Winter 2021 Bucket List

Happy Wednesday! The first day of winter was December 21st, but it didn't feel like winter. The past few days, we've had temperatures in the 70s, and it's just bizarre. In fact, this entire holiday season has been strange. Christmas looked really different for us because we were sick, but we still celebrated at home.

I decided it would be fun to share a winter bucket list to celebrate winter's arrival. I realized that this was the first year I shared a seasonal bucket list for every season, and I'm pleased about that. I'm not sure how this season will go, but I really hope that I can check off as many things on my bucket list as I can. 

• Try new flavors of hot chocolate

• Try 3 new recipes

• Go for a walk on the Silver Comet Trail

• Organize the closets

• Donate clothing and other things that we no longer use or need

• Watch holiday movies

• Have a weekly game night

• Work in my sketchbook/journal

• Finish my 2021 December Daily mini-album

• Finish my 2020 December traveler's notebook

• Take more photos

• Participate in a book challenge

• Use the crockpot more

• Do something new for my birthday

• Publish 3 personal essays on the blog

• Catch up on my Project Life album

• Submit an article to a magazine

• Watch the Witcher

• Watch a new (or new-to-me) movie

What's on your winter bucket list?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Aurélien Lemasson-Théobald 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. Celebrating Christmas - This year, Christmas was a bit different for us as I'm sure it was for many families. John, Raphael, and I were sick. Gabriel and Michael were feeling ok. We didn't get to do a few traditional Christmas activities, but we still managed to have fun.

2. My family - They mean the world to me. 

3. The Witcher - We watched the first two episodes of the second season, and it was so good!

4. Reading - In the last few days, I've started reading so many new books.

5. Free ebooks 

6. Hot Chocolate - I'm still determined to try as many different flavors of hot chocolate as I can.

7. Awesome Christmas clearance sales at Target

8. The moon - A few days ago, the moon looked incredibly enormous and beautiful. I first had to do a double-take because I was caught off guard.

9. All the holiday baked goods and treats

10. Resting - We are still feeling sick, but thankfully we are starting to feel better. Resting and relaxing at home definitely helped a lot.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The Ronettes are singing "Sleigh Ride" and I'm bouncing around my dining room as I sing along. I should probably fold the mountain of laundry currently in the basket, but I'm going to continue to act like I didn't see it.

John, Michael, and Gabriel are playing video games. I always laugh at how excited they get when they win. 

My tiny tornado, Raphael, admires the Christmas tree while trying to sneak a few candy canes. He's at the age where he knows about Santa and is excited about the holidays. 

I remember a conversation I had with Mami about Christmas Eve. We will be spending Christmas Eve over at Mami's house, and I'm so grateful that we live close by. I can't even imagine having to travel for the holidays. It just sounds stressful and not fun at all.

I'm currently drinking a toffee nut hot chocolate. I've been consuming so much hot chocolate. For some reason, I've been trying so many different flavors of hot chocolate, and I really love hot chocolate bombs.

Michael Bublé is now singing "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" and I wish it did. I would appreciate it if Mother Nature could just let us have some snow. There's no snow, but the holiday vibes are in full force. For now, I will just enjoy the twinkling lights, hot chocolate, cozy slippers, and holiday pajamas.

I'm reading all the holiday romance books and am trying to decide which holiday movie I want to watch next. Should I go with a classic or a more recent film? Maybe an animated film? Decisions, decisions.

I'm trying to decide which holiday treat I want to make. I want to bake some cookies, but I also want to make Christmas Crack. I think I may just make one treat a day. I'll probably tell John to take some with him to work. I'll most certainly make way too much.

Now Wham! is crooning "Last Christmas." It's a bit of a turn from the happy Christmas songs I've been listening to, but this is a classic. You never skip Last Christmas. Never.

Speaking of Last Christmas. It will be a 2.0 Covid Christmas, but you know what, that's ok. It can still be a fun Christmas. New traditions can be started while keeping some of the old ones. We are continuing our tradition of wearing Christmas pajamas, but we are also considering starting a new tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. 

