June 2024 // A List

1. June felt like the longest month ever, and for that, I am thankful. June is one of my favorite months because of how slowly time passes. Sure, January (another one of my favorite months and my birthday month) also seems to pass by slowly, but I love the slow passage of time in June. 

2. June was an absolute dream. Our days were filled with adventure and trying new things. My heart is full just thinking about it.

3. We took the boys to Funbox and had a blast bouncing around in the inflatable park. It was so much fun. Despite it being a hot day, everyone had a great time. We cooled down with some Italian ice and lots of water.

4. John and I went on a date to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It's weird that it was our first time going there since it's not too far from us. We loved the Alice in Wonderland floral sculptures. However, my favorite exhibit is the Earth Goddess.

5. I visited our local Farmer's Market almost every Sunday and absolutely loved it. I'm currently obsessed with the authentic French pastries and bread that one of the vendors, Bonnin's Bakery, sells.

6. We went to a new-to-us restaurant, The Corner Taqueria. It's now our go-to spot, and I was delighted to find that they have fried ice cream on their dessert menu.

7. Speaking of fried ice cream, so much of it was consumed in June.

8. We took the boys to play at the newly renovated downtown square. I love that they added a playground and a splash pad. There's also a large amount of green space that's perfect for picnics.

9. I visited a new-to-me local coffee shop, Cafe Lucia, and really liked it. Their sandwiches are great, and I love their seasonal menu. Their Paradise coffee is pure perfection.

10. I attended an Atlanta Mom event for tacos and margaritas at Bartaco. I had a blast hanging out with some of the Atlanta Mom contributors. 

11. We had a few doctor's appointments throughout June. However, I'm glad I finally made my appointments and went to them. I always procrastinate when it comes to making my own appointments. It's a habit I'm trying to break.

12. Pool season is one of my favorite things about summer. We spent a lot of our time at the pool. John and the boys usually dive right in, but I tend to take my time. 

13. We tried Chiptole for the first time. It was alright, but it also wasn't my favorite. 

14. Raphael's pea plant is growing! We had to buy a bigger pot and a trellis for it. I think I'm more excited about this plant than John and the boys.

15. I won a Taylor Swift cake from Smallcakes! I was honestly surprised that I won, but so very excited. 

16. We finally got the entire downstairs of our home painted, and I'm so happy with how it looks. The day before the painters came, we did a deep cleaning and tossed out a lot of stuff. Thankfully, we were also able to donate some stuff. 

17. While the painters did their job, we took the boys to see Inside Out 2. 10/10 highly recommend. On another note, it felt strange going to the movies. I hadn't gone to the movies since Covid first happened in 2020. 

18. I redecorated our dining room and love how it looks. I can't stop going to the dining room and admiring how it looks.

19. Although it's summer, I love that Michaels has their Halloween collection out. I'm so excited for autumn.

20. June was such an eventful month, and I'm sad it's over. Here's to July, and I hope it's just as fun-filled as June.

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. On Monday, we had painters come and paint the entire downstairs area and the walls of the staircase of our home. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to a home. It looks great, and the rooms look so much more spacious.

2. Since our home was being painted, John and I took the boys to see Inside Out 2. Just like the first movie, this one was absolutely amazing. There were tons of funny moments and a couple of moments that had me tearing up. 

3. The night before the painters arrived, John and I tossed out some stuff before the painters came. Cleaning up made me want to go on a decluttering spree. So, the day after the painting was done, I went through all of my craft supplies so that I could either donate or toss out many things. I was so excited to clear up space and a little disgusted at how much stuff I had. I decided that anything I've had for several years would get donated or thrown out. I was able to donate three giant boxes of craft supplies that I no longer used, and I threw out at least two huge bags of things. 

4. We also reorganized our kitchen and love how it looks. I don't know why we took so long to do this.

5. We went to our current favorite restaurant, The Corner Taqueria, for dinner and had a lovely time. While waiting for a table to clear up, we went for a little walk and took the boys to a nearby playground. For dessert, we got fried ice cream (my current favorite treat).

6. I got my order of art supplies from Get Messy. I can't wait to use the stencils, paint set, and brush pen. Random note: I'm really impressed with their customer service. They forgot to include an item I purchased, and within an hour or two of sending an email regarding the issue, they immediately shipped me the item that day.

7. Going through my old craft supplies inspired me to look at some older creative team galleries from Studio Calico's website. I have a ridiculous amount of kits and other supplies that I need to use, so I'm grateful for the inspiration.

