The high of my week was having a very productive Monday. It’s always nice to have a Monday off and I filled up my day with chores and errands. Not the most fun way to spend a Monday, of course, but it allowed me to start the work week feeling like I had all of my ducks in a row. That’s a great feeling!

The low of my week was the Dolphins pitiful performance in the playoffs. It’s been 24 years since the Dolphins won a playoff game, and I was really hoping that this team would break our playoff curse. Things seemed so promising at the beginning of the season! But, alas, we lost in embarrassing fashion. But at least my nephew was happy since he’s a Chiefs fan!

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was cleaning the floors. Why is it such a process to clean my floors? I’m not even talking about mopping (although I tried to do that and realized the cleaning solution I bought from Target was not the correct one for my Swiffer mop, so that was a disappointing discovery). But just running my robot vacuum feels like such a process. I have to dump out the dust bin and remove the rollers so I can clear out all the hair that got wrapped around them during the last cleaning cycle.I have to pick up everything from my floor: all the cat toys and cat beds and rugs and such, ensuring they’re ready for a thorough cleaning with the help of professionals like newport carpet cleaners, who specialize in restoring carpets to their pristine condition, leaving your home fresh and allergen-free. Also, the cleaning service by https://www.carpetcleaningboltonpro.co.uk/rug-cleaning/ is such a lifesaver. And then I have to try to direct the robot while it’s cleaning to make sure it doesn’t clean in the same spot over and over again. (This is what happens when you buy the more affordable vacuum, I guess. I can’t map it to specific rooms.) Is this saving me any time? IDK but I got it done on Sunday finally and I am really glad it’s done.

A Reel I loved was this precious cat video of a cat getting “makeup” put on by her mom.

I’m currently reading three books! I’m slowly working through The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case (reading one chapter per day). On audio, I’m listening to Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale. And I just started Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake last night!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Nicole and Sasheer recounting their two-week trip to Africa on Best Friends. I don’t know how they continue to get themselves into the funniest shenanigans while traveling, but I live for these kinds of episodes from them!

The best money I spent was $30ish dollars on new rugs for my bathroom. Such a boring adult purchase but it has brought me immense joy to replace my dingy bathroom rugs that were driving me crazy. They were not very absorbent and didn’t take kindly to being washed, so they looked beat up no matter what condition they were in. My new rugs (bought on a whim at TJ Maxx) are so much better. Hooray for small purchases that make a world of difference!

My plans this weekend include book club tonight! We are doing a PowerPoint night where we’re all presenting on a topic of our choosing (I’ve been debating between 5-6 topics so it’s been hard to narrow it down!). Saturday, Bri and I are recording with Mikaela for a podcast episode and then I’m going to my mom’s to watch the playoff games. And Sunday, I plan on sleeping in and lumping around the apartment until it’s time to head to my mom’s for more playoff games. A good weekend ahead!

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was no more roofing work! Last week, my apartment building’s roof was being repaired by experts like Tampa roofing company, and let me tell you, being on the top floor of a building that’s getting roofing work done is no bueno. So much banging! And they started at 7am every morning (EVEN ON SATURDAY!!!). All of the loud noises scared Lila so much that she hid under the bed all day and only came out at night when they were gone—I missed having that little fluff around! I’m glad the roof is repaired, but even more glad that I don’t have to hear constant banging while I’m trying to get work done.

The low of my week was canceling my April vacation. Ugh. My mom and I decided to cancel our cruise/trip to California in April because I was feeling very stressed out about the expense. I’m not feeling great about where my finances are at right now (holidays + student loan payments unpausing + paying off LASIK = a lot on my plate), and I need a breather for the first half of the year to catch up on credit card payments and savings. We’ll still take a nice vacation next year, but it won’t be in April.

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was finally working through my “deal with it later” bin. I haven’t gone through this bin in months and it was overflowing with documents to file, random items to put in their correct spots, and more. It felt good to finally get it all cleared out!

A Reel I loved was this sweet video of a doggo making a build-a-bear. Heartwarming!

I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m listening to State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. (So far, I’m liking it! The premise is not enticing at all, but everyone I know who has read it has loved it.) In print, I’m reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. (Sooo good.) And my e-book is A Lot Like Love by Julie James, which is a reread for me.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was The Wreck of the Costa Concordia on Stuff You Should Know. I love it when they do deep dives on these random events in history, especially shipwrecks. And this one was fairly recent—2012!

