Monthly Musings: Vacation and Trip Planning

 It has been quite a while since I've joined Patty and Holly for Monthly Musings. But I've been missing "real" vacations and trips, so what better way to cure that then to plan a few, share, and reminisce about past ones?! 

1. What trips/vacations do you have planned for the rest of the year? We have a few long weekends away planned - one to the beach later next month for my niece's birthday, the return of our annual "glamping" trip in July, and another long weekend away (probably to a casino) in July for Blue's birthday. 

2. Best packing tips? ROLL YOUR CLOTHES! You save soo much space this way! I also personally like to plan out a few outfits in advance, and usually things I can mix and match if I'm not feeling that "exact" outfit on any given day. 

3. Packing cubes- yes or no? No thank you!

4. Favorite travel outfit? Jeans or yoga pants and a hoodie- just like my normal favorite outfit! I just like to be comfy. 

5. Favorite vacation destination and why? Ohh, this is a hard one. More recently I really enjoyed Key West, FL. I've been there a few times in the last couple of years because it's a quick and relatively inexpensive trip. But my absolute favorite was Maui, Hawaii over 10 years ago. I'd love to go back there! I think I was there for a full 7 days, and I got an opportunity to do lots of exploring in bamboo forests and waterfalls, experienced an authentic luau (and delicious meal!), and even went to the top of a volcano for a sunrise that didn't quite make it out of the clouds, and bike down the side of that volcano!

6. Have you flown since March 2020? Nope. 

7. Beach or mountains for vacation? BEACH! 

8. Do you prefer to sightsee or relax on vacation? Depends on where we are going (and if I've been there before), but usually I like to do a bit of both. 

9. Hotel, camping or Airbnb? Hotel. The last few Airbnb experiences weren't up to expectations, unfortunately. 

10. Overpacker or underpacker? Definitely overpacker, but I've gotten much better when I started planning outfits! I just hate to not have what I want/need when away. 

Have you done any air travel since 2020?

What's your favorite destination?

What's Up Wednesday

Today I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday to share what I've been up to since last month! 

What I'm Eating: I made this Andouille and Rice Skillet and it turned out AH-MAZING! Will definitely be adding to the rotation for the future! I also tried this Southwest Tortilla Baked Egg dish and while it didn't turn out as pretty, it was still very tasty! This week I'm going to be using up some extra pasta that I already made with this Dragon Noodles recipe and this twist on Taco Tuesday with these Taco Stuffed Shells. 

What I've Been Up To: 
Celebrating my niece's first birthday, a delicious dinner date at one of our favorite restaurants, and a big celebration for our favorite brewery's 3rd Anniversary with lots of friends and family! 

Elle's 1st Birthday

short rib pasta, scallops and banana cream pie

What I'm Dreading: We are looking to switch to a new ticketing system at work at the end of next month and we are nowhere near ready. Instead of giving more time to prepare they are just pushing full-steam ahead which will surely end in disaster. 

What I'm Working On: Spring cleaning! I took a random day off last week and since the weather was pretty gross I spent the day cleaning and purging - it felt great to be able to see my closet floors again! 

What I'm Watching/Reading: I recently watched Nightmare Alley- what a strange and DARK movie! I also started Season 2 of Getting Organized with The Home Edit on Netflix (getting some inspo for that cleaning and purging!). 

What I'm Doing This Weekend: Checking out a new-to-me restaurant/brew house with Michael

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: A loong vacation (a full week!) with my family down the shore (the beach for those of you not from NJ!). 

And that's it! 

What's up with you this month?

TTT: Bookish Items I'd Like To Own

Hello fellow bookworms! Today I'm joining Jana and others to share some bookish items I'd like to own, however in my case, I DO own them (or something similar)! I've shared the link so you can get them too! Enjoy! 

Bibliophile Book Journal - I purchased this for myself with some Christmas gift cards. I love it because sometimes (especially with mysteries) I would write a review online but didn't want to share any spoilers, and then I would forget whodunit or what the outcome was- with this I can write it down so I remember later.  

A bookish mug - This particular one isn't available from The Strand anymore, but they have plenty of other cute mugs available! Even though I only live about 30 min away, I *still* have never been to The Strand in NYC, but I hope to soon! 

My Weekend Is All Booked t-shirt - This is soooo soft and comfortable! 

