Back to Blogging! I'm just as Surprised as you!

  Back at it!

Hard to believe it’s May!  But it is indeed welcome!!

One more month closer to summer and SCHOOL OUT FOR SUMMER!

At the beginning of the year, I promised on Instagram I would post the books I read each month.  I had a banner January with close to 20 books.  I was faithful to my posting again in February but totally and completely forgot to post my March and April books.  So I posted a two-for-one over on Instagram and just didn't have the space to post it all.  SO... I got this idea to post to the blog again!

The last time I posted a blog was in June 2019!  That's crazy.  It's almost as crazy that I blogged for 7 straight years before that!  As I looked back at some of my posts, I laughed a lot, cringed some, and itched to get back to it...if even for a little bit.  I was reminded of the community I was a part of, the friends I made, and the travels I took to meet those friends IRL.

Even before COVID entered the picture, blogs were dismantled, Insta was more of a thing and snippets of my life in pictures seemed more than enough!  With a blog titled The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life, blogging in COVID seemed like a good idea, and I even had a few drafts in here that I wrote during that time but I never dared to hit publish.  

Now over four years later, I am not even sure what’s compelling me to do this again. But here we are!

I’m still teaching. Year 22 is quickly coming to a close. I still spend plenty of time solo, but my life is a ‘lil less solitary these days.  Even though he is not staple on my social media and we rarely take photos together, I’ve been pretty happily dating for almost 3 years.  While my circle of friends has gotten smaller since COVID, the friends I have now are really the only ones I need.  

There is a lot to be said about friendships in your 40s…no drama, lots of laughs, talk about how our bodies are changing, wine, board games, book clubs, and more wine! LOL  Some you don’t see all the time, but when you do, it’s always as if no time has passed!

This brings me back to the main reason I am posting… BOOKS!  You can find my January and February books on Insta!

But I wanted to share more of my March and April round-up here!

If you read only one book this month, make it The Women by Kristen Hannah.  I listened to the author read it on audio and could not stop reading/ listening for three days straight.  It was such a different perspective and I’ll be honest in saying, I had no idea about a lot of it!  I listened to the audio but think I need to buy book because I just loved it so much I thought I should have it!  To go right next to my favorite book of all time, The Nightingale.

Another book I listened to {when the author reads it I feel compelled to do so}, was Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown.  Yes, that Millie Bobby Brown, the actress from Stanger Things fame!  I was impressed.  It was inspired by her Grandmother’s own story and painted quite a picture of WWII in London.  So, another different perspective.  It was both heartbreaking and hopeful.  Highly recommend!!

I  finally finished The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon!  I started reading it on the plane to Iceland {Maybe I’ll blog about THAT soon!}  and finally got around to finishing it.  I think because it was one I bought on my Kindle and it was always there, so when my library holds come through, I feel like I have to read those first.  I enjoyed it!  Another piece of history I knew very little about!

Last year my sisters and I started a book club to make it a point to see one another each month.  If you are familiar with me on Instagram you know that in February we read Beloved by Toni Morrison and it was ROUGH!  So we needed a light-hearted easy read for March!  And Nora Goes of Script was just the ticket!!  We loved it.  Why did we read Beloved you ask?  Well, in January, our book club selection was The Reading List…a new FAVE!  And as you probably guessed, it revolved around a reading list!  HA!  Beloved was on that list, so our thought was to work our way through the list! Needless to say, we have now taken a break from that idea.

Our April {but kinda March, too because we got together for book club on April 5th!} book was Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica.  It was a good book for discussion but was not a fave.  I enjoyed her Local Woman Missing more!  The best thing about the book was our book club meeting at a local brewery and Distillery! Didn't end up taking a photo with the book but the drinks were good!

As I look the list of my March List of books, I realize  I read several books with strong female leads!  Go ME as March is Women’s History Month!  LOL

More in March:

The Fifth Avenue Apartment and Gilded Girl, both by Pamela Kelley.  Kelly is a new-to-me author I discovered this year and I am enjoying her storytelling and easy writing.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Another good story.  I read this for another book club I am part of in town.  I enjoy this book club because we read many different books, that honestly, I would never pick up on my own.  This was more in the fantasy realm, but I really liked it and was about to get engrossed in the story easily.  Another good book club pick…great discussions.  Was sad when I ended up having to miss the meeting when I threw out my back!

