The Sunday Salon #39

Listening To: Enjoying the last of the Christmas music, although our local radio channels just play the same 20 Christmas songs over and over.  I have to retreat to my iPod.  I really wish we had Sirius in the cars.  The Indie Christmas channel is just awesome.

Book finished: The Selfish Gene, Batman: Earth One Preview, The Magician King, The Son of Neptune

Reading: None; taking a break for family activities and Christmas.  Will resume my reading with the start of 2013.

On the Nightstand: January 2013 reads

From the kitchen: Since I'm at my mom's house, I'm not cooking.  But I did make sure to stop by the store and pick up some interesting wine for us.  I'll let you know if it was any good.  And I'm planning on making an appetizer of baked brie, caramel, and pecans for Christmas Eve dinner.

On the Web: Reading all the year end book blogger posts and getting ideas for next year's reading challenge.  I think I've finalized my list.

Watching: Whatever my mom and stepdad are watching, which means a lot of sports and reality shows.  I may have to retreat into my bedroom and pop on some scifi or Doctor Who just because.  Maybe the boys' will join me for some Doctor Who.

Wondering: If we will have a white Christmas?  It's been awhile since it snowed on Christmas and didn't just turn into slush or sheets of ice.

From Nature: I'm really not liking the cold.  I want to go back to my climate of 50s in December.

Shopping Scores: I finished my Christmas shopping on Thursday, just in time to miss the crazed last minute shoppers and trying to do it with the boys around.  I did have to enter Toys R Us and the mall, but it wasn't that bad.  I entered the mall right where I needed to go (I actually remembered where the store is) and got in and out within 15 minutes.  Pretty good time.

Project: The boys and I have tie dye shirts and Christmas cards to make.  We're planning on doing them today, but who knows.  I wonder how this will go.

The Sunday Salon #38

Listening To: After the Not So Silent Night concert last week, I finally downloaded the Imagine Dragons cd.  And I absolutely loved it!  I'm so disappointed that I missed them performing at the concert.  Anyway, the cd has been put into regular rotation.

And of course, I am have been playing the crap out of Christmas music.  Although I make sure to do it when J's at work.  I only have a few weeks left before it becomes awkward.

Book finished: Active Liberty, Blue, Minigami, The Green Book, The White Pearl, Suite Francaise

Reading: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.  I hope to finish it before leaving for Christmas...

On the Nightstand: Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, The Magician King by Lev Grossman, and January 2013 reads.

MakingLists: My TBR list for 2013.  I'm determined to read from my personal hoard instead of the library or buying new books.  I am well over 100 books so far...

On the Web:  I'm loving all the Best Of lists and Christmas carol posts.  The Holidays are such a fun time in the blogging community.

Crafting: I had a fun intimate card class on Thursday.  My last for 2012.  We made two adorable Christmas cards (I seriously am stealing the abstract tree idea) and two Christmas crafts (stocking stuffer and wine bottle label.

And I finally got around to making some romance/love/Valentine's Day cards to sell in the shop.  I really love the "Love You" with the typewriter one...

Watching: Stargate Universe S2, Lie to Me S2, The West Wing S5, and J got me to start Star Trek S1.

Wondering: How am I going to shove all this crap into my suitcase?  It's the same question that I had a few weeks ago.  I know I'll figure everything out by Tuesday, but I still get nervous right before traveling.

From Nature: The cooler temperatures and grayer skies are pushing me into the winter depression...  But it's not that bad.  I will still take temperatures in the 50s over the 20s any day.  I'm just a bit cold... I really need a new large sweatshirt (something from the men's department).

Shopping Scores: Christmas gift shopping of course.  I won't reveal what they are, but I am excited to say that I am almost finished.  I just need to grab a gift for my family secret santa and one more thing for the boys.  J and I exchanged gifts last night as we won't be seeing each other for the holidays.  He loved his two new shirts (Spanish Inquisition and the Winchester Tavern) and the summer sausage pack.  He got me a beautiful little dragonfly necklace with blue and purple crystals.  I love it!  Now I need to go pack it to take with me to Indiana.

Project: Packing...  It's a process for me.  I usually start about a week in advance collating things to take.  Then I have to pull almost all of my clothes from the closet to start making outfits.  I finally narrow those down to a manageable number (8 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, two dresses, underwear, socks, couple of sweaters, pjs, and accessories).  I'm in the last stretch.  I'm down to getting my carry on together.  It's a process like every time.

The Sunday Salon #37

Listening To: Instead of the usual listening to, I wanted to highlight what we did last night.  J's boss gave him two free tickets to Live 105's Not So Silent Night.  Awesome seats!  We traveled up to Oakland, finally got into the arena and took our seats.  Because of crazy traffic, we missed seeing Imagine Dragons (I really do like them).  But we did see:

• Grouplove -- Decent live, but their songs are really hit or miss with me
• Tegan and Sara -- No real stage presence, but I love their music
• Passion Pit -- Horribly mixed sound, it just didn't sound right at all
• M83 -- My second favorite band of the night... and I've only heard a little bit from them before this
• The Killers! --- OMG!  So much better live than I thought they would be.  A nice selection of old and new songs.  I loved them.

I posted a video of Tegan and Sara and two of The Killers on my Facebook page...

Book finished: With the no pressure Book Drunkard Readathon, I finished a ton of books this week!

• Arthurian Romances
• Note Quite What I was Planning
• Chocolate
• Social Q's
• The Boys Vol. 12
• Words Words Words
• Sprezzatura
• Click
• The History of Egypt

Reading: Active Liberty by Stephen Breyer

On the Nightstand: The Book Bash Club Readathon starts tomorrow.  I want to read at least five books this week to lessen my load for the trip back home.  I am focusing on reading physical books, so I can save my iPad reads for the planes.  I had tons of momentum reading last week, just hope I can keep it up for this coming week.

The White Pearl by Kate Furnivall, The Green Book, 350 Inspiring Ways to Decorate with the Color Blue, Minigami, Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

MakingLists: Christmas gifts still to buy (only a few left) and tentative packing list for my trip back to Indiana.

On the Web: Attempting to clean out my Google Reader, but actual reading keeps getting in the way.

Crafting: None this week, although I have a meet and greet today.  I also want to send out my Christmas cards this week.  And I need to make a few for my holiday card exchange buddies.  Plus, I told mom I would bring more love and romance cards for the shop when I return to Indiana.  I need to get those done.  Finally, I'm looking forward to my final stamp class of 2012 on Thursday.

Watching: Downtown Abbey S3 (yes, I have it early and it's wonderful), White Collar S4 (caught up to the fall break), The West Wing S4 (slowly getting through this series), many cheesy Christmas movies (thank you ABC Family and Hallmark)

Wondering: Again, how am I going to pack all this crap in one suitcase?  (and leave room for returning presents?)

From Nature: A bit on the chilly side for the area (40 degrees waking up, up to low 60s), but still way better than the Midwest.

Shopping Scores: Nothing this week, although I am determined to get a decent purse before I leave for Indiana.  I need to make a Target run next week.  And maybe some skinny colorful pants?  And maybe a new lightweight sweater or dress?  Watching people at the concert last night, I was coveted some of the clothes I saw...

The Sunday Salon #36

I didn't post last Sunday as I was visiting family back in Indiana.  I'm back home and ready to blog a bit more...

Listening To: Instead of music, I've been listening to podcasts these past two weeks.  Specifically I've been enjoying the archives of The Ood Cast.  All Doctor Who, All the Time!  They are the right mix of geek and weird.  The podcasts were especially nice during the plane rides when my eyes were too tired to read.

Books finished:

• Othello
• Pericles
• As You Like It
• Cymbeline
• The Martian Chronicles
• Poems of Emily Dickinson
•  Mythology
• A Wrinkle in Time
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
• Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Reading: ????  Check back with me in 5 minutes

On the Nightstand: Suite Francaise by irene Nemirovsky, Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes, The Firemaster's Mistress by Dickason, The Magician King by Lev Grossman

MakingLists: Grocery list.  There was a strange hodge podge of food in the house when I came back, so I had to eventually go to the grocery store.  Now we have stuff to actually make food.

Around the house: I came home to a very clean reorganized house thanks to J.  Amazing!  And thank goodness because we had people over on Wednesday night for a going away party.  After a lovely dinner out, we came back to play Ticket to Ride and Apples to Apples.  I do love me some board games!

Crafting: Nothing.  But I'm definitely ready to get back into it.

Watching: I finally finished Heroes after what seems like years.  I kept getting stuck in Season 3, but I've finally moved through.  It definitely picked up in the last season, so not all bad.  Coming back to California, we caught up on basically a month's worth of tv shows.  Next up: to finish Stargate Universe.

From Nature: I seem to have brought the gloom and rain back from Indiana.  But at least it's in the 60s.

Shopping Scores: I didn't go out on Black Friday but I did shop from the comfort of my couch.  I snapped up a few things for mom, J, and the boys.  Plus, I got penny prints from Snapfish and a Groupon for Toys R Us.  Very happy with my haul.

The Sunday Salon #35

I'm writing this Sunday Salon on Saturday as I will be traveling all day Sunday.  I'm heading back east in case you missed the post yesterday.  Going to see the family and enjoy the holiday week.  I will probably not post next week since I will be deeply entrenched in family activities.

Listening To: I finished going through our iTunes account for possible 101 Favorite Songs.  I narrowed down the list.  I've actually gotten it down to 101 (with some major culling rules).  Now I'm separating them out into categories for easier posting.  Besides listening to those songs, I updated my computer's iTunes account.  Basically I wiped everything to the server and then pulled about 2400 songs that I really love for traveling.  Plus I updated my iPod for traveling music.  So I should be set with tons of Mumford, Florence, Lumineers, Lady Antebellum, Josh Groban, etc.

Book finished: The Jewel of St. Petersburg, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Flower Fables

Reading:Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

On the Nightstand: The iPad is loaded with Shakespeare, fantasy, and science fiction ready for traveling.  First up: As You Like It.

MakingLists: Final packing lists.  I've had all my clothes packed for a few days.  I just had to get my media, tech, and toiletries.  Thankfully I only have four Apple products to take (as opposed to J's mountain of tech) and two cords.  And because of the iPad, I only have to bring two physical books (for take off and landings).

On the Web: Getting excited for 2013 reading challenges.  People are finally putting out their sign up posts.  Now I have to decide which ones to do and which ones to pass on...

Watching: I've made it a point to finish some series and get caught up on others before starting anything new.  I finished S8 of Weeds and with that the series.  I was okay with the ending, but the reunion of tons of former characters felt a little cheap.  J and I finished S2 of Fairly Legal and then found out it was canceled.  Boo!  I am really going to miss Leo, but I guess the ending was okay.  We are making our way through S4 of The West Wing and S2 of Stargate Universe (last season).  Plus, I am resolved to finish finish Heroes.  I kept getting stuck in the third season.  I finally made it out and started S4.  So far, it's much better than S3.  I might actually finish this during the Thanksgiving break as I can watch it on Netflix instant streaming.

Shopping Scores: I have resolved to wait until after Thanksgiving to do any major holiday shopping.  Plus I need the boys' Christmas lists.  So far, I am doing really good not spending any more.  Although I am eyeing Stampin' Up's current deals.  Hmm....

