I've felt like a hot mess for most of this year and I'm not really sure why. If anything, I was more established in my person, in my home, in my job, than ever before and I did a lot this year, so I'm not sure why the past 330 days have felt so chaotic.

It could be that because I was so settled, so sure of myself, and experiencing new things, it felt unsettling. Maybe I wasn't used to feeling so normal that it caused me to feel abnormal.

All of that being said, it got me thinking what do you get the girl who is turning over a new leaf, who is coming into her own and getting her shit together? I present to you now, that gift guide!

 Happy official Christmas season everyone! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are indulging in a few Black Friday sales. I've been off from work all week and it's been gloriously long; it truly feels like I haven't been at work in a month and that's how I know I needed a real break.

I had tons of doctor's appointments, got a haircut and even saw Wicked which was probably one of the best movies I've ever seen in my entire life. Thanksgiving was low key with lots of food and some family at my mom's house. 

I didn't get home till almost 10 PM which is a bit nuts, and then I got a horrible night's sleep. I've been sleeping so bad lately, I don't know what's going on. I need to figure it out because I got 3 hours of sleep last night...and then left the house at 5:45 to go to Target to get the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Book & Anthology Vinyl... which I did successfully. My Target was so organized and there was a small line of 10ish people when the store opened at 6 AM; employees guided us to the towers of books & vinyls, ensured we were only taking the allotted amount and then sent us on our way. I was in and out within 5 minutes, and then back to sleep by 6:45. 

Today, I'll be relaxing, maybe run a few errands, and doing some  things around the house. Earlier this week I rounded up a bunch of Black Friday sales from my favorite retailers and brands, so definitely check that out if you're feeling up for some shopping.

Now, let's get into the roundup.

 Let the season of holiday books commence! I had a bunch of ARCs on my Kindle from NetGalley and finally decided to round them all up and see what I wanted to crack open next.

The winner of the first book of the season was Jenny Bayliss' latest Kiss Me at Christmas. I've previously read Jenny Bayliss "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe" in 2022 and it was definitely not my favorite Christmas read....but, Kiss Me at Christmas was the complete opposite. 

I really loved this book; it was truly beautiful and encompassed so much about the Christmas spirit. It was a delight to read and made me really happy.

Every year Black Friday is starting sooner and sooner; at first it was just the Friday after Thanksgiving, then it was Thanksgiving night, then it was the entire week before and now it seems like the sales started on November 1st, or even before Halloween this year.

However, if you're a savvy shopper you know that sometimes the deals are better on actual Black Friday than before, but I think this year might be the exception because Thanksgiving is so late. The shopping season is cut off by at least a week since Black Friday is November 29th, so most retailers Black Friday sales started last week.

In addition to sales getting earlier and earlier, they've also gotten smaller; the percentage off is not as strong as they have been in the past but if you know the retailer to look at, you might find some gems.

I wanted to round up some of the sales I'm going to be shopping, mostly for gifts, but maybe for one or two items for myself. 

I'll update this post throughout the week with more deals as they come out but wanted to get some picks out there before the shopping really picked up! 

 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.