It is the new year, which means it is time for a recap of my Fall and the first two weeks of winter.

My Last recap was for Aug - Oct, so this one is going to cover November and December. 

November. I can't remember anything at all. This sounds terrible. The reality is I was trying to finish up school and that took more focus than I really had.

Here are the big things that happened. 

The hubs and I went to the US on Remembrance Day to do some shopping. He was in the process of transitioning jobs and was using up his vacation days. I wanted to go to Target and Trader Joe's. We got a lot of stuff and I spent a lot of money for a person who hasn't worked in almost a year. But, it was well worth it, I am still hoarding candy and other food we got. I do love that we went in peak Pumpkin Spice and the start of Gingerbread season. 

Since getting access to Shippsy (affiliate link), I haven't been as eager to go to Target, as I can now cheaply order from them. 

We went to the Drive-In one last time to see The Wild Robot and Venom: Last Dance. We always have a good time, and I get to cuddle Bradley there.

We also went to the movie theatre to see Gladiator II.

A friend and I went to the Sheshedo warehouse sale and we waited an hour to get inside. I picked up a fair amount of Nars products there.

Shortly after I went to the Lisa Sale with my mother. Lines are back, even on weekday mornings, so that was unexpected. I got some of those glossy Revlon lipsticks that got discontinued right after they went viral the other year and a bunch of Nars liquid lipsticks.

That was my not-too-exciting month.

December was a bit more exciting. I finished school. I really studied for my exams and I applied to graduate with High Honours (woot).

Sterling got this great cardboard gingerbread house from Dollarama. He has been very happy.

After that I got to celebrate my brother's birthday and then a week later 3 family Christmases. It was exhausting but fantastic.

I made family members these hot chocolates with freeze-dried marshmallows as a gift. They all loved it.

I got a record player for Christmas from the Hubs, so I went and picked up some used vinyl around town. I am still trying to figure out a good way of getting records without them costing me $50-75 each.

I've also been driving a lot. I drive the hubs to and from work twice a week. Which has been great. I need to get on the highway though, because I have until the spring to take my final test.

So that was my end of the year, not too exciting, but I did finish school. I hope you all had a great holiday season.

June is done, and so is half of 2024. This has flown by. This whole year is so crazy since I am for the first time in my life not working, but also doing school at home. It is all wild.

June was exciting, we had a little road trip, I spent two nights away from home, which I never do and I got to see lots of family.

Puppy time

I love puppy time, I get to spend my days with my darling Bradley, but for over two weeks we had his little wife stay with us, Sophie. Sophie is fun, cute, sassy and most importantly a good cuddler. She is a great study buddy for me.

We also celebrated Bradley's Gotcha Day. It is hard to believe this cutie has been our life for 8 years now. Here is a cute photo of him the day we got him, and now 8 years later with the same toys.

Niagara Falls

For Christmas we got Rich's dad and stepmom tickets to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Fallsview in Niagara Falls. The concert was in June, so we booked an hotel for the night.

We got an early start to the day by dropping off the pups really early with a friend, so we ended missing all the traffic, so we went to the Niagara on the Lake outlet mall. I got a great hat at Colombia that has a spf of 50 and some Satsuma body wash at The Body Shop. I also got a few goodies at the Estee Lauder outlet (The Cosmetic Company Store), where I got 4 mac pan shadows for just $14. I also got some more Bumble and Bumble hot oil.

We then walked around Niagara Falls downtown area. It is super touristy, but we got fudge and that is all that matters. We also got soaked walking along the falls. I will never not be impressed by the beauty of the falls.

It then rained a lot, that we had a quick dinner with his dad and saw the concert. 

Frankie Valli turned 90 in May and well, it shows. The concert was about 75 minutes long and while he was impressive, I do not know how much he was actually singing. Sorry to say it.

We definitely enjoyed the hotel pool and hot tub, both that night and in the morning. 

Cross Border Shopping

The next morning, after having breakfast with Rich's family, we drove to the US side to check out Target, Trader Joe's and Walmart.

I am extremely neurotic and have lists made up before we go, but still got stuck for 2 hours in the line to get into the US. 

Walmart was a hit, got lots of food and goodies. Target was a bit overwhelming and I honestly did not have enough time to look around as I would like. I feel such pressure not to be there too long and the store is a mess to find things. I am actually really glad I have Shippsy now to get things shipped here from Target. 

Finally Trader Joe's was a huge success. I got so many yummy things as well as beauty items. 

I was a great weekend away.

Family Time

My sister had a girls pool party the next weekend. I got to have another sleepover. I had a blast and got some puppy love from my nephew, Stevie.

We also went and visited Rich's dad for Father's Day and the next day visited my brother and his family for diner. All very good family time. We also spent the Canada Day weekend Sunday at his father's with our nieces and nephews. So a lot of family time this month.

Neighbourhood fun

every year in June, my neighbourhood has a little street party. I went, paid my yearly dues for the community organization and got a bunch of tickets. I ended up with some cotton candy, popcorn, pizza and entered in some draws. I ended up giving most of my tickets to a neighbour who has 4 kids. I also got some goodies at some food trucks that came.

I also went to the Willowdale garage sale. Willowdale is where I grew up, and I am really close to it. They put together a listing of 50 garage sales but also had a parking lot set up with many vendors. I got a little cooler the hubs had said he wished he bought last year, so a good win for me. It is nice seeing communities all come out and gather like that.

That is about it this month. I had a good time and my weekends were pretty full. I am trying my hardest to keep up with my classes, but find it a little more challenging than I would like.

I hope June was good to you.