July 2026 // A List

1. July was a month full of surprises. Some good and some not so good. As usual, good days (mostly thank goodness) and, of course, some not-so-great days.

2. The clock ticked away as the end of summer break neared and preparations for school and work began. Sadly, today is the end of our summer break. We'll be back to work and school tomorrow. 

3. I'm still blown away that my middle child, Gabriel, will be in high school this year. Michael and Gabriel are really excited to be going to the same school again, which has helped settle my nerves a bit. I'm looking forward to how much my sons will grow this school year.

4. The end of July and the month of August always feel odd. It's still officially summer, but the hints of fall begin to trickle in. Although I'm sad summer break is ending, I'm so excited for autumn. I'm ready for cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes, all the baked goods, and all things cozy.

5. I dove into recipes and really liked this chicken meatball bowl recipe and lemon pasta recipe. Even better, the boys really loved it too!

6. John and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 13 years since we got married, and we've been together for 18 years. Time truly flies by. It was so great. We went to the Marietta Square and ate at one of our favorite restaurants. We also stopped by one of my favorite little coffee shops afterwards. We celebrated the entire week, which was so much fun.

7. We celebrated Mami's birthday, and I got to see my nephews and nieces. I'm always blown away by how much they seem to grow. We all had a blast spending time together. I can't wait for the next family event.

8. July was the month for movies. I watched Remarkably Bright Creatures and Voicemails to Isabelle. 10/10, highly recommend both movies. 

9. I learned a lot of lessons in July, and some were very much-needed and ultimately incredibly appreciated. Again, this summer was a summer of lessons, and I'm grateful for it...even though some of them were hard. I truly think everything that happened needed to happen. 

10. In July, I found myself really taking care of my health and making it a priority. If there's anything you can take from reading this, it's to please, please, please remember to take care of yourself. Stop putting off going to the doctor or ignoring what your body is trying to tell you. Protect yourself and your future.

11. I love that my little sister and I have been bonding a lot more. It's been a while since we talked for hours on the phone.

12. As I think about August, I hope that it's a smooth transition and we get used to going back to a routine. I really hope that there are no "surprises" in August. May the next month bring consistent creative energy (it seemed to slip a bit in July) in whatever form or medium it arrives.

13. So long, July. You were truly an experience. Hello, August. I'm equal parts excited and nervous. Just like July, I think you're going to be a month full of lessons. There's going to be some major changes, and I'm trying to be hopeful. Please be kind to me.

Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash

Just Four Things

1. I recently watched Voicemails to Isabelle and really loved it. I haven't watched a rom-com drama in such a long time, but I'm so glad I listened to everyone who recommended this movie. Also, the soundtrack is amazing. 

2. I've been reading Allie Sullenberg's Substack newsletter, The Museum of Small and Important Things. I love a good listicle, and she started a new series, Mind Museum, which I thought was pretty cool. She also has an excellent series called Tiny Desk Tour, where artists give tiny desk tours of their creative spaces and share their creative processes.

3. I'm planning to sell a few books on Pangobooks and possibly reopen my Etsy shop, and realized a label printer would be useful. So I recently bought a Munbyn thermal label printer, and so far it's been great. It was fairly easy to set up (John helped a lot), and now I can print labels. I love that it doesn't use any ink.

4. I really wanted to try more recipes this month, and I'm happy to say that I did. I've been saving some recipes I've found on Instagram and finally made time to make them. I also love that some of the recipes I've been trying are things or flavors that I normally wouldn't even try. And surprisingly, they have turned out well. 

What have you been up to?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Vladimir Mokry on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Saturday! Now that school will start again soon, it seems like the weeks are flying by. John and I are planning to continue celebrating our wedding anniversary, and I'm really excited for our date.

1. This was a strange week, but also a very interesting one. A lot of things happened, and I'm looking forward to what the next couple of weeks bring. I'm trying to stay hopeful and taking things one day at a time. But so far, so good.

