10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their happy and grateful list link up.

1. Fire on Fire by Sam Smith

2. Reading new books

3. Trying a new schedule

4. Pepperoni Pizza

5. Package from Ali Edwards

6. Art journal pages on Instagram

7. Paper Person's Be Mine kit

8. Helen from Sweet Magnolias (I'm still not sure how to feel about the show, but Helen is probably the best character.)

9. Naps

10. #gmseasonofenough

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time... 

Favorite Books Read in January 2022

Happy Tuesday! It's been a while since I've shared some of my favorite reads, so I thought it'd be fun to share my favorite books from January 2022. I read 32 books in January! It was an excellent month to read.

There were several books that I was really excited to read. Some of the books I read were anthologies, a few were novellas and/or short stories, and others were novels.

Not only did I think it'd be fun to share my favorite reads in January, but I thought it would be fun to link up with Steph and Jana for their "Show Us Your Books" series.

Lies by A.L. Woods

Oh my goodness! This is not a book that I would typically read, but I'm happy that I did. Lies is a second-chance married couple romance. The story falls into several other tropes like workplace romance, opposites attract, and accidental pregnancy. I've read second-chance romance books before but have never read one that involves a married couple, infidelity, or the loss of a child. However, this book really got my attention, so I decided to give it a shot. I devoured this book in a day...it was so good.

Lies is a standalone novel set in A.L. Woods' Reflections universe. The story is about Dougie and Penelope, a newlywed couple whose marriage is falling apart. I don't want to give too much away, but Dougie and Penelope were keeping secrets from each other. However, I think Dougie's secret was far worse. Penelope's "lies" seemed more understandable because she was grieving. It was evident that communication was not one of these characters' strongest suits. Their lack of communication and secrets literally almost destroyed their marriage. Dougie and Penelope kept so much stuff buried inside that it almost consumed them as well. Once everything was out in the open, Dougie really tried to work things out while Penelope was going through a range of emotions and was contemplating divorcing Dougie. Eventually, they both decide to try to work things out.

For more information on the book, click here.

I received an ARC from Grey's Promo in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Snowed Inn for Christmas: A Christmas Anthology

Yes, I am still working my way through some Christmas books. It took me a while to finish this anthology, but only because I had many holiday-themed books to read in November and December. I also had many other books that I had started or needed to finish. 

This anthology was really great. The collection featured nine novellas about couples being together during Christmas. These short stories could be classified as "insta-romance." I love that each couple and story was different. I also loved that there was a story that featured a married couple. 

Pack Darling Part 2 by Lola Rock

I was so excited to read this book. This is the second and final part of the Pack Darling series. The story follows Lilah and the Wyvern pack (Atlas, Jett, Orion, Finn, and Hunter). The Wyvern pack are supposed to be Lilah's mates, but they mess up big time at the end of the first book. Pack Darling Part 2 picks up immediately following the first book's events.

I absolutely loved the groveling that the guys did, and I loved how each one of the guys changed. The character growth was incredible, especially for Jett and Atlas. I also loved how confident Lilah was and how she made sure to stand up for herself and put herself first. I wish there was more of a storyline with the Sorenson pack. I also think that Orion should have done some groveling as well. Lilah definitely forgave him almost immediately. However, I love that he and Lilah got to spend time together. I love that the guys' dads stepped up a little and made sure to make changes to the staff at the school that Lilah lived at; however, I think there should have been more groveling on their part. Of all the characters, it seems that Hunter was the most respectful of Lilah's wishes. We find out what happened to Jett, which was terrible. 

Overall, everything tied up together at the end, but I love that there was an opening for a possible new spinoff series. Fingers crossed that it actually happens.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I've always loved reading mythology, folktales, fairytales, etc., and am always interested in reading anything by Neil Gaiman. He is one of my favorite writers and storytellers. Norse Mythology had been on my TBR list for a while, and I finally decided to go ahead and read it. And I am so glad that I did. 

Norse Mythology is Gaiman's retelling of myths. The stories are primarily about Odin, Thor, and Loki, with a few other characters thrown in the mix. All of the stories lead up to the final story, which is Ragnarok. 

You can tell that Gaiman researched Norse mythology, and I loved that he included a notes section and a glossary at the end of the book. I ended up looking up several of the different people mentioned in the glossary, and I also learned more about the Poetic Edda. 

I'm More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans by Ginny Hogan

I'm More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans is a book about dating. I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was funny. I loved that this book included lists, short stories, observations, fake text conversations, etc. It definitely made the book even more interesting and unique. I loved the graphics as well. Reading this book almost felt like reading a magazine which I absolutely loved.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What did you read in January? What are you currently reading?

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 happy and grateful list link up.

1. Air Heads Bites candy

2. Photographs from Persnickety Prints finally arrived

3. Working on my Project Life album

4. Cross things off my to-do list

5. Listening to old-school love songs

6. After We Fell

7. Getting a Cinnamon Dolce Latte while running errands

8. Finally getting my wedding ring resized

9. Ice skating videos

10. Art journal pages by Caylee Grey

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time... 