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin. Crazy, twisty good.  Part of a two-book series…the same story told from the other perspective.  I am not yet sure I want to pick that up! I liked this one too much!

The Lost Book Shop was the April book club selection for The Better Man Book Club in town one of the very few books I finished in April.  Another different story, and very much something in the fantasy vein, again but I did like it and had lots to say at the book club.  I also highlighted a lot of great quotes from the story on my Kindle!

Last month, I read/listened to a new series by Samantha Chase.  I tend to listen to her books when I am awake at two in the morning and can’t get back to sleep…and then I get invested and am up all night!! LOL

I like all her series…they are light, fun and have a bit of sass & spice. For anyone familiar with her series, the two that I read from her were part of a new spinoff of The Donovans Series: SweetBriar Ridge. The First Two Books in the series were Wanting You and Teasing You.

I’m already on track for a great May reading-wise…so stay tuned!

 

Today I'm taking back the blog!!

WELL HELLO THERE!!

 If you're reading this, I THANK YOU!  Because lately, I have not been the best blogger out there!!  I took a little bit of a blog break!  And I'm not going to lie...it was longer than I intended.  But I am not going to write down all my excuses about why, or how life got in the way...I'm just going to take back the blog and promise to be better going forward!

With the holidays in full swing, there's lots of fun stuff coming up both here and over at The Blended Blog that I can't wait to share with you!

Today's post is totally out there, but thought I'd be a fun way to get back into it.




{In full disclosure this post is a running list of random.  I started it a while back and have added to it as I thought of things!  I am not sure anyone will want to read it, but thought I'd publish it anyway...it's quirky- like me!!  And so Solitary Life!} 

• I have known for a while now that I'm a serious over-exclamation point-er!!  When writing emails, commenting on blogs, I always use too many exclamation points. Like for every sentence...And I double it.  I have been trying to be more diligent about switching them out now.  But I guess I'm an excitable person!! SeewhatIdidthere??

• Every time I take a selfie, I think...I really need a photographer for this blog!  Thumbs Down for Solitary Life!! 

How could I NOT have inserted a Selfie here?? ;)

•  My neighbors above used to be very quiet people.  These days they're not.  I'll be honest, it's starting to piss me off!!  They are getting the place painted and I guess moving crap around.  And can I just say that it's the girl who is loudest.  When she goes out, she must wear her heaviest shoes, because I can hear her stomping around.  The joys of condo living....but I wouldn't trade my little house for anything!!

• I'm not ashamed to admit that Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas is one of my favorite things.  But I get so mad at the stupid titles of the movies!  They give everything away!!!  UGH!!

• With the exception of Countdown to Christmas, I haven't watched real TV in months.  I have however spent an ungodly amount of time on YouTube.  God Bless Chromecast!  I actually listen to music other than country.  But I also feel better about myself knowing I wasn't the one who created this 4 hour Christmas music playlist!!

• Someone told me recently that I had a lot of coats!  I'll never see that jerk again...LOL (since then I may have bought three more puffer vests and a North Face jacket...THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

• I have a three word phrase that I say to myself every morning, that if anybody ever heard, might definitely think I was crazy.  But hey, it's gets me outta bed in the morning!!

• By now I'm fully Christmas-fied!  I look around the place and think to myself, I really should invite people over!!  I'll never do it.  I have a lot of good ideas but executing them is the hard part!  HA!

• Google Hangout is Super Cool!!  Shout out to my bloggy friends, Deena, Shaunacey, Lana and Carrie,  for a fun Saturday night!  (And the distraction from Report Cards....EW! Yes, when you live a Solitary Life, you do report cards on Saturday nights!)

• My favorite thing about Fall and Winter is not having to shave my legs everyday!  Oddly enough, I've been doing it!  I'm not sure why...maybe in my head I think Santa's gonna bring me a man for Christmas?!?! 
  

