Read. Write. Mom!

May Life Update

Posted on May 19, 2026May 18, 2026 by Mandy

Hey y’all! Yes, it’s been three months since I’ve posted here. I can’t believe it. Life has just moved very fast in the last three months, but I thought I would pop in with a May life update on what’s been going on around here.

First, and most importantly, we have a junior college graduate!

Young Man received his Associate of Applied Science in Precision Manufacturing and Machine Technology, graduating magna cum laude two weeks ago. And we are SO proud of how hard he worked, the very early mornings and long days he had to put in, and just how much he has grown these past two years. Thankfully, college graduation is not nearly as stressful/busy as the time leading up to high school graduation, but we still had some preparation to get there, which took up some of my time.

We also celebrated Mother’s Day this month, and hubby got me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Y’all, they are STILL looking just as fresh as over a week ago when he bought them! I have really been enjoying the beauty they add to the dining room. I spent some time with my own mama that day and just enjoyed a relaxing, slow day.

We had some medical appointments to get out of the way last week, with hubby and me going to the endocrinologist, and taking my mama to her heart doctor. These appointments required a couple of hours’ travel each way, and riding is terribly uncomfortable for me, so the latter part of this past week was spent recovering from them. I also had a slight bout of pneumonia in late February that I’m still feeling the lingering effects from. But I’ve been resting as much as possible here lately, now that some of the excitement of the last two weeks has died down.

This past weekend, we celebrated hubby turning 50. Time just flies! He was 22 when we got married. Just a baby! Haha! I am so thankful for him.

And, as per usual, I have been taking in the sunrises and watching my birds each morning.

And burning my candles and wax melts.

I’ve also been trying to get to bed earlier and stay better hydrated. We had our first really hot day on Sunday, and I am not at all ready for this summer! I see lots of staying indoors during peak sunlight hours.

Anyway, that’s the bulk of what’s been happening over here. How are YA’LL doing? I can’t wait to catch up with everyone!

We Survived Winter Storm Fern

Posted on February 9, 2026February 8, 2026 by Mandy

Well, we survived Winter Storm Fern, but just barely, it feels like! Haha! If I told you I still had little ice patches in my backyard two weeks later, would you believe me? Because we do! If I never see ice again, it will be FAR too soon! It’s been an ordeal, but to be fair, there are still so many in our state without power and running water. We have both, so I feel very blessed, and I continue to pray for those still in the trenches with this.

It all started for us on Saturday night. By the time we went to bed, we had lots of freezing rain. The wind was howling, and it was bitterly cold! We even had thunder right before we woke up, and it was very eerie. The kind that rattles the windows in the house, low and long. I woke up at 6 AM to go to the bathroom, and that’s when we heard everything suddenly cut off. We had lost our electricity. I made it downstairs to find our backyard in shambles, tree limbs down everywhere, and the whole outside coated with thick ice. However, I had high hopes that the electric company would get us back on right away! No poles were down, and I was convinced that we’d be back on in no time. Well, no time ended up being two days later.

We stuck it out all day at home and into the evening, but by nightfall, it was super cold in our house. My mama had lost electricity, but hers was restored that afternoon, so we packed up all of our necessities (including Jake!) and headed to my mama’s house. I was so very thankful we had somewhere warm to go and stay, with lights and running water. We came back home each day to check on things. The thermostat in our house read 46 degrees! My main concern was Beetle, my little black outside cat. He will not stay inside our home (I have tried so many times), but he has a heated house on our patio, which didn’t do much good when the electricity went off. We called and called for him. We left food out twice a day (and something was eating it), but I spent a lot of time crying over that cat. I just knew there was NO way he made it through this storm. It was absolutely freezing, and the temperatures never rose above freezing for over a week!

It was early Tuesday morning when we got the text that power had been restored to our home, so hubby and I headed over to turn the heater back on and check on things again. I was so thankful that we could return home. Of course, I loved being with my mama, but I just had all of my creature comforts at home. Around lunch time, it was finally warm enough to move everything back to our house. And that night, as I was preparing supper, guess who showed up at the back door? Beetle! I was startled and then SO relieved to see that little booger bear! I bundled up and went outside to feed him and hold him. Thank you, Lord, for protecting him! I don’t know how he made it, but he did!

Hubby and I left the house on Wednesday and went to Walmart. The food aisles were ransacked (mainly the food items you didn’t have to cook), but we were there to get other things, and mainly just to get out of the house. Even days later, all of the roads still had a thick coating of ice. I’m so thankful for hubby’s big truck! And I am so thankful he was here, not out on the road, when this happened. He took care of so much for us and so many others. He made grocery store runs for some of my mama’s older friends, fed someone’s dogs, and helped some elderly neighbors clear tree limbs from their driveway. Just this weekend, he cleared our yard of all the broken limbs. He has been my hero! We couldn’t have made it through this without him.

