Breakfast at Lilly's

Every year I commit to reading more books and this year is no different so I wanted to share what’s on my winter reading list today.

As usual, it’s a bunch of reads in the mystery/thriller category but I just can’t get enough of those lately.

Then She Was Gone // I have read at least one other of Lisa Jewell’s books and it was a good one so I’m excited to dive into this one soon.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway // I’ve read and loved two of Ruth Ware’s books and they were amazing so I imagine this one will be just the same. I remember reading both of her books in like 2 days because I was so invested.

Lock Every Door // Can you tell I just love thrillers? Well, I do. I have heard good things about this author so I’m excited to check out this book.

Where the Crawdads Sing // I have heard such rave reviews about this book so I’m really excited to check it out. It was nominated for one of the best reads of 2018 on Good Reads in the mystery/thriller category so I am all about it.

Your Turn:

What’s on your winter reading list? Please feel free to let me know down below.

I feel like I say this every single year but man last year feels like it just came and went in the blink of an eye. 2018 was a really great year but I’m so ready for 2019 to be an even better one.

Last year instead of setting to yearly goals I set 27 goals before I turned 27 so I’m going to be recapping that list instead of 2018 personal goals so let’s dive in, shall we?

27 Before 27 Personal Goals Recap

1. Become consistent with going to the gym and make it a habit // Unfortunately, this didn’t really happen but what can ya do? This is something I really want to get into this year.
2. Participate in a Whole30 challenge 
3. Drink more Water // Nope, I’m really embarassed about this one.
4. Do a deep clean of my entire life // I did a pretty good job at this but I wouldn’t say I was 100% successful which is why I didn’t cross it off. 
   
5. Replenish my emergency fund // I have slowly started to build it back up but I’m not happy with how slow the process was so this was half completed too.
6. Get rid of any clothing that I no longer love // I still have a few things to get rid of but I think I did a good job at getting rid of clothes this year.
7. Read 12 Books //   I read 17 books before my 27th birthday and I am super happy about that. 
   
8. Try new foods more often //   Proud to announce that I’ve gotten much better about venturing out and trying new foods.
9. Nurture my relationships better //  Going to give myself half credit for this one.
10. Get on a better working schedule //  I still haven’t perfected this of course, but I have gotten a lot better about how much I work. 
    
11. Collaborate more with online business owners // Yes, I did a lot of this in 2018 and it was amazing.
12. Travel to a new place // I actually didn’t go anywhere new this year. I did travel but it was to two cities that I had already been to haha.
13. Focus on doing more of the things that I love //   I read a lot more this year and did so many more things that I enjoyed. It was nice to not feel like I had to work 24/7.
14. Stop overthinking everything // Although I didn’t completely quit my habit of overthinking, I feel like I certainly improved it.
15. Say no more often //  I totally got better at saying no this year. Its still tough for me to do since I am a people pleaser, but man was it good for my sanity.
16. Pay off my credit card debt // While I didn’t finish paying off my credit card debt, I did pay it down quite a bit so I have definitely made progress.
17. Work on being cleaner around the house //  Ever since we moved into our home at the beginning of September, I feel like I have become way cleaner. I make sure to pick up after myself and keep on top of things around the house.
18. Celebrate the little things in life //  I have gotten better about celebrating my accomplishments – big and small.
19. Spend more time with my friends and family // I definitely improved at that this year, but I could definitely still be better.
20. Be more adventurous // I had a few more adventurous moments this year but this is always something I’m looking to improve.
21. Work on creating more passive income //  I totally did this and it feels so good.
22. Cook more meals at home // I definitely cooked a bit more in 2018. 
    
23. Take better care of myself // I started to do this but I still don’t feel like it’s up to par quite yet so it’s something I’ll need to continue to work on.
24. Work smarter, not harder // I finally got my systems and processes in place and its helped me be much more productive. 
    
