So I started working on my list of house goals the last week of December. I was thinking, yes we can totally budget for all of these things and slowly work toward some bigger goals (like painting the outside, and completely redoing the laundry aka "murder" closet outside. But I came to a realization this week.
Much like in Harry Potter, where the wand chooses the wizard....
THE HOUSE CHOOSES THE PROJECT.
Or so it seems with this house. For example, we did not want our first major project to be the hallway bathroom. But the bathtub and leaks demanded it. So we started. And I fully intend on that project being finished this year. But the house had other ideas.
Over the holidays, between Christmas and New Year's, our kitchen/dining area flooded. We were hoping we were quick enough and there would be minimal to no damage to the floors. The House said HA! Luckily, we have insurance.
So currently, we are staying at my mom's while our kitchen floors are being completely ripped out and dried. Then will begin the process of putting the floors back down. AND THEN, because our kitchen dining has open doorways to the hallway and living room, those will have to be refinished to match the kitchen. So EVERYTHING will have to be moved out.
Not the project I wanted to start the year off with. Not the project I wanted to do this year even. But here it is and we're rolling with it. I'm hoping the entire process will be done by the end of the month, but you never know, do you?
Is anyone else ready for spring cleaning? There's so much I want to get out of my house, and give it a good dusting. AND FINISH THE BATHROOM.
I'm feeling very Charlie Brown at the moment.
Sheesh.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Friday, 2 January 2015
Personal Goals 2015
I like the word "goal". You can cross it off. It has objective. Resolution always feel like you are trying to change something about yourself. And there are just some things you can't change. Or it's too hard, and then you end depressed. But a goal is something you work toward. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. So many fall off the resolution wagon as soon as there's a bump or mis-step, "I've already messed up so I'll give up". To me, goals don't feel that way. But maybe it's just word play? Whatever works for you....
So here's my goal list for 2015:
1. YEAR OF LUNCH- Lunch is a hard meal for me to figure out. I'm ashamed to say that we eat way too many PB&J sandwiches and Mac n' Cheese for lunch because I just can't figure it out. I know how to make big dinners, but small meals are a struggle. And also, I need to get Oz eating some different foods, because come fall he's going to be going to school until 2 and having lunch there. He will need some variety! So this year, I'm learning about lunch and expanding all of our tastes.
2. KNIT FOR MYSELF- Sounds simple doesn't it? But it's actually very hard because it always feels selfish. But this year I would like to make a few things for me. If I accomplish 2 things (that are not cowls or scarves) I will be very proud indeed.
3. RECONNECT WITH GREENVILLE- This one is HUGE for me. Once I left Greenville, I never saw myself coming back. Growing up, I couldn't wait to leave. Don't most people feel this way about where they grew up? And I made it to London, and I love London....I honestly thought I would never leave. To this day, I don't think there's a more beautiful site then seeing London at night. I was always grateful and thankful to be there...
O wait, I'm supposed to be talking about Greenville. Back on track... We moved to the States to be closer to family, and so the kids would grow up having a proper Halloween (that's right). But to be honest, I never got around to reconnecting with Greenville. I was always a bit embarrassed to say that's where I live, and lots of teen angsty scowling--from a 32 year old woman.
But the thing is, Greenville has changed so much since I left it. Downtown is COMPLETELY different and ever evolving. There's a lot to do here, a lot of great food to be eaten, a lot of independent businesses that are thriving. I need to enjoy it and embrace it. So that's what we're going to do!
4. CROSS STITCH--- I had a go at this during the summer and made half a lady bug. Now that Tilda is a bit older I think I may be able to actually sit down and do some. And with craft nights happening once a month, there's no reason not to give it a good try! Hopefully I won't suck and I can make ALL THE THINGS.
5. PAY OFF CREDIT CARDS- This could actually happen. In December I went ahead and transferred my balance to a one year, no interest, credit card, and after the one year it's a low interest rate. So that will help, for sure. Griff has his card he's paying down. I think we can do this! And he starts paying student loans this year, so the more debt that's out, the easier those payments will be to manage. OOF. Always paying something....
And of course, there's the always, LEARN TO SEW (why am I so afraid of that machine!?!), and CAMP MORE (actually possible now that Matilda is older and loves to be outside)...
Now our goals for our home, that's a separate list entirely, and one I will share shortly...
So here's my goal list for 2015:
1. YEAR OF LUNCH- Lunch is a hard meal for me to figure out. I'm ashamed to say that we eat way too many PB&J sandwiches and Mac n' Cheese for lunch because I just can't figure it out. I know how to make big dinners, but small meals are a struggle. And also, I need to get Oz eating some different foods, because come fall he's going to be going to school until 2 and having lunch there. He will need some variety! So this year, I'm learning about lunch and expanding all of our tastes.
2. KNIT FOR MYSELF- Sounds simple doesn't it? But it's actually very hard because it always feels selfish. But this year I would like to make a few things for me. If I accomplish 2 things (that are not cowls or scarves) I will be very proud indeed.
