Things I use
& love
Welcome
If you take a look here, you're basically taking a peek around my house. And my bookshelf.
So if you want some great products for affordable prices, take a look around. Because I don't have a ton of money, so...
And by buying any of these products, you'll be helping support me at no additional cost to you. I'll get a small percentage of the sale.
A
What to read &
Watch
Audio books
Beautiful- A fairytale - eque story. This is a sweet story that tugs at your heartstrings. It's a little adventure of a young girl's quest to find herself & her people before she becomes queen of the hill.
The final empire-The first book of the Mistborn trilogy, my absolute favorite series. If you like lush & original worldbuilding, complex, likable characters, and complex magic systems, you can't go wrong with this.
More
Audiobooks
The wife between us- This thriller is full of exciting twists & turns. It's about an ex-wife, looking in at her ex's new fiance. And trying to stop her from making the same mistakes she did...
Furiously happy - or let's make jokes about things people don't joke about. Like mental illness. And chronic illness. This made me laugh & cry. It was a joy & a balm.
Shows
Just a few I love.
The color of magic - free with ads. There aren't many good funny magical shows but this is one. It's a campy, zany magical adventure mini-series in the incredible Discworld universe.
Good omens- Free with amazon prime. Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman teaming up? This adaptation of their book is a great watch. Heartfelt, funny & exciting, this is definitely a worthwhile watch.
Shows
more of what I watch.
Leverage - Free with ads. Who do you call when the law won't help? The ultimate team. A grifter, a hacker, a hitter, a thief & a mastermind.
"The rich & powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. Because sometimes bad guys make the best good guys."
The Librarians - Oh my god, this show. There's magic, secret societies, episodic adventures & time - travel. It's filled with twists on mythology & magical creatures in a modern setting. If you love fantasy adventure, try this.
Movies
what else i watch.
The fault in our stars - I don't cry often from movies. But this movie always gets me. It is told in the first person from a teen who is dying of cancer. She meets the boy she falls in love with at a cancer support group & this is their heartbreaking love story.
Yours, mine & ours - when I was younger I watched this movie in french without subtitles & was able to follow along because I knew the whole thing by heart. A funny, heartfelt movie of two opposites learning to love each other & making their 18 kids a family.
Movies
the last of my watchs.
Mary & the witch's flower - Mary is a frustrated tween who plucks a magical flower & her adventure begins. She is whisked away on a flying broomstick to a magical school in the clouds. It is full of wonder, magic & danger. I watched this with my 8-year-old sister & she also enjoyed it.
V for Vendetta - I'm going, to be honest with you, this is an intense watch. It is dark & full of very real pain. But it also has an incredible ending & makes you feel #allthethings. Good for a gloomy day.
Books
some great non- fiction
A cartoon history of the universe - This is a funny, in-depth look at history. The cartoons & dialogue keep it fun, light & engaging. I highly recommend this if you need to research a particular period in history or just want worldbuilding inspo.
The word snoop - If you love words & history as much as I do, let's be friends. And also, read this book. It's an incredibly well- written, entertaining look at the history & evolution of the very weird English language.
Books
2 works of fiction
The littlest bigfoot - Have you ever felt alone? Unwanted, unloved? So have I. And that's why I loved this book so much. It's about how a girl who is unwanted, with no friends finds her people & finds that she too, is lovable.
Or give me death - This work of historical fiction is chilling. It is told from the viewpoint of Patrick Henry's eldest daughter as she tries to cope with her mother's mental illness & hide the horrible secret.
Writing tools
some tools I love
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Milanote - for outlining, worldbuilding & writing.
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Grammarly (free) - for grammar & spelling checks.
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Hemingway (free) - for pointing out sentences that are overly long or complicated. It also points out words that could be simplified.
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Pro- writing aid (free) - for pointing out words that you repeat too often, making the writing boring. It also shows how a sentence can be reworded to start better or where you can use stronger words.
Blogging tools
What I use to blog
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Wix (free) - Website builder. It's drag & drop, so super easy & loaded with beautiful templates. They also show you what you need to do for your website, step by step.
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Crowdfire (free) - I use this to schedule social media posts. It's super easy to use & schedule & it lets you see analytics.
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Coschedule writing analyzer (free) - I use this to create catchy, SEO - optimized headlines for my blog posts.
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Adobe spark (free) - What I use to create all my graphics (expect printables). It's super easy to use & has loads of beautiful templates that are easy to make your own.
Things not related to my
Blog
My tech
The tech I use & love
Bluetooth headphones - these are my favorite headphones & they don't take too big a bite of your budget. They have good, loud audio & pair easily. The charging case is portable, which is very hand.
Chromebook - if you want a no-frills laptop that's fast & responsive, this budget laptop won't let you (or me) down. It has excllent battery life, lasting me nearly a full day of working (with the computer on basically all day).
Self - care
What I use to take care of me
Heating blanket - When you have chronic pain & love warm, fuzzy things, heating blankets are everything. I've bought a lot of these & they always seemed to be not so comfy as just a blanket & stop working quickly. This one cost a little more, but it lasts, gets really warm, has easy controls & is super cozy.
Positive thought cards - My mom bought me a jar of these as a gift (love you, mom). I couldn't find exactly the ones she bought, but I did find something similar. It's great for a little reminder that everything will be ok & to inspire you.
Guided Journals
To explore ourselves.
Digging deep - This was gifted to me as a teen. It's specifically "for young people with health challenges." It has pictures drawn by children, which gives it a comfy feel. It has sections like exploring my life, hospitals, doctors and treatments and family, friends & circles of support.
It's gonna be ok - There's a spread of two pages for every day. One side has a full-size quote encouraging with a colored background. On the other side, there's space to write. It prompts "what I'm hanging hope on today" and asks you to check off your outlook for the day.
Clothes
I've been buying dresses.
I've been just loading up on iconic luxe dresses lately. Their dresses are comfy & lose, with pretty colors & patterns. I bought three of their dresses, in different colors & patterns:
A-line midi dress - This can be wrapped up with a bow around the waist. I bought the mustard & royal blue.
Fit & flare with pockets - I got this in floral ivory coral, which was my favorite of all the dresses I got. I also got in mint green.
A-line swing trapeze - I got this in a gorgeous bright red.
Coffee
My addiction. My 2nd love.
My first was chocolate.
K- cups - Brooklyn expresso & corner donut shop - the expresso is how I wake up & get myself energized in the morning. The corner donut shop is what I drink if I need a 2nd cup as a little pick me up. They both taste great.
Califia - salted caramel & xx expresso - I'm allergic to dairy, so the fact that there's a great cold brew coffee with almond milk makes me very happy. The xx expresso is strong & tasty and really wakes me up. The salted caramel is a delicious treat with a bit of punch.