Book Nerd Pride pouch - I actually got this at Book Con a few years ago and keep some other book and tech-related accessories in it. (Also, this shop is amazing! So many bookish items to choose from!)

A bookish tote bag - Another Strand purchase! (Ok, I don't own this exact one because of the cuss word, but I did stop someone who I saw with it coming off the train one day because I needed to know where it was from!) 

A bookish throw pillow! - I have no idea where my exact one came from as again, it was a present, and mine says "I Stay Up Reading Past My Bedtime." But I'm sharing this one because like mine, it has pockets for your tablet/reading glasses/etc! (And this one may be a great gift for Mother's Day!) 

Star Wars "The Force" bookend - I don't own this one (I have cat bookends), but my gf does, and it looks sooo cool! 

Bookish socks - I feel like this is an obvious one, but they're cute and inexpensive for anytime! 

Bookworm Crystals Candle - This is one my niece makes! It has notes of teakwood, cedar, leather, and earthy tones. The crystals on top are Moonstone, powering you with a message for a new beginning.

A tablet cover that can stand - Very convenient and practical! 

What are some book-related merchandise you would like to own?

Linking up with Jana!

March Reads

Friends, I haven't picked up a book since March 20 (as Goodreads tells me). I have tried physical and e-books, short stories and long, owned and borrowed, and nothing is grabbing my attention. Is this just me? Anyway, here is what I read before the slump.

Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling: 4 Stars
Own

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf since it first came out in 2016. I love the way it's broken up- there are random lists, rules, anecdotes of her childhood, pictures...a little something for everyone. The only thing that truly annoyed me was/is her STILL talking about BJ Novak. That was only a small portion though, so I would definitely recommend!

On weddings: 

If you’re my best friend and the only way I get to have dinner with you is by traveling thousands of miles, selecting a chicken or fish option, and wearing a dress in the same shade of lavender as six other girls, I will do that. I won’t love it. But I love you.

Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty: 4 Stars
Own

Plot: Mom goes missing, Dad is a suspect, 4 grown children squabble about what happened, and one curious stranger seems to be at the center of it. 

At first I thought there were too many characters to keep track of, but they were all so exceptionally developed that it became easier as I continued. It was also a bit confusing with the timelines switching back and forth between last October and the present. I did enjoy the townspeople's POVs that were thrown in about why Mom went missing, or who dun it if something terrible happened to her as it added a bit of salaciousness to the whole situation. The entire mystery surrounding Savannah, the strange girl who just turned up at the Delaney's house late one evening in need of shelter and who stayed and made herself a fixture in their home was so well-done that even I didn't see that she had basically made herself an integral part of their "family" until it was too late. I've loved everything I've read by Moriarty and this was no different! 

The opening: "...odds were he’d get lucky tonight. He didn’t get lucky. He got very unlucky. Twenty minutes later he was dead..."

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island - Colleen Oakley: 3.5 Stars

library e-book

This probably would have received a higher rating from me if it didn't drag so much in the middle. I was expecting a breezy rom-com, but this actually tackled some much deeper issues which I found refreshing. And I definitely didn't see the main twist coming! I loved how absolutely flawed the reporter Anders Caldwell was, the townspeople, and the small town feel and descriptions of life and traditions on Frick Island. (In fact, I've read that the island is based off of Smith Island in Maryland and now I want to visit!) 

“Have you ever read The Phantom Tollbooth?” “No.” “It was one of Tom’s favorite books as a kid. I never really got the appeal, but there’s this one line that says: ‘If something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn’t there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That’s why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones.’”

Book Stats 
Total number read: 10
Owned: 3

Library: 5 

E-book: 5

Physical book: 5
Non-Fiction: 1 (same)
BIPOC Author: 3

What are you reading?

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

April Goals

Ok so I know we're a week into April already, but I haven't made a goals list in over a year, so better late than never, right? Here are my top 10 goals for April.

{via}

• Finish taxes from 2019 - my taxes for this year are done but they sent me a letter about some issues with my 2019 taxes so need to work on this ASAP
• call Navient about getting a 1099-C Form
• Schedule and visit my tax bud at HR Block
• File adjustment
• Schedule dentist appointment
• Schedule optometrist appointment
• Track Spending
• Spring clean weekly
• Wake up 10 min earlier every weekday to have time to make lunch
• Organize recipe/home binder
• Make 5 new recipes 
• Re-organize/purge main clothing closet
• Read a book! I'm in a rut that I desperately want to get out of!

