12 books before 27

 I am in no way reviewing these, just quick, summary reactions.  

twelve.

 reaction:  

eleven.

 reaction: 

ten. Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral, Kris Radish

reaction: I enjoyed the story of this book, but I wish there had been more interaction of the characters. found it would fall back to "then they talked for hours and their lives changed and intertwined more and more." okay that's fantastic, how? tell me about it.

nine. The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan

 

reaction: A long, slow read but the dynamic between the sisters develops into something that you ache for, for them. Different than most books I've read before, glad I stuck with it. 

eight. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games), Suzanne Collins

reaction: I'm really not sure if I like these books or not. I know they're quick reads and I like the concept, so I'm plugging through.

seven. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Lilian Jackson Bruan

reaction: This is the first book in the Cat Who Series. It's weird to read about Qwilleran not in his hometown and be introduced to his faithful felines as someoneelse's cats. Wait, is Yum Yum even in this book?! You'll have to read to find out. ;)

six. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

reaction: I love elephants! Rosie was a sweet one (well except that one thing, but that was totally justified). It's certainly not as good as Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived, but I look forward to watching the film.

five. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

reaction: This was another easy, fast read. It's basically what you expect from a book for teens about murdering 23 competitors. The character development was lacking for me in both the book and the movie. I look forward to watching the film again, more removed from reading the book. #teamgail

four.  Winter of the Wolf Moon, Steve Hamilton

reaction: After slowly making my way through Oscar Wao it was relief to read something easy and quick. I put this away in a few days and it was exactly what I was looking for. 

There's no better time to read an Alex McKnight, Paradise, MI book than January.

three. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz.

reaction: It took me forever to read this book. The style is different than any I've ever read, but I made it through and I was entertained, sometimes.

two. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris.

 reaction: I think I might like the tv series better. I might give another book a shot.

one. Blood, Bones, & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton

 reaction: Yep, I too now want to open a restaurant and read more chef memoirs.

goal check in.

Until I read that we're into the 26 week of the year, I completely forgot I'd written goals for this year. What the? Time to refocusfocus on these for real now.

Good news though, even though I wasn't intentional with my work on most of these I have been working on some of them.

As I work to have more balance in my life with health, good food, laziness, excitement, relationship strengthening, solitary time and friendship I want to be more intentional with that thought process. I don't want to feel overwhelmed, but consider my decisions and the alternatives thoughtfully.

I'll carry this word with me through 2012 and while tackling these four resolutions. 

1. lose weight. get fit. but seriously, lose a serious bit of with like a final goal of forty to fifty pounds. whew! it's going to take some serious work and i'm glad (very, very, glad) to have matt along with me to get this done.
2. save at least $3000! and be more financially responsible. this year i learned to really budget and next year i need to learn how to SAVE and not over spend.
3. be on time. i tend to be a tardy to things and all this achieves is stress. seriously, i'm an adult. it's time to be timely.
4. develop solid communication skills. i feel awkward in somea lot of social situations and i'd love to be the person who always felt comfortable and could put others at ease. 

Number one and three have been mostly neglected.

Number two has been respected although any money that would have been saved has been put towards large financial obligations (a fence, a venue down payment). 

Number four, I'm actively working on this. Although I think that I may always keep a general feeling of discomfort in many social and work settings I think I know how to handle it and where it comes from. (introvert for the win!)

we rang in the new year / ate lots of good food / flew to florida & and went red (head) / went skiing

it snowed / we drank beer / moved a bit / drank wine on a staycation

dressed up in anticipation / cleaned up the yard / received good things / went to dinner

and picked our drinks from an ipad / ate outside / bought flowers in rain / caught venus just before the sun sunk below the clouds

whined for food and wine at whine / started and finished the hunger games / drank out of cats / harvested basil

it's been a good year so far and i bet it will keep getting better!

<3

twentySIX

 cosrad and penpen

25. learn to like the number twenty-six.

I have this thing with numbers, some just roll off the tongue and are lovely but some I just don't like the sound of. twentySIX  is one of those numbers that doesn't fit well in my mouth.  It's random I know. That's how learn to like the number twenty-six ended up on my list of things before 26.

World of Good  /  quadrapop  /  Facing North East  /  the shop at number 57 {opening soon} via Bright.Bazaar  /  duncan  /  Eva the Weaver

And me, I'm 26. So I suppose it can't be so bad.

