Finished up 2014! Even though this time period included Christmas I didn’t even do an insert because I will be putting together a holiday minibook (eventually). I really just wanted to get this done, and I did.
I definitely didn’t feel like doing an end page but I hated the look of the empty page protectors, so I did this. And now I’m thinking I might do something similar for my 2015 title page because I really don’t have time to get creative or take additional photos just for that. We’ll see!
I meant to post this last week, but totally forgot! So here’s the reading I did in the last three months of 2014, and tomorrow I’m going to talk more about my reading plans for this year.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – I loved the friendship between the four main characters and they were each so well-drawn. The setting was a character in itself. I was really into the mystery aspect and the way hints were dropped along the way was well done. I didn’t try to guess the end so when the truth came out I had to reorient and then the book became even better to me. Hard not to immediately re-read. (4 stars)
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell – Quick, fun, witty, feel-good. (4 stars)
Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka – I could have read more books this quarter if I hadn’t tackled this one. I had to read it slowly and take notes. If you have a spirited child, the typical parenting advice just doesn’t cut it. I needed serious help, and this was it. I now understand so much more of why my daughter acts the way she does. My attitude is better (although not perfect). I have more patience (but I still lose it). And I have a ton of strategies to try. Some of them have worked immediately. Some will take longer to have effect. Some I am still processing, but I am so grateful to have a plan. (5 stars)
The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salmon Rushdie – I started this for book club, but only made it 100 pages in before it was due back at the library and I chose not to renew it. The writing was excellent and I usually love generational sagas, but this was just SO dense. Hardly any dialogue with a lot of obscure references that I’m sure are symbolic and smart but I just don’t have the mental capacity for this type of book right now, and that’s okay.
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson – I think I might have a mental block against giving “lighter” books 5 stars but I am breaking through that with this book. I adored the characters and how the humor wasn’t at their expense. Reading this gave me a happy, warm feeling – like I was curled up next to a cozy fire. (5 stars)
Yes Please by Amy Poehler – I highly recommend the audio version of this book, as you feel like you are just hanging out with Amy and she’s telling you funny and sweet stories. There are also some off the cuff parts and extra voices that add a lot to the performance. Parts of this I laughed out loud to, and parts I just nodded along with knowingly. Mostly it was just really entertaining and interesting to listen to. (4 stars)
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson – Begins with a tragedy, but somehow doesn’t feel tragic. I loved getting to know these characters and the ending was hopeful. (4 stars)
Here are my first set of monthly goals for the year! I am choosing one goal for each of six categories that I want to make progress in. As I wrote about in my personal planning post, these do not include big, serious subjects (like health, spirituality, finances, etc.) but are nonessential tweaks I want to make to add happiness to my life. I think they will also help me on my journey to feeling light.
Nagging task: Clean the car
I keep my car fairly uncluttered and don’t leave trash in there, but I’m not the only one who drives it and lugging around two kids just begs for crumbs and random toys to be left in there.
Purchase: Running gear
I have one half marathon this month and one next month. After that I am going to continue running 5k’s and 10k’s. My plan is to run about three times per week: 3-4 miles twice on weekdays, and 6-7 miles on the weekend. Then I want to cross train at least once a week at my work gym.
Basically, I want running to be a regular part of my life and having the right gear will make it a lot easier. I got a pair of Lululemon running pants for Christmas and they are amazing. I have good shoes, socks, and headbands. What I would like to add is a long-sleeved shirt and possibly a hydration belt. (In the future I also want to get a good jacket and tank tops for summer, but I can’t do that all at once.)
Style & Beauty: Make a list of items needed for cold-weather wardrobe
This winter I’ve been wearing what I already own, with no new purchases. I’m not calling it a real “capsule wardrobe” because there are for sure holes in it, but I’ve been making do in order to save money and know what I really need. I want to have a solid list so that I can pick up things when there are sales. (Also, my goal is to only buy ethically-made clothing from here on out, so if you know of any great companies let me know.)
Leisure: Read three books
I would love to read more this year. Currently I’m nearing the end of The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is on deck because I have it from the library. I’m listening to Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Our January book club pick is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I’m hoping that at least three of these will get finished this month.
Also, I’m going to participate in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2015 reading challenge. It looks like just the kind of fun, low-stress thing I’ll enjoy!
Memory-keeping: Complete Monday in Week in the Life album
This is such a small goal for all the memory-keeping I want to do, but I’m hoping if I can complete Monday in this project I’ll get on a roll and keep going. I’m also hoping to finish up our 2014 Project Life album and keep up to date with 2015, do a first birthday scrapbook for Liam, and begin my One Little Word album.
Blogging: Choose fonts
I have decided some things about blogging: I want it to be a regular part of my life, I want to do it as well as possible for this time of my life, and I want it to remain a hobby. There are some things that I want to update and tweak and nail down, one of those being the graphics for posts. I keep using different fonts because I can’t ever decide what I really like, so I want to choose 3 fonts that I will use regularly and that will make it much easier for me.
I’m having fun with this kinds of goals already! Look for an update on how I did when I introduce February’s goals. Have an awesome week!
Happy Friday! The kids and I have had a fun (although lacking in sleep and too quick) trip to see friends and we are headed home today to settle back into routine. We have a busy January but after that I’m hopeful things will calm down!
My memory-keeping projects are all still in progress. I’m on track with Project Life, but this weekend I need to wrap up 2014’s album and put together a title page for 2015. I am slowly working on my Week in the Life album, and I plan to share each day here as I complete it. Once that is done I’m going to work on my December Daily album. If it’s summertime before that one gets finished I might just wait till next year to share it. :)
Anyway! Here is a spread from the first two weeks of December. Since I am doing a specific holiday minibook, I mainly included everyday life stuff here.
Not a whole lot to say about it!
So that’s that! Happy new year to everyone; be safe and have fun. :)
As I’ve mentioned a few times already, this year I am taking part in Ali Edwards’ class One Little Word. I have been following Ali for years so I’ve been familiar with her approach of taking on a word to help guide your intentions for the year, but I never felt compelled to do it myself until now.
A couple of months ago I was going for a run around my neighborhood and listening to a podcast – I am pretty sure it was this one where Jess Lively interviewed Ali. They were talking about the one little word concept and all of a sudden the word LIGHT popped into my head. It felt very clear and I just knew at that moment that in 2015 I would choose a word and it would be light.
Months later, and I don’t feel exactly the same as I did that day but I am still certain of my word. It is extremely multi-faceted; it can be a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb and it has dozens of definitions. Here are the ones that spoke to me most:
>something that makes vision possible
>spiritual illumination
>bright and airy
>cheerful, intended to entertain
>gentle
>capable of moving swiftly or nimbly
>to take fire
>with little baggage
I am entering this project openly, not knowing what to expect. Some of those definitions I want to bring into my life literally. Some are figurative. I don’t have a set plan for my word because I just want it to guide me and be an inspiration, but right now I have a few thoughts:
I want to be a light. I am thinking of this in spiritual terms, mainly. One thing I will be doing to enhance this is to take part in Beth Moore’s scripture memory program. I will be memorizing one verse every two weeks for the next year, and all of the verses I’ve chosen have to do with light in some way. Jesus is the ultimate light, I want more of him in my life, and I want that to be evident to those around me.
I want to feel lighthearted. This is kind of vague, and so not a measurable goal. That’s why this exercise is different for me. But for the last couple of months I’ve struggled with getting bogged down with stuff that really doesn’t matter and I’ve felt grumpy. My attitude lately has been better, but I still want to take action on some things that are weighing me down. For example, my one big goal for the year is to reduce our debt. There are also a bunch of nagging tasks that I want to take care of. Our home isn’t very cluttered, but I definitely want to keep the “stuff” from overwhelming us.
I want to choose light. I want to be gentle in my parenting and my dealings with others. I want to read more entertaining books and watch more funny videos. I want to keep running and get faster. I want to get outside more and see the sun.
As a part of Ali’s class there will be monthly prompts and I’ll be putting together an album that is part scrapbook, part journal. My plan is to share it, along with how I’m interacting with the word LIGHT on a monthly basis. I’ve also ordered a necklace with my word stamped on it, and I can’t wait to wear it every day to keep it visible to me.
I would love to know if you’ve done anything similar to this in the past, and how it affected you. I am excited to see where it leads!