May 2025 // A List

1. Maycember has come to an end. This entire month was a blur of events, both at work and in my personal life. There were numerous end-of-the-school-year events, including Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, Field Day, and class celebrations. We also celebrated Michael's birthday and Mother's Day. 

2. I'm still shocked that Michael is now 15! 15! In just 3 years, he will be a legal adult, and I am not even ready to think about that. I'm so honored that I'm his mother. He's an absolute joy, and it's been amazing watching him grow. 

3. May was the month for trying new restaurants. John and I went to have breakfast at First Watch and absolutely loved it. It may just be our new go-to spot for breakfast and brunch. I also checked out FruiTea Bubbles Café, a shop that sells teas and juices. Just yesterday, I went to the grand opening of Jars by Fabio Viviani. It was only after I got home with some treats that I discovered Fabio Viviani is a well-known chef and restaurateur who appeared on Bravo's Top Chef.

4. Once summer break officially started, I honestly didn't want to do anything until June. Every year, when school (and work) ends, I simply want to rest and do nothing for about a week or so. This was a wild school/work year for me, and I needed at least a week or so to decompress and relax. 

5. My main home project this summer will be to declutter our closets. Every season, I do this, but there are a few more closets that absolutely need to be organized. I already have boxes ready, so all I need to do is just try to tackle one closet a day. I plan to sell and donate as much as possible. 

6. In an attempt to limit the boys' screen time during summer break, I'm hoping we'll get to visit lots of new-to-us places while also revisiting some of our favorite spots. Today, we visited the Atlanta History Center for the first time and really enjoyed it. I was amazed at how large the place was. There were so many exhibits. Raphael absolutely enjoyed the Goizueta Children's Experience. I thought it was such a cool exhibit. The Swan House is also an interesting place to visit. It's a stunning historic mansion. We'll have to go back to check out some of the other exhibits. 

7. A reminder: Be sure to check out your local library's resources. My local library system offers passes to parks and museums (and so much more). We actually decided to use one to visit the Atlanta History Center. This is such an excellent resource for families who homeschool as well. 

8. I'm still reading books on my DNFY list, and I'm also still reading quite a few books I've received from NetGalley. One of the books I'm currently reading is Dear Writer by Maggie Smith, and I've been enjoying it. I'm also reading a couple of poetry collections and a few romance novels. Summer reading is in full force right now.

9. This last week of May has been incredibly eventful. Honestly, it was a rough week, but there were still some wonderful moments. And for that I am grateful. 

10. May, you were a whirlwind, but I'm so grateful for all the fun my family and I had. I'm so excited to get started on our summer traditions and work on crossing off things on my summer bucket list. June, may you be a more peaceful yet fun month. I have high hopes for you.

Just Five Things

1. It may still be spring, but summer is in full swing over here. Lately, I've been enjoying an insane amount of Rainier cherries, flowers, wearing soft shorts, listening to random summer rain showers, and taking a nap here and there. 

2. I've just discovered Betsey Johnson shoes, and I'm obsessed. These shoes are so colorful, fun, and cute. DSW currently carries Betsey Johnson sandals, heels, sneakers, and boots. I've got my eyes on these heels (and if you know me, you know I rarely wear heels): Fergie Sandal, Lenah Sandal, Mikah Sandal. 

3. I'm not a big fan of tea, but I recently visited my local farmer's market and discovered a business called Soul Food Holistic Healing, which sells amazing teas and drinks. I'm obsessed with their Black Butterfly, which combines butterfly pea flower tea and lemonade. Now, I'm interested in trying similar drinks and teas. I'll be sure to share some new teas as I try them. 

4. I'm reading several books, but I've been really enjoying Always Yours by Hope Ford. I'm also still reading Dear Writer by Maggie Smith. It's taken me a bit longer than it would take to read this book, but I'm trying to take my time with it. I love that she wrote about titles and how tricky they can be to come up with for pieces. Coming up with titles is something I have always struggled with, so it was interesting to read her take on them.

5. "Unlearn the ways of perfectionism by making art, taking photographs, writing words on a page...Let the creative process help you observe how beauty can emerge in an imperfect, candid space."

-Morgan Harper Nichols

What have you been up to?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Timo C. Dinger 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. School is out, and summer break has begun! I'm so excited!

