sailboat race on the river if there is enough wind. We headed by car to Captain’s Quarters:

So pretty!

Then, we saw some people we knew and talked to them for a bit. I had a Kentucky lemonade, which is lemonade and bourbon usually.

As the sun was starting to go down…

Now the big reveal…I bought salted caramel again and yes, I did it – I went ahead and bought pumpkin spice, but I promise I won’t break it open until Starbuck’s makes their first one, ok? Isn’t that the end of August now? Ha!

I re-stocked on Diva. This will be my third small bottle. I add a capful along with my laundry pod.

And, I believe this was Andrea’s and Tanya’s rec to buy the auto air freshener but to not necessarily hang them in your car. I have one hanging in the laundry room and I think I will take one to my classroom. The kids demand a good smelling classroom! They always comment on how it smells these days. I can’t imagine me loudly commenting, “Boy, your room smells of coffee, cigarette smoke, and abandoned dreams!” in the 80s. Can you?

I have been making breakfast “bowls” this week. Just when you thought I couldn’t make another type of “bowl”. I did frozen roasted veg, some diced hashbrowns, and then topped it with two scrambled eggs.

I had a Kroger pick up this week and they gave me a bag of freebies again. I get these every few months. Score! Free stuff! I’ve been wanting to try Liquid IV!

This has taken me forever to read, but it’s not for lack of enjoying it. I am close to the end. It’s not the book, it’s me.

The feminisim/women’s rights topics that are part of this book are really hitting home to me. Have we come very far since the 60s when this book was set? Even in my career field of education, women have to be careful. If we are too outspoken, we are perceived as female dogs. If we complain, we can be seen as whiney and emotional. If a man speaks out or complains, he is just being a man. I have had bosses who treat men and women differently. Now, I am by no means saying I have had it the worst of any sector of the population, but I think gender inequality still exists. What do you think? Have we come very far?

So, my favorites this week were rain, quality time with Tom, dinner with the whole family, and more.

What were yours? I hope you had many!

Amy

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Well…we have to start talking about it…back to school. While I don’t have K-12 aged school children anymore, I hope to share some nuggets of wisdom from that stage of life. I also will talk about how I personally get ready for back to school.

Linking up here for Monthly Musings…

First of all, I want to give you permission to do you and your family the way that makes sense for you. Get rid of the “shoulds” that society throws at you. Ok?

And, please remember this:

First of all…a little background if you are new around here or if you just have low reading comprehension skills (just a little eduspeak joke! don’t get mad!)

I have twins who will be juniors in college this fall and I am entering my 29th year of teaching high school Spanish.

And, these are simply my opinions but I hope they help someone out there.

Please do not give teachers a first day of school present. It’s just not necessary. It also might make someone who doesn’t give a gift feel bad. I feel like this is a newish trend? Also, the teacher has so much going on, so many piles of things, so much to pass out, etc., that they may not have a place for it. Let’s just not do this.

Also, I am really turned off by the Amazon wish lists. Is this a sad state of education in our country that teachers are begging for supplies? Yes, it is. And, I’m afraid this will only perpetuate the problem. I just found out that each teacher in my district is getting a $250 Amazon gift card. How awesome is that? So, what is the solution for the teachers making Amazon wish lists? I don’t know. I know the intention of the influencers is only good, but do you see what I am saying?

Your attitude as a parent drives the attitude of your children. Learning should be and is fun! Schools do so much for your kids and society in general. People get in to education for the right reasons for the most part. Little pitchers have big ears; do not let your children hear you speak negatively about their teachers and their school.

Make school supply shopping a fun outing. If you aren’t into it, that’s ok. Ask a grandparent to start a tradition. Ask a childless aunt. If they are restricted at school with certain notebook colors, get a couple of fun things for homework. Create a homework station. What can you do to get your kids excited?

I am not a big fan of homework. Our kids spend 8 hours in school and if done right, they should be spending their after school time in nature and getting exercise. Homework starts so early these days and I feel like a lot of teachers think that more homework is better and proves their worth. My kids needed to play on the playground behind the school and have a snack before they could do any homework. Do what works for you. Maybe the next morning is better? Maybe after dinner is better? Again, get rid of the “shoulds”.

As soon as mine were old enough, they checked off the items on their own lists. We always had fun picking out supplies. I realize I was fortunate and had the money to not worry about these purchases.

Always go to any event the school has for you and your child. Those open houses, orientations, etc. are all so helpful in getting your child and you ready. It is even important at the high school level. Don’t you want to put a face with the name that you will hear about after school? I can’t believe the lack of attendance at the high school level.

I took myself back to school shopping this week. I just bought my favorite pens which were only slightly on sale. I love a pen that clicks. Homey don’t have time for lids, you know? I love the Sharpie S-Gel pen. I bought two notebooks for examples of my journal I do in my class and some looseleaf paper. My school has a supply closet and they are really good about stocking the things teachers need.

I order some stickers with my own money and I go to the Dollar Tree for some candy. I also like to buy band-aids that have funny things on them, lotion, and then my school provides Kleenex and hand sanitizer. When we have food days, the kids are asked to bring in one roll of paper towels, a pack of napkins, a trash bag, etc. so I have a good stock of stuff like that from last year. We aren’t allowed to give grades or points for buying things so this was just an “ask” and they are happy to do this.

My kids had uniforms from K-8 and we tried to buy hand me downs from the used uniform sale, from older twins (we had neighbors with twins about 3 years older!), and then from Target, Old Navy, or the uniform store in town. I loved uniforms! I heard a great tip – even if your school doesn’t have a uniform, you can make your own – polo shirts and shorts or whatever you like that fits the dress code. Love that!

Erica wants to share meals with me again so we will do the same thing we did last year. I plan to make 5 breakfasts on Sunday, too. I will do faux egg mcmuffins, breakfast burritos, breakfast casserole and sausage, or breakfast bowls. I will keep it really simple the first week and do the egg mcmuffins I think.

For lunches, I also will do a bit of prep on Sunday, but I plan to do more like Erica did and repeat whatever dinners Tom and I have for my lunch the next day.

And, for dinners, I plan to keep it really simple in August and rely on some freezer staples.

I always organized whatever current school supplies we had before shopping for new. By about 3rd grade, I thought, “How many pairs of tiny scissors will I buy?” that’s when I realized that many things can be recycled. Duh! I get that it’s nice to start the school year with new stuff and sometimes it’s ok.

Last year, I wrote a self-care syllabus for myself and I did pretty well with it!

I like to have a new dress to wear on the first day of school, but this year I hope I can be satisfied with a dress I already have. I have several to choose from this year.

I need a new teacher tote. Any suggestions? I have a couple of ideas.

It’s sad that I don’t have to do back to school for my kids anymore, but it’s also kind of a feeling of freedom after so many years of suppy shopping, paperwork to fill out (the worst!), etc.

Amy

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

It’s the last Wednesday of the month and that means What’s Up Wednesday with Sheaffer and Shay!

I feel like this post may be redundant or repetitive but here we go… you’ve been warned! Ha!

What we’re eating…

I am really enjoying putting together teriyaki, stir fry, or whatever you want to call them bowls. This time I added sugar snap peas along with broccoli, shredded carrots, my favorite already cooked chicken from Costco, mushrooms, and I used up the rest of the Thai sauce I had from Trader Joe’s.

I put it on cauliflower rice for me and regular rice for the fam.

These flavors have just really spoken to me this summer!

What I’m loving…

I had the best coffee the other morning. We have a Mexican breakfast place called Con Huevos (With Eggs) and they have a coffee with milk. They bring you about a third of a class of coffee and then fill it with steamed milk while you watch. I can’t even tell you how good this is and it really reminded me of the coffee in Spain – so strong you have to cut it in half with milk.

I’m loving the free time to go get breakfast out, to read, to not be hurried, to have daylight until late, etc. I am really trying to embrace the stuff that makes summer summer. I know that technically we have summer until September, but as soon as school starts in my world, summer is OVER.

What I’m wearing…

I am wearing workout clothes, pajamas, swimsuits and coverups the most. I’m kinda ready to get “dressed” for school.

I ordered another pair of bike shorts from J.Crew Factory on Kristin’s recommendation and they are really good. They are like my favorite pocket leggings but cut off. They were on sale for less than $10!

I had a sad thing happen. My fedora flew off my head on the boat. Yes, I was dumb and didn’t take it off before my capitan increased the speed. I ordered a replacement in a little bit darker shade. By gosh, I’m trying to be a hat person. I don’t think they look great on me, but I will not give up.

I cannot stop buying and wearing my fun straps! Look at my new little baby for like $8!

