Cassie DeNisco

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Confess Book Review by Colleen Hoover!

My first book review of 2023 is finally here! I actually took some time off from reading in December. I got burnt out from trying to meet my 2022 goal. Eventually I made it to 50 books but boy was I over reading for a little while. This month is all about Confess book review by Colleen Hoover.

My 2023 goal is actually 50 books again but I’m going to try to actually space my books out and not wait until the end of the year. This book club has seriously helped me to be accountable with my reading so I’m excited to bring it back in this new year!

Every time I need a book to get me back into the swing of it, I always reach for a Colleen Hoover book. I almost enjoy the predictability of her books which makes them a comfort read for me.

Confess Book Review by Colleen Hoover

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Confess Book Review

This book starts off with a young Auburn spending every minute with her boyfriend who is dying of terminal cancer. They’re each other’s first everything because they’re so young so the pain she feels when he passes is massive. Fast forward 5 years, Auburn is living in his hometown because she ended up getting pregnant right before he passed. She’s desperate for money to get full custody of her son from his grandma.

She walks passed Owen’s art studio and with a very direct we’re hiring sign, she pops in. Owen is an artist with a pretty heavy past of his own. We find out he was driving a car that killed his mother and younger brother. It also put his father in a coma. His father is better now but is seriously struggling with a pill addiction.

Neither Auburn or Owen shares their past, which only leads to the build up of their drama. We find out that Auburn’s son’s uncle is a corrupt cop with a thing for her. When he gets wind of her and Owen spending time together, he pulls Owen over. He ends up arresting him because he has his father’s pills on him. Owen goes to jail and Auburn gets with her kids uncle in hopes it’ll mean more time and a better chance of custody for her son.

All the while, Owen’s art studio is accepting anonymous confessions from people and Auburn keeps writing hers to keep Owen in the loop while he’s away. Once he gets out, Owen and Auburn finally realize that in order to be together they should just be honest and dive into their pasts.

Final Thoughts

I loved the twist at the end of the book.We realize Owen and Auburn were both visiting their loved ones in the hospital all those years ago at the same time. It was such a sweet added touch to know that during the darkest point in their lives they were still somehow connected!

These books seriously get me back into reading every time. I love that it they give you all the warm and fuzzy feels even though they have so much heart ache. It often mirrors real life and I think that’s why I love them most!

If you need any 2023 book recommendations, read my full 2022 Book Recap here!

New Year, New Goals: My 2022 Resolutions

I cannot believe I am writing the final blog post of 2021. As each year passes, I realize it’s less about the resolutions you make and more about the new goals you set. For many of us, it’s easy to write down things that we want to do each year. I find that it’s more important to have actual steps to get your there. That’s why for me, I don’t make resolutions. Instead, I set goals with tangible steps that I can follow.

Last year, one of my goals was to create and upload a blog post every week for the year. I ended up with 49 posts instead of 53 but I don’t feel defeated. The consistency of writing and posting every week was more valuable to me than a number. This goal showed me that my blog can be a stream of income for me if I’m consistent. I wouldn’t have realized that unless I prioritized posting regularly.

Although I’m hoping for another year of getting things done, this year I’m actually less focused on things and more focused on myself and experiences. By the end of 2021, I was journaling every morning and reading every night, causing my anxiety to drop significantly. The theme of consistency came to my head as I was writing this list of goals for 2022 because when you continue to show up for yourself, you’re able to do so much more.

My 2022 Goals

My first and most important goal for 2022 is to be consistent with everything I do. Whether it’s getting in a little bit of movement everyday or continuing my morning/nigh routines, forming good habits is top priority. I saw first hand what consistency can do from last year by accident so I can only imagine when I’m mindful of it, how much I can benefit from it.

Be consistent with everything I do and form good habits.

I really think it’s important to look to the past year to create new goals for the next. Other than consistency, I found myself needing to create boundaries. Whether it was on a vacation or just spending time at home with Sky, I always online.

I found myself so burnt out this year. This was because I was always online doing something, even at night when I should have put it down. This year I want to create boundaries to limit time on my phone. Also, for after a certain time during the day or on the weekend so I’m not always working. I want to prevent burnout from before it even happens.

Create boundaries to prevent burnout before it happens.

My last goal for 2022 is to be present. Similar to my last goal, I want to not focus on getting a picture out of something I’m doing. I also want to just enjoy events and experiences for what they are and not focus on how I can post about them. Often, I find myself not able to shut off my content creating brain but I really want to focus on living in the moment.

I often find myself as a planner and thinking, if I do this I can post that. This leads me to not really enjoy where I’m at or what I’m doing. It’s so important to me to live in the moment and enjoy the time I’m spending.

Be more present

My biggest tip to you when setting new goals for the new year is to look back and take inventory of what made you happy or upset during the previous year. People love to say all of these huge and crazy resolutions but because they have no real substance, you most likely won’t achieve them. By making small changes based on your previous year, you’ll be more likely to form habits.

Habits are the most important part of goals because you have to form good habits to have your goals stick after you achieve them. I love the new year as a way to reset and be inspired. I also want the momentum to last throughout the whole year, not just until I reach my new goals.

Here’s to a great new year! Check out my past resolutions post here. Be sure to follow me on Instagram since I am really going to try to share more of my everyday life on my stories this year! @cassiedenisco

My Hello Fresh Review

In today’s world, if you scroll through Facebook you’re almost guaranteed to see an ad for Hello Fresh or even a Hello Fresh Review. I’m not going to lie, Hello Fresh does seem like a great meal solution. The fact that it all comes pre-measured and in one package makes life so simple so who wouldn’t want to give it a shot?

