Open the new calendar! Turn over to a fresh page! It's goal time again! In no particular order, here I go:
General
Update my progress on these goals quarterly--it'll keep me honest!
Work-ish/Faithish (occupational hazard of working at a church--are these work goals? or are they more personal, faith goals? Probably more of the latter)
participate in a small group
Teach an adult forum
Health
consistently hit 10,000 steps on weekends; strive for 8,000 on weekdays
give blood twice this year
Writing
be here three times a week
link up with Anne and Leigh monthly
find another linky party to join
Reading
complete Modern Mrs. Darcy's reading challenge for 2016
read at least one book from each category of Modern Mrs. Darcy's Summer Reading list
take an online course through edX
Dreamy
research feasibility of a family trip to Hawaii
research possible trips to Europe in 2017 or beyond
Home
learn the rules for getting a driver's license (because this year our oldest turns 16!)
try designating laundry days
add more pictures to the basement walls
put something on our bedroom walls
have friends over for dinner
Tech-y
learn how to move my phone pictures to a cloud somewhere and then delete them from my phone
learn how to get my phone pictures to load to blogger
It's a mixed bag--there's no huge over-arching thing I'm working toward; I'm pretty happy with how things are going, so I want to maintain the momentum this year. As the year goes on, I'll share how I'm breaking down some of these goals into smaller pieces.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Friday, January 1, 2016
How I Did: the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2015 Reading Challenge
Last year I printed out the MMD 2015 Reading Challenge page, and I've been checking off books as I go. I never officially joined the Pinterest group last year, and I have fixed that for 2016.
I checked off 10 out of 12, and I'm pleased with that result. I am going to aim for 12 out of 12 for 2016--goals are good!
Here's what I read in 2015:
A book you've been meaning to read: Middlemarch by George Eliot
A book published this year: A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear
A book in a genre you don't typically read: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
A book from your childhood: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A book your mom loves: The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
A book "everyone' has read but you: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
A book you chose because of the cover: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
A book by a favorite author: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
A book recommended by someone with great taste: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
A book that currently on the bestseller list: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
That makes ten; I abandoned what would have been number eleven: a book that was originally written in a different language: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
And "a book you should have read in high school" is the only category that I didn't cover.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
What I'm Into: the Old Year's Night edition (December 2015)
I'm linking up with Leigh for the first time in a while. One of the Maisie Dobbs novels I read took place over the end of a year, and Maisie referred to the festivities on the 31st as Old Year's Night, which I thought was pretty cool--was that a British thing? A 1930's thing? Both? Do they still call it Old Year's Night in England? So many questions!
So let's break down the year that was 2015:
Work:
This was a biggie for me. After almost 4 years, I left my former employment and started working at my church. I am working about 10 hours more per week now, but I am still able to be home shortly after the kids get home, which is nice.
Movies:
My mom and I saw Brooklyn on Christmas Eve. It was so, so lovely. So many beautiful handknit sweaters, so many beautiful ladies wearing almost no makeup (such flawless skin!).
Brooklyn was probably the only theatrical release that I saw that I really liked this year. For the sake of comparison, I also saw Spectre and Mission Impossible this year, and those are the only ones I can remember. And those were not my picks.
Inside Out was a Redbox pick for us in December, and it was very good. Leave it to the wizards at Pixar to have all the adults openly weeping by the movie's end.
TV:
There is not much to say. We watched Mad Men's final half season in the spring, and now we really don't have any "appointment TV." The shows that we watch together (Rob and I) are: 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and the NBC Nightly News. Bobby and I watch most of ABC's Wednesday night lineup (The Middle, Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat, Modern Family), but we usually record them and watch them over the next few days because I have to do a pick-up run over to the dance studio in the middle of the broadcasts.
I am very, very, very excited about the Sherlock episode that is airing on January first! And then the final season of Downton Abbey starts a few days later...Rob does not enjoy the costume drama that is Downton, so he will be on his own for a few weeks.
Travel:
This was an unusual year for us--Rob and I went to Paris in April; Bobby and I flew to Georgia for the day in July; and in August, the whole family went to California. I don't think I've ever spent that much time on a plane in one year. For the most part, we all genuinely enjoy each other's company, and seeing things together for the first time is really cool. Next year, there will not be this much flying!
Two of my favorite things from this year's travels were the dinner cruise along the Seine and walking in Muir Woods. Two very different experiences, but both were unforgettable.