Reminiscing about…

I guess a time when we didn’t have to talk about Covid and masks. My school district re-instated a mask mandate for busses and buildings as of this past Monday. I am hoping and praying that it will be a choice by August 10 when we officially go back.

What we’ve been up to…

My kids are still working hard at their summer jobs. They are winding down and only have a couple of weeks left. That will give them about two weeks before they head back to campus. I know they are looking forward to some downtime to just hang out. I think this is really important before the hustle and bustle of fall semester.

I always say YES when they ask to watch a show with me, go somewhere with me, ask me to make them something.

I am still loving taking one of these before bed. I think I should take it a little bit earlier.

Tom and I have been sharing our bathroom very peacefully. If you are new here, we never had to share a bathroom in 22 years of marriage. We will see how it goes when I am getting ready earlier in a couple of weeks!

I went to my 32nd high school reunion!

I am waiting on my Target orders. Seriously, they are the slowest. And, they lie. They change your dates all the time.

What I’m dreading…

The same thing I said last month – the professional developments and the training videos I have to watch before school starts!

What I’m listening to…

the sounds of rain finally. We have had such a dry summer. I love being on my covered patio when it’s lightly raining. I am doing this post there right now! Ooops, now I hear thunder and that means it’s time to go inside!

What I’m reading…

Lessons in Chemistry. I have been so slow, but it’s really a cute book. I am starting to pick up the pace.

What I’m watching…

Virgin River Season 4

Bravo Southern Charm

Bravo Below Deck Mediterranean with Captain Sandy

Bravo Real Housewives of Dubai

Always New Girl, Gilmore Girls when I just want to turn something on that makes me happy

I have watched a few movies, too – Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, and the original Top Gun.

What I’m doing this weekend…

Hopefully I will get to boat because we didn’t go out last weekend.

What I’m looking forward to next month…

I am actually excited to see my students! I miss them during the summer!

Also, I am having a little get together at a Mexican restaurant for my seniors from last year before they leave for college.

I am really excited for September and plan to do all things apple!

And, I also plan to find some Oktoberfests to go to!

What else is new…

Nothing else that I can think of at the moment…

So, what’s up with you if you are still here?

Amy

at Costco and Trader Joe’s…

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

I have to admit that I was stumped for a post idea for today. I shopped at both of these stores very quickly yesterday and thought I would just squeeze a little ol’ post out of it.

I don’t enjoy going to Costco. I know some people love it, but it just feels overwhelming to me. And, I wasn’t supposed to go to Costco yesterday. Tom went for me on Sunday and didn’t find the item that I have come to rely on heavily. I will tell you what that is in a minute. I was determined to find it or find an alternative even though I knew I would be sad.

I also quickly scanned for new items and came home with a few.

These are 2 WW points for me and really delish! I took a chance on them and tried one immediately upon getting home. Confession: I would have had one in the car but I couldn’t open the package easily without a knife!

They are kinda like if an Oreo and an ice cream sandwich had a baby, it would be this!

Here is the elusive item:

I have been buying two packs of these at a time and I put most of it in the freezer. These are key to so many of my meals coming together quickly. If Costco ever stops stocking these I will be very sad. I had to ask an employee and he had to “go find them” and he told me “we just didn’t put them out”. What????? Costco, what is wrong with you?

I took a chance on these. The serving size is four pieces and that would be 4 WW points for me. So, I can have just one piece and it will be 1 WW point. Remember that I am really working on my protein so the full serving would give me 10 Gs of P.

I have been wanting to try some Real Good products. I didn’t get a chance to test these out yet. I will tell you soon if they are in fact real good. I would probably be find with “kinda good”. And, they claim to have 20 Gs of P. I could even stuff some more of my chicken strips in them!

And, that was my Costco haul. Do you buy any of these products? Any new to you products you think I would like?

Later in the day, I ran to Trader Joe’s to try to find my favorite frozen jasmine rice.

I grabbed these because Jack likes to order them at a few restaurants.

I plan to make my bread with tomato and ham from Spain soon.

I got this dipping sauce for the gyoza.

And, the frozen rice was out of stock so I got this. I have gotten much better at making rice on the stove so no big deal.

My kids love sour candies!

I have been looking for some sort of protein bar so I grabbed this. It’s bad. I will just eat a banana for a snack.

Tom loves a sugar cone so I got these for him. We have Heath ice cream in the freezer right now.

These bagels are the best I have tried in town. They are better than the few bagel places we have in town. They go bad quickly so I keep them in the freezer.

The baguette and ciabatta are great to keep on hand in the freezer, too.

And, that is it!

What are your favorite things to get at Trader Joe’s? I will be honest and say I don’t love their chips and crackers. I don’t jump on the bandwagon with a lot of the things other people gush about.

Hope you enjoyed shopping with me!

Amy

Monday, July 25, 2022

It’s time to link up with the Hello Monday girls, Sarah and Holly!

Well, this is technically my last free Monday. A week from today I have an all day in-person PD (professional development) and two weeks from day, teachers officially report to duty.

And, I hate to start this post off on a bad note…but, my district just re-instated a mask mandate for all busses and buildings (for anyone doing summer programs or already working) as of today because our county is in “the red”. But, the hospitalizations are so low and I feel that the guidelines are just outdated at this point. When I first heard this on Friday, my immediate thought was: “I can’t do this again and our students can’t do this again”. I don’t even want to hear your opinion if you didn’t teach pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-mask mandate. The masks hurt our kids and I said what I said and I will not be swayed. I cannot tell you the change I saw when we were able to lose the masks in mid-March of last year. And, the same people who say we need to wear masks also say that the masks don’t work. I.am.so.exhausted.by.all.of.this.

I was starting to get excited about going back and all of my new ideas. Please, please, please let this be gone by August 10. But then, what if teachers just didn’t wear masks. What if we just say NOPE. Apparently every district in this country is facing major teacher shortages. What is happening? I am so worried for the education of the kids in our country.

I will say that my college kids have no problem with masking so they don’t really agree with me. But, they are only in college classes for a few hours a day with breaks in between. And, their college has not put any statement out yet. They aren’t in school for 8 hours a day anymore.

So…let’s change the topic. My breakfast Friday involved a sweet potato! Ha! That was a real 180 degree, wasn’t it? I simply microwaved my potato, chopped it up and cooked it a little more in a skillet with onions, then added scrambled eggs. Yum!

My one size smaller favorite sandals of the summer came in. Much better! These are now on sale for $7!

Friday after breakfast I went to run a few errands and was pleasantly surprised that an Aerie is coming to my favorite and easiest to get to mall which is outdoors.

This mall also got a Crumbl and I have a student who works there who said to get the app for a free cookie. I had been curious to try it, too.

And, I got this…the frosting was great but the cookie underneath was nothing to write home about.

So, I will now delete the app. Penny and Pearl’s is still my fave. Sorry, it’s locally owned!

I got 5 Guys for Mason and I because Jack was at work. I tried the burger bowl for the first time. I just ordered a junior hamburger with whatever toppings I wanted.

It was muy sad.

I doctored it up at home. I added more pickles, my own cheese, a little ketchup and mayo, and I should have added more lettuce. It was good, but you can make a better burger bowl on your own.

Because of my Crumbl indulgences, I had a salad for dinner with 30 grams of chicken!

Friday night we just stayed in. Tom had a frozen pizza and we just watched tv. Mason was working and Jack played an online game with friends.

Saturday I headed to my hometown and stopped at the cute little boutique right across the bridge.

Across the bridge is Indiana, where my hometown is.

I treated my mom to lunch and I got a buffalo chicken salad. All the salads, no?

Then, it was time for the first part of my 32nd high schol reunion! We missed our 30th due to the pandemic and then everyone voted last summer to put it off another year. Our organizer, Beth, did a fabulous job. She arranged for our classmate who teaches at our school to do a tour of what the school looks like now.

It was a nice group of about 15 people.

Me, in the gym, under the bleachers…just kidding.

No one does high school gyms like schools in Indiana. Basketball is BIG. I didn’t take a bigger photo for you unfortunately.

Our old library is now called a “Learning Commons” and there are very few books…

After the tour, I went to my mom’s to change and then we met up in the hotel lobby where many were staying. I had made a signature cocktail that was red like our school colors.

Enjoying our signature cocktail, a “Cubmopolitan”. It was one shot of Tito’s, a bit of Crystal Light cherry pomegranate powder, ice, and topped off with Diet Sprite. I will be making it again. It was good! Oh, and I had red gummy bears. We were the Cubs, by the way!

Some people chose beer!

The venue, the decor, and the food were all perfection!

This was such a sweet touch – a remembrance table for the classmates who have passed away…

I hadn’t seen this guy in probably 20 years. We were actually not that close in high school but became big buddies after college.

My high school bestie:

Class Photo:

It was a fun day!

Sunday, I baked this with Mason:

Yum!

Then, my friend asked me spur of the moment to meet for brunch and I said YES!

Mimosa and coffee – yum!

I am really into this right now:

But, it was so hot that I wasn’t into reading outside I decided. So, inside it was!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, July 22, 2022

It’s time to link up with the ladies here for Friday Favorites!

Here are some things that made my list of favorites this week…

I saw a recipe and I had all of the ingredients for…

Katharine Hepburn’s brownies. Did you know she had some brownies she was famous for? I didn’t either! These have hardly any flour in them so they are kind of more like a flourless chocolate cake.

So, now my sisters, Erica, and Elizabeth agree with Jen. The Truly Margarita pack is really good.

I think strawberry hibiscus is my favorite!

I was busy having fun this week. Tuesday I went to the adult pool with Erica and Elizabeth and it was so hot I stayed in the water on my float the whole time.

My lower sugar jam is also a hit! It is only lower by one cup and then I split the pectin between raspberries and strawberries this time. I might be putting the raspberry on brie and wrapping it in puff pastry or Crescent Roll dough soon…stay tuned!

I love working smarter and not harder. I made all the spaghetti and taco meat at the same time this week. I like to do this type of thing in the morning because I fade as the day goes on. Just knowing that the “hard” part of dinner is done really helps me around 5:00 pm or whenever I make dinner.

So, you know how these are my favorites. The chocolate is so rich that I really only need one.

Well, Tom loves these because they remind him of his favorite Graeter’s ice cream flavor – black raspberry chip!

I made a yummy hashbrown, veggie, Canadian bacon with egg bowl for one of my breakfasts this week:

I made teriyaki chicken bowls for one of our dinners:

I made burrito bowls with a side of chilaquiles for a dinner this week:

I am showing you my plates. I use cauliflower rice for me and regular rice for the others.

I had a cool lunch at a Venezuelan place this week. Johnna reached out to me a few years ago and said she was also a Spanish teacher in Kentucky and had found my blog. We have kept in touch and we finally got to meet because she was in town for a conference!

She was delightful and we could have talked for much longer!

We ordered yucca fries:

And, we each got an arepa. I got the vegetarian:

I arrived a bit early to shop in the cute little NULU area:

I love this area of town on the outskirts of our downtown.

And, I started watching Virgin River season 4. I’m really enjoying it so far!

And, I will leave you with this final favorite for this week. The look of pure joy on Ernie’s face when his Daddy gives him a belly rub. Doesn’t it look like he is smiling?

Ernie is going to be so sad when his people go back to campus and work. I wonder if all the dogs are thinking…”remember when my people were all home with me for a very long time and it was the best time of my life?”

What were your favorites this week?

Amy

Thursday, July 21, 2022

It’s Thursday and that means Fashion Files with Jill and Kellyann. Honestly, I am mostly wearing lounge clothes, exercise clothes, and swimsuits with coverups! But, sometimes I do make a little more effort…

Monday I went to lunch with a friend I met back when her oldest and my twins were in kindergarten! Her youngest daughter is starting at my school this year so she wanted to meet up and pick my brain. We have gotten together through the years but it had been awhile.

I wore one of my trusty Target Universal Thread gauzy dresses, gold Birks, pink leopard strap with my black Amazon purse. Easy!

Full disclosure: I have not worn this outfit “out” yet. I was trying it on to see if this might be my class reunion ‘fit.

I was targeted by Instagram and this is Cynthia Rowley from TJ Maxx online. Each piece was $16 dollars. I don’t have anything like this “set”. I have since steamed it so it does look better now – I hope?

And, another fun lunch date happened this week and I wanted to wear a skirt. This is an old LulaRoe skirt with oranges and lemons, an old Target knit top, and older Amazon Soda sandals.

You know how I got a new soft as soft can be white button down that isn’t super voluminous and isn’t super long so that I feel like it was made for me? And, it’s from Kohl’s of all places! I believe it is the Sonoma brand but the tag just has a big “SO” on it and maybe “better for life” in really small print.

I wore it like this for a dinner out:

Well, I happened upon Pretty Woman on tv the other night…

OMG! How cute is she in this ‘fit? It’s her hooker dress underneath, but that’s ok. Is it wrong to use that term? I once knew a girl who greeted everyone this way: “Hey Hooker, what’s up?”

