If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet a new-to-us local coffee shop and order some seasonal lattes. Of course, I'd order a pumpkin spice latte because how can I not. I'd also order a few pastries...perhaps an apple cider or pumpkin spice donut. We'd stay at the coffee shop instead of going for a walk because it's been raining the past few days, and it looks like it might just start raining again.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so excited for the official start of fall. Even though I consider the fall season to start once the boys start school again, there's something about finally sensing the actual transition of the season. It's been getting cooler, and we've had a few rainy days. We even had to break out our sweaters over the weekend. I've started cleaning and decluttering again...it feels like I'm nesting, and no...I'm definitely not pregnant. I'm in a full-blown, comfy, and cozy mood. And I absolutely love it.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I recently found another writer on Substack. I've been enjoying reading Brittany's Notebook. Brittany has some really great series in her newsletter, like her "Lovin' Lately" series and "What I Read" series. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that after feeling unsettled for the past few weeks, I'm starting to feel more at ease. I've been trying to come up with a better routine and have been focusing on self-care. Things have been too hectic, and there simply isn't enough time for everything I have to do. 

That said, I'm looking forward to the fall break. I hope to relax and spend as much time with my family as possible. I'm also looking forward to reading some good books and getting some crafting time.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm glad we were able to catch up. My coffee chats are always one of my highlights of the month. I can't wait for our next coffee chat. Until then, here's to hoping for more peaceful weeks ahead. 

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Breakslow 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. Lunch at Cousins Maine Lobster with John

2. Coffee + Crumbs 2024 Fall Collection (I love the collection of essays, poems, and photo essays.)

3. Dive Deep by Andrew Belle (This song has been on repeat.)

4. Taking care of my health 

5. Millenial Motherhood by Megan Minutillo

6. Mami's homemade chicken noodle soup (I love that she made this for me when I was sick this week.)

7. Halloween cereals ('Tis the season! One of my favorite fall and Halloween traditions is to buy Halloween cereals.)

8. Finding a new bookstore

9. Oversized t-shirts

10. It's finally Friday, and I'm so excited for the weekend! 

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Target Finds

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another Target Finds! As usual, I've found some good things at Target over the past few weeks. Luckily, most of the things I've found were items that we actually needed. However, Target has started putting up their Fall and Halloween displays, and I'm so excited! So you can bet that next month's Target Finds will have a few Halloween-themed stuff on my list.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Wood & Brass Hook Rail

John and I were tired of seeing sweaters all over our chairs, so we finally decided to buy a rail for our fall and winter outerwear. This hook rail pairs well with our shoe rack. John easily put this up, and it didn't take long at all. So far, it's holding up well, and I love how organized everything is now.

Men's Utility Cargo Jogger Pants

John needed new work pants and found some at Target that he loved. He says they are comfortable and fit well. These were a little pricey, but the quality makes up for it.

Blue Bunny Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream Cups

I've been on a soft-serve ice cream kick and was surprised that Blue Bunny has a soft-serve ice cream cup. This was so good, and the portion was perfect. 

Toddler Boys' Woven Jogger Pants

These jogger pants are so cute. They're perfect for autumn and cooler weather. I bought a pair in every color for Raphael. I love that they fit well, and the quality is really nice. 

What are some of your favorite Target Finds?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

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

1. Banana Bread and The Afterlife Cake from Crumbl Cookies

2. Nachos from the Corner Taqueria

3. Spending the afternoon at the Taste of Smyrna festival

4. New Halloween mugs from Target (I got this bat mug and this ghost mug)

5. Sleeping in

6. Treats from Hummingbird Bakehouse, Sugar Shane's, and Icings on the Cake

7. Finding new simmer pot recipes

8. Sunday day date with my love

9. Cooler weather in the mornings and evenings 

10. Starting a new book (Currently Reading: What I Must Tell the World by Jay Leslie)

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

September Goals

Happy Tuesday! We're finally in the "-ber" months, and I'm so excited! August was such a busy, stressful month. I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions and felt like an absolute mess. In August, the boys started school again. We all have gotten sick, but Gabriel seems to have been hit the hardest with what we believe was a back-to-back stomach virus. Thankfully, he's doing well now. 

However, there were some great moments sprinkled throughout the month. Michael is adjusting well to high school. Gabriel and Raphael are also doing well in school. We went to the farmer's market a couple times. We also went on a few walks and enjoyed visiting our local arboretum and pond. I read a lot of good books and newsletters. I tried a new recipe- a spicy meatball pasta dish that was amazing. I visited Crumbl Cookies a couple times and loved their cookie selections. On the last weekend in August, we went to the Marietta Art in the Park festival. We loved seeing the art pieces and walking around the square. We bought some Starbucks to cool down and then a pizza for dinner. It was the perfect way to end August.

In September, I'm desperately hoping that things slow down. I'm looking forward to more time to work on some creative projects, going to a few events around our city, celebrating John's birthday, and all the fall things—cooler weather, pumpkin everything, and spooky movies, to name a few. 

Recap of August Goals

• Read 4 books: I read 15 books in August. They were a mix of genres: a couple of poetry collections, a few children's books, a graphic novel, and a few romance novels. My favorite book of the month was Load in Nine Times by Frank X. Walker. This collection of poetry was absolutely amazing.

