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. First Day of School

2. Skittles Mash-Up (Wild Berry + Tropical)

3. Back to School Cupcakes

4. Quiet moments

5. Doin' Time by Lana Del Rey

6. Thunderstorms

7. Chick-fil-A Rewards

8. Lemonade

9. Ice, cold water

10. Going for a much-needed walk

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

August Goals

Happy Thursday and First Day of August! I can't believe that it's August. This year is going by so fast, and I can't believe that Summer is officially almost over. My boys actually started school today, so it actually feels like Summer is over. However, we still plan to complete some tasks on our Summer Bucket List.

Last month was so busy. I had to finish Back-to-School shopping, and we tried to do all the Summer things. It was a fun month full of celebrations, BBQs, and spending time with family. Even though we had a fun-filled month, I am looking forward to a slower month.

Looking back on the previous month, I am quite surprised at the number of goals that I was able to accomplish. I'm looking forward to reaching my new goals for August. With that being said, let's recap on my goals for July and check out what new goals I set for this month.

Recap of July Goals

• Read 1 book: I read three books this month! Three books! I read Take Me with You by Andrea Gibson, Nocturnal by Wilder Poetry, and Blue Horses by Mary Oliver. I was on a poetry kick and absolutely loved it. I can't wait to share my reviews soon.

• Try 2 new recipes: This was a fail. I'm actually really disappointed that I didn't reach this goal.

• Complete 2 Skillshare classes: I only took one class this month. I loved Yasmine Cheyenne's class, Writing for Self-Discovery. The prompts were amazing. Even though I didn't complete 2 classes, I'm glad that I was able to complete 1 course. 

• Exercise/Stay Active 3 days a week: This was a fail...again. I have to do better.

• Make art 3 days a week: I made a lot of art this month. I think I was close to making art 3 days a week, so I will say that I did accomplish this goal. I went through a creative burst this month, especially when it came to scrapbooking and crafting. 

• Participate in Plastic Free July: I did participate. I used my reusable bags instead of using plastic bags. There were a few times that I did get some plastic bags, but I did reuse them. I also used my reusable Starbucks cup, but I definitely want to improve on remembering to bring them with me. 

August Goals

• Read 1 book

• Try 3 new recipes

• Complete 1 Skillshare class

• Practice Italian on Duolingo 5 days a week

• Make art 3 days a week

What are your goals for August?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash

Three Things: July

Welp...it's Monday again. And I'm still dealing with some writer's block. So I decided to complete some Q & A prompts by Steph from Life According to Steph.

Three Movies I've Watched More Than 20 Times

1. Saving Private Ryan

2. West Side Story

3. Forrest Gump

Three Things I Don't Do

1. Run

2. Go on diets

3. Write in books

Three Things I'm Always Up For Doing

1. Going for a walk

2. Scrapbooking, crafting...anything art related

3. Exploring new places

Three Good Things That Happened This Month

1. John and I celebrated our wedding anniversary!

2. First date night in a long time

3. Accomplished my reading goal

Three Things I'm Tired Of

1. Politics. This country feels broken.

2. The weather...it's way too hot.

3. The never-ending laundry

Three Things I'll Never Tire Of

1. Ice Cream Cones

2. Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos

3. Graphic T-Shirts

Three Things I Like To Photograph

1. My family

2. Books

3. The sky (love photos of sunsets)

Three Things I Can't Resist

1. Stationery

2. Book stores

3. Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Now it's your turn. Feel free to share your response or a link to your blog in the comments.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Maddi Bazzocco 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. Finished Back-to-School shopping

2. My Sweet Dumb Brain Newsletter

3. Cheeseburgers

4. Winning another giveaway!

5. Working in my Summer Story album

6. Finding magic in everyday life

7. 50% off frappuccinos at Starbucks

8. School supplies

9. Catching up on The Vampire Diaries

10. Yasmine Cheyenne's Skillshare class, Writing for Self-Discovery (You can sign up for 2 free months of Skillshare here)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


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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. Going to the Zoo

2. Ice Cream

3. A/C

4. Back to School shopping

5. Happy Mail

6. My family

7. Joining a book club and starting a new book

8. Early anniversary gifts (Our anniversary is tomorrow!)

9. Trips to the library

10. Quiet mornings

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Back to School With Crayola Take Note!

Back to School season is upon us! School will start in just a couple of weeks, and we have already started back to school shopping. As you may know, we are big fans of Crayola. When Crayola sent me a big box of Crayola Take Note! products, I was so excited. 

The Crayola Take Note! collection has so many amazing products. The collection includes 2-in-1 Dual Ended and Erasable Highlighters, Washable Felt Tip Pens, Gel Pens, Permanent Markers, and Dry Erase Markers. The Take Note! products are targeted towards tweens/teens as well as adults. My boys are not teenagers yet, so I've been using the products.

Below is a test sheet of the Dual-Ended and Erasable Highlighter Pens, Felt Tip Pens, and the Erasable Highlighters.

I loved making a color swatch of all the pens and markers. Every pen and marker is amazing. They write so smooth, and the colors are vibrant.  There was minimal bleed through on the pages.

I have been using the felt tip pens and the highlighters in my planner. I've also been using them to take notes on the courses that I'm taking on DuoLingo. I'm currently learning Italian, and the pens and highlighters are perfect for taking notes.

I love that I can use the pens and highlighters to color code topics for my blog as well as tasks, to-do lists, etc. in my planner. I'm currently working on my plans for August and using the Take Note! collection has been so useful and fun.

