Showing posts with label 2020. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2020. Show all posts
2020 has definitely been a year of slow living and for most of us reflecting. It's definitely put a lot of things in my life in perspective. The things I've been doing to myself that were toxic and the things I've held on to that have also been toxic for me and my well being.
It's never really easy to admit that something you're close to is not good for you and it's hard to come to the terms to let those things you're so use to go. But while I'm letting things go and leaving them in 2020 I can hope that that means I'm making room for better more beneficial things in 2021.
On with the show;
This year I decided to step outside of my “comfort zone” and get your typical green tree. As much as I wanted a white tree I couldn't find one that was at least 6" and affordable at the time we were looking for one. We got rid of our last one when we moved (no elevator here at the new place so a lot had to go).
This year's color theme was navy blue and bronze/burlap. I was heavy debating on navy blue and ice blue but most of the ice blue ornaments I found weren't icy enough. The only problem with this is that at night the navy blue ornaments kind of blend into the tree. But during the day it doesn't. Still, the tree itself came out really pretty. I really like how my husband uses ribbon, I suck at placing garland so the fact he uses ribbon gives it something extra without looking like a hot mess. Maybe next year I'll go around fairy-fy the tree lights.
I won't say that the tree is complete since it's missing some of my traditional ornaments; but also that I have no idea where they are. I know I have some in some of my vanity bins but I'll have to find them through the week so I can put them up before Christmas!
We usually pick a few special ornaments that match the theme of our tree, those we always keep. Here's a few from this year's theme.
Anyone else secretly (or not so secretly) glad that 2020 is almost finally over? It's getting colder here in Texas and it's really cold. I'm not too much of a fan of winter or cold winter at all. It messes with my eczema and it hurts, literally. The pandemic is starting to weigh on my subconscious and it’s making me easily irritated.
Cold winters + being stuck in Texas is not making me a happy person. I’m in desperate need of change and several vacations.
READ
I finished reading YOU and Crenshaw. I also read a bunch of picture books with/to Tums since she's becoming more aware/curious about reading and books. Audiobooks have been a really nice thing now that I'm a busy mama, except when I get too sucked in and I get mad if ANYONE in the house makes ANY kind of noise lol.
I'm trying to work my way through my NetGalley TBR as well as my Dec TBR, so, this is gonna be... interesting.
WATCHED
| You on Netflix
Started watching YOU on Netflix since my cousin wouldn't stop bugging me to. The show is a bit different than the book and I'm mad the Peach they casted is super cute cause I hated her in the book!
| Emily in Paris on Netflix
This is one a lot of people are talking about and I love all things Parisian! Plus a good friend I just reconnected with was also binge watching it. So far it's cute, in a she's so fuckin American kind of way. Emily gets on my nerves and so does Sylvie. The office guys are probably the best thing about the show oh and Mindy. I freakin love Mindy.
| Love Life on HBO Max
Kindaaaa the reason that really pushed me to get HBO Max (and FRIENDS, come on!). I'm like 2 or 3 episodes in and it's so... weird. It's basically like every episode is a "chapter" of a relationship. The concept is interesting, but where the heck do all these people find these huge lofts in NYC? Seriously?
| Great Greek Myths: The Illid on Amazon Prime
I love Greek Mythology and I was totally sucked into the first season of this series so of course I had to start the second season... esp since it dealt a bit with Troy. I'm always disappointed to realize that Athena or Aphrodite were behind some of the things I hated. And it had very little to actually do with Paris himself. However, I am still going to blame him cause wtf Paris? Seriously?
DID
| Digital Coloring Books
I discovered DIGITAL COLORING BOOKS. And I've been having way too much fun with them. They're not AS fun as physical books but playing with texture and easy shading is fun. It has its pros and cons; but I love seeing what other people come up with. I'm convinced everyone on this app knows how to draw and it makes me want to learn even more.
| Procreate
I recently got an iPad to learn how to draw. I know, so extreme right? I ended up getting the iPad Air which in my opinion is super big for my small hands. I wish there was something between an Air and a Mini.
| Christmas Shopping
I FINISHED MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. EARLY. For the first time ever. Super exciting. Now I just have to ship it. But at least it's all done!
We also got our Christmas tree and I opted for your basic green instead of my usual white. But I did get a mini pink tree for the bedroom! It's super cute.
I also got everyone (including the cat) an advent calendar this year. I got myself a popcorn one I saw that Paige had last year, Tums a Disney book collection on from Aldi -- I saw it on Amazon for $30 but it was at Aldi for $10 so, Bubba got a Funko DBZ one and Sophie got the kitty one from Trader Joe's.
| Other
I also got my Amazon Vine back; I got to review 2 sets of Animal Crossing Amiibo cards so I finally got most of my dream villagers!
Bubba made me a lot of Mickey strawberry pancakes and omg I could really go for one right now!
| Shopping
Sometimes I really hate posting unedited photos, but I uploaded these at like 3AM for future me lol. So, thanks past me.
VIP MAC members got SUPER early access to their holiday collection this year which was nice! Wish they'd do this every year. I picked up a few things but they didn't have their usual pigment set for the holidays and the mini lippies weren't really shades I'd wear. I did get an eyeshadow since it's been awhile since they've released a red one! And I also got a lip stick in my usual dark purple type of shade. It's not as dark as I had hoped it would be though and the formula isn't matte so I can't really build it up like I'd like.
Anthropologie joined the Afterpay fam and so I made a small haul with them. Even with Afterpay some of their shit is STILL expensive! I got a set of cute soap bars. I'm a fan of fancy soap bars. I'm just sad that there are 2 I want that aren't part of this collection but I thought this was a better deal. PLUS they're made in France! And I got this lip balm from Winky Lux that has been on my wish list FOREVER for no reason at all other than it's glittery. The shade changes color as you wear it. I didn't really believe that until I swatched it on my hand and an hour later it was this bright pink color.
I'm a sucker for any lip balm honestly. And if you've been here awhile you know I haul lip balm during the holidays like crazy. I'm esp a sucker for cotton candy and sugar cookie lip balms. Softlips has discontinued my favorite sugar cookie one by them years ago. It was my Winter go to for sooo long. I'm still bummed about it and no other can compare but yet I still search! There's a few new interesting flavors that came out this year, so I'm pretty excited about that!
Made my holiday scents order with Zeep Bath. I love their wax melts! Plus they last for such a long time and the throw is perfect.
| Thanksgiving
This was the first Thanksgiving Bubba didn't go to his parents house for; we stayed home and made Thanksgiving ourselves. I've attempted this a few times when I live on my own and everything came out just okay.
Bubba really out did himself with the turkey for sure. It was perfect. He did roasted veggies from a Hello Fresh recipe we had earlier that week that I loved. He also made mashed potatoes, stuffing and a mac and cheese bake.
I got to use my early Christmas gift: a Kitchenaid (YAY) to make "Texas Roadhouse" like bread. It was so fun! I had meant to make the candied yams but Bubba ended up using his cast iron for that instead.
November is always such a weird month for me. And being somewhere where it's COLD doesn't really help the seasonal depression or whatever weird struggle it is I have with November. I just know it didn't really impact me when I was in Florida like it does when I'm in Cali or Texas.
Speaking of, it's getting freakin cold here in Texas and I'm already over it. At least I won't be tempted to "brave the cold" to go to holiday events and get up irritated cause I get cold super easy. Aiming to spend the holidays in Florida next year!
How did your November go?
This year has been more than a challenge for most people; some of us have had to completely change our lives around from how we work to how we spend time with our loved ones; with the holidays coming up I'm sure a lot of people are either on the end where they're feeling a bit of FOMO or they're gonna say screw the pandemic, I'm going to spend the holidays with my family anyway.
Whichever end of this spectrum you fall is not my business, do you booboo.
But as someone who's spent a lot of holidays alone, I'm neither. I grew up with my mom taking every single over time, double pay, holiday pay, whatever she could get. So for most of my childhood she wasn't there for Thanksgiving. My dad felt obligated to spend it with his side of the family and by the time I had hit 16 and my brother was 15 we stopped wanting to go with him and just wanted to stay home. So we would pile up our plates and watch A Christmas Story all day long.
When my ex husband and I moved across the country to Florida in 2013, we spent Thanksgiving either at work (cause Disney does not care what day it is, you come in, period) or just by ourselves. We learned how to mess up a turkey and sides together. And ended up just getting KFC instead lol. And there were years where my ex would go to work and I'd spend the whole day alone.
Which was fine, I honestly prefer to spend the holidays alone. I don't like big crowds or rooms with lots of people having a million different conversations at once. I do miss my family, don't get me wrong, but spending the holidays alone has never been a big deal to me.
I know it's going to be a big deal for others, so hopefully my 7 pieces of advice can help ease the sadness a little bit.
2020 is such a strange and crazy year. Things are so different this year and I know I'm not the only one who's worried about how Fall (and the holidays) will go. Lucky for me, I like spending holidays alone -- I don't do well with family get together's and holidays.
There are a ton of things I wish I could be able to do this year and places to see but I'm not yet comfortable with going to fun public places especially with Tums (how are you suppose to protect children who are too small for face masks from Covid?!) just yet. So this year's Fall Bucket List is going to be a bit different.
Complete my October Reading Challenge
This is one thing I aim for every year (for the last 10 years); some years I'm successful and other years... not so much. But it's definitely one of my favorite challenges I came up for myself. I'll try not to overwhelm myself this year, but no promises.Bake
I really want to start baking more this year in general. I've always wanted to attempt Fall baking which makes your home smell warm and cozy. Pinterest has a bunch of great recipes to find (and a bunch I have saved over the years)!Play with dark looks
I've always loved dark makeup. OG dark Filipino lipstick like in the 90's, dark eyeshadows usually smoked out with black. But lately I admit I have not been playing with dark colors. I've been playing more with natural and light shades. I don't know how or why the switch happened, but I really want to get back to my roots!Review Fall snacks
Fall snacks are my favorite. When Target switches to the Fall section it just makes my soul so happy! I'm a sucker for Caramel Apple anything. I think I've outgrown the Pumpkin Spice scene. But I do still love a good slice of Pumpkin Pie! I'm excited to see what new snacks are coming out in 2020.Take Fall inspired pictures
Despite that we're not going to be spending too much time outdoors, I still want to take Fall-ish photos. Every year I always think I don't take enough of them and looking back I have no idea what I did that Fall season. And to me blog posts/photos are a way of reminding myself that that season did happen. I know, it's a weird concept but I guess because my mom took pictures all the time for us to look back on, I grew up to be the same way.
Wear colors I usually wouldn't wear
I really want to branch out and wear more orange/brown and yellow colors. I've tried to wear more yellow through out the year but I'm so picky with my clothes! I really want to build a seasonal wardrobe. Like having seasonal staples. I'm by no means a fashion blogger or ever really plan to be but I do miss planning my outfits and dressing up when I'd leave the house!
Vote
I was never registered to vote in Florida so I didn't get to vote in the last election. I mean I didn't have a car to freely get around either but the thing that bugged me the most was my SO saying I wasn't allowed to complain about who got elected since I didn't vote. So this election I registered to vote and I'm waiting for my mail in ballot cause fuck not social distancing to vote. Besides I did a mail in ballot in the last election I voted in.
Tidy & Purge before setting up for Christmas
Christmas isn't like my favorite holiday, at all. But I do love the colors and lights (not more than Fall and Halloween though). I always aim to have a fresh start by NYE and I never really get as much as I want done. So I'm going to try my best do get it done before I set up for the Holiday season this year. It might be a little easier since most things are in a bag/box already.
While this Fall may look different, I'm still determined to make the best of it! As much as I can anyway.
While this Fall may look different, I'm still determined to make the best of it! As much as I can anyway.