• Work on my Savannah and Tybee Island album: I did work on it, but I'm nowhere near to being done with it. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to, so hopefully, I will this month.

• Try 1 new recipe: I'm on a pasta kick once again. This time, I made a spicy meatball pasta dish for dinner, and it was delicious. I definitely plan to make it again. I love how easy it is to make pasta dishes. 

• Work in my sketchbook/art journal: I didn't work much in my sketchbook/art journal. I think I only worked on one page. I didn't really have the energy to work in my sketchbook. I was also dealing with a little creative block, which contributed to my lack of work in my sketchbook.

September Goals

• Read 5 books
• Try 2 new recipes
• Work in my sketchbook/art journal
• Participate in Exhale's September blog hop
• Work on my Savannah and Tybee Island album
• Go to at least one local event
• Publish a post for the Atlanta Mom blog

What are your goals for September? How did you do in August?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash

August 2024 // A List

1. August, August, August. What month it has been. I wanted a slower, calmer month, which did not happen. This was an incredibly stressful month. Honestly, I realized I didn't give myself enough grace and wasn't really kind to myself. I'm definitely going to change that next month.

2. The kids are back in school, and I'm back at work. It's been a wild ride. Back to school also means back to germs time. Unfortunately, the boys have gotten sick, but Gabriel seems to have been hit the hardest. We think he may have had a back-to-back stomach virus. However, he's feeling better.

3. Michael has been adjusting well to high school, and for that, I'm thankful. He's taking a graphic design class this semester, and he loves it. He already said he plans to continue with the Graphic Design pathway. I'm so excited that he's found something he really enjoys and can see himself doing this as a career. 

4. Gabriel is also doing well at school. Now that he has a year down in middle school, he seems well-adjusted to middle school. Raphael is also doing well in school. He's excited every morning to go to school, which always brings me so much joy.

5. We were told Raphael needed to be sedated for a dental procedure because he was afraid of the laughing gas mask. We immediately scheduled the appointment, and the idea of Raphael having to be sedated made me extremely anxious for several days leading up to the procedure. However, he did really well, and thankfully, he did not have to have much done.

6. We went to the farmers market almost every Sunday and loved it. It's one of the highlights of my week.

7. Fall officially starts in September, but for me, it begins in August. I love seeing all of the autumn displays and decor in stores. Pumpkin spice season is here, and I'm so excited! I've been devouring pumpkin spiced cake donuts from Krispy Kreme and Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks. 

8. I've started watching a new-to-me series on Netflix, A Discovery of Witches, and so far, I'm really enjoying it. I have also added Mayfair Witches and Kaos to my watch list this fall.

9. I read 14 books in August, but my favorite book of the month is Load in Nine Times: Poems by Frank X Walker. This was an incredibly powerful collection of poetry.

10. We have gone on a few evening walks throughout the month, and I loved them. On one of our walks, we took the boys to see the turtles, ducks, and fish at our local arboretum and pond park. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to go again.

11. John's birthday is in September, and I've started trying to come up with ideas on what to get him. 

12. I have a clearer vision of what I want for my career and educational goals. I've already started the process of achieving those goals, and I'm feeling so many different emotions about them.

13. I'm so glad that August is over. It was a rough month, but I'm also thankful for the happy moments. However, I'm looking forward to September. I always come alive during the "-ber" months, especially September and October.

If You and I Had Coffee

If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet up at our favorite local coffee shop. It's pumpkin spice season, so I'd order a pumpkin spice latte and a pastry. I'd also like to apologize for not being able to catch up. I've had such a busy summer, and with school and work starting back, it's been really hectic. Can you believe it's been two months since our last coffee date?

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that although we had a busy summer, it was a fun summer. We took the boys to a bunch of fun, different places like FunBox and Urban Air. We took a much-needed, last-minute vacation to Savannah and Tybee Island. I absolutely fell in love with Savannah and want to go back. John and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary in July. We spent countless hours at the pool and visited Mami. 

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so excited about autumn being right around the corner. I come alive during this season. I'm so ready for all things spooky! 

I'm looking forward to cooler weather, pumpkins, and the changing color of the leaves. I'm so excited about our local fall festivals, trick-or-treating, and other fall events.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm feeling a little conflicted about some career and school-related things. Right now, there are two different paths that I can take in my career, but I don't know which one to choose just yet. However, I'm really close to figuring it out. I'm hoping to have a better idea by September. I'm just glad that I've started preparing for both paths.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I've started watching A Discovery of Witches and I'm really enjoying this series. It's spooky season, so I'm on the hunt for a lot of shows related to magic, witches, autumn, etc. I'm also adding Mayfair Witches to my list of shows to watch.

I'm reading Load in Nine Times by Frank X Walker, and so far, it's amazing! I've had to stop and research so many of the names mentioned in this book. I've been learning so much about the lives of African Americans during the Civil War era from this book than from all my years in school. 

I also borrowed some books from the library that I'm excited to read. I purchased Maggie Nelson's Bluets and the latest issue of In Her Studio at Barnes & Noble.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm so glad we were able to finally catch up. I've really missed our coffee chats, and they are one of the highlights of my month. I hope we get to catch up next month. Here's to slower and calmer days ahead.

What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash