Because the weather is calling for rain on Thursday, yesterday was the only window I had to get the yard mowed. I couldn’t think of anything I would rather not be doing. Luckily Hannah was awake so I talked her in to driving into Kilgore with me when I dropped Jackson off. Thrift store visits were promised.

We arrived in Kilgore at 9:50. The thrift stores didn’t open until 10 so we had a few minutes to go visit the Shakespeare Garden that I had noticed was in bloom. If I were a student here and had time between classes, this is where you would find me sitting on a bench reading.

I would love to have a space like this at home.

There are twinkle lights around the fence and solar lights throughout the paths that I would love to see lit up at night. I bet it’s just magical. They have added a free little library.

I picked up a book by one of my favorite authors.

It came with a bookmark that is just so cute.

It was finally time to hit the stores. The rule of thumb is that if you find something you want to buy you must try it on. Then you need to ask yourself if you really love and will you wear it. Hannah had several things at both stores but after trying everything on she only came away with 2 items. I don’t know about anyone else, but I love to see what treasures people find. Here’s mine. (I never show what Hannah or Jackson buy unless I specifically ask them and in this case I didn’t)

The only non clothing items we bought. The food container is to replace the one that Donny accidentally dropped at work and it hit just right and shattered. The frame is made of metal and Hannah really wanted it for her room. We just need to cut our a cardboard backing for the glass.

I had in mind what I was looking for. I needed to some summer shirts to fill in my wardrobe.

A good off white sleeveless basic.

Do I like shopping at Target? No. Do I love their Universal Thread V-neck tees. Yes. They just fit so well. I have several that I’ve found at this particular thrift store.

A good basic brown tank. Do I have 2 more brown ones, yes, but they are all in different fabrics. I love brown. It’s my wardrobes black. I don’t like wearing black. It looks very harsh on me. I really think it just stems back to owning an embalming service and having to wear black all the time.

This is my favorite shirt out of the bunch. I normally do not like stripes, but I think because this shirt has vertical ones I like it better. It’s loose and airy so it will be perfect for Summer.

Red tags were 50% off so these were only 4 bucks. I love light colored jeans in the summer. These are cropped and slightly distressed so they are going to be a good addition.

Last, but not least, I found this great belt that I wear slouchy around my hips.

But Stacy, you just bought a brown belt. Yes, I did, but this one is a completely different brown color, has silver embellishments and I can wear it different ways.

I bought 6 items so when I got home I went through my closet and chose 6 shirts that I haven’t worn in forever and I just didn’t love the way they fit. They will be getting donated.

And because I am documenting my outfits of the day, this is what I wore.

Ugh, I need to clean Jackson’s mirror. Because it was 65 degrees I chose my wide legged cropped jeans, a linen shirt and by Born clogs. It’s a simple outfit, but Donny said, “oh you look fancy”. What he really meant was that I didn’t look like a hobo. I’m trying here.

After mowing the lawn (I did change into my holey tank, running shorts and Crocs for that) I was exhausted. It may have been cloudy, but the weather turned up and it was almost 90 with super high humidity. I haven’t really cooked an honest to goodness meal since I was sick. I’ve been working into getting back into the kitchen and actually enjoying making meals. Night before last I roasted a chicken with carrots and onions and made mashed potatoes. Not a grand meal but it was good. It’s hard to get motivated when the kids are seldom home during dinnertime.

Last night I baked some french bread and made crawfish etoufee. It was so good and I’m really sad that we only had enough leftovers for Donny’s lunch today.

Donny stepped in the night before to carve the chicken because that is not my forte.

French bread is one of the easiest breads to make and it’s perfect for dipping in the etoufee.

I don’t use one recipe. I just kind of combine several. Etoufee is also so easy to make. I believe that the secret is in the roux. It was delicious and I’m bummed that we all ate most of it last night so there weren’t any leftovers.

Now I’m going to go see if I can figure out what is happening to one of my cucumber plants. It’s turning yellow. I didn’t see any bugs but I think I need to take a closer look. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.