Books:
This year I made a conscious effort to read some classic literature. This was a direct result of my job change--I work right next door to our senior pastor, and he is always, always reading, and it's usually something good. I have loaned him my copy of All the Light We Cannot See, and I can't wait to see what he thinks. Just this week, we discussed Middlemarch, Silas Marner, and Far From the Madding Crowd. And now I have to re-read The Scarlet Letter (among other things). See, I can barely keep up!
Before I started reading Middlemarch, I was afraid that all my mystery series and contemporary fiction reading had whittled away at my attention span so that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a long story told at a deliberate pace. I took my time with the reading--I knew that Middlemarch was not going to be blasted through over the course of a weekend. I also paused to take notes as I read. Those strategies were helpful, and they helped me build up my literature-reading-muscles!
The I-didn't-see-that-coming Department:
Five, six, seven, eight...
Both of my girls take dance classes, and this year our involvement with dance went to the next level. I was present for all three recitals in June--once as a spectator, and twice as a parent volunteer/ticket taker/director to the bathroom, etc. It's fun, and I enjoy watching all the dancers and seeing how they improve each year. It's a bit of a lost weekend, though, with no time for anything else.
This September, when the girls went back to dance class, so did I! I joined several other dance moms in the Thursday night adult jazz class. I have wanted to join a dance class since we lived in New Jersey (over 10 years ago), and the stars have finally aligned for me to be able to do this. We have so much fun!
The joy of being a grown-up
Back in the spring, I don't know whether I could have taken the dance class because I was having so much trouble with my shoulder. I pulled some muscles in my shoulder back in May of 2014, and by March of 2015, I was having trouble lifting my left arm without pain. One of the great things about being in my early-mid-forties is understanding the need for self-care, so rather than try to tough it out or hope for spontaneous improvement, I made an appointment with my doctor. An x-ray revealed some tendonitis, and the doctor prescribed physical therapy. I'd never gone to physical therapy before, and it's surprising how you can make room in an already busy calendar for something truly important. I completed six weeks of PT, and now I try to keep up with the exercises. I don't think it's ever going to be completely improved--too many years of being hard on my shoulders, but I feel like I've improved my mobility, and I'm not in pain now.
Unplanned home renovations
Back in September, I posted here with our pictures from our California trip. I had framed several of them and hung them in the basement. The very next day, my oldest daughter called me as I was driving home from work to tell me that there was water all over the dining room. By the time I arrived home, I had deduced that the water must be coming from our fire sprinkler system (required in our township). Sure enough, there was a hole in our bedroom wall, and water had been pouring out of that hole for hours, raining down from our bedroom, into the dining room below and then down into the basement. We are finishing up everything this week. I don't like to dwell on this episode--certainly it sucked, but it could always have been worse--but having so much of our home torn up for almost a quarter of the year is a noteworthy bump in the road. As I said, it is almost over, but I think I'm going to be paranoid about things going wrong for quite a while.
The unexpected gift of gratitude
While the house was completely topsy-turvy and my mind was a complete scramble, I started a nightly ritual of writing down lists of things I was grateful for each day. It was a nice way to slow the pace and reflect that not everything was crappy. Now, even when I may not take the time to put pen to paper, I try to make a mental list when I'm feeling overwhelmed. It's nice to focus on some positives.
So there you have it, a brief sampler of what I've been doing in 2015. I hope I'm finishing this year a little wiser and a little kinder than when the year began. I'll be back in a couple of days to share what I'm aiming for in the new year. Until then, I wish you a happy and healthy new year.
So let's break down the year that was 2015:
Work:
This was a biggie for me. After almost 4 years, I left my former employment and started working at my church. I am working about 10 hours more per week now, but I am still able to be home shortly after the kids get home, which is nice.
Movies:
My mom and I saw Brooklyn on Christmas Eve. It was so, so lovely. So many beautiful handknit sweaters, so many beautiful ladies wearing almost no makeup (such flawless skin!).
Brooklyn was probably the only theatrical release that I saw that I really liked this year. For the sake of comparison, I also saw Spectre and Mission Impossible this year, and those are the only ones I can remember. And those were not my picks.
Inside Out was a Redbox pick for us in December, and it was very good. Leave it to the wizards at Pixar to have all the adults openly weeping by the movie's end.
TV:
There is not much to say. We watched Mad Men's final half season in the spring, and now we really don't have any "appointment TV." The shows that we watch together (Rob and I) are: 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and the NBC Nightly News. Bobby and I watch most of ABC's Wednesday night lineup (The Middle, Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat, Modern Family), but we usually record them and watch them over the next few days because I have to do a pick-up run over to the dance studio in the middle of the broadcasts.
