A few weeks ago on my Instagram, I asked for some questions for a Q and A. I did this last time during Blogtober, which was very successful. I wanted to do it again because it was such an interactive post that I enjoyed doing. Also, if you haven’t, you should totally follow me on Instagram. #insertshamelessplughere
That said, here are some questions that I got for this post!
Any holiday shopping tips?
Honestly, if you’re doing any online shopping, the sooner the better! It’s always better to have it early than to have to print a picture of it. Other than that, just trying to break it up in smaller pieces than do everything at one — it’s easier on your budget and less overwhelming.
What made you want to start a blog? When was the moment you knew you would pursue it?
I always wanted to be a writer or do something with writing. I don’t remember why I started my first blog (which was a diary and a bunch of reflections) over 10 years ago. What keeps me blogging is just having a chance to do something that I love and a space to write whatever is important to me.
I’ve seen you write about Milford, Connecticut a lot, what are your top five shops in there?
Happy Wednesday everyone! The Christmas season is in full swing and I am less than two weeks from my vacation. I am really excited to further indulge in Christmas movies and music for the foreseeable future.
That said, I’ve been wanting to share some of my favorites from this past week. This week, I have a few diverse list of favorites, so let’s get right into it.
Music:
Lately, I’ve been listening to a ton of new music. After getting my Spotify annual wrap-up, I realized that I have not been listening to as music as I once did. So, I made a playlist of songs that I’ve been wanting to listen to and that everyone raves about. And, I discovered some new favorites, including the 1975, Ashley Tisdale’s new album, Megan THE Stallion, and Billie Elish’s new song. I hope to listen to more music in 2021, but I’m enjoying the songs that I’ve been listening to.
Nitendo Switch:
I recently purchased a Nitendo Switch. I’ve mentioned that I had the Lite version that I purchased prior to the pandemic. One thing that I was disappointed in was the fact that I couldn’t play any of the fitness games, including the Ring Fit Adventure and Fitness Boxing 2 that came out last week. Since getting it, I’ve been obsessed with the device. I love being able to play some of the fitness games, and the kickboxing game has done wonders for my stress levels. In addition to these games, I’ve been playing Animal Crossing as well, and really enjoying it.
The Princess Switch and the Princess Switch 2:
This movie has been on my list of things to watch for a while, and I finally sat down to watch them. I love these movies. It is about a duchess Magaret and a regular American baker Stacy. The two switch places, and fall in love with the other’s best friend/partner. I ended up enjoying the first one so much that I ended up watching the second one the next night, which premiered a few weeks ago. If you’re looking for a fun holiday movie, then this is the movie to watch.
Organization:
I’ve been on an organization kick lately, and have been decluttering to the point where I am really excited to continually do so.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren:
I’ve been obsessed with Christmas Lauren’s latest book. It is giving me all of the Groundhog Day vibes, with our main character Mae who has been reliving the same holiday over and over again. Every year, her family would venture to this Christmas house and spend the holidays together. However, it was announced that it was her last Christmas there. On her parents’ way home from the airport, they get into a car accident. Mae then wakes up back on the plane going to the house, and relives that day over and over again. I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren, and so I’m really happy to finally get to their latest book.
Fireplace:
I recently discovered the TV fireplace on YouTube, and have been loving it. It is perfect for when I need some noise for reading, and gives the ultimate cozy vibes. And, since I don’t have a fireplace, this is a great option.
Sugar Rush:
I discovered this a few days ago, and have binge watched a few episodes. It is basically a baking competition where they compete for a prize of $10,000. And, the competitions have been putting me into a such a Christmas mood with all of their themes. You can catch this show on Netflix.
I am a jewelry obsessed fanatic, and so I love receiving it as a gift, as I’m sure others are too. Jewelry is a gift that everyone would love, however sometimes it can get a little pricy.
All of these gifts are perfect for anyone on your list from mom, girlfriend, sister, niece, and cousin.
The pieces I feature today range in price, and metal. As an FYI, all of them are either plated with sterling silver or sterling silver, with the exception of one piece. All of these pieces are pieces that I own and love as well.
So without further adue, let’s get into talking about the pieces themselves!
Amazon Beaded Bracelets: I am obsessed with these, and I am very much obsessed with price. Despite the price, the quality is amazing. Beaded bracelets are very trendy this year, and this is a great way to get the look at a great price.
SV Decker Good Luck Necklace: I have two of these necklaces — one in silver and one in gold. I love this necklace, because it’s good on it’s own and it’s amazing layered. What I also love is the meaning. The necklace has all of the classic good luck symbols, such as elephants, the number 13, and a four leaf clover. I think that this is an amazing gift, because for many 2020 has been a rough year, and this is a great little good luck charm.
Diamonique Hoop Earrings: I am obsessed with these earrings to the point where I bought a second set. These are a set of three hoops that are individually wrapped. These are great because you get three pairs of earrings for less than $70. This can be three gifts, or a mixture of gifts and for you. I really love these because they are lightweight and they are so easy to wear.
Pandora Heart Ring: I don’t remember the last time that I did not wear this ring. I use it to stack, I use it on its own, and I wear it on many different fingers. I’ve had it for almost a year and it’s so easy and comfortable to wear. And, the price is pretty good for a ring of it’s quality. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for a great gift that is affordable.
Tiffany and Company Bean Necklace: This is the most expensive gift on here, but this is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry that I wear daily. This is a 16-inch necklace, but it’s a necklace that I wear all of the time with anything. This necklace is also one of the most meaningful pieces of jewelry, because it’s the orgin of all things. When I bought this necklace, I was going through the roughest year of my life, and wanted something to start new. While this is pricy, the quality of this is amazing since I wear it so often, and is a piece that you will have for a lifetime.
SV Decker Bubble Hoops: I love these earrings. They look like they are heavy, but they are actually really lightweight. They are gold-filled, but if you message the shop owner, Steffi, you may be able to get them in sterling silver. These go with anything, and since hoops are also trendy this year, this is an amazing gift.
Diamonique Stud Earring Set: I received this set from my mom a few years ago, and really love these. For that price, you get five pairs of earrings in all different sizes. This is an amazing gift to give as one, and to spilt. I love these because I use the smallest size for my second hole almost all of the time. I’ve had mine for at least two years, and they actually have held up quite well. This is a great gift for someone that has a lot of piercings, or if you don’t know what to get someone.
Little Words Project: These have become the ultimate form of encouragement for me in 2020. They are honestly one of my favorite bracelets, because each of them are little reminders. And, their message is so amazing. This is like a friendship-style bracelet, which is perfect for your best friends. And many of the bracelets are less than $30. My favorites are breathe,self-love, and grateful.
Home workouts are all of the rage in 2020, although I have been always working out at home. I am sure that as the number of cases rise, so will the amount of people that probably will be working up from home.
I’ve been using the Jazzercise on Demand for about two months now. The app is basically a library of jazzercise workouts at all different types and times. There is a huge variety of workouts: strike (which is essentially kickboxing), HIIT, dance, band classes, and strength. The app costs $19.99 a month, and allows you to use it unlimited times. New workouts are added pretty regularly as well.
I’ve never done Jazzercise prior to getting this app, but I am going to be honest. I really love it. I use this app at least two to three times a week.
There are a variety of different classes of different levels. There are express classes, which are a little lighter and are great for those who are just starting with the classes. These classes are typically around 30 minutes, and offer a mixture of cardio and strength. There are also HIIT and Strike classes, which are intense and kick your butt in the best way possible. And, there are strength classes as well, which are great on their own, but also are amazing to pair with cardio since classes vary from ten to thirty minutes.
I am going to be honest here. I am obsessed with this app. I have used Jillian Micheals in the past, and I love this so much more. The amount of positivity and encouragement that these instructors give you is amazing, because when class is done, I always feel as though I am on top of the world. I am a clock watcher when it comes to workout videos, but I really find myself not doing this as much with this app. These classes are still hard, but paired with the music, it’s actually really fun.
I am not going to post pictures, but I love that these give your body a complete workout, especially the HIIT and the Strike. I’ve noticed a difference in my arms, my abs and my thighs as well. Typically, I do at least one class that is 40 minutes long, and then a few of the express ones. Sometimes, I’ll do the ten minute mini strength classes as well. There are a ton of challenges and collections as well, but I honestly just use them with whatever I feel up to that day.
That said, I highly recommend this app. It is actually really affordable, because classes are typically $15 per class, and this subscription is $20 a month. I also love it that you can do this anywhere and at any time. I often workout early in the morning, and this really helps me be able to work out.
This is by far my favorite home workout app, because other than weights and bands, you really don’t need expensive equipment. You just need yourself. This is perfect for someone on a budget, and this is great for someone who just wants to have fun with working out.
Overall, I love this app, and if you’re thinking about using it, I highly recommend that you at least try the free trial. For further information, check out their website here.
Note: I was not compensated for this post in any way and all opinions are my own.
Yeah, Netflix did it again. They turned another YA novel into a movie. Well, it’s a mini series in this case, but you get the point. Netflix has become home to the adaptations of many Young Adult bestsellers, including the To All of the Boys I Loved Before series, The Kissing Booth novels, and now, Dash and Lily.
Dash and Lily premiered on Netflix last month. It is eight episodes long, and the book series as of the time that this is published, is a trilogy by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The novel starts out like this: “Imagine this: you’re in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author’s books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.”
The premise of the series is basically a Christmas scavenger hunt in New York City. New York City is the best place to be during the holiday season. We have Dash and Lily who are complete and total opposites. Dash is the anti-Christmas, while Lily is obsessed with the holiday. Dash is wandering the Strand bookstore, when he comes across a red notebook in the Sallinger section with the title do you dare? Intrigued, Dash picks up the notebook and begins a series of dares. Once completing them, he then leaves the book, with his own dares.
This then turned into a series of dares on both ends. Throughout these dares, they both become close to them and fall in love with the person at the end of the pen.
I am going to be honest here. For the most part, the book and the series are pretty similar, which is great. That said, the big difference is that in the show Dash is a little more upset about the breakup with Sofia then he was in the book. In the show, he also rejects her, where in the book, he does not and they end up hooking up.
That said, I loved both the books and the series. I thought that this was really adorable and it really got me into the Christmas spirit. Furthermore, I also enjoyed watching the series because it brought me to New York City in the fall, which due to the pandemic is somewhere where I can’t visit at the moment. I highly recommend both if you’re looking for a holiday read or show, because this show honestly is what Christmas is all about. And, both honestly put such a huge smile on my face.
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is decorating. Since my mom passed away last year, this has become a bittersweet memory for me because she loved decorating so much. Last year, I used a similar tree that we had in years past, but this year, my boyfriend and I purchased a pencil tree that is more pet-friendly. Much of my decor was passed down from my mom, other than a few exceptions.
To help get into the holiday spirit, I started by playing some holiday music. I have a Christmas playlist on Spotify that I’ve been loving and I have been listening to for the past few years.
The first thing that I did was take down all of my fall decor, which isn’t much other than crochet pumpkins. I have some knickknacks that were collected over the years, as well as a ceramic tree that I made last year, so I put those in a little display in my family room. What I love about this display versus having the tree there (which I’ve had in years past), is that it’s low-risk in case Lucy decides to jump on there. I did add my salt lamps, which are deep enough to keep Lucy from licking for an additional glow. In addition, I put my Christmas throw pillow on my recliner.
In the kitchen, I replaced our usual centerpiece with a ceramic Christmas tree that my mom made many years ago. It used to light up with a base, but because it looked questionable, I didn’t want to risk it so I turned it into a centerpiece.
In addition, I also changed up my fall signs to my Christmas Snoopy pictures that I got from TJ Maxx last year. I love Snoopy and it’s not a holiday for me without watching the Charlie Brown Christmas specials, so Snoopy is a huge part of my holiday decorating.
Finally, I changed my message board to say something more festive as well, which is seasons eatings and good spirits.
The last place that I put up Christmas decorations was the living room. The biggest one being the Christmas tree. Like I said earlier, this Christmas tree is new, because I wanted a taller tree that was more dog friendly. I also wanted it in the living room, because there is less of a chance for her to jump on it, and break anything. The pencil tree is something that takes up very little space, but is very tall. I like it because my house is on the smaller side, but it’s still fits perfectly. Many of the ornaments were my mom’s, and putting up the tree made me emotional because it was something that I did with my mom.
The last thing that I did was put up my stockings. Like I did last year, I put my mom’s stocking up, along with my stocking that I’ve had since I was born, and Lucy’s.
My decor is very simple, but every piece of it has a meaning to it. That’s what I love about Christmas. Christmas is one of the hardest times of year since losing my mom, since she was very into Christmas and decorating for the holiday.
Did you decorate for Christmas yet? Let me know in the comments below.
I love doing the reading wrap-ups every month, and I am so glad to be continuing them again since I was taking a blogging break last month.
This month was a weird reading month. I read three very long fantasy novels, and also read (well listened to) an entire novel in a day. I also have read some of the Dash and Lily series after binge watching the series in two days.
December’s reading wrap up will likely consist of holiday reads. You can check out my holiday TBR by going to yesterday’s post. I also hope to get to the second Discovery of Witches novel (or at least start it) before the end of the year.
That said, here are all of the books that I read in November:
Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: I gave this book a rating of four out of five stars. I loved this book, because it was Twilight for grownups with a twist. I liked the romance and the angst in the novels and flew through the second half of the book. That said, I did not find it realistic that Diana fell in love so quickly with Matthew. Unlike Bella in Twilight, she was not a complete damsel in distress. However, I didn’t believe it, because of the fact that she was a professor and she was a witch. That said, I still enjoyed the novel, and hope to continue with the series in 2021.
Presence by Marissa D’Angelo: I was gifted this book from the author, and will not rate that for that reason. The novel is about Adam, who follows in his father’s footsteps in becoming a photographer for a local newspaper. However, he is engrossed with the mystery of the local island. I will be writing a further review of this later on in the month, but in the mean time, you can check the book out here.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I gave this book a rating of five out of five stars. This novel is about Poppy, who is the maiden. This means that she must remain pure and untouched. However, she is rebellious and learns how to fight despite this status. She is about to enter her Acension, which is something that she is terrified about. When she meets Hawke, her royal guard, she is challenged by a fallen kingdom, as well as the feelings of desire. I loved this book, and finished the second half of the book in a day. I loved that in the second half, there is a twist that I didn’t see coming, and I was left in awe.
Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I gave this book a rating of four out of five stars. This is the sequel to From Blood and Ash, and because of that, I will not give much away. I liked this book, and I didn’t. I wanted more answers about Poppy’s history, and was disappointed when there wasn’t. I did love the romance in the novel, and I still enjoyed reading it.
Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis: Remember that audiobook I was talking about earlier? Yeah, this is it. This is a great book to listen to if you’re going through something in life. I was so inspired and fired up after reading this and loved the audiobook. I gave this a solid five out of five stars.
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn: I gave this book five out of five stars. “Imagine this: you’re in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author’s books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.” That begins Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. I picked this book up after watching the movie and really enjoyed it. This was really cute, and I really enjoyed reading it. It was just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit.
12 Days of Dash and Lily byDavid Levithan and Rachel Cohn: I heard mixed reviews about the sequel, but I wanted to try it. And, I am glad that I did. I won’t give away much about the book, however, I did give it four out of five stars.
Happy Wednesday and second day of Blogmas. I am so excited that we are now in the holiday season, because now I can listen to Christmas music and appreciate my Christmas tree. It is also the most challenging time of year for me, since Christmas without my mom isn’t easy. By doing Blogmas, it actually creates a distraction from all of the sadness of dealing with the loss of my mom.
That said, I wanted to share some of this week’s favorites.
Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus: I am such a huge fan of Miley Cyrus since she was Hannah Montana. In fact, I think I still have the Hannah Montana CDs in my house. That said, I really am loving her new album, Plastic Hearts. I am getting the 80s’ rock vibe from it, and I am here for this era of Miley Cyrus. My favorite songs are: Prisoner, WTF Do I Know, and Midnight Sky.
Rachel Hollis’ Didn’t See That Coming: I love Rachel Hollis’ new book. I listened to the audiobook a few weeks ago, even though I have the physical book. I am going to be honest, I loved the audiobook. It was really great to listen to. The book talks a lot about healing, and is something that is a great resource for someone that is grieving or going through something. Since I do have the physical book, I’ve been using that as a way to journal and reflect. I really recommend this book as a way to grow, and am considering getting her other two books — which I loved — on audio to serve as inspiration.
The Sopranos: I am so glad that I finally have the ability to binge my favorite shows now that I can use HBO Maxx on my Firestick (Thank you AT&T for including this in the plan.) I love this especially since I can finally watch the Sopranos in full. I am currently in season one, but I can’t wait to cross another show off of my list.
Madewell Roadtripper Jeans: I am a huge fan of Madewell, as many of you know. Nordstrom was having their Black Friday sales early this year, so I snagged a pair of these jeans. I got them the next day and wore them last Friday. These jeans are really comfortable, and they fit great. I loved them so much, I ended up purchasing a second pair actually. I can see these quickly becoming my new favorite pair of jeans.
New YouTubers: I stumbled across two Youtubers — helloxluxury and Angel Nguyen. They both talk about jewelry and luxury fashion. Even though I am not purchasing a luxury bag or item for a while, I still enjoy watching those type of videos, and they both give honest views on the products that they talk about. Therefore, I really enjoy their videos.
First and foremost, happy December first. Happy holiday season. And, happy last month of 2020.
This post is to be the first in a series of 25 for Blogmas. Blogmas, for those of you who don’t know, is when I post a post everyday for the first 25 days of December. I joined mid-month last year, and it really kickstarted a year of growth for me.
I do want to talk about Blogmas and my perception towards blogging. I am beginning to experience blogger burnout. In addition to blogging, I also work full-time. I also have other hobbies, such as reading, crocheting, and other crafts. And, I have adulting and family and friends.
I’ve been feeling overwhelmed a lot with balancing it all. However, it did dawn on me: I truly can’t do everything. There are only so many hours in the day, and there are so many things that I can do before I crash.
Therefore, I am realizing that I can’t do everything that I would like to. And, that’s okay.
Sure, it would be nice to read the amount of books that booktubers read, blog almost daily, and crochet all of the things. However, I just don’t have that luxury. And, lately, I’ve entered a reading slump as well.
So, instead of being so hard on myself, I am realizing that I can not do everything. I am not superwoman. I am simply a woman.
And, that’s okay.
As 2021 hits, I am working on creating a better balance with everything that I want to do. My main priorities will consist of work and my dog of course, but after that, I want to focus on enjoying everything more, and worrying about a goal less. And, part of that, was the realization that I truly can not do everything I would like to.
In terms of Blogmas, this means that I am going to try my best to get as many days posted as I can. If I can’t get them all, I’m going to not worry about it. At the end of the day, I would rather put out a post that is a quality read versus something that was whipped up.
And, that’s okay. If 2020 had taught us anything, it is to be gentle on ourselves and giving ourselves grace. This is me giving myself that some rights.
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