November Goals

Happy Wednesday! We're a few days into November! I still can't believe that October is over. October was a mostly fun-filled month, full of lots of events. 

In October, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of my little sister's baby girl. We had a great time at her baby shower. We also attended several festivals like the Spooky Festival and the Crafts & Drafts Festival. I went to the library a few times and borrowed many books. We're currently on an Oliver Jeffers kick and put almost every single book of his on hold. I indulged in quite a few treats and have no regrets. I also tried a few new-to-me things like Olipop (the Crisp Apple is fantastic).

I hope this month is quieter and slower (if that makes sense). We had so many events last month, and even though it was fun, it would be nice to rest a little. However, it's the holiday season, so I know it will be a busy month, but I'm hoping that planning ahead will help. 

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving Break and spending time with my family. I look forward to a week off work and attending our city's Christmas tree lighting. I'm also looking forward to decorating our Christmas tree and setting up a new centerpiece for our dining room table. 

Before I start rambling about the holiday season, let's get to the real point of this post: share my new goals for the month and have a quick recap of my goals from October.

Recap of October Goals

• Read 6 books: I read 12 books last month. I've been reading a mix of genres lately, and it's been so nice. I read fiction, romance, graphic novels, and children's books. Of course, I read a few Halloween and supernatural-related books. My favorite book of the month was Hero's Prize by Janie Crouch. Another favorite book was The Witching Hour by Fiona Davenport.

• Try 1 new recipe: I can't remember if I tried a new one, so I will assume I didn't. 

• Work in my sketchbook/art journal: I didn't work in my sketchbook even though I had a lot of ideas. I just didn't have enough time and kept going through waves of creative blocks.

• Participate in Exhale's October blog hop: I did participate in the blog hop. You can check out my piece here. 

• Work on one of the past Exhale blog hop prompts I didn't finish: I didn't work on any past Exhale blog hop prompts, but I finally made a list of a few that I'd love to work on. One of the prompts I'd love to work on is a photo essay. 

• Work on my Savannah and Tybee Island album: Yikes! I completely forgot about this. I really need to make time to work on this project. 

• Go to at least one local event: We went to the Spooky Festival and Crafts & Drafts Festival.

• Go to the Silver Comet Trail at least twice in the month: I went to the Silver Comet Trail exactly twice this month. It was just what I needed since it was a busy and sometimes stressful month. 

November Goals

• Read 5 books

• Try 2 new recipes

• Work in my sketchbook/art journal

• Participate in Exhale's November blog hop

• Work on one of the past Exhale blog hop prompts I didn't finish

What are your goals for November? How did you do in October?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Elena Leya on Unsplash

October 2024 // A List

1. October, October. What a blast you were! I always look forward to your arrival and dread your departure. This year felt the same but also different. But overall, you were a dream. 

2. Lately, I've been really into our local festivals and was so grateful we could attend the Spooky and Crafts & Drafts festivals. The Spooky Festival was so much fun, and we enjoyed taking the kids trick-or-treating at some of our favorite local businesses. I enjoyed going to the Crafts & Drafts Festival and finding new-to-me shops to purchase from. I even added a few things to my Christmas wishlist from some of the shops.

3. A current obsession: Olipop's Crisp Apple. It's a great alternative to soda and tastes surprisingly good. I plan to try most, if not all, of the flavors.

4. John and I had an impromptu early date night and went to day 2 of the Crafts & Drafts festival. Then, we had a late lunch at The Corner Taqueria. 

5. I went to the Silver Comet Trail twice this month, and it was the perfect pick-me-up. I absolutely love going to the trail, especially during the fall.

6. Obviously, this was the month of treats. I absolutely indulged in all the treats and baked goods this month. One of my favorite treats in October was Nothing Bundt Cake's Oreo Dirt Cake.

7. Some favorite reads of the month: Hero's Prize by Janie Crouch, Hello Grief: I'll be Right with You by Alessandra Olanow, and The Witching Hour by Fiona Davenport.

