Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

Three Things Tuesday

I decided to forgo this week’s “What I’m Reading” post since I only finished one book and instead do a fun “Three Things Tuesday” post. I love putting these together. 🙂

Three childhood memories:

  • Playing Blind Man’s Bluff with my dad. Did anyone ever play this game when they were younger? It’s a version of tag when the person who is “It” has to be blindfolded. We always had so much fun when we played this game, especially because my dad always tried to trick us if we were “It” by shouting in one corner of our home but then running to the opposite one. It’s a treasured memory of mine.
  • The day my brother and I found out we were getting a dog! We had wanted a dog for so long but my parents didn’t want to get our hopes up, so they kept things quiet until the day they picked us up early from school so we could pick up Minnie, our adorable beagle/terrier hound, from the SPCA. It was the best day!
  • My dad waking my brother and me up every morning with, “It’s that time of the morning again!” To this day, my brother and I talk about how annoying it was to be woken up that way, but we have a hint of fondness and nostalgia when we talk about it.

Three shows on my to-be-watched list:

  • Ted Lasso. Everyone talks about how amazing this show is, but I need an AppleTV subscription to watch it. The second season is coming out soon, so I may just wait until then so I can watch multiple seasons at once!
  • 30 Rock. I watched a season or two of this show, but I didn’t quite “get” the humor. I’m willing to give it another shot, though, so it’s on my TBW list.
  • The Queen’s Gambit. A TV show about chess wouldn’t typically be at the top of my TBW list, but everyone has raved about this show so I want to give it a try someday soon!

Three recent Amazon purchases:

  • Wireless mouse ($10). My wireless mouse has been acting up for the past week, and changing the batteries didn’t help. I think the sensor is failing or something, so I decided to buy a new mouse. Easy-peasy.
  • Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi ($18). I needed to make that $25 cutoff for free shipping on Amazon (I refuse to pay for Prime), so I added this book to my order because it’s one I really want to read.
  • A new coloring book ($6). Whenever I start a new coloring book, I always buy my next coloring book so that I always have my backup ready. Lately, I’ve been using the Johanna Basford coloring books but I’ve gone through her entire set, so I bought this swear-y one for fun.

Three toys my cats love

  • A cat hammock ($22). I bought this cute hammock for the girls for Christmas, hoping they would use it (it’s always hit or miss with cats!) and it’s now Lila’s favorite place to nap! It’s near a window so she can enjoy the sunshine and watch the lizards from her cozy hammock.
  • Crinkly balls. Lila doesn’t play with very many toys, but give her a crinkly ball and she will go to town. I love watching her bat it all around the apartment. It’s the cutest thing!
  • Krinkle mice (or any “pouncing-style” toy). Eloise loves these pouncing-style toys that she can bat around the apartment. I always find her toys in completely different spots from day to day!

Three books that have been on my Goodreads TBR the longest:

Three podcast episodes I recently listened to:

  • “Waive of Vaccination with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed” on What a Day. This was a great episode that answered some of the most pressing questions about this new phase of the pandemic we’re in and waiving the patents on our current vaccines so they can be produced in other countries.
  • “Republicans cancel a Cheney” on Pod Save America. I finally listened to last Thursday’s episode of my favorite podcast, which discusses Liz Cheney and the Census. There’s also a great interview with Elizabeth Warren!
  • “Eat the Rich” on Invisibilia. I am wayyy behind on my podcast feed and I just listened to Invisibilia’s season premiere episode all about reparations and this fascinating experiment Black activists in Vermont did. They set up a list of Black people in their city with links to their Venmo accounts and encouraged white people to give money to these people to the point of financial uncomfortableness.

Three things I did this weekend:

  • Replenished my supply of Wallflowers at Bath & Body Works. And I was very proud of myself for not also walking out with four of their three-wick candles, since they were having a “buy two, get two” sale on candles.
  • Celebrated Mother’s Day with brunch with my mom, my brother, and his family. It was a lovely day and I was especially excited to gift my mom a personalized pillow of Chip and Lucy!
  • Visited my grandparents’ graves. My mom wanted to bring flowers to Grandma’s grave for Mother’s Day, and I was happy to come along. It’s always a kick in the gut to see their graves—there’s something so brutal about seeing their plaques that list their birth and death dates.