I am very, very, very excited about the Sherlock episode that is airing on January first! And then the final season of Downton Abbey starts a few days later...Rob does not enjoy the costume drama that is Downton, so he will be on his own for a few weeks.
Travel:
This was an unusual year for us--Rob and I went to Paris in April; Bobby and I flew to Georgia for the day in July; and in August, the whole family went to California. I don't think I've ever spent that much time on a plane in one year. For the most part, we all genuinely enjoy each other's company, and seeing things together for the first time is really cool. Next year, there will not be this much flying!
Two of my favorite things from this year's travels were the dinner cruise along the Seine and walking in Muir Woods. Two very different experiences, but both were unforgettable.
Books:
This year I made a conscious effort to read some classic literature. This was a direct result of my job change--I work right next door to our senior pastor, and he is always, always reading, and it's usually something good. I have loaned him my copy of All the Light We Cannot See, and I can't wait to see what he thinks. Just this week, we discussed Middlemarch, Silas Marner, and Far From the Madding Crowd. And now I have to re-read The Scarlet Letter (among other things). See, I can barely keep up!
Before I started reading Middlemarch, I was afraid that all my mystery series and contemporary fiction reading had whittled away at my attention span so that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a long story told at a deliberate pace. I took my time with the reading--I knew that Middlemarch was not going to be blasted through over the course of a weekend. I also paused to take notes as I read. Those strategies were helpful, and they helped me build up my literature-reading-muscles!
The I-didn't-see-that-coming Department:
Five, six, seven, eight...
Both of my girls take dance classes, and this year our involvement with dance went to the next level. I was present for all three recitals in June--once as a spectator, and twice as a parent volunteer/ticket taker/director to the bathroom, etc. It's fun, and I enjoy watching all the dancers and seeing how they improve each year. It's a bit of a lost weekend, though, with no time for anything else.
This September, when the girls went back to dance class, so did I! I joined several other dance moms in the Thursday night adult jazz class. I have wanted to join a dance class since we lived in New Jersey (over 10 years ago), and the stars have finally aligned for me to be able to do this. We have so much fun!
The joy of being a grown-up
Back in the spring, I don't know whether I could have taken the dance class because I was having so much trouble with my shoulder. I pulled some muscles in my shoulder back in May of 2014, and by March of 2015, I was having trouble lifting my left arm without pain. One of the great things about being in my early-mid-forties is understanding the need for self-care, so rather than try to tough it out or hope for spontaneous improvement, I made an appointment with my doctor. An x-ray revealed some tendonitis, and the doctor prescribed physical therapy. I'd never gone to physical therapy before, and it's surprising how you can make room in an already busy calendar for something truly important. I completed six weeks of PT, and now I try to keep up with the exercises. I don't think it's ever going to be completely improved--too many years of being hard on my shoulders, but I feel like I've improved my mobility, and I'm not in pain now.
Unplanned home renovations
Back in September, I posted here with our pictures from our California trip. I had framed several of them and hung them in the basement. The very next day, my oldest daughter called me as I was driving home from work to tell me that there was water all over the dining room. By the time I arrived home, I had deduced that the water must be coming from our fire sprinkler system (required in our township). Sure enough, there was a hole in our bedroom wall, and water had been pouring out of that hole for hours, raining down from our bedroom, into the dining room below and then down into the basement. We are finishing up everything this week. I don't like to dwell on this episode--certainly it sucked, but it could always have been worse--but having so much of our home torn up for almost a quarter of the year is a noteworthy bump in the road. As I said, it is almost over, but I think I'm going to be paranoid about things going wrong for quite a while.
The unexpected gift of gratitude
While the house was completely topsy-turvy and my mind was a complete scramble, I started a nightly ritual of writing down lists of things I was grateful for each day. It was a nice way to slow the pace and reflect that not everything was crappy. Now, even when I may not take the time to put pen to paper, I try to make a mental list when I'm feeling overwhelmed. It's nice to focus on some positives.
So there you have it, a brief sampler of what I've been doing in 2015. I hope I'm finishing this year a little wiser and a little kinder than when the year began. I'll be back in a couple of days to share what I'm aiming for in the new year. Until then, I wish you a happy and healthy new year.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
My Stack of Books: November 2015
Linking up with Anne--a little late to the party this month! Things were slower than usual this month. I abandoned a few books, and for a few days I just wasn't reading anything (oh, the horror!).
