The seventh month of the year is practically over (how is it already August on Saturday?), and today I’m sharing my month in bullet points.

• I’ve been more consistent with journaling—I just wish I’d ​​venture into doodling and try other new prompts than the ones I use daily.

• I finally got out of a nearly two-month-long reading slump and started my summer reading. This month, I read four books and started a fifth (reading on my Kobo makes me read more—and faster). I want to give a special mention to “Slanting Towards The Sea”, so here’s my review.

• I went to the movies—something I hadn’t done in quite a few months—and although I didn’t love the film (I went to see “Tin Soldier”), it’s always nice to be in a movie theater.

• I’ve been doing a lot of cooking, and I’ve also been frustrated by a lack of ideas for meals. I’ve been relying heavily on soups (even though it’s summer and hot) and vegetables.

• I’ve planned a picnic with my college friends for August, which is really great, considering we all have different schedules and routines now.

• I’m still looking for a dress for a wedding I’m attending in October, and I’ve been feeling frustrated because I can’t find anything I really like. I also don’t know—and neither does anyone else—what the weather will be like, so it’s hard to decide whether to buy a summer dress or something more autumnal.

• I really want to buy a commonplace notebook to carry around with me everywhere, but I’m still undecided on which brand to choose. Given the quality—and the fact that I already use one for my journal—I think I’ll go with this one from Leuchtturm.

• My most-played song this month was “Season 2 Weight Loss” by Harry Styles—but the truth is “Carla’s Song” and “Taste Back” are right up there with it.

• I’ve been tidying up my closets and drawers in my spare time (I love decluttering), and I need to do the same with my phone (apps, photos, emails).

I’ll leave you with my reflections on this month.

Song on repeat: “season 2 weight loss” by Harry Styles.

Favorite breakfast: toast with butter and chocolate milk.

Current read: “romantic hero” by Kirsty Greenwood.

Currently watching: “elsbeth”, “wild cards” and “sheriff country”.

Grateful for: being healthy, my family, my friends, for my home, the food that I have on the table and the books I’m able to read.

Things I’m looking forward to in August: reading new books, time with my friends and beach days.

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it!

See you soon,

Carlota <3

Summer has arrived in full force, and Portugal is currently experiencing another heatwave. Here are the temperatures for today and the coming days in the city where I live (one of the hottest in the country).

The only good thing about this heat is eating lighter, healthier meals—something I’ve been wanting to start doing for a while. Cold salads have been saving our meals lately, and they taste the best in this weather.

On another note, I’ve been watching Portugal’s World Cup matches, and I admit it’s been hard to stay awake, since the last two games were at midnight (and, besides that, they haven't been for the faint of heart).

I’ve also managed to snap out of my reading slump and have started my summer reading. I’m currently reading Elin Hilderbrand’s “The Five Star Weekend” at a leisurely pace. I’m really enjoying it, and if I still feel this way by the end of it, I plan to watch the series that premieres on July 9th. I read a book by this author last year and really liked the summer setting and the plot.

As for recent celebrations...

My brother’s birthday was on the 1st (he turned 30!), and we took the opportunity to celebrate as a family, just the way we like to.

A college friend of mine recently got engaged, and I’m incredibly happy for her. She’s the first of my friends to get married, and it’s amazing to think about how much time has passed since we first met.

I feel like the content of this newsletter is getting a bit random, but honestly, that’s just what’s been going on around here.

My goal is to start being consistent with the newsletter and to enjoy the summer in a light, relaxed way. I hope you’ll stick around to follow along.

See you soon,

Carlota <3

Since I’ve been away for so long, this is what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been trying to be more offline and dedicate myself to organizing some aspects of my life and focusing more on my hobbies. I’ve been putting my phone aside before dinner and I feel my sleep has improved immensely. I’ve been dedicating more time to journaling, trying to be more consistent with my habits, and I’ve felt better because of it.

