Author: Kathleen

what i read : july to september 2014

Still not a ton of books for the past few months, but my reading has been picking up again lately! I’m excited to write more about books here going forward.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – What can I even say about this book? It’s an epic western and totally deserving of its Pulitzer. The characters were amazing. Even when nothing was really “happening” I just enjoyed their company. Lots of it I found funny, but then suddenly something very dark and sad would happen. It left me with an ache that is hard to describe. (5 stars)

Dark Hope by Monica McGurk – Kind of a Twilight knockoff only with angels & demons. A bit boring in parts, but the female lead was strong without being stupid and afraid without being a victim. Full review here. (2 stars)

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty – I have discovered that there is a type of “chick lit” that I like, and it is the kind written by Liane Moriarty. There are a lot of heavy topics addressed here, but it is still somehow a fairly light and easy read. I really enjoyed the characters and it felt smart and witty. The way she ends chapters makes you want to keep reading. There was a huge moral dilemma presented, and although it worked out in a way that probably never would have happened in real life, it got me thinking. (4 stars)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver – I had to force myself to read past the first chapter because the teen girls it focuses on (including the main character, Sam) were really the worst. I’m glad I pushed through, because as Sam relives the same day of her life seven times (no explanation for why, which kind of bugs me, but whatever) she changes and we see her friends in a new way as well. There are obvious morals here, but they are good ones. (4 stars)

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares – This was a fast and fun read, but plot-driven to a fault, I think. The scenes were choppy and neither the characters nor the setting were fleshed out in any meaningful way. But still a nice mix of time travel, dystopia, and teen romance. (3 stars)

The House Girl by Tara Conklin – Excellent writing and descriptiveness. I enjoyed the back and forth chapters between characters (one modern-day young lawyer, one slave house girl from the 1800’s). Not something that sucks you in right away, but I found myself immersed in it before long. (4 stars)

October 2, 2014
project life 2014 : weeks 37 – 38

With this Project Life spread I feel like I’m back in the groove and inspired again. I love the way it turned out.

As mentioned in my last update, I haven’t been happy with my spreads lately, and I realized the reason was because I was trying to cram too many photos in. It ended up feeling busy and chaotic with very little room for journaling or white space.

I thought about going to weekly spreads, but decided against it for this year. The answer for me right now is to simply include less photos. I had been putting in almost every single cute pic of my kids just because it was hard not to. But I realized that I only need one or two of them to tell our story. If I ever really need to see more cute pics of my kids I can look at the digital photos.

So I love this spread because it has more photos of things that aren’t my kids – because my life is so much more than just them. Hmm does that sound bad? Well it’s true!

I also love that this page seems to be able to “breathe” more than the others lately, and that I got to write down a little bit more of the story.

So! This was from September 8 – 21. It’s actually kind of ironic how calm the spread turned out considering it was kind of a stressful time for me. David sick, Meredith acting out, stressed with work stuff.

I’m glad I got to include my fall goals list. I like to be able to look back and see what I was thinking and striving for at that time. By the way, I got my handwriting on that photo using an iPad, a stylus, and the Skitch app. Super fun and I’ll be doing more of it.

Have you noticed that some of my corners are rounded and some aren’t? I thought it would bother me, but it really doesn’t. I still like using the core kit cards when they fit the spread, and those come rounded. I like the square corners in general though, and I like not spending the time to round them.

I love this picture of all the kids from our church life group crowded around our little kitchen table. Meredith is by far the youngest here but she wanted to be right there with them.

This little journaling card gives a pretty good overview of the whole two weeks. Even though I include each week’s events on a day-to-day basis, sometimes you miss the overall feeling without room to tie it all together.

I’m so happy to be back on target with this project! I even converted another woman at my church to give it a go. Sometimes I feel like an unofficial ambassador for it. :)

p.s. – my project life process and some tips

October 1, 2014
3 quick things i’m doing to get in the mood for fall

This post has been sponsored, but as always (for good or bad) all the content is my own.

I am so excited that it’s almost October. Except for the fact that it’s crazy how fast this year has gone by, I’m pretty happy that the summer is really truly behind us. October is when we usually get our first real cool front. October is our wedding anniversary (six years on Friday). October kicks off the holiday season which I love. The traditions, the rituals, the anticipation, the fact that most of it centers around the home…it’s all designed to make me happy. Me personally. It’s like with Lorelai and snow…and if you know what I’m talking about you know what I mean, and also I love you.