8. I went to Michaels and was so excited to see they already started putting up Halloween decorations and supplies. Now, I want to put up a Halloween tree. 

9. Raphael's pea plant is still growing, and there's a pod! We had to buy a bigger pot and a trellis. I'm not sure why I'm so excited, but I am. 

10. We hung up some new curtains in our bay window, and I love how it looks! It's so cozy and makes me want to read there all the time.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Shipping notification (I can't wait to get my new art supplies from Get Messy)

2. Finding a lima bean pod on our plant

3. Winning a Taylor Swift cake from Smallcakes

4. Picking up new books at the library

5. Celebrating the first day of summer with a Starbucks Summer Berry Lemonade and an orange cream cake pop

6. Looking up new home decor stuff (Can't wait to redecorate)

7. Photos of deer that John sent me (I'm so jealous that he got to see a family of deer)

8. These words by Cara Stolen 

9. It's officially summer

10. Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York by Roz Chast

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Summer 2024 Bucket List

Happy First Day of Summer! It's the official start of summer although it's felt like summer for weeks now. As usual, I've made my annual summer bucket list. It's a tradition that I absolutely love. Some things on the bucket list are activities that we normally do every summer, but there are a few new things that I'd like to try to do or visit this summer. Check out my list below.

• Read 5 books

• Make 2 new recipes

• Go to 2 new or new-to-me restaurants

• Publish 3 personal essays

• Drink more water

• Drink less soda

• Finish 1 half-completed project

• Go to the pool

• Go to the Farmer's Market

• Watch 2 movies

• Finish watching the Dead Boy Detectives

• Visit a new park

• Go somewhere new

• Make s'mores

• Go to our local splash pad

• Create a photo essay

• Participate in Exhale's blog hops

• Journal more

• Visit the library twice a month

What's on your summer bucket list?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Fachry Zella Devandra on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all the dads especially my husband, John! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly grateful and happy list link-up.

1. Date night at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

2. Finding out that there's going to be a Practical Magic 2

3. Trying Chipotle for the first time

4. Going to the pool

5. Buying John's gifts for Father's Day

6. Celebrating Father's Day

7. Finally going to my doctor's appointments (and it went well!)

8. Decluttering my inbox (I still have some more work to do, but I got rid of a significant amount of emails)

9.  Pain au chocolat (and other baked treats) from Bonnin's Bakery

10. Trying out my new Cricut mug press

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

And so I'll linger

1. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of Linger is as follows:

• To be slow in parting or in quitting something: Tarry
• To remain existent, although often waning in strength, importance, or influence
• To remain alive although gradually dying
• To be slow to act: Procrastinate
• To move slowly: Saunter

2. Another school year down. This school year was a big one for all three of my sons. The school year marked a lot of milestones for my sons. It was my oldest son, Michael, last year in middle school, my middle son, Gabriel, first year in middle school, and my youngest son, Raphael, started kindergarten. My heart felt full, but it also felt like it was breaking because it really started to hit me that my boys were getting older. I found (and still find) myself wishing time would just slow down.

3. I found myself almost panicking at my oldest son's school open house. The school year had just started and teachers and admin were already talking about SATs and careers. They mentioned that the eighth graders could take the PSATs and that we should talk about what kind of careers our kids may want. I won't even try to pretend to say that I immediately looked through all the flyers and paperwork the school gave us to look over. I definitely procrastinated a little, but we did eventually have a talk about his class options and careers.

4. My two older sons are starting to show signs of wanting more independence, especially my oldest son. He's already talked about where he would like to work for his first job. How strange it is that sometimes out of nowhere, I'm hit with the realization that I have a teenager. A teenager! Even typing those words blew my mind a little. In just a few years, I will have an adult child. I'm sure every parent says this, but my sons will always be my babies, no matter how old they are.  

5. The other day, Raphael asked to see some of his baby photos. I happily obliged but was curious as to why my six-year-old suddenly wanted to see baby photos of himself and his brothers. When I asked him why he wanted to see their baby photos, he told me, "I want to see how little I was. I'm big now." As I pulled up some baby photos, I nodded while smiling down at him and said, "You guys got big so fast; time flew by". Raphael laughed and smiled while he continued to look at the photos. He seemed to be in awe of the photos of when I was pregnant which amused me and gave me so much joy. Looking at those photos brought back so many great memories. It is so true that the days are long, but the years are short. 

6. One afternoon, the boys were unusually quiet. I crept along the hallway and peeked into the living room. My heart nearly burst at the sight before me. There on our large round chaise lounge, the boys were reading a book together. I lingered by the hallway for a bit, committing the sight to memory. And then, of course, I took a photo because I wanted something tangible, something that I could include in my memory book.

7. They say, "Time waits for no one." While that is true, I'm sure there will be times where I'll want to linger while savoring and holding on to these precious moments with my sons for just a bit longer. And so, I'll linger.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale - an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the post in the series "Linger".

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd stop at my favorite, new-to-me coffee shop, Café Lucia. I'd order a seasonal coffee, a BLT sandwich, and a pastry. Of course, we'll probably order something to take home as well. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that last week (and the start of June) was such an amazing, fun-filled week. We took the boys to FUNBOX and had a blast. I think the parents had just as much fun as the kids. We also went to a new-to-us restaurant, The Corner Taqueria, for Taco Tuesday. We absolutely loved it! The fried ice cream was my favorite. I can't believe we've lived so close to this restaurant and haven't gone until now. After dinner, we took the boys to a playground and went for an evening walk. I also decided to go to a new-to-me coffee shop, Café Lucia, which I liked. I was able to study and enjoy some delicious coffee.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that this past weekend was also great. I took the boys to the farmer's market on Saturday and bought some amazing treats. I bought some beignets, a strawberry croissant, a pain au chocolat, and madeleines from an authentic French bakery. I also bought some pepperoni rolls, which we had for lunch, a strawberry shortcake muffin, and a bag of granola. On Sunday, I had a girls' night at Bartaco with some ladies from the Atlanta Mom team. The tacos, chorizo bowls, and margaritas were delicious. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently read a pretty good book by Matthew Eicheldinger called Sticky Notes: Memorable Lessons from Ordinary Moments. In the book, Eicheldinger shares stories from his years of teaching and the lessons he's learned from his students. It was a quick read, but the short stories were great. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm enjoying working on creative projects like the latest Here: 5 Things course. I've been using my Neocolors II crayons to work on the prompts. This is my latest favorite art supply, and I love how versatile they are. I've been dipping them in water or I'll draw and then use a watercolor brush over the marks. Another project I'm working on is my Project Life album. I finally got a big batch of photos from Persnickety Prints, and I've already put two months' worth of pictures into layouts. Now, I have to get the journaling done.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm focusing on my health this summer. I've made my doctor's appointments to get my annual checkup/physical. I've been drinking as much water as possible and limiting my caffeine intake. I've neglected my well-being for a while, but I feel much better now that I'm making some changes. I'm doing my best to rest and relax while also making sure to do the things that I want to do. I'm focusing on spending time with my family and going to different places with John and the boys. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer. I'm glad we were able to catch up. I hope the rest of the month goes well for you. I hope you have the best summer ever. I can't wait to meet up again.

What would you tell me? 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Natanja Grün 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 grateful and happy list link-up.

1. Indila - Love Story (Slowed) by Shashikant Gupta

2. My adjustable bed frame

3. Café Lucia (I tried the Paradise coffee, and it was delicious!)

4. Sticky Notes by Matthew Eicheldinger

5. Working on the latest Here: 5 Things prompts 

6. Neocolor II Aquarelle set

7. Fried ice cream

8. My new dumpster fire mug

9. Studying and learning new things related to my field of work

10. Taking care of myself (both physically, mentally, and emotionally)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Wednesday! It's time for another Target Finds! As usual, I've found some great things at Target over the past few weeks. You'll probably notice that most of my favorite finds this month are food and drink-related (don't judge me).

Starbucks Frappuccino Oatmilk Dark Chocolate Brownie Coffee

I was curious about how oat milk would taste in coffee, and the chocolate brownie flavor sounded really good, so I decided to get this Starbucks single-serve coffee. It was actually pretty good. You can definitely taste the chocolate brownie flavor. This definitely had oat milk, but it was good. The flavors were not overpowering and seemed balanced, but it was sweet. This was definitely a splurge, but it was a nice little pick-me-up. I plan to try the Starbucks oat milk caramel waffle cookie coffee next.

Mr. Beast Feastables Peanut Butter Crunch Chocolate Bar

I tried the milk crunch and really liked it, so I wanted to see if the peanut butter crunch bar was good. This peanut butter chocolate bar was good. You could definitely taste the peanut butter. I liked the puffed rice. However, it is a little pricey compared to other chocolate bars.