But Saturday, it hit 70 degrees! I was so very thankful! I spent last week putting my house back together and doing a full cleaning. It has been nice to be able to wash clothes when I want to (and not have to wait until the temps go above freezing to risk the pipes) and not to have to leave my faucets dripping. I can finally walk out my front door without risking a fall on ice. It’s the little things! This ice hung around for a LONG time. Usually, it melts off in a day or two. It hung around a full week before the roads were mostly safe. Young Man’s school was cancelled all week. All of the schools were.

This week is looking even better temperature-wise. I am so ready for spring! I pray this is the last we see of winter weather for a while!

Gearing Up For Winter Weather

Posted on January 22, 2026January 21, 2026 by Mandy

We are gearing up for winter weather in our home. The forecast calls for a historic winter weather event beginning Friday night and continuing into Sunday. I am NOT looking forward to this, and I’m praying that the worst of it will miss us. Here in the South, our infrastructure just isn’t set up to handle much ice or deep-freezing temps. The last significant ice storm we had was in 1994, and we went two weeks without electricity, if that gives you an idea of how things roll here. Ugghhhh! We had a smaller ice storm in 2024, but at least it was bearable!

But backing up, last Friday, Hubby and I were able to slip away out of town for the day. I think it had been since October that I had really been able to get out and look around. You know what my first stop was!

Bath & Body Works was having a sale on candles, so I picked up a few. Hubby loves the Vanilla Buttermint one, and that particular one is part of the big winter clearance sale, and only $6! I grabbed three of those! I also got a couple of body care items on deep discount. I love to shop their sales!

I also popped into TJ Maxx. I found the cutest little conversation-heart cocktail napkins to use for my coffee in the morning. I was hoping they would have some Valentine’s Day napkins, and they did! Yay! I also grabbed this cute little bird-themed coffee cup.

It was a steal at $3.00. They had lots of great sales, but I really didn’t need anything. I was just happy to get out into the world and look around for a little while. It has been so crazy since the end of October, so being able to slow down and do something fun was great!

But getting back to this storm. I have a long checklist of things to do these next couple of days. I’m about to leave to pick up a big Walmart order of nonperishable foods and items we may need. Hubby went out yesterday and got a Mr. Heater and backup fuel for it, just in case we need an extra heat source. We do have a fireplace.

My other job will be to make sure all laundry and bedding are washed and ready by Friday morning. We also need to charge all of our electronics. I think my mama is all set at her house. She just needs to place an order for a few things to be delivered from the store, and she should be good to go. Honestly, my main concern is us staying warm. Our home is all electric. However, my mama does have a gas log fireplace and a water tank. If worst comes to worst, we could just go stay at her home. I am so thankful to have that option.

However, I pray that the improvements to our infrastructure since 1994 will help us retain all of our utilities. I was almost 20 years old the last time this happened, not a care in the world, and my daddy took care of everything. Now I have to be the adult, and it’s scary, haha! I’m also praying Hubby makes it back home ok before the really bad stuff sets in. He should, so that gives me a little comfort.

I saw this on Facebook and thought it might be worth sharing if you are in the path of this storm:

And this link lets you check for power outages across the country.

I will try to check in on Saturday, assuming we have electricity and internet. I pray that any of you who are in the path of this storm stay very safe and warm. Weather events like these are why I dread winter the most. I am so looking forward to spring!

I’m Still Alive

Posted on January 15, 2026January 14, 2026 by Mandy

I’m still alive! I certainly didn’t mean to take a three-month-long blogging break, but I did. I don’t even really have a good excuse. Life just got busy, and then the holidays rolled around, and I stayed busy! We are finally getting back to our normal schedule this week. After I went in to make this post, I saw my blog needed some updates I had neglected, and I also saw that several of you had left comments checking on me, and for that, I thank you! It was so sweet of you to check on me, and I really appreciate that.

Believe it or not, I have been trying to keep up with the blogs I check regularly. It’s usually at night, when I finally have a chance to sit down and relax a little before heading to bed. I promise I am going to do better about that, too. I think I just got a little overwhelmed with my blog. It had WAY too many ads, and I didn’t know how to turn them off. I finally removed some of the code in it last night, and I hope it helped a little. Please let me know if you are seeing an obnoxious amount of ads on my blog. I may have to pay someone to fix it. I’m honestly ready for a more minimal blog design, but I am so afraid of breaking it! Plus, hiring a blog designer is WAY more expensive than it used to be. Sometimes I wish I had kept my blog on Blogger.

