September 2024 // A List

September, September, September.

My, oh, my, what a month you were.

A month full of dates with my love.

A month of fun events with the kids.

Festivals, farmers markets, and a trip to the fair.

A month full of encouraging words.

And finding little sprinkles of wonder and magic on the Silver Comet Trail.

A hectic month with a much-needed and much-welcomed break towards the end.

A month full of seasonal treats and drinks.

September, there were some difficult moments, but as I look back, I see they were mostly good days.

And for that, I am so incredibly grateful. 

A month of getting things back on track.

A month of welcoming my favorite season.

With fresh flowers and lovely fall home decor.

I smile every time I walk through the door and am greeted with the scent of cinnamon.

Feeling so much joy and love at the sight of my dining room table. 

Deciding that the dining room with its bay window is fast becoming my favorite spot in our home.

A month of welcoming all the comfort vibes.

The beginning of the end of my creative block.

Welcoming the transition of the season.

Saying goodbye to Summer.

Saying hello to Fall.

September, you were a joy.

An adventure.

A comforting month even when I've felt unsettled.

Thank you, September, for everything.

Hello October.

As always, I've been waiting for you.

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. We're on fall break, and it's been glorious. This was a much-needed break from work, and it's been nice to relax. 

2. We are safe from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. We got a lot of rain, but luckily, our home and vehicles were not damaged. We were lucky because many people in our area were not as fortunate.

3. While we waited out the storm, I made chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious. I'll have to make some more soon because the boys devoured them.

4. We got our kitchen pantry delivered on Thursday. It looks amazing and holds a lot. I'm so glad we could organize everything, so now there are not a ton of boxes around the kitchen and dining room. 

Side Note: I was actually surprised we got it that day, considering it was raining and many places closed early due to the storm. I hope the delivery driver made it back okay.

5. I bought some Halloween leggings from Target and love them! They fit well and are so cute. 

6. I had a brownie batter cookie from Crumbl Cookies for dessert and topped it with vanilla ice cream. It was delicious. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

7. I've been listening to Delicate Problems by Benson Taylor & Carolanne Busuttil on repeat. 

8. I love that my house smells like fall. I bought some scented mini brooms, and they smell amazing. I also can't wait to order a couple of Fall simmer pot packs. I may even try to make my own simmer pot recipes.

9. I have been sleeping in a lot this week, and I love it! I remember on Monday, I woke up early because I'm so used to waking up early to go to work, and it was nice when I remembered I had the entire week off.  

10. It may be fall and my favorite season, but I also have Christmas and the holiday season on my mind. I even started reading holiday-themed novellas. I just finished reading Snowed In & Snuggle Weather by Elise Kennedy and absolutely loved it. 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Fall 2024 Bucket List

Happy First Day of Fall! My favorite season is back! The signs of fall were here for the past week, and I absolutely loved that it's been in the mid-60s during the mornings; however, summer seems like it wants to stay. It's been in the low 90s in the afternoon this weekend. I'm not going to let the summer weather bother me. I'm in complete fall and spooky season mode. My fall and Halloween mugs are out. I have stocked up on hot chocolate bombs and seasonal treats and bought a few things to decorate our home. 

We're currently on fall break, and I am so excited. I love that our break happens to be during the first official week of fall. We'll stay in town but have a few fun adventures planned for our break. As usual, I had a pumpkin spice latte to celebrate the first day of fall and played some fall-themed songs. 

Of course, I also made a fall bucket list. This will forever be one of my favorite traditions. I've added my usual favorite fall activities and a few new things. I may even add a few more things to my list in the coming days. 

• Read 12 books

• Read 3 spooky books by October 31

• Watch a new-to-me scary movie

• Finish Season 1 of A Discovery of Witches

• Go to the fair

• Try 3 new recipes

• Make apple cinnamon donuts

• Declutter the boys' closets

• Document fall

• Work in my art journal

• Go to the farmer's market

• Finish my Savannah and Tybee Island mini-album

• Participate in at least 2 Exhale blog hops

• Publish a photo essay

• Go to an apple orchard

• Drink apple cider

• Participate in a Fall reading challenge

• Visit a pumpkin patch

• Buy Halloween costumes

• Go to a new-to-me coffee shop

• Go to a new-to-me bookshop

What is on your fall bucket list?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Rithika Gopal on Unsplash

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet a new-to-us local coffee shop and order some seasonal lattes. Of course, I'd order a pumpkin spice latte because how can I not. I'd also order a few pastries...perhaps an apple cider or pumpkin spice donut. We'd stay at the coffee shop instead of going for a walk because it's been raining the past few days, and it looks like it might just start raining again.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so excited for the official start of fall. Even though I consider the fall season to start once the boys start school again, there's something about finally sensing the actual transition of the season. It's been getting cooler, and we've had a few rainy days. We even had to break out our sweaters over the weekend. I've started cleaning and decluttering again...it feels like I'm nesting, and no...I'm definitely not pregnant. I'm in a full-blown, comfy, and cozy mood. And I absolutely love it.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently found another writer on Substack. I've been enjoying reading Brittany's Notebook. Brittany has some really great series in her newsletter, like her "Lovin' Lately" series and "What I Read" series. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that after feeling unsettled for the past few weeks, I'm starting to feel more at ease. I've been trying to come up with a better routine and have been focusing on self-care. Things have been too hectic, and there simply isn't enough time for everything I have to do. 

That said, I'm looking forward to the fall break. I hope to relax and spend as much time with my family as possible. I'm also looking forward to reading some good books and getting some crafting time.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm glad we were able to catch up. My coffee chats are always one of my highlights of the month. I can't wait for our next coffee chat. Until then, here's to hoping for more peaceful weeks ahead. 

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Breakslow 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. Lunch at Cousins Maine Lobster with John

2. Coffee + Crumbs 2024 Fall Collection (I love the collection of essays, poems, and photo essays.)

3. Dive Deep by Andrew Belle (This song has been on repeat.)

4. Taking care of my health 

5. Millenial Motherhood by Megan Minutillo

6. Mami's homemade chicken noodle soup (I love that she made this for me when I was sick this week.)

7. Halloween cereals ('Tis the season! One of my favorite fall and Halloween traditions is to buy Halloween cereals.)

8. Finding a new bookstore

9. Oversized t-shirts

10. It's finally Friday, and I'm so excited for the weekend! 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another Target Finds! As usual, I've found some good things at Target over the past few weeks. Luckily, most of the things I've found were items that we actually needed. However, Target has started putting up their Fall and Halloween displays, and I'm so excited! So you can bet that next month's Target Finds will have a few Halloween-themed stuff on my list.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Wood & Brass Hook Rail

John and I were tired of seeing sweaters all over our chairs, so we finally decided to buy a rail for our fall and winter outerwear. This hook rail pairs well with our shoe rack. John easily put this up, and it didn't take long at all. So far, it's holding up well, and I love how organized everything is now.

Men's Utility Cargo Jogger Pants

John needed new work pants and found some at Target that he loved. He says they are comfortable and fit well. These were a little pricey, but the quality makes up for it.

Blue Bunny Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream Cups

I've been on a soft-serve ice cream kick and was surprised that Blue Bunny has a soft-serve ice cream cup. This was so good, and the portion was perfect. 

Toddler Boys' Woven Jogger Pants

These jogger pants are so cute. They're perfect for autumn and cooler weather. I bought a pair in every color for Raphael. I love that they fit well, and the quality is really nice. 

What are some of your favorite Target Finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

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.

1. Banana Bread and The Afterlife Cake from Crumbl Cookies

2. Nachos from the Corner Taqueria

3. Spending the afternoon at the Taste of Smyrna festival

4. New Halloween mugs from Target (I got this bat mug and this ghost mug)

5. Sleeping in

6. Treats from Hummingbird Bakehouse, Sugar Shane's, and Icings on the Cake

7. Finding new simmer pot recipes

8. Sunday day date with my love

9. Cooler weather in the mornings and evenings 

10. Starting a new book (Currently Reading: What I Must Tell the World by Jay Leslie)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

September Goals

Happy Tuesday! We're finally in the "-ber" months, and I'm so excited! August was such a busy, stressful month. I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions and felt like an absolute mess. In August, the boys started school again. We all have gotten sick, but Gabriel seems to have been hit the hardest with what we believe was a back-to-back stomach virus. Thankfully, he's doing well now. 

However, there were some great moments sprinkled throughout the month. Michael is adjusting well to high school. Gabriel and Raphael are also doing well in school. We went to the farmer's market a couple times. We also went on a few walks and enjoyed visiting our local arboretum and pond. I read a lot of good books and newsletters. I tried a new recipe- a spicy meatball pasta dish that was amazing. I visited Crumbl Cookies a couple times and loved their cookie selections. On the last weekend in August, we went to the Marietta Art in the Park festival. We loved seeing the art pieces and walking around the square. We bought some Starbucks to cool down and then a pizza for dinner. It was the perfect way to end August.

In September, I'm desperately hoping that things slow down. I'm looking forward to more time to work on some creative projects, going to a few events around our city, celebrating John's birthday, and all the fall things—cooler weather, pumpkin everything, and spooky movies, to name a few. 

Recap of August Goals

• Read 4 books: I read 15 books in August. They were a mix of genres: a couple of poetry collections, a few children's books, a graphic novel, and a few romance novels. My favorite book of the month was Load in Nine Times by Frank X. Walker. This collection of poetry was absolutely amazing.

• Work on my Savannah and Tybee Island album: I did work on it, but I'm nowhere near to being done with it. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to, so hopefully, I will this month.

• Try 1 new recipe: I'm on a pasta kick once again. This time, I made a spicy meatball pasta dish for dinner, and it was delicious. I definitely plan to make it again. I love how easy it is to make pasta dishes. 

• Work in my sketchbook/art journal: I didn't work much in my sketchbook/art journal. I think I only worked on one page. I didn't really have the energy to work in my sketchbook. I was also dealing with a little creative block, which contributed to my lack of work in my sketchbook.

September Goals

• Read 5 books
• Try 2 new recipes
• Work in my sketchbook/art journal
• Participate in Exhale's September blog hop
• Work on my Savannah and Tybee Island album
• Go to at least one local event
• Publish a post for the Atlanta Mom blog

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

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash