Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

OK, trying to branch out on my monthly blogs for 2024. Let’s see how this goes!

family highlight

For a couple years now we’ve gifted the boys “mom, dad, & me” dates for Christmas. I really wish we did this more often throughout the year because the one-on-one time with them is SO great. But it does make it super special and each of them were excited for their “dates.” We picked different date ideas for each of them based on their interests:

  • Jake: trip to Barnes & Noble that included a book purchase and Starbucks snack
  • Josh: going out for breakfast, and a boba date which we did a bit later as a family
  • Jonny: a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice-cream with all the yesses (yes, you can get the unicorn with the extra chocolate and sprinkles!)

items i loved this month

I had an Amazon gift card to burn so I splurged on some items I’ve been wanting for a while and could buy with no guilt!

  • Book tabs: I’m loving all the color choices!
  • Library kit!! Ah I’ve been wanting this for so long! Finally got it, but I’ll admit I haven’t had time to actually put them on my books. The kit only comes with 20 cards so I was also over-analyzing that I’d have to prioritize my books, but I found out they sell refill cards!
  • Busytown Seek and Find board game: this was really a Christmas present for Jonny, but it’s been a HUGE hit. Although it’s mostly for Jonny, it’s become a family favorite.

projects, crafts & more

I’ve been organizing monthly craft workshops at my work since June, and I LOVE them! January’s workshop was our most popular to-date: one of my co-workers is a crochet wizard (just like my mom!), so she led the class and we’re all furiously crocheting our little hearts away. It’s nice to have a commonality with co-workers that transcends our individual departments and is not work-related.

I also watched a documentary on Amazon Prime for ME. I NEVER watch anything, so this was huge. It’s called The Booksellers and it was an interesting peek into the world of book buyers/sellers and the history and future of bookstores.

recipe

I wanted to try something new recently so I brought down my Magnolia cookbooks, and given the weather, I decided to try the potato soup. It’s not my new favorite, but it’s good, and Jeff LOVED it, so that’s huge! I made the full recipe the first time I made it, and had waaaay too much leftover (the boys won’t touch it). It didn’t freeze well, so we ended up dumping it (anyone have special advice on freezing food with potatoes in it? They always defrost funky to me…).

This last time I did a half-batch and that was still more than enough. I also ventured to my local Panera on a very rainy day because I REALLY wanted to have them in sourdough bowls, and I do think that’s the only way I’ll have this soup in the future. I’m not sure what the rules are on sharing recipes from cookbooks, so I’m just going to share this site that’s already done the dirty work ;)

reading recap

I started out really strong since I had the first week of January off from work and generally not a lot going on, but then side projects and life took over, and I started a book I couldn’t seem to finish. It took me a while to decide not to finish it, but I’m so glad I let it go. I read The Heirloom instead, and breezed through it. So here’s my reminder to you that it’s OK not to finish a book – there’s too much great stuff out there!

  • Crow Talk, by Eileen Garvin: Three Mugs. Publication date: 04.30.24
  • Tangled Up In You, by Christina Lauren: Three mugs + Jalapeno. Publication date: 06.25.24
  • Beach Read, by Emily Henry: Three Mugs + Jalapeno
  • The Queen of the Valley, by Lorena Hughes: Three Mugs
  • The Candid Life of Meena Dave, by Namrata Patel: Three Mugs
  • The Heirloom, by Jessie Rosen: Three Mugs. Publication date: 05.07.24 (late entry, not pictured above)
  • Good for You, by Camille Pagan
  • Lovelight Farms, by B.K. Borison: Three mugs + Jalapeno
  • Improbable Meet Cute series by various authors: these are all short novellas, all centered around Valentine’s day. They’re all super fast reads.
  • DNF: Search, by Michelle Huneven. The concept was intriguing, but I thought it was going to be funnier than it was. I made it to 33%…

Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.

Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!

Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.