Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | August 2021

READING

I read 10 books in August, and I’m on track to read around 140 books this year. It won’t be the standout year that last year was, but reading 140 books is still a lot of books to read in a year.

  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (print, owned, Tombolo Books) – ★★★★★
  • Foreplayer by Kate Meader (e-book, owned, Amazon) – ★★★★☆
  • A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost (audiobook, library) – ★★★★☆
  • It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian (e-book, library) – ★★★☆☆
  • Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (print, library) – ★★★★☆
  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (Serial Reader app) – ★★★★★
  • Handle With Care by Helena Hunting (e-book, owned, Amazon) – ★★★☆☆
  • I See You by Clare Mackintosh (e-book, owned, Amazon) – ★★★★☆
  • The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (e-book, library) – ★★★★☆
  • The Guncle by Steven Rowley (print, library) – ★★★★☆

My favorite book this month was The House in the Cerulean Sea (a month later and I am still thinking about that book and those characters!) and my least favorite was It Takes Two to Tumble.

WATCHING

  • Big Brother – It’s hard to believe the finale is in a few weeks! I love this show so much and get so obsessed with it when it’s on. My favorite houseguest went home last week and I’m not feeling good about the odds of my other favorite making it to finale night. But I’ll hope and pray she does!
  • The Crown, season 4 – I’m only a few episodes into this season, but it introduces Diana as Charles’ love interest. It’s hard to get super invested in their story, though, knowing how toxic their relationship was and how everything ended.
  • Schitt’s Creek, season 6 – I’m oh-so-very-slowly making my way through the last season of Schitt’s Creek because I just don’t want my rewatch to be over.

LISTENING TO

  • Rob Has a Podcast for all of my Big Brother updates and analysis. I usually listen to the the podcast episodes right after they download to my feed (the morning after each TV episode, which are on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays). This season, I’ve also been listening to their live feed recaps. (Big Brother has a live feed where you can watch the houseguests 24/7—I don’t watch the live feeds, but I do love hearing the updates because there is so much strategy and game talk that is missed if you only watch the TV episodes.)
  • Scam Goddess is the newest podcast I’ve added to my feed, and I love it so much! It’s hosted by Laci Mosley and she is hilarious and so much fun to listen to. Every week, she talks about different scams—both big and small—with a comedic guest. It’s truly a delight!
  • Stuff You Should Know released an archived episode last month about animal domestication that was fascinating. They discussed all the ways we’ve bred and changed the genetic makeup of certain animals (like horses and chickens!) to meet our agricultural needs.

BUYING

  • Microfiber hair turban – I was influenced by Suzanne to try these hair turbans out, which is a much easier way to wrap up your hair after a shower than using a towel. I really like them! Using a regular towel has never been very effective, as the towel usually comes undone if I make one sudden movement, so I like that I can sit with my hair in a towel for a long time after my shower. I don’t think it does much to dry my hair (at least, I haven’t noticed a difference), but the convenience factor is key.
  • More face masks – The number of face masks I brought with me to Chicago was kinda ridiculous. I just always wanted to be able to switch out my mask if the one I was wearing started getting smelly. (Smelly face masks are so gross.) Obviously, I switched out my face masks daily but I wanted the option to switch them out multiple times a day if needed. As such, I discovered I needed more face masks! So I bought a pack at Target on a whim and I really like them. They were only $5 for two masks so they aren’t the most protective, but they work in a pinch.
  • Pop-up parchment sheets – This is a supremely boring adult purchase, but it’s brought great joy to my life! I needed more parchment paper and found these cool pop-up parchment sheets. I don’t have to bring out the whole roll of parchment paper, eyeball how much I need, and rip it off the roll. This sits in a kitchen drawer and I just grab the top piece of parchment and it’s always the perfect size. Genius!

HIGHLIGHTS

great seats (and even better company) at a baseball game • a yummy dinner out with sweet friends • making a belated birthday cake • lots and lots of long walks • finishing the count of monte cristo • the younger nephew joining us for game nights • deleting 150+ books off my Goodreads TBR  • four days in Chicago • meeting Kim! • a full week off work • the cats being extra clingy when I returned • a negative covid test • annual fantasy football draft • exploring the museum of fine arts • tapas tuesday with Bri • quality time with my fur-brother and -sister • a reading weekend • dating that feels fun and enjoyable, not stressful and overwhelming

What was the highlight of August for you?

Categories: Life

Monthly Recap | July 2021

READING

I read 10 books in July, which is a little low for me but TV kinda had more of my attention this month than usual. It’s all good! Here’s what I read in July:

  • My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren (print, owned, Amazon) – ★★★☆☆
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (print, owned, Book of the Month) – ★★★★☆
  • The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard (audiobook, library) – ★★★☆☆
  • A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare (e-book, library) – ★★★★☆
  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle (print, owned, Book of the Month) – ★★★★☆
  • Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (print, library) – ★★★★☆
  • How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole (e-book, owned, Amazon) – ★★★☆☆
  • The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali (audiobook, library) – ★★★★☆
  • Steal Me by Lauren Layne (e-book, library) – ★★★★☆
  • The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (print, owned, Thriftbooks) – ★★★★★

My favorite book this month was The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and my least favorite was The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

WATCHING

  • Superstore, season 4 – I have just two episodes left in this season! It’s been a fun season to watch with lots of changes happening.
  • The Bachelorette – Yeppp. Still watching this show! It’s almost over and I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life afterward. Good thing there’s another Bachelorette season coming in October.
  • Big Brother – Season 23 of Big Brother has been phenomenal! (Which the viewers really deserved after many lackluster seasons.) Tiffany and Kyland are my “must protect at all costs” favorites, and I just love how diverse this cast is. Way to go, CBS!
  • The Olympics – Of course, I’ve been spending my evenings watching Olympics coverage! As someone mentioned on Instagram, the Olympics feel like the last vestige of patriotism because damn if I don’t root hard for my USA Olympians.

LISTENING TO

  • Book Talk, Etc. – I started listening to this new book podcast thanks to a recommendation from another book podcast (Currently Reading). I’m really enjoying it! Each episode involves the hosts discussing something they’re currently obsessed with, their most recent read, and the last book they placed on their TBR. They also have a deep dive discussion about a bookish topic.
  • Edith! – I’ve never listened to a fictionalized podcast series, but this one has been sensational. It stars Rosamund Pike as First Lady Edith Wilson and is about the time she essentially ran the country after her husband, President Woodrow Wilson, suffered a stroke during his second term. It’s funny and teaching me about something in US history that I knew nothing about!
  • The Flavortown episode on The Popcast – If you haven’t started listening to The Popcast yet, may I recommend starting with this episode? It will have you laughing hysterically and thinking about a much more efficient way to say banana and if the letter “c” should be eliminated from the alphabet. Give it a listen!

BUYING

  • A new bathing suit – I’ve had great luck with buying bathing suits off Amazon lately, especially Aqua Eve plus-size swimsuits that fit my body so perfectly. (Something I never thought I’d say about a bathing suit!) I purchased this leopard-style one-piece this month and I love it.
  • Mixtiles – For my mom’s birthday, I planned to order a set of Mixtiles of Chip and Lucy. When I went to order the photos, Mixtiles was running a huge sale (buy 10, get 10) so I couldn’t help adding a whole bunch of photos to my cart for my own photo wall at home. I’ve been wanting to make the wall next to my couch into a gallery of photos but just have never gotten around to it. I’m so pleased with this little area of my home now and it makes me smile every time I see it!

  • So. Many. Books. – I went a little crazy with book-buying in August. I bought 10 (!!!) books. To be fair, I used a gift card for a good chunk of that stack, but still. What can I say? Buying books brings me the greatest joy. (But I’m definitely putting myself on a book-buying ban for August!)

HIGHLIGHTS

dinner with family I rarely see • earning employee of the month • fireworks on the 4th of July • coffee flights at a local coffeeshop • a bookstore date with Briana • a tea party with friends • the Olympics • Olive finishing chemo • celebrating mom’s birthday • a friend’s baby’s birthday party • book club and jackbox • a pool day with mom •  an easy vet appointment for Eloise • a reading weekend • many, many, many wonderful dates with a wonderful person

Categories: Life

What I’m Looking Forward to in 2021

Lately, I’ve been daydreaming about what I want to do in 2021. With the potential of being fully vaccinated by summer, the end feels near. At least, the end of staying at home and not traveling or seeing friends is near. So, in the spirit of this feeling of hopefulness for what lies ahead of us in the second half of the year, here’s what I’m looking forward to:

Getting vaccinated. I am so ready for my Covid vaccine! The rollout in Florida has been laughably terrible and I’m not sure when I will be eligible to get mine, but I am patiently waiting my turn. I signed up to be on a standby list for leftover Covid vaccines, but I’m not holding my breath that I’ll ever be contacted through that. However, as of today, my mom is finally eligible for her vaccine so hooray for that! She’s been ready to get her vaccine for a long time, so at least one person in my bubble will be fully vaccinated soon.

Restarting book club. Book club has been on hiatus since February 2020, and I miss it so very much. We’ve kept in touch with regular birthday surprises and random outside meetups here and there, but I miss having a standing monthly date with my book club girls. I know some book clubs have kept things going through the pandemic with either Zoom calls or outside meetings, but we had a tougher time coordinating schedules and the like during this unprecedented time. Thankfully, we’re coming back! We have our first official meeting on Wednesday and we’ll all be meeting in a park so it will be Covid-safe, of course. I’m just excited to see my girls again and catch up on each other’s lives and hopefully choose a book for all of us to read together in April. 🙂

Going on a vacation. My last vacation was in December 2019, so it’s been quite a long time since I’ve actually gotten away and I am desperate for it. Ideally, I’d love to go on a cruise sometime this year (nope, this pandemic has not made me anxious to cruise, especially as many cruise lines are now requiring all guests and crew members to be vaccinated), but even just getting away for a long weekend somewhere would suffice. My mom and I also have flight credits that we need to use by the end of the year so I’ve been thinking about where we might want to go. (We were planning to visit New Orleans, and we may still do that, but I’ve also been dreaming about other places to visit.) I just can’t wait to travel again!

The Olympics. While I understand why the 2020 Summer Olympics had to be canceled, I was still majorly devastated. I love the Summer Olympics so much! And I am super grateful that we’ll get to experience the Olympics in all of their glory this year. I’m counting down the days!

Dating. Remember how I made a goal to go on 24 dates in 2020? HAHAHA. Oh, pre-pandemic Steph. You had such hope for 2020! While I know many people have found ways to date during the pandemic, with Zoom and picnics and such, I couldn’t even think about dating. Now, it’s been over a year since I’ve been on a proper date and I find myself missing the excitement and hope that comes along with dating. (Not missing the disappointment and despair, though.) I’m excited to dive into the dating scene this year, especially once I’m fully vaccinated, and I’m crossing my fingers for love to find me.

Fun lady dates. Briana and I have had a standing monthly lady date since we were roommates back in 2015-2016. Like most things, of course, those lady dates were put on pause during the pandemic. In October, we both felt comfortable enough to bring them back into our lives, and I am so glad for it! Our lady dates in the past have consisted of dinner dates or at-home pizza-and-a-movie dates, which I love, but for some reason, we’ve decided to up the ante and have gone on some truly magical lady dates: visiting museums, a farm, the Strawberry Festival, etc. On our drive home from our last lady date, we made a list of all the places we want to visit: the zoo, the aquarium, kayaking, tons of museums, etc. I can’t wait to explore more of our area with her!

Pool days. I’m so grateful that my mom bought a house with a pool last year! I love lazily floating in a pool, but I don’t love how loud and busy my apartment’s pool can get. (I am approximately 85 years old.) And I especially wasn’t keen on visiting a communal pool during a pandemic! Last year, I loved going over to my mom’s for a dip in the pool, and I can’t wait for more pool days this summer.

Olive’s post-cancer party. If all goes according to plan, Olive should finish up her cancer treatment in July, and Mikaela has already said that she wants to have a big party to celebrate. And I, for one, cannot WAIT to celebrate this warrior baby when she finishes her treatment. I’m sending this out into the universe that Olive will have this post-cancer party. Nothing else is acceptable!

What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Categories: Life

Monday Thoughts

1) Ch-ch-ch-changes.

I’ve decided to replace my weekly “What I’m Reading” posts with a “Weekly Wrap-Up” post that I’ll publish every Friday. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and trying to put all the pieces together in a way that makes sense and is somewhat interesting to read. My Weekly Wrap-Up post will include my highs and lows of the week, a recap of everything I read, a section to talk about what I spent money on this week, updates on my monthly goals, and one or two things I’m recommending this week (a podcast episode, an article, a recipe, a product, etc). I’m really excited to start these posts with the first one publishing this week. I hope you guys enjoy them as well!

2) Bruxism. 

My dentist recommended I start sleeping with a mouth guard at night because my teeth are showing signs that I grind them when I’m sleeping. This was BRAND NEW INFORMATION to me, but I wake up with headaches on a fairly regular basis, and that might be why. So I bought an over-the-counter mouthguard this weekend to try out. I had to go through a whole process of forming the mouth guard to my upper teeth, which was super uncomfortable since I had to shove the mouth guard and plastic applicator into my mouth and clench my jaw for 3 minutes to get it to set. I have a small mouth as it is and a fairly epic gag reflex, so… it was not pretty. (I’m also still healing from a cavity filling, so it was also kinda painful, too!) Both cats were sitting nearby with concerned expressions on their faces, though, so that was pretty cute. 🙂

I’ve only slept with the mouth guard once and it felt a little weird at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly, which is good! Time will tell if it helps with the headaches.