Here’s me wishing I looked like Julia Roberts in the closest thing I had to that shade of blue on the bottom. I wore heels to get more of the vibe.

And, then, I came upon this on Pinterest. Princess Di has the quintessential 90s style, no? I also found several pictures of Di in biker shorts and sweatshirts, which I also plan to try!

And, here’s my version:

It was painful to put on jeans and stand in 100 degree weather!

Would I wear these in real life? I think so!

What have you worn lately?

Amy

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

This is not much of a post – I will warn you.

So, for the Nordstrom Sale, I did look through the preview on the website and the only thing I thought I might like were the Wit and Wisdom Itty Bitty bootcut jeans, but I would have needed those in a petite length. When, I could finally shop (since I am not a card holder), they were out of stock.

For the Amazon Prime Days, I looked a bit more to see the deals. I ended up getting one thing I “needed” and two things that had been on my wish list.

I can’t stand a metal straw – I’m sorry. I think it reminds me of being at the dentist. My Kroger used to stock a smoothie straw, but no more, so I found and love these.

I have bought this headband for two people for gifts and I really like wearing a headband on my second day hair. If I wash my hair every other night, then I like this method when my hair is flatter and not as squeaky clean. So, I decided I needed this headband, too!

And, I have really been wanting to try this pillow spray. I have had a lavender pillow spray for a few years and it is almost gone. It’s really funny when I spray it on my pillow and Tom yells, “Ow, my eye!” This has not arrived yet, but between this and my Ashwagandha gummies – look out, Dreamland!

And, this was technically after Prime Days, but I needed more cushy athletic socks for my new Hokas. I’m impressed with the quality!

So, I did pretty well, no? I have placed an Old Navy order for this athletic dress – the thicker straps appealed to me, but I don’t know if I can pull it off. Shelly looked so cute! I also placed a J.Crew Factory order for another pair of bike shorts because I wear mine from Amazon so much and the price was great – they were recommended by Kristin. Finally, I placed a Target sale order for another pair of my favorite summer sandals in a smaller size, a knit dress, and a smaller size of my favorite cut offs. I will tell you how I fared when those arrive! As always, if something isn’t perfect, it will be returned.

So, did you buy from the NSale? Prime Days?

Amy

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The time is now to squeeze the most out of summer! I really just have the remainder of July now. I have a professional development August 1 and 2, set up my classroom that week, and help with registration (maybe), and then August 8 teachers officially come back and August 10 is day one with students.

I don’t take my summers for granted. When my summer officially began on June 1, I was looking forward to un-hurried mornings, drinking coffee and cocktails on the patio, reading outside, boating, more time with friends, breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners out, more time to exercise, more time to shop and cook healthy foods, time with my kids, time to declutter, organize, and clean. I hoped to do a few movies, some live music, and a few other things like that.

With our college payments and our home renovations, and the intense internship schedule of one of our kids, we didn’t have a big trip planned. I wasn’t planning on the Covid invasion that plagued our house for about 3 weeks between the 3 of my people, either!

Here is my original Summer Bucket List!

Read Lots of Good Books – yes! I have shown you my books in my Friday Favorites or my Hello Monday posts. I didn’t set an exact number of books.

Take friends on boat – yes! But, we usually are able to keep the boat out until the beginning of November and I love the boating that happens after Labor Day, too!

Sister time on the boat:

Try some new restaurants and meet people for meals out – yes! We tried Common Haus and I tried South Seas. I went to a couple of old favorites, too.

Go to the Van Gogh Exhibit – yes!

Do the Omni rooftop pool – yes! So.much.fun. It was definitely one of my favorite summer days.

Go to a baseball game – yes! Two couples joined us after I took this photo.

Some outdoor music:

Boating to a pizza place:

Tom’s old work friend playing with his band:

Time in my hometown with some nieces:

Sister time:

See some movies:

I saw Top Gun Maverick with Tom…

and Downton Abbey alone. It was my first solo movie, you all!

Shakespeare in the park watching the play and seeing what my kid is doing this summer as an intern:

Celebrate Tom’s birthday – yes! He chose a restaurant called Harry’s.

Celebrate Father’s Day – yes! We cooked at home

Go to Adult Pool – yes! I went once and have plans to go again. When I say “adult pool”, it’s nothing scandalous, it’s just a whole separate pool at a swim cool for 18 and up. You can bring your own food and alcohol, too.

