ET Sparkles

“What you read will taste so bad at times, you’ll want to spit it out, but you’ll swallow these words, and they will become part of you, part of your gut, and you will hurt because of them.’ I thought long and hard about what I wanted this month’s book pick to be, and I have to say it was not easy. Not in the sense that I read so many amazing books that I just couldn’t choose, rather, I read so many amazing Colleen Hoover books that I just couldn’t choose. Let me elaborate. I felt bad about this month’s book favorite being another CoHo book, but then I remembered that this is my blog and I make the rules. So, another Colleen Hoover book it is.  For starters, if you aren’t familiar with Colleen Hoover, where have you been? I don’t know if she has always been this popular, but I feel as if her name and work has skyrocketed recently on BookTok – the side of TikTok dedicated to authors and readers alike. According to Relevant Magazine , the esteemed author has sold 7.3 million print c...

With the end of another month comes another segment of my monthly favorites. I enjoy watching monthly favorites videos because they always inspire me to try something new. I also just enjoy seeing what people gravitate to. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite things for the month of November. Book: Verity by Colleen Hoover My book of the month for November (which will come out in December due to this month’s Thanksgiving post) is Verity by Colleen Hoover. I won’t share too many details here because I’ll be sharing them next week, but I will say that this book had me reading on the edge for the entire 336 pages. It’s a different beat than what Hoover typically writes – romance, but she truly mastered the thriller genre. Be sure to come back next week for an in-depth review on Verity or just go buy the book now because you won’t regret it. Verity - By Colleen Hoover : Target Makeup item: L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara I have a lot of mascara in my make-up drawer. And I’m ...

Ahhh Thanksgiving. One of my favorite holidays of the year, right there next to Christmas. When my husband celebrated his first Thanksgiving with me eight years ago, he lovingly said to me, “It’s like a trial run for Christmas.” I laugh at that every year. I never thought of it that way, but he has a point. I don’t know about you, but over the years, I’ve made sure to perfect my Christmas recipes over Thanksgiving. My husband and I have also used this time to get our systems in place. What systems? I’m so glad you asked. Let’s talk about our holiday set-up system. What is a holiday set-up system? It really is simple. A holiday set-up system is where you ensure you have everything in place when it comes time to sit down with your family and friends. This means you have your table set, your meal is cooking away, you may have prepared some food ahead of time, your home is clean and tidy, and you’re cleaning the kitchen as you go. Let’s go over our typical Thanksgiving set-up.  Step 1:...

My truth these days is that I’m a stay-at-home dog mom. Sounds glamorous, yes. And while I don’t straight up tell people, “I’m a stay-at-home dog mom” I do share that currently I’m not working. My days consist of cleaning the house, folding laundry, sorting through mail, paying bills, doing some administrative work for my husband, and cooking. Lately, I’ve also decided to invest my time in blogging and creating content for YouTube. It’s not a stressful day by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t have kids, unless you consider fur children… I know plenty of women do all of these tasks all while balancing a full-time job and kids. And to those women reading this article, I salute you.  A while back, my husband asked me what my goals were for myself and I have to be honest, I couldn’t think of any. Well, any that were career related. You see, growing up, I always saw myself becoming a stay-at-home mom. I so desperately wanted to have babies and stay at home with them. Well, I am 31...

Thirty, flirty, and thriving. The famous words Jenna Rink said in the cult classic 2004 movie, 13 Going on 30, ring out profusely in my head as I enter my 31st year on this planet. 30, sure. Been there for a year now. Flirty, well I’m married so I think I have that part down. Thriving? In large part, I think, yes, I am thriving. But are there areas I can thrive in more? I can’t help but ask myself, am I truly living to my fullest potential in my thirties? Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a full decade to explore this question. However, as I approach the ripe age of 31, I worry that I’m still harboring old habits from my twenties that I swore up and down would not follow me into my thirties.  Habits, you ask? Yes, let’s discuss. First, smoking . I shared on Instagram that I, very proudly I might add, successfully quit smoking. I was about a week too early sharing that information as one week later, I found myself falling off the wagon and purchasing another pack of cigarettes. It’s a...