October 2023 // A List

Oh, October.

One of my favorite months of the year. 

It's spooky season.

Cozy season.

As always, October started off strong.

I was optimistic, but my goodness, there were some trying days.

Despite that, I'm proud of standing up for myself and finally putting my foot down.

This month was the month for self-care and comfort.

I found comfort in so many ways.

Like seasonal hot chocolate, walks at the Silver Comet Trail, a few good romance novels, and long hot baths.

Tears were definitely shed, but it felt so good to release them.

Sometimes, you really need a good cry.

This month was the month for community.

I felt loved and appreciated by so many.

I felt heard.

October was a month of intentionally listening and taking action.

It was a month of really taking the time to observe and reflect.

This month, I felt so much closer to making a big decision.

A few things remain to be seen.

But some big changes will be coming soon.

This was a month of hope.

And I'm going to continue to do so.

So long, October.

You were both a dream and a nightmare at times.

Hello, November.

I'll admit I was hoping to avoid you, but I'm hoping for better days ahead.

So please go easy on me.

A List of Hauntings

A list of hauntings...

The witching hour. Those 3 AM thoughts. The creaking stairs. Wondering if I locked the front door at night. Wondering if I switched out the load of laundry. The never-ending to-do list. The mountain of laundry that still needs to be folded but is still in the basket...after 3 or 4 days. The mistakes of my rebellious years. The unfortunate hairstyle from middle school. The car accident I was in at 17. And the 2022 car accident. The highway. Not speaking up. Missed opportunities. Those moments of second-guessing myself. The deaths of my baby brother and grandmother. The What Ifs that will go unanswered. Unspoken words to lost loved ones and friends. The unknown cause of my water breaking and going into labor at 35 weeks. Wondering if I'm failing at motherhood. Realizing that my kids are growing up so fast. Realizing that my oldest son is only a few years away from being an adult. Wondering what life will be like for my children after I am no longer physically present. Time. 

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 "Haunted."

Photo by Dan Meyers 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. Halloween Playlists

2. Paper Person's Holiday collection

3. Cuddles with my boys

4. Oreo cake

5. Trip to Michaels

6. Getting things done ahead of time

7. A Family Recipe by Brittany Purvis

8. Halloween candy 

9. Getting the boys' Halloween costumes

10. Shrimp fried rice 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet at a small, local coffee shop and order some seasonal drinks. I'd probably order a seasonal hot chocolate because, apparently, I need to lower my caffeine intake. I'd also order a pastry or two. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so glad that it's October. It's one of my favorite months of the year. I absolutely adore fall and everything that comes with it. Halloween is fast approaching, and I'm excited. I've been really into making soups and other comfort foods. Surprisingly, I haven't bought any Halloween candy, but that will change soon. I also want to watch a few spooky movies and read at least one horror/spooky book or story.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that my heart is breaking for the mothers over in the Middle East. I won't speak too much about what's going on over there because, honestly, I'm trying to educate myself on what's going on, but my heart is breaking for the mothers and children of Israel and Palestine. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that my stress level is slowly but surely decreasing, and I'm so grateful. Things are slowly getting better, and I'm happy that I was able to advocate for myself. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I've been enjoying working on a few creative projects, like the one-line drawing book I've been using to practice my own one-line drawings and my Project Life album. Next, I'd like to work on one of my traveler's notebooks and hope to journal more. I also hope to complete at least one project I've "abandoned."

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm glad we were able to meet up again. I hope everything goes well for you and hope you enjoy the rest of your month. 

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Nataliya Melnychuk 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 grateful and happy list link-up. Today, I'll share things that made me happy over the past two weeks since I didn't share a post last week.