The point is, I’m really trying to maximize my enjoyment of the seasons and especially fall. Because as much as I love the holidays, I don’t like being cold so I’m not particularly welcoming the arrival of winter. But because I’m a working mom with a million personal projects on my brain, I’m starting with these few easy ways to get in the mood. Then if I find myself with some extra time and inspiration I might take on another seasonal project – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Here are the three things I’m doing now, and because of the awesome blogger that I am I even alliterated them.

Scarves & shoes

So many people love fall fashion, right? I know I do, because of the coziness factor. In reality, though, I’m still wearing my summer capsule wardrobe 95% of the time because it’s still so hot here. I’m also not sure that I’ll have the funds to put together a full autumn capsule wardrobe this year. In the meantime I find that lightweight scarves turn my summer outfits into fall-ish with hardly any effort. Now I need to collect a few more!

The same idea applies to shoes. I’ve started swapping out my Tevas for my Toms, and my sandals for my moccasins. Not a big deal, but still makes a difference.

Switch out decor

Alright let’s not get crazy here. I don’t have a ton of fall decorations, although I’m trying to add a little each year. For me this is going to look like framing the above cross stitch sampler to hang, putting up a pine cone garland and making small changes to the mantel, and maybe even finally getting some throw pillows for our couch.

Scent

The last thing is probably the best and easiest, and it’s just to make the house smell super good all the time. I always forget how much I love candles until I light one again and then I’m immediately happier. Next time you’re in the air care aisle grab a $5 candle and treat yourself.

I’m also a fan of the regular old plug-ins. Using them means the house will smell good when I walk in from being gone all day. They are also strong enough to fill our whole living room, and I don’t have to worry about the open flame issue.

So that’s my plan, what’s yours?

September 30, 2014
race report : just run for a just cause (my first 10k!)

You guys, things have been so crazy the past few weeks. I’m ready for some normalcy! Over the weekend David spent a night and a day in the hospital getting IV antibiotics and being evaluated. He just wasn’t getting over his pneumonia as an outpatient and it needed to be taken care of (he’s been sick almost three weeks now). He was admitted late Saturday night but got to come home Sunday evening, thankfully.

On Friday I got a migraine while at work. I was the only nurse there and it was awful. I used to get migraines as a kid but I hadn’t had one in almost ten years until last month when I had strep, and now again this month. I hope this is not going to become a thing again! Anyway, some nurses from another department helped me out on Friday while I was so sick, and my mom came to pick me up because I couldn’t drive. Thankfully I felt better that evening and got a good night’s sleep.

I was worried that I would feel hungover the next day from such an intense headache because I was determined to run this 10k! I actually felt well though, and despite rushing to get myself and the kids there on time, it was a good morning.

This race was put on by a large local church and the funds raised went to fight human trafficking. My parents came to do the 1-mile family walk and they pushed the kids in their strollers. My brother and sister-in-law also ran the 10k, and I ran the first 5k with my running buddy Joanna from church.

I am so happy and proud to have finished the 10k with no walking and a negative split. The first 5k went by super fast since Joanna and I were talking the whole time. The second 5k I was alone because we had drifted from my brother and sister-in-law, but it was fine. I was able to push myself a bit more. The weather was overcast and cool-ish so I didn’t even need sunglasses. At the very end I was definitely pushing myself (I just wanted to finish) – my legs and lungs felt great but my stomach was reaching the point where I had to be careful or might have thrown up. :) Thankfully that didn’t happen and my family was waiting for me at the finish line!

Official results

Time: 1:06:32
Pace: 10:45/mile
Overall place: 160/238
Age group place: 17/35

After walking out my crampy muscles we were able to enjoy the free smoothies and coffee. There was a big inflatable slide that Meredith had fun on. And then we went back to my parents’ house for a big breakfast and more family time.

I am so grateful that my migraine didn’t come back. My hips and legs were sore, but stretching helped a lot. I was able to get a bunch of chores done, and then later that night was when David went to the hospital. I was awake until after 1:00 a.m. that night, and up early with the kids on Sunday. Looking forward to some normalcy soon, but this race was definitely the highlight of my weekend. Lots of fun and a great cause!

September 29, 2014
link roundup / 15

Today I’m sharing some stuff I found around the internet. Enjoy!

>The four different levels of relationships, and what that means. Kind of an aha! moment here.

>A new blog I found! If you like my blog, I’m guessing you’ll like hers too. :)

>Where to buy fabric online.

>Books you should read based on your high school favorite.

>Another great reminder that slowing down is good sometimes. I could so relate to this!

>And another link from Anne Bogel (love her): An autumn reading guide. What’s on your to-read list this season? I’ll be sharing mine soon!

>I really like this idea to plan your capsule wardrobe using Polyvore! Might give it a try.

September 27, 2014