Listening: My most listened-to songs lately have undoubtedly been “American Girls” by Harry Styles and “Tit for Tat” by Tate McRae. Today I listened to Gracie Abrams’ new song, “Hit the Wall,” but although I liked it, it’s not one of my favorites of hers.

Reading: I think I’ve already convinced myself that I won’t meet the reading challenge I set for myself this year – it was my fault for setting such a high goal. Right now, I’m reading at my own pace, without rushing, and I’m enjoying it. Yesterday I started reading my first book by Abby Jimenez, “Part of Your World,” I think I’m going to like it a lot.

Watching: Similar to what’s happening with my reading, I’ve been watching series at a rather “slow” pace. No, I can’t watch all the episodes of a season in one day – that would create anxiety and leave me with nothing to watch afterwards. Right now, I’m watching “Off Campus.” I’ve already seen two episodes and, as a reader of the books and contrary to some opinions I’ve seen on social media, I’m enjoying it quite a lot. It’s true that they changed some things in the adaptation from book to screen, but I think the changes actually make sense. Today the second season of “Rivals” also came out – I’m itching to watch it – but I only plan to start watching it after I finish “Off Campus.”

As I mentioned in another newsletter, I really wanted to start following more content creators on YouTube. Concha and Paige are the only ones I enjoy following regularly and these are the videos I still have to watch of them.

Doing: I’ve been testing new recipes and trying to get my life in order – documents, photos, closets, doctor’s appointments. I’ve also started making mood boards again - I hadn’t done them in a while and it’s something I really enjoy.

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it!

See you soon,

Carlota <3

This last week has been a time of considerable reflection, but something that helps me refocus is making lists, particularly gratitude lists. Today I leave you with twenty-seven things I am grateful for.

1. Life

2. Being healthy

3. My family

4. My friends

5. Spring

6. Sunrises

7. Sunsets

8. The ocean

9. For living in a war free country

10. For the job that’s on its way to me

11. Music

12. Concerts

13. Books

14. Romantic comedies

15. Love

16. The city I live in

17. The country I live in

18. Long conversations and laughs with the people I love

19. Hugs

20. Acts of kindness

21. Butterflies

22. The food that I have on the table

23. The desserts that I make (and eat)

24. The opportunity to learn

25. The opportunity to grow

26. This newsletter

27. Sunshine

May the year twenty-seven bring me good health, work, peace, and love!

See you next week,

Carlota <3

After almost two months without writing, I’m back.

The main reason for being away for so long was a lack of motivation to write.

In the last weeks of January, Portugal was hit by a series of storms, and the strongest of them all caused a lot of damage. People lost businesses, homes, and belongings. It was totally devastating. I’ve never been so scared in my life. Fortunately, here at home we didn’t suffer any damage (nor did our friends and family), but my area was one of the most affected in the country, and there are still many people trying to rebuild.

All this, combined with the fact that we haven’t seen the sun practically for two months and the fact that I still haven’t been able to find a job, has brought me a lot of anxiety. I’ve been feeling quite down, and my health isn’t great either, but today I went for blood tests to see what might be going on – hopefully it’s nothing.

So, as you can imagine, I haven’t had the patience or the headspace to write, but now I’m back.

To try and lift my spirits, I’ve been trying to read (it hasn’t worked because I’m in a reading slump) and I’ve been watching some series. I’m almost finished with the last season of Bridgerton and I’ve started watching Love Story (note that I’ve always been fascinated by the Kennedy family and that I didn’t jump on the bandwagon of the series’ popularity). One of the things I’ve enjoyed doing most lately is watching Concha de Lima Mayer’s vlogs on YouTube. I’ve been following Concha on Instagram for a few years now and I love her content. The videos are all in English, so anyone can watch them. If you like good and cool content, you’ll love the vlogs. A new one comes out every Monday, and here’s the one that came out yesterday (which I still have to watch).

The endless January is over, February flew by and we’re already in March. Spring is just around the corner, as is my birthday, and that’s what I’ve been focusing on to feel better. The sunny days have finally started to arrive and it’s amazing how much a little sunshine and vitamin D helps us feel better and happier.

