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woman eating crepes in Key West

HI THERE! I’M BROOKE.

MEET THE BLOGGER

Your online friend who wants to help you live a better and more joyful life. We’re going to get there through affordable and sustainable cooking, crafting, self-care, and building a more enjoyable life.

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brookannica

Crafts 🌸 Books 🌸 Baking 🌸 Travel 🌸 Chaos
📍Portland, Maine
♉️Burnt out overachiever trying to reclaim joy

One month update of living in Maine. I’m happy.

One month update of living in Maine.

I’m happy. My job is great and my co-workers are all wonderful. Nothing replaces the clients o had in Ohio, but at least I’m surrounded by kind and funny people all morning. I only make half of what I did in Ohio which is a struggle for my sense of self-worth but im working on it.

Living with Ellery is everything I could have hoped for and more. He’s been incredible and he and the boys are doing so much together.

The house is coming together. We finally bought a couch and hope to have everything but the basement done by the end of the year. I can’t wait to open the pool.

It’s cold up here but there’s hardly any wind so even for me it’s bearable.

The kids are adjusting really well. Vincent got to add a forensics class that he’s really enjoying and Caleb got to join theater. Caleb is dating someone for the first time ever and both kids seem to be settling in.

The birds in the bouquet in front of our bird feed

The birds in the bouquet in front of our bird feeder are perfection. The man never misses.

Monthly flowers he bought for me 💜 🌷

Monthly flowers he bought for me 💜 🌷

When I was in middle school I made friends with a

When I was in middle school I made friends with a girl from San Francisco and her mom always had @ghirardelli chocolates in the house. I loved them and started carrying my D&D dice in a little Ghirardelli bag for the next decade. Now I have the same little square of their chocolates every night after dinner and have for years, just like her mom did.

My boyfriend made good on his promise to take me to Ghirardelli Square someday, and it was everything I hoped for. This is a trip over 20 years in the making and I can’t wait to go back with him again.

(Can we get a 👏 for partners who tell you they want to take a photo of you without any prompting at all?)

#ghiradelli #ghirardellisquare #ghirardellichocolate #sanfrancisco #travel #icecreamfortwo #couplegoals

Happy Life Tips Day 1- Baking doesn’t have to be

There was a time when my entire life was dedicated

There was a time when my entire life was dedicated to a blog about living in a way we now describe as a hobbit life. Slow-moving, sustainable, and happy living. I’ve learned A LOT over the years about those subjects so I’m going to put as many of them back online as possible including little easy-to-read versions of them here as I get the new blog’s design finished up. The first one is baking and will be posted shortly. Can I do 365?

#happylifetips #hobbitlife

Let’s be honest here- living in Dayton makes me

Let’s be honest here- living in Dayton makes me very picky with barbecue. But a great little bbq spot that ALSO serves Thai tea boba will immediately be a favorite for me. This is somewhere my partner really missed and it didn’t disappoint this picky girl.

Red Bee BBQ in Windsor and Santa Rosa California has a wonderful and kind owner, and the food was fantastic.

#santarosa #bbq #bbqlovers #boba #bobatea

Here’s to all kinds of love for us all in 2025.

Here’s to all kinds of love for us all in 2025. Self love, family love, friend love, romantic love, love for our neighbors and strangers and people we’ve lost connections with along the way. 💜🖤

#happynewyear #happynewyear2025 #nye

If January me could speak to December me, I don’

If January me could speak to December me, I don’t think she’d quite believe it. So much has changed this year that I refuse to say next year will be my year, or that this year was my year. This year was full of painful decisions and huge life changes, sacrifices and new discoveries. Next year is starting with big plans and more support than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I’m so grateful for every single step of this year’s journey and who I’ve become by the end of it.

#happynewyear #newyear #newyear2025 #happynewyear2025 #newyearsameme

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