Friday.
It’s Friday!!
Can I get a woohoo?!
Friday Faves.
I’m just going to jump right in with my Friday Faves.
My week has felt somewhat discombobulated because of the weather. Winter said “hey, did you forget about me?” and showed back up.
In last week’s Friday Faves, I mentioned that the snow was rolling our way. It did roll our way, just at a slower than expected pace.
Dress Shopping.
I have a work party to attend with the hubby this Saturday. I needed something to wear so last Saturday I brought him along to help me pick out a dress.
Clothing Peeves.
Dress shopping and I don’t get along really well. Even though my bust and waist measurements correspond in a ratio that is standard, dressmakers don’t seem to think that is the case. Because of this, the hubby sat in the chair outside the dressing room, I came out to show him the dress and then sent him on an errand to grab the next size up because the chest compression created an unacceptable sight. He dutifully obliged and the next size up would look like a paper sack.
If Only.
In an ideal world, I would plan ahead and have a seamstress who could customize the dress to fit perfectly. However, we were a week out from the party. I thought I might find a green dress since the party is being held on St. Patrick’s Day. But, ultimately, I found 2 dresses (neither with green) that fit without tugging or sagging and opted for the periwinkle one that is pictured.
I’m only offering a sneak peek because I’m hoping to have somebody snap some pics before the party and share those next week.
Fitness.
On Sunday, it was still too cold for me to take my exercise outdoors. I popped over to the gym and did a 30-minute walk/run on the treadmill. I know for a fact that all my steps aren’t getting tracked because my Fitbit is a little too big, but I keep going until it hits that 10,000 mark. I like to use Snapchat filters for many of my Instagram stories.
Snow.
The snow finally rolled in during the wee hours of Monday morning. The school had already called off. It wasn’t near as much as they expected us to get and by the afternoon was starting a slow melt.
Birthdays.
Monday was also my brother’s birthday. He is my only sibling and is still down in Florida. I wrote about his birth a few years ago. You can find that post here
Delays.
That still meant there would be icy areas so Tuesday was a 2-hour delay for the teens. We had the boys park their cars in such a way that the hubby could get to work since he didn’t get to sleep in like the rest of us.
He left for work…and we slept.
Ice.
The photo was taken while it was still snowing on Monday, but there was still some snow on the cars on Tuesday. Big Mr. needed to go by the bank before school so he cleaned off the remaining snow and proceeded to attempt to leave. However, the snow that had melted the day before and then drained into the shadows under the car had turned to ice and his car slid partially across the driveway. It did not careen off the side which is a hill covered in trees, but it would be impossible to get my Jeep past if we couldn’t get it moved.
Problem Solver.
Luckily, the hubby had picked up some salt to be prepared for the snowmageddon we were supposedly getting. I was out frantically spreading salt to get his car moved and then spreading more salt around Mr. D’s car so that he’d be able to get to school. We got it all cleared out before it was time for me to drive Miss Sunshine to school. If Big Mr. hadn’t needed to leave an hour early, everyone would have been late!
University.
Big Mr. has been accepted to both of the Universities to which he applied. We aren’t making the announcement yet because he hasn’t formally accepted, but he’s pretty confident about where he is heading!
Back on Track.
I even managed to put together the post about hiking the star trail. Even better, I made it to my hair appointment that afternoon. The roots are all gone!
Maid.
I was going to say that I wondered where Wednesday went…and then I remembered. The hubby was having a colleague come by our house on Thursday to ride to a meeting. There was a possibility they might come inside. I’m a Virgo…I’m a perfectionist… I cleaned all day…and in the end, they didn’t come inside.
But hey, at least all remnants of dog hair have been removed, the laundry is semi-caught up, and I’ve meticulously cleaned the half bath on the main floor!
No wonder for Wordless Wednesday I was dreaming of having my toes in the sand.
Pi Day.
And I did have some warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top in celebration of Pi Day.
Soccer.
Middle School soccer season has started. The first two games had been cancelled due to snow, so yesterday was Miss Sunshine’s first game.
Photography
I still haven’t bought a zoom lens for my Sony, so I took my old Nikon. I don’t know if I’ve just become spoiled, but I was unhappy with many of the pictures. Also, strangely, even though I shoot on the sports setting so that the shutter speed is quick enough, many photos were not in focus. I don’t remember this happening when I’ve used this camera in the past.
Talking.
It was nice to catch up with some of the ladies that I know from soccer. Many of my days involve little verbal interaction with anyone other than the hubby and teens.
Season Opener.
Their first game was an away game. It was cold and windy, but they won!
Miss Sunshine had a few shots on goal. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the photos. I think this second one is funny because they are closing ranks on her. Not too worry though, just outside of the shot is her teammate who she crosses the ball to.
