This was written before May 30th, and will remain unfinished. I still want to post what I have and try to start making movements towards productivity. Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on my last post.

Is it just me, or did this month fly by? I had a lot of plans and goals that I wanted to reach this month, and I blinked and it seemed like we were in the middle of the month before I had even done anything. The main event for this month was definitely the Birthday Pawty and my one year anniversary with my boyfriend, but in-between that just felt like a lot of nothing. It rained for about a week straight, right about the time that I started feeling like I wasn’t going to reach any of my goals for the month.

Here’s my goal update for May:

• Read 2 books
• Write a blog post in a third space environment
• Take dogs on a trail walk at least twice
• Start my next workout series
• Finalize my Etsy page
• Create something for the pups’ birthday!

Unfortunately I didn’t take the dogs on any trail walks this month, and when I felt the pressure of the month coming to an end, we had 2 weeks of on and off rain.

I finally completed the first series of the Pilates by Izzy 25 day challenge, which you can find on YouTube

To be honest, it kind of felt like my mind was asleep until the last two weeks of May, but here are some of the things I have been up to:

Media

Trash Goblin

I go through spurts of being interested in games, and when I finally sat down at the computer and checked out the free games for the week on Epic, this caught my eye. It was something new, easy, and most importantly, free! I instantly got sucked into being a little goblin, chipping away at rocks to find trinkets.

The quests are fun, the characters are likeable, and you have the ability to create very interesting trinkets using anything that you discover. The game is still getting updates with new quests, and even though I have finished what I believe is the main story line, there are still new characters being introduced and new quests to accomplish at a slower pace.

Pursuit of Jade

I started watching this series after reading part of Poorwa’s review. Once I read that she binged the first 9 episodes, I immediately went to start watching it. I will finish reading her review after I complete the series, just in case there are spoilers lol. I am on episode 14 as I am writing this and it is very fun so far. I think this may be my very first C-Drama, it is for sure my first Historical fiction C-Drama, and I have to say that Poorwa is correct when she says that the visuals are STUNNING! I feel like I can reach my hand into the screen.

I think it’s hilarious how a war hero is constantly being critically wounded and the main female character never has a scratch, hopefully that doesn’t give away anything, but if you want to kick your feet and feel every inch of the two main character’s awkward and innocent trials of falling in love I definitely recommend this show so far, and yes there have been a few moments that have made me blush and kick my feet just because they have had some cute interactions.

Books

A Court of Thorns and Roses

It took me a while to decide on what books I wanted to read in order to reach my goal this month, and I think this series has been very popular online for a while now and I have never read it. I was surprised to see that A Court of Thorns and Roses was published in 2015, because if it was popular during that time there was no way I couldn’t have read it, but in hindsight I was too young for some of the scenes. Do I think this book is worth the hype? No. Do I understand why it is so hyped up? Yes. To me it is giving very daydream vibes. It just feels like the author had this daydream of her life as Cinderella with her horrible sisters, gets taken to Farie Land, trials happen and even though she should have died 10 times, things magically happen in her favor and every main male character cannot resist her.

But I think it’s popular because it has very hot, spicy main love interests, and of course the Fae, and just escapism in general. There were so many times I just had to say “Bruh”, whether it was something Feyre did or the riddle that was told by the evil villaness, which let me just say this: I am very horrible at book riddles, I never get them. I thought about this one. I came up with an answer but I was like “Hah that is too easy, way too cliche, and if this is the answer that would be so garbage”. Guess who answered her first book riddle? Who stared at the wall contemplating why she just read over 400 pages for that to be the central theme, especially considering what happens immediately after the answer is revealed? ME.

I rate this book a generous 3 stars. Will I continue this series? Yes, because while it was not that good, I love reading things that are popular, but still readable, because I love watching rant videos about it. ACOTAR wasn’t super hard to read, yes I had to accompany my reading with the audiobook to get through some sections, but the cringe parts were good enough to make up for it, and I heard that the series gets worse, and I just have to know! Enough happens in the story that it is at least interesting, even if it just feels unnecesary.

A Court of Mist and Fury

Most of what I ranted about for the first book, but with more cringe. I can’t with the spicy scenes, while it’s welcome after the 200 pages of backstory each from every character, after the novelty wears off, the actions of Feyre just make me feel like there’s a couple at a restaurant who are having a PDA frenzie. Reading this almost made me not want to even pick up the third book, just because it was pretty boring, and wayyyy too long. I had to use the help of the audiobook to get me through a few chapters of just character history.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Okay, after three books, ACOTAR has grown on me with this installment. While I still believe that the second book went on for way to long to build up to this novel, A Court of Mist and Fury is by far my favorite out of the series so far. I felt like things actually happened. It took so long with the previous two books to set the scene, character backstory, main character growth, and world building that this book felt a lot easier to read. I didn’t need to use an audiobook to help me get past any of the scenes, and there were a lot of moments that actually surprised me and left my mouth open wide.

The Dobby moment as I will call it was not necessary, but I’m glad that the power of friendship theme pulled through for another best-selling series. I gave this one 3.5 stars.

Life

Puppy Birthday Pawty

I have a whole post dedicated to my dogs’ birthday party on May 26th, so I will just mention it here in my wrap up. You can see plenty of cute dog pictures here!

Baking

I decided to go back and read the blog that inspired me to start my own page so many years ago, Ms. Sam Wears Dresses. I actually met her at the Lincoln Apple Festival that I attend almost every year (you can see my recent visit here), and she was selling canned goods like elderberry syrup. She deserves a post all on its own but let’s just say I reread all of her blog posts and got the itch to bake, I made her shortbread cookie recipe first, with my own inclusions of strawberries and another batch with orange zest and chocolate mint that my mom has grown. Apparently no one besides my mom and I like shortbread, my boyfriend said it just tastes like bread with no flavor. Wow. They have plenty of flavor to me.

I was about to throw in the towel until he said he wanted snicker doodle cookies, and I made the first batch and they were gone in 2 days. I didn’t even eat many, to be honest they didn’t taste that good to me, I prefer the shortbread! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth though.

In my second batch of snicker doodles, I baked half of the cookies with regular white sugar, half with brown sugar, and that’s where I won out. I enjoy the brown sugar version way better, and over 50 cookies are almost all gone now, the brown sugar ones vanishing completely last night. I only ate a few so I am not to blame, but I am happy that I’m not a complete failure at baking!

Reader’s Favorite Post of May

This month’s most viewed post has surprised me again, but in a good way. I’m happy that a lot of people resonate with my own blogging struggles and reflections.

My Favorite Post of May

Of course, this was my favorite post of the month.

June Goals

• Go on a new trail with the dogs
• Go swimming
• Write a blog post from a new third space
• Read 2 books