We did have a good Christmas. We had fun at our extended family get-togethers. I tried a new cheeseball recipe, and it ended up pretty good!

Beetle (our outside kitty) even came inside to inspect the tree, and he approved!

Jake did a LOT of napping, haha!

But by Christmas morning, my little family was sick. We all had a two-week-long battle with bronchitis and sinus infections. I was thankful, at least, it happened when hubby and Young Man had a lot of time off from work and school. So, we spent a lot of time at home just semi-functioning, haha! But we are all on the other side of it now.

I racked up at Candle Day at Bath & Body Works. It was my first Candle Day, where all of the candles were put on a super good sale, and these were all purchased online.

I’m also big into wax melts now. I just love to keep our home smelling amazing. Yes, I have way too many candles and wax melts, but they’re getting used, I promise!

Young Man started back to school on Monday, and it is his last semester of college (unless he decides to further his education at a 4-year college). These two years have really flown by! He is learning so many awesome things while working towards his associate’s degree in Precision Manufacturing and Machine Technology.

I’m just trying to get the house back together from the holidays. We are almost there, but January always has me itching to clean out all of the closets and cabinets, and it’s a slow process. I have also been taking an online “work at your own pace” course, learning to use ChatGPT and other AI tools. I know a lot of people don’t care for it, but I needed something other than reading to stimulate my brain, and it really is fascinating how these tools can help in everyday life.

That about wraps up what has been going on around here. I hope to start getting caught up on blog reading and post here more often. Hope you have a great Thursday!

Happy October!

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Mandy

Wow! Happy October, y’all! I can’t believe we are already in the tenth month of this year. Time flies! I want to be fully in the fall/Halloween spirit, but it is still so hot here, and the weather is making it hard to get in the mood. I’m still wearing shorts and flip flops! Haha! I don’t know why this surprises me every year. I suppose I hold on to the hope that we will have good fall weather when fall actually arrives. The truth is, we probably won’t see that cooler weather until the first part of December. I do recall one Christmas having to wear shorts because it was hot and humid, and it rained SO much! The weather is just wild!

In any case, you know I’m still going to try to get the Halloween vibe going with my candles! These are the ones I will be burning for October.

I’ve lit two of them so far this morning, and so far, so good! I was ready for a change after burning through last month’s selection. So much so that I pulled out a bubble gum-scented one yesterday because I was just done with apple scents and fall scents! Haha!

As I said, it’s hard to create a fall ambiance when it doesn’t feel like it.

I also got out my new Halloween cocktail napkins and paired them with yet another new mug. These little seasonal mugs at TJ Maxx are so hard to resist!

I was able to get out my fall home decor last weekend and got everything put out. I shared my fall home decor tour from the previous year, and it’s pretty much the same this year. I don’t think I added anything new except a new throw for the couch. Another TJ Maxx find. It’s a good thing this store is a 45-minute drive away from me because I could get into a lot of trouble there if it were closer! Haha! I guess that’s one good thing about living in a small town.

We met my cousin and her family for lunch last Friday. It was good to get together with her and visit. Saturday, Hubby went to the Ole Miss/LSU game in Oxford. You know I stayed home and watched it on TV! Haha!

He met up with two of my cousins who live there, and they enjoyed the game. I’m so glad he got to go. He works so hard and deserves to have some fun whenever possible.

This week is being spent trying to catch up on housework. I’m really struggling physically, so it is going a lot slower than I would like, but it will all get done. And naturally, having THIS in your laundry basket downstairs doesn’t help one bit!!

Jake has suddenly declared the laundry basket in the laundry room is THE perfect sleeping place, so I’m having to work around him a lot while I’m in there. He also woke me up at 4:00 AM this morning, wanting to be fed and let outside. It’s a good thing he is cute, that’s all I’m saying!

Are you excited for October? Are you decorating for fall? Or not at all? I would love to hear about it! Happy October!

Little Pockets of Happiness

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mandy

Recently, I’ve been trying to find little pockets of happiness in each day. Something small and inexpensive that can bring big joy. I’ve tried to be really intentional lately about doing this because I think it can help bring some balance and harmony back to your life when things are tough.

I want to thank you all for the kind comments you left on my last post. I love for things to be positive and upbeat here, but sometimes life throws big curveballs, and writing down my thoughts and getting things out is a big way I cope. I’m always so thankful for my sweet blog friends who show up and offer words of encouragement. It means so much to me.

Y’all know I love, love, love candles! I light this Espresso Martini each morning while checking email and attending to “house business.” It smells like coffee brewing, and that helps me get to work.

