8/365 :: Friday 8 January 2021
I just love these stretches of nothing much.

9/365 :: Saturday 9 January 2021
​my sticker for my new bullet journal came in the mail!

10/365 :: Sunday 10 January 2021
I think that hot cocoa mug might have been the best dish I've ever purchased.

11/365 :: Monday 11 January 2021
​right where they belong.

12/365 :: Tuesday 12 January 2021
​it's probably a chai.

13/365 :: Wednesday 13 January 2021
not a bad first view of the day.

14/365 :: Thursday 14 January 2021
teenage me would have also been very excited about my new slippers.

1/365 :: Friday 1 January 2021
starting the year at Lake Michigan, just like last year. (see previous post for more photos.)

2/365 :: Saturday 2 January 2021
I saw a few of these really cute painted rocks at the library when I was there last: this one, one with a red and green present, and one with a snowman. it was around Christmas, and I left them for other people but they were still there the next time I went, so I had to take this one home with me.

3/365 :: Sunday 3 January 2021
a couple of my coworkers found me some spectrespecs for Christmas.

4/365 :: Monday 4 January 2021
it's always a beautiful drive south.

5/365 :: Tuesday 5 January 2021
you should probably know by now that I love Taylor Swift's music (but also she is an angel). my favorites on evermore are (in order of appearance) "champagne problems," "no body, no crime," and "cowboy like me," but the bonus tracks are also most excellent. "'tis the damn season" is playing as I type this. but I have to say that I also just really love the tissue paper stars that came in the package.

6/365 :: Wednesday 6 January 2021
rime ice, footprints in the snow, and baby trees.

7/365 :: Thursday 7 January 2021
yes, I did buy these tiny tomatoes because I liked that they were in a tree-shaped container.

if you haven't yet figured out how much I love Lake Michigan, you must not have been around here for very long. (; I went last year on the first of the year, and I thought it would be fun to make a point of going out again on the first this year even though it's a pretty regular occurrence for me to stop by one of my favorite spots along the lake.

at the beginning of 2020, I was planning to reread a book series that I loved in high school, in addition to a few other books that I own and wanted to read again. little did I know that the local library would be closed/very minimally open for part of the year. I am so thankful for everything that they are doing during the pandemic and finding ways to help us still get our books! I prefer reading physical books, though I do listen to audiobooks, and my library system also offers digital loans.
I've now become accustomed to calling the library once or twice a week to have my books available for pickup in their entryway. (I've been reserving books for years and years and have had my library card memorized since I was twelve.) that may seem a bit frequent, but here's the deal. as a preschool teacher, my to-read list on Goodreads is currently just under 900 because I subscribe to a blog that posts the covers of all of the new picture books. even though my classes haven't been running for nearly a year, I'm really trying to not let the list get too much more out of control. there are also books on that list that aren't picture books, but it seems like most of them are not at my reading level. I really do love reading picture books though because the artists and authors are so talented.
anyway, all that to say that here's a list of the (non-picture) books I read in 2020.

​40. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon; 5.7-5.9*
41. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; 5.10-5.13*
42. Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland; 5.14-5.18*
43. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green; 5.28-6.4*
44. Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark; 6.5-6.13*

​65. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James; 11.4-11.13
66. Pillow Thoughts IV: Stitching the Soul by Courtney Peppernell; 11.10-11.25

* denotes reread

358/366 :: Wednesday 23 December 2020
sweet Christmas mantle at my friend's lovely new home. I love that vintage reindeer.

359/366 :: Thursday 24 December 2020
little Christmas treats from my mom.

360/366 :: Friday 25 December 2020
look, I wrapped one Christmas present this year.

361/366 :: Saturday 26 December 2020
my aunt always makes the best Christmas cookies. my favorite is the little peppermint one.

362/366 :: Sunday 27 December 2020
a post-Christmas dusting of snow.

363/366 :: Monday 28 December 2020
I love the condensation (especially when it's frosty) on windows.

364/366 :: Tuesday 29 December 2020
you must be an adult if you ask for new sheets for Christmas.

365/366 :: Wednesday 30 December 2020
that annual reminder that my car is, in fact, not white. but also that I only shovel my driveway enough to leave so that someone else (thanks, Dad!) can plow it.

