Wednesday Hodgepodge : November 2024

Hello again! This is a fun linkup that I've seen a few people join but hadn't joined before now. It reminds me of survey questions we used to post on Myspace, so it makes me feel young again to join this one! 

 

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown?

This is a hard one because I still live in my hometown area, and there have been so many changes - both positive and negative - that it's tough for me to remember what growing up here was like! I guess one thing that stands out is that I used to live next door to my best friend, and we used to spend a ton of time at each other's houses. That's not really hometown specific, but it is a great memory from growing up!

2. Do you prefer 'material' gifts or 'experience' gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you've received and truly enjoyed.

As I get older, I definitely enjoy experience gifts more since material gifts usually either don't last long or I tend to like the idea of the gift more than the actual gift! One of my favorite experience gifts I got was tickets to a concert from my parents several years ago. I was so excited to receive them, then I looked forward to the concert for months, and I had a great time that night! Now I can't remember the last concert I even went to!

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What's a favorite brown thing you own? Of the brown foods listed here, which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed...brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

We don't have a lot of brown in our house. Our color is millennial gray, of course! 😉I have a few brown/tan things in my wardrobe, but I tend to skew towards black and gray. 

A favorite brown thing that we own is our brown, brindle dog, of course! Such a handsome pup!

My favorite brown food out of all of those is definitely coffee! I have to have my coffee daily!

4. Which 'Charlie Brown' character do you relate to most? 

I took a quiz because I wasn't sure, and I got Marcie. I didn't really know much about her personality beyond that she's one who follows around Peppermint Patty and says "yes sir" to her a lot, but reading the quiz results have me thinking that I could be her!

You're Marcie, an introvert.

You're unassuming, sweet, and intelligent. A bookworm, you're super insightful, and you're usually the voice of reason within your friend group. Sure, you love your solitude, but you're not afraid to step up to the plate when it comes to helping your friends and family.

5. What's a favorite item you've purchased this year?

This is a tough question because I can't remember most of what I've bought this year, which shows me I need to quit buying so much! Ha! I think one of my favorite items I've gotten recently were the yoga pants I talked about in my Prime Purchases post. They've been so comfortable! 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I've been feeling kind of blah lately. I think it's primarily because of work, and then when I get home, I'm wiped out because of work, so I don't get anything done. I'm working on figuring out my next career move because I think that's going to make a difference in my mood and attitude!

Linking up with Joyce!

Sentence A Day : October 2024

I don't know if this is a linkup anymore or not, but I used to really enjoy doing these Sentence a Day posts that recapped the prior month in a sentence or two. I'm also adding pictures throughout the month when I took a picture worth sharing. Finally, I've added a spot to share any blog posts I did on those particular days by marking it as OTB (on the blog). 

1 - Hello October - glad you're here, but I hate that Charli is starting off the month sick and going to the doctor!

2 - Assembly this morning at work that I thought would be really cool, but it was more like an advertisement for an event in town this weekend, so I snuck out of it a few minutes early...

3 - We had extra classes today due to yesterday morning's assembly, then we h

ad another assembly this afternoon to reveal the winners of a schoolwide initiative from the first nine weeks, so I was ready for some quiet after work!

4 - Home with Charli today and back to the doctor since her coughing has gotten worse, and she's started running a fever; got some meds, then we hung out at Mom's house for our weekly Friday night TV watching and snacking to kick off Fall Break!

5 - Stayed home today and watched Vandy beat Bama (yay!) and Arkansas beat Tennessee (boo!). 

6 - Another home day, and I was so lazy!

7 - Mom and I took Charli to a kid's playplace (where she had her 5th birthday party - and we hadn't been in since), then we had dinner and went to a thrift store that we love to visit, and I got some great shirts and dresses for fall!

Who could that be??

    

8 - Stayed home today and didn't get anything I wanted to accomplished because I was lazy!

9 - Ran errands with my mom while Charli stayed home with Will; errands tend to go a little faster without her with us for some reason! 

OTB: Tiptoeing Back Into Blogging

10 - Chattanooga day trip with Charli, my mom, Charli's bestie, and her mom - it was so much fun (except for trying to pick a dinner place and being hangry)!!

Free carousel in Chattanooga, and I didn't even get motion sick from it!

11 - Gymnastics and Walmart...big finish to our week!

12 - I hung out at Mom's house way too late last night, so I was dragging today, but it was a home day, so all was okay! 

13 - Mom, Charli, and I went to a french fry/ice cream place that we had been to once before and a cool library, along with some other errands.

Cool sculptures/reading spots outside of the library

14 - My grandfather (mom's dad) passed away today; I'm sad, but I'm more sad for my mom. 

15 - Home all day today for Charli to finish Fall Break; I decided to take some bereavement days at work to help my mom with anything she needed, plus get Charli to and from school as needed since my mom would be off work.

16 - Even though the reason I'm off work is sad, I do like being home more for Charli and taking her to school and her Girl Scout meeting, which was a movie night at the cat adoption place!

This cat wanted to control the movie!

17 - Ran a couple of errands with Will today, which is rare with our different work schedules.

18 - Took Charli to a birthday party after gymnastics and got to chat with a mom who I didn't know very well but liked talking to!

Henna at the birthday party!

19 - Happy birthday to my mom, even though it's been a rough week, and we didn't really celebrate her today.

20 - Mom loved her birthday gift!

21 - Back to work, and I'm a little bummed that neither my principal nor asssistant principal acknowledged my family's loss; a card or even an email would make a world of difference, especially when they say we're a "family." 

22 - We all slept through our alarms this morning so we were late to work/school this morning...oops!

23 - Work then a couple of errands with Mom after work, including getting trendy shoes for me since I don't usually stay up with trends!

24 - Will and I took Charli to a trunk or treat at a high school, but there weren't very many people participating; then we found a really cool one at a middle school, and her best friend joined us. Charli's first haunted house (well, haunted theater in the middle school...but close enough). 

Wednesday is ready to get some candy!

25 - We finished setting up the Book Fair at work today, and I forgot how tiring that can be!

Let's sell some books and overpriced pens!

26 - Fall Fest at my daughter's school with her and my mom; fun day but tiring, especially after yesterday!

Before Charli decided Fall Fest was more fun with her friends than with Mom and Gran!

27 - Today was my grandfather's service and then dinner with some family members afterwards.

A little levity on a heavy day - the bathroom at the restaurant has double toilets, which seems super awkward

28 - First day of Book Fair was full of preview days for the K-2 classes, which is exhausting!!

29 - My husband, daughter, mom, brother, and I went to early vote today, and it was so fast since there was hardly a line!

30 - I have counted so much change today that my hands feel permanently stained; lots of kids emptying out piggy banks for the Book Fair!

31 - Busy day at work with Book Fair and helping in the office during class parties, plus it poured rain this afternoon/evening, which made Trick or Treating very soggy! 

Cutest Wednesday ever!

Phew, even with Fall Break, October was a busy month! We're flying through November now, too, so I feel like I'll be posting my November recap before I know it!

Currently : November 2024

I used to love joining another Currently linkup each month, but I discovered after I stopped blogging for a while that the one I used to join doesn't happen anymore. I was excited to find a new Currently linkup to join! 

Loving : The attempts at cooler weather. I'm a summer girl, and I love warm weather, but at a certain point, temperatures in the 80s get a little old, especially when you're sweating on Halloween because you wanted to wear the cute thin sweatshirt you got before you pack away your Halloween clothes for another year. I'm ready for crisp weather, but this week, we're still having highs in the mid-70s, so I guess I'll love and appreciate the cooler-ish weather and the much-needed rain we're supposed to have. 

Looking forward to : Thanksgiving Break! Listen, these kids at work have been wound up since the Tuesday before Halloween. I know this happens every year, but I'm feeling it extra hard this year for some reason and am so ready for a week off!

Smelling : Pumpkin stuff...for just a little bit longer. I have a very weird and specific schedule when it comes to pumpkin flavored and pumpkin scented items. I'm usually ready to flip the switch to Peppermint and Peppermint Mocha by November 1, but this year since I have some pumpkin scented items left that I want to use up, I'll smell that pumpkin-y fresh smell just a little bit longer than usual. 

Preparing for : Christmas shopping by trying to tighten up our budget and Christmas decorating by cleaning and decluttering. It's a coin toss for which one I'll be more successful at! 

Thankful for : My family! I'm always so thankful for how supportive and loving they are, especially when I come home crabby from work or am not myself. 

Linking up with Jenn! 

Top Ten Tuesday : Books with Election Day/Voting elements on the cover

Hello and happy Tuesday! I'm joining the Top Ten Tuesday linkup because I like the different book-related prompts each week and hope it'll push me to read even more!Today, the prompt is the Top Ten book covers with an item of my choice on them. Since today is Election Day, I thought I would share ten books with Election Day or voting elements on the cover. I haven't read any of these and am 1,000% judging the books by their covers so I'd love feedback from anyone who's read them! Also, all of these are geared towards younger readers, but I still think they would be interesting and informative, plus a little more fun to read than political books for adults!

 

Just a heads up - the product links are affiliate links, so if you purchase anything, I'll earn a small commission...that I'll probably spend on books! 😉

1. Duck For President

2. Grace For President

3. One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote

4. I Voted

5. If I Ran for President

6. The Little Book of Presidential Elections

7. My First Election Day

8. What Is a Presidential Election?

9. Leo's First Vote

10. V is for Voting

 

Linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl!

Prime Purchases : November 2024

Happy Monday! I'm joining the Prime Purchases linkup today because I love to share the cool things - and the duds - that I've purchased, plus I like looking at what other bloggers have bought and enjoyed, especially as we head into the holiday season and I need gift ideas (for myself and others!). 

Just a heads up - the product links are affiliate links, so if you purchase anything, I'll earn a small commission...that I'll probably spend on more Prime Purchases! 😉

Yoga Pants

I'm always looking for comfortable clothes to wear on the weekends, so when I discovered these yoga pants with the cool leg detail, I decided to give them a try. I really like how these fit, plus the way the legs are designed make them look a little more put together than just plain sweats. I got these in black, but I think I want some dark gray ones too!

Smile Graphic Novel

Guts Graphic Novel

Our daughter has gotten into graphic novels lately, and as a librarian, I love that she found a book format that she enjoys and wants to read! She got Sisters from her book fair back in September and read Smile and Guts from both of our school libraries. She's read them all multiple times, so we decided to order them for her so she'd have them to read anytime she wanted to. 

USB Charging Port

I'm trying to set up a device charging station on the narrow table behind one side of our sectional couch. I've got a little wooden box with dividers that I've been using, but the plug situation isn't great. I got this smaller USB charging port plug in hopes that it would solve the issues that I had with the charging station. I haven't set it up yet because I haven't taken the time to do it, so we'll see how it actually works once I make myself do it!

Chipboard Sheets

This is 100% a purchase for my husband! He plays Warhammer and watches Warhammer terrain creators online. A couple of them suggested using these chipboard sheets to build various terrain items, so he wanted to test it out. I'm curious to see what he'll end up building with these!

I Am Wednesday (Little Golden Book)

Our daughter had book character dress up day at school on Halloween. She wanted to wear her Wednesday costume, so we ordered this I Am Wednesday book for her to have since she wasn't wearing a "traditional" book character costume. Turns out, there were a couple of other Wednesdays that day, including her teacher's daughter, so she never even got this out of her backpack! It's a short, cute book, plus it helped me get a book toward this month's goal of reading 8 or more books!

Boho Hexagon Earrings

I love earrings. I won't talk about how many pairs I have, but it's my biggest collection! This is the first of three earring orders from Amazon this month (plus a couple from a fall festival). These boho hexagon earrings are so small and pretty! I like all of the colors on them because they can go with a lot of different things. Plus, they're lightweight, which my ears appreciate!

Birthday Candle Earrings

Earring order number two was this set of fun birthday candle earrings! Even though my birthday isn't until July, I saw these while browsing, and they were a decent price, so I decided to order them and give them a try! I like how it includes multiples of some numbers, although I think I'll be out of luck when I turn 66, but I guess I can order another 6 sometime in the next 25 years...

Tiny Screw Back Earrings

Our daughter got her ears pierced about a year ago, and my mom got a couple of spots in her cartilage pierced about a month after that. Because of that, we get free earring coupons once a month. We discovered that we like flat back earrings, especially for cartilage and for wearing all of the time. Unfortunately, the store we get the coupons from has a limited flat back selection, so I decided to find some flat back earrings online and came across these tiny screw back earrings. There are a lot in this package, but I wanted to wear them in my bottom three earlobe piercings, and I wanted my mom to have some for her cartilage piercings. The backs of these are hard to screw on, but once I got it, they've been so comfortable and haven't moved! 

Mermaid Gymnastics Leotard

Our daughter's gymnastics gym has a night near Halloween when they encourage the students to wear costumes or themed leotards. I didn't want to get her a Halloween specific leotard since I knew she'd only wear it a couple of times at the most, so we browsed until we found this mermaid gymnastics leotard. It still had a costume vibe, but it's something she'll wear over and over again until she outgrows it.

Platform Snow Boots

My final purchase of the month was these platform snow boots. They just arrived, so I haven't tried them on or worn them yet, but they looked so comfortable and cozy that I wanted to give them a try. Of course, it's going to be in the 70s for the next week here, so I don't know when I'll get to wear them. I guess I'll miss this weather in January and February...

Linking up with Tanya!

Monthly Goals : November 2024

Hello, November! I love a new month, and I love to set goals for new months. Unfortunately, I haven't set many goals lately, so it's time to start sharing goals publicly again and giving myself a little bit of external pressure to finish them! ;) 

November 2024 goals:

1. Read 8 (or more!) books

My goal for the year was to read 100 books, and I'm currently at 84 books, which leaves me 16 books for the rest of the year. So, if I read at least 8 books this month, and 8 books in December, I'll hit my goal!

2. Start tracking my food again

I don't necessarily want to dive into counting calories and macros and trying to lose weight this month, but I do want to at least start tracking my food again and being a little more aware of what I'm consuming, especially since we're heading into the holiday season, and there's a lot more junk food available. 

3. Implement a weekday - and weekend - bedtime

I'm such a night owl, and while I don't think it's terrible to stay up late during school/work breaks, I've found myself staying up later and later, even on work nights. I've been hitting snooze a lot more and am so rushed in the mornings, and I'm tired of doing that! My goal is going to be 10 PM on weeknights and midnight on weekend nights. 

4. Deep clean/declutter living room

This was a goal in January 2021, but I never finished it. Lately I've been really tired of how cluttered and messy our house is, so this seems like a good time to start taking steps to improve things. Plus, it will help us have space to start decorating for Christmas!

5. Switch out Charli's summer and winter clothes and shoes

Even though it's supposed to be in the 80s here next week, eventually it will get colder, so I need to finish switching out her summer and winter clothes and shoes. It's a tedious process because she has so many clothes and shoes, plus I have to put the things that don't fit somewhere that I'll remember when it's consignment time, but it has to be done!

6. Blog and social media schedules

I've got ideas for this blog and a couple of other blog and social media projects. I've started making schedules for everything, but I need to finish those so I can really get things rolling.

7. Stick to our budget and spending/income trackers

I started a new way of budgeting and tracking our incomes and spending last month, and it seemed to help. This month, I want to be more proactive about tracking our spending and making sure that we're sticking to the budget. 

8. Find one new quick dinner recipe

We've gotten really bad lately about getting fast food or eating frozen meals for dinner. I want to find one new quick dinner recipe for us starting this month and going until I've got a list of items that we can throw together to keep us out of the drive through and freezer section. I'll take any suggestions that anyone has!

9. Make Charli's eye appointment

I've been so behind on making her eye appointment since we had to cancel the last one when she was sick. I know she's overdue for it, but I'm so bad about calling and doing it, especially because I don't want her to miss school, and since her doctor only works at one location now, so we'd have to see another doctor. I need to just do it!

10. Order new glasses

Rounding out the month is a task that I've been needing to do since at least July. I've had my glasses since March 2020, and I'm so tired of them! I went to the eye doctor in July and got my updated prescription, but I haven't managed to order new glasses yet. I have decision paralysis because there are so many good options on so many sites! I may have to crowdsource to figure out my best option!

Ten goals may seem like a lot for the month, but a couple of them shouldn't take too long to complete, and a couple of the goals will be fun to do, so hopefully I don't overwhelm myself!

Do any of you make monthly goals? If so, I'd like to hear about them!

Tiptoeing Back Into Blogging

Why hello.

How's everyone been for the last...two years?

Some things have changed in our world. I'm back working in an elementary school again. This time I'm a library assistant instead of a librarian, and although it's a lot easier, I'm still not sure if I'm made for the school world (except for when there are breaks, like right now, then this is THE BEST JOB EVER).

My husband is at a warehouse for a pet company and likes it most of the time. Our daughter is 8 and in third grade now, which seems unbelievable to me, especially after going back and reading through the archives on here. Our dog is 11 and still acts like an overgrown puppy. Last night he got a paper out of my work bag and one of our daughter's boots when we weren't giving him all of the attention he so richly deserves. That dog...

I'm not sure what's made me want to start blogging again, but I've had the urge a lot lately and decided to finally jump back in. Of course that also means that I've got 800 tabs open from blogs I used to read, linkup ideas, and another new blog that I want to start. Go big or go home, right? 

(Wait, does that phrase actually work here, since I'm at home writing it? Discuss amongst yourselves.)

I'm working on a posting schedule, so it shouldn't be another 2 years before my next update. 

How's everyone been? Let me know what's new in your lives!