Blue Ridge Parkway.
To get to this specific away game, taking the Blue Ridge Parkway is more relaxing than driving through the city. However, the sign said it was closed. Once at the game, I learned that it was only if you were heading in the opposite direction. I opted to drive home down the Blue Ridge Parkway. I decided to record part of the drive to put on my Instagram story.
Deer.
Amazingly, I captured a deer running across the road in front of me. I came to a stop because there is almost never one deer. Sure enough, one turned around and ran back to where he came from. I felt bad…the two friends or family members getting separated. I hope the other one waited.
It’ll still be on my story until about 6:00 EST tonight. I may end up adding it to the highlights of my Instagram story though.
Challenge.
How’s that March Challenge coming along? I’m still hanging in there! I accomplished it last night, but I have some rotator cuff issues and can feel my right shoulder beginning to cry.
I am doing forearm planks, but I may end up shifting back and forth between hands and forearms over the course of some coming days. That doesn’t take any pressure off of my shoulder, but movement helps with perseverance.
I feel like there is a fine line that I will be walking. I leave for Aruba in two weeks and am not willing to tear up my shoulder before I go. Right now, I am still fine, but I will be monitoring it closely.
Thursday Doors.
After taking off last week to post about International Women’s Day, I was back with some more Thursday Door this week. These from Hôtel de Ville (the city hall) in Paris.
St. Patrick’s Day.
Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? If so, what do you do to celebrate?
As mentioned, we have a party to attend. There is a festival and parade downtown, but I don’t know yet if we will head down there for it.
Sometimes I go back and tweak older posts since I understand a little more about SEO now (very little more). The most recent on that I tweaked was my Are You Irish? post where I talked about my DNA testing. I’ve also learned a little more about photography since then and changed the original photoquote that I had in the post to a background that I liked better. The words are the same and you’ll find that photoquote at the end of today’s post.
Music.
I wanted to pick a “new to me” song by an Irish singer. Rosie Carney is originally from Hampshire, UK, but moved to Ireland when she was 10. She shares her story on her website about her struggles with mental health in an attempt to help break the stigma associated with it. I applaud that and have chosen to share her music this week (plus…her voice is very lovely).
I hope that you all have a beautiful weekend and awesome week ahead.
Smile and say hello to a stranger. It mind be the only kind word they’ve heard all day.
Let your light shine!
Amy
I’m a Virgo too. I had to laugh with you doing all that cleaning. I’d be doing the same thing. It’s how we roll.
I hope the snow and ice go away and you can enjoy some spring and some exercise outdoors. Nothing better than that.
I’m off to my yoga class.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. ♥
I find that my Virgo tendencies are undeniable! lol.
The snow and ice have left…for now. I see it’s a possibility for a return in the middle of next week.!
I hope you enjoyed yoga! I keep meaning to get back to some classes at my gym, but they are like power yoga and between pilates and my march challenge, I can’t handle the intensity. 🙂
I hope you have a fabulous weekend! <3
yes – the winter weather did that here too – made us remember – ha – and glad it did because it was nice to have a snow night.
have a great weekend
🙂
March has truly come in like a lion…I hope it remembers that it’s supposed to go out like a lamb! 😉
You have a great weekend as well!
yes – out like a lambbbb
🙂
My Mother, Mother in Law, and He-Man are Virgo’s. My Mother is the clean to perfection type of Virgo.
I get into those modes every quarter or so, but mostly I’m a keep it tidy and scour once a week type od Taurus. 🙂
March has been bringing lots of rain for us. Our mountains and hills look so green and lush. I love it!
I’m not Irish but, love Irish Soda Bread, and Guinness. I picked up a round of Irish Soda Bread and He-Man and I both have polished it off having a slice toasted with our breakfast all week. YUM!
Not sure what if anything we’ll do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. If I go out to do some photography weather permitting I’ll wear my olive field ensemble. 🙂
I hope the office party is fun, and you like an image or two of you in your new dress. I want to see!
My mother and The Mister’s mother are also Virgos. Sometimes that’s why I think we never fight about whether things are clean. We’re both just tidy. Damaged, but tidy, lol!
OMG! I get it!! To this day when my Mom comes to my house there’s a sigh like she failed or something. Then she checks herself and smiles. God, I love her. She gets me. She knows my children and He-Man come before dust, and a my desk piled high with crap, and breakfast dishes in the sink.
It doesn’t get in the way of having a good time after that initial sigh. 🙂 Although growing up with her was hell! Since I moved out at 17 and have stood on my own two feet I have to say I’m extremely grateful for her perfectionist ways. I know what clean is and isn’t. LOL.
