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. Rainy weather is returning, especially in the late afternoon and evening. I love listening to the sound of rain. It's so soothing to me.

2. Absolutely relatable. My notes are so incredibly chaotic.

3. Although it's only June, many stores have already begun displaying fall merchandise. I'm so over this heat and can't wait for the cooler fall temps. I've even started thinking about how I want to decorate our dining room table. Side note: Yes, I'm still obsessed with decorating our table with cute centerpieces.

4. A song on repeat: Deep in the Blue by Ingrid Witt

5. A favorite Sunday ritual: Going to the farmer's market. I always love getting fresh fruits, veggies, and drinks. It was fun to catch up with some of my favorite small business owners at the market.

6. We bought some new bedding sets, and I'm so excited. I also have my eye on a new dinnerware set. It's funny how new home decor, furniture, appliances, etc., make me so excited. 

7. Old Navy is currently having a sale, and I bought a few biker shorts (and they come with pockets!) as well as a few graphic t-shirts. They also have their mini swing dresses on sale. I currently have four of them in Dried Herb (my fave), white, black, and rose dawn. I may have to buy another one in Tidewater. The color is gorgeous.

8. Substack! I absolutely love reading all my favorite newsletters and discovering new ones as well. 

9. On Saturday afternoon (I suppose it was evening... it was still so weird that it was still light outside), we went to get dinner at The Corner Taqueria. While waiting for our dinner, we decided to walk around the Smyrna Pride festival. It was a lot of fun. We loved checking out all the vendors and shops. Raphael loved the music and dancing. He was also excited to check out the fire truck and received a kids' firefighter helmet. 

10. These slow summer days. Always.

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 one of our go-to coffee shops. I'd order a refresher instead of a cup of coffee since it's so hot outside. The heat has been unbearable, so we'll just stick to staying indoors for now. I'd also order a pastry and a large slice of cake to share.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm enjoying my summer break. It's been nice being able to sleep in and go to bed late. It's been nice being able to read on and off all day long. We've gone on a few adventures. We've visited the library a lot, and I even completed their summer reading challenge. I've tried a couple of new recipes and drinks. It's been absolutely wonderful.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm reading a lot of books. I'm still reading Letters from Gaza, and this book has been breaking my heart. I'm almost done with the book, but I'll try to post a review soon. I also picked up Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green, and it's been an interesting read. A newly added book to my TBR list is Jo Harjo's Girl Warrior. I was excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley. I'm really looking forward to reading this book.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm excited about the next steps in my career. Having this summer off has allowed me to really focus on what I want to do and the steps I need to take to achieve my career goals. I'm really excited to continue working on these goals, and I'm feeling so hopeful.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you I was able to work on some layouts for my family and personal Project Life albums. It really hit me how much I missed creating. I still have to finish the layouts, but I got so much stuff done, and I didn't stress about not completing them all. It was simply nice to play with my crafty supplies. I also organized a lot of my supplies and found some fun stuff to use in my sketchbook. I'm really hoping to actually take some time to work in my journal/sketchbook sometime this summer.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you I'm on a horror film kick, and a few days ago, I rewatched The Nun. Now I want to watch all of the films in the Conjuring universe. If you have any horror film recommendations (both old and new), please don't hesitate to share them with me.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm glad we were able to meet this month. It's always lovely to catch up, have a cup of coffee, and a pastry or two with a friend. I hope you have a great rest of the month and continue to enjoy summer. See you next month!

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Nathan Dumlao 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. 14 Coastal Grandma Ways To Take Care of Yourself This Summer. It appears I am in my Coastal Grandma era, and I'm here for it.

2. It's the official first day of summer! I shared my summer bucket list a few days ago. What are your plans for this summer?