What's on your Fall bucket list this year?
I'm big on self care. It's something that's super important to me and something I try to make time for. Any way that I can get myself to relax and do something I enjoy through out the day even if for just 5 minutes helps me stay stable.
There are a few products I try to make sure to use daily or weekly and they're things I look forward to using!
Self care is a nonstop activity that I feel like should be pretty high on a priority list, though I know for most people they either don't know where to start or don't know how to make time for it.
I always heard stories about first time moms who never get time to themselves and can't even find time to shower and told myself I wasn't going to be like that. Yes I watch my child all day long but luckily I have a husband who watches her on the back end of the day so I can have a few hours to myself. I get not everyone is that lucky and I get even if you don't have a kid life can totally get in the way.
Over the years I've tried incorporating little things into my day here and there and finding what works for me; and my habits seemed to have changed almost seasonally, but here are some things I try to stick to!
How is it possible that this year is traveling even faster despite the on and off lock down's?! This year is just zooming by; it's almost Spooky and Holiday Szn and I'm glad to have something to look forward to.
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Read
In August I managed to read about 3 books;
The Will and the Wilds by Charlie Holmberg was one of those reads that I didn't love but I couldn't put down! It was SO weird. I have more of this authors books on my Kindle that I have yet to start on. No idea why I started with the latest one lol but I'm excited to dive into her other books! I also wrote a book review on it on the Places + Peonies blog!
Fairy Tail Vol 1 was up on Kindle Unlimited so I figured WHY NOT. I'm a huge fan of Fairy Tail. A little too huge. It's the one anime that just lifts my spirits and I rewatch it ALL the time. It follows pretty much the intro episodes of the anime. But it was still neat to see in manga form!
Six Figure Blogging in 3 Months was a borrow from Scribd. I've bookmarked a ton of blogging/social media books trying to get updated on the change of the internet world. The problem is that you don't really know what some of these books include. I didn't find that this one was too helpful. It does have a great resource page for affiliate programs to look into, but other than that... I didn't find any other part to be as helpful.
I don't tend to write too many personal posts here; although I wanted to when I started this blog. It's just hard when people aren't driven to blogs for personal posts like they use to be. And I know the whole "it's your blog, post what you want!" but you also don't want to let your readers down. Idk, maybe it's just me?
I'm rambling.
I also have a migraine.
And I'm writing this at 616am.
One year ago today my dad passed away in his sleep.
He had been battling cancer for 8 years. I hadn't seen him in 6 years. That will always be one of the hardest realities to face. I wouldn't say my dad and I were close exactly, but we got along better than me and my mom did while I was growing up. I was a spoiled jerk as a teenager (just thinking back on how I acted gets on my nerves but I was also a very angry teenager for reasons I don't really want to mention) but I was definitely always a Daddy's Girl.
I'm rambling.
I also have a migraine.
And I'm writing this at 616am.
One year ago today my dad passed away in his sleep.
He had been battling cancer for 8 years. I hadn't seen him in 6 years. That will always be one of the hardest realities to face. I wouldn't say my dad and I were close exactly, but we got along better than me and my mom did while I was growing up. I was a spoiled jerk as a teenager (just thinking back on how I acted gets on my nerves but I was also a very angry teenager for reasons I don't really want to mention) but I was definitely always a Daddy's Girl.
Today I'm talking about my Fall TBR, not to be confused with my annual October Reading Challenge.
I've been out of the reading scene for awhile now and I'm not really sure why. I had such a strong start in the beginning of 2020 and then suddenly I didn't. I like the way my husband explains it; "I wouldn't call you stopping more like you're just taking an extended break,"
I did manage to complete my goal of reading 2 books last month (just barely tbh) and I'm aiming for 2 more this month. I hope to get through these books (somehow) before October. I chose these to get me in the Fall mood! And also because they've been on my TBR forever that I should just read them already!
All but 2 are from either Owlcrate or Owlcrate JR.
I've heard such good things about all of these reads that I feel like I'm missing out by taking so long to read them already! I'm currently starting on Shadow of the Fox and House of Salt and Sorrows.
Weirdly enough I don't really have any Kindle/ebooks for this challenge! That's definitely a first.
This is one I'm super excited to get into! The cover is stunning, I love the art style. And it sounds really interesting as well. You can read about it here on Goodreads! I find that most middle grade reads have super heavy themes and some have been know to make me feel like my heart is breaking and choke me up a bit. It's crazy! I guess because it's the concept of kids having to deal with this crap when they shouldn't have to? I'm not sure but I get emotionally invested for sure.
Do you have any books you plan to read this week/month?
I know I'm not the only one who can't believe it's already August so I'm not even gonna say it! But what I will say is: I can't believe this pandemic has been going on for about 4-5 months in the US now and we're still nowhere near getting better. If anything we're getting worse and that's insane. But then I run my weekly errands and I see WHY we're getting worse.
Everything is bigger in Texas.
Even the bullshit.
For the first time in ever I managed to wait until the end of July to start Fall. I usually start mid July but I really want to get the Spring/Summer content I missed out on out of the way before I go on full Fall mode. I know it doesn't matter in reality but I just like things to be in chronological order. So let's hope I get all of that other stuff up before August is over, yeah?
It's mostly for me and my archive purposes tbh.
Things I hope to get done in August;
Why yes, this was meant to be a monthly goals post but uh, I tend to talk too much. I wish there was a check list option for bullet points. Come on Blogspot it's 2020!
I honestly don't know why I don't update this blog as often anymore considering I still update the IG as frequently as I can.
March has been a challenge for all of us. With the quarantine's, the lock down's, the businesses closing and the entire media trying to scare the shit out of us into staying home -- which I'm not saying we shouldn't stay home, I definitely think we should -- but I'm just tired of all the scary negative news every time I open a browser or an app. It doesn't help my mom continuesly talks about the Corona every chance she gets. Every single day. No matter what else we're talking about.
So March has been a lot of staying home; which honestly, as a SAHM I already stay home every single day but Saturday on a regular basis. So. Basically it's been a non adventure on Saturday month.
Some cool things DID happen though! This stay at home thing has made me epically fail at my financial health goal -- but it's okay! Cause those trips are cancelled anyway! I still have time to re-save up that money lmao. I hate myself, why am I like dis lmao.
March has been a challenge for all of us. With the quarantine's, the lock down's, the businesses closing and the entire media trying to scare the shit out of us into staying home -- which I'm not saying we shouldn't stay home, I definitely think we should -- but I'm just tired of all the scary negative news every time I open a browser or an app. It doesn't help my mom continuesly talks about the Corona every chance she gets. Every single day. No matter what else we're talking about.
So March has been a lot of staying home; which honestly, as a SAHM I already stay home every single day but Saturday on a regular basis. So. Basically it's been a non adventure on Saturday month.
Some cool things DID happen though! This stay at home thing has made me epically fail at my financial health goal -- but it's okay! Cause those trips are cancelled anyway! I still have time to re-save up that money lmao. I hate myself, why am I like dis lmao.
Anyone else feel like January is like... the trial version of the New Year Resolutions? We get so hyped up on our goals and super inspired... yet next thing we know it's mid January and we feel like epic failures for not "staying on track".
I know I struggled A LOT with this, especially since I'm so fixated on doing the things I didn't get to do in 2019 because of all the postpartum depression and general depression that happened and robbed me of my time. But I'm trying really hard to remind myself that any step forward is still a step forward. No matter how many things I do or don't tick off my "to-do" list for that day/week/month.
I have to remind myself that this is a progress, not a destination.
I know I struggled A LOT with this, especially since I'm so fixated on doing the things I didn't get to do in 2019 because of all the postpartum depression and general depression that happened and robbed me of my time. But I'm trying really hard to remind myself that any step forward is still a step forward. No matter how many things I do or don't tick off my "to-do" list for that day/week/month.
I have to remind myself that this is a progress, not a destination.
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