The best money I spent was on gifts for my book club! We are having our book club Christmas party on Sunday and we are doing a “favorite things” gift exchange. I had a lot of fun figuring out what my “favorite thing” was going to be (we wanted to keep each gift around $10 since we had to have five of them), and I think I came up with a great one. We’ll see! (I’ll reveal what the gift was on Monday—don’t want any of my friends finding out ahead of time!)

My plans this weekend include so many things! Let’s review:

• Today, Bri is taking me on my birthday adventure: A day at Disney for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! I haven’t been to Disney in so long and I’m excited to soak it all up. Plus, it’s going to be a gorgeous day: A high of 74!
• Tomorrow, I’ll kick off my day by shipping off my Secret SANta Swap gift and then meet up with my friend Amber for her birthday present to me: brunch! We’re going to a place downtown that has a very delicious-sounding menu.
• In the afternoon, I have a writing date with Mikaela and then I’m coming home and vegging on the couch for the rest of the night.
• Sunday morning, it’s our book club Christmas party! Bri is making breakfast and we’ll play some fun games and swap gifts.
• After the party, I’m headed straight to my mom’s for football with the fam.

Whew! It will be a busy weekend, but such a fun one. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a long time!

What was the high of your week?

Here’s my new tattoo! You can find the meaning behind it here.

The high of my week was meeting up with Mikaela and her girls for dinner on Wednesday. This was a spur-of-the-moment dinner date and I’m glad I said yes when I would normally say no. It was nice to get out on a weeknight and hang out with those adorable girls.

The low of my week was the news. The situation in Israel and Gaza is sickening and I feel so helpless. I am trying to stay informed and I hope this nightmare ends soon.

An Internet find I loved was this hilarious Reel. Please do not miss the comments. I was crying! So good.

I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m listening to The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow, which is a fun YA mystery. I’m enjoying it so far! My current romance is Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and I’m also really enjoying it. And, finally, I’m reading Drowning by T.J. Newman. I inhaled her debut, Falling, and this one has the potential to be just as good.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was the Fall Extravaganza episode from The Girl Next Door Podcast. This is my favorite episode they put out every year (they’ve been doing them for a decade!) and this year was no different. It brought me so much joy!

The best money I spent this week was um… nothing? I bought some groceries, cat litter, and cat food and that was about it.

My plans this weekend include not a lot! I am recording two podcast episodes with Bri on Saturday morning and meeting up with Mikaela afterward for a writing date. And Sunday is, of course, football with the fam. I am planning on making these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies—yum!

What was the high of your week?

The high of my week was seeing the Barbie movie! I was so, so excited about this movie and it did not disappoint. It was funny and silly, but also heartfelt and emotional. America Ferrera is not getting nearly enough accolades as she should because she was sensational. The movie is super feminist and not for male fragility, that’s for sure, and we need more movies like it.

The low of my week was my blog being down for 36 hours! I am very grateful for two blog friends who reached out to me to let me know my blog was showing a weird “suspended” error. I contacted my hosting company and learned that my site had been infected by malware and they had taken the site down for security reasons. They informed me that I needed to remove the malware to get my site back. At first, I thought this was something I could do myself but I had to go through a third-party company. They were able to remove the malware fairly quickly, but then my hosting company needed time to scan the site and make sure it was fine before putting it back up. But she’s back and I missed her so much, and I will never take her beautiful little face for granted ever again. I have to figure out what I need to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again (other than changing my password, which I did the minute my blog was back online). I thought my blog was getting scanned frequently for stuff like this (I use SiteLock, which came with my hosting package), but maybe I need something more robust. Hackers are getting smarter and smarter!

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was scheduling an initial consultation with a dietician. I am meeting with her in two weeks and I’m hoping it goes well. She seemed to say all the right things in her bio so I hope we can work well together. I will definitely keep everyone posted on my journey!

An article I enjoyed was ‘Sounds Like a Cult’ Podcast Host Sues Former Co-Host. The way I gasped when I saw this news! I am still listening to SLAC, even though I don’t really love it. I wish it were more research-based and factual. But they are still releasing episodes like everything is normal so I had no idea things had gotten so messy! I really hope the podcast can continue with Amanda and a new co-host because I think the weaknesses definitely lay with the other co-host, but we’ll see. Some juicy gossip for sure!