I received two free box coupons from my cousin so I decided to choose one veggie box and a meat & veggie box. There are no dietary restrictions in my house or kids but I did appreciate the types of box options. Once I chose the box, I chose a delivery day and got to pick the meals. I would give the app and overall 10 out of 10. It was easy to use and made what I was looking for accessible.

As for delivery, both boxes came on the designated day and were in the iconic Hello Fresh box. I like that everything was labeled out and I only got the necessary ingredients. It definitely helps to not be wasteful. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve been at the grocery store for a recipe and did not use the full amount of stuff I got. It also is nice because it really helps with portion control and not having too many leftovers.

All of the meals I had were yummy. I loved the Couscous Bowl the most and my least favorite was definitely the Sausage Gnocchi. Whether you like a meal is based on personal preference so definitely no lost stars here. I LOVED the recipe sheets. They were so clear and informative. Not only did it give you step by step directions but it also said all of the pans and other things that you would need to use. The amount of time that you would need to complete the meal was also right on the front and it made meal planning so easy.

As for the negatives, one of the things I found was that the packaging is pretty wasteful. There’s plastic covering most of the foods because they are pre packed so I would like to see Hello Fresh maybe use eco friendly containers. I also thought that for two people, 60 for 3 meals seemed a little expensive. I can go to the grocery story for 60 a week and get enough meals for a week. I think to solve both problems of plastic and cost, it might be useful for them to make 3 meals out of the same ingredients for that week. It would probably cut down on the plastics and maybe the cost.

If you can look past the expense and plastics, I do think Hello Fresh is useful if you’re too busy to put together healthy meals for yourself. For an overall rating, I think I would give my Hello Fresh Review an 8 out of 10. I definitely would sign up and purchase my own boxes here and there when I know I’m having a busy week. I’m not sure if I would use it every week but I must say I am impressed overall with the company!

  • Veggie Rissotto
  • Japanese Beef Tacos
  • Couscous Bowl
  • Gnocchi with Sausage
  • Mac n Cheese
  • Kickin’ Penne

*This is not an ad or sponsored, all opinions are my own*

Follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco! My Latest post is here!

Why You Aren’t Getting What You Want

My self-help post from last Friday did so well that I thought I would bring to you another post all about getting it together. For many of you, you’re in college and you’re just going with the flow but that needs to change. The only way to start making your dreams become reality is to stop just letting things happen and start paving your own path.

For me, I do that by manifesting. Manifesting to me is focusing on a goal that I want to achieve and basically willing it into existence. Manifesting seems like this complicated concept but in reality it’s just making yourself and your goals a priority. Once I stopped focusing so heavily on school and work, I realized how happy so many other things can make me. Its important to prioritize work and education but those things can be placed above your happiness and mental health.

We all live in a world today that is all about making money and getting to that next step in life. While making money is essential for survival, it’s time that we start doing things for ourselves. Life is not fun if all you’re doing is working, regardless if you love your job or not. As humans, were designed to love things and to become passionate about things so why are we all so over hobbies and passion projects and side hustles as we grow up? Think about it, as kids all we do is dream about our life, all the careers we want to have, and all the things we love. As we age, people just get to comfortable with where they’re at in life and lose that childhood ambition that drives you.

That’s why you aren’t getting what you want and why you’re not living your life for you. I challenge you this summer to take up a hobby or just start doing something that you love. Don’t let your mind tell you that you need to focus too much on money or that you don’t have enough time for something. There are 24 hours in the day and most people only work for 8 of them. If you need to sleep for the other 8 then theres still 8 hours for you to do something for yourself. Take my advice, or don’t, but the happiest people in the world are the people who pave their own paths and live their lives on their own terms.

Summer Motivation

I feel like it can become so easy in the summer to lose all sense of reality. After a really long semester, it’s always the best feeling to reward yourself with a little rest and relaxation. The issue arises when its June and your already a month into break and you haven’t done anything but binge watch all your favorite Netflix shows. Of course summer is a time to cut back on the busy schedules but it also can be the best time to work on something your passionate about. For me, this summer I am dedicating it to this blog which is something that I have put off doing for so long. For my other friends, I know a lot of them are going to be working this summer both at jobs and internships.

When I think back to my summer last year, I lacked motivation entirely. I did not want anything to do with school or working. I had a pretty rough semester so I thought I deserved the summer off but in reality, I lost precious time that I could’ve put towards my career or even my personal hustle. Don’t fear if you were like me last summer, I am here to help you get that spark to try something new this summer.

I think my biggest tip and most important one is to use a planner. Planners help you not only plan things but also be accountable for things. I love the Day Designer planner but Lily Pulitzer and Erin Corden also make some great ones. I love planning out my day and making a to- do list so that I can cross things off as I go. This also helps me mentally stay on track and accomplish the goals I set for myself. Electronic planners or things like iCal on the iPhone work too but for me, there’s just something about being able to take a pen and physically cross things off.

Another tip I have is to set goals even if they’re small ones. At the end of the day, all goals are goals and whether they’re huge like launching a blog or small like attending a workout class once a week, they still help you to stay on track and accountable. I think for the summer, thinking about one large goal that you’d like to achieve and pair it with maybe some weekly goals will really help you stay motivated throughout the summer because you know that you have something to work towards.

The summer is the best time to get a tan and take a nap but it’s also the best time to pursue passions. As much as I love my Netflix shows, I realize that I really have to take advantage of my free schedule for things that will benefit me in the long run. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too this summer, whether it is be a new hair color or a fresh coat of nail polish, stay motivated starts when you feel your best.

C

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