25. Go to New York City during Christmastime //  We spent a few days in NYC this Christmas and it was so magical. 
    
26. Focus on buying quality over quantity // This is something I have done a lot better at but I still do buy trendy pieces from fast fashion places from time to time.
27. Schedule more coffee dates //  I had more intentional coffee dates this year and it was so nice to get to know other entrepreneurs better. 
    

28 Before 28 Personal Goals

1. Take more photos 
2. Read at least 15 books 
3. Keep up with my content calendar
   
4. Get into a consistent gym routine
5. Spend more time on self-care
6. Travel to a new place
7. Organize my house
8. Finish decorating my office
9. Turn Confetti Social into a full-blown agency
10. Drink less soda and more water
    
11. Eat a lot less fast food
12. Replenish my emergency fund
13. Lose at least 10 pounds
14. Focus on my friends + family
15. Participate in a no spend month
16. Get a second pup
17. Have a successful first year with Uplevel Your Biz 
18. Work on getting visible on Stories
    
19. Work with more amazing brands 
20. Be more present
21. Make more meals at home
22. Go to bed earlier
    
23. Venture outside of my comfort zone
24. Finish paying off my car
    
25. Eliminate credit card debt
26. Complete a 30-day squat challenge
27. Learn how to prioritize myself more often
28. Spend more time with my parents 

What personal goals do you want to accomplish this year? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.

Loving this personal goals feature? Take a look here for more of my lifestyle favorites!

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., Abreva, Breathe Right, Clorox, Robitussin and Theraflu. All opinions are mine alone. #SoothesOfTheSeason #CollectiveBias

Cold and Flu Season:

Flu season is here and it’s important for us to be prepared. I work from home so I feel like I am a lot more prone to sickness as I’m not exposed to sick people as often as those in a traditional office environment.

I picked up some of my go-to’s at Kroger in an effort to be prepared in the event that either Michael or I come down with something. Some of the products I picked up are Abreva® Pump Cold Sore and Fever Blister Treatment, Breathe® Right Extra Clear Nasal Strips,  Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, Robitussin® Maximum Strength Honey Cough & Chest Congestion DM, and Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold.

Remember, Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold and Robitussin® Maximum Strength Honey Cough & Chest Congestion DM should not be used at the same time.

Whether in sickness or health, Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes* are always in stock at my house. I use them to wipe down the counters on a weekly basis but they also come in handy when its time to disinfect things.

Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold are basically like a pod for sickness but instead of coffee, you get a powerful relief without a prescription. Beginning on 12/9/18 you can get $1 off any Theraflu product at Kroger. You will also get $2 off Theraflu PowerPods, 12ct Powders, 40ct Caplets, and Syrups Twinpack starting on 12/9/18 through 1/26/19.

Robitussin Honey can help kick your symptoms to the curb. You’ll get cough relief for hours. You can get a $1.25 off your Robitussin purchase from Kroger stores through 1/4/19.

Cold sores seem to pop up during cold and flu season and they’re nothing that a little Abreva® can’t fix. Abreva® Pump Cold Sore and Fever Blister Treatment works to heal your cold sore in just 2 1/2 days**.

With a cold comes congestion and Breathe® Right Extra Clear Nasal Strips are just the thing you need to do the trick and help combat nasal congestion at night.

Although I’m prepared for cold and flu season, that is not the case for everyone else so I have put together a get well soon basket for my friends and family to help them combat sickness and recover quickly.

YOUR TURN:

What are you doing this year to prepare for cold and flu season? Please let me know down in the comments.

Theraflu-(c) 2018 the GSK group of companies or its licensor.  Theraflu is for use in adults 12 years and older. Use all products only as directed. Read label and follow directions.

Abreva, Breathe Right, Robitussin – Use only as directed. Read label and follow directions.

*Use Clorox products as directed for removal of non-living allergens like pet dander, dust mite matter and pest matter on hard nonporous surfaces in your home. Keep out of reach of children.

**When used at the first sign, median healing time was 4.1 days; 25% healed in 2.5 days

Loving this cold and flu season feature? Take a look here for more of my lifestyle favorites!