3. RECONNECT WITH GREENVILLE- This one is HUGE for me. Once I left Greenville, I never saw myself coming back. Growing up, I couldn't wait to leave. Don't most people feel this way about where they grew up? And I made it to London, and I love London....I honestly thought I would never leave. To this day, I don't think there's a more beautiful site then seeing London at night. I was always grateful and thankful to be there...
O wait, I'm supposed to be talking about Greenville. Back on track... We moved to the States to be closer to family, and so the kids would grow up having a proper Halloween (that's right). But to be honest, I never got around to reconnecting with Greenville. I was always a bit embarrassed to say that's where I live, and lots of teen angsty scowling--from a 32 year old woman.
But the thing is, Greenville has changed so much since I left it. Downtown is COMPLETELY different and ever evolving. There's a lot to do here, a lot of great food to be eaten, a lot of independent businesses that are thriving. I need to enjoy it and embrace it. So that's what we're going to do!
4. CROSS STITCH--- I had a go at this during the summer and made half a lady bug. Now that Tilda is a bit older I think I may be able to actually sit down and do some. And with craft nights happening once a month, there's no reason not to give it a good try! Hopefully I won't suck and I can make ALL THE THINGS.
5. PAY OFF CREDIT CARDS- This could actually happen. In December I went ahead and transferred my balance to a one year, no interest, credit card, and after the one year it's a low interest rate. So that will help, for sure. Griff has his card he's paying down. I think we can do this! And he starts paying student loans this year, so the more debt that's out, the easier those payments will be to manage. OOF. Always paying something....
And of course, there's the always, LEARN TO SEW (why am I so afraid of that machine!?!), and CAMP MORE (actually possible now that Matilda is older and loves to be outside)...
Now our goals for our home, that's a separate list entirely, and one I will share shortly...
The Book List 2014
It was a pretty good reading year, especially towards the last few month. Oz and Tilda are finally able to play together for longer stretches. I will grab a cup of (HOT!!!) tea, curl up my arm chair in the bedroom, and read, read, read, until someone needs me. And then I wait for the next read break. It's been pretty great. This year I also tried to review more of the things I read, so hopefully there will be more of that next year.
I also read a lot of comics, which filled in a lot of the numbers here. I also started listening to audio books and I'm obsessed. It's hard to listen to music in the car anymore if I have a good book to listen.
I set my Goodreads challenge for 50 and ending up going a bit over 60. So for 2015 we are aiming for 75!
1. You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs
2 Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult- hated this one. Just awful.
3.Y the Last Man: Ring of Truth vol 5 by Brian K Vaughan - I started this series, but I have yet to finish it. My library system doesn't carry the whole of it, I was tired of waiting for it on ILL, so I've decided to start buying it. But it's going slowly.
4. Catwoman Vol 1; The Game by Judd Winick- This is the NEW 52 run of Catwoman and I hated it. I was very uncomfortable with how young they made her. She was too much sex kitten and not enough bad ass in total control.
5.Y the Last Man: Girl on Girl
6. Glamping with Mary Jane: Glamour + Camping by Mary Jane Butters
7. Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, from Cleopatra to Princess Di
by Kris Waldherr --Some interesting info, but the writing was a bit dry. I enjoyed the illustrations.
8. Damned by Chuck Palahniuk-- after some awful recent books, I was *really* pleased by this one and enjoyed it from start to finish. Look forward to reading the sequel this year.
9. Wonder Woman Vol 1 Blood by Brian Azzarello
10. Y the Last Man vol 7: Paper Dolls by Brian Vaughan
11. Walking Dead vol 17 Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman
12. Walking Dead vol 18 What Comes After by Robert Kirkman
13. Batman Vol 1 Court of Owls by Scott Snyder
14. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman- LOVED IT. BOUGHT IT. Trying to get everyone to read it. It was an instant new favorite.
15. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
16. Miss American Pie: A Diary of Love, Secrets and Growing up in the 1970s by Margaret Sartor
17. Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (audio book)- So hilarious to listen to!
18. Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music by Marisa Meltzer
19. Y the Last Man vol 8: Kimono Dragons by Brian Vaughan
20.Batman Vol 2 City of Owls by Scott Snyder
21. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (audio book)- Another fantastic listen.
22. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (audio book)
23. Walking Dead vol 19: March to War by Robert Kirkman
24. Batman Vol 3 Death of the Family by Scott Snyder
25. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - Another new favorite! Thank you to my friend Christie for urging me to read it this year. It was brilliant.
26.Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr.
27. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (audio book)- This was the first one I read that was not narrated by the author. And with audio books the narrator makes or breaks it. I was hesitant to read this book because of the "spider" aspect of it...but the narrator is fantastic and made it a great experience to listen to this book.
28. The Dark Tower; The Gunslinger by Stephen King- this was drawn from my book jar this year! Griff adores this series, and I've always been hesitant to start. I'll admit, it was tough to get through. But I'm not giving up on the series!
29. Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower
30. Wonder Woman vol 2 Guts by Brian Azzarello
31. Salem's Lot by Stephen King (audio book)- I was so happy that the audio adaptation was good!
32. The Good Body by Eve Ensler (audio book)- Absolute fucking garbage. This is total white feminism at it's privileged worse. It made me insanely angry. If you enjoyed the Vagina Monologues, do not ruin it for yourself by listening (reading) to this one.
33. Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth: New Poems by Alice Walker
34. Mistress by Mistake by Kim Lawrence- I had a go at reading a Harlequin Romance for a summer reading challenge and it was awful. Just not sexy at all. Disappointing!
35. How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto- I love the film, the book was equally good.
36. Batgirl Vol 2: Knight fall Descends by Gail Simone
37. Wonder Woman Vol 3 Iron by Brian Azzarello
38. Batman HUSH vol 1 by Jeph Loeb - Loved it. Bought it.
39. Wonder Woman Vol 4 War by Brian Azzarello
40. Batman Private Casebook by Paul Dini- I have no memories of this one, so it can't have been that good.
41. Night of the Living Dead: Behind the Scenes of the most Terrifying Zombie Movie Ever by Joe Kane-- pretty interesting.
42. Batman Vol 2 HUSH by Jeph Loeb
43. Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald
44. Batman R.I.P by Grant Morrison
45. LARGE PRINT (Unshelved #8) by Bill Barnes--library humor. Love it.
46. Batman The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb -favorite
47. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
48. Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
49. The Stand by Stephen King (audio book)- I had heard this was a good one, and I enjoyed it, but it was great. I was glad that I had already read the book years ago, because I did tend to drift in and out but had a good idea of where I was.
50. Smile by Raina Telgemeier
51. The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman
52. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut
53. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes - possibly made me love one of my favorite movie even more.
54. Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch
55. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
56. A Matter of Life by Jeffery Brown
57. Rooms by Lauren Oliver- It was supposed to be a ghost story, but it was just crap. Absolute crap.
58. Thanksgiving by Sam Sifton
59. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (audio book)- This was my other favorite for the year. I was never interested in sitting down to read this one. But my co-worker had listened to it, so I decided to give it a go and I was instantly hooked. The narrator and this story are MAGIC. I would find myself looking for excuses to drive, or sit in the car, so I could just listen.
60. Batman: Gotham Underground by Frank Tieri- didn't like it.
61. Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
62. Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween by Melissa Atkins Wardy- You can see my previous blog about this one.
63. How to Build A Girl by Caitlin Moran- LOVE. LAUGH OUT LOUD. LOVE. I'm such a fangirl over Caitlin Moran.
64. The Art Of Asking: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer- I am such a fan of hers, and I was not disappointed in this book at all. I cried several times, I couldn't tear myself away from it. Must get it to add to my home collection.
WHEW. That was a lot of typing. I'm quite impressed with this list *pats self on back*. I'm ready for 2015!
Thursday, 1 January 2015
NYE
I love this silly holiday.
I love the anticipation of a New Year and what it could bring. Sure, there's going to be some hard times and struggles and some months are going to be a total beat down. BUT there's that glimmer that some awesome things are coming too.
I can't tell you the last time Griff and I went out for New Years. For as long as I can remember now, we stay at home and watch Twilight Zone and maybe cook, but we definitely play a game or 2 of Scrabble. Right now I'm waiting for the kids to settle and be asleep so we can start a game. Tradition, it can be a beautiful thing.
I also seem to blog the most in the New Year. Last year was a great year, blog wise. I'm hoping I can post more this year *fingers crossed*. I just have to make myself. I'm online enough, so it shouldn't kill me to blog a bit more.
I also love the New Year because it means lists. Goals, To-Do's, and my favorite- sharing the book list (so you'll be seeing what I read 2014 tomorrow!). I started my goals for 2015 and realized I want to get a lot done in the house. So I think GOALS and HOUSE GOALS are going to be 2 separate things.
So tomorrow is the day of LISTS and putting away Christmas decorations.
I love the anticipation of a New Year and what it could bring. Sure, there's going to be some hard times and struggles and some months are going to be a total beat down. BUT there's that glimmer that some awesome things are coming too.
I can't tell you the last time Griff and I went out for New Years. For as long as I can remember now, we stay at home and watch Twilight Zone and maybe cook, but we definitely play a game or 2 of Scrabble. Right now I'm waiting for the kids to settle and be asleep so we can start a game. Tradition, it can be a beautiful thing.
I also seem to blog the most in the New Year. Last year was a great year, blog wise. I'm hoping I can post more this year *fingers crossed*. I just have to make myself. I'm online enough, so it shouldn't kill me to blog a bit more.
I also love the New Year because it means lists. Goals, To-Do's, and my favorite- sharing the book list (so you'll be seeing what I read 2014 tomorrow!). I started my goals for 2015 and realized I want to get a lot done in the house. So I think GOALS and HOUSE GOALS are going to be 2 separate things.
So tomorrow is the day of LISTS and putting away Christmas decorations.
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