2. Brad Montague's Graduation Speech from a Moth

3. A current favorite treat: Vanilla Stroopwafel Ice Cream Sandwiches

4. Haley Weaver's list of colors she's seen this spring

5. Summer Reading has begun! I received a few arcs from NetGalley, and I can't wait to dive into them. 

6. I found a new-to-me local small business, Soul Food Holistic Healing, that sells herbal tea products and absolutely love their Black Butterfly Lemonade. I'm not a big fan of tea, but this drink was so good. I plan to purchase some other teas and blends.

7. I've just edited a bunch of photos that I plan to use in my Project Life album, and I can't wait to get them printed and shipped to me.

8. How gorgeous is this collage by Mona Stamm? I also love the idea of making a collab travel journal. 

9. A song on repeat: Daydreaming by Harry Styles

10. The boys and I went over to Mami's, and we got to see my brother. It was a nice visit. Good food, good conversations, and some family time were much-needed and so welcome. 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

And I Become Her

When I was in my 20s, I had slightly dreaded the day when I would turn 30. And I'm not even really sure why. Perhaps it's because I've always noticed that most people are settled in their 30s, and it seems many expect people in their 30s to already be married, have children, have a career, and so on. My 20s were a whirlwind. I got engaged to my fiancé (now my husband), graduated from college, got married, and had three sons. I became a stay-at-home mother and wife, leaving the workforce to care for my young family. I was and still am truly grateful that I was able to do this. 

I am now 34, and I can honestly say that I love this decade, this era, that I am in. Yes, I feel more settled than I ever have before. I have an amazing husband and three amazing sons. As my children grew older and are now in school full-time, I took the opportunity to return to work, which brought up some feelings for me (mainly feeling unsettled), but that's a story for another day. However, I feel more comfortable and confident. Yesterday, I looked in the mirror and noticed a few more grays in my hair. I smiled instead of internally panicking. I consider it a blessing that I get to experience this. 

Now that I'm in my 30s, I've noticed I'm better at taking care of my health. I'm much more mindful of what I consume. I value my me-time and time in general. I don't feel the need to prove myself, and I know what I want. I advocate for myself much more than I did when I was in my early 20s. I'm better at letting things go now than when I was younger. I'm also giving myself a lot more grace. I'm starting to really understand who I am, what I want, and what I need. I know the kind of woman I've always wanted to be, the woman I've always dreamed of. And I'm taking the steps to become her. And I welcome this journey of becoming with open arms, an open heart, and so much hope.

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 "Become".

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. I read a few great books this week. I finished reading A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver in one evening. I also read an advance copy of The New Book by Nikki Giovanni. 10/10 recommend. I also finished reading Alice Hoffman's latest short story in The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories, The Bookstore Family.

2. Get Messy May is in full swing. I've been so inspired by so many artists who have participated in this art challenge. 

3. I went to the Smyrna Farmers Market and enjoyed a mango lemonade. It was delicious and made me wish for summer's arrival. 

4. I went to my favorite gift shop and bought a few things for a friend and coworker. I also bought a few goodies for myself. 

5. A song on repeat: Pretty Baby by Alex Sampson

6. I've been researching places to take the boys during summer break. On the top of my list is the Atlanta History Center. I definitely want to take Raphael to the Goizueta Children's Experience.

7. Don Pettit's photos from outer space. (Thank you to Cup of Jo for sharing!)

8. Inside the Living Room of Notable New Yorkers (The New Yorker)

9. This weekend was fantastic. I got everything on my little to-do list done, and I was able to have a decent amount of me-time. 