For this month of March I am very excited to read new books that are coming out, to listen to Harry Styles’ new album that comes out on Friday, to start wearing lighter clothes and putting away the heavy jackets and to be with my friends on my birthday.

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it!

See you next week,

Carlota <3

Listening: To be honest, I haven’t been listening to much music lately. But since Friday, “Aperture” has been stuck in my head. It’s the most different thing I’ve heard from Harry, but I really like the disco and techno vibes. It’s a song that gets stuck in your head, and if this is a glimpse of what the album coming out in March will be like, I think it’s going to be really good.

Eating: I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen because it’s something that relaxes me a lot, and this week I took the opportunity to make a vegetable and tuna quiche, “chesse tarts (queijadas)” (which don’t contain cheese, although the name is misleading), and duck rice (it’s very typical in Portugal and it’s delicious).

Reading: I’m starting to think that the reading goal I set for this year is too ambitious because we’re almost at the end of January (although it feels like the month will never end) and I’ve only read two books so far. I don’t know if I’m choosing the wrong genres, but the truth is I feel unmotivated to read and I find it difficult to get into books and stories.

via @cigaretwine on Instagram

Wanting: Luckily, I have everything I need and don’t need to buy anything. But, being as passionate about birthdays as I am, I admit I’m already thinking about what I’m going to ask for as gifts. So far I have three things (a bag, a necklace and a bracelet - closer to the date, I’ll show you everything) and I think that’s more than enough.

Watching: Another of my goals for this year was to start consuming more content on YouTube. There are great content creators there – and I know I follow some – but I feel I’m not yet in the right mindset to “stop”, relax and just watch videos – if that makes sense to you. These ones I’m sharing here are some that I want to watch in the coming week.

And that’s all for this week, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know in the comments if you like this type of content or what you’d like to see more of here.

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

I hope you had a happy holiday season and that you started 2026 on the right foot.

As always, a new year brings with it a new profile picture and a new color for the newsletter, I hope you like it!

Those who know me know I don’t like New Year’s Eve, but I really enjoy the days that follow. A new year always represents new opportunities and routines. I don’t like to put all the weight on the new year because I know that almost everything is dependent on me. Dreams and goals exist, but we also have to work to achieve them – the new year won’t do it on its own.

I always like to give myself the month of January to get organized.

On the first day of the year, I always dedicate some of my time to journaling. Normally, it’s the longest session of the year because it’s always the beginning of a new journal. I make the cover, define goals and intentions (and the steps to achieve them), define my reading goal, and make a list of 26 books for 2026. Then I start the month of January, make my habit tracker, and define goals and affirmations for the new month.

So far I’ve been consistent with the habits I’ve set, but I realize it’s only been four days and things can fluctuate. One thing I really want to change about myself is learning not to beat myself up if something goes wrong or outside of my plans. If I don’t journal one day, if I don’t read one day. I have to do things because I enjoy them, not out of obligation. I’ve already managed to change that a little with reading, but I still need to do it in other aspects of my life.

In this journaling session I also define my ins and outs for the year. They are very similar to last year’s, but they are the necessary ones.

Ins:

• Journaling every day

• Time for myself

• Saying “no” to things and people that don’t add anything to me/my life

• Drinking more water and eating more healthy

• Gratitude

• Private life

• Analog camera

• Other’s people sucess doesn’t deny my own

Outs:

• Too much sugar

• Negativity

• Too much screen time

• Neglecting myself

I love making lists, but I always try to keep them small and achievable.

I have a few goals for the year, some similar to last year’s, but the main one is to take care of myself, my physical and mental health, and spend more time with my friends.

As for my reading habits, my goal is to read 50 books this year. It’s the same goal I had last year and I managed to read 56 books. I want to try new genres and authors and read more consciously. In 2026, I also want to finish all the books I started and didn’t finish and to read all the books I have here at home before buying anything else.

