I’m eating my breakfast now, the breakfast that I forced myself to finish cooking before I sat down to write this. I’ve had a super annoying habit lately of burning my food when I get even the slightest bit distracted, so while I cooked it, I thought of all of the things I wanted to tell you about. Because it’s been quiet here, I know. Other than TTLT, I’ve hardly written anything since 2015 started. I’ve been completely unable to sit down and write anything. So what have I been up to? Well, I‘ll tell ya.

I’ve done a whole lot of laundry (not a fan of winter layers). And dishes. And cleaning. And working.

But mostly, I’ve  done A LOT of reading. I start a book, read it mildly obsessively until I’m done, then wait a few hours before starting the next. The only problem with this is that sometimes in the beginning of the new book, I have to stop and sort out the characters of the previous books so as not to confuse them. Who was it that had the migraines? Oh yes…the sister. And which high school student was in boarding school? And which husband was the cheater? But since joining Goodreads and reading recommendations from fellow bloggers and friends, my library check-out list gets shorter only as my hold list gets longer.

I just finished Big Little Lies this week, and it was one of my favorites so far. I fell in love with all of the characters, and the suspense, and the truthful, vulnerable way Liane Moriarty wrote about domestic violence, toxic relationships, what it’s like to try to form friendships with fellow school moms, and small town gossip. I also finally finished Gone Girl. I started it some time last year, put it down, picked it up, put it down, over and over and over. Everyone that talked about it got a “I just can’t finish it!” from me. But after so many positive reviews about the movie, something clicked and I picked it up one last time and finished it in two days. It seemed like people either loved or hated the end of the book, and I loved it, personally. I thought it was absolutely perfect. Not good, not heartwarming, but perfect for those particular characters. And now I’m more than ready to see the movie. Oh! And the Perfume Collector. The incredible book that made me want to become rich and contract out a custom, expensive perfume. I don’t wear perfume anymore, though, so instead…

I’ve been wearing and using essential oils. And I love them so much. I get them from Simply Aroma, and this week, the girls and I even made up some “perfumes”. Basically, they’re just fractionated coconut oil with a single oil or blend or two in awesome little roller bottles I found on Amazon (affiliate link). All three of us were super excited to make them and start using them.

And mostly, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Erv, who thinks he can go off to preschool in August, and Louise, who’s the sweetest, lickingest, cuddliest, fetchingest puppy ever. Every day, the three of us try very hard not to kill each other, and so far, we’ve succeeded.

So. Thanks for letting me catch up. Now excuse me while I go get my diffuser, book, and blanket.