I hope you find the magic of Christmas. If you need a little pick-me-up, listen to some Christmas songs. Try to find some new covers of your old favorites, or stick with listening to your favorite holiday songs.

Here's to the holiday season. May it be filled with love and laughter, and magic.

Photo by Morgane Le Breton 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. Celebrating Gabriel's 10th birthday

2. Toffeenut Hot Chocolate

3. Raphael's excitement over the holidays and Santa

4. Ice cream cake

5. Working in my December Daily 2021 traveler's mini-album

6. Getting ideas for blog posts and essays

7. Infinity by Jaymes Young

8. Holiday shopping

9. These words by Emily McDowell

10. The Witcher is finally back!

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Wednesday! It's time for another Target Finds! Christmas is almost here and I am in a festive mood. I've found so many great things at Target. Their seasonal items are the best. You may notice that most of my current Target Finds are holiday-themed or are gifts, but 'tis the season and all that good stuff.

Well, let's check out my current favorite Target finds.

Snowman Mug

I don't need any more mugs, but I couldn't resist picking up this adorable mug. It's so cute and festive. I've used it for all of the hot chocolate that I've been devouring. At $5, it was reasonably priced, and the quality is excellent. 

Baby Shark Toddler Bedding Set

I thought we would be safe from the Baby Shark crave, but alas, Raphael is now a fan of Baby Shark. Honestly, it's not as annoying as some people think it is. Anyways, I saw this toddler bedding set and decided to get it for my little prince. The look on his face when he saw his new bedding was everything. 

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

I have been waiting for what felt like forever for this book to be released. I haven't read the book yet, but I quickly flipped through the book and loved what I saw. 

Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Swirl Ice Cream

Oh my goodness! I was so excited to try this ice cream. If the words Hot Chocolate are listed in any seasonal treat, I am here for it. This ice cream was so delicious, and the flavors were perfectly balanced. It should be available year-round instead of every fall/winter.  My only hope is that this ice cream is brought back again next year.

Overall, I found some great things at Target. As usual, I saved on all of my Target Finds by using the app, buying items on sale, and price-matching.

What are some of your favorite Target finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet up at Starbucks and get some seasonal drinks. I'd probably order a Cinnamon Dolce Latte (or Hot Chocolate). Lately, I've been on a hot chocolate kick, but I can never resist a seasonal coffee drink. We'd order a couple of pastries and enjoy our food inside. The weather has been a bit frightful (sadly, no snow, just rain and cold), so indoors will be best.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I am in the holiday spirit. I'm way more excited this year than I was last year. I've been devouring hot chocolate and all the seasonal treats. I'm planning to wrap presents sooner rather than later (it's such a pain wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve), and I've been watching many holiday movies and listening to Christmas music. 'Tis the season, indeed.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I am trying to decide how I want to spend my birthday. It's in the first week of January, but I'm feeling excited about it. I've been reflecting a lot on this year, especially since this was a milestone birthday for me (I still can't believe that I'm 30 and will be 31 in a few weeks).

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I've already started planning for the new year. I want to write more and share more personal pieces, so I think that will be a big goal for me in 2022. I want to share more on my blog and on Instagram. I'm even considering creating a newsletter. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I have so many books that I'm so excited to read. I just got Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman. This was one of the books I've been waiting to be released. I also need to read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and work in the journal. I'll definitely post a review on these two books soon. FYI, I think I'm going to share more book reviews soon. It's been such a long time since I posted a book review on the blog.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so glad that we were able to catch up. I hope you enjoy the holidays and spend time with your family and friends. May the rest of this year be full of fun, magic, and comfort for you. See you next year for our next coffee chat. 