I’m also in DEEP love with Honeycrisp Hayride by Bath & Body Works. Hands down, it is my very favorite fall scent that I have purchased. I hope this one makes a comeback next fall, because it’s just that good!

I also bought myself a cute fall mug during my last visit to TJ MAXX. It’s a Rae Dunn, and it’s awfully cute, but awfully heavy to hold. However, I just couldn’t pass it up because it was on sale and super adorable.

I also decided a cute cup of coffee deserves cute beverage napkins each morning. I have a habit of folding a paper towel into a square each morning and placing my coffee cup on it while I pour the coffee, then putting my spoon on it when I’m finished adding Splenda. These cute beverage napkins caught my eye (also available at TJ Maxx), and I thought I’d use them instead of the boring paper towels.

I think this might be a new obsession! Haha! They make the cutest little napkins for every season. These are the ones I’ve purchased for September and October. I’ll probably even have some left over for next year!

And, of course, a little fall Snoopy music video each day from YouTube. I put one of these videos on in the morning, and it plays for hours lightly in the background. I usually stick to the Mellow Vibes channel for this, but I also enjoy a few others, like Snoopy Chill Beats.

So these are just a few ways I’m trying to lift my spirits around here. I’d love to hear the little things that help you out as well!

Life Has Been Life-in’

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Mandy

Life has certainly been life-in’ around here. Every time I think I’m going to return to blogging regularly, life gets in the way, and blogging has to be put on the back burner.

My aunt passed away very suddenly last week. It left us all in shock, understandably, and I’ve spent a few days traveling to my cousin’s house to be with her and help her through it all. She is an only child like me, and this has been so devastating to her and her little family. I can only take solace knowing my aunt was saved. She loved the Lord, her family, and her church.

Our community has also been reeling from recent events here, and adding to that, things going on in the world in general; it’s been a lot. Things just feel heavy right now. I’ve just had to take some time to focus on my family and disengage from the online noise. It can be overwhelming to see people arguing all the time online, and my Facebook feed has been super busy with a lot of this due to all of these things. I understand that people become passionate about things that happen. But when it starts turning ugly, that’s when I have to snooze people or take a break, so that’s what I’ve been doing.

I don’t even know where I’m going with all of this. I guess I just wanted to explain why I’ve been absent, and hopefully I’ll be back soon with happier posts. I’m praying for all of us. It’s tough out there.

Catching Up On Last Week

Posted on September 9, 2025September 8, 2025 by Mandy

Whoa! Fall weather is really coming in, but mainly in the mornings. We’ve been waking up to temps in the 55-degree range, and I am here for it! I couldn’t think of a dazzling title for this blog post, so we are just going to be catching up on last week around here.

Last Tuesday, my best friend took me out to eat lunch for my birthday. We were a little late celebrating together, but I didn’t do much on my actual birthday, and it worked out that she had a half-day at work, so she picked me up and we ate at a cute little bistro in town that we enjoy. I forgot to take a picture of my lunch, but I did take one the next day when I had it for leftovers.

She also got me a new candle and a candle warmer! I was so excited because I had been wanting a candle warmer for upstairs. I love to have candles going, but I worry about having them on upstairs because I’m not often up there during the daytime. So, not having an open flame, but still being able to enjoy the scent of my candles is awesome!

Hubby worked a long week last week and didn’t make it in until Saturday afternoon, so our weekend felt really short. We just stayed in the rest of the weekend and relaxed. It sure went by quickly, and he was back on the road yesterday morning. This week looks to be a busy one for him as well.

Jake got his annual back shave last Thursday. I know this looks like a total hack job, and it is, but there is a reason for that. Jake will not let me brush him. He hates to be touched unless it’s on his terms. The groomer wanted to give him a “lion cut”, and I was all for it, but I knew he would never cooperate with that. The only way that would happen is if he were sedated, and I hated to do that to him unnecessarily. I told the groomer my main concern was to get the mats off of his back, and if that meant a hack job, then that’s the way it had to be. Jake managed to let them get just that much done, so bless it, he will just have to look like this for a bit until his hair grows back in.

I felt pretty good over the weekend, so with hubby’s help, I was able to get a lot accomplished in our extra bedroom. I think it will all come together better once we decide on furniture for the room. However, getting rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff has already made the room feel lighter, which makes me happy! I’ve held on to many office supplies and items from my librarian career, but it’s time to send them to a better home.

This week will be spent with family. My aunt and uncle from Tennessee are here visiting and staying with my mom, so I will be spending lots of time with them this week, as their last visit got cut very short. I have to run an errand this week that will take me very close to my nearest Bath & Body Works store. Will I stop in? Tune in to find out! HAHAHAHAAA!! You know I will!