10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Halloween display at Target

2. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back!

3. Cooler mornings

4. Netflix

5. Journaling

6. Naps

7. Love It If We Made It by The 1975

8. New Fall Mug from Target

9. Quiet moments in the afternoon

10. Being able to actually drink my coffee while it's hot

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Three Things - August

Happy Thursday! The month is almost over, and I can't believe it. Summer is basically over, and Fall is almost here. I'm still going through a bit of writer's block. I do have a few things that I've been wanting to write, but haven't had time to work on it.

I really love Steph's (from Life According to Steph) Three Things Q & A prompts so I thought I'd share my responses for this month.

Songs that make me think of high school

1. Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy

2. All Good Things (Come to an End) by Nelly Furtado

3. Noviembre Sin Ti by Reik

Things I like to give

1. Handmade gifts

2. Compliments/words of encouragement

3. Books

Things I like to receive

1. Books or gift cards to book stores

2. Recommendations on movies/TV shows

3. Coffee

Things I hate that many people like

1. Football

2. Tea

3. Audiobooks

Clothes I find uncomfortable 

1. Heels

2. Turtlenecks

3. Tight dresses

Things I love seeing other people post

1. Photos of the sky/stars/moon

2. Music/Book/Podcast recommendations

3. Art

Now it's your turn. Feel free to share your response or a link to your blog in the comments.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Happy Mail

2. My Canon Selphy

3. Making a new tradition with John

4. Smoothies

5. Organizing my craft space

6. Barnes & Noble Book Haul Sale

7. Hints of Fall

8. My curls

9. Preparing for the weekend

10. Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. The weekend went by way too fast. And how in the world are we already in the middle of August? I need time to slow down just a bit. Anyways, it's been a while since I've shared a weekend recap so I thought it'd be fun to share one today.

Friday

While Michael and Gabriel were at school, John, Raphael, and I went to the mall. Then we went to Hobby Lobby and Smoothie King. I also went to the grocery store for a few things and then I went to Smallcakes. John and I just accomplished two huge goals, so I decided to celebrate with some cupcakes.

In the evening, we watched some TV and relaxed. We were all excited for the weekend.

Saturday

John and the boys decided to have a father-sons morning, so I decided to go to a few stores by myself. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Michael and Gabriel a new book. They both love the CatStronauts series by Drew Brockington. I also went across town to Tuesday Morning. Lately, the two closest Tuesday Morning stores haven't had a lot of decent scrapbooking supplies, which is why I decided to go to the one across town. Thankfully, I was able to find a few things. Of course, I went to Target. I only had one thing on my list, but we all know that I left with more than one item. I got Raphael some new shoes. I was surprised to find that Target had some scrapbooking supplies from Crate Paper and Pink Paislee.

In the afternoon, we all went to get lunch at Dairy Queen. We were surprised that it was a bit busy. Then again, it was hot, so I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised. 

Sunday

Raphael and I woke up early. After breakfast, I cleaned the house and got started on the mountain of laundry. I made sausage, bacon, eggs, and waffles for John, Michael, and Gabriel. It was such a lovely, quiet morning.

Mami invited us over for brunch. We all had a great time. Raphael loved watching Michael and Gabriel run around. My heart melted when all three of them were playing together.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and preparing for the next week.

We had a fun weekend. I wish the weekend didn't have to end. But here's to a great week.

How was your weekend?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Crate Paper's new collection Hey Pumpkin

2. Paying off a big chunk of debt

3. Getting closer to reaching one of our big goals

4. The sky

5. La Chona Dance Party

6. Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice will return on August 27

7. Chicken noodle soup (Yes, I know it's Summer, but I'm sick.)

8. Bare by WILDES

9. Starting the second Liz's second session of her e-course, Here

10. The Blackest Day by Lana Del Rey

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Studio Calico Mystery Kit Giveaway

Happy Wednesday! Many of you know that I am a big fan of memory keeping, scrapbooking, and journaling. I recently made an order to Studio Calico, a scrapbooking and memory keeping company. Studio Calico sells a lot of really cool products like stamps, stickers, and they even have a couple of memory keeping subscriptions.

Occasionally, Studio Calico offers mystery kits, mystery stamps, etc. at a discounted rate when you make a purchase. Of course, I couldn't resist and added a mystery kit to my order. Unfortunately, I already have the same kit. Now I could use a few of the items again, but I decided that it would be fun to have a little giveaway instead. And so here we are.

This kit is perfect for Project Life, traditional scrapbook layouts, travelers notebooks, hybrid memory keeping, journaling, and so much more. I love that I was able to use my kit on various forms of memory keeping.