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Katie Azi 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. Staycation

2. Working on my December Daily mini-album

3. Michael Bublé and The Puppini Sisters singing Jingle Bells

4. My Christmas tree

5. Austin Kleon's diaries

6. Amanda Gorman's Call Us What We Carry

7. Seasonal coffee flavors

8. Organizing our closet (It was a disaster zone in there!)

9. Chocolate chip cookies

10. Art by Felicitas Mayer (Her December Daily 2021 journal looks amazing!)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

December Goals

Happy Wednesday! I'm a bit late posting my December goals, but better late than never. You know what they say, it's the most wonderful and busy time of the year. I probably shouldn't set too many goals this month, but most of the plans and goals are things that I want to accomplish before the month and the year ends. Speaking of the year ending...how in the world is it already December? I can't believe that it will be 2022 soon. 

Last month was a little busy. I had several appointments and some holiday shopping to get done. I worked on many crafty projects, primarily my One Little Word album. I wanted to take daily Instax photos for my One Little Word album, but I did miss a few days. Although I didn't take Instax photos every day, I'm pleased with how many I did take and even more glad that on the days that I didn't take any photos using my Instax camera, I used my phone. 

November was the month of family and being grateful. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Mami's house and had a great time. I had a long talk with my younger sister. This really needed to be done, but we are now at a better place, and I'm happy about it. A few days after Thanksgiving, I saw my cousin, Joselyn, for the first time in a few years. It was so lovely to catch up with her. 

Well, since we are well past the first week of December, let's check out my goals for December and how I did in November.

Recap of November Goals

• Read 5 books: I read a ton of books in November. I've been on a Christmas short story kick, which is odd because I rarely read any Christmas/holiday-themed books, even during the holiday season. If I do, I usually read A Christmas Carol and then call it done as far as holiday books go.

• Read 4 books that I need to review soon: I read and reviewed Wide Awake by Anna Fury, Quiet Night Think: Poems & Essays by Gillian Sze, I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer, and A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year: Hundreds of Stories on the Pandemic by Six-Word Memoirs.

• Post 1 personal piece on the blog: The only personal piece that I posted was my monthly review/list. You can read that here.

• Try 1 new recipe: Mission accomplished! I repeat, mission accomplished! I finally tried a new recipe! I made fried fish for dinner, and it was so good. It was so simple to make, and I tried some new (to me) seasonings. I definitely plan on making it again soon.

• Work on my Christmas traveler's notebook (Bonus if I actually complete it this month): I can't remember if I did work on my 2020 Christmas traveler's notebook, so I'm just going to assume that I didn't. I definitely know that I did not finish that notebook. 

• Work on my Autumn Moments traveler's notebook: I did work on my Autumn Moments traveler's notebook, and I only have a few pages left in the notebook. This will be the first traveler's notebook from Studio Calico that I actually finish.

• Work on my One Little Word album: I am all caught up on my One Little Word album. It's been fun working on the monthly prompts. I love how chunky my mini album is getting.

• Catch up on my Project Life album: I'm not 100% caught up on my Project Life album, but I did work on it. I'm currently trying to determine what size I want to work on for next year's Project Life album. I'm considering using a 6x12 album or a 6x8 album. I am leaning towards a 6x8 album since I have two albums in that size, but I still have plenty of 6x12 page protectors. Decisions, decisions.

December Goals

• Read 5 books

• Read 2 books that I should have finished a while ago

• Read 3 books that I need to review soon

• Try 1 new recipe

• Finish my Autumn Moments travelers notebook

• Finish my 2020 Christmas travelers notebook

• Work on my 2021 Christmas mini-album

• Complete my One Little Word album

• Catch up on my Project Life album

What are your goals for December? What do you hope to accomplish before the year ends?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Annie Spratt 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. Holiday trail mix (Target Wondershop's Rudolph's Mix will always be my favorite.)

2. Christmas songs

3. The woman who paid for my breakfast today. That was so sweet of her. I love little random acts of kindness.

4. Naps

5. Working on my December Daily and Autumn Moments traveler's notebooks

6. Shipping notifications

7. Finding my planner for 2022

8. Planning holiday activities

9. Winning a Goodreads giveaway

10. Our city's Christmas tree lighting event

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...