3) Arm pretzels.

Does anyone else wake up with their arms or legs twisted in the weirdest directions? Last month, I started to have this pain on the side of my right arm, starting near my shoulder, and I couldn’t determine the cause. I finally figured out that it’s because I’m sleeping with my arm twisted above my head in a completely uncomfortable direction. But, like, I don’t know how to fix this. It’s just something I do while sleeping. I’ve tried to be more mindful of it and move my arm to a more natural position if I notice it when I wake up in the middle of the night, but it’s also hard to be very mindful when I’m half-asleep. Meh.

4) Libby.

My one-year membership to my neighboring county’s library system expired last month. It was actually supposed to expire at the end of March 2020, but COVID happened and they paused all renewals. (In Florida, you can only get a library card for the county you live in. I paid $100 to get access to another county’s library system because their eBook collection is vastly superior and almost always has the books I want to read.) I was thinking about renewing, but now their non-resident library cards don’t allow you to access their eBook/audiobook collection. Whaaaaat. Why would you do this to me, HCPLC?! I’d much rather pay them for eBooks rather than Amazon. I’m also frustrated because my county’s online system only allows you to put 5 books on hold at a time (as opposed to 30) and the borrowing period for all eBooks/audiobooks is 2 weeks (HCPLC gave me 3 weeks).

The good news is, I think I can buy a library card online from Orange County Public Library System to access their eBook collection (which seems as robust as HCPLC’s, since it’s the library system for the Orlando area). It’s $125 for a year, but I’m quite sure the card will pay for itself within six months. (And even still, I’d rather pay that amount of money to the library rather than Amazon.) I just have to wait until April to buy it, since I’m on a $100 spending limit this month.

5) The cats.

This weekend, I spent an evening away from the girls as my mom needed me to watch Chip. I’m always happy to do this for her as I love my fur-brother obsessively, but I also really miss my cats when I’m away from them, even if it’s only for a night. I know they are totally fine to be home alone, but I always get a little anxious as I’m preparing for bed, thinking of them alone in a dark apartment without me. Anyone else?

6) What I’m watching.

I’m currently knee-deep into season two of Superstore, which will likely become one of my new comfort watches. It’s so good! Funny and heartfelt and I am here for all the sexual tension between Amy and Jonah. Yes, yes, yes.

Last month, I watched season one of The Crown, which I really, really enjoyed. It’s made me do a lot of googling into the royal family and specifically Queen Elizabeth. Like, I totally didn’t know that her husband is still alive?! And that she’s had four kids?! I’ve never been that interested in the royal family (did not even watch Kate or Meghan’s weddings) so I don’t really know all that much about them. But it’s so crazy to think about becoming queen at 25, just a few years into your marriage. Also, now that I’ve watched this season, it feels like the book American Royals is kinda like Queen Elizabeth fanfic? There are just so many parallels!

I’ve also started rewatching Schitt’s Creek. I remember not loving season one the first time I watched the show because it takes some time to understand the humor and weirdness of the characters, but now that I have that background, I was able to enjoy season one in an entirely new way. It’s just so good! Funny and ridiculous and over-the-top. Love. It.

Categories: Life

A Wintery Coffee Date

It’s been a long time since I posted a life update. Why don’t we have a little coffee date on this chilly Friday morning? I’ll be drinking a peppermint mocha, of course.

If we were having coffee today, we would probably start by talking about the inauguration! And oh, what a beautiful day it was! I basically stopped working from 10am-1pm to watch the event, which I’m sure MANY of us did. It was so great to celebrate this transfer of power. While it was not a peaceful transfer (understatement of the year), the day itself was filled with joy and hope and inspiration. It was so nice to feel that way about our political leaders! Joe and Kamala are not perfect people and they will make lots of mistakes in the coming years, but they are exactly what our country needs right now. They are strong leaders, inspiring people, and will bring some normalcy to the White House. (Imagine! A president who doesn’t make fun of the American people or say derogatory things about every person who disagrees with him!) Of course, like most people, my favorite part of the inauguration was Amanda Gorman reciting her poem. I’ve rewatched it about half a dozen times since Wednesday—she’s such a powerful speaker and brought tears to my eyes with her message of hope and justice. I’m so excited for her and where she goes from here!

If we were having coffee today, I would want to give you an update on Olive, my friend’s baby with cancer. Olive just finished her second round of chemo and while the first round put her in the hospital for a week (some of her blood counts were dangerously low, leaving her at risk for infection, and she wasn’t interested in eating), she’s doing really good right now and is even playing and laughing and talking up a storm. I’m so, so grateful she’s having so many good days in a row. She needed it, and Mikaela most definitely did as well. After the first round of chemo, Olive’s medical team ran some tests and found out her tumor shrank by more than 30%! So that’s positive news indeed, as her oncologist wasn’t sure chemo would work on her type of tumor. And the best news of all is that a surgeon in Boston has agreed to do her surgery! He is one of the top liver specialists in the country and is super confident that he can do the resection without any issues. They’ll relocate to Boston for most of February and then, after the surgery, come back for more chemo. It will be a long, hard year for them but I’m feeling very positive and hopeful that this will be just a minor blip on the amazing, beautiful, inspiring life Olive will lead.

If we were having coffee today, I might spend some time gushing about Bridgerton. You guys, I had no idea I would love this show as much as I did! It was the best show I’ve ever seen, hands down. I had such an insane visceral reaction to Bridgerton, the kind that is hard to explain. It’s just that for the week during which I watched the show and the week or two afterward, it was all I could think about. And I mean, obsessively. If I went more than five minutes not thinking of the show, I considered it a win. Every time I would see a Bridgerton video (like a cast promo video) show up in my Instagram or Facebook feed, I would get these insane butterflies in my stomach. After finishing the show last week, all I wanted to do was restart it from the beginning. But I was also feeling a bit overstimulated from all of my big emotions that I needed a break from my intense, obsessive feelings! While this can be a common occurrence for highly sensitive people (TV shows can affect us at such a different level than they do for other people!), I have yet to have such an experience with a TV show. Was it Rege-Jean Page’s (the actor who played the duke) performance? Was it the great writing? Was it the beautiful sets and costumes? Was it the love story between Daphne and Simon? WHAT CAUSED THESE FEELINGS?! I’m sad that season two isn’t slated for 2022 (*shakes fist*), but damn, if this is what we can expect from Shonda Rhimes partnering with Netflix, I’m excited for what’s to come.

If we were having coffee today, I might tell you that I came really close to booking a November cruise! Oh boy, it was not a good idea to spend some time last week looking at late 2021 cruises. I have missed cruising soooo much and my mom told me that one of her coworkers booked an Alaskan cruise for May, which got my wheels churning. I nearly booked a cruise for the end of November, but stopped myself. Cruise lines are supposed to begin operating again in May (with lots of COVID policies in place, of course!) and I want to see how some of the first cruises go before committing to anything. I want to believe that we will be somewhat back to normal by November (and that my mom and I will have gotten our vaccines by then) but who really knows? I’m going to cross fingers and toes we can somehow safely be on a cruise ship this year!

If we were having coffee today, I might talk about my plans to shift my personal Instagram into a Bookstagram. (Bookstagram = an Instagram all about books!) I follow a lot of Bookstagrammers on my personal feed and I’ve always wanted to dip my toe into this world but felt very intimidated. Plus, thinking of a clever Bookstagram name was difficult! But then I was talking about the Bookstagram world with a friend who is involved in the community, and she told me that my Instagram is basically a Bookstagram since I talk about books so much on there. And it was like a lightbulb went off! Why don’t I just use my personal Instagram as a Bookstagram? I still want to show some lifestyle content (mainly in my Stories) on Instagram, as I think the best Bookstagrammers share a mix of bookish content and life updates, and I think this is a great way to merge my two worlds. I’ll likely change my Instagram name in the future and clean up who I’m following to make room for more Bookstagrammers, but I’m excited to dive even deeper into this world and share even more of my bookish thoughts. (This doesn’t affect anything I’m doing with the blog: this is still primarily a lifestyle blog, with lots of bookish content thrown in.)

And, of course, if we were having coffee today, I’d give you an update on the cats! They are as perfect and precocious as ever. I need to take Lila to the vet soon for some shots and I’m a little worried they’ll comment about her weight. She’s a little on the chunky side with a large primordial pouch that swings from side to side when she runs (which delights me to no end!)—Ellie also has a pouch but it’s not as large as Lila’s. Speaking of Ellie, she’s become a little snuggler lately! Maybe it’s the cold weather, but she now climbs right on my stomach when I’m lying in bed and falls right asleep on me. It’s my FAVORITE thing! Often, I’ll even wake up to find her perched on my stomach or back (depending on my sleeping position). They are the best girls and I am so glad they’re mine!

What would you talk about during our coffee date?!