This Studio Calico mystery kit is perfect for anyone interested in trying scrapbooking and memory keeping or for those who already love memory keeping. Enter below for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Please note that this giveaway is only open in the U.S.*
Winner will be notified by email. 


Do you have a favorite Studio Calico kit? Do you have a favorite form of memory keeping?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

*Please note that this giveaway is not associated with Studio Calico in any way. I just really love Studio Calico and had an extra kit to giveaway.*

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet up at an adorable, tiny coffee shop. We'd take advantage of the a/c and stay for a while because it's too hot outside. I would order a frappuccino and a pastry.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I just completed the first online session of the Here e-course by Liz Lamoreux. I've mentioned it before that I was really enjoying the class. Now that I have completed the first session, I can say once again that I absolutely loved the class. I started the course on August 1st and never missed a single day. It's been a long time since I've journaled or did anything art related for ten consecutive days. I'm not so great with daily challenges and classes, but I really made an effort to take the time to work on the prompts. I'm happy that I did. Honestly, this e-course came by just when I needed it. It's hard to explain, but I'm taking it as a sign, and it has led me to work on some big projects.

The next session starts on August 14, and I can't wait. Even though the first session ended, I plan to continue to journal every day.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that we got some great news, and it looks like we are going to be able to accomplish some big goals next year. I'm just trying to stay focused and am going to keep working on those goals. I can't wait to see how everything turns out. Please wish us good luck.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd ask you which shows do you recommend on Hulu and Netflix? I'm still catching up on a few shows, but I would love to start some new ones. I've been thinking about watching The Handmaid's Tale. Have you watched it? Do you recommend it?

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm considering buying a camera, but I'm having a hard time deciding which one to get. There are so many different brands and versions of cameras to choose from. Do you have any recommendations? Oh, and if you have any photography class recommendations, please feel free to share them. I know I'm going to need all the help I can get.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I am so over politics right now. It's depressing, and it really sucks. This country is so broken. I think I'm going stop watching the news for the next few days...maybe a week or two. Usually, I say that it's so important to be up to date with current events, but I also think that it's essential to take care of yourself. If the news is making you sick and it's affecting you then I think it's perfectly fine to avoid the news for a few days.

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Zaxby's

2. Here ecourse by Liz Lamoreux

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies

4. Valentine by Eliza Hull

5. Good news

6. Catching up on 9-1-1

7. Shipping notifications

8. Fall displays at stores

9. Realizing that we are so close to accomplishing some really big goals (I can't wait to share the news)

10. Slowing down

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Wednesday! It's time for another edition of Target Finds. I'm so excited to share what I found this month. Most of the items that I purchased were practical, but they were all great finds.

Let's check out what I bought at Target last month.

1. L. Organic Cotton Liners

This may be a TMI product review, but here we are. These pantyliners work just like any other liners. I had no idea that some liners have chlorine in them, so I was happy when I found out that L. pantyliners do not have any chlorine in them. These pantyliners are cruelty-free and made with cotton. They contain no dyes, synthetic pesticides, or fragrances.

I also love that for every L. product that is purchased, L. provides access to a pad to a girl in need. The only thing that I wish they would change is the packaging. There is so much plastic wrapping.

2. Love Home & Planet Dish Liquid - Lavender & Argan Oil

If you read my previous Target Finds post then you may remember that I tried Love Home & Planet's Dish Liquid in Coconut Water and Mimosa Flower. The lavender and argan oil scent smelled better than the coconut and mimosa scent. It worked just like the other dish liquid.

3. Skittles Flavor Mash-Ups (Wild Berry + Tropical)

This was an impulse buy, but I'm so glad that I purchased these Skittles. I love the flavor combo. The size of the bag was perfect.

4. Pillowfort Kids' Hangers

This is such a practical purchase, but I love these hangers. After buying the boys a lot of school clothes, I realized that we didn't have enough clothes hangers. I purchased two different kinds of hangers. The Pillowfort hangers are really great. I bought the regular kids' hangers and the hangers with clips. I was really excited to find the hangers with clips. Usually, when I purchase the boys' pants and shorts, I get the hangers that they came on. However, I never have enough of those hangers. I love that the clips adjust to the width of the pants.


Overall, I found some great things at Target. As usual, I was able to save on all of my Target Finds by using the Cartwheel app and buying items that were on sale.

What are some of your favorite Target finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

What I Read in July

Happy Monday. Last month, I read accomplished my reading goal. I was on a poetry kick. I read three poetry books, and they were all fantastic. Each book was different, but my favorite book that I read was Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson.