I'm feeling pretty darn happy today, and loved. It's really great to have come through another year happier and with someone I'm pretty sure I'm about to spend the rest of my life with. That's {still} the best gift.

Today is my birthday, won't you celebrate with me?!

jek in the box

clean skies

 

twentyfive percent of 25 before 26

instagram via MattPhone

Just one day until my BIRTHDAY now! This year my love planned a special dinner out yesterday and a picnic today. Monday I'll have to work which will be the first time in a long time that's happened. Oh the woe's of the employed, that's definitely a #firstworldproblem.

 I'm so lucky to have someone so sweet. I'll be sure to take and post lots of pictures.

I'm finally getting to the end of my 25 before 26 goal reflection. I didn't fair to well, but I'm excited to start my 26 before 27. So here we go...!

1. get active at least three two times a week

July - January was the usual couch potato lifestyle for me. Then at the end of January I got the training plan to run my triathlon. (Which I still spell incorrectly, every time. It's not triathAlon.) You can read more about my train4change adventures here. After that I got to the gym at least once a week and most of the two to three to four or five times a week. I saw a difference first in my heart rate recovery and now I can see a substantial difference in the muscles in my legs. After finishing my triathalon I started Super Fit Boot Camp with Fitness Competitor Peggy Sue Barber and I've been doing that for a month. It's hard and exhausting, but I need a serious commitment to keep me moving. (+)

3. visit my grandparents every six to eight weeks

99% success here. The one time I ended up going about 12 weeks between visits it was super obvious that I'd lost the patience I build when visiting every 6-8. They're wonderful people yet incredibly exhausting, getting old has not been kind to them. I'll definitely continue a visiting schedule like this. (+)

4. make a fort in my living room and camp out for a weekend

 Success! We really enjoyed this. I think it may become an annual holiday hideaway, although we have to practice our stability skills. Sam & Lu loved it but... they also enjoyed jumping on it in the night and bringing it all down. jerks. (+)

6. learn to sew clothes (branch out from square purses and pillows)

Aw, what a goal. I made two things on my sewing machine all year... a pillow and a lopsided camera case. So I branched, but it definitely didn't get enough action to learn to sew clothes. Jill of Today I Saw shared her dream of sewing dresses. So inspiring. (-)

7. ride my bike to work (buy a bike)

I rode this distance more than once in prep for the 12 mile tri, but a bike out to work wasn't in the cards with this lame weather we've had this spring. I'm not so sure about this lofty goal anymore. (-)

8. make and actively stick to a budget, if it's not in the budget don't buy it, no more retrospective

My revised budgeting document for twenty11 has helped, but I still haven't made budget yet. I'm not quite sure how this all works out, that I'm not in debt. This is going to get even more important as Matt and I want to travel and for a big party (also known as one day). (-)

9. buy toms

 I decided in that I would only buy Tom's if I actually stuck to my budget for a month. So, no Tom's for me. Not even the new glasses! {whoa! pricey} (-)

10. go a week without the internet

hahahahaha. I considered it a couple of times. But no. Matt laughed when he read this. (-)

13. learn make frames for odd sized posters

I ended up getting the matte made at Michael's and my awesome momma made the frame. So I didn't ever learn,  but I didn't need to. (-)

16. learn something and laugh everyday

I definitely try to. The laughing part isn't too hard. (+)

17. live deeper (+)

I believe so.

20. create a backyard oasis

On Mother's day Mom, Santi, and I worked and got about a 10 foot wide x 20 feet deep are cleaned of the evil Virginia Creeper (20 yard bags!), but that's been our one BIG yard work day. Literally, every weekend since then has been packed with plans. I'm just trying to keep up with the little weeds and pruning the roses, but not even really succeeding there. (-)

24. fireworks & cedar point.

Of course we got to see fireworks on the 4th! and it was lovely. I didn't got any pictures because I was enjoying them TOO MUCH! We've been too darn busy to get to Cedar Point... (+/-)

 
The rest :  

2. spend a weekend (day?) away, just me

5. road trip with no destination

11. journal more

12. organize my life and keep it picked up

14. participate in a blog or flickr challenge

15. research eating locally and seasonally

18. cook something new once a week

19. start & finish style school & tell your story

21. write letters

22. downsize, declutter

23. send postcards to strangers

25. learn to like the number twenty-six {coming soon.}

6.5/17.5/25  

So I didn't do too well. I wrote out my list and pretty much forgot about it. This year I'm going to post the list somewhere that I remember it. Like I said in my mindful eating post I'll take the time to think about how I'm going to accomplish them before the year is almost up. I'm also going to have a tangible list I can actually cross things off of!

Do you write lists of things you want to accomplish before your next birthday? I'd love to read them.

clutter

Somehow Blogger ate my whole post on clutter. jerks. Maybe it was good reminder to keep things simple[R].

-William Morris via

"When your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus. The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. Clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment."

Scientists find physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus, process information | Unclutterer
(via unconsumption / PSFK) via SwissMiss

These two posts came within days of one another. It was a little sign that it was tackle the clutter in my life, followed by more and more.

The other day Kate of Kate's Irrelevant blog posed a question about what makes you happy.

"A lot of things make me happy... but a lot of things stress me out too. I think I'd like to take one of the things that causes me stress, my messy desk, and make it a day brightener with just some simple tidiness. Easier said than done."

On Monday it looked like this:

and on Thursday before I left for the weekend it looked like this:

Such a relief. The space, feels usable and open instead of cluttered and unproductive.

This is something I'm not alone in struggling with.  


Ashlee of Where My Heart Resides posted this book {from Diana} and it instantly went on my wishlist. I love that two weeks later she posted that she was still struggling with the clutter battle! It definitely kicked her into gear though, impressive decluttering of the bathroom!

So how did I do?

22. downsize, declutter  /  12. organize my life and keep it picked up

Oh friends, I tried. I would go on cleaning binges and get it to where I thought I would keep it up and then the CLUTTER seeped back in. Oh, I hate you clutter. Why do you knock me down so? This should be a top goal for my entire life.

I'm trying.

high on my organization list is this:

 The thing that stinks, it will be SO NICE once it's all done. I don't know why I don't just do it.

How do you stay on top of clutter?

1/10/25 

 

mindful eating

{Notice of Rambling Ahead. This is the post that I should have been writing after I made up my list of 25 before 26, not four days before my deadline's up. lesson learned.}


15. research eating locally and seasonally / 18. cook something new once a week

Fortunately, both Matt and I really enjoy cooking, but other commitments tend to get in the way. We're working to make meal plans, use leftovers and all the food we buy from the grocery. I've got to get him convinced to start taking lunches more often. I could stick little notes in his lunch, how sweet would that be.

A little blast from the past : When I first started blogging in 2009 I started a post about trying to meet my recommend daily value of fruits & vegetables.

In January I read about this blog, One Dollar Diet Project, when it was covered by the NYTimes. I appreciated their efforts for surviving on one dollar a day as so many people do in this country. One of the sacrifices they noted early on was a lack of the daily nutrients that we need.

It got me to thinking about how many people actually eat the recommend daily fruits and vegetables. I know I don't. I rarely eat fruit, consider it an achievement if I get one veg, and my carbs and fats are high. -April 18, 2009

I never did it, but wouldn't it be intriguing. Since then I'd say I've been eating healthier though. It's always something that takes work. I'm seriously such a glutton, I love food. I can't imagine a restrictive diet. Actually, the few times I have imagined it, I've rebelled against before I even started!

I've had these thoughts before...

There are things that I can do to be more mindful and seasonal about my eating. I just have to apply them everyday.


sheena of the little red house has blogged some really solid ideas about food. She cooks, "simple recipes with as many real, whole foods as I can cram in." Sounds good right? I like that she takes such pleasure in growing her food, teaching her readers, and challenging them to take steps to a more basic life. Don't worry, she's not afraid of a good burger!


If we're more thoughtful with our meals, use our leftovers and somehow avoid styrofoam but still go out to eat (love, love, love). (seriously people still use that junk?! surprise me every time. Would you carry your own 'tupperware' into a restaurant?) 

Blog reading is great opportunity to find seasonal recipes. I've posted this one before,  spaghetti with lemon and olive oil.

I'll leave you with this, which sort of applies.

via

1/8/25

go find yourself, but you may have already

via NeonGypsy

If you're looking for inspiring words regarding finding yourself or happiness, I recommend Neon Gypsy. Also, Brunette Bombshell Meg please check out her words, they are breathtaking. This quote she shared, read it.

2. spend a weekend away, just me

No, I didn't do this. In September, the summer foolishness ended and then in October this one made his appearance. So no, I didn't get the chance to RUN AWAY and FIND MYSELF in little hotel on a big lake. But he found me and it made me RIDICULOUSLY happy.

5. road trip with no destination

I still love this idea, but I also love making plans. Matt doesn't love road trips as much as I would have hoped my dreamboat [dreamboat? yes, dreamboat certainly works here.] would... that he would bring that side out in me. And I'm happy with the time on the road we do have.   So no, no go here but maybe this also goes back to #2.

11. journal every other day more / 19. start & finish style school & tell your story

See 2 & 5 - I learned almost as soon as I started dating Matt that I don't journal when I'm happy, I'm too busy being happy and spending time with the one who makes me happy. I still would like to Art Journal, chronicling moments that are special or normal. I've got the supplies hoardedstockpiled.

via.

Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a draw to the idea that you could take a drive and find a bit of yourself, to come home a more complete you. Vivienne McMaster tells that beautiful story. I have always wished I had a bit more bohemian in me, but maybe this quote from Francesca Lia Block sums it, and me, up quite well.

"I wish I wasn’t a girl who needed so much but a little free creature that slept in deserts and ran on clouds and lived on lilies." — “Violet & Claire” Francesca Lia Block

via.

via. (we're hitting all the tumblrs for this one.)
1/6/25

write letters

21. write letters / 23. send postcards to strangers

Sorry friends {and strangers}, I promise to do better. I really want to bring letter writing in my life. Do you want a letter? I think I'd love to send you one. Leave a me a comment and I will!

I found this great blog that's appropriately called, Send More Mail. What an inspiration.
There are such great reasons to write letters, the special feeling the person you're sending it to gets, the chance they might write you back and, of course, the beautiful stationery {There are even Projects with stationery.} and postcards and stamps. {Do you think stamp collectors secretly wanted to pick special people in their lives to send their stamps to? To send them out into the world?}

I think a nice set like this from Renegade, Yellow Owl Workshop may be in order.

1/2/25

: rainbow

14. participate in a blog or flickr challenge 1/25

I did reverb10 five days out of the month. I'm definitely looking forward to that one again. Oh and I almost forgot, sevensix days of love.

Oh hey, look at this. I'm doing my own little version of Poppy Talk's Summer Colour Week. I think that fits right in with the rest. Guess what time of year it is... eleven days til my birthday!!! Expect some exciting reflective posts over the next few days!

My summercolour treasury in : rainbow

Monsieur IV print blancucha $30.00

Spring Daffodil Sideswe... onegarnetgirl $362.00

Send me a postcard...I ... SusannahTucker $25.00

Poor Pitiful Pearl Baby... poorpitifulpea... $85.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

Summer Colours Week : yellow / pink / blue  

11 in twenty11

Our New Year's Eve was quite lovely. One of my bestest and her hubby came to "do the shit out of some cheese," play board games and ring in the new year. I'm fighting a sinus infection so I wasn't as high energy as I would have liked, but I suppose if that's my only complaint I'm doing good. And that brings us to today, the day for making resolutions and reflecting on the year past. We'll start there. 

10 things for 2010!

1. Wear more orange! Yes ma'am.

2. Embrace life. It became my word of the year.

3. Rock the crafty nerd that's inside. Not so much, but I've got quite a stock of fabrics and papers to craft with now.

4. Take more pictures. 924 photos in the last 12 months. 

5. Keep my home organized. Much better than a year ago.

6. Strip all the wood downstairs and pull the carpets! SO Amazing.

7. Create a history of the house. Nope.

8. Cook more yummy food and be a more focused cook. I'd say so.

9. Compile all of Grandma's recipes. Nope.

10. Get fit! Nope.

Seven out of 10 ain't bad! I'm quite proud of myself actually! Of course it's time for 11 in twenty11!

mine or from weheartit.com

11 in twenty11

  

1. Take an academic course.

2. Sew (crafty goodness!).

3. Run a (baby) triathalon.

4. Get a tattoo (or two).

5. (Look into) taking piano lessons.

6. Clean up and keep my computer organized (and blog reader).

7. Compile Grandma's recipes and history of my house.

8. Spend more time outside. 

9. Make and stick to a budget. 

10. Stick to a cleaning schedule.

11. Make more lists. (a list of lists?!)

hold me to 'em ya'll!! 

Two things I really liked from two of my favorite blogs.

At this point, I’m a little more than I thought I could be and a little less than I always dreamed I would be. -IndieJane 

... suddenly there's so very much that seems possible -wilybrunette

ps. I don't actually say ya'll or ain't in real life.