Three of my most-used iPhone apps yesterday:

  • Candy Crush (50 minutes)
  • Instagram (42 minutes)
  • Overcast (40 minutes)

Three jobs I wanted to have when I was a kid:

  • A veterinarian. I loved animals, so it just made sense that I should try to become a vet! One college-level Anatomy & Physiology class quickly dispelled me of this notion. Science and I do not mix well.
  • An author. When I was 7 or 8, I told someone that I wanted to be an author and he responded with, “You want to be Arthur?” Like I literally wanted to be a cartoon aardvark. Sigh. I still hope this childhood dream of mine comes true!
  • A mother. When I was in 5th grade, we had to write down what we wanted to be in 20 years. I wrote down that I wanted to be a vet (see above) and have four daughters. (!!!) I was the kid with Barbie dolls and baby dolls who loved nurturing them, and I always figured I would marry young and start popping out babies in my early twenties. (I blame the church for this, honestly. They ingrain this idea in girls that marriage and babies are the ultimate goals of a godly woman.) I think that 11-year-old girl would be appalled that she would be single and childless in her 30s, but I couldn’t be happier with my status.

Three favorite snacks:

  • Popcorn. There are many great things about working from home, but one of the best is that I can pop a bag of popcorn in the afternoon without worrying about stinking up the office!
  • Slightly undercooked brownies. Mmm, is there anything better?
  • Kit-Kats. It’s hard to pick a favorite candy bar, but if I had to, I’d probably pick Kit-Kats. They are just so good!

Three things I’m grateful for

  • My cozy home. My mom came over last week and she was sitting on my couch, looking around, and said, “You have such a cozy home.” And it just brightened my day. I have tried really hard to make my home cozy and inviting.
  • The animals in my life. Eloise and Lila and Chip make my life so much brighter. And I can’t wait to add a fourth pet to my life at the end of this month!
  • Podcasts. They keep me company when I’m home alone, educate me on so many issues, and make me laugh when I need the mood boost. I don’t know what I’d do without podcasts!

Tell me a show on your to-be-watched list, a job you wanted as a kid, and something you’re grateful for today!

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments of April

1 – I spent all day publishing content to client websites, which is a mindless task that allows me to listen to podcasts. It was nice to get caught up on my feed!

2 – Taking a long, 4-hour nap. So refreshing!

3 – A reading date with Amber. We went to a nearby park, spread out our blankets, and read our books. It was a beautiful night!

4 – Spending Easter with my mom, my brother, and his family. It was fun to see the boys running around with their neighbor friends!

5 – I started using a schedule today, and I was so much more productive during the day, enough that I was able to wrap up my workday at 5:15. What a delight!

6 – Mom and I went on a fun dinner date this evening to a new-to-us restaurant. We got mac-and-cheese that was so good and an order of fries to share. We were able to sit outside far away from other people, so it felt very safe! And the people watching there was excellent. 🙂

7 – I feel so stupid today because I found out I double-paid for rent. But, hey, at least I didn’t overdraft and it wasn’t the financial catastrophe it could have been. That’s a silver lining.

8 – I got my first COVID vaccine today, hooray! The process was incredibly easy. I arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule and was sitting down for the observation period before my appointment time. They have everything down pat there.

9 – Pizza night! I ordered cheesy bread with my pizza, which is always a good idea. Mmm!

10 – Today was fun! Mom and I had some girl time. We went shopping, got pedicures, and had shakes from Steak N Shake. I was hoping to have some pool time, too, but it started pouring as we were leaving the nail salon. Womp, womp.

11 – Lady date day with Briana. We explored the Imagine Museum, an amazing glass museum downtown, and then I found a cute zero-waste shop inside a plant store Bri wanted to go to.

12 – Making breakfast for dinner. YUM! I made chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

13 – Going out to dinner with my mom. I had a whole list of stuff to talk to her about, even though we had chatted on Facetime the day before, hehe.