366/366 :: Thursday 31 December 2020
​and the sun sets on 2020.

349/366 :: Wednesday 16 December 2020
​Christmas baking time.

350/366 :: Thursday 17 December 2020
​after work drinks.

351/366 :: Friday 18 December 2020
because I guess if you don't know how to spell it, spell it as wrong as you can.

352/366 :: Saturday 19 December 2020
Christmas treats from my cousin (and aunt and uncle).

353/366 :: Sunday 20 December 2020
the manager at the local grocery store is often the one who delivers our groceries to the coffeehouse in the morning (and when we text him during the day if we need something else). for Christmas, he gave us each some of his favorite cookies! he's the best and does so much for the community - including cases of avocados for my favorite songwriters at their week-long retreats.

354/366 :: Monday 21 December 2020
spanning.

355/366 :: Tuesday 22 December 2020
yes, I do overpack for things, even if I'm just dogsitting for a night.

342/366 :: Wednesday 9 December 2020
​lunchtime with a chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

343/366 :: Thursday 10 December 2020
catching up on podcasts + today's mail.

344/366 :: Friday 11 December 2020
you know I had to get it right away. soundtrack to the month of December for sure.

345/366 :: Saturday 12 December 2020
when you let your friends hang out at your house to do laundry and work on their finals and they leave you the sweetest drawing.

346/366 :: Sunday 13 December 2020
raven friend.

347/366 :: Monday 14 December 2020
​Christmas cookie research.

348/366 :: Tuesday 15 December 2020
the start of the new year coincides with the start of a fresh bullet journal!

335/366 :: Wednesday 2 December 2020
​sunset reflection clouds.

336/366 :: Thursday 3 December 2020
I made banana bread and it kind of blends in with the deer's dress.

337/366 :: Friday 4 December 2020
look, all I do is watch the sunset right after I get home from work because there's really no other light at that point.

338/366 :: Saturday 5 December 2020
after-school snack.

339/366 :: Sunday 6 December 2020
I bought a new doormat and it makes me smile.

340/366 :: Monday 7 December 2020
​the library loves me.

341/366 :: Tuesday 8 December 2020
people think it's creepy, but it's my aesthetic.

328/366 :: Wednesday 25 November 2020
​Aldi's penguin crackers are better than Goldfish. fight me. (yes, I eat like a child.)

329/366 :: Thursday 26 November 2020
​outgoing mail.

330/366 :: Friday 27 November 2020
​sunset clouds.

331/366 :: Saturday 28 November 2020
this picture doesn't actually show any of them, but working in a restaurant this year has shown me that there are so many different kinds of pennies and nickels (and obviously quarters) in circulation. honestly, mind blown.

332/366 :: Sunday 29 November 2020
I have a hard time getting rid of clothes and shoes because they just have so many memories attached to them and I feel strange admitting that but honestly I've walked so many many miles in these shoes - the hot pink ones are eight years old (they literally don't make them like this anymore) and the charcoal ones are three years old.

333/366 :: Monday 30 November 2020
one of the most fun postcards I've gotten this year!

334/366 :: Tuesday 1 December 2020
​I couldn't help but stop by the bakery on my way home from grocery shopping in Green Bay.

321/366 :: Wednesday 18 November 2020
it's just a continual battle to shorten my to-read list on Goodreads.

322/366 :: Thursday 19 November 2020
it's always a delight to get one postcard in a language other than English in the mail, but it was an extra fun surprise to get one in French and one in Swedish on the same day!

323/366 :: Friday 20 November 2020
my uncle came up from Madison and made a special delivery to me: a cedar chest that once belonged to his parents and some other family things. this book was my great-grandfather's.

324/366 :: Saturday 21 November 2020
​off-brand Ritz crackers really aren't as good as the real ones.

325/366 :: Sunday 22 November 2020
my coworkers let me leave early since it was so slow, and I took the opportunity to visit the lake (of course).

326/366 :: Monday 23 November 2020
it's a bit sweeter than my typical perfume, but I do like it.

327/366 :: Tuesday 24 November 2020
look, the ladies at the library know me.