Get ice cream – yes! We’ve only gotten it once at an ice cream shop. We have gotten a few Blizzards and of course I keep some treats in the freezer.

Try a new cocktail – yes! I’m really into my new Modica drink mixes and my Saltwater Woody rum, pineapple seltzer and lemonade.

Purge clothes – yes! And, I made almost $300 selling things that no longer fit me or my style!

Buy CFA bag of ice – have not done this yet and would you believe I haven’t even been to the Chick Fil A drive through this summer? We have seriously gotten less take out than ever before!

Attend Greek Fest – no, sadly. It was a really busy weekend, but I had plans to go with my Greek friend Victoria – bonus! – but, she got Covid!

Celebrate 22nd Anniversary – we cancelled our reservation to spend time with my sister and her hub, so we will re-schedule this.

Go to a Polo match – I tried! My friend’s daughter is an equestrian and she and I tried to go, but they had cancelled it! I am still going to try to go before the season ends in October, I think.

Rent and ride one of those city scooters – Elizabeth has agreed to do this with me and we tried last Friday but we both had something come up! I may need a helmet and pads, but I’m excited!

Did you have a list? Mine was really fun to both create and carry out. I always get super sad at the end of summer. I try to remind myself that it’s technically “summer” until the end of September and that I need to keep on “summering” after school and on the weekends!

Amy

Monday, July 18, 2022

Time needs to slow down! Ok, now I only have two weeks left of summer! Yes, teachers are quite possessive of their summers! And, I am a bit salty because we are starting earlier in August than we have in years. Why???? I am linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday!

So, Friday I got ready for my fun Saturday plans. Every year my sister and her husband boat from our hometown up river to Louisville. I decided to make my Aunt Judy’s veggie pizza and fruit pizza.

I used two of the Crescent Roll sheets and baked them plain with nothing on them. When they had cooled, I put garden vegetable cream cheese on half and vanilla frosting on half. Then, I used carrot shreds, cauliflower, broccoli, and tomato. I think you can also add shredded cheddar cheese.

For the fruit, I used canned mandarin oranges and fresh blueberries and strawberries.

They are both so good!

I went back to Whole Foods and got the vanilla frosting mix and it is equally as good as the chocolate mix.

I also got stuff to make Hawaiian bun sliders and their pretzel bun sliders with turkey, ham, gouda, and cheddar.

So, we had reservations for our anniversary dinner Friday, but my sister and her husband came by boat Friday, too! So, we postponed our dinner to hang with them. First stop, a drink at Captain’s Quarters…

Then, we boated to Cunningham’s and had spinach queso…

and I got onion rings and fish. All the fried foods!

Seriously discussing the menu…

After we said goodbye, Tom and I were so full but we walked Ernie and that helped.

Saturday morning Tom worked with our plumber to put in our hall bathroom bathtub and put the pipes where they needed to be. We were not going to start this until after J and M headed back to the dorms, but I guess Tom was motivated to get started. We need to order fixtures, tile, and the vanity, but our vision is exactly our dog wash in our mudroom. We have lived with it for two years plus and we love it. Easy!

As a reminder, this is our dogwash:

So, that is our inspo and we are going to paint the walls Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray because we have a ton of paint left and because we like it.

So, the plumber left and we headed out on the river. The sky was gorgeous!

And, bonus, because my other sister had traveled to our hometown and she came, too. This is a blurry picture of them not waiting for me to start the party:

My brother in law waiting to help us anchor:

Molly and Tom:

We got out all the toys!

I brought the hot pink cooler Kate gave me for my 21st birthday – Can you see it on the inflatable dock?

Sisters!

The day went by so quickly and I was sad when they had to head back…

Sunday morning, Ernie jumped in bed for a cuddle – with Tom, his favorite…

He’s even laying his head on Tom’s pillow – Ha!

Sunday was overcast and I read and had my coffee and then it started raining and I moved to my covered patio…

Just started this and it’s really cute so far!

Is there anything better than a rainy, lazy day at home?

Then, I did some meal prep – birdballs! Ground turkey meatballs is what that means. You can also do ground chicken or a mixture.

And, I made another batch of freezer jam, but this time I split the pectin between raspberry and strawberry. We will see how this batch turns out. I bought lower sugar pectin this time.

Then, I met Erica at a Mexican place to hear about her recent trip. We ate so many chips with salsa and queso. Getting back on track today…

So, that was my weekend! What was the highlight of yours?

Amy