I also read a lot of great blog posts and articles in July. I guess it's true when they say that summer is a good season for reading.

Here's to hoping that I am able to accomplish my reading goal for August. Below are the books that I read in July as well as a list of the blog posts and articles that I loved.

Must Read

Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson

I absolutely loved Andrea Gibson's Take Me With You. Andrea is an LGBTQ poet whose poetry is passionate, honest, and just pure magic. I took my time reading this book because I absolutely loved it. This is a quick read, but I'm sure that most people will take their time reading it because they won't want it to end.

The book is divided into three parts, which are On Love, On the World, and On Becoming. I think my favorite section of the book was On the World. This section touched on things that are currently happening.

Overall, I give this book five stars, and I highly recommend that you check out Andrea's work.

Nocturnal by Wilder

I read this book of poetry in one day. I actually purchased the book because I loved the cover. There were some pretty good poems, and the illustrations are gorgeous. The book was divided into four parts.  The four sections parts are Dusk, Northern Lights, Howl, and Lucid Dreams. I noticed that the central theme in the book was related to nature, which I really enjoyed.

I would rate this book four stars.

Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

I have heard such great things about Mary Oliver's poems and essays, so I decided to read one of her books. I really enjoyed reading Blue Horses. Mary Oliver was inspired by nature, and it definitely shows in her work. This was a quick read, and I actually finished it in three days. The poem, First Yoga Lesson, made me laugh, and I really loved Good Morning. 

I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

Blog Posts and Articles I Loved in July

Signatures in Danny Zuko's Yearbook by Johnny DiNapoli

Bekah Martinez's Serene and Empowered Waterbirth story on Motherly

A Perfect, Preëmptive Obituary for My Ex-Boyfriend by Danielle Kraese

Colin Stokes' Reasons I Was Crying on the Subway

How to Cope: Being a Mom Without the Village

Live Your Life Now by Colleen

Mia Sutton's I Miss You (a poem)

This really cute Beach Theme Scrapbook Idea

Summer Anxiety by Mia Sutton

Words. by Stephanie Howell

Everything Changes by Lecy

What did you read in July?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. First Day of School

2. Skittles Mash-Up (Wild Berry + Tropical)

3. Back to School Cupcakes

4. Quiet moments

5. Doin' Time by Lana Del Rey

6. Thunderstorms

7. Chick-fil-A Rewards

8. Lemonade

9. Ice, cold water

10. Going for a much-needed walk

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

August Goals

Happy Thursday and First Day of August! I can't believe that it's August. This year is going by so fast, and I can't believe that Summer is officially almost over. My boys actually started school today, so it actually feels like Summer is over. However, we still plan to complete some tasks on our Summer Bucket List.

Last month was so busy. I had to finish Back-to-School shopping, and we tried to do all the Summer things. It was a fun month full of celebrations, BBQs, and spending time with family. Even though we had a fun-filled month, I am looking forward to a slower month.

Looking back on the previous month, I am quite surprised at the number of goals that I was able to accomplish. I'm looking forward to reaching my new goals for August. With that being said, let's recap on my goals for July and check out what new goals I set for this month.

Recap of July Goals

• Read 1 book: I read three books this month! Three books! I read Take Me with You by Andrea Gibson, Nocturnal by Wilder Poetry, and Blue Horses by Mary Oliver. I was on a poetry kick and absolutely loved it. I can't wait to share my reviews soon.

• Try 2 new recipes: This was a fail. I'm actually really disappointed that I didn't reach this goal.

• Complete 2 Skillshare classes: I only took one class this month. I loved Yasmine Cheyenne's class, Writing for Self-Discovery. The prompts were amazing. Even though I didn't complete 2 classes, I'm glad that I was able to complete 1 course. 

• Exercise/Stay Active 3 days a week: This was a fail...again. I have to do better.

• Make art 3 days a week: I made a lot of art this month. I think I was close to making art 3 days a week, so I will say that I did accomplish this goal. I went through a creative burst this month, especially when it came to scrapbooking and crafting. 

• Participate in Plastic Free July: I did participate. I used my reusable bags instead of using plastic bags. There were a few times that I did get some plastic bags, but I did reuse them. I also used my reusable Starbucks cup, but I definitely want to improve on remembering to bring them with me. 

August Goals

• Read 1 book

• Try 3 new recipes

• Complete 1 Skillshare class

• Practice Italian on Duolingo 5 days a week

• Make art 3 days a week

What are your goals for August?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash