January 2026: A New Website, Ragdoll Kitten, and What I’m Loving this Month

A New Website

I’ve wanted to build this website for many moons, and I finally did it!

I might have lost some hair in the process—the learning curve was steep, friends—but I did everything on my own. I’m sure it will continue to evolve over time, but for now, I’m pleased with the results.

And I’m so, so grateful to finally have a place where I can collect my thoughts and stories. For a long time, depression robbed me of my voice. I stopped talking to people or posting online. This website is me reclaiming that for myself. I hope you’ll stick around.

Happenings at Home

After pulling down the Christmas decorations, our living room needed some color and life brought back to it, so I decided to redecorate.

I found a new washable rug from Amazon that we adore (fyi, there are no affiliate links on this page), reorganized the decor on the built-ins, and voila. Suddenly the family wants to hang out in that room all the time because it doesn’t suck anymore.

My favorite new item in the living room is an absinthe fountain. (Here are links to everything – absinthe fountain, glasses, spoons, tray is from a local antique store.) My husband and I purchased this for our wedding anniversary. We started drinking absinthe this past fall after a trip to the Wyrmwood Public House at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I can’t wait to go again next year! 100% my vibe.

A New Kitten (Kind Of)

Okay, so we actually adopted him late last year and not in January at all, but can you blame me for wanting to talk about him?

His name is Gojo—please note the face mask and blue eyes—and he’s a ragdoll who’s completely obsessed with food. The moment he sees you, he’ll flop over for belly pets, and you’ll fall in love. But that’s too bad because he’s mine.

Project Stash-Buster 2026

Two of my favorite hobbies are crochet and knitting, and I, uh . . . kind of have a lot of yarn. I couldn’t seem to stop buying it last year, and now I own enough to last me through multiple years of projects.

My goal for 2026 is to stop buying yarn (boo) and instead use up what I have. I just finished knitting a simple hat for my husband’s birthday (yarn, pattern), and I’m currently working on a granny stitch shawl for myself (yarn, pattern). Once I get a bit more organized with this new website, I’ll post more about my craft projects in detail.

What I’m Reading

I typically read two books at a time—one audiobook and one physical copy. The audiobook, I listen to on my walks or while I’m working on crochet/knitting, but I love physical books for improving my attention span. Reading is a necessary pastime for any writer.

My current audiobook is Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Wings and Ruin—or book 3 of her popular romantasy series. While this series isn’t necessarily my thing, I wanted to see what everyone’s talking about. I’ve seen many dismiss it as mere “fairy sex,” but I think that sentiment is both unwarranted and misogynistic. So far, I’ve read thousands of pages of detailed world building, fleshed-out characters, and a bad-ass heroine whose rage pleases me greatly. Did you guys skip over all that stuff and only read the sex scenes or something? I’m confused.

Last night, I finished Bi Ka Bi’s Thrice Married to a Salted Fish. I’m a big fan of MXTX’s books, so I was interested in trying out another author’s danmei. I’ll admit the book didn’t take me on the emotional journey I’ve grown used to from MXTX, but it’s probably unfair of me to compare the two. I enjoyed the two main characters but wished more happened to drive the plot forward. The end of this book, however, got me right in the feels. Good god, I wasn’t expecting that ending. 🥲 The second book in the series comes out in a few weeks, and I’ll likely pick it up to see what happens next.

What I’m Writing

I recently finished this essay on reclaiming my creativity, which is the first time I’ve written something of that nature. I’m glad I decided to try something new. The process of thinking through the ending paragraphs literally helped me process some of what I’ve been through and to carve a path forward for myself.

And that’s not all I’ve been working on. Since I mostly write longer fiction, I wanted to post some shorter examples of my work on this website, so I’ve been hard at work on a short story about vampires. Gay ones. 🧛‍♂️🧛‍♂️ I’m in love with my characters already and want to revisit them again in the future, perhaps in more short stories or even a full length manuscript. But for now, I’m aiming for around 5k words. You might see it next month.

Favorite Finds

Holy Grail Chapstick

My lips have been unusually chapped this winter, and on a whim, I picked up this cheap Rosy Lips Vaseline tub for a few bucks at HEB.

What I didn’t realize was that it was going to end up as my holy grail lip product, replacing my much-loved Laneige Lip Mask, which costs so much more and (gasp) doesn’t work as well. Nothing has healed my lips better than the Vaseline. And no, this isn’t sponsored. I’m just mad at Laneige haha.

Healthy Muffin Recipe

We’ve been eating these healthy oat bran muffins for breakfast every morning for the past few weeks.

The recipe is easy to alter with your preferred ingredients—like using blueberries instead of apple, or grating in some orange zest. They’re packed with fiber and aren’t too sweet. I’ve been loving how quick and easy they are to make and grab on the go.