Sprite Chill Cherry Lime Soda (Slim Can)

I don't know what made me want to try this because I'm usually not a fan of cherry in any kind of soda. However, this was surprisingly good. You could definitely taste the cherry flavor, but it wasn't as strong as in other sodas like Coke and Pepsi. In fact, I think the cherry flavor pairs well with the lemon-lime. I don't know if I'd buy this often, but changing things up a bit was nice.

Olay Cleanse Gentle Foaming Face Cleanser

After my local Target stopped carrying my usual cleanser, I tried to find a decent alternative. I've started using Olay's gentle foaming face cleanser, and it's been okay so far. It foams well, and the product is a little thick, but a little goes a long way. The pump is not that great, and I wonder if I just bought one that was messed up.

What are some of your favorite Target Finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

June Goals

Happy Monday! Can you believe that it's June? As much as I enjoyed May, I'm ready for a slower month filled with a decent amount of rest and relaxation. May was a fun filled month full of celebrations, last minute errands, and a mile long to do list.

In May, we celebrated my oldest son's, Michael, birthday. We also celebrated my nephew's birthday. We celebrated Mother's Day at Mami's house. It was a big school year for my boys. They each hit some milestones this year. Raphael started and finished kindergarten. Gabriel finished his first year of middle school. Michael graduated from eight grade and is now heading to high school! You guys...I'm going to have a high schooler! Time is going by too fast. And yes, I may have shed a tear or two for my boys. As for me, this was a big year in regards to my job and it was a wild ride. I definitely celebrated surviving the year.

This month, I'm looking forward to going to my local farmer's markets and handmade markets. I'm looking forward to having a date night with John at an event that I have been looking forward to for weeks. I'm looking forward to reading good books, relaxing at the pool, and eating delicious food and treats. I'm looking forward to working on some crafty projects. I'm excited to have this creative burst of energy and I'm looking forward to putting it to good use. Most of all, I'm looking forward to a slower month and savoring the every day moments.

Before I continue to ramble, let's get to the main reason of this post which are my new goals for June and a quick recap on my May goals.

Recap of May Goals

• Read 5 books: I read 14 books in May. It was a good month for books. My top three favorite books for the month are: The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo, Trigger by C.G. Moore, and My Begrudging Scent Matches by Naomi Phillips.

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library: I borrowed several books from the library, but was able to finish reading exactly two books. I read Open Throat by Henry Hoke and The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo. I enjoyed reading Open Throat. It was truly an unexpected read, but a great read. I absolutely loved The Puppets of Spelhorst. 10/10 highly recommend. 

• Catch up on reading Substack newsletters: I've been slowly catching up on several Substack newsletters and I'm loving the app. It's so much more convenient.

• Participate in Exhale's May blog hop: I did participate in Exhale's May blog hop. You can find my piece here.

• Work in my traveler's notebook: This did not happen. I completely forgot about this goal. However, I did work in my Project Life album.

• Try 2 new recipes: I'm still on a pasta kick so I made spicy chicken andouille sausage pasta with spicy marinara sauce. It was delicious and really easy to make. It's officially farmer's market season so I bought the andouille sausage from one my favorite farmer's market. I also made some breakfast sandwiches using some new-to-me brands. I'm not sure if I should even count this since it was a simple egg, bacon, cheese sandwich, but I'm going to count it since I actually made the sandwiches.

• Work in my sketchbook/journal: I did work in my sketchbook and used the Messy May prompts for a couple of pages.

• Participate in Get Messy's Messy May: I did participate in Messy May, but I didn't work on every single prompt and I also didn't work on it every day. However, I participated which I was glad to do. I plan to slowly work through the prompts.

June Goals

• Read 6 books

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library

• Participate in Exhale's June blog hop

• Go to my local handmade market at least twice in June

• Work on my Project Life album

• Try 1 new recipe

• Participate and complete the latest round of Here: 5 Things course

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

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's June already! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. Cowboy Cookie from Crumbl Cookies

2. Open Throat by Henry Hoke 

3. Daylight by David Kushner

4. Katie Licht's latest Substack post on craft, frivolity, purpose, and time

5. Conversations with Mami

6. The Childcare Menu of Your Dreams by Heidi Fiedler

7. Learning about the Cricut Maker and Mug Press

8. Random conversations with fellow crafty strangers at Michaels

9. Our new mattress

10. New York Times Spelling Bee

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...