Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

One Photo a Day: March 7 – 13

March 7, 2026 – Game night! I made my world-famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (recipe here!) and we played Life, Racko, and 5 Second Rule. 

March 8, 2026 – A low-key Sunday. Eloise was looking particularly cute this morning, as she got solar-powered for the day.

March 9, 2026 – My friend Lynn and I have a new tradition of gifting each other a book event for our birthday, so I was finally able to cash in on my birthday present! Lisa Unger is a local author who is also a renowned thriller writer, and she just released a new book this month! It was great to hear about her writing process and how this book came to be. I can’t wait to read it!

March 10, 2026 – Mmmm, pizza date! Bri and I went to our favorite local spot in Safety Harbor and then went back to her house to record two podcast episodes. We didn’t start recording until after 8 p.m., so I wasn’t sure if we’d have enough time to record both episodes, but luckily, they were on the shorter side.

March 11, 2026 – Sweet Lila Bear! I was making breakfast in the morning and saw her lying on the couch with her belly exposed. I very politely asked if I could pet her belly, and she said yes. 

March 12, 2026 – I took a risk and went for a walk right before a big rainstorm threatened. It started sprinkling when I was halfway done, but didn’t start come down harder until I was steps away from my apartment. Whew!

March 13, 2026 – There are so many pictures I could have taken from today, since it was a busy one, but I did not take any pictures until I was at home, curled up in my reading chair and settling down with a sweet romance. So that’s what you get! 

What’s the last photo you took?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 127)

1) Busy body

It’s been a busy week for me. Let’s review:

  • Monday: A friend and I met up for a book talk downtown with Lisa Unger
  • Tuesday: Pizza and podcasting with Bri (we recorded two episodes! On a weeknight!)
  • Wednesday: Trivia night with mom

My weekend is going to be equally busy, so I’m seeing all of my napping hours slip away. Wahhh!

Not to mention, I started my period on Monday, so I’ve been in a bit of a hormonal state and dealing with terrible cramps. And it’s been a very meeting-heavy week at work, so I’ve been so busy during the day that I can’t find time for any of my hobbies. I didn’t even open my laptop for two days, so I am insanely behind on reading and commenting on blogs.

Thankfully, next week is a three-day workweek for me, since I gave myself a four-day weekend. I have no real plans for this long weekend, aside from a scheduled massage. I was hoping to spend some time at the pool, but the highs are in the low 70s. I can probably sit by the pool, but the water may still be too cold to enjoy. Oh, well. This time off will allow me to relax and get some stuff done around the apartment, at least!

2) Tax SZN

I did my taxes. I have been putting it off, even though I had all the documents I needed, because I just didn’t want to see the damage. I used to get a nice lil refund check from the government, but then I started making an actual livable wage, and for the past two years, I’ve owed money. I also got a bonus in 2025, and I was concerned that it was going to affect my tax return. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I am getting a refund this year! Once I paid all the appropriate fees to TurboTax, it only wound up being $80, but hey, money is money. And I will not complain about that!

3) No news isn’t always good news

There’s not much to report about my PsA progress, or lack thereof. Yesterday, I started my fourth week of methotrexate, and this could be the week I start seeing some symptom improvement… or it could take another month. I’m still dealing with a swollen ring finger and left shoulder pain. My hips are also a bit stiff every morning, but that gradually gets better as the day goes on. And every now and then, I’ll wake up with a random joint flaring. One day, it was the side of my left knee, the other day, it was my right elbow. Sometimes, both shoulder joints are so stiff and painful that I have to wait to take a shower because there’s just no way I can lift my arms high enough to wash my hair.

I’m still on prednisone and haven’t even thought about the tapering process. (My rheum said I could start tapering if I was feeling good enough, but nope!) I’ve been on prednisone for six weeks now, but thankfully, the dose I’m on does keep the more miserable PsA symptoms away.

I’ll get bloodwork next week to see how my inflammation markers are looking, and then I have a rheumatology follow-up the following week!

4) Canceled plans

My mom and I have decided to postpone our trip to Boston (we planned to go at the end of March). Instead, we’re going to plan an epic New England road trip in the fall. !!! We’ll get to enjoy all the fall foliage and check off a bunch of states we’ve never visited. The loose itinerary I have in my head is flying into Boston and spending a few days in the city, then road tripping through New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, before driving back to Boston to come home. I am so ready to plan an incredible itinerary for this trip!

5) Weekend plans

It’s going to be a busy weekend, on top of my busy week. Ahhh! Today, I have a colleague’s going-away party and dinner with my mom. Tomorrow, my mom and I will take the dogs to get baths, have lunch while they get pampered, and then drive over to Dunedin to visit our favorite ice cream shop that serves dog-friendly ice cream! (It’s Chip’s birthday on Monday, and one of our traditions is taking the dogs to get ice cream on their birthday weekend!) There’s a really cute, tiny bookstore nearby, so we’ll see if I can sneak away for a few minutes (or 30) to peruse the shelves. And Sunday will be a low-key day, as my only plan is my writing date with Mikaela. The goal is to finish up the character study for one of my main characters!

What are your weekend plans? Have you done your taxes?

Categories: Recurring Series

One Photo a Day: February 28 – March 6

Saturday, February 28 – I found Dr. Pepper lounge pants. Do I need anything else in my life?!

Today’s FIG: I’m grateful for a really fun day with my mom and I love spending time with her.

Sunday, March 1 – It was one of those days when I almost forgot to take a photo. Thankfully, Eloise was happy to pose with me. Yes, this is her happy face.

Monday, March 2 – This book brings back so many memories for me! I owned a copy of this book when I was younger and read it so much that the back cover (which opens to a map of Stoneybrook) fell off. My mom bought me a second copy when that happened, which was a big deal because buying new books wasn’t a thing in my family. (We were heavy library users!) I was talking to a friend about this book and, on a whim, decided to see how much it would cost to get a copy. It was on Thriftbooks for less than $10! Sold.

Tuesday, March 3 – I took this picture of Lila and then squealed so much about how cute she was that Lila jumped off the table. Sometimes, my love is a bit overwhelming.

Wednesday, March 4 – Our trivia team name is the Last-Place Besties, and guess what? We came in last place! Self-aware queens.

Thursday, March 5 – I was sitting on the couch watching TV, and Eloise came to snuggle up right next to me. It was the sweetest thing! I love her so much, if it isn’t obvious.

Friday, March 6 – OMGGGGGGG. You guys! My bestie Bri is in a play at our local community theater and yesterday was the opening night. The play was so good, and the kicker is that Bri’s husband Sean is also in the play. (I knew this fun tidbit, but they’re keeping it a secret from other people.) I laughed a lot, and my heart swelled with pride to see Bri up on stage. She was a star. (And Sean was, too! You’d never know this was his first-ever play!)

Categories: Recurring Series

One Photo a Day: February 21 – 27

February 21, 2026 – My youngest nephew is 11! That’s so wild. Why do these kids keep getting big? Also, why does everyone in my family want cookie cake for their birthdays? COOKIE CAKE IS NOT GOOD.

Today’s FIG: I’m so thankful that Saturday night game night is back AND that D specifically requested that we start back on his birthday. We had a great time!

February 22, 2026 – I had book club today but we forgot to take a picture! What is wrong with us?! In place of that, you get Eloise in her favorite spot. Sometimes she lets me use her napping chair as a reading chair.

Today’s FIG: It was nice to see all my friends (minus one!) at book club today, although I felt like I was a bit crabby to my friends. Prednisone side effect?!

February 23, 2026 – My lovely walking path. I’m excited to see what blooms on those naked trees!

Today’s FIG: It was so nice to wake up to a cold front this morning! It’s probably our last one until November or December, so I enjoyed turning off my AC and bundling up! 

February 24, 2026 – I couldn’t find Lila this morning… until I peeked over the side of my bed to see her stretched out on the rug in a sunbeam. Look how round and perfect she is!

Today’s FIG: I’m thankful for homemade nachos. Such a simple, delicious (albeit not-very-healthy) meal!

February 25, 2026 – I can’t believe it’s finally here! Survivor 50! My mom came over to watch the premiere episode with me, and Lila even emerged from her hiding place for some pets later in the night. (Eloise was hanging out with us, but Lila keeps her distance when I have people over.)

Today’s FIG: I’m thankful that I did not have a heart attack this morning! I kept imagining rushing myself to the ER and having to stay overnight at the hospital and deal with all sorts of unpleasant things. Hooray for heartburn?

February 26, 2027 – Lucy snuggles! I went over to my mom’s house so we could watch The Traitors finale together, and Lucy didn’t want me to put her down. I tried at one point and she climbed back up into my arms. Such a sweetheart!

Today’s FIG: I’m thankful for my fur-siblings. They make me so happy! I don’t know what I would do without them.

February 27, 2026 – Sometimes you have back-to-back meetings in the middle of lunch hour, and suddenly, it’s 3 pm, and you haven’t had lunch, so you make popcorn in the air popper. (My eating habits are fantastic and so super healthy, why do you ask?!)

Today’s FIG: I am thankful that I have a whole season of The Traitors UK to watch! Finishing season 4 of The Traitors US was immensely satisfying, and I am ready for more treachery and murder!

What was the last TV show you watched?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 81)

The high of my week was winning a Goodreads giveaway! I enter these giveaways all the time because it takes, like, two seconds, and why not?! I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from Goodreads on Wednesday that told me I won a copy of Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven! I haven’t won one of these giveaways in years.

The low of my week was heartburn. I haven’t isolated which of my meds gives me heartburn (the likely culprit is my iron supplement) and it doesn’t always give me heartburn, but when it does, it really makes me feel like I’m dying. On Wednesday morning, I was convinced I was having a heart attack because the burning in my chest was so bad. (I always think the heartburn is actually chest pain and if I don’t get to the ER immediately, I’m going to die alone at home. My mind is a wonderful place to be!) Anyway, it always eases after an hour or so, but it definitely sucks. I’m going to try taking my iron supplement separately from my other pills and see if that helps.

I’m currently reading two books! I’m reading After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles, and I am loving both of them so very much!

A blog post I loved was Nicole telling us all about her process to publishing her novel. I’m so proud of her, and I love the non-traditional route she took! I haven’t read Inhale, Exhale yet, but it’s one of the next books on my list to read! I’ve heard excellent things, and if Nicole’s blog writing is anything to go by, I know I’m going to love it.

A show I watched this week was Survivor 50! It’s hard to believe this show is on it’s fiftieth season. There is one contestant on this season who was on the second season when he was 25. Now, he’s in his fifties and mentoring one of the younger contestants who is 25! Full circle moment. Anyway, the premiere episode was excellent and I am very much looking forward to what awaits us this season!

The best money I spent this week was $25 for a ticket to Bri’s performance. My best friend and podcast co-host Bri was cast in a play at one of our local community theatres! Isn’t that so cool?! I’m so excited to see her play! I bought second-row tickets for my mom and me.

My plans this weekend include some fun things! Tonight, it’s a night to myself, and I plan on watching a movie to fulfill one of my 2026 goals (I’m thinking The Martian). Tomorrow, I have my younger nephew’s birthday party and then a shopping date with my mom. And on Sunday, I have a morning writing date with Mikaela and the rest of the day to myself (I think a nap will be in order).

What was the best money you spent this week? What are your weekend plans?