The Adventures of Julie and Bella 2025

Today was a productive and fulfilling day, even if it was a bit warm and sticky outside! ☀️💦 I finally finished up my little “remodel” of the front porch—something I’ve been slowly working on and really excited about. The final piece of the puzzle arrived thanks to Amazon: a new bookshelf! 📦📚✨

Once it was assembled (after a brief wrestle with those stupid directions 🔧😂), I was able to finish transforming the space into my very own little reading room/library. 📖🪑🌿 I love how cozy it’s turning out! There’s just one small issue… Bella has claimed the comfy chair in there as her own. 👑🐾 I even tried putting one of her beds in the room to lure her off it, but nope—Queen Bella has spoken! So now I’m officially on the hunt for another comfy chair—one I might actually get to sit in! 🛋️😉

While waiting for the bookshelf delivery, I decided to get crafty and made four King Pumpkin Spice Latte scented candles! 🎃☕🕯️🧡 The house smelled amazing! I also tested my very first candle today and learned something new in the process. 🧪🔥 Turns out, for a proper test burn, you need to let it go for 3-4 hours at a time. I didn’t do that today, but it still worked out pretty well, and I’m proud of how it turned out. 💪🕯️✨

Tonight’s garden harvest was pretty minimal—just one regular tomato and two sweet little cherry tomatoes 🍅🍅🍅. Still, every little bit counts! With tomorrow’s forecast calling for extreme heat and humidity 🌡️🥵, I made sure to give all my green babies a good soak before the sun went down. 💧🌱💚

Tomorrow brings another early start—I’m taking my dad to another pre-op appointment, this time out in Amherst. 🏥🚗 Not exactly my favorite route to drive, so fingers crossed traffic is light! 🤞🛣️

Until next time,
🌿 Julie (& Bella, the Chair Queen 👸🐶)