• My mom would be mortified if she knew the reputation I had amongst my colleagues at work as the "Wine Drinker"!  (now she does...she's my number one blog reader and is very quick to tell me when I have typos!) I tried to dispel this the other day.  I don't wake up everyday intending to have a glass of wine after work.  In fact I say to myself, " this is the night, I'm gonna make a big ol' pitcher of iced tea"!  But then I get to work and things happen and people happen and after the day I had the only thing to look forward to is that glass of wine!  I know I'm not alone in this!!  And don't worry ma....I'm the comedian of the group too!!

• My girl crush on Adele is in full effect!!  Love her new album!!  I bought it forgetting I didn't have a CD player anymore...DUH!!  But put it right into my iTunes!  
  

Thanks for reading and for sticking with me!!  Have a happy Tuesday!!

It's another Style Me Bloogers Link up!!

And today we're getting all crafty!!!  You read that right!  Today I am getting CRAFTY!!
This one was TOUGH!!  I am NOT CRAFTY!!  I wish I was, but I'm not!!  There was a time when I was though, so today we're going back in time!  Kinda like I did yesterday...just not as far!!

I go in spurts...as a kid I made those string bracelets, I made those hook rugs, did needlepoint for beginners... I got older and all they fell to the waste side.

When scrapbooking was all the rage, I hopped on that bandwagon.  I bought the supplies, had parties, went to classes...the whole nine!  And I LOVED it!!  And then, as it does, Life happens, and you move on to the next thing.  But the thing was, I never moved on to the next thing...there hasn't been a next thing for me!  My mom and sister make Shutterfly albums now with their pictures!  I don't (My sister did have photo book making party once, where I attempted to make one too, but truth be told I drank more mimosas than I put pictures together!)  I just don't know...it's not like I don't have the time...because in all honesty, I most definitely, probably do! #solitarylifeprobs  

There was this ONE time I was pretty freaking crafty!!  I made a scrapbook as an engagement present for my bestie, Kerri (and her husband Chris, who you may recall me talking about here) !! Basically I decorated the pages!  And it came out GREAT!!  It pisses me off though, because I can pretty much guarantee that, to this day,  it's not completed...7 years later!!  And I can totally say that because she's my bestie and all she had to do is put the damn pictures in!! LOL

This project was a huge undertaking (and scrapbooking is expensive too! HA!) so my sister helped me with it.  We had a blast doing it together!  She'd come to my house, I'd spend nights at hers. We'd drink wine and scrapbook, and chat and laugh, and drink more wine!  It took us probably about a dozen days over a few weeks in the spring and summer of 2008 to complete it...from planning, to purchasing, to putting together to completing!!  The pictures that follow are of each page.

The first page I completed because it was the engagement, which I was there for. And had already happened, so I could fill the page!  They got engaged during a St. Patrick's Day parade, which, Chris, a firefighter, was marching in.

Page 1: The Engagement

The Engagement Party Page

Bridal Shower Page

Invitation Page

Bachelorette Party

Wedding Day Pages

Wedding Song Page

Better Together by Jack Johnson

                                The Cake Page                                                              The Toasts Page

Father Daughter Dance Page

Honeymoon Pages

First Home Page

 The back cover of the Scrapbook...this was a cute clothy sticker I found that says

...and they lived happily ever after.

Kerri and Chris were married in June 2009 and now have two beautiful daughters!

I really love the way this came out.  After I completed this, my mom loved it so much she made one too, for a friend's daughter as a shower gift!!  Now that I've put this post together, it's made me want to get back into scrapbooking!!  

Go check out my friends' posts!!  They are WAY MORE crafty than me!!  And link up with us!!

Shoes to Shiraz | Two Teens and their Mama | A Lovely Little Wardrobe | R Squared 

Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | Family Love Inspiration Education  

The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | The Blondissima | Positively Learning | Quilty Joy Joy

 Daily Style Finds | Making The Most of Everyday | Puppies and Pretties | She Thought She Could 
 Foxy's Domestic Side | Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After | Sprinkled Just Right

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a great weekend!!

Winter was way more fun....