The Sunday Salon #34

Listening To: I made it all the way through our music.  I've narrowed the list down to ~350 songs, which need to be narrowed to 101 songs.  This is the really hard part.  But I did update my iTunes account with music to take with me (and updated the iPod).  So I will have some great music to listen to next week while traveling.

Book finished: The Goose Girl, The Girl from Junchow, and Jane Eyre

Reading: The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

On the Nightstand: Some Shakespeare, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Magician King

MakingLists: Final vacation packing lists.  Getting ready to throw everything in my luggage.

Around the house: I finished organizing my craft stash and cleared a ton of room.  Very proud of myself.

From the kitchen: I made some yummy chili using random canned goods from the pantry.  It turned out lovely and just in time for slightly cooler temps.  I even made enough to throw a container of it into the freezer for next week or after I get back from vacation.  I also made a batch of salsa beef for tacos (extra spicy) for multiple meals.

Crafting: I finally finished the spring break scrapbook pages.  I felt like that task would never end, but thankfully they're completed.  Now I need to order prints of the journey west to start that section.  I also finished the stationary sets that are traveling to Indiana to sell.  I especially love the owls!  I may just have to keep one of those for myself.

Saturday morning we had a great little class making four all occasion cards.  I especially love the flowers with the little dots of red glitter.  So cute!

Watching: This past week we finished The West Wing S3 and Stargate Universe S1.  I started Weeds S8.  Plus, we watched a ton of newer movies.  My favorite was Safety Not Guaranteed.

Wondering: How do I stuff all of these things into my suitcase?  This is going to get interesting...

From Nature: The cooler temps and partly cloudy days got me in the mood for chili and coffee.  Yummy!

Shopping Scores: I finally found a corner rounder and smaller scoring board for cheap on Amazon!  Much needed crafting tools.

The Sunday Salon #33

Listening To: I'm finally into the L's.  Still rediscovering some great music.  My current new (again) favorite is KT Tunstall.  I especially love her acoustic album.  Great soundtrack for crafting and reading.

Book finished:Snow Crash.  Only one this week, I'm really slacking.

Reading: The Girl from Junchow by Kate Furnivall (I read the first book in the trilogy months ago.  Been meaning to get to the other two...)

On the Nightstand: The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall (If I get through and like Girl from Junchow); The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

MakingLists: Blog ideas and updates.  I got a list of to be completed blog posts through Thanksgiving.  I also am compiling a list of maintenance tasks and future post ideas.

From the kitchen: I actually cooked this week!  It's been awhile.  I made chicken broccoli pesto penne.  It fed J and I for two meals.  Plus I went to the grocery store.  My plan is to make and freeze a few meals before I leave for Thanksgiving.  That way I have food now and once I get back.  Now I just need to go and cook this stuff...

On the Web: Checking out a few new blogs.  Trying to catch up on my Google Reader.  I did a huge clean out during Bloggiesta, but since then I've added a ton of new blogs.  I routinely have ~600 unread posts on any given day.  That's crazy, but I love reading/skimming them.

Crafting: Saturday was a crazy day for crafting.  I went to a Holiday class in the morning.  We made two cute cards (especially love the pumpkin!) and two gift ideas.  I'm thinking of making coaster sets for Christmas or to sell in the shop.

Saturday night was meet and craft.  We each brought our own projects to work on and socialize.  I love these events.  I get a ton done and don't feel like a shut in.  I finished a few more stationary sets for the shop/gifts.  The hard part is paring down my supplies to a small pile to take to the event.  I choose my papers/color combos and cut the paper before going, so that freed up space.  Plus, I stuck with one type of project.  If I finished, then I finished.  I don't need five project options for these nights.  I got four out of seven sets completed.

Watching: We finished watching Reaper.  I'm a bit disappointed at the ending.  There really should have been a third season, but oh well...  I also sped through Downton Abbey S3 (that have aired so far).  OMG!  I won't give away the spoilers, but I can't believe they did that!  I don't like!  J and I also got back into watching The West Wing S3 and Stargate Universe S1.

Wondering: How I am going to fit all this crap into my suitcase for Thanksgiving?  I may have to rethink my packing.

From Nature: It's weird to be walking around in crops, sandals, and short sleeves in November.  My body is loving it, but my head is all confused.  I keep expecting the temperature to drop 50 degrees...

Shopping Scores: After much searching, I finally found a pair of brown high heels that are cute, cheap, and I can walk in.  I happened to be in Target the other day and what did I spy?  A pair of two-tone brown mary janes on clearance!  And they had my size still! Sold!  While, there I also grabbed a skirt and a sweater (both on clearance). I can wear the two together for a fun dressy holiday outfit.  I might even take them to Thanksgiving...

Project: I wrapped up redoing my US History notes.  My student is doing better in class and decided to stop the tutoring sessions.  So, I don't really need to have any of this stuff out anymore.  I finished the notes through Chapter 8 (Settling the West) and put everything into one curriculum box.  I love that I reduced my pile!  One less box to worry about.

The Sunday Salon #32

Listening To: I've made it to the Js in my review all the music we own.  Who knew there were so many J's in our account?  Slowly slowly.  I did rediscover my love of Jimmy Eat World, especially Bleed American.

Book finished: Blackout, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Princess and the Hound, The Princess and the Bear

Reading:Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

On the Nightstand: Girl from Junchow and Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

MakingLists: Crafting projects.  I have tried to make a list of great crafting projects that I want to complete in the next few months.  Lots of great ideas!

On the Web: More and more GoogleReader posts.  I've found some great new non-book blogs to follow.  Too many cute project ideas and recipes!

Crafting: I continued with scrapbooking Spring Break.  It's the project that never seems to end.  I still have at least 6 spreads for each kid's scrapbook.  Eventually I will finish this.

Last Tuesday's class: Fall Holiday projects.  If I still had a classroom, I would love to make these turkeys for students.  A perfect inexpensive but creative gift.  I like the tags, but won't be buying them this year.  But my favorite has to be the Halloween card.  I love the idea of four different patterned papares as a background.  Too cute!

Sunday's class: Stationary set.  This is such an easy and cute gift idea.  After whipping this out in no time, I decided that I needed to make more of these with some of my own supplies.

Wednesday's meet and greet: Individual projects.  I made a set of Thanksgiving cards and started on some stationary sets.

Watching: We completely finished Sanctuary after watching the series off and on for years.  On the old show front, I watched The West Wing S2-S3 and Gossip Girl S5.  J got me hooked on Reaper, love it!  Plus we caught up on a ton of currently airing shows and started a few newer ones (Up All Night, Arrow, Comic Book Men)

From Nature: It's been two weeks of up and down temperatures.  Rain has come and gone.  Sun has come and gone.  The weather reminds me a bit of the midwest.  Although the falling leaves contrast greatly with 80 degree temperatures.  Weird feeling.

Shopping Scores: I went a little shop crazy these past two weeks.  After trolling the local outlet mall, I only ended up buying five pieces.  The first two are from Banana Republic.  I must say that I'm really coming to love Banana Republic.  While I don't have many places to wear BR clothing, they do have more causal pieces available than I thought they did.  The second piece is a great blue color (can't tell from the picture).  The other three pieces are from Target, my store for everything.  The last one is a dress that I had been eyeing for awhile.  But I just didn't want to pay full price.  It happened to be on clearance and I had to snap up the last large.  The dress is really flattering and cute.  I can't wait to wear it.

I went shopping in Palo Alto with a friend on Thursday.  I didn't pick anything up for myself, but I did get the boys four long sleeved shirts from the Gap.  Four shirts for $18, so exciting!  I also grabbed four cupcakes from Sprinkles: mocha, dark chocolate, smore, and lemon.  Yummy yummy!

Project: I started three large projects these past two weeks.  I kept going with my US History note consolidation.  I finished Chapter 5 this week and started trying to organize the Civil War chapters.  Unfortunately the Civil War folders are just out of control.  Slowly. slowly I'm getting through them.  I also continued my crazy apartment wide reduction.  I'm working on the office right now.  Getting there...  Finally I tried to reorganize my craft supplies.  I think it is a bit out of control.

The Sunday Salon #31

Listening To: Lots of Mumford, Florence, and The Lumineers.  Basically this has been my soundtrack for the last few weeks.

Book finished: Feed and Deadline by Mira Grant

Reading: Blackout by Mira Grant (to finish my 24 zombie books challenge!)

On the Nightstand: Fairy tale books (I really want to push these through to finish the challenge)

MakingLists: Kitchen crap... I am trying to systematically clean out our cabinets by eating everything in them (don't be scared, not at one time).  As such, I am trying to not buy a ton of new food.  So no grocery lists...  it's killing me...

Crafting: Absolutely nothing.  I have been a bit distracted by headaches and tv shows.  I just didn't get around to being inspired and crafting.

Watching: Finished Life Unexpected S2.  J and I finally caught up with a ton of currently airing shows.  My goodness that was a ton of shows, but good things.  Plus we watched a ton of movies.

Project: I started tutoring, but realized that my U.S. History folders were in shambles.  First, I had to rip apart my curriculum boxes.  Even then things are not where they should be.  So, I've been trying to put things back together in order.  I also didn't complete my process of consolidating notes into one document before everything was packed.  I'm slowly working through those.  I spent 3 hours at the coffeehouse on Friday.  I didn't even finish Chapter 4, but I got really really close.  This isn't going to be a quick project, but it really needs to be done.  Especially if I keep tutoring.

The Sunday Salon #30

Listening To: Lots of rediscovered music.  Currently loving Jack's Mannequin, Ingrid Michaelson, and Howie Day.

Book finished: Because of the FrightFall Readathon, I plowed through a ton of books this week.  Getting close to wrapping up my Zombie Reading Challenge.  I read Sadie Walker is Stranded, Persuasion (on the iPad on the train), The First Days, Fighting to Survive, and Siege.

Reading: Feed by Mira Grant

On the Nightstand: Deadline and Blackout by Mira Grant (finishing my zombie challenge)

MakingLists: All things for my Thanksgiving vacation -- things to pack, places to go back in Indiana, things to do with boys, things to buy there, etc.  What can I say?  I like to be prepared in advance.

Around the house: With J gone, not much has happened and I have managed to keep things picked up.  I call that a win.

From the kitchen: Absolutely nothing.  I have been eating like a college student these past two weeks.  No real meals...

On the Web: Enjoying my Google Reader.  Wrapping up the FrightFall Readathon today.  No much else.

Crafting:  Last Sunday I had a great candy and stamps class.  We made some cute candy holders for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  So many ideas!

On Wednesday, we had a small meet and greet.  We made cards for the Ronald McDonald House in San Jose.  Plus we had a ton of scraps to share with each other.  I picked up a smallish stack of some great new printed paper sheets.  The first card was the "official" meet and greet design.  I made the others using the rest of a sticker pack I had gotten last year.  I loved who the Birthday card with yellow floral background so much, I had to take it home instead of donating.  The other three were donated.

At home, I finished up a few Halloween cards.  The one with the cat was made last year at card class.  I figured I would finally send it away to someone.  This is it for Halloween...

Watching: I went on a bit of a series bender while J was away.  To be fair, he wouldn't have watched most of these, so I feel like I'm not cheating.  I watched Parenthood S3, Revenge S1 (late to the party, but now I am hooked), and Life Unexpected S2 (finally finishing the series).  Plus I caught up on Glee, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.

Wondering: How it can be 90 degrees this week and yet leaves are falling from the trees?  Crazy contradiction.

From Nature: After consistant 75 degrees, it got up to 90 this week.  Of course that was the day I decided to travel up to San Francisco.  It was even 90 up there!  Currently it is back to the high 60s.  The huge temp swings make me feel like I'm back in the Midwest.

Shopping Scores: While in San Francisco, we window shopped in the Haight.  I found the perfect little gift for J at one of the book stores.  Shh!! Don't tell!   I'll have to head back to the Haight and go thrift store shopping soon.

Project: Slowly working through all my music to narrow it down to my 101 favorite songs.  This is way too hard...

The Sunday Salon #29

Listening To: A ton of new music including Mumford & Sons, Ben Folds Five, The Lumineers and Needtobreathe.  I keep putting those on repeat over and over again.  Plus I've restarted going through our entire music collection for my 101 favorite songs.  Done with the As through Cs.

Book finished: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Reading: Persuasion by Jane Austen.  A quick read before my zombie week.

On the Nightstand: Zombie books for the FrightFall Readathon! (Newsflesh trllogy, As the World Dies trilogy, Sadie Walker is Stranded)

Around the house: I got into a weird cleaning kick.  I dusted and vacuumed and organized.   I replaced the yucky old towels with new dark gray ones.  I finally hung some curtains in the bedroom.  The curtains look blue in this picture, but they're a beautiful gray that works with the black, white, and red of the rest of the bedroom.  Now if only we could get around to framing and hanging the pictures, it might actually look like a real bedroom.

From the kitchen: Nothing interesting.  Since J is still gone until next Saturday, I am finding ways to eat meals with minimal cooking.

Crafting: So much crafting this week.  I've really gotten on a roll lately.  We had a 3D Christmas ornaments class on Tuesday.  Check these out...

Then on Wednesday, I went to another craft meet and greet.  Unfortunately we didn't have a great turnout.  I did make this cute peacock inspired card.  Next time, I will definitely bring stuff to work on...

And at home, I got inspired to make some Valentine/Love themed cards.  I used a ton of scraps lying around.

Watching: I plowed through Gossip Girl S4 and Parenthood S2.  Unfortunately I will have to wait for GG S5 until the library or Netflix gets it.  Parenthood S3 is on Netflix instant queue, so that's probably up next.  I grabbed some new Redbox movies (romantic movies) and have been watching some of my cheesy movies while J is away.

Wondering: Why have I not read like anything this week?  I am feeling a bit ashamed of myself.  I keep finding other things (movies, crafting, cleaning) to spend my time. Hopefully this is rectified with next week's readathon...

From Nature: After cooler temps (60s), we're back into the low to mid 80s.  Of course, it's still sunny every day...

Shopping Scores: I sold some cds at Amazon, so I had a credit.  I snatched up Mira Grant's Blackout, a moleskine journal, The Hunger Games dvd, and Iron Jawed Angels dvd (replacement for my scratched beyond use copy).  I already received the journal and book, just waiting on the movies...

Project: I'm right at the tail end of Bloggiesta, trying to get a few more things checked off of my list...

The Sunday Salon #28

Last night, J left for Romania for a two week work trip.  (Part of the engineering team is in Cludj.)  So I am all alone for two weeks with not much to do.  I plan on reading a ton, applying for more jobs, do some crafting, and possibly go in to the city for a visit/exploring...  I'm really going to miss him.

Listening To: Rediscovering some cds.  My current faves are Relient K and Flogging Molly.  And I snatched the new Lumineers record from iTunes.  I love it!

Book finished: Slanted and Enchanted, Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History, On Target, Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

Reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

On the Nightstand: Historical fiction and fairy tales...  and zombies are lurking in the back for the FrightFall Readathon October 1-7.  And I'm heading off to the library book sale to see if I can find any elusive titles and possibly gifts for the boys...  It's Sunday which means $5 bag sale!

MakingLists: Bloggiesta to dos and craft projects.  My Bloggiesta list is currently static (thank goodness).  I'm just waiting for Friday to dive in and get some things dones.

Around the house: After our fridge temper tantrums this past month, I really didn't need anything else to go wrong.  But of course it did.  We woke up on Sunday to a a dripping ceiling...  A bubble was forming in the ceiling.  I contacted the office who said they would page maintenance.  The guy from upstairs informed me that his sink was leaking, but he hadn't noticed until now.  I assume they fixed his sink as our ceiling stopped dripping.  But they never came to fix our ceiling, so we have a bubble that I hope isn't filled with water.  Argh!  Just one more problem. Thank goodness we don't own this place.

From the kitchen: I've been so lazy this week.  I made a giant pot of spaghetti and ate it most nights for dinner.  Blah!  I did make some scrumptious brownies for a pot luck last night.  According to the people at the party, they were a hit!

On the Web: I'm trying to get my GoogleReader unread down to 0, but it just keeps creeping back up.  And I don't even read every post.  A clean-out of subscriptions is on the Bloggiesta list.

Crafting: I had two (yes two!) card classes this week.  Fun times!  Monday's class was all about fall cards.

Saturday's class was Christmas cards.  I especially love the gift card holder idea.  I will have to keep that in mind for the holiday season...

Plus, I finished the spring break family album.  That was a ton of pages.  Now I need to order a few more prints to start the boys' spring break pages.  My next event/project is our move west.  We drove from Nebraska to California stopping in some crazy places.  Of course I have a ton of pictures to help me remember.

Watching: We finished Stargate Atlantis (really going to miss that show) and started Stargate Universe.  The change in tone is really something to get used to.  Universe is much darker and serious.  J says that they tried to copy Battlestar Galactica...  (I haven't watched that one yet, so don't know).  So far, I'm liking it, it's just a different show than the other two Stargate series.  I also plowed through Gossip Girl S3 and started S4.  It's my guilty pleasure show.  Unfortunately Netflix or the library doesn't have S5.  I may have to wait.

Shopping Scores: My Amazon music trade-in went through so I now have a credit in my account.  I'm resisting the urge to spend to all now.  But I did buy a copy of Blackout by Mira Grant so I can read the Newsflesh trilogy during the FrightFall Readathon.

Project: Scrapbooking?  I really getting back into the rhythm and want to get mostly up to date.  One season behind is my goal.  I'm almost there...

The Sunday Salon #27

Listening To: More forgotten cds...  almost completed the upload.

Book finished: At the Queen's Summons; The Lost Millennium; Change.edu

Reading: Slanted and Enchanted by Kaya Oakes

On the Nightstand: Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History; On Target

Making Lists: Bloggiesta to do list.  I am up to 14 items and holding steady.  I don't think I will be adding anything else to the list.

Around the house:  Our fridge has another of its mini temper tantrums complete with crazy sounds and a drop in cooling.  The maintenance men came and did something again.  The fridge started working, but I have little faith that this won't happen again.

From the kitchen: Nothing interesting.  I ate a ton of random leftovers and small meals.

On the Web: Found some new wonderful blogs to follow.  My Google Reader is up to 396 subscriptions!  (Number #12 on my Bloggiesta list)

Farmer's Market Finds: See yesterday's post for a complete rundown.

Crafting: Crafty madness this week!  I scrapped a ton catching our books up to Spring Break 2012.  I ordered the prints and am just waiting for the delivery.  Plus I completed a crap ton of bookmarks for giveaways and friends.

Watching: We finished Stargate Atlantis S4 and started S5.  Plus I caught up on Grimm.  I grabbed Gossip Girl S3 and S4 from the library.

Wondering: When this cold will go away?  It's been a week I'm over it!

Shopping Scores: I got a deal on prints from Walgreens and I went on a bit of Michael's crafting supply spree.  I got a ton of supplies and items for Christmas gifts.  I traveled over to Old Navy and finally bought some new jeans that fit.

Project: Crafting, crafting, and more crafting 

The Sunday Salon #26

Listening To: The last of my cds being put onto the server.  Lots and lots of music to enjoy.  Now I can get rid of another huge box.  Plus, I sold some of my cds to Amazon.

Book finished: Liberty Defined; King Lear; The Maiden's Hand -- Slower week, but good page count.  950 for the week.

Reading: At the Queen's Summons

On the Nightstand: Shakespeare, HP7,  and nonfiction from the library

Making Lists: Bloggiesta to do list.  I am finally joining in the fun this year.  I have a growing list (14 at last count) of housekeeping projects for my blog and books.

Around the house: I was struck down with a nasty cold this weekend, so not much is getting down.   I had wanted to clean and organize, but no energy.  Instead J and I watched a ton of West Wing.

On the Web: Remember the FrightFall Readathon is coming October 1-7.  Come and join the fun!

Crafting: During the week I caught up my scrapbooking just a bit more.  We're to Spring 2012!  I need to print our spring break photos before I can complete the next phase.  I'm also debating about whether to put those in a separate album combined with my westward journey photos.  Hmmm...  decisions decisions.

I had signed up for a meet and greet card class today, but with my cold I decided to cancel.  I think the other ladies will appreciate not getting infected today.  Thankfully I have a class the week after next to look forward to.

Watching: J got me hooked on The West Wing.  We're already in season 2.  I caught up on The Daily Show and Colbert Report's coverage of the RNC and DNC.  I am losing hope for our country...  I've also been watching Grimm, trying to catch up to the current season.  I like the play on old fairy tales.  Finally, we acquired the DW season premiere, Asylum of the Daleks.  OMG that was good.  And now we have a whole season to look forward too...

Wondering: If Oswin Oswald will show up again, or just the actress playing a new character for the Christmas special?  (Doctor Who question)

Shopping Scores: While J was in Seattle meeting with Microsoft, I decided to go and browse at Barnes and Noble.  I've been trying to avoid bookstores, because I always go a little nuts.  I somehow managed to walk out with only one book, Sadie Walker is Stranded, that  I have been craving for awhile.  It will make an appearance during the FrightFall Readathon as I am doing an all zombie readathon.

I also embarked on the adventure that is buying plane tickets this week.  After perusing the sites, I found a flight for $570 flying San Jose to Fort Wayne.  Many other airlines were charging $740+.  I got excited, whipped out the credit card, entered tons of info, and hit buy.  Nothing happened.  An error message popped up saying they couldn't complete my order.  Bummer!  I happened to be on Travelocity and hit the "flexible dates" button just to see what happened.  If I flew out of Fort Wayne a day later, I could get a ticket for $400.  Sold!  Thankfully this time it worked and I now have my tickets for Thanksgiving.  I'll be there a few days before and a fews days after the boys get out of school, so I can help with the flower shop or hang out with old friends.

Project: I'm getting closer and closer to completing my Christmas cards.  Now I've started to think about gifts...

The Sunday Salon #25

SUPER DUPER EXCITED!   This is my 1000th blog post!  I didn't think I would get to this point when I started and now I'm here...  On to the next 1000 post!

Listening To: Previously owned cds newly added to our server.  Rediscovering lots of old music.  I forget I even owned some of these.  For whatever reasons the iTunes dj keeps pulling Linkin Park, Josh Kelley, and Green Day... Odd combo.

