This new year is already flying by.

February 14th today. Halfway through the month!

It has been so long since I have written anything to share with you, so I thought a catch-up might be in order. With my friends, I share one good, one bad, and one interesting thing. So I figured, I would start there and see what comes to mind.

THE GOOD

Last week, I made these amazing fruity pebble rice krispies treats. They were mind-blowing good.

So good, in fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat the regular variety again. So good, I ate one when fresh and then tried to ignore them. In vain. Five days later, I gave in, polishing off the last chunk. I’d like to pretend it was only a small piece, languishing in the pan, but we know better.

And yet, no regret. So I’ve decided to make them again, for my son’s birthday in March, and I’m excited to have another one then.

Here is the link to make them yourself. You’re welcome. I really do love you.

And here is the picture of mine. Shockingly similar and delicious.

More good stuff.

These. Jalapeno popper taquitos.

I made these last week too. It was a very good week. They looked so amazing in the picture, I just had to try them! We don’t actually love jalapeno poppers, but I do love Mexican food. And party food. And crispy food.

I will cut the cream cheese by half next time and only use one jalapeno, but they were definitely the party food I was looking for last week. If you DO love jalapeno poppers, then follow the recipe and you will be happy.

One more food and drink – GOOD thing – for you. London fogs. I drink them two at a time at our local coffee shop. It is hard to stop with one. Tea + steamed milk +happiness. It warms my stomach like hot chocolate but is lighter, somehow. Not as acidic as coffee, so two cups is no problem.

And this super cute calendar from Target. It is a perpetual calendar too, so I can use it forever if I want to do that. It also matches my spring decor so I’m excited to get that out in two weeks and redo my space. I love Target.

Other things bringing me joy: my study of Daniel, books, sunsets, my dog – Bella, and planning a party.

THE BAD

Less than the good, thankfully. Unpredictable weather. Still early, dark nights. A level of frustration with homeschool that I haven’t experienced before. Stemming the tide of clutter in my house. The laundromat.

You don’t need pictures of any of that, do you?

THE INTERESTING

Sometimes the best part, yes? Every once in a great while, good ideas and inspiration and clarity begin clicking together in a long, satisfying line. Link by link until there is something usable there – something of real substance.

I have been working on changing my mindset in relation to habits since November. Then we read the book, Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin, for our January book club read. Then I read another of her books, The Four Tendencies. Instead of feeling so over it all, I felt the opposite. Like I had just found a window I had never looked through before.

Randomly, at the library, I picked up a new book from Anne Bogel. She blogs as The Modern Mrs. Darcy. She loves books and her new book is called, Reading People. It was a slim book and because it was new, only a 14 day book. I picked it up expecting one thing and got an entirely different treat. It was about Anne and her love of personality tests. She went test by test, giving background and tips.

It has just become obvious to me – after all this time – that I love psychology. Personality tests. Habits. Quizzes. Typing other people. Talking about it all and then writing notes. Copious notes. For myself.

I also watched the Marie Kondo special on Netflix, based on her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Another love of mine is organizing. I worked all last summer on a Downsizing guide/ebook. I worked and worked and just didn’t love the flow. So I never published it.

But now I feel like boiling down the steps one more time and giving the four steps of downsizing. So I wrote the first of a four-post series on downsizing. Which I will actually publish this time.

So this is an exciting time for me. So many interesting possibilities in all of this. I plan to peer down each possible road and make a move. Dream stuff.

What about you? What have you been up to since last fall? Any good, bad or interesting items to report? I’d love to hear them!

I plan to release the first part, Downsizing: The Plan, tomorrow.