Home today for another SNOW DAY!!  Even though the calendar says March 5th, things are not looking up for us at ALL!!  The third snow "event" (thank you weatherman for that one!) has dumped a fresh 6-8 inches around these here parts!!)  Condo living affords me the luxury of sitting on my couch and blogging while the plow and pay load drivers and shovelers do the work for me. They all must be making a KILLING this Winter. I for one am so over this.  I was not made for this!  Sure I do my best to bundle up in my scarves, hats and gloves, and still look cute, but I was not made for this weather.  I was made for MEXICO.

The custodian at my school is our unofficial weatherman. He always jokes with me about the weather and I tell him I'm moving to Mexico.  The other day he told me he's had enough of this weather too and was coming with me to Mexico...and would pay for the whole trip!!  Now he asks me everyday, when I'm asking him for his credit card number!  TOMORROW will be that day!!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Now I know this might sound like a contradiction, but I don't ever remember being OVERLY EXCITED about the snow, but I do know one thing is for sure...it was WAY MORE FUN when I was a kid!!

When I was a kid, my Poppy, my Dad's dad,  had a home in East Durham, NY where it snowed ALL the time!!  We spent Winter Recess (and my birthday) up there for so many years and there was always so much snow. I absolutely didn't mind the snow here!! HA!  Behind the house was nothing but woods and I remember us snowmobiling and sledding down this huge hill...for hours!! We'd have massive snow ball fights!  Sometimes, even though it wasn't the safest thing in the world, my dad and uncle would hitch the sleds up to the back of the snowmobiles and we'd  go spinning around around that way too!  It was such a thrill as a little kid going down that hill and such a blast!!
Once though, and only once, it wasn't fun, when my sled veered off course and into branches that cut my face up and landed way to close to my eye!!  LOL.

After fun days in the snow, all the kids would come in, drink hot cocoa (while the adults had something stronger!) and play...and argue, I'm sure!!

This is very random, but I have a memory of all of us sitting around my Poppy's very small TV and watching Days of Our Lives and my Uncle Ed all of a sudden busting out "Like Sands through the hour glass...so are the Days of Our Lives"...that got us all laughing!  Was Uncle Ed a closet Days watcher?!?!

Now that I'm recalling all this, it kinda of makes me wish we still had that place in East Durham so that my nieces and nephews could enjoy it!  I'm also wishing that shutterfly was around in those days so I had pics to share!

Back to reality...I'm home again...cozy in my house as the snow falls, NOT having to use the sick day that was planned, today.  Seriously...every sickness known to man, I have had this winter!!!  Ugh!!  I'll do some blogging, some reading, realxing, and clean out my DVR.  Has anyone watched Secrets and Lies?  I have the first two eps on my DVR!  And looking forward to tomorrow...FRIDAY!!  Silver Linings people!!  Silver Linings!!

Linking up with X-tremelyV and Penny's Passionfor Thinking Out Loud Thursday!

Come back tomorrow when I link up with the Style Me girls...showing off my crafty side!

My favorite room!

Linking up today for another edition of Show and Tell Tuesdays with Andrea at Momfessionals! Today we're supposed to show you our favorite room in the house!  This is a little tricky for me! In Condo living, the kitchen and living space are all connected!  So I'm just gonna go ahead and call my favorite room in the house the Great Room!

This is pretty much how it is...

Looking out from my kitchen into the living room, one would probably say, the living room is in front of the kitchen, technically speaking but It's all one room!  LOL

Now if you're a regular reader, you know I DO NOT Cook, but I gotta say I just LOVE my little kitchen.  I love the wide counter tops and my deep sink. Eating alone most of the time, I sit at the counter more than at my kitchen table.  My favorite feature in my kitchen though is probably the collection of wine cork holders I have above my cabinets!  It makes it really "homey" I feel!

My living room area is also a fave.  Living this solitary life I do, I spend the most time in here.  I don't spend too much time in my bedroom, because I feel like it's far away (if that makes sense!)  Honestly, I just sleep there!  HA!  I like spending most of my time in the living area because it's spacious and open!  I have a comfy couch that I watch TV on, work on my blog on, and read on! 

These chevron chairs might be my favorite things in the room!