February Goals

Happy Wednesday! Wow! It's a new month! January felt like the longest but shortest month ever. Last month was amazing. I celebrated my birthday all month long, read many great books, worked on my sketchbook, and felt fantastic. I definitely reflected on the last year and thought about my goals, hopes, and wishes for this new year. 

I think I did pretty well with my goals for January. This month, I have some new goals and some old ones that I hope to accomplish this month. So let's check out how I did with last month's goals and check out my new goals for February. 

Recap of January Goals

• Read 5 books: I read 29 books in January. A few of them were books that I didn't finish last year, and some were short stories. One of my favorite reads was Lies by A.L. Woods. I'll be posting a review of that, and a few of my other favorite reads soon.

• Read 3 books that I need to review soon: I am so happy to accomplish this goal because I almost didn't. I'm still in this weird phase of starting new books before finishing the ones I'm currently reading. 

• Finish reading at least 3 books I didn't finish in 2021: I read at least 5 books that I didn't finish last year, and I still have a few more to finish. It's been really satisfying to see the number of books that I need to finish reading go down.

• Finish December Daily 2020 traveler's notebook: Yikes! I didn't work on my traveler's notebook at all this month. Once again, I forgot about it and was so interested in working on my other projects.

• Catch up on my Project Life album: I did catch up on my album, but I do have to add some photos and ephemera in a couple of layouts. I'm still waiting on a few photos to arrive from Persnickety Prints. 

• Try 1 new recipe: I didn't try a new recipe, but I do have all the ingredients for a cajun shrimp pasta recipe that I want to try. This will be a new recipe that I'm going to try. I really hope it turns out well.

• Drink more water: I did drink more water, but not as much as I should have. 

• Work on my new sketchbook: I was so happy to start and work on my new sketchbook. My sketchbook is a different size and brand than I normally use, so it's a bit of an adjustment, but it's not so bad. 

February Goals

• Read 4 books

• Read 2 books that I need to review soon

• Read Untamed by Glennon Doyle for the ALP Book Club

• Post 2 personal pieces on the blog

• Try 1 new recipe

• Finish last year's Project Life album

• Work on Project Life layouts in my 2022 album

• Finish my January 2022 traveler's notebook

What are your goals for February? How did you do in January?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

January 2022 // A List

January was a month full of celebrating.

January was a month for embracing the stillness.

January was a mixture of hoping and dreaming and being optimistic.

January was full of surprises.

January was a month of reflecting on turning 31 and how I want this year to go.

January was also a month of reflecting on the past year. Chapter 30 was truly a wild ride.

January was a month full of planning.

I finally used a planner after not using one for most of last year.

January was a month full of making new goals and looking at what I want to accomplish this year.

January was a good month for reading.

I gave myself a lot of grace this month.

January was a month full of creating and writing.

January felt like the longest month, but also the shortest.

Goodbye January. We are off to a good start.

Hello February. I welcome you with open arms.

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their happy and grateful list link up.

1. Finally receiving my lost package

2. Warm blankets

3. Randomly remembering hilarious conversations

4. Reading new books

5. Working on my Project Life/Studio Calico album

6. Journaling

7. Getting new ideas for projects

8. Going through my memory-keeping album from 2021

9. These words by Angela Larsen

10. Quiet mornings

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time... 

A Late Recap on Last Week

I've been reading Meera Lee Patel's newsletter and was inspired by her documenting five things she wants to remember every week. I decided to write my own list of good things that happened each day of the week. It's similar to my weekly happy and grateful list, but I think I may just pick a random week to document every month. Although this recap is a happy one, I plan to share the bad days because I think it's ok to document both the good and the bad.

Monday, January 17

I know it's well past Christmas, but I just finished reading Snowed Inn for Christmas: A Christmas Anthology by Elle Christensen and eight romance authors. The book featured nine couples, and each story is set in Winter Falls. It was such a great read. 

I am determined to finish reading all of my holiday books that I didn't finish reading in December, and so far, I'm almost done. I only have one more book to read, and that one is also an anthology.

Tuesday, January 18

Pack Darling Part Two was finally released today after the release date was pushed back a couple of times. This is one of the books that I have been so excited to get to read. I read the book in just two days. It was so good. 

Wednesday, January 19

I'm still celebrating my birthday and decided to do one of my favorite birthday traditions: visit the Love Street gift shop and get something for myself. I found a cute fanny pack by Kavu. I have the Purple Storm fanny pack, and I think it'll be helpful for when I go for walks on the Silver Comet Trail or around my neighborhood.

Thursday, January 20

John had some overtime, so he took a long lunch break, and we went to the mall. We bought some new chargers for our phones and then got lunch and Starbucks.

Friday, January 21

Ah, Friday! My favorite day of the week! I ran some errands with John. Then we got some smoothies from Smoothie King for the first time in months, and it felt like a hello from Summer. 

Later in the day, I had a bit of an accident. I'm not even sure how in the world to explain, but the short story is that our baby/toddler gate almost killed me. After falling down, I had two big scrapes/cuts on my knee and arm. The next day, a bruise formed. I'm ok but was really annoyed when it happened.

The best part of my day was when I visited my little sister and nephew. Jaileny gave me the best gift...she asked me to be Amir's godmother! I'm so excited. I love the gift that she gave and how she surprised me. *See photo above.*

How was your week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...