10. Only three more days left of school/work!

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 up at one of our new favorite little coffee shops. It may be the afternoon, but I could definitely use a little pick-me-up, especially since I didn't have a morning coffee. I'll probably order a pastry or two as a snack. The weather is much nicer this afternoon, so maybe we'll even go for a little walk around the neighborhood.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that we are just days away from the last day of school, and I am so excited. I can't wait to have the summer off. However, I have thought of maybe picking up a temp job related to my potential career field, but it would also be nice to just have the summer completely off. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that we had a great time celebrating Michael's birthday. I still can't believe he's 15! Time is going by so fast. His birthday happened fall during the middle of the week, but we still did our birthday traditions. Since the weather had been so awful for most of the week, including the weekend, Michael decided he wanted a more laid-back celebration at home. However, we are still planning to celebrate his birthday all month long. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm currently reading an arc of Nikki Giovanni's upcoming final book, The New Book. This collection is filled with poems, letters, blurbs, etc., about her early life while also addressing recent current events. So far, this book has been absolutely amazing, and I look forward to reading more of her work. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that there's so much I'd like to do this summer. I think I may join Exhale's 100 Days of Summer on Film class, and I'm also thinking about joining another creative class or challenge. I want to try new recipes and work in my journal and sketchbook. I also plan on working on my Project Life album. I'm craving getting back to my creative projects, and I'm tired of being stuck in a semi-creative block. I have so many ideas and plans, but once I sit down to work on something, I get stuck. It's been really frustrating. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so glad we were able to catch up. Summer is almost here, and by the time of our next coffee date, it'll definitely be here. Maybe during our next coffee chat, we'll order some refresher drinks to go and check out a farmer's market. One thing I've been looking forward to is buying some Rainier cherries. Here's to counting down the rest of the days until summer break. Here's to peaceful days ahead. I hope you enjoy the rest of May. See you next month.

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Daniel Campbell on Unsplash

May 2025 Goals

Happy Monday! It's finally May—one of my favorite months of the year! April went by pretty fast, except for that last week. 

April was a fun month. We celebrated Raphael's birthday and were so glad that his birthday was in the same week as spring break. We started the celebrations early by going to the Great Wolf Lodge a few days before his birthday. The kids loved the water park. We also had so much fun playing mini golf and bowling. We returned home on his actual birthday and did our usual birthday traditions —birthday cake, balloons, candles, and gifts. We also went to the spring festival. Raphael enjoyed the bouncy houses, Michael and Gabriel had fun exploring the area, and we all enjoyed eating some treats. I tried a new-to-me mobile coffee shop and went to Sincerely Yours Bookstore on Independent Bookstore Day. 

This month, I'm looking forward to celebrating Michael's birthday. I can't believe he's turning 15! I'm looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day. I already bought Mami's gift, and I'm glad I did this early. When I went to buy the gift, the item was the last one in stock. I'm also looking forward to celebrating Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. I'm also looking forward to the end of the school year. Only 12 more days! I'm so excited!

Since it's a new month, it's time to have a quick recap on last month's goals, and then we can check out my goals for May.

Recap of April 2025 Goals

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library: I read The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park and The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman. The Deal of a Lifetime nearly had me in tears. It was such an amazing read. Raphael and I also read several books we borrowed from the library together. 

• Read 2 books I received from NetGalley: I read Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel by Natalie Babbitt, and I Heard the Bells on Christmas by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Tuck Everlasting is such a great book, so I was excited when I found out that it was being made into a graphic novel. The graphic novel was great! It was definitely condensed, but it worked well. Reading Tuck Everlasting made me want to watch the movie. As for I Heard the Bells on Christmas, this was a cute poem that was made into a little book. The illustrations were gorgeous, and the message is so important, especially with everything going on in the world.

• Participate in Exhale's blog hop: I did participate in the blog hop. You can check out my piece here.

• Try 1 new recipe: Unfortunately, I can't remember if I did try a new recipe, so I'm going to assume that I didn't.

• Make time to play with my scrapbook/memory-keeping supplies: I did not do this at all. April was such a busy month, and I simply didn't take the time to sit down and make any layouts. 

• Work in my sketchbook/journal at least once a week: See above.

• Make my own flower arrangement using grocery store flowers: I haven't tried this yet, but I definitely want to. I didn't bother to make any arrangements because I already had a few bouquets given to me, and the flowers lasted for a while.

• Work on writing a piece for an online publication: I haven't worked on this yet, but I have a few ideas for a few pieces. It's a matter of picking which one I'd like to work on first.

May Goals

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library
• Read 1 book I received from NetGalley
• Participate in Exhale's blog hop
• Try 2 new recipes
• Make time to play with my memory-keeping supplies
• Work in my sketchbook/journal at least once a week
• Work on writing a piece for an online publication

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

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Timo C. Dinger on Unsplash