I’m currently reading three books. I am nearly finished with two of them—An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena and Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly—both of which will probably get 4 stars from me. And I just started (ironically) Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell (the same Amanda as referenced above!) on audio.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was A Look Back on Season 5 on the Currently Reading podcast. This was a fun romp through memory lane as the ladies wrapped up their most recent season. I always enjoy getting some behind-the-scenes tidbits about podcasting and how people produce their shows, and this one was really interesting to me.

The best money I spent this week was on some ergonomic accessories for my desk. My carpal tunnel pain has been terrible lately so I went and ordered a new mousepad with wrist rest, a funky-looking ergonomic mouse, and a wrist brace to wear at night. Here’s hoping it makes things feel better!

My plans this weekend include not much! It should be fairly low-key, which I am looking forward to. My mom and I may go see the Barbie movie together because a) she needs to see it and b) I need to rewatch it. Ha!

What was the highlight of your week?

The high of my week was doing an art class with my mom! We were the only people in the studio at the time, so we got to have one-on-one attention, which is MUCH NEEDED for us. We are not artsy people in the least. My mom made a large porch sign and I made a lazy Susan, which I’m going to put on my dining room table. Since the designs were painted on using stencils, it was basically foolproof for the two of us. I’m really happy with the way my piece turned out, and I can’t wait to go back and paint something else.

The low of my week was still dealing with my scalp psoriasis issue. And honestly, it’s my own fault because I’m not using the treatment as much as I should. It’s a liquid treatment, which makes for a very messy process when I have to rub it on my scalp. The liquid drips down my neck and chest. (I tried applying the liquid with my head upside down but then the liquid GOT IN MY EYES. So that’s a no-go.) Plus, after I put it on, my scalp and neck tingle for a good hour, which is so unpleasant. It makes my hair oily and my skin tingle. Can you see why I conveniently forget to put it on regularly? Maybe it’s time to call my derm to see if she can prescribe something else that I may be more apt to use regularly. Hmm.

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was booking things for our Charleston trip! I planned out our itinerary a month or so ago and booked a few dinner reservations, but hadn’t done anything since then. This week, I booked a few tours and a brunch reservation so things are coming along! We leave in a few weeks, yay!

I’m currently reading three books! On audio, I’m listening to Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close. I’m nearly halfway done and very much enjoying it. In print, I’m reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malindo Lo. This was my pick for our June book club, so I hope everyone enjoys it! And on my Kindle, I’ve got a historical romance going: A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian.

A podcast episode I enjoyed was Games We Love, Hate, and Made Up on The Girl Next Door Podcast. There are a lot of topics that Kelsey and Erica cover that I can’t relate to as a childless person. This one was right up my alley, as someone who loves a good game night and does a lot of game nights with kids (my nephews). My favorite part of the episode was when they talked about what can be, ahem, challenging about playing games with kids and Kelsey’s immediate response was how kids never seem to know when it’s their turn. OMG! Speaking right to my soul there. The amount of times I have to say, “It’s your turn” to one of my nephews (and honestly, sometimes to my brother or my mom) during a single game night is too many to count. It drives me crazy because I’m all about moving the game along at a regular pace, and kids are not about that life.

The best money I spent this week was on a new nightgown. I love wearing nightgowns these days. They are just so comfortable to wear around the house! I only had two, though, and one of them is getting a little worn out so it was most definitely time for an upgrade. I bought this one off Amazon and it is so very comfortable! (Runs big, so size down.)

My plans this weekend include a lot of fun things! Today and tomorrow will be my busy days, as I am going to my girlfriend’s house for game night with her friends. There will be nine people in total so it will be a big group, but hopefully a good time. I’m going to stay over Friday and we’ll have a lazy morning. In the afternoon, we’ll head to The Cheesecake Factory to have lunch with her parents and her younger brother, all of whom I’ll be meeting for the first time. Eeks! The rest of my weekend will be spent recharging my batteries. I do not have any plans on Saturday evening, Sunday, or Monday, and I plan on keeping it that way!

What was the best money you spent this week?