As for the content I consume, I want to clean all my socials and stop following people I don’t identify with anymore. I also want to start consumig more visual content on YouTube, namely with portuguese content creators.

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it.

See you next week,

Carlota <3

2025 was a good year. My family and I were healthy, and ultimately, that's the most important thing and what we should ask for most. I managed to get an internship and have my first professional experience, which I loved and which helped me grow personally and professionally. I managed to achieve most of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year, and I'm leaving this year with a sense of accomplishment. One of those goals was to publish this newsletter every week, which I managed to do, and I couldn't fail to thank everyone on the that side who reads what I write.

In 2026, I hope to continue on this side and I wish you lots of health, love, and good times spent with family and friends.

Happy New Year! ✨

See you on Sunday, already in the new year, with a new post.

Carlota <3

I wish you all an amazing week!

See you before the 31st for a 2025 review,

Carlota <3

Here at home we do Secret Santa, so every year I like to send my family what I would like to receive (I send it to the family group, since I never know who got me). Everyone already knows my taste very well, but I think it’s always useful to give some hints.

I am very grateful to be able to buy what I need throughout the year, so at Christmas I don’t have much to ask for.

I always ask for a new journal, because I like to start a new one in January. Last year, my brother gave me one from Leuchtturm and I love the quality, so I asked for it again. I asked them to choose between these two colors, my favorites.

This 100% wool coat, from the Spanish brand Indi&Cold, has my heart. I think it must be very warm, perfect for the freezing temperatures outside.

Finally, I asked for this bag from the Portuguese brand Seasons. It’s very spacious, I know from friends who have one that it’s of excellent quality, and I think it’s a shape and color that goes with all outfits.

Happy Holidays to you and your families! 🎄🎁

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

The day arrived and, as the ballet was at 4 pm, we went to Lisbon before lunch (I live almost two hours from Lisbon and we went by train so we wouldn't have to worry about the car and parking – plus it's much cheaper), we had lunch there and then walked to the venue.

It was a very beautiful show and I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to see such beautiful shows and experience this type of culture.

When we left the ballet, the whole street was lit up with Christmas lights and they are simply incredible (the photo below doesn't do them justice).

We went back to the train station, made the return trip and arrived after the usual dinner time. We had McDonald's for dinner and now I'm watching a reality show while I write this.

Tomorrow is a holiday in Portugal, so it will be a day of rest, reading and series.

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

Doing: weekly grocery shopping, weekly meal planning, applying for jobs (and getting a little desperate about the job search), journaling and reading every day.

Listening: I’m listening to a bit of everything, but I admit that “Rein Me In” by Sam Fender featuring Olivia Dean is stuck in my head. However, this Friday was marked by the release of Rosalía’s new album, and I couldn’t help but give an honorable mention to the collaboration between Rosalía and Carminho, a Portuguese fado singer (and artist). It’s my favorite song on the album, and I admit that I got teary-eyed listening to it for the first time. It’s beautiful to see Fado and the Portuguese language reaching all corners of the world.

Reading: I was reading “Soul Searching” by Lyla Sage, but it wasn’t doing it for me, so I started reading “It’s Different This Time” by Joss Richards, and I’m loving it. It has a lot of potential to be one of my favorites of the year.

Watching: I haven’t had much patience for watching series or movies, so I’m halfway through the second season of “Nobody Wants This” and I’ve only seen the first episode of “The Forsytes,” even though I loved the plot.

Wanting: I’m a pretty discreet person when it comes to how I dress, but I have to admit that this coat from Cos stole my heart. I really like the pattern and I think it’s amazing for fall and winter looks.

