The Emi Times: November 2022

Monday, November 28, 2022

Target Finds

Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday and weekend. It's been a couple of months since I've shared a Target Finds post, so I thought it'd be fun to share one today. You might notice that most of the items listed are Christmas-themed, but 'tis the season and all that good stuff.

4 Tier Shoe Rack Black Metal with Natural Wood

We really needed to replace our shoe rack that's by our front door, so we decided to check out Target for a new one. I really like this shoe rack. It's a bit larger than the one we had, but it doesn't take up much space. I love the neutral colors and that they can match any home decor.

Holiday Penguins Matching Family Pajamas Collection

I was so excited to buy our family pajamas. We decided to get the holiday penguins. The pajamas look so cute. The pajamas fit well and weren't too loose or too tight. I will say that Target's family pajama collections are a little pricey, but they've had a couple of really good sales on their pajamas, so definitely keep watch of their sales.

Milk Chocolate Mini Pretzel Twists with Christmas Blend

I don't usually buy chocolate-covered pretzels, but when I saw these mini pretzel twists, I thought the boys would love them. And yes, the boys did love these mini pretzels. The pretzels tasted ok and were decently priced.

Gingerbread Man Mug

If you've been reading my blog for a while or have followed me on Instagram, then you know I love collecting mugs. I tried limiting myself on how many seasonal mugs to buy because I have too many mugs. However, I saw this gingerbread man mug and had to buy it. It's so cute! So far, this mug has held up well. I haven't noticed any chips.

I think this mug, as well as the other Christmas mugs, would make a perfect gift. You could even pair this mug with a few packs of hot chocolate like this Ghiradelli peppermint hot chocolate or a small box of hot chocolate bombs.

What are some of your favorite Target finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Friday, November 25, 2022

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. Spending time with my family

2. Thanksgiving leftovers

3. Catching up on a few shows

4. Random debates like whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie (It's not a Christmas movie.)

5. These words by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller

6. Leggings and jogger pants

7. Learning new things about Instagram

8. Working on my journal

9. Writing more blog posts and mini essays

10. Writing Resources and Creative Exercises from Exhale Creativity

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

5 Things That Bring Me Comfort

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting much this month, and it's because I'm going through a rough time. It would be an understatement to say that this month is not going the way I thought it would. The past week and a half have been brutal. I cried most of that time, but I am starting to feel a bit better and hopeful.

Since it's the season of being grateful and the season of comfort, I thought I'd share what has been bringing me comfort during this stressful time.

1. My family has been an enormous source of comfort. From some wise words from Mami to snuggles from my boys and John, I have really found some comfort with my loved ones. I am so grateful for my family and don't know what I'd do without them.

2. Books. Books. Books. I have always found comfort in books. I'm reading all the books, especially holiday-themed novellas and short stories. Those holiday-themed books have been enormous comfort. With how I've been feeling, I've been gravitating towards happily ever afters and humor.

3. Taylor Swift's songs, specifically those from her Quill Pen Songs Playlist. I think my favorite song on that playlist is Carolina. My other favorite songs are Hoax, My Tears Ricochet, Willow, and Evermore.

4. Hot Chocolate. Sure it's not a food, but I still consider it a comfort food (or, I guess, a comfort drink?). I'm currently loving Ghiradelli hot chocolate and peppermint-flavored hot chocolate. I've been topping my hot chocolates with Target's seasonal whipped cream, and it's simply the best. 10/10 definitely recommend it.

5. Cozy clothes. I recently bought several leggings from Leggings Park, and oh my goodness, I am obsessed! They are so soft and comfy. I've been pairing them with my favorite sweaters. At home, I've been wearing my pajamas and favorite holiday socks. It's helped me get in the holiday spirit, which, to be honest, I wasn't really into the holidays due to being stressed out.

What brings you comfort?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Monday, November 14, 2022

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet at one of our go-to local coffee shops in town. Maybe the one close to downtown so we can walk around and check out the shops. I'd most likely order a peppermint hot chocolate or a peppermint mocha because 'tis the season.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd ask about your plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas and if you are excited about the holidays. I'd ask, what are your favorite traditions, or do you like to make a new one every year? I'm excited to pick a new ornament for our Christmas tree. I'm pretty sure we might get a Star Wars ornament, but we shall see. I'm also really excited about our city's Christmas tree lighting. I can't wait to walk around town with John and the boys while drinking some hot chocolate. When we get back home, I usually make a holiday-themed treat.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I've been thinking about next year and am already making plans, so I really need to buy a new planner soon. I'm still unsure what brand I'm going with and the size. I usually buy small or medium-sized planners, and this year I went with a smaller planner, but I'm not sure if that will work for next year.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently went to a Barnes and Noble and bought Twenty-One Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks. I haven't started reading it, but I'm so excited about this book. The book is written entirely in lists! I don't think I've ever read a book written entirely in lists, and you know I absolutely love lists, so I am so here for this book.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently watched Where the Crawdads Sing and really enjoyed the movie. I kept hearing about the book and would have preferred to read it first, but unfortunately, there is a massive waitlist at my library, so I didn't get to read it first.