Thank GOD He-Man’s Mom wasn’t like that. Her talents were a bit different. She was the best Grandma in the World. I hope I am half as good to #1 Grandson as she was to my children. We didn’t see eye to eye all the time, but when it came to my children she was the best. We miss her terribly. My Father in Law was also a Virgo! He died when Baby Girl was only 2. We miss them both everyday.
So, it’s pretty crazy birthday wise here when Virgo season rolls around. He-Man, and his Mom are one day apart, and my Mom is the next day! F-i-L was a week later, and our niece is near the end of the Virgo season. I have several good friends that are also Virgos. My BFF is a Virgo.
I’m surrounded! For a long, long time I thought Astrology was crap, but I’m surrounded by Virgos! How does that happen? I don’t think it’s crap anymore. There’s something there.
Lol. I am not the type of Virgo who notices other people’s cobwebs…only my own. I’m probably also what is sometimes termed as a “discourage perfectionist”, which means if it can’t be perfect, why bother. It’s why my room was messy as a teen and my office is now in disarray.
It’s interesting that you were surrounded by Virgos! If I had to say I’m surrounded by a certain sign, it would be Libra. My mom, the hubby, my maternal grandmother, and Miss Sunshine are all Libras! I’m not sure what that means, but interestingly my North Node is in Libra. According to what little of astrology I know, that node is your “life purpose” and that those traits will require you to press outside of your comfort zones. Hmmm…
It’s not crap for me, either. I’m a believer. I’ve got Leos like you’ve got Virgos.
It’s just like you said. My mother’s dishes are done instantly, and she doesn’t have pile of stuff on her desk, and she irons everything. Despite people saying I’m a neatnik, I know I’m not, cause I can see my whole life through my mother’s eyes. “Why have a knife in the sink? Who’s in such a hurry to eat toast that she can’t take the time to wash one knife?” LOL ME! I’m who! 😛
Oh, Deborah, you get it! 😀
Me too! I do get it!! 🙂
I was not surrounded by Virgos, but I definitely find that my personality relates to their traits. Not always in a good way. lol. 🙂
It’s okay, Amy, we all have that. The world needs all its people 🙂
I only clean to perfection when company is coming or when we are selling a house. When the kids were little and we hosted more parties, that happened more frequently. Luckily, it’s a more rare occurrence these days. I find that to be a good thing because I get really grumpy if I’ve worked hard to clean and then a family member messes it up prior to company. It doesn’t mesh with zen person I’m trying to become and so I don’t really like that side of me. lol.
Green mountains and hills sound beautiful! I’m so happy we are starting to see pops of it here.
I’m not sure if I’ve had Irish Soda Bread, but I do love Guinness!!
I definitely plan to get an image or two of me in the dress. Whether I like how they turn out is another question 😉
Thanks for another entertaining edition of Friday faves, Amy! The dress buying part sounds very very familiar 😉! Good that you got all right through the snow! But judging from the soccer photo, spring isn‘t too far away!! Have an awesome weekend! Marcus
Thanks Marcus! Poor husbands and their wife’s trials with clothing. lol. That school has a brand new turf field, but there are signs of spring beginning to sprout everywhere. I was worried the snow might kill off the pink blooms beginning to burst forth on some trees!
You have an awesome weekend as well! -Amy
You can get a Woot! from me! Look at me, reading Friday Faves on Friday for a change!
The dress – color and fabric, look wonderful! I went to Macy’s this week and left empty handed. I, too, need a dedicated seamstress. Definitely rare to find off the rack for me as well. I always wonder who these people are — not me, not you, not my thickest friends, not my thinnest friends, not my daughters, not our mothers, not the tallest, not the shortest — who are they makin these clothes for?!? Oy.
I’m about to turn in, because our St Paddy’s day will be spent parenting concerts and contests. That’s the way it goes sometimes. 8am, person #1 arrives and then we’ll be done around 5. We shall eat Asian food and probably do a lot of mouth breathing! Not very Irish. (Which I guess is okay, because we’re literally Not very Irish. lol)
I am so excited your boy has made his decision! What an exciting time! 😀
I love the snowy photos, Amy. Heavenly. Just heavenly!
I think they make them for size two’s and me; size 8-10 not much boobs, or waist with a bit of hips. A rectangle/boyish figure. I can usually find things that fit, just not what I have in mind. I’m always behind or ahead with fashion.
I wish I could really sew. I’d have such a wardrobe! No closet space, but clothes…well…not really wild or avant garde in the way most people think of it. I’m pretty preppy in my choice of clothing, and on the modest side too. But, color, cut, fabric…I think I’ve got a pretty good track record of being ahead or behind the curve.