Writing: I’ve been journaling every day since the beginning of the month and, as I’ve already told you, my biggest journaling sessions are on the first and last day of the month. On the first day of the month, I define my goals and affirmations for the month. I make my habit tracker (the habits are always the same throughout the year - reading at least 10 pages a day; writing every day; publishing the newsletter every week and a skincare routine (morning and night). Then I use a color system to track them (red for no, green for yes, and orange for in between). Since inspiration hasn’t been very strong, my daily writing prompt has been: “I’m grateful for...” and then I make a list of everything I’m grateful for. It may not be much, but these five minutes dedicated to writing down all the good things in life do me a lot of good. On the last day of the month, I write “about October...” (in the case of this last month) and I write about everything that happened, what activities I did, who I was with, what went well and not so well, and how the habits I track are going. This is a very simple routine and I’m sharing it because I was asked to, so I hope it was helpful!

See you next week,

Carlota <3

I hope you all had a great month and week. Time is flying by – I don’t know if I’m the only one feeling this way – and suddenly, it’s the last day of the month and we’re rapidly approaching the end of the year.

Via kakurina.alena on Instagram

The last two months have been quite frustrating for me, as I’m still looking for a job. Being at home isn’t having a good effect on my mental health, and I feel quite demotivated in all aspects of my life. I’ve been trying to stay positive, but it’s not always easy.

I had planned to make this post a mind dump, but I feel you deserve something more upbeat, so here’s a little bit about my plans for November.

As I’ve shared here before, part of the first day of each month is always dedicated to journaling. I define goals, affirmations, and habits that I want to track (usually, these habits are always the same throughout the year). Therefore, the last day of the month is for summarizing what I did during the 31 days, in this case, and understanding what I need to improve for the following month.

My journaling session today will be after dinner, but I realize I’ve really let myself down this month with journaling and reading. I’ve read very little and dedicated very few days to journaling. This is something I want to improve in November because these are two habits that I feel help my mental health and overall well-being.

In November I want to go to the cinema more often (seeing “Regretting You” is already on the agenda), as well as read more – especially autumn books – and do more journaling. I feel I need specific journaling prompts to make it easier for me to get back into this habit of journaling.

Another plan, which I’m going to try to do this weekend, is to organize all my clothes and switch from summer clothes to autumn/winter clothes. It’s something that will take me a lot of time, especially since I need to choose what I no longer use and what I should give away, but it’s something that needs to be done.

I also wanted to use this newsletter to share with you what I’ve been listening to, watching, and what’s on my wishlist for this season.

I’ve been listening mostly to female artists, and I can’t get enough of Olivia Dean and Izzy Escobar. They both have new albums, and the songs are all incredible.

As for what I’ve been watching, I started watching the second season of “Nobody Wants This” last week, but I’m only on the third episode so far because I haven’t had a chance to work yet. So far, I’ve quite liked what I’ve seen – but I admit I’ve seen some not-so-good reviews. I also started watching the series “The Forsytes” and it’s amazing. It has a lot of Bridgerton vibes, but it has the potential to be a favorite.

I still have to watch Paige Lorenze’s latest vlog, which came out this week and usually brings me so much comfort.

I also want to share with you a content creator I recently discovered on TikTok. Her name is Morgan and she’s a journalist at British Vogue. Her videos, mostly of her daily outfits before work, are beautiful and so cosy. She’s a sweetheart – and she’s already influenced me with a product on my wishlist.

@morganfargohyper fixation puffer unlocked 🔓 #fyp #foryou #morningroutine #grwm

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As for what’s on my wishlist, I’ll share what I’ve had my eye on lately.

Uniqlo Socks // Skims Bra // Beauty of Joseon Face Mask // Pepe Jeans Jeans // Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm // Caudalie Eau de Beauté // Strelitzia Boots // Josefinas Flats // Fragola Phone Case

That’s all for today, I hope you liked it and that it wasn’t to chaotic and all over the place.

See you next week,

Carlota <3

See you next week,

Carlota <3

• Apply for jobs;

• Do the weekly grocery shopping;

• Organize my bedroom;

• Go for walks;

• Drink more water and eat probiotics;

• Start a new hobby;

• Get back into my journaling routine.

See you next week,

Carlota <3