I also love the dry erase markers. I've been trying to get better with meal planning, and the dry erase markers make it fun to plan out my meals. The dry erase markers come in different colors and are available in 2, 4, and 12 count packages. The colors are bold, and there's not an overpowering odor. One cool feature of the dry erase markers is the ink level indicator. There is nothing worse than trying to meal plan and then finding out that your marker has run out of ink.  The ink level indicator allows you to know when you are getting low.

Overall, I highly recommend Crayola Take Note! products for all of your planning and note-taking needs as well as for Back to School shopping. You can shop for the Take Note! products at national retailers and here.

What do you think of the Crayola Take Note! collection? What are some of your favorite Crayola products?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.

71 Questions

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm going through another writer's block. I love questionnaires and Emelia shared this one on her blog. I decided this would be a fun way to try and get over this writer's block.

1. What's the best thing that happened to you this month?

I'm surpassing my reading goals for the month.

2. What's your favorite game?

Candyland

3. When are you most inspired?

When I go to the Silver Comet Trail. When I feel at peace or in a good mood.

4. If you could teach one subject in school, what would it be?

History

5. What's your favorite beverage?

Cranberry Sprite

6. What's the best compliment you've ever received?

That I'm an amazing mother.

7. What is your favorite birthday cake?

Carvel ice cream cake

8. What is one thing you still have from your childhood?

Photos

9. What is your favorite movie?

Saving Private Ryan

10. What is something you can't do?

A backflip

11. Window or aisle seat?

Window

12. What is something that makes you laugh, no matter what?

When babies laugh. I love when Raphael laughs. It's so cute!

13. What does creativity mean to you?

Expressing yourself in your own way

14. What are your favorite lyrics of all time?

Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine

"Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn"

15. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween

16. What's heavily played on your music playlist right now?

Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish
Punches by Noah Cyrus & LP
Truth Hurts by Lizzo
Kingdom Fall by Claire Wyndham
My Love Will Never Die by AG feat. Claire Wyndham
Con Calma by Daddy Yankee feat. Snow
Yr Love by Roosevelt

17. If you could raid one woman's closet, who would it be?

Florence Welch

18. Must have purse item?

Lip balm

19. What did you want to be when you grew up when you were 12?

Writer or librarian

20. What is something you will not be doing in ten years?

Dealing with toxic people.

21. What is an important life lesson for someone to learn?

Your time will come. Don't rush things. Everyone's journey is different.

22. How do you start your day?

Coffee

23. Would you ever live anywhere besides where you do now?

Absolutely!

24. What is your favorite dessert?

Cheesecake

25. Is there a dessert you don't like?

Pie (except for pumpkin pie...I love pumpkin pie)

26. It's brunch! What do you eat?

Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon

27. Where was the best vacation you've ever taken?

Disney World...it was just like magic!

28. Favorite Disney animal?

Thumper

29. What is a book you are planning on reading?

Child of the Moon by Jessica Semaan

30. What did you read most recently?

Nocturnal by Wilder

Currently reading: Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

31. Favorite solo artist?

Lana Del Rey

32. What is something you're tired of?

The never ending laundry

33. What's a city you wish to visit?

Rome

34. Heels or flats?

Flats

35. Where does one go on a perfect road trip?

New York City, Boston, Pennsylvania, or Washington D.C. I'm a huge history buff.

36. What do you do on a rainy day?

Read, journal, or watch TV

37. What's your favorite exercise?

Walking

38. What was your worst subject in school?

Math

39. What is your spirit animal?

Owl, dolphin, or wolf...I can't just choose one.

40. What do you usually eat for breakfast?

I'm horrible about eating breakfast. When I do eat breakfast, I prefer yogurt parfaits or pancakes.

41. What do you usually eat for dinner?

Something different every night, but we always have rice and some kind of meat (maybe steaks or chicken).

42. Cooking or baking?

Baking

43. Favorite baked good?

Chocolate chip cookies

44. What is something you wish you could be good at?

Painting

45. First celebrity crush?

Honestly, I can't remember.

46. Most recent celebrity crush?

Keanu Reeves

47. How do you manage stress?

Scrapbook or do something creative. Go for a long walk.

48. What do you do to relax?

Take a long bubble bath

49. Age you were first kissed?

16

50. Favorite fashion trend of all time?

Yoga pants and leggings...don't judge me

51. Do you like to wear accessories or jewelry?

Not really. I do love to wear my wedding ring.

52. Best fashion advice you've ever received?

Wear what you feel comfortable in. If you don't feel comfortable in it, then you probably won't be able to rock it.

53. What is your current favorite piece of clothing that you own?

My Rugrats and Daria graphic t-shirts

54. Shoes or bags?

Bags

55. How do you know if you're in love?

You will feel it.

56. Television show you've binged on recently?

The Vampire Diaries...it's surprisingly good. I still have a lot of seasons to catch up on.

57. Who do you turn to when you're sad?

My husband

58. Leather or lace?

Lace

59. Vintage or new?

Depends on my mood.

60. What is your Kryptonite?

Soda and sweet treats

61. What are you most enchanted by?

The moon

62. What is your biggest strength?

I'm very determined.

63. What is your biggest weakness?

I can be very stubborn.

64. What are 3 words to describe living in your city?

Inspiring, vibrant, quiet

65. Cutest thing on Earth?

My kids

66. Favorite color?

Blue

67. Best first date idea?

Walk around the city and stopping somewhere to eat and drink.

68. Favorite time of day?

Evening/night time

69. What do you first notice about someone when you meet them?

Their eyes

70. What's your guilty pleasure?

Cold Reese's peanut butter cups

71. Favorite band?

Las Chicas del Can


I hope this helped you get to know me a little bit better. Feel free to select a few questions and share your answers. I'd love to know more about you.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash