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. Being a contributor for this month's issue of Holl and Lane Magazine 

2. Crafty Ass Female podcast

3. My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel

4. Smucker's Uncrustables

5. Perfect by Ed Sheeran

6. 9-1-1 tv show

7. Warm bubble baths

8. Johnny's New York Style Pizza

9. Going to bed early

10. Quiet mornings

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...
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Currently List

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another Currently List.

Watching: I don't normally watch The First 48, but it's interesting to see how the detectives work. I'm so glad that The Good Doctor is finally coming back. It's such a great show.

Reading: I'm currently reading My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel. This is such a great book and I recommend it. I was able to get the book for free by redeeming some Swagbucks points for an Amazon gift card. I would like to note that I had never purchased anything from Amazon and tried their free trial of Amazon Prime. I don't know why it took me so long to even consider buying from Amazon, but I was pretty impressed.

Listening: I've been listening to The Crafty Ass Female podcast and I'm loving it! Amanda and Kristin are amazing and they really inspire me. You can subscribe to their podcast on iTunes or listen to it on The Crafty Ass Female website.

Making: I'm still working on some blog posts for this week, but I also got a lot of drafts done for this month.

Feeling: I am so excited because Holl & Lane magazine releases on Tuesday! I'm a contributor for this month's issue and it just feels amazing to know that my work is in a magazine!

Planning: I'm still trying to decide what I want to do with Project Life. Last year, I only made layouts when I wanted to make them rather than making a layout every week and I loved it. It was less stress on me and I didn't feel pressure to make something every week. I think I'm going to do the same this year and stick with a small album.

Loving: It's been really cold so I have been loving my warm blankets. I'm really over the cold weather and just can't wait for warmer weather. Luckily it's supposed to warm up by the end of the week.

What are you currently up to?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Weekend Recap - Birthday Edition

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I thought that I'd do a little recap of my weekend since my birthday was on Friday. I still can't believe that I am 27 years old, but I'm feeling so grateful to have been able to celebrate another year. This year, I decided to celebrate my birthday for the entire weekend...and I'm so glad that I did.

Thursday

I received an early birthday gift from my Mami to go to the hair salon. While the boys were at school and John was at work, I decided to get my hair and eyebrows done. There were a couple of new hair stylists at the salon that were just so kind. I had the funniest conversation with two of the hairstylists. One of the women asked me if I was pregnant and I told her yes. She was so shocked and told me that I look little too young to have a baby. I told her I was turning 27 the next day and both of the hairstylists were so surprised. Apparently, they both thought that I was supposed to be in school. They said that when I walked into the salon, they actually looked around to see if my mother was nearby! I totally took it as a compliment because I have to admit...I was dreading turning 27. After I left the salon, I went to Cinnabon to get my free iced coffee and some Cinnastix. I didn't finish my coffee since I guess being pregnant is making me not like coffee.

Friday

My birthday was actually on Friday. I had a dentist appointment in the morning. Yea I know, I'm crazy for even setting an appointment on my birthday. When I made the appointment, I had completely forgotten about my birthday. Anyways, the appointment went well even though I hate going to the dentist. After the appointment, I went to Hobby Lobby, but didn't get anything. John and I spent some time together and got some lunch at the mall. After lunch, I took a nap before the boys came home from school. Then I went to the boys' school since I had a meeting with Michael's teachers. The meeting went well and I am so excited to share that Michael is doing so well in school. Once I got home, we all relaxed for a bit before going to my Mami's house to celebrate my birthday.

Saturday

A few weeks ago, I registered to go to a Babies R Us registry event. I loved that the event was at 10 AM. I was so excited to check out the new baby gear like travel systems, swings, entertainers, etc. I really wanted to learn more about travel systems and was clueless when it came to picking out the perfect stroller for our lifestyle. I knew that I wanted to get a stroller that I could use for jogging, but also for running errands and going out with my family. One of the registry consultants showed me a couple of strollers and helped me find the perfect stroller. At the event, we all received a baby registry gift bag (so now I have two) and we also received a box of goodies that had products specifically for expecting parents. After the event, we grabbed lunch at Chick-fil-A and then went home to relax. Then we went to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. We loved the movie and John thinks that it may just be the best movie in the franchise. Later that night, we went to my Mami's house again.

Sunday

I consider Sunday to be my recovery day. After several days of celebrating my birthday, I was a bit exhausted. I got a few loads of laundry done and read some blog posts. I also worked on a couple of blog posts for the week. I also started reading My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel and can't wait to share a review of the book soon.

Overall, I had a fantastic weekend and a wonderful birthday. I would like to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I felt so loved and loved reading all of the little messages that I received.

How was your weekend?

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. Today is my birthday!!!

2. Makeba by Jain

3. Scrapbooking

4. Grey's Anatomy rerun

5. Lucifer is finally back!

6. Happy mail

7. Cinnabon Stix

8. Apples

9. My planner

10. Me time

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Buy Buy Baby Registry Gift Bag

The past couple of weeks, I have been sharing the items that I received in my baby registry gift bags. You can check the Babies R Us registry gift bag here and the Target baby registry gift bag here. Today I'm excited to share what I received in my Buy Buy Baby registry gift bag.

