This was another long week that was weird; on Tuesday, it felt like Friday, on Wednesday it felt like Thursday...ever since election day it feels like the week between Christmas & New Year's. Time doesn't feel real but I'm going to need it to start acting like it. 

As we head into this weekend, I have my sister's engagement dinner with her friends which will be really nice, and then I'm planning on doing a lot of nothing. I have all of next week off before Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait. I have a lot of appointments but I also have some plans to get my life together. It's that time of year when I feel the need to deep clean my life from the inside out, and it feels so good.

Next week is also my birthday and I haven't really thought too much about it...I feel like I'm floating and I need to ground myself and get serious about my life.

Ok, let's get into the roundup.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of straight hair. It used to take my mom two hours to blow dry my hair when I was a kid and I used to hate doing my hair so much that I would pay my sorority sisters in alcohol to blow dry my hair for me. I never turned down a professional blow out, and I've gotten many a straightening & relaxing treatments in my day to just tame the mane that sits a top of my head. 

 Over the years I've gone through my fair share of hair tools; from blow dry brushes to a failed attempt at using the Dyson Airwrap to finally settling on my Shark FlexStyle...I still felt like something was missing.

 Dove Pond is one of my favorite book series I've ever read; it is like a cozy night on the couch with a Barefoot Dreams blanket, Gilmore Girls on the TV and a cup of tea. I've talked about it so much on the blog over the years and with every book Karen Hawkins releases, I fall deeper in love with the characters, the town, and the Dove sisters.

This summer, another Dove Pond book was released and of course, I pre-ordered and immediately started reading when it was delivered to my Kindle. However, unlike the other Dove Pond books, "The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams" took me a little longer to finish. While it gave me all the Dove Pond vibes, and I liked Tay Dove's secret Dove sister gift, it left a little to be desired.

It was definitely my least favorite Dove Pond book but it's essential to the series and I need another book ASAP.

 What a year this week has been. Since Tuesday, I've felt like it should be the weekend. I'm not sure if it's because of daylight savings and being back in the office after a week at home but this week was incredibly long. It was also very busy -- by the time it was Friday afternoon, I was completely wiped out. 

This is the first weekend since September that I have nothing to do -- zero obligations and I'm over the moon excited. I have a long list of things I want to get done, like decorating for Christmas, cleaning out my closets & drawers, and giving my house a deep clean.

I can't believe Thanksgiving and my birthday are in 2 weeks...this year has flown by and I'm not ready to think about it quite yet. I need to start Christmas shopping...which is also something that has to be thought about this weekend.

No more rambling, let's dive into the roundup.

 After a long, one and a half month Manicure Monday drought, we are back with a vengeance! Because of my busy 7 weeks, my gel manicure obsession has come to an end. I've given my nails the break they needed after removing the gel manicure myself, before it was meant to come off, and now I'm ready for polish again.

I still haven't bought the Olive & June Gel Manicure System but it's next on my list...however, we're going to be talking about one of their Fall 2024 polishes that I hadn't yet used after I initially placed my order.

After red nails for a month and a half, I was ready for something to truly put me in the fall spirit and the polish of choice was easy. Museum Date from Olive & June's most recent fall collection is so unique and truly one of a kind in my collection and probably a lot of yours too.

Well, we've time traveled back to 2016. I don't want to talk extensively about it because I can't let myself. That is a privilege that I recognize but Tuesday was probably the worst panic attack I've ever had. I got less than 4 hours of sleep, was up all night checking my phone and was shaking so badly I thought I was having a heart attack. 

It was horrible, Wednesday was worse and now I just have to try to focus on myself and move forward. It's so much easier said than done but please focus on yourself. Focus on finding pockets of joy throughout the day, find a community and do something that isn't on the internet. 

I've logged out of Twitter and am in the process of deleting my account, I've removed Threads from my iPhone home screen and I'm staying off of TikTok. Instagram feels like a safe space right now which is fine, but I'm going to use this time to train myself to get out of the habit of constantly reaching for social apps. I've been wanting to stop doomscrolling for months now because I've noticed how negatively it has affected me and this is a really good excuse.

As much as I love social media and as much as I think it can do good, it's also the reason that this election went the way it did -- because of the misinformation, the opinions, the fighting.. it's just too much. I can't be part of it anymore, not in the way I have been for the past 10 years. As I write this, I haven't been on those apps in 24 hours and I have to say, that combined with 10 hours of sleep worked wonders on my mood and mental health.

When you focus on what's in front of you in the real world versus what's online, it's amazing what you're capable of. 

In addition to staying off those apps, I've downloaded a lot of phone games, the Shuffles Pinterest app and will probably scroll Substack for when I need the feeling of community -- which I think is going to be a big focus of the next four years. 

I've had this community for the past 13 years and I appreciate everyone who reads it. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Substack for more interaction and I'm sending you all lots of love.

Let's get into the round up.

Growing up Catholic, Advent Calendars were a big part of the Christmas season for me. The importance of Advent was always stressed to us and I have so many memories of crossing days off calendars, moving felt pieces from one day to another or opening little cardboard doors and finding a chocolate behind it. 

Once I got older, the magic of Advent dwindled a bit until a few years ago when capitalism popped off and started producing adult advent calendars for every niche interest out there. Now, in 2024 you could count down to Christmas through a variety of ways, whether it's with beauty products, tea, socks, baking supplies or jewelry.

For years I would treat myself to the Sugarfina Advent Calendar and then I upgraded to the Olive & June one, which I still think is one of the best on the market. This year though, I'm looking to change things up a bit. I don't want a super expensive one that is just a bunch of stuff I don't need...I'm really trying to cut down on the unnecessary items in my life. Choosing which Advent Calendar to buy is going to be a real test for me. 

After hunting around the internet, I've rounded up the best Advent Calendars; ones that I think are super fun, a great value, or offer something really special & different.