If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd stop at my favorite, new-to-me coffee shop, Café Lucia. I'd order a seasonal coffee, a BLT sandwich, and a pastry. Of course, we'll probably order something to take home as well. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that last week (and the start of June) was such an amazing, fun-filled week. We took the boys to FUNBOX and had a blast. I think the parents had just as much fun as the kids. We also went to a new-to-us restaurant, The Corner Taqueria, for Taco Tuesday. We absolutely loved it! The fried ice cream was my favorite. I can't believe we've lived so close to this restaurant and haven't gone until now. After dinner, we took the boys to a playground and went for an evening walk. I also decided to go to a new-to-me coffee shop, Café Lucia, which I liked. I was able to study and enjoy some delicious coffee.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that this past weekend was also great. I took the boys to the farmer's market on Saturday and bought some amazing treats. I bought some beignets, a strawberry croissant, a pain au chocolat, and madeleines from an authentic French bakery. I also bought some pepperoni rolls, which we had for lunch, a strawberry shortcake muffin, and a bag of granola. On Sunday, I had a girls' night at Bartaco with some ladies from the Atlanta Mom team. The tacos, chorizo bowls, and margaritas were delicious. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently read a pretty good book by Matthew Eicheldinger called Sticky Notes: Memorable Lessons from Ordinary Moments. In the book, Eicheldinger shares stories from his years of teaching and the lessons he's learned from his students. It was a quick read, but the short stories were great. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm enjoying working on creative projects like the latest Here: 5 Things course. I've been using my Neocolors II crayons to work on the prompts. This is my latest favorite art supply, and I love how versatile they are. I've been dipping them in water or I'll draw and then use a watercolor brush over the marks. Another project I'm working on is my Project Life album. I finally got a big batch of photos from Persnickety Prints, and I've already put two months' worth of pictures into layouts. Now, I have to get the journaling done.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm focusing on my health this summer. I've made my doctor's appointments to get my annual checkup/physical. I've been drinking as much water as possible and limiting my caffeine intake. I've neglected my well-being for a while, but I feel much better now that I'm making some changes. I'm doing my best to rest and relax while also making sure to do the things that I want to do. I'm focusing on spending time with my family and going to different places with John and the boys. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer. I'm glad we were able to catch up. I hope the rest of the month goes well for you. I hope you have the best summer ever. I can't wait to meet up again.

What would you tell me? 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Natanja Grün 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. Indila - Love Story (Slowed) by Shashikant Gupta

2. My adjustable bed frame

3. Café Lucia (I tried the Paradise coffee, and it was delicious!)

4. Sticky Notes by Matthew Eicheldinger

5. Working on the latest Here: 5 Things prompts 

6. Neocolor II Aquarelle set

7. Fried ice cream

8. My new dumpster fire mug

9. Studying and learning new things related to my field of work

10. Taking care of myself (both physically, mentally, and emotionally)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Wednesday! It's time for another Target Finds! As usual, I've found some great things at Target over the past few weeks. You'll probably notice that most of my favorite finds this month are food and drink-related (don't judge me).

Starbucks Frappuccino Oatmilk Dark Chocolate Brownie Coffee

I was curious about how oat milk would taste in coffee, and the chocolate brownie flavor sounded really good, so I decided to get this Starbucks single-serve coffee. It was actually pretty good. You can definitely taste the chocolate brownie flavor. This definitely had oat milk, but it was good. The flavors were not overpowering and seemed balanced, but it was sweet. This was definitely a splurge, but it was a nice little pick-me-up. I plan to try the Starbucks oat milk caramel waffle cookie coffee next.

Mr. Beast Feastables Peanut Butter Crunch Chocolate Bar

I tried the milk crunch and really liked it, so I wanted to see if the peanut butter crunch bar was good. This peanut butter chocolate bar was good. You could definitely taste the peanut butter. I liked the puffed rice. However, it is a little pricey compared to other chocolate bars.

Sprite Chill Cherry Lime Soda (Slim Can)

I don't know what made me want to try this because I'm usually not a fan of cherry in any kind of soda. However, this was surprisingly good. You could definitely taste the cherry flavor, but it wasn't as strong as in other sodas like Coke and Pepsi. In fact, I think the cherry flavor pairs well with the lemon-lime. I don't know if I'd buy this often, but changing things up a bit was nice.

Olay Cleanse Gentle Foaming Face Cleanser

After my local Target stopped carrying my usual cleanser, I tried to find a decent alternative. I've started using Olay's gentle foaming face cleanser, and it's been okay so far. It foams well, and the product is a little thick, but a little goes a long way. The pump is not that great, and I wonder if I just bought one that was messed up.

What are some of your favorite Target Finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

June Goals

Happy Monday! Can you believe that it's June? As much as I enjoyed May, I'm ready for a slower month filled with a decent amount of rest and relaxation. May was a fun filled month full of celebrations, last minute errands, and a mile long to do list.

In May, we celebrated my oldest son's, Michael, birthday. We also celebrated my nephew's birthday. We celebrated Mother's Day at Mami's house. It was a big school year for my boys. They each hit some milestones this year. Raphael started and finished kindergarten. Gabriel finished his first year of middle school. Michael graduated from eight grade and is now heading to high school! You guys...I'm going to have a high schooler! Time is going by too fast. And yes, I may have shed a tear or two for my boys. As for me, this was a big year in regards to my job and it was a wild ride. I definitely celebrated surviving the year.

This month, I'm looking forward to going to my local farmer's markets and handmade markets. I'm looking forward to having a date night with John at an event that I have been looking forward to for weeks. I'm looking forward to reading good books, relaxing at the pool, and eating delicious food and treats. I'm looking forward to working on some crafty projects. I'm excited to have this creative burst of energy and I'm looking forward to putting it to good use. Most of all, I'm looking forward to a slower month and savoring the every day moments.

Before I continue to ramble, let's get to the main reason of this post which are my new goals for June and a quick recap on my May goals.

Recap of May Goals

• Read 5 books: I read 14 books in May. It was a good month for books. My top three favorite books for the month are: The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo, Trigger by C.G. Moore, and My Begrudging Scent Matches by Naomi Phillips.

• Read 2 books I borrowed from the library: I borrowed several books from the library, but was able to finish reading exactly two books. I read Open Throat by Henry Hoke and The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo. I enjoyed reading Open Throat. It was truly an unexpected read, but a great read. I absolutely loved The Puppets of Spelhorst. 10/10 highly recommend. 

• Catch up on reading Substack newsletters: I've been slowly catching up on several Substack newsletters and I'm loving the app. It's so much more convenient.

• Participate in Exhale's May blog hop: I did participate in Exhale's May blog hop. You can find my piece here.

• Work in my traveler's notebook: This did not happen. I completely forgot about this goal. However, I did work in my Project Life album.

• Try 2 new recipes: I'm still on a pasta kick so I made spicy chicken andouille sausage pasta with spicy marinara sauce. It was delicious and really easy to make. It's officially farmer's market season so I bought the andouille sausage from one my favorite farmer's market. I also made some breakfast sandwiches using some new-to-me brands. I'm not sure if I should even count this since it was a simple egg, bacon, cheese sandwich, but I'm going to count it since I actually made the sandwiches.

• Work in my sketchbook/journal: I did work in my sketchbook and used the Messy May prompts for a couple of pages.

• Participate in Get Messy's Messy May: I did participate in Messy May, but I didn't work on every single prompt and I also didn't work on it every day. However, I participated which I was glad to do. I plan to slowly work through the prompts.

June Goals

• Read 6 books

• Read 1 book I borrowed from the library

• Participate in Exhale's June blog hop

• Go to my local handmade market at least twice in June

• Work on my Project Life album

• Try 1 new recipe

• Participate and complete the latest round of Here: 5 Things course

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

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's June already! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. Cowboy Cookie from Crumbl Cookies

2. Open Throat by Henry Hoke 

3. Daylight by David Kushner

4. Katie Licht's latest Substack post on craft, frivolity, purpose, and time

5. Conversations with Mami

6. The Childcare Menu of Your Dreams by Heidi Fiedler

7. Learning about the Cricut Maker and Mug Press

8. Random conversations with fellow crafty strangers at Michaels

9. Our new mattress

10. New York Times Spelling Bee

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

May 2024 // A List

1. May was an incredibly busy but fun month. So far, it's been one of my favorite months of the year, but I usually say that every year. 

2. There were so many things on my calendar and things to celebrate. We celebrated Michael's birthday and my nephew's birthday. The end of the school year was heavily celebrated, especially since this was a big year for all three of my boys. Raphael finished kindergarten, Gabriel finished sixth grade, and Michael graduated from middle school and will be in high school next school year. I completed my first full year at my job, and it was a wild ride. 

3. We celebrated Michael's graduation with an award ceremony at his school. We also participated in the school parade and had fun decorating our car. Raphael also had a kindergarten award ceremony that was really cute. 

4. I absolutely love graduation season. I am absolutely that person who will cry at a random stranger's graduation video. To the graduates of 2024 (whether they are graduating from pre-k, kindergarten, middle school, high school, or college), I wish you all the best. 

5. I went to my local handmade market and absolutely loved it. I went on opening day, and it was a lot of fun. I saw lots of new vendors and got to try a lot of new things. I bought some smoked chicken andouille sausage, a blackberry lemonade to drink while I shopped, and some juice. I can't wait to go again this weekend.

6. Katie Licht's latest substack post, Craft, Frivolity, Purpose, and Time, was a great read and has been on my mind for days. Her words on starting and abandoning projects hit home for me. I, too, have so many unfinished projects that you might as well say have been abandoned. For instance, I have several years of Project Life albums that still need to be completed, but I hope to finish them one day. 

7. Speaking of projects, I bought some new art supplies, and one of my favorite supplies is the UHU stic. It's a glue stick that's excellent for scrapbooking. I'm also considering buying a Cricut machine, so I've been researching several machines.

8. We celebrated Mother's Day and visited Mami. It was nice to be spoiled, and I enjoyed the gifts from John, the boys, and Mami. 

9. Teacher (Educator) Appreciation Week was a real treat. It's amazing to acknowledge teachers, paras, and other staff members during this week. The gifts and words of thanks were so appreciated.

10. I am currently obsessed with flowers. I have photographed so many different flowers in May. One of my favorite are the daisies outside my local library. They look absolutely gorgeous. 

11. I participated in Exhale's monthly blog hop. I really enjoyed this month's prompt. You can read my piece here.

12. I also shared a piece on the Atlanta Mom blog. My latest post is a list of upcoming family-friendly movies. You can check out my post here.

13. May was definitely a "treat yourself" month. I tried a bunch of new cookies from Crumbl Cookies, consumed a ridiculous amount of Summer Berry Lemonade refreshers from Starbucks, and new-to-me snacks. 

14. Of course, there were a couple of hiccups along the way, but the good outweighed the bad. 

15. May was absolutely an amazing month. I look forward to enjoying the rest of my summer. Here's to adventure, getting enough rest, trying and doing new things, reading good books, listening to good music, documenting and journaling, and working on creative projects.

Atlanta Mom Blog

Happy Monday! I'm over at Atlanta Mom with a new post. I'm sharing a list of upcoming family-friendly movies. Feel free to check out my post and tell me what you think. You can check out my previous posts here.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...