2. Costco. We've saved so much money on food and gas. The gold star executive membership is definitely worth it.

3. Jenna O'Brien's documentation of colors that feel like summer made me want to make my own. Maybe I'll include one in my journal.

4. On repeat: something like this by Cil

5. I tried two different recipes, and they came out really good. I made a teriyaki chicken meatball bowl using this recipe, but changed a few things. The boys really loved the teriyaki chicken meatballs, which made me excited since Raphael can be a picky eater. I also tried a lemon pasta dinner. This was an interesting meal. However, I'm not sure if I'd try to make this recipe again. It wasn't awful, but I think the lemon flavor was too intense for a pasta dish.

6. I went to a different nearby farmer's market, and it was nice. I ended up buying some peaches and apples. Now I'm dreaming of baking so many treats.

7. Must-watch: Remarkably Bright Creatures. Make sure to have a box of Kleenex nearby.

8. This made me laugh. 

9. As of today, there are 99 days until Halloween, and I can't wait. I'm so excited for fall.

10. John and I went to the Marietta Square and decided to go to the Marietta Pizza Company. The slices of pizza and calzone were huge! They seemed way bigger than normal. We ended up taking some of our food to go. Then we went for a walk and grabbed some coffee and BonBon candies at Tuesday Coffee & Shoppe.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Sunday! I hope you all are enjoying the rest of the weekend. We're still trying to savor the last few weeks of summer before school and work start again. So we've been out and about this weekend. It was nice not having a set plan and just going wherever we wanted. Also, John and I have been celebrating our wedding anniversary. I can't believe it'll be thirteen years of us being married! 

1. Millennial English Teachers vs. Gen Z Students. I laughed way too hard at these, especially the one about Macbeth.

2. I have been dealing with back pain, especially when I wake up, and I learned about putting a pillow between my legs when I sleep. It's been a game changer. 

3. The boys have been in a hot chocolate phase, and I love it! They've been asking for hot chocolate at night, and it's making me excited for fall and winter. 

4. We went for a walk near our downtown square and checked out the farmer's market. Although it was nice, it was also incredibly hot. 

5. On repeat: Track 10 by Charli XCX

6. A/C. Although we've been going on a few adventures here and there, we have definitely loved staying home where it's nice and cool.

7. Currently Reading: Don't Call It Art by Austin Kleon

8. So relatable. I felt seen...and at least I'm not alone?

9. It's National Ice Cream Day! We stocked up on a few of our favorite ice cream treats. 

10. A lot of big things are coming in the next few days and weeks. I'm excited, but really nervous and a little stressed. Fingers crossed that everything works out.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! This week went by pretty fast. I'm excited for this weekend. I'm hoping to spend some time at the pool and possibly watch Remarkably Bright Creatures or Off Campus.

1. I won a Goodreads giveaway and received my copy of What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. I'm excited to read it.

2. I tried Trader Joe's S'mores Clusters, and oh my goodness, they are so good! I definitely plan to buy another bag or two.

3. Currently reading: Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell

4. I finally bought some really big storage containers and can't wait to put them to use. I'm still decluttering, and these containers are going to make things so much easier to organize a couple of spaces.

5. On Repeat: "Cherish You" by Mikky Ekko. I first heard this song while watching Voicemails for Isabelle. The soundtrack for this movie has some really fantastic songs.

6. We started back-to-school shopping (I know...I'm so sad summer break is almost over) and I'm so happy with how much we were able to save. We still have a bit more to do, but I'm excited to see how much more we save. 

7. Inspired by: This journal by Magdalena, Ammie's Hobonichi Cousin daily pages, and Karenliz's art journal pages.

8. On the wishlist: Have you heard of the Buddha Board? This thing looks so cool. I love that you can draw something and then it vanishes depending on how much water you use. This seems like such a useful art tool.

9. Random afternoon storms. One of my favorite things about summer is the storms that come out of nowhere. Pair it with a favorite candle and a good book...and it's perfection.