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
I put in a hold request for this during the summer, and it had been so long that I'd just about given up on this one. Cute. I hope it's the start of a series. There were almost too many potential suspects to keep track of, but it was a fun read.
Hollow Man by Mark Pryor
This was a non-Hugo Marston novel about a British expat who works as a D.A. in Austin--and plays guitar and writes songs on the side. Who also happens to be a psychopath. This was a one day read. Gripping and creepy.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I just loved it. And now I want to see the movie that came out over the summer.
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Seems the more I love a story the less I write about it. I feel like this one and Madding Crowd need a book club...
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
I put in a hold request for this during the summer, and it had been so long that I'd just about given up on this one. Cute. I hope it's the start of a series. There were almost too many potential suspects to keep track of, but it was a fun read.
Hollow Man by Mark Pryor
This was a non-Hugo Marston novel about a British expat who works as a D.A. in Austin--and plays guitar and writes songs on the side. Who also happens to be a psychopath. This was a one day read. Gripping and creepy.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I just loved it. And now I want to see the movie that came out over the summer.
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Seems the more I love a story the less I write about it. I feel like this one and Madding Crowd need a book club...
Thursday, October 15, 2015
My Stack of Books: October 2015
Here we go:
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
I may be one of the last people on the planet to read this. Oh, so tragic! Young love + cancer = bereft reader.
The Gift of Failure, Jessica Lahey.
A great reminder to back off and let the kids struggle. And no sooner had I finished it than I received a text from one of my kids--one of those, "I forgot my homework, can you bring it to me?" Oh, how I agonized over that one--and ultimately, I didn't take the forgotten homework.
The Life Intended, Kristin Harmel
One of Anne's Flights of Fancy from her summer reading list. I just loved. Such great advice for life packed into a sweet and compelling story. Chick-lit with some real meat on it.
Speak, Louisa Hall
I picked this one up off of the new release shelf at the library. The author of Station Eleven is quoted on the cover as saying that this novel doesn't remind her of any other book she's ever read. And I gotta say, that's a true statement. Six narrators tell their stories--different times, different places. And it's all loosely related somehow. Just can't neatly connect the dots.
10% Happier, Dan Harris
I'd heard Dan Harris tell his story on GMA. Anne mentioned this book, so I thought I'd check it out. It was pretty good. I liked how he kept it real--he shared his frustrations and doubts about the process. One thing that bothered me? Very narrow page margins. And really long paragraphs, and/or a smaller-than-I'd-like font.
A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson
Well, Life After Life was one of my favorite reads of the year. At first, I was thrilled to be back with Ursula and Teddy and Nancy. And after a few hundred pages, I was getting restless. The ending...well, I didn't like this one as much as I did Life After Life.
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
I may be one of the last people on the planet to read this. Oh, so tragic! Young love + cancer = bereft reader.
The Gift of Failure, Jessica Lahey.
A great reminder to back off and let the kids struggle. And no sooner had I finished it than I received a text from one of my kids--one of those, "I forgot my homework, can you bring it to me?" Oh, how I agonized over that one--and ultimately, I didn't take the forgotten homework.
The Life Intended, Kristin Harmel
One of Anne's Flights of Fancy from her summer reading list. I just loved. Such great advice for life packed into a sweet and compelling story. Chick-lit with some real meat on it.
Speak, Louisa Hall
I picked this one up off of the new release shelf at the library. The author of Station Eleven is quoted on the cover as saying that this novel doesn't remind her of any other book she's ever read. And I gotta say, that's a true statement. Six narrators tell their stories--different times, different places. And it's all loosely related somehow. Just can't neatly connect the dots.
10% Happier, Dan Harris
I'd heard Dan Harris tell his story on GMA. Anne mentioned this book, so I thought I'd check it out. It was pretty good. I liked how he kept it real--he shared his frustrations and doubts about the process. One thing that bothered me? Very narrow page margins. And really long paragraphs, and/or a smaller-than-I'd-like font.
A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson
Well, Life After Life was one of my favorite reads of the year. At first, I was thrilled to be back with Ursula and Teddy and Nancy. And after a few hundred pages, I was getting restless. The ending...well, I didn't like this one as much as I did Life After Life.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
My Stack of Books: September 2015
Linking up with Anne!
Here, in no particular order, are some of the books I have read in the last month.
Kate Atkinson, Life After Life
This was one of my top reads of the summer. I am an absolute sucker for anything WWII-era, and set in London, no less.
Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
Post-WWII, set in London. I'm not sure how this book ended up in my library bag, and I think I'll get more out of this one on a re-read. So many heavy themes in here--love, hate, faith, God, life, death.
Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety
This was the second Stegner novel I read this month. Anne raves about it so much--and it didn't disappoint. It's about not much and everything all at the same time.
Secrets of a Charmed Life, Susan Meissner
At the end of this book, there is a reading group guide or something, and in that section, Meissner mentions Life After Life as an influence--so that's how I got to Life After Life. Again, this book is right in my wheelhouse. The descriptions of life in London during the war are so heartbreaking.
The Spectator Bird, Wallace Stegner
My "starter Stegner" because Crossing to Safety wasn't available at the library at the time. After finishing the book I learned that this is the third novel to feature the main character. I would recommend Crossing to Safety over this one.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
I've seen this one everywhere and finally got around to reading it. Entertaining. I love stories where you get a chance to see an opposing character's point of view--Liane Moriarty is good at that, too. This was entertaining.
David Lodge, Therapy
This was a re-read. I first read this about 20 years ago, and Anne had mentioned David Lodge in a post recently, so I sought this one out. Toward the end of the story, the characters go on a pilgrimage in Spain. That stuck with me from 20 years ago, and it still sounds like something I'd like to see and maybe do...
Here, in no particular order, are some of the books I have read in the last month.
This was one of my top reads of the summer. I am an absolute sucker for anything WWII-era, and set in London, no less.
Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
Post-WWII, set in London. I'm not sure how this book ended up in my library bag, and I think I'll get more out of this one on a re-read. So many heavy themes in here--love, hate, faith, God, life, death.
Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety
This was the second Stegner novel I read this month. Anne raves about it so much--and it didn't disappoint. It's about not much and everything all at the same time.
Secrets of a Charmed Life, Susan Meissner
At the end of this book, there is a reading group guide or something, and in that section, Meissner mentions Life After Life as an influence--so that's how I got to Life After Life. Again, this book is right in my wheelhouse. The descriptions of life in London during the war are so heartbreaking.
The Spectator Bird, Wallace Stegner
My "starter Stegner" because Crossing to Safety wasn't available at the library at the time. After finishing the book I learned that this is the third novel to feature the main character. I would recommend Crossing to Safety over this one.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
I've seen this one everywhere and finally got around to reading it. Entertaining. I love stories where you get a chance to see an opposing character's point of view--Liane Moriarty is good at that, too. This was entertaining.
David Lodge, Therapy
This was a re-read. I first read this about 20 years ago, and Anne had mentioned David Lodge in a post recently, so I sought this one out. Toward the end of the story, the characters go on a pilgrimage in Spain. That stuck with me from 20 years ago, and it still sounds like something I'd like to see and maybe do...
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Goals: Around the House
One of my perennial goals is to hang family pictures in our home. When we first moved into this house ten years ago this week, I was stuck. I wanted to badly to have this house feel like home, and yet we had just gone through the psychological trauma of de-personalizing our old home so that we could sell it. I was afraid of nails!
I have improved over the years, and there are a couple of places in our home where I have put up a gallery wall. Command adhesive strips have really helped--if I want to move the pictures, they don't leave any holes in the wall!
Last summer (as in 2014) we finished our basement. We had some shelves built into one wall, and last year, I put in most of these pictures.
Here is how it looks next to the bookcase. There is plenty of room to the left of the frames to add on as we go. We have many years of past vacations I can add. In fact, I ordered some prints from our 2014 vacation just today.
I am learning that "slow and steady" is the way to go when making a house into a home!
I have improved over the years, and there are a couple of places in our home where I have put up a gallery wall. Command adhesive strips have really helped--if I want to move the pictures, they don't leave any holes in the wall!
Last summer (as in 2014) we finished our basement. We had some shelves built into one wall, and last year, I put in most of these pictures.
It was a good start, but other than that, the walls were left blank.
And that's a lotta wall space!
On our California trip, I brought home cards to frame as souvenirs. Once we got home, I chose some pictures and ordered enlargements from Snapfish. I have used Snapfish since back when I used film in my camera--I have pictures from when my son was born on their cloud. (That son just turned 12 over the weekend.) And then I took advantage of all of the great coupons at Joann and Michael's last weekend. And today I used every last command strip in the house for this--the start of our new basement gallery wall.
Here is how it looks next to the bookcase. There is plenty of room to the left of the frames to add on as we go. We have many years of past vacations I can add. In fact, I ordered some prints from our 2014 vacation just today.
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