Last year I participated in Andrea's What's On Series where I went into more detail about what's on the walls of this space too!  Check it out {here}!  This is where I've decorated most and can show off a bit of who I am in the house to visitors.

I like that the great room is a space where everyone who visits can spend time, be comfortable and enjoy!  And because it's just me here, I can do the same when I'm alone!  I hope you enjoyed a little taste of my home! 

Until next time....

Weekend Rewind

I debated posting a Weekend Wrap Up today because I basically did one thing all weekend long....

THIS.

Netflix

#SolitaryLifeProbs

But then I thought I'd post anyway because I am thinking I can't be the ONLY person who spent the weekend doing this!!  Now I didn't make it all the way through Season three yet, because I actually went back and re-watched a bunch of season 2 episodes!  I find myself saying WTF a lot when I'm watching the show and laughing out loud!!  

Pease tell me I was not alone in my all weekend bingefest...Did you watch too!?!?

I did actually make it out of the house though Sunday for a little bit!  My mom came over and we went to brunch at one of my favorite places.  Mom and I NEVER really do anything just the two of us, so it was really nice!  

It was after this pic when I told my mom she'd be my daily photo on Insta, that she asked, "Now why can't I have an Intagram?"  LOL Then she said..."it's day 60 of the year ALREADY?!?" #forrealzma

To see my daily photos on IG follow me @missmitch2

Then it was back home to my usual Sunday...laundry, lessons, blogging, and such! With maybe a few eps of House of Cards thrown in there!  HA!!

And the finale of Downtown!  Which I just really LOVE too!  I laughed out loud and unexpectedly bawled!

OH and it SNOWED a fresh 6 inches!  Enough for a two-hour delay tomorrow. 

UGH!!  Isn't it MARCH?!?!

And just like that it's already Monday again!

Have a great week!!

Next weekend I promise to be more productive!!  

Katie

Linking up today with Ashley at A Cute Angle for Monday Madness and Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending!

March Pin-Spired!

It's March....We're getting closer to Spring...I just know it!!  Even though as I type this, it's SNOWING!  Ugh!  I'm not shocked!

The First of March means Pin-spired!  

Linking up with Sheaffer @ Pinterest Told Me To, Shay @ Mix and Match Family, and Mel @ The Larson Lingo to showcase my takes on some outfits I've pinned!

This month I thought I'd highlight my skinny plum cords that I honesty have not worn at all this winter!  I found them getting looks together for  The #Create28 with Carrie at A Lovely Little Wardrobe.  Colored bottoms were a look one day.  I didn't end up wearing them, because it was a work day and cords are just a little too causal for work.  (And I actually completely failed the challenge too!!  I was sick for a big chunk of the time, so most of this month I was on my couch in PJs!  I do have all the prompts though and fully intend to incorporate them into my wardrobe!)

But back to the plum skinny cords...I couldn't believe I went the whole winter without wearing them, after wearing them so much last winter!  But I figured since March is obviously still cold, plum cods are totally acceptable!!  Here are some of the looks I've pinned (some going back a year!) and how I interpreted the pins! (Sorry in advance for my terrible lighting. These are my actual cords, but unfortunately the plum is no longer available.


This pin was actually the reason I first started following Alison at Get Your Pretty On. Ha!  I had a pair of plum cords that I didn't style very often and saw this and thought I could totally do that!

J.Jill at GYPO 

Here's my own take on Alison's look.

This next look was pinned more recently.  I think it may be a bit to bold for me, but that's what pinspired helps us do...try things, right?!?!

Not sure why the link in my pin goes here but it does!

It wasn't terrible after I put it on, but I do think it would look better with a sweater-sweater rather than the cardigan!  But I'm sure we can all agree- Way Cuter Pin!  

(the more I am looking at this while putting the blog together, the more I like it!!)

In all honesty, I'd probably just wear it more like this!

via

This last look was a no-brainer!  So easy!  Why haven't I been wearing this already? Because leopard goes with everything!  DUH KATE!!

via

Me!

I am definitely going to be spending some of March in these looks for sure!!  It's still freezing, it's snowing, and I am loving these cords!!  Can't wait to see the looks everyone linked up this month!!

Have a great week,

Katie