Currently... May 2019

Hi there! Has 2019 been flying by for you? Last month was a blur, especially because I spent half of the month sick - I honestly can't remember what was happening while I was so out of sorts. I'm feeling better and trying to get back into the groove of things. Here's what is going on with me (at least for now!)

WATCHING: Cars 2
I've told you before how our daughter loves Cars. For her birthday, she asked for Cars 2 and Cars 3 (we had been watching Cars 3 on Netflix and the original Cars on DVD, but had never seen the second movie). Let me tell you, Cars 2 was a winner! She loves the fact that they travel, especially when they go to Japan, and loves the spy movie action. It's a favorite around our house. 

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READING: Little People Big Dreams Board Books
Our daughter loves to read. She takes two books to bed with her every night and "reads" in bed until we tell her lights out. We've collected a few books from the Little People Big Dreams board book series and they are currently her favorites. She asks us to read them to her constantly, offers to read them to us, and always has two of them stacked next to her bed. The illustrations are mesmerizing and the stories are engaging. They have been a huge hit around here and we are excited to add to our collection!

LISTENING: to Young House Love has a Podcast
I've been a long-time fan of YHL; in fact, I used to read their blog back when they were "This Young House!" I always enjoy their podcast antics and love hearing what they are up to. 

EATING: mini marshmallows

Somehow our daughter is convinced that mini marshmallows are a "special treat" so we munch on them as dessert after dinner on days that she has good table manners. They are so special to her that they are on front and center display in our glass cabinet. Being three must be so joyful!

DRINKING: various teas
I finished off my favorite English Rose Tea that I shared with you previously and now am on the hunt for a new favorite. I've just been trying out whatever sparks my interest, but haven't found anything quite as lovely yet.

WEARING: a lot of black
You know I love black. I've been reading The Curated Closet, which has encouraged me to feel even more comfortable wearing what I love. 

MAKING: wedding signs
I've been working on some weddings programs, menus, signs, and more for a good friend who will be married at the end of the month. I am so loving how everything is turning out so far!

PLANNING: to fix up the blog
I know this blog is due for some major updates. Now that I'm sort-of back to blogging regularly, I think I really need to get to it!

TRYING: essential oils
I really have no idea what I am doing, but we have recently started trying this OK for Kids essential oil line and our daughter just loves it. She loves to put "beach on her feet" as part of her after-bath routine. 

WANTING: to write some better posts

I may be being hard on myself, but I honestly haven't had many blog-worthy moments. I'm trying to get back into the groove of things so that I can share some of my life but it's honestly just as exciting as I've been able to share. Haha. I've been cleaning out some photos and such and found some stuff that I never had a chance to blog about, so I'm hoping to find time to share some blasts from the past. Stay tuned :)

FEELING: curious...
I've started to become more and more interested in Instagram. I don't really do any social media, but I keep getting drawn to various IG accounts. I'm thinking I should join at the very least so that I can follow some of my favorites... What do you think? Should I make the plunge? Or is it too dangerous? Will I never look up from my phone again? LOL!

ENJOYING: "art projects" with our girly

Recently, our daughter has been carrying armloads of papers, stickers, and all sorts of other goodies, and says "Are you ready to do an art project?!" They mostly consist of drawing something, adding stickers,and taping pieces or paper (or sometimes whole notepads) together. I love her spirit and she inspires me to want to do REAL art projects with her soon!

Hope your year has been enjoyable so far. I still can't believe it is May already! What's new with you? Do share!

Six Books

Hello! I promise that I haven't gone missing... I've just been sick for the past couple of weeks and it has been kicking my butt! We are finally on Spring Break and I've been able to rest a bit. I'm back today with an update on my 19 for 2019.

It doesn't seem too long ago that I posted about finally finishing my 4 books for my 18 for 2018 project. This year, I challenged myself to read 6 books. And I'm done!

Remember when I told you I wasn't really a reader? Guess what! I've become a reader! Granted, I mostly read kids books, but I'm reading... In fact, I finished one of these books in 3 days. THREE days! It used to take me an eternity to finish a book. And here I am a quarter of the way into the year, having read 6 (actually 9) books.

Here's what I've read so far:

Book 1. 

The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story

by Marie Kondo

I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of Marie Kondo. I decided to read the manga version earlier in the year. It was a fun and quick read. From a marketing standpoint, it's pretty brilliant, since you can basically understand the whole method without reading the full book. 

Book 2.

As Old as Time: A Twisted Tale

by Liz Braswell

I can't tell you enough how much I love this series. I'm sorry if you're tired of hearing it. What amazes me is that each book is written in its own unique way. I can't explain. You'll have to pick them up and read them for yourselves!

Book 3. 

Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff

by Myquillyn Smith

I got this from the library on a whim. I wanted something to read while I figured out what I wanted to read next. I used to follow The Nester's blog when we lived in our apartment and always enjoyed her outlook of looking for temporary fixes in our temporary home. I really like the way she talks about the order of making a room in this book. I've always wanted a rug in my space, but now I'm desperately needing one in our home! 

Book 4.

The Magic Misfits

by Neil Patrick Harris

I like Neil Patrick Harris and was curious to see what his book would entail. It is exactly what I would expect from him - the magic, the humor - it's all very him. Hahaha.

Book 5. 

Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen

by Serena Valentino

You know I love a good twisted fairy tale, so I was excited to read this one. It was more of a pre-quel and a glimpse into the life of the villain. This one had me on an emotional roller coaster in an unexpected way!


Book 6.
Better than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits
by Gretchen Rubin

I'm a fan of Gretchen Rubin's podcast, Happier, which prompted me to read her book, The Happiness Project, last year. My hubby actually gifted me with The Four Tendencies for Christmas, but I wanted to read Better than Before first.

Other Books I've Read:
These are other books that I've read cover to cover. I just didn't include them in my official list because of the format of the book. Clearly I'm into home organization and decorating right now!

The Complete Book of Home Organization 

by Toni Hammersly

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals
by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin


The Adventures of Robin Hood
by Roger Lancelyn Green

So this is a real novel, but the reason why it didn't make my official list is because I didn't read it for myself. Most evenings, we read a few pages from a classic novel to our daughter. She is amazingly interested and our novel collection is growing. We love these Puffin Classics because they look so beautiful on our bookshelf.

So there you have it!

The six, no, NINE books I've read so far this year. Perhaps I will be back again with an update of even more books... What have you been reading and loving lately?

19 for 2019 Progress

It's April, which means it's time for me to share my progress on my 19 for 2019 list!

1. Be the ultimate villain
I'm making good progress on this one! I only have 2 more villains to go - Captain Hook & Jafar. But did you see that there is an expansion pack?!? So excited for more villain goodness...

progress: 67%

2. Get a mani/pedi
I'm currently working on growing out my nails. They were kind of a mess and kept splitting during the winter months. They are finally growing again!
progress: 0%

3. Replace clothing basics
I haven't quite started this yet, although I've kind of started to mentally take inventory of what I need to replace

progress: 1%?

4. Make a capsule wardrobe

I mentioned that I've done a lot of purging of my closet and I'm living with just a handful of favorites right now, but it's not an official capsule wardrobe. Recently while we are in the middle of weird spring weather (you know the days that are cold, but not so cold that you need all the layers) I sometimes feel like I don't have enough clothes... I might have to rethink some of my options here.
progress: 0%

5. Read 6 new books

I've been on a reading frenzy lately and am already halfway through my sixth book!
progress: 83%

6. Find a planner I like and use it

I've been super busy at work so I haven't had a chance to even think about this. For now, I'm still using Office365 and using it the best that I can.
progress: 0%

7. Make a home binder

I've actually started putting things together in a binder. I'm still trying to test things out and then need to finish labeling stuff. So far it has been really nice keeping everything together!
progress: 50%

8. Fix or replace something old in our house

Nothing yet...
progress: 0%

9. Sell some stuff on ebay

My hubby and I have been working on this and we have already sold some items and we're still going strong! Since I set my bar low and the goal was just to sell SOME stuff, I'm happy to announce that I've officially checked this one off my list!

DONE!

10. Get a new plant

nope.
progress: 0%

11. Decorate the play room

While we're still in the midst of selling stuff on ebay, we've been using the play room area as a sort of sorting and staging area... Eventually we'll be able to take back the play room and decorate it!
progress: 0%

12. Hang up artwork and photos

I made a little print for my husband for our anniversary and we hung it up right away. Other than that, we haven't hung up anything else, although we have some plans...
progress: 10%

13. Organize photos

Nothing yet...
progress: 0%

14. Make 2018 photo books

I'm about halfway done with one of them, so hooray for progress! Not sure how many photo books I had intended to make, but I'm going to go with two - one for the year and one for our Disney trip.
progress: 20%??

15. Update our family blog
I recently went on there and updated the format of the blog. I think I'm liking it...? More updates will be made soon!

progress: 50%ish

16. Make a quilt
I haven't touched it yet!

progress: 0%

17. Try a no spend challenge

Hmm... I should start thinking about this one soon...
progress: 0%

18. Save an extra $500

Since selling stuff on ebay, I'm happy to say we've put the extra money in the bank already!
DONE!

19. Take a vacation

We just bought our tickets for our trip to Japan, so it's official!
progress: Can I count that as 25%?

So there you have it! My progress so far this year. I feel like I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I was last year. How is your list coming along?