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Two orders of business:

1. I don't know how this January has lasted almost two years, but here we are.

2. I am currently on a mission to create neutral, winter/spring decor in my house so be ready for lots of house stuff in the near future.

Okay, so now that we've established that January has been way too long already, I am happy to announce that this is the last post of January, and we're here for the highlights!

For those of you who are new to the Hot Mess Express here, the last post of every month is a roundup of sorts. Its basically the highlight reel of my favorite stuff from this month that I want to share with you!

P.S. - I skipped December because of the holidays, so buckle up, this one is full of good stuff.

DuoLingo.

I've mentioned this once before in New Year, New You, but I started using DuoLingo to learn Spanish with my husband in December. We've been competing against each other, and we have gone from "Hola!" to asking each other if we want a cup of coffee. Baby steps, friends. At the very least, its a LOT better than scrolling social media for half an hour.

Muscle Burns Fat.

I started a new workout program this month. It's called Muscle Burns Fat, or MBF, and I'm really enjoying lifting again. My body is feeling stronger, and I'm finally working off all the cookies and pies from the holidays!

Throne of Glass.

I was in a reading lull, and a friend from work recommended a few different series for me to try. I don't usually read fantasy as my genre of choice, but I'm up to try new things, and hey, I love me some Harry Potter. So I gave them a try, and my favorite so far is Throne of Glass. It's an easy read, a solid adventure, a little mystery, and yes, some magic. I didn't think this would be my jam, but I am looking forward to reading the next one!

New Blinds.

My dear subscribers, I'm sorry for being repetitive. But I must share the joy that these new blinds have brought me. We FINALLY got new blinds for our whole house (long story short, our house was in rough shape and had no window treatments and I've been using Costco curtains for the last 3 years). We got lovely cellular shades, and blackout shades in all the bedrooms, and friends, I am a princess. It is so dark, and I have slept in so late these days off. It's been a delight.

P.S. - For those of you who love a good deal, we got them 40% off at Lowes, and spent less than half of what we had originally estimated for the whole house!!

Blog Growth + Goals.

You all know that this blog is 100% a hobby, but I've found that I truly do love it, and my dream is for it to grow, reach a larger audience one day, and make a difference. I do work full-time, and I don't plan on this becoming a full-time gig or anything like that, but for now, I'm an affiliate for Amazon, and I just signed up for a few more, such as Fabletics. What this means, is if you use my link to make a purchase (could be anything, honestly) I get a small commission at no cost to you. I don't recommend things I haven't tried myself, and I only share stuff that I truly believe some of you may be interested in.

For example, I've been a VIP with Fabletics for years. I LOVE their workout clothes. I was sold on VS tights for a long time but Fabletics knocks them out of the park. The membership is free, if you skip every month, like I do, and they have amazing sales. Elliot has been hoping that they would release a mens line, and it was finally out and on sale this year, so I got him a whole new workout wardrobe for around $150. I'm talking, like 10 new items from t shirts to thick, cozy joggers for that price.

So I signed up as a Fabletics affiliate, because they make great stuff and have great deals.

I'm just letting you guys know so that there's transparency. Your support, whether it's a subscription, share, follow, or purchase, helps me to continue writing, creating and growing. My goal is to show up for you, my audience, in whatever way I can. Even if it's just an uplifting read, a silly story, or a new recipe to try, my goal is to brighten your day or make life a little easier.

So, thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for shopping my links. Thank you for showing up for me every week. It really does make all the difference.

New Decor.

Now that my house is totally de-decorated from Christmas, I had a really hard time being creative about how to redecorate. My foyer shelf was basically bare for two weeks (except the huge basket of dog toys, because, well, I'm a dog mom. It stays.), but I finally got it together and styled it and I'm so happy with how it turned out. HUGE shoutout to my friend Kaitlyn who is a plant queen and helped me repot my plants and style them with the right feng shui (I don't know if feng shui is a verb or a noun but bear with me), and ANYWAY, they are happy plant babies. I've got one more small area to get up and running and then you will receive all the photos because I love my neutral winter/spring vibe here. Which I clearly planned so I don't have to touch it again, for like, ever.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” Luke 1:45

“He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10