10. I have a better idea of what my next steps are for my career, and I'm excited (and a little nervous). The past few weeks have been very eye-opening. Although there were some stressful days, I think everything that happened needed to happen. I'm feeling a bit more at ease, and I'm so thankful for that.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

July 2026 Goals

Happy Wednesday! We're eight days into the month, and I'm just now sharing my monthly goals. This month is going by so fast already.

June was unexpectedly busy and at times incredibly stressful. We were busy with home repairs, and we also had a ton of appointments. I'm glad we got all of the appointments for June out of the way before school starts back again. 

Even though June didn't go as planned, there were some great days. One highlight of the month was celebrating Father's Day. We spoiled John with some gifts. John and I also went out on a date. I got to see my youngest niece and nephew. They have gotten so big, and it was nice to see the kids all together. I participated in my first online focus group, and it was so interesting. 

This month, I'm really hoping for a slower month. I'm a little sad that summer break is almost over, and I'm determined to have a less stressful month. I'm looking forward to celebrating my wedding anniversary and going on a nice date with John. I'm looking forward to more decluttering around the house. I'm impressed with how much I've gotten done. I'm also looking forward to continuing my low-spend summer. I really like that I've been intentional about my purchases this summer, and I'm hoping this continues after the summer as well. 

I'm planning to continue to take it easy on my monthly goals. Although I should have more time this month to work on my goals, I don't want to stress about it. Since I've mentioned goals and it's a new month, let's have a quick recap of last month's goals and check out my goals for July.

Recap of June Goals

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library: Raphael and I read several books from the Pigeon series by Mo Willems. I also read Love Poems by Rupi Kaur.

• Read 2 books I received from NetGalley: I read Cloud Runner by Jo Harjo. I absolutely enjoyed this collection of poetry. The way Harjo put her grief into words was powerful, sad, and at times heartbreaking. I also read Bad Bunny by Lexi Davis. 

• Make 1 scrapbook/Project Life layout: I did not make any layouts or anything crafty. June was an insane month, and I was so busy with a bunch of things that I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on any crafty projects. I'm glad I didn't forget to make anything; I just simply did not have the time. 

• Try 1 new-to-me recipe: I completely forgot about this goal. Honestly, even if I did remember, I did not have the energy to even try a new recipe. I mainly stuck to our favorites, but we also had takeout a couple of times. 

July Goals

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library

• Read 1 book I received from NetGalley

• Try 1 new-to-me recipe

• Work in my journal/art journal

• Watch or stream a movie

• Enjoy the rest of our summer break

What are your goals for July? How did you do in June? 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Sunday! Can you believe it's already July! We're already five days into the month! It seems like this month may just fly by as well. I hope you all have been enjoying your summer. However, you decided to celebrate the holiday and long weekend, I hope you were all safe and had fun. 

1. We celebrated Mami's birthday. It was nice seeing my sisters, nieces, and nephews. The kids have gotten so big. 

2. I read Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell and really enjoyed this short story. This story is part of the Edge of Everything short story collection.

3. It was strange to even think about celebrating the Fourth of July. We kept it low-key, but John and I did go on a little day date. We even snuck in some errands too. 

4. I put a few books on hold at my local library, and I'm so excited because Austin Kleon's latest book, Don't Call It Art, is finally in transit to my local library. I should be able to pick it up in the next few days. 

5. On repeat: Angels by Khalid. Love the entire album, American Teen.

6. John and I finally went to The Salty. We bought the Boston Cream Pie and Traditional Glazed donuts. The donuts were massive and so good. 

7. I'm always inspired by Katie Licht's collage books. 

8. On the wishlist: I need a new bookcase and a couple of storage containers. I'm still in decluttering and organizing mode, so the storage containers will actually be useful. The bookcase is both a need and a want...my current one is broken.

9. We've been eating so much fruit this summer. My favorite in recent years has been Rainier cherries. So good!

10. I'm really thankful this was not such a busy week. It was just what I needed. 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...