14 – Playing with the girls at night! Eloise was being especially chatty so I figured she’d like some playtime with our collection of teaser wands. Both girls were so excited!

15 – Having a really productive, satisfying day at work. Some days, it all just clicks, you know? I love when that happens!

16 – Taking a long nap and then sitting on the couch and reading for most of the evening. Perfect Friday night!

17 – Game night with the fam! It was fun to have my brother all to himself.

18 – I had a very productive Sunday and it felt really good. I deep-cleaned my apartment, went grocery shopping, worked on a freelancing assignment, and did some blog work.

19 – A rainy Monday! I love rainy days and this one felt especially cozy.

20 – Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts for the death of George Floyd. YES!

21 – Today was a really long workday as I had to publish around 50 pieces of content on WordPress sites, but it meant I could finish my audiobook and listen to a whole bunch of podcast episodes while doing it. Silver lining!

22 – Taking a really excellent midday nap. After yesterday’s crazy work day, I really needed it!

23 – Having a cupcake with dinner! I love cupcakes and I should 100% have more of them in my life.

24 – Eloise turned 3! We celebrated with wet food for breakfast, a cupcake, and presents!

25 – Sleeping in until 10 am and then having a super-productive Sunday.

26 – Dinner with my mom downtown, and we got ice cream afterward! It was a really nice night.

27 – It was a long, busy day but the highlight was being in bed by 9 p.m. to read. Day one of my new “try to get to bed by 9” schedule went well!

28 – I was in a funk for most of today. I think I am just really stressed about work. Usually, I have terrific work/life balance but that has been almost non-existent this month, and I don’t like that at all. I need to figure out how to manage my time and balance my heavy workload much better than I’ve been doing. Anyway, the highlight was eating my feelings, ha. I planned to make lemon pepper chicken but instead, decided to order pizza. A great decision.

29 – I got my second COVID shot! WOOHOO! It was another extremely easy process and I was finished in record time. That night was also our book club meeting (we met in a park again) and it was such a joy to see everyone!

30 – Today I am grateful for ibuprofen, heating pads, Gatorade, and chicken noodle soup from Panera. Those COVID vaccine side effects are no joke.

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in April

Loving… my new bedtime. I’m trying to focus on getting into bed by 9 p.m. every night, something I haven’t been doing for a really long time. (At least since I’ve been working from home.) A lot of times, I don’t even start my nighttime routine until 9:30 or 10:00 and then I’m rushing around trying to get everything done so I can get to bed before 11. It’s really unpleasant. To make my new bedtime, I have a cut-off time for TV and computer work by 8:30 so I can get through my nighttime routine and be in bed by 9 p.m. Then, I spend an hour or so reading and 15-20 minutes watching ASMR videos on YouTube, with lights out by 10:30. It’s been amazing so far! It gives me lots of time to read and wind down at the end of the day, without feeling like I’m rushing around like a crazy person.

Loathing… that there are still way too many weeks between now and when my mom gets Lucy (my new baby fur-sister). Her official adoption date is May 24th and I’m taking time off work so I can go with my mom to pick her up and then play with her for the rest of the day! I’m so ready to meet her!

Watching… season two of The Crown and season four of Schitt’s Creek. I’m loving both! This is my second time around with Schitt’s Creek (I love that show so much, and it’s even better the second time). The Crown has been fascinating, especially since there was so much I didn’t know about Queen Elizabeth II. It’s not always a super-exciting show to watch, but it’s teaching me so much and the acting is phenomenal.

Listening to… Confronting OJ Simpson. This podcast is produced by Kim Goldman, whose brother Ron was killed along with Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994 by (allegedly?) OJ Simpson. Kim talks to everyone involved in the case—prosecutors, journalists, witnesses, and even jury members—to get to the bottom of how OJ was acquitted. I was way too young to follow this trial when it happened and I only know loose details, so I’m learning a lot. It’s a difficult, heavy podcast at times as Kim grapples with this tragedy that happened when she was just 22 (and as close as I am with my brother, her loss hits me hard). But it’s been fascinating, too, especially considering the OJ Simpson trial was dubbed the “Trial of the Century” and so many people watched it live.

Grateful for… getting vaccinated. I got my second Pfizer shot yesterday, and the more I think about being fully vaccinated two weeks from now, the more emotional I get. I will admit that the pandemic didn’t hit me nearly as hard as it did for other people. In many ways, it improved my life because I got to start working from home full-time and my social anxiety was at an all-time low. Of course, I was nervous about getting Covid but I tried to be proactive about doing what I could to limit my exposure. It helped that my county has had a mask mandate since the beginning of the pandemic, even if the rest of Florida is doing whatever the hell it wants. But even still, I am so grateful that I was able to get my vaccinations, and much, much sooner than I anticipated. I am grateful to have avoided getting Covid (that I know of). I am grateful for every high-risk person who doesn’t have to live in fear of Covid anymore. We’re almost through this.

Anticipating… a three-day staycation in May! My mom and stepdad are going away on vacation in May and need me to watch Chip, so I decided to give myself a little break, too. April was a really insane month of work (enough that I worked all weekend for the past two weekends, ugh) and I need the time off. Plus, the logistics of watching Chip while taking care of my cats can get a little crazy since I stay at my mom’s when I’m watching him. Maybe one day he can peacefully coexist with the cats, but he’s way too much of a wild man for them right now! So it gets a little nuts traveling back and forth between homes, and it will be much easier to do that if I don’t also have to think about work. I’ve planned something to do each day: a massage, a hair appointment, and an eye appointment, and will try my best not to turn on my work computer AT ALL during my time off. I just want to sleep and read and swim and play with Chip. 🙂

Thinking about… how different our bodies can feel from day to day. Ever notice how something that felt easy one day suddenly feels like the biggest challenge the next day? This has been happening to me a lot this week, and it’s frustrating. I know I’m not a robot, so things are bound to feel different from one day to the next, but it’s hard not to think that it says something about me and my internal motivations. I’m trying to give myself more grace to take it easy on those days when I’m in a funk and everything seems hard. It doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just my body’s way of telling me to slow down for a bit.

Wishing… for a cruise vacation. Man, I miss cruising so much! But I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that just yet. Maybe in 2022. But I do miss traveling and airports and hotels and sightseeing and being out of my normal routine. I can’t wait to reintroduce travel into my life!

Buying… supplies to organize my little “office.” I bought a new desk chair (it arrived yesterday!) that I will put together this weekend. And I bought some cord organizers to try to tidy up my cord situation. I have SO MANY cords for my work computer and it looks so messy. It’s been driving me crazy for a while, so I finally found some solutions to tidy everything up that I hope work. (I bought this cable management box and these cord wrapping bands.)

Feeling… both excitement and dread about re-entering the dating world once I’m fully vaccinated. I’m excited to see what’s out there, but I also know how demoralizing online dating is. I’m trying to remind myself of all the fun things about dating: trying new restaurants, conversating with someone totally new, first kisses, and that overwhelming feeling of possibility.

What are you currently watching, anticipating, and grateful for?

Categories: Recurring Series

Confessions (v. 12)

It’s been four years since my last confessions-style post if you can believe it! I’ve been building a list in my head of these little quirks of mine that I wanted to talk about, so here are some of the latest confessions:

1) I live in a third-floor apartment (with no elevator), so every time I walk upstairs, I have visions of plummeting to my death. It’s quite pleasant.

2) Coloring is one of my favorite activities, and I always have an open coloring book sitting on my dining room table. I color when I’m watching TV mostly, but sometimes I’ll put on a podcast and color when I need a break from work for a bit.

3) I mentioned this when I did my sleep habits post last year, but I feel like it bears repeating: I sleep with six full-size pillows at night. That’s six pillows for one person. I don’t know how people sleep with one flat pillow. There is something so decadent about falling into a huge pile of pillows every night.