Do you have any goals for April?

Currently: April

It's very rainy here in NJ, so those "April showers" are in full effect! Luckily it's not still bitter cold, so that's a plus. I still have contractors working on my ceiling over here, so I'll be happy when they're done so I can move my living room out of my kitchen! Here's what else is currently going on over here. 

Reading: Nothing. OMG you guys... I haven't been in a reading rut this bad since sometime in 2020. And it's like I don't have options, but nothing is grabbing my attention right now. I hope I snap out of it soon! What do you to get out of a reading rut?

Watching: Too much (hence the lack of reading)! I posted most of them here and am still considering making this a monthly-type link-up. Let me know if you're interested!

Listening to: up at night - Kehlani ft. Justin Beiber. I swear this girl gives me real old-school Brandy/Monica vibes and I'm LOVING IT!

Planning: Meals! Yes friends, I've gotten back into meal prepping and planning. This week I'll be eating turkey chili (courtesy of Blue), this Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet, and this Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles (which didn't sound too appetizing in my opinion, but we needed something other than pizza or tuna for Friday dinner!). I should probably mention that I'm only cooking for myself which is why they're aren't more planned dinners here- lots of leftovers!

Getting: Organized... with the Home Edit (sorry it was too easy, I couldn't help myself)! I am so happy this show is back, though now I've pumped the breaks because I binged half the season in 2 days and I really don't want it to be over too soon! 

Going: Shopping! Yes friends, I actually braved a MALL last weekend, for the first time since 2019 (no joke). I needed new jeans for work since we recently got permission to wear them (and everyone was taking advantage of this except me because I didn't own many "nice" jeans). My go-to jeans used to be Express, however now all they have are skinny jeans and others with holes in them (I still do not understand this trend).  I was able to find my favored boot-cut style at Old Navy, along with a pair of their beloved Pixie Cut Ankle Khakis, and since everything was 50% off I also picked up 2 pairs of flats, a belt, and a pair of linen pants. 

Posting: Not much tbh. Mostly book-related posts, but I did get a What's Up Wednesday and an Amazon Purchases post up recently!

Thinking: Wow, that's a loaded question. I mean, what am I thinking about doing the rest of tonight? Probably meal prepping for the rest of the week. This week? Find a birthday present for my niece because her birthday is this weekend. This month? Finish my taxes and make a dentist appointment. I'm also thinking about when/if my landlords scheduled a contractor to come and finish the construction my my apt. (Is it weird that most of my thoughts have to do with scheduling?) Can't wait to read all of your answers! 

What's currently going on with you?

What fun plans do you have for spring?

Linking up with Anne!

Prime Purchases

Spring is in the air... can you feel it?! With my ceiling almost being fixed (and having my living room cleared out to do it), I feel like it's the perfect time to do some spring cleaning and refresh some items.

One thing I love to do at the beginning of any season is sage my apartment. Get rid of any bad juju! So I bought this pack of sage smudge sticks which will last me the rest of the year.

I have to admit that I loved my string of twinkling snowman lights so much during the holiday season that they're still up! I figured it was time to put them away, but I'm not ready for the twinkly lights to go away completely so I replaced them with this string of bee mini-lights.

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Getting Organized with The Home Edit (S2 out now!), and I knew I needed these Command broom/mop grippers as soon as I saw them. I didn't even know they made these!

I wanted to replace my dark cardboard coasters with something a bit lighter, so I added these grayscale cloth ones. Love that they're also machine washable!

Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to work from home often but since my job forced me to upgrade my laptop, I needed to get a new Display port to USB-C cable. Not a fun purchase, but necessary.

A Facebook ad got me on this pocket-size radio/recorder. I was thinking that it would be perfect for my go-bag until I realized that it doesn't take batteries. But then it was also a lightning deal, so I bought it anyway. I may not keep it though. 

The book, game, and adorable magnetic Air Pod holder are for a friend's birthday package. The book takes place at a school for the deaf, and my friend is a teacher at a school for the deaf (and an avid reader), so that seemed perfect. I played the game once at a work game night and it was so much fun; I may need to buy myself one too! And really, how cute is that holder?! She has a cat that looks just like it (and is just as sassy!).

What are you buying this month?

Linking up with Tanya!