It was my first time going to Buy Buy Baby so I was really excited to see the store. I was really impressed with all of the things that I saw in the store. There were several products that I saw that are not available at Target or Babies R Us. Making a baby registry was really easy and I loved that Buy Buy Baby has registry consultants that are available to help you with any questions. Another really cool thing that I found out is that many Buy Buy Baby locations has a Picture People studio! You can get professional portraits and the photos will be ready on the same day. You can find out more about Buy Buy Baby here.

Below is a list of things that I received in my Buy Buy Baby registry gift bag:

• Chicco Natural Fit pacifier (Size 0m+)

• Chicco Natural Fit disposable nursing pads

• MAM pacifier (Newborn size)

• Lansinoh sample (2 disposable nursing pads and 2 breastmilk storage bags)

• 2 samples of Boogie Wipes

• Sample of Aveeno Baby Lotion (1 fl oz)

• Sample of Noodle & Boo hair and body wash

• Sample of Noodle & Boo lotion

• 2 Seventh Generation Free & Clear diapers

• 2 Honest Company diapers (Size 1)

• Honest Company wipes (10 count)

• Baby on Board window sign

Coupons

• $1 off Aveeno Baby product

• $2 off a $10 or more purchase of MAM products

• 20% off a single item at Buy Buy Baby

• $10 off Babyganics essentials gift set

• 10% off Philips Avent bottle warmer or steam sterilizer

• $3 off any Philips Avent multi-pack of bottles

• 50 cents off any Philips Avent trainer cup

• 20% off portrait purchase by Picture People

• Free Maternity Portrait by Picture People

• $20 for 25 birth announcements

• $20 credit towards a purchase at Shutterfly

I also received a baby registry book that has information on lots of must haves for a baby and a Fit Pregnancy and Baby magazine. I really love the baby registry book because there was a lot of useful information like a registry checklist, recommendations on the amount of things to get for the baby, tips on picking specific items, additional guides and more advice for mothers who are preparing for their second baby (or third, etc.).

Even though Buy Buy Baby is a bit of a drive for me, I definitely plan on shopping there for my baby. Overall, I was very impressed with what I found at Buy Buy Baby as well as the items and coupons that were in the baby registry gift bag.

Do you have a Buy Buy Baby in your area? 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

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Currently List

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another Currently List!

Watching: I watched John and the boys play video games for a bit before I decided to run some errands. I also have to catch up on Damnation and the first season of Attack on Titans.

Reading: I'm reading You Don't Have to Like Me by Alida Nugent again. I really like this book and highly recommend it.

Listening: Oh my goodness! This song has been stuck in my head all day. I can't stop dancing to it and my boys think it's hilarious!

Making: I made a scrapbook layout and I journaled a bit. It felt so good to finally work on some scrapbooking and crafting.

Feeling: I'm so ready for 2018! I know it's going to be such a great year.

Planning: I have to finish planning the rest of the month. I have a new planner and have been setting it up for the month and the rest of the year.

Loving: I love that it's a new year. The possibilities are endless and I am loving it.

What are you currently up to?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

My One Little Word for 2018 + 2018 Goals

Happy New Year! I love starting a new year. I absolutely love the idea of a fresh start and making new goals. I always set goals and not resolutions because I think you have a higher chance of actually achieving it. I think the difference between goals and resolutions is that a plan is usually involved when setting goals. When making resolutions, I've noticed that most people just state what they don't want to do without making a plan on how to actually accomplish it.

My one little word for 2018 is GROW.

This word is going to work in so many different areas of my life. There are so many things that I want to do and hope to accomplish in 2018. Some of my goals for the new year are:

Grow as a writer
I have been saying for months now that I want to share more of my personal writings and essays on the blog, but I haven't really had the chance to do that. Well that is going to change this year. I also hope to be a contributor for several different blogs and magazines like Huffington Post and Holl & Lane magazine. In order to grow as a writer, I plan to write more in my Moleskine journal (it's actually a Moleskine sketchbook). I will be setting 15-30 minutes to write everyday in my journal. I plan to use my new planner to schedule blog posts and goals related to writing.

Grow as a creative
I want to get out of my comfort zone and work on projects that normally I wouldn't even try. I want to work on and improve my creative skills. I want my creative business to grow. I want to make new cards, scrapbook layouts, and make my own embellishments. I want to continue to work on art and try new techniques and mediums.

Grow as a person
I want to work on my self care and make sure that I take time for myself. I want to spend more time outdoors and exercise more. I want to start running and plan to continue to go on the Silver Comet Trail. I want to read more and actually reach my reading goal this year. As I stated before, I want to get out of my comfort zone. I can be very picky when it comes to food so I would love to try new recipes and go to a few different restaurants. I want to explore my city and state. I want to learn more about my city's history and culture. Exploring my city and state will help me see things in a different perspective and help me grow as a person.

I can't wait to see the changes and experiences that this word will bring for me in 2018. Honestly, I'm a little afraid, but so excited. Here's to a new year!

What is your one little word for 2018? What do you hope to accomplish this year?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...