Book finished: Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Importance of Being Earnest, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, This Book is Overdue, Haunts of San Jose, Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love...  It was a play week obviously

Reading: Liberty Defined by Ron Paul

On the Nightstand: More Shakespeare

Making Lists: Does grocery count?  This seems to be a biweekly thing.

On the Web: I recently found The Bloggess... how did I not know about her before now?  I think we are kindred spirits.  I think I have annoyed J many times this week by bursting into giggles and guffaws.  I'm still two years behind on her archives, but good god she is hilarious.

Also the signups are ready for the FrightFall Readathon.  This year I'm going with zombies for my spooky books.  Wait, a minuted...  I do that every year.  And I love it!  Come join us!

Farmer's Market Finds: I had a horrible night trying to sleep Friday and when I finally fell asleep, I overslept Saturday morning. So no wonderful croissants for me.  Thankfully J walked across the street for donuts.  Yummy!

Crafting: I finished some Christmas gifts (yeah, super early!) and some Christmas cards.  I'll probably get back to some scrapbooking this coming week.  My goal is to be within one season of the present.  Plus, I want to make some more bookmarks for an upcoming book giveaway.  (Stayed tuned for October...)

Watching: We finished Stargate SG1...  Holy crap!  Now we only have a few seasons of Atlantis and all of Universe to watch.  I can see the end coming.  Plus we've caught up on a ton of currently airing shows.

Wondering: How much Shakespeare can I read in a row?  Holy crap, I've moved through a ton lately.  Only five more plays to go.

Project: My parents recently bought a flower shop.  Holy crap.  And now they need to start building the business.  I'm possibly going to be working on a blog/marketing side.  Stay tuned...

The Sunday Salon #24

I didn't post a Sunday Salon last week due to my ill health.  Thankfully I'm getting back on track.

Health Note: I'm finally starting to feel like myself again.  I've been off pain medication for almost a week now and I haven't felt like taking any for a few days. My constant headache has abated yet it hasn't completely left me.  Overall I have had more energy, less fatigue, and less severe mood swings.  My next goal is to get back on an exercise regiment.  My last walk about killed me, so I should start slow.  I'm thinking 15-30 minutes on the stationary bike and then adding in the elliptical/treadmill/weights/more bike.

Listening To: I've added 8tracks to my phone and iPad.  It's like Pandora but people submit playlists.  I have been checking out all kinds of weird/fun sounding lists.  I only wish that I could see the entire playlist before playing...

Book finished: The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass; Northanger Abbey

Reading: Much Ado About Nothing

On the Nightstand: Lots of Shakespeare

MakingLists: Grocery lists.  After weeks of not really eating and not feeling like cooking, we had no food in the house to make any meals.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time creating a grocery list.  Once I went, I was left with a full fridge and comically long receipt.

From the kitchen: Besides prepping for actually cooked meals for the coming week, I washed out most of the fridge.

On the Web: I got back into the habit of checking out other blogs.

Farmer's Market Finds: Made it in time to grab some of my favorite seller's nectarines, raspberries, and sausages for lunch.  I plan on using the nectarines and raspberries for hand pies and the rest of the nectarines for my yummy bacon, gouda, nectarine sandwiches.

Crafting: I have been a crafting maniac lately.  I reorganized by crafting stash.  I separated out all the Christmas stuff to make cards.  I scrapped a ton of pages checking the boys up with me.  I finally finished the Disney trip.  I had a great card class before my medical emergency.  Very cute things.  The last one is actuallythank you card from my Stampin' Up demonstrator.

And I had a Christmas card themed class today. Great ideas for my own cards.

Finally I grabbed this idea from A Turtle's Life for Me.  Originally I was going to make it for the baby's nursery to use to record notes and feedings.  Obviously that's not going to happen.  But I thought I would make it anyway for the boy's room.

Watching: Children's Hospital (way to funny and full of people); The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret; White Collar; Suits; and tons more Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis)

From Nature: It's been a bit cooler around here lately; definitely helping my walking and sitting outside

Shopping Scores: I grabbed some more clearance items at Michael's.  Some of them were for my mystery Christmas project.  Loving how it's turning out.

Project: I restarted my project of prepping my blog for the rest of the year.  I want to get posts scheduled or at least templates readied.

The Sunday Salon #23

Book finished: The Wizard of Oz; The Golden Compass

Reading: Nothing tonight...  gearing up for Bout of Books Readathon starting tomorrow

On the Nightstand: Bout of Books selections

Making Lists: I've been creating a baby registry on Amazon.com.  I love this feature. This way people can buy us items and send them to our house in California instead of trying to ship it themselves.  I've got most of the essentials on the list so far.  Except the crib we want to sold at Ikea and not on Amazon.

Around the house: I've been really getting back into assembling puzzles this past week.  I've almost completed a great San Francisco one I picked up at the Exploratorium.

Pregnancy update: I had my full panel of blood tests done this week.  Usually I absolutely hate getting my blood drawn.  I've never had a nurse/lab technician that hit a vein on the first try.  This time I had an amazing lab tech that actually checked my arms for veins before trying.  And she hit a vein the first stick.  Plus, she stayed with me the entire time (8 vials!) and kept me calm.  She was amazing. I really want her for my next blood draw.

Crafting: I had a great summer themed Saturday class.  We made some great cards, but I didn't get around to photographing them yet.  Just take my word for it that they are gorgeous.  I've also gotten into a huge scrapbooking binge.  I'm almost finished with our Disney trip last summer.

Watching: While J has been at work, I've been watching Stephen Fry in America.  I love hearing about America from a British perspective.  So far, I've watching New England, the South, the Mississippi, and the Great Plains.  I'm sure that I'll finish the series this week.  Plus, i've watched a ton of Stargate and Children's Hospital.