4) I cannot figure out the right planner system for me. I’ve tried digital planners and paper planners and bullet journals. None of it works. Maybe I’m just not meant to use a planner? Is there a planner for the person who sucks at using planners?

5) I am such a slow walker that I rarely like going for walking dates with other people. Their leisurely pace is usually my fast pace. I have short legs and a short stride! Let me be!

6) I know the consensus is that you should wake up every morning and chug a glass of water, but ick. I cannot do it! My mouth feels so gross in the morning and, even after brushing my teeth, I can’t do the water thing until later in the morning or the afternoon. Even if I do a morning workout, I’m chugging Gatorade because that tastes way better than water in the morning.

7) I have a really bad habit of holding my pee at night. I just know that getting up and going to the bathroom will disrupt my sleep, so instead, I just pretend I don’t have to go. This is probably a habit holdover from Dutch (my dachshund who died in 2018 at the age of 16) because getting up from the bed meant he was up and would take forever to fall back to sleep. I need to break the habit but it’s so hard!

8) Unpopular opinion alert: give me white chocolate over dark chocolate any day.

9) I’m constantly playing with my hair if it’s down or in a ponytail, which is why I usually have it back in a bun while I’m working so I’m not tempted to play with it. I twirl it and braid it and run my hands through it… every five seconds, it seems.

10) I take a nap on an almost daily basis. This is one of the MAJOR perks of working from home and something I’ve become really used to. Sometimes, I really need that power nap to get through the rest of my day!

11) Speaking of naps, I’m notorious for taking exceptionally long naps. While I stick to a one-hour naptime on workdays, I can easily take a four-hour nap on the weekends. I have to set an alarm or else I will sleep for way longer than I intended. At one point, I was really concerned about how much sleep I was getting (what a problem to have!) so I had my thyroid levels checked. But everything is normal! I just love sleeping!

12) I look forward to my eye doctor appointments. There’s something so fun about getting my eyes examined and getting that perfect prescription. My mom hates her eye appointments because she gets so anxious about “choosing wrong” (between lens 1 or 2) and ending up with a bad prescription, but I don’t get worried about that. I have an eye appointment next month, and I can’t wait!

13) The way most people approach books and reading is the way I approach TV shows and movies. I’m like the TV/movie watcher version of a casual reader. A casual reader will read 1-2 books a month, and I will likely finish one season of a TV show in a month. I never watch movies because I don’t like the experience of being forced to sit down and watch something when there are so many other things to do. I usually watch an episode or two of a TV show while eating dinner, but I’ve never spent an entire day just watching TV. (I have, however, spent an entire day just reading.)

14) I really hate cooking and if I could order Ubereats every night, I would. Cooking is just so time-consuming and takes energy I usually don’t have at the end of the day, and then there are always so many dishes to clean. Blahhhh.

15) My cats have become conditioned to think every time I walk into the kitchen in the afternoon means it’s treat time. They can be dead asleep and if I get up from my desk at any time in the afternoon, they are speeding over to jump on the kitchen table and chirping at me for treats. And because I’m a sucker, I’ll often give them their treats when they ask for them, but then I have to deal with them begging for more treats later in the day. And I just can’t say no to their sweet little faces! So now I’ve just started breaking up their treats. They get their Temptations yummies early in the afternoon and then Greenies later. WHO’S THE SUCKER NOW?!

Do you have any confessions you’d like to get off your chest today?

Categories: Recurring Series

Weekly Wrap-Up (v. 7)

Highs and Lows

The high of my week was game night with just me, my mom, and my brother! I love when my nephew joins us for game night, but it was also rather nice to have my brother alone. We played Monopoly and Mom crushed us, haha. The game went rather quickly because of her prowess. As we were playing, I kept thinking back to all the game nights we did when my brother and I were in high school. It’s amazing that we’ve kept regular game nights going for over 15 years now! What the what!

The low of my week was mosquito bites! There must be a mosquito living in my apartment because I’ve been bitten four times in the last few days. I haven’t noticed the mosquito anywhere—he’s been a sneaky guy. I woke up way before my alarm yesterday morning because one of my bites was itching incessantly, ugh. At least I have my trusty maximum-strength hydrocortisone cream to slather on my bites multiple times a day!