8. On repeat: Reflections by The Neighbourhood 

9. Favorite finds: Nutcracker mug from Michaels, Canada Dry Winter Variety Pack, and John Derian's Apple Dining Bowls

10. Trick-or-treating was a success! The boys' Halloween bags were completely full, and now they have more candy than they'll ever eat. I also definitely got my share of treats courtesy of the candy tax. This year, we actually got a decent amount of trick-or-treaters. Raphael had so much fun handing out candy. We were surprised that our candy was gone before we took the boys out to do their trick-or-treating. 

11. A favorite fall and Halloween tradition: Pumpkin carving! This is one tradition that I hope we will never break. 

12. After months of waiting, the boys' new bunk bed finally arrived, and we absolutely loved it.

13. October, you were a fun-filled month. There were a few bumps throughout the month, but overall, you were a delight, as always. I'm sad to see you go and can't wait for your return.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Saturday! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. Olipop Apple Crisp. Oh my goodness! This was absolutely delicious. I have to give a shout-out to Brittany from Brittany's Notebook because I discovered Olipop via one of her newsletters.

2. Atlantic Ghosts by Bee Stanton. October and spooky season may be over, but I will always want to read a collection of ghost stories and supernatural folklore. I'm almost done reading this book, so I'll have to remember to post a review soon.

3. I just purchased this Nutcracker mug from Michaels. One of my favorite things about Christmas and the holidays is nutcrackers, and surprisingly, I didn't have a nutcracker mug.

4. I rarely shop at Sephora and am not really into makeup, but I wanted to invest in a good skincare set. The ladies at my local Sephora were so kind and helpful. Hopefully, the set I bought works well.

5. Halloween! We had a blast trick-or-treating, and the boys' bags were filled with treats. We have way too much candy that we know we'll never finish. Surprisingly, this year, we had a lot of trick-or-treaters, and all of the candy we left outside was gone.

6. Making our holiday lists. Yes, lists. I'm trying to be very organized this holiday season and do not want to overspend. There have been times when I thought I didn't have enough or ran out of supplies (i.e., wrapping paper, gift bags, etc.), only to find that I had more than enough. So, making a bunch of lists will hopefully help this year. 

7. Reflections by The Neighborhood. This song has been on repeat.

8. This lovely message.

9. Flowers from John. Always.

10. It's finally November.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Sunday! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. Buying new art supplies. I am so excited to try my hand at some ghost paintings.

2. This cover of Somewhere over the Rainbow

3. The Donut Shop Strawberry Refreshers (They taste just like the Starbucks Refreshers!)

4. The boys' new beds. They look great, and the boys love them.

5. Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (I plan to make some cinnamon chip scones soon.)

6. Southern Cities: A Sketchbook Series. I love that this piece focused on Savannah, Georgia.

7. The moon. I was amazed at how gorgeous it looked for the past few nights.

8. Going to the Spooky Festival

9. Sweater weather! I love that the mornings have been a bit cooler.

10. Attending the last market of the season

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Those Sleepless Nights

For the past few weeks, I've been feeling unsettled, which is noticeable at night. I wake up almost like clockwork now from 2 to 4 AM. After laying in bed for what seems like an eternity and listening to my husband, John, softly snoring beside me, I quietly get up. I walk to my sons' room and sleepily smile at how peaceful they look. I think to myself how fast the years have gone by. I remember when my sons were babies and woke up every couple of hours to feed. I remember how restless I felt those nights and how I'd stay up and watch them even after they went to sleep. The fear of SIDS made me anxious. Those sleepless nights seemed endless. But nights like these are a different kind of unsettled, restless, sleepless night. 

After ensuring the boys are okay, I go downstairs to my favorite spot in our home - the dining room with the big bay window overlooking our front lawn. I think about the past few months and contemplate the big decisions I must make soon regarding continuing my education and career choices. I wonder if there's another mother out there who is wide awake and is in a similar situation. Is this how every former stay-at-home mother feels once her children are older and she returns to the workforce? Is there another mother wondering if she should go into a completely different field or stay in a position she's already familiar with? Is there a mother out there who is slowly realizing what she wants out of her job or career? Is there a mother out there wondering how she will balance all the appointments, events, and kids' extracurricular activities and everything else that comes with being a wife and mother while also having to plan out time to study for her master's degree and complete assignments? Is there a mother out there weighing all her options while feeling grateful and overwhelmed about those options?

As I consider all my options, my conflicted feelings about them emerge. To ease my mind, I make hot chocolate and hope my favorite drink will soothe me. Just as I take the first sip, I feel strong arms wrap around me. 

John quietly asks, "Can't sleep again?"

"Yes," I say. 

He nods and reminds me that everything will work out in the end. We talk for a few more minutes, and I finish my hot chocolate before we go back to bed. 

Before I fall back asleep, I realize I need to give myself some grace and be kinder to myself. I remind myself that although having too many options can be overwhelming, taking time to research those is okay. I'm learning new things about what I want career-wise. 

I think of what my husband said to me. Everything will work out in the end. This replays in my head until I inevitably fall asleep. Although I'm sure there will be a few more sleepless nights, for now...I feel content. I feel at ease.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale - an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Sleepless."

Photo by Fabrice Villard on Unsplash

If You And I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet at one of our favorite local coffee shops. I'd order a seasonal flavored latte and a pumpkin scone. We'd stay at the shop and then maybe walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the fall weather.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I am so excited about all the fall events and activities. I look forward to dressing up in our costumes and attending our city's Spooky Festival this Friday. I've wanted to use my Fall simmer pot pack and plan to use it this weekend. I also can't wait to go to some farmer's markets and buy some seasonal treats.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I can't believe Election Day is almost here. Early voting started today, and I cast my vote early. I'm documenting the days leading up to Election Day using Paper Person's Election Countdown Kit. I'm making sure to document my everyday life and political-related events.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm reading as many fall and spooky-themed books as I can. I'm looking forward to reading Elise Kennedy's Cozy Nights in Vermont series and Joe Hill's Ushers. I just received an arc of Maggie Smith's upcoming book, Dear Writer, and I can't wait to dig into it.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I have been so inspired by a few of my favorite artists and writers. I have so many ideas that it's hard to decide which project I want to work on. I bought a few new-to-me art supplies and can't wait to test them this weekend. I also hope to have time to work on my new sketchbook this week. I plan to use this sketchbook for the season and hope to overcome the fear of messing up the first page. I also hope that playing in my sketchbook will help me develop a better idea and plan for one of the projects I've wanted to work on.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm glad we were able to catch up. So far, it's been a busy month, and I can't believe how fast the month is going by. I hope the month goes smoothly for you. Here's to good days, fall and spooky vibes, and finding little bits of magic this month. See you next month.

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Danilo Acosta on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Sunday! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. So grateful that Raphael is feeling better.

2. Health insurance

3. Signing up for the Sketchbook Skool's Your Illustrated Life course. I'm so excited to dive into this class.

4. Homewrecked by Adéla. It's been on repeat.

5. Organizing my crafting and memory-keeping supplies. 

6. Reading Hero's Prize by Janie Crouch

7. Two of my favorite things are ghosts and ghost stories, especially during fall. I mean, it is spooky season. I have been obsessed with Lina Forrester's gouache ghost paintings. These paintings are gorgeous and spooky. 

8. It's finally really beginning to feel like autumn. We actually had to turn on our heater this weekend.

9. Celebrating the upcoming arrival of my baby niece at my little sister's baby shower.

10. Instagram and Substack. I have been so inspired by my favorite artists and writers. I can't wait to dig into my sketchbook and play.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...