That’s interesting to know! I’ve only been fitted for clothing for my wedding dress. At the time she told me that I had “perfect” measurements. What she meant was that the dress required no alterations. After I had kids, those numbers shifted, but the proportions stayed the same, so I’m always surprised that finding clothes is so hard.
Making your own clothes would be an awesome skill. I remember when I was 8, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I ordered on of those little career books through scholastic and read all about it and then had a notebook of designs. The hardest part was that I could never get the design in my head to look like the one that my fingers could draw. lol.
You’re definitely fortunate, and very stylish 🙂 I have two daughters who are 0/2 and one’s too long for everything and one’s too petite for everything. It’s absurd. But I’m glad you luck out! Being ‘medium’ and perfectly proportioned – who knew?!? lol
Woot! You are better that me! I’m almost always at least a day behind on reading posts!
I actually found the dress at Macy’s. They said it just came out. Fingers crossed that nobody else is wearing the same one because its color and style doesn’t just blend into the crowd.
Have fun with concerts and contests! Mmmm… Asian food…sounds so good. Our dinner choices had Irish based sauces. I think I picked chicken with a whiskey something sauce.
I am so excited for the boy. I’m also happy that he will get the “traditional” college experience. The hubby did the Navy before college, so neither of us had the freshmen experience that he will get to have.
I love snow when it doesn’t trap me for too long 😉
It’s not the first time, as you know, but for the oddest of reasons I look forward to reading your Friday Faves. Maybe because I realize that it’s not just that went through so many of these things. Except I can really relate a lot to “the hubby” especially during ye old clothe shopping adventures! Mr.Big appears to be on the same track my eldest was on. And as the daughter has been accepted into 7 schools now, we have no clue what her decision will be. And soccer? Let’s not go there. lol. Planks up to .35, but not without the morning drive pain. It was yet another very unpleasant week, something has to change soon, but your levity is most welcome. Have a spectacular week!
Please forgive the grammatical errors. It’s late and I haven’t found a way to edit comments. i.e. Maybe because I realize that it’s not just ME…. :-/
I’m usually good at figuring out what people meant. I often hit send on a comment and then realize I’ve made a grammatical mistake. I don’t think it’s possible on the commenters end to edit comments, but I might be wrong. 🙂
The fact that you look forward to reading my Friday Faves is a huge compliment. Thank you so much!
Wow! 7 schools! I’m pretty relieved he wasn’t interested in applying to lots of schools. The other two may be a different story however! lol.
Yay on the planks!!
I’m sorry to hear it was an unpleasant week. I so hope that your weekend is pleasant!! And next week is spectacular too!!
Suppose to have gone to Seton Hill this morning. Didn’t happen. Come to find she really is considering taking a year off… Not the place to explain further, but talk about being caught off guard! Well combine everything there is only one way to go! Thanks for being able to read through the errors, whether it’s Siri or Alexa, or me it is still annoying. But, I think I have learned to translate very well ;-p
Sorry that winter is hanging on to you so tightly! I head to Seattle next week to visit my kids and know that I will be freezing the entire time 😳. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! And have a great time at the party 💕
I hope that you had an awesome St. Patrick’s Day! The party was a lot of fun! Winter is hanging on tightly. Somebody must have forgot to tell it that the first day of Spring is Tuesday. lol. Safe travels to Seattle!! 🙂
This is one of those posts where the comments are just as entertaining as the post itself … Yes! the frustration of dress shopping {sigh! I know that one. I still don’t have a dress for the wedding}
… and as I thought about it, I seem to have an inordinate number of Virgos in my life 😏
This post has definitely had a great round of comments!! 🙂 Oh no! I hope you find a dress that you love for the wedding!!
All I can say is that Virgos are awesome. However, I may be slightly partial 😉
I love the Irish poem at the end – I’ve seen that several times over the years. I nearly bought it on a tea-towel in Ireland when we were last over there 🙂
One of my best friends bought me a plaque with it printed on it as a housewarming gift when I first left Naples. It’s hung near my doorway in every house since then. We also used to sing it at the end of church in the church where the hubby and I were married. So even though it’s from Ireland…it reminds me of home 🙂
Amy, that is a LOT of faves! Sounds like a REALLY good week. Congrats on all the kid goodness and love the snow pic. I posted mine last week. We didn’t have it this week and hopefully what they’re predicting will miss us next week. I’m a snow lover, but, you know, in January, where it belongs. 🙂
Thanks so much Tara! We have rain in the forecast next week with a possible snow on Wednesday…it must have forgotten that Tuesday is the first day of Spring. It really does need to stay in February 😉
Yes, first day of Spring and free cone day at Dairy Queen. I might have to get the snow off my car first, though, before I go get one. 🙂