I went down a rabbit hole, researched the book and movie, and found out about a controversy surrounding the author, Delia Owens. I have so many thoughts about Delia, the book/movie, and the controversy surrounding the book, but that's a story for another day. If you've watched the movie or read the book, what are your thoughts on it?

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I have a couple of creative ideas brewing, and I'm really excited about them. I'm most likely to share more next year, which is when I hope everything is finalized, but so far, I'm enjoying this planning stage.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so glad that we were able to have our coffee date. This time of year is usually incredibly busy, so I'm even more grateful that we were able to catch up. I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving, and I look forward to meeting again in December.

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Rinck Content Studio on Unsplash

Friday, November 11, 2022

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. Buying our Christmas pajamas

2. Seasonal Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares (The mint cookie squares and the milk chocolate gingerbread cookie squares are so delicious!)

3. Trips to Target

4. Working in my journal

5. #exhalefreewrite on Instagram

6. Rainy days

7. Toasted White Chocolate Mochas from Starbucks

8. My favorite joggers from Target

9. Home-cooked meals

10. Finding out that Cinnabon has their frosting pints for sale again, and they have a chocolate frosting available too!

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Thursday, November 10, 2022

November Goals

Happy Thursday! I am so behind on sharing my goals for the month, but better late than never. This week has been exhausting. I blame the time change and our schedule being switched around due to the elections, especially the time change.

For the most part, October was a great month. I spent time with my little sister for her birthday and visited Mami. The boys went trick-or-treating, but we didn't get a lot of trick-or-treaters. Only 3 trick-or-treaters came this year. I voted early, which I usually try to do rather than wait for Election Day. I also began planning for the holidays because I really want to be done with everything by the time it's December. I want to just relax during December.

This month feels like it's going by so slowly, yet I feel like I'm in a rush. I don't usually feel this way, and I wonder if it's because I'm still adjusting to the time change. Daylight Saving Time always makes me feel out of whack, and it usually takes me a couple of weeks to adjust. I am excited to spend time with my family during Thanksgiving, and I can't wait to watch holiday movies and series. I also can't wait to enjoy all the comfort food.

Since this month is going by so slowly, I think I will try and take it easy with how many goals I want to accomplish this month. If I don't achieve any goals, then that's fine with me. The holiday season is here, and it's always so busy and hectic.

Well, since I mentioned goals and it's a new month, let's check out my goals for the month and recap how I did with my goals in October.

Recap of October Goals

Read 5 books: I read 21 books in October. Most books I read were holiday themed (i.e., Halloween, Christmas, etc.). I read a couple of novellas, graphic novels, and memoirs. I read False Start by Piper Rayne, a prequel novella for her upcoming book, You Had Your Chance, Lee Burrows. I can not wait for that book to be released.

Read and review 2 books from Netgalley: I read the Twig Man by Sana Rasoul, Notes from a Sickbed by Tessa Brunton, and Sinister Desires by Faedra Rose.

Try 1 new recipe: I'm certain I did try a new recipe, but I can't remember what I made. It obviously wasn't memorable.

Complete 1 half-finished memory-keeping project: Yeah...so this did not happen. Once again, I pushed back on my half-finished projects and worked on some new ones instead. I really need to stop doing that. I also need to stop taking on so many new projects.

Work on my Project Life album: Yikes! I did not work on my Project Life album at all. I keep forgetting to do this, and I am so far behind.

Work on my October memory-keeping projects

October Daily: Just like last year, I did not work on my October Daily every day. It's more like an October "Daily-ish."

Here: Five Things course: I did work on my Five Things course, but I didn't complete it in October. I definitely plan to finish it this month.
ALP's October prompts: I completely forgot to work on the ALP's October prompts. I was working on so many different projects at once, and it just slipped my mind. Once again, I really need to stop taking on new projects and finish working on previous uncompleted projects.

Publish 1 personal piece on the blog: October was a great writing month for me! I did publish a personal piece on the blog. You can check it out here. I feel like my writing took more of my time than working on my memory-keeping projects, which was okay with me.