3. Meghan Markle's As Ever summer drop has just launched. I'm excited to try the Hibiscus tea and a few other goodies. 

4. I participated in my county's summer reading challenge and completed it! I received a mug as a prize. I was hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia when I first visited my library to start the challenge, and then completed it. I always looked forward to summer reading challenges when I was a kid. I loved the ones from my library as well as the summer reading assignments we received from school. 

5. On repeat: Music to Watch Boys To x I Wanna Be Yours 

6. Currently reading: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

7. The world feels too big and overwhelming right now, but this poem gave me a little hope.

8. Cup of Jo's How to Do Anything

9. Fresh fruit and tulips. Forever and always. 

10. I got to see my nephew this weekend, and I'm so glad the boys got to spend time with their baby cousin. 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Summer 2025 Bucket List

Happy Wednesday! We consider summer to begin on the last day of school, but the official start of summer will be here on Friday! I'm a few days early, but I decided to share my summer bucket list since I'm excited for the official start of this upcoming season. As always, I've included my traditional must-do summer activities, as well as items mentioned in previous bucket lists. However, there are a few new things I'd like to do. I may update this list again in a couple of weeks if I come up with anything else. Check out my list below. 

• Read 10 books

• Make 4 new recipes

• Go to 1 new-to-me restaurant

• Publish 2 personal essays

• Drink more water

• Go to the Farmer's Market at least twice a month

• Watch 3 movies

• Create a photo essay

• Participate in a creative class

• Participate and complete a summer reading challenge

• Make s'mores

• Participate in Exhale's blog hops

• Start a new TV series

• Go to the pool

• Go to the library twice a month

• Work in my sketchbook/journal

• Make layouts for my memory-keeping album

• Complete a half-finished creative project

• Buy from a new-to-me business

• Go on more evening walks

• Declutter our closets

• Eat popsicles and ice cream

• Go to Food Truck Tuesday at least once

• Eat Rainier cherries

• Play more board games

What's on your summer bucket list?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Seeing the posts from the No Kings Protests has been amazing. I'm happy to see people exercising their right to peacefully protest this administration's raids on undocumented people. I have so much more I'd like to say, but I don't have the right words and don't even know where to begin. However, feel free to check out Cup of Jo's post on the immigration raids and how to help.

2. I joined my local library system's summer reading challenge and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. I remember and absolutely loved participating in summer reading challenges when I was a kid. I also recall Barnes & Noble's summer reading program, where participants could earn a free book by reading a certain number of books and completing a reading journal. I'm happy to see that this tradition continues. Get your free Barnes & Noble summer reading log here.

3. I visited my favorite boutique a few weeks ago and saw the cutest tea mug and infuser set. Mind you, this was shortly after I tried some Black Butterfly Lemonade from Soul Food Holistic Healing. A few days ago, I finally decided to go ahead and buy it. I'm eager to put it to use. 

4. Do You Have A Minute? by Brad Montague

5. Coffee + Crumbs' Summer Collection 2025 was just published. I really enjoyed some of the poems and essays. 

6. On repeat: Deeper by Kiana Ledé

7. This morning, Raphael and I went to our barbershop and hair salon so he could get a haircut. Then we went to the library to pick up a book. Our final stop was at Smyrna Coffee to get a couple of slices of Oreo cake for tonight's dessert. 

8. This mood board (or Instagram carousel).

9. Art by Kate Sutton

10. Celebrating Father's Day. John is such an amazing father and husband. He means the world to the boys and me. 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

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. The pipe and counter in our bathroom are finally fixed! What should have been a simple fix (we had a leaky faucet) turned into a whole ordeal when the repairman damaged the cabinet and pipe. Over a week later, everything is now fixed, and my bathroom is organized. A minor inconvenience, but stressful nonetheless.

2. I've been enjoying a bowl of vanilla ice cream with crushed Oreos every night as a treat, and it's been delightful.

3. I'm currently working on my Week in the Life project. Although this week doesn't seem like I'm doing much, it's been interesting to look at the little things (even the things I'd consider "boring") that have been happening. I'm not taking a ton of photos, so this project will definitely be heavy on the journaling. Working on Week in the Life has made me think about sneaking in a 'Day in the Life' mini project this summer.

4. A song on repeat: Say Yes To Heaven by Lana Del Rey

5. And another song on repeat: Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens

6. A peek inside Austin Kleon's pocket notebook

7. A kind and much-needed reminder. 

8. The New York Times Book Review's Summer Reading Bucket List

9. I'm trying to reduce food waste, especially with our fruits. During this time of year, we buy a lot of berries, and although we definitely tend to eat them all before they spoil, there are times when we've bought too many. So, I've been researching recipes for simple syrups, such as blackberry and strawberry, to use in teas and desserts. I have no idea why it's never occurred to me that I can make my own syrup, but now I'm on a kick. I plan to make a blackberry syrup for my Black Butterfly Lemonade. I'll let you all know how that goes.

10. I've been reading a lot this week, and it's made me so happy. I'm still finishing up a few books I've received from NetGalley. I'm also reading the latest issue of The Food Network Magazine. I may try to make the Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

June Goals

Happy Monday! Maycember is over, and it's finally June! I still can't believe that we're halfway through this year. May, as usual, was an incredibly busy and mostly fun month. We celebrated Michael's birthday. I still can't believe Michael is 15! We also had numerous school events like field days, class awards, and Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. Summer break officially began mid-late May, and we are excited! I always try to rest and do nothing during the last week of May or so. However, it was anything but restful. We had an issue with a faucet in our bathroom, and what we thought would be an easy repair ended up becoming an entire ordeal when the repairman accidentally damaged a pipe. The pipe then took longer to fix (as I write this, the repair is almost complete). A minor inconvenience, but a stressful one, especially since we had to move all our stuff from the bathroom. So, needless to say, I'm glad May is over. 

This month, I'm looking forward to some rest and relaxation. I'm looking forward to spending our days at the pool, exploring new-to-us places, visiting the farmers' market, and attending Food Truck Tuesdays. I'm looking forward to consuming a large amount of Rainier cherries and s'mores. I'm looking forward to working on some crafty projects, such as Week in the Life and Here: Five Things, and creating layouts for my Project Life/memory-keeping album.

Before I continue to ramble and possibly stress over the bathroom mess again, let's have a quick recap of my May goals and take a look at my new goals for June.

Recap of May Goals

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library: I finished reading Blues in Stereo by Langston Hughes. I also read A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver. 

• Read 1 book I received from NetGalley: I finished reading A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe by Mahogany L. Browne and Drawing Is...: Your Guide to Scribbled Adventures by Elizabeth Haidle. I also read The New Book by Nikki Giovanni and Memento Mori by Lenore Nox. 10/10 highly recommend The New Book by Nikki Giovanni.

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

• Try 2 new recipes: I didn't do this. I simply stuck to our usual go-to meals, which were convenient as it was a very busy month.

• Make time to play with my memory-keeping supplies: I did not do this. However, I did make a small pile of supplies that I'd like to work with for a few projects. It was fun going through the supplies. 

• Work in my sketchbook/journal at least once a week: Yikes! I didn't do this at all. The creative block is still here. Mostly, I simply didn't have the time. Maycember was a beast. By the time summer break officially started, I was exhausted. Additionally, we experienced an issue with a pipe in our home, so my attention was focused on that. Repairs have taken a little longer than we anticipated. However, I feel like I'm bursting with creative energy, and I'm eager to create something — anything.

• Work on writing a piece for an online publication: I haven't worked on this yet, but I'm trying to decide which publication I'd like to write for and submit a piece to. 

June Goals

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library
• Read 2 books I received from NetGalley
• Participate in Exhale's blog hop
• Try 1 new recipe
• Make time to play with my memory-keeping supplies
• Work in my sketchbook/journal at least once a week
• Declutter one closet a week
• Work on Week in the Life

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