1. Fun day at the fair

2. Holy Smokes by Bohnes 

3. New round of 5 Things e-course by Liz Lamoreaux

4. Ghost Painting Trend

5. Art inspiration on Instagram (Currently loving @katielicht, @cayleegrey, @shialynnvictor, and @ramtalk

6. These words by @meganminutillo

7. Conversations with Mami

8. Sweater weather!!! The mornings have been so much chillier, and I love it!

9. The Smyrna Handmade Market

10. Target Circle Week

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Wednesday! 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 this month, especially since Target usually has so many good things during autumn. And this will be a Halloween/Fall heavy post because my favorite holiday is almost here, and I'm excited.

Pumpkin Harvest Grillable Dessert

When I saw this dessert, I knew I had to buy it, especially since we bought the s'mores grillable dessert a few months back. It's so cute, and I can't wait to try it. This would be perfect for a movie night or dessert after dinner. Their grillable desserts are seasonal, but I love that they have made these for different seasons and holidays. Also, this week, Target is having a 20% off sale on their Favorite Day and Good & Gather seasonal snacks, and this grillable dessert is included. So, if you've been eyeing this, I recommend you get it now.

Halloween Milk Chocolate Hot Drink Bomb

I'm a sucker for hot chocolate bombs, especially seasonal ones, so I bought several. I loved the milk hot chocolate bomb and plan to try the other flavors I purchased.

Halloween Vanilla Cake Pops

My kids love these cake pops. I think Target's cake pops are seasonal items, so I always get excited when I see them, especially when it's clear that they are decorated for a holiday. The cake pops are a little pricey but are a nice treat.

Kraft Deluxe White Cheddar Cups

This is a little random and not Halloween/fall-themed, but I had to include it. I have been on a mac and cheese cup kick. The white cheddar cups are my latest obsession and one of my favorite comfort foods. I absolutely love how convenient these are. They are easy to make and are filling. I usually have one for lunch, but sometimes I make one for a snack. 

What are some of your favorite Target Finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

October Goals

Happy Monday! Can you believe it's finally October? I'm so excited because October is one of my favorite months of the year. I truly come alive during October. I've noticed that I'm much more creative during this month.

I'm looking forward to making more comfort food, celebrating my little sister's birthday, celebrating Halloween all month long (if you don't know, it's my favorite holiday), buying the kids' costumes, and reading so many good books, especially fall and Halloween-themed books. I'm also looking forward to going to the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival and visiting a local haunted house attraction.

September started off a bit rough but came to a good end. We enjoyed our fall break, and it was just what I needed. We went to the fair and had a blast. We also went to some farmers' markets and bought a few things. John and I went on a date, and it felt so nice to get some time to ourselves. I'm feeling refreshed and ready to get back into our routine.

Now that I've mentioned getting back into my routine let's check out my new goals for the month and have a quick recap on how I did with my September Goals.

Recap of September Goals

• Read and review 2 books I received from NetGalley: I read Lily by E.G. Creel and Illustrators' Sketchbooks by Martin Salisbury. I really enjoyed reading Lily and thought Illustrators' Sketchbooks was interesting.

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library: Yikes! So I didn't finish reading the books I borrowed from the library. In fact, they are overdue, so I'll need to renew them.

• Complete 1 One Little Word lesson: I completely forgot to work on this. I'm so far behind, but I plan to work on this project. 

• Complete at least 1 month in my 2023 Project Life album: I didn't complete a month in my Project Life album, but I did work on it, so I will consider this a partial pass (is that a thing?).

• Complete Side by Side ecourse: I'm unsure whether to consider this a pass or fail. I worked on all of the daily prompts except for a couple because I'm still thinking about how to even write down my response. So, I'm going to consider this goal accomplished. 

• Work on my Little Summer Joy mini accordion album: Honestly, I might consider this an abandoned project. I got the base complete, and the photos are in the album, but I have yet to write any words. I might keep it a visual album without words, or maybe I'll add some journaling on some pages.

October Goals

• Read and review 2 books I received from NetGalley

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library

• Complete 1 One Little Word lesson

• Complete at least 1 month in my 2023 Project Life album

• Journal everyday

• Try 1 new recipe

• Finish the Side by Side ecourse

• Participate in this month's blog hop from Exhale

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

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash