Photo by Jan Romero

Oops, another month soared by and I unintentionally took a hiatus from my beloved blog. As you can see, consistency is a skill I'm still trying to master. Oy, at least I have something to work towards its month. But it feels sooo good to sit down and dedicate time to putting my thoughts and creative passions on virtual paper. And today, I want to focus on making a savvy bucket list to celebrate the holiday season. 

We all know how stressful this time of year can be between the busy work season, family obligations and the heavy cost of the gift-giving and travel season BUT that is not what we are focusing on this year. We are not going to live in a state of stress, burn-out, or fear this year! We are going to find small (and sometimes grand) ways to celebrate every single day for the month of December. 

I truly do love this time of year. There's beauty everywhere we look, and although a lot of us are experiencing grief in some shape or form, there is something powerful about embracing the highs and the lows of the season. No matter what chapter of life you're in right now, I am wishing that each day has a little magic in it. 

1. Watch a holiday-themed episode of your favorite sitcom to wind down from the day. 
2. DECORATE!! If you haven’t already! Or stock up on amazon
3. Play christmas music & make a festive cocktail 
4. Fun ornament shopping - I love finding a new, quirky ornament each year for the tree!
5. Holiday movie marathon + drinking game if you want to step it up a notch
6. Grab or make fancy hot chocolate and look at holiday lights/ holiday displays
7. Read a holiday book in a cozy environment 
8. Puzzle party!! Aka drink wine and out together fun winter puzzles
9. Get dressed up to the nines for no freaking reason and go to a fancy dinner... or a frugal dinner or just out to drinks - all are fun!
10. Holiday photoshoot
11. Holiday market day!! 
12. Explore a new hood with pretty lights 
13. Holiday botanical gardens! 
14. See the rockettes or a holiday play (or stream online with snacks)
15. Put on a holiday movie while having an at home spa day 
16. Fun holiday-themed nails like these!!
17. Have a baking day while blasting holiday music
18. Go shopping for others & donate toys/clothing + adopt a family 
19. Volunteer day
20. Holiday brunch with friends! 
21. Wear a festive holiday sweater 
22. Make a fun holiday craft - like wreath building, stocking decorating, ornament decorating day!! 
23. Have a game night! 
24. Visit a museum 
25. Dress up for the ballet or opera!! Dress up even if you just stream it from home
26. Bonus Activities: Head to a cute coffee shop and set goals/intentions for the new year 
27. Leave treats for your local delivery people 
28. Festive breakfast for dinner! 
29. Treat yourself to something luxe you’ve had your eyes on
30. Clean out your closet or a cluttered area to make room for the new year! 
31. Stay in pjs all day!! 
32. Host or go to holiday high tea!! 
33. Head to the movies and sneak in your favorite snacks
34. Sit by a cozy fire and make smores 
1. Don’t have a fireplace or a backyard? Grab a city bonfire (portable bonfire in a candle-like form) or head to a local spot that has a fireplace 
35. Check out a festive bar and grab a spectacular drink 
36. Hunt for the perfect Christmas tree
37. Do a random act of kindness 
38. Write a letter to santa - aka yourself cuz we grown-ass adults! But write a letter about everything you want in the next year and how proud of yourself you are 
39. Give a gift to a complete stranger 

Wow, I blinked at it went from being June to the 2nd weekend of October.. like HOW? October is by far my favorite month. but sadly, I have been too busy just trying to keep my head above water to deep dive into fall. Luckily, I finally have a chill weekend. I, like most of the American population, have been go-go-go since summer. I hit the ground running and kind of burned out (emotionally, physically, and financially - yeah traveling so much really drained my bank account). So I am beyond excited to have a nice, restful, and frugal weekend in the city to grant my mind, body, soul, and bank account the proper TLC it needs. 

But more importantly, I'm excited to have a low-key weekend because I finally have the time and energy (energy being the keyword here) to work on the projects I love and to organize the chaos that has taken over my apartment. Personally, my mental well-being is heavily tied to the tidiness of my surroundings, being organized, and working on the creative projects that feed my soul. Having the energy to do the things I want and need to do is probably the biggest obstacle I consistently face. But a crisp, fall weekend to myself offers the perfect opportunity to recharge and rest. 

My one goal for this month is to break my cycle of not showing up for myself on the weekends. Working a 9 to 5 (let's be honest, it's never just 9-5 for most of us) and heading to the gym/dance after work and then coming home to cook, clean, work on my creative projects, work a second job to generate extra forms of income so I'm not stuck in Corporate America for the next 40 fucking years, and get 7-8 hours of sleep ... that is just something I cannot handle at the moment. 

So instead of biting off more than I can chew and getting upset with myself when I'm too exhausted to do all the things after work, I'm setting manageable expectations. For now, the weekends are my holy grail. The weekends will be dedicated to me going after what I want in my career and getting my mind, soul and physical surroundings in order. Then, once I feel like I can handle incorporating my weekend rituals into my weekday routine, I'll move on to the next level and will be able to dedicate even more time to creating a life I am excited about. 

But for now, I will appreciate the chapter I'm in and be kind to myself. I'm excepting that I only have a limited amount of energy right now and that I cannot accomplish all of my goals as quickly as I would like to. But that's ok. I'm retraining my brain to relish in the here and now. To find the beauty in just accomplishing one of the 5 million things on my to-do list. And to find more fulfillment while I'm on this path to creating the life I want. 

So what activities do I have planned for my wellness weekends? Well let's see: 

• Slow mornings filled with slowly enjoying my coffee and breakfast 
• Cleaning the kitchen, living room, and bathroom 
• Decorate for fall/Halloween
• Cook delicious yet healthy meals at home
• Sitting down to write, filming fashion looks, creating inspiring content 
• Cleaning out my closet and switching over to a fall wardrobe that I'm excited about 
• Putting up laundry 
• Watching all the fun Halloween movies & shows with a bottle of wine nearby 
• Deep conditioning my hair 
• Selling clothes I no longer want or fit into 
• Putting together my digital portfolio 
• Researching and creating strategic business plans and content calendars 
• Journaling and becoming clear on my vision and dreams so I can escape the toxic cycles I'm in that don't serve me.

Ooops, I took a little over a month off from writing on my blog and wow, I am always surprised by how much I miss just sharing my thoughts, dreams, sources of inspiration and ideas with you guys. This truly is a therapeutic outlet for me, just like dancing. But again and again, I talk myself out of sharing so many posts that are on my heart because I just get in my head and guess what, can I be a cold-hearted Capricorn bitch who talks myself out of doing a lot of things I love. Yeah - I'm working on it in therapy. 

But this isn't meant to be an emotional post today. Don't worry, I've cried a minimum of 5 times this week. One of those times occurred on a plane so yeah, it's safe to say my mental health has been teetering towards rock bottom and an emotional post is n the agenda for next week. Surprisingly, today's post is actually being written from a place of excitement, inspiration and awe. I guess you could say there's literally something in the air, because it feels like full-on fall in the city and it is exactly what the f*ck my soul needed! 

There are so many little and luxe things I want to implement into my life this season to have a happy fall. I want to be frugal, yet fashionable. I want to splurge and I want to save. And I want to create life-long memories with my loved ones. And the fact that I am still excited for so many things this season while dealing with some major b.s. in life means that I am seriously leveling up. In the past, bullshit has knocked me flat on my butt. But now I'm like naw, I'm going to endure the mess life is throwing at me, geet to work, fix the things I don't like about my life and look fabulous while doing so. After all, half the game is not knowing what the heck is going on but showing up in a confident state anyway. 

I don't really know how this intro has anything to do with my current fall muse board, but I really just wanted to catch up. I missed talking to you. And I hope this sage/jewel-toned mood board fills you with the same inspiration and excitement it brings me. Cheers to us feeling mysterious, sexy, powerful and luxurious this season. 

And thank you for spending a moment of your day to read and support my site. It truly means the world to me. Until next time my friend