Sunday Sips-October 18, 2020

Hi there and HAPPY SUNDAY!

Today i’m sipping a new-to-me tea that i received in a new Sipsby Tea box i ordered. This one wasn’t themed (although their October themed box looks heavenly for a chai lover like myself) but it was curated toward my specific tastes. This was the first tea from this box i tried and it’s so good. Being an authentic masala chai recipe with 50% black tea, 30% cinnamon, and 20% cardamom, it hits all those spicy notes. And with a little maple syrup and a splash of milk, it’s is pure deliciousness.

this past week was spent knee deep in remote schooling since the week before was a little messed up from a wind storm that swept through the state and closed some of the schools in the are for a couple days. The good news is my 1st grader’s school-appointed tablet came in! *throws glitter in the air* Bad news is the district tech department didn’t set us up with access on it yet. *vacuums glitter while grumbling* But as soon as they do, she’ll be using that baby 9am thru 2pm weekdays for schooling instead of my laptop which means…more editing! And then…more writing! lol Can you tell i’m excited?? Like beyond. even though it’s opened up more time for journaling and reading and scrolling through instagram, i’m so ready to get some more work done during the day. although we are constantly coming across new obstacles, our family’s been doing pretty well acclimating. This week our power went out in the middle of the school day which my 8th grader attends all his live classes on a schedule just like he would at school but virtually so there’s not any real wiggle room for make ups on his live instruction days. With only two devices in the house (my phone and his) that didn’t require wifi both with nearly dead batteries, i stuck him and my 5th grader in my suv to be able to charge the phones while they attended their respective classes. My son had 8th grade tech in the front while my daughter attended 5th grade orchestra in the back complete with her violin for practicing. People that want to succeed, find a way. People that don’t, find an excuse. I’m so proud of them for sticking with it while we worked to find a way. luckily the outage only lasted an hour and we were all right back to normal…well, our new normal.

I’m on the final stages of edits for Beckett and have been fully immersed in the great book cover hunt. No one actually calls it that but that’s what it feels like. I’ve been scouring images from basically everywhere, searching for the perfect Beckett. I don’t want to jinx myself but i think i found him and all i can say is if we thought Coty’s eyes were special…just wait. absolutely magnetizing.

One of my fave candles to light while writing is one by Frostbeard Studio in MN. It’s called Reading At The Cafe and it legit smells like you’re at a cafe. I bought the 4 oz tin and it went pretty quickly so i think i might splurge and get the bigger size next time. It smells like coffee and chocolate pastry and while i’m typically very sensitive to strong smells this one doesn’t bother me at all. i think it’s the perfect balance of the two scents—one bitter, one sweet. I know they used to have an etsy shop as well but i’ve linked their main website just in case.

I revealed recently that after reading Freestyle and Lyrical by Bea Paige I started working out again (not the bachata with a hot partner sadly) so I’ve been slowly making my way through episodes of Riverdale while I exercise. I heard the song “Where Your Secrets Hide” by Klergy and Katie Garfield from one of the episodes earlier this week and it is perfect for this fall. Utterly haunting and emotional, i can’t get enough of it. Same goes for “Cemetery” by AViVA. If October had a soundtrack those two songs would be at the top. Let me know if you’ve heard them, as I don’t think either is new, and what you think.

Speaking of October, next weekend (Sunday to be exact) is my 34th Birthday. I have a love/hate relationship with my birthday that i credit my childhood to but i do find it’s getting easier as I get older. I’m finally starting to shed some of those impossible expectations to just enjoy the day with my little family instead and i’m hoping this one fits that bill as well. Hey, if you don’t have an emotional breakdown on your birthday, are you even an adult? Some lucky chemically-balanced person somewhere is like “uh, yeah,” I just know it. I can practically feel the judgement from here lol but we all have our hang ups and some of mine are on the larger scale. But 34 is gonna be good. i’m at the point now where i’m just getting comfortable in my own skin. Do you know what i mean? like I’m just comfortable being me. Of course there’s room for improvement (in many, many areas) but i’m not at war with myself anymore. I no longer feel like i’m my own enemy. More like an ally. and that’s pretty big, i think. even though i love living vicariously through my characters in their late teens and early twenties i wouldn’t go back there for anything. thirties is where it’s at…if you like constant back aches and random health issues every other month.

Until next week my friend, have a good one and i hope you find something you enjoy as well.

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Thanks for joining me and have a wonderful week.

Ashley