Wondering: Should I sign up for prenatal yoga?  I've been looking at ways to keep active throughout even though I haven't felt all that great.   

From Nature: The temps have risen a bit this week.  Instead of an average of 75, we've had low to mid 80s.  Just a slight noticeable difference.

Shopping Scores: I went on a bit of a craft store binge.  I hit up Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics for supplies.  They didn't really have what I specifically wanted, but I did grab a ton of clearance items.  Unfortunately their stock was really low, so I'll have to wait on the other stuff.

Project: I've been going through my blog getting things set up for the rest of year.  I love having my templates ready to go when I need them.  I've gotten a ton of drafts ready to fill in.

The Sunday Salon #22

Book finished: Ashfall and Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Reading: The Wizard of Oz

On the Nightstand: Lots of Jane Austen; The Importance of Being Earnest; His Dark Materials

MakingLists: Freezer meals.  Our freezer is almost empty.  I need to make another batch to restock.

Around the house: Putting the house back in order after a summer with the boys.  We completely cleaned out and organized their room.  I even moved some of the furniture to prepare for baby (not due til March, but I had energy and motivation to do it now).

Pregnancy update: 10 weeks along and I'm feeling like crap.  I don't remember feeling this tired last time.  I do remember the all day nausea.  Thankfully, that has seemed to pass.  I only get nauseous when I haven't eaten in awhile.  Speaking of, I am constantly hungry.  This is getting a bit ridiculous.  I am trying to eat 5-6 small meals a day to try and stave off the hunger pains.  I have my big set of lab tests (lots of blood draws) this coming week.  I am not looking forward to that at all.  Hopefully I won't have to do another for two months.  Somehow we got into a discussion of names the other night.  We've always had a boy's name, but had to really think about a girl's.  I think we might have settled on one.  It will be revealed after we find out the sex on October 10th.

From the kitchen: Bacon, peach, fontina panins.  I found the idea on some blog (can't remember).  I grabbed the ingredients and whipped them up.  Yummy Yummy Yummy!  I must do this again.

Crafting: Had a quick Meet and Greet on Friday.  We made one card to keep and another to donate to the Ronald McDonald House.  The card wasn't my favorite design, but I loved chatting with some fellow crafters and even meeting a few new ones.

Watching: The boys and I ended up making into season 6 for Doctor Who.  They are thoroughly addicted to the show.  I finally caught up with The Daily Show and Colbert Report.  And I made it through season 1 of Suits so J and I can watch it together.  I am really loving that show.  And angry Harvey is just the best.

Shopping Scores: Baby stuff.  We don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, but I did grab a few things.  The clothes are all gender neutral.  And who doesn't love Snoopy!  Plus, I found a great deal on a baby sling.  Finally, the local kids bookstore had the sequel to The Monster at the End of This Book (childhood favorite).  Now we have both and in Little Golden Book form.

Project: Crafting.  I have some great ideas of baby cards.  And I need to figure out my Christmas card situation.  Before I know it, the holidays will be upon us.

The Sunday Salon #21

Listening To: Lots and lots of Alt Nation on Sirius X and Mumford and Sons (can't wait until September for their new album!)

Book finished: Dog Blood; Them or Us

Reading: Mythology by Edith Hamilton; The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan; Ashfall by Mike Mullin

On the Nightstand: Ashfall; Shakespeare; Jane Austen

Making Lists: Meal plans...  I've completely gotten away from doing this and need to get back

Around the house: I've been on a weird cleaning kick lately.  I vacuumed, did ton of laundry, washed many dishes, reorganized some areas.  Crazy motivation!

On the Web: All of the Chik-Fil-A crap is just too much for me.  At this point, I am really having some mixed feelings.  While I don't agree with the company's thoughts, what do we expect from a fundamentalist Christian company.  I have decided that my personal philosophy must be to not patronize companies whose political stances I disagree with.  So I won't be eating at Chik-Fil-a, but I also won't be throwing insults around.

Watching: We're up to S5 of Doctor and the boys are begging to finish the series.  I also caught up with Parks and Recreation.  I'm ready for the fall season.  And we've been watching a ton of new to me movies and The Princess Bride.

Wondering: If we'll be having a boy or a girl?

From Nature: Do I need to say it?  Absolutely perfect...

Shopping Scores: Lots of clothes.  I found some great pre and post pregnancy pieces to get me through.  Plus, I did break down and buy actual maternity pants.  I'm sure I'll be getting another pair at some point.  I didn't take any pictures, but will probably share at a later date.

Project: The boys go back to Indiana on Wednesday.  We have a few days, but need to start organizing their room and luggage pile.

The Sunday Salon #20

Book finished: Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice, Hater

Reading: Dog Blood by David Moody; Mythology by Edith Hamilton; The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

On the Nightstand: Wizard of Oz; A Kiss in Time; The Reader

Around the house: I got into a weird cleaning kick yesterday.  Cleaned two of the three bathrooms, cleaned the kitchen, and vacuumed the master bedroom.  I don't know what got into me, but it was nice.

Farmer's Market Finds: I made it this week for my lovely nectarines and some breakfast for J and I.

Crafting: A great little card making class this week.

Watching: The boys and I have made it through four seasons of Doctor Who.  We are currently watching the specials before Matt Smith takes over.  I imagine that we'll get up to date before they leave.  And I've been watching Parks and Rec.  Love it!  Leslie Knope is like me in so many ways.  Hee hee.  I'm currently into season four and I can't wait to see how the city council race ends.

Wondering: If my headache will go away anytime soon?  Ugh!

Project: Trying to finish the house and get things ready for the boys' departure.