-
Galentine’s 2025
I always say Christmas is my favorite holiday but I think it’s actually tied with Galentine’s Day (à la Leslie Knope). Beginning in 2020 (right before the pandemic), I started hosting a gathering to celebrate Galentine’s Day back and kept up with it most of the years since. This year, I decided to step it up a little bit (only because I recently started feeling like my pre-pandemic self) and it was my favorite Galentine’s celebration to date! As I did with Cool People Christmas Party (which I’m just realizing I never shared on the blog!!!), I started the prep and setup in advance. I ordered some helium-filled heart-shaped balloons…
-
What I Read in January 2025
Hi, friends! Now that January is FINALLY over (it’s always the longest month of the year…), I’m sharing my thoughts on the six books I read in January: ALL ABOUT LOVE by bell hooks This was a partial re-read since I attempted to read All About Love a while back but I tend to be slower with this genre/format (a collection of “self-help” essays) and I had to return the library book before I could finish it. Reading a chapter or two each day but not every day, it took me a couple of weeks to finish All About Love and I see myself returning to it (at least certain…
-
How I Put Together A Beginner Needlepoint Kit for $30*
Hi, friends! As you know, I’ve been very into needlepointing over the last year. I have also been trying to recruit my friends into picking up needlepointing which brings you this blog post. I put together a beginner-friendly needlepoint kit for a friend on a budget (in the hopes to alleviate any pressure). Here’s how I did it! First things first, I decided to paint a canvas instead of purchasing a handpainted canvas since the labor is the biggest factor in relatively high cost of needlepoint canvases. I’ve been wanting to design and paint my own canvases so this part was actually quite fun for me. To take on one…
-
What I Read in December 2024
Happy New Year, friends! Hope the holidays were good to you and that 2025 has been good to you so far. Today, I’m sharing the five books I read in December: LOVELY ONE by Ketanji Brown Jackson Naturally, I expected the memoir of the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court to be inspirational, which it absolutely is. My biggest takeaway from Lovely One was that the Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has lived such a full life. From having grown up as a debate kid in Florida to being a theatre kid in Harvard to successfully raising her two daughters with her college sweetheart while both continue to…
-
A Year of Hobby-ing!
I’m not a huge New Year’s resolutions person but at the beginning of 2024, I did share some hopes for the year, which included picking up hobbies. I’m happy to report that I picked up and stuck with needlepointing all year! I was completely hooked after completing a couple of beginner kits/canvases as I reported at the end of Q1. Mindlessly basketweaving while listening to an audiobook is SO meditative, and I’ve spent many mornings doing so, even completing two needlepoint stockings! I find the act of stitching (and the accompanying ASMR) so soothing, and often find myself reaching for my current WIP (work-in-progress) when I’m feeling stressed or anxious.…