What I Read

One in a Million by Jill Shalvis (★★★☆☆)

This romance is the last one in Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series, and I could tell that she was growing tired of the series. It was just sort of a cookie-cutter romance that didn’t have much depth to it. I didn’t connect with either Callie or Tanner, although I really enjoyed watching Tanner and his relationship with his teenage son grow. Oh, and there’s a sweet plot involving Callie’s grandma and her beau that I found more compelling than the central romance itself. All in all, one of those “just ok” romances that I’ll probably forget I read a month from now.

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch (★★★☆☆)

I listened to this on audio, and I think the narrator might have spoiled this one for me. For one, I don’t think she had a very good Irish accent (ugh! I love the Irish accent, so this was very disappointing). This story follows Addie, Ian, and Rowan who all wind up on a road trip together through Ireland. Ian and Addie are a brother and sister pair who have a massive falling out right before this trip, but you don’t exactly know what it is. Instead, we’re given hints throughout the story until everything is revealed near the end. I gotta say: I hate this plot device. It definitely works sometimes, but this was not one of those times. Once the truth came out, I found myself wanting to spend more time exploring all the ways in which this thing affected Addie and her relationship with her brother. Instead, we were led to believe that her brother was just being an asshole, and once everything was revealed, it was all wrapped up way too quickly. I needed more! I did love all the Ireland scenery, though, and it made me want to go back there.

What I Spent

Friday, April 16th

  • Ubereats: $20
  • Pizza: $36
  • Candy Crush: $7
  • Student loan payment: $105
  • Etsy (gift): $18

Saturday, April 17th

  • Target (contact lens drops, eye drops, mouthwash, toothpaste, body wash x 4, cleansing towelettes): $33
  • Target (gifts): $25
  • Target (lipstick, setting powder, foundation, cleansing oil, eyebrow pencil): $45
  • Target (cat treats): $9
  • Target (cable management box, cable management bands, ottoman): $63
  • Leo’s Paw (cat comb): $20

Sunday, April 18th

  • Groceries: $60

Monday, April 19th

  • Amazon (e-book): $6
  • Etsy (gift): $55
  • Amazon (office chair): $195

Tuesday, April 20th

  • No-spend day!

Wednesday, April 21st

  • No-spend day!

Thursday, April 22nd

  • Ubereats: $20
  • Internet: $80
  • Peacock TV subscription: $5

Final Tallies:

  • Shopping: $264
  • Bills: $185
  • Food: $136
  • Gifts: $98
  • Beauty: $45
  • Toiletries: $33
  • Pets: $29
  • Savings: $10
  • Entertainment: $7
  • Subscriptions: $5

Monthly Goals Progress

  • Log 10 Peloton workouts. I’m at 6 workouts so far this month, so I’m going to need to get cracking. I need to do 4 workouts over the next 7 days!
  • Schedule a car checkup. My car is still about 500 miles from needing an oil change, so this will remain a “to-do” for me.
  • Do a Goodwill drop. My goal is to get this done tomorrow! I have two huge garbage bags full of stuff to donate.
  • Walk 4,000 steps every day. I missed two days this week because it was super rainy all day and I didn’t feel like doing circles around my apartment to get my 4,000 steps. Ya win some, ya lose some.
  • Create a daily schedule. I was doing really well with this early in the month but fell off this week when work got crazy busy. Next week is going to be even busier (whimper) but I think creating a schedule will only help me with everything I need to get done. So I need to make it a priority for next week!

What I’m Recommending

  • Unpack the Derek Chauvin Trial, on the Anti-Racism Daily. This article, written by the George Floyd Foundation, was released the day after Chauvin’s conviction and it gives a rundown of everything that happened during the trial. Give it a read!
  • Based on everything that happened this week, I think it’s a good time to share the Policing in America episode from Throughline. This episode discusses the origins of American policing (which began to hunt enslaved people) and all the ways it has evolved to what it is today. A must listen, in my opinion.

What was the high of your week? What are you currently reading?