Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• How do we still have so much to pack? I really hate packing kitchens…

• Last weekend’s retreat was just what I needed #coconutballs

• Getting excited about fall festivals in Nebraska. We’ll be able to catch some of them in mid-October.

• We still have a pile of food from the pantry to attempt to consume before next week. I might just need to do a drop off at the nearest food pantry.

• Kinda bored with my current read. I might need to DNF it.

• I might need to make a horror book pile for October. I’m really drawn to the dark reads right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I'm super chill about moving right now. Super sad to be leaving our friends, but excited about the new opportunities for our family. And the packing is going very smoothly. 
• Really not excited about Colton as the new Bachelor. Nopeity nope!
• Currently reading a book about smallpox and I need all the epidemiology books in my life. I might have missed my calling...
• I can't get enough iced tea right now
• Craving some BBQ chicken on the grill but alas, we have other dinner plans
• Need to think of a signature cocktail for the retreat next week.
• The stack of comics on my nightstand is calling my name

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on August's goals and my progress.

• Read 15 Books -- Fail. Although I did still have a great reading month. 
• Wrap up the OBM Care Exchange -- Success! This one went much easier than some of the previous exchanges. 
• Finishing sending out OBM cards -- Success! Love spreading the good cheer. 
• Pack 10 more boxes -- Success! We are in a good position moving wise.
• Plan and execute 10 more kid activities -- Success! We are knocking it out of the park.

September's Goals: A very short list this month as we are moving at the end. Our biggest goal of this month is moving to Nebraska. 

• Read 10 Books -- Still trying to fit in reading.
• Execute the boys's birthday party -- Actually this was a few days ago. And it was amazing!
• Execute the retreat -- So incredibly excited for one last weekend retreat with some of my CA friends. It will be especially nice to get away for a weekend before the craziness of the move. 
• Finish packing and move!

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• This house smells of cardboard boxes... Loving that we've gotten this much packed already, not loving the smell.
• I finally got a book about the smallpox epidemic of the Revolutionary period from the library. I am way too excited about this one!
• My planner supplies are a bit out of control. I need to do a bit of organizing.
• We've possibly lost another library book. Seriously where has it gone????
• I'm so ready for my weekend retreat. Unfortunately it is still weeks away.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #8

Reading: Finally picked up Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It's been sitting on my shelf for years!

Watching: Loving this season of Bachelor in Paradise. Way better than The Bachelorette.

Listening: Downloaded and working my way through Crooked Media's podcast The Wilderness. In some ways it's very depressing, but in other ways it fascinating and somewhat uplifting. 

Making: My next craft project is prepping birthday thank you cards for the boys's birthday party.

Feeling: J and the boys were all sick this past week. While I've escaped most of the sickness, I've had to deal with three sick people in my house. I am now exhausted. Here's hoping I don't catch it now.

Planning: I've gotten the decor, activities, and goody bags worked out for the party. Now I just need to finalize our menu for the day of. 

Loving: Cooler mornings were made for coffee and couch snuggles. Loving the bit of cooler weather we've had this past week. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fall Bucket List

Another season, another bucket list. This one will be a bit weird as we are moving to a different state at the end of September. There is a short list of things we want to hit before leaving California and a list of things for Indiana and Nebraska. It's going to be a mixed bag.

California:

1. Visit Rocket Fizz
2. Take a Ferry Ride to San Francisco
3. Have a Beach Day
4. Enjoy my Retreat Weekend!
5. Celebrate Arthur and Quentin's Birthdays!
6. Visit Children's Fairyland
7. Visit Children's Creativity Museum
8. Eat at Black Bear
9. Buy pie in Guerneville
10. Have one more pool party

Midwest:

1. Visit Fort Wayne Zoo
2. Visit Science Central
3. Visit Omaha Zoo
4. Visit Omaha Children's Museum
5. Get a new library card
6. Find a good park
7. Go see a movie in the theater
8. Go to Vala's Pumpkin Festival
9. Eat at Coney Island
10. Travel to OBM Sparkle Party in Iowa City
11. Find a good indie bookstore
12. Visit the comic books store
13. Find a good brunch place (Wheatfields?)
14. Have dinner with a friend alone
15. Join a new parent group
16. Join a book club
17. Get my crafty business started 
18. Go to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving
19. Create a fall signature cocktail

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Finish Line

I ended up with 14 activities finished this summer. Lower than I would have liked, but I we have been super busy getting ready to move in September. 

1. Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) ✓
2. Jelly Belly Factory ✓
3. Go to the Warped Tour ✓ 
4. Sonoma Train Town ✓
5. Pool party 2x ✓
6. San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique ✓
7. Make popsicles 3x
8. Pacific Pinball Museum ✓
9. Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓ 
10. Escape Room adventure
11. Rocket Fizz Visit
12. Baskin Robbins ✓ 
13. Mini Golf ✓
14. Movie in a Theater ✓ 
15. Summer brunch party
16. Make your own pizzas party
17. Make Donuts 2x
18. Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
19. Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina ✓
20. Waterpark day ✓ - We ended up spending most of our Gilroy Gardens Day at the waterpark area. Loved it!
21. Cookout
22. Read a romance series ✓ - I sped through Mose of the Renfrew/Kyle series from Jo Beverley
23. Make smores
24. Try a new (to us) ice cream place
25. Take the ferry to SF - We didn't get to this during the summer but have it on the calendar for later this month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I need to find more time to read. May and June was amazing reading-wise and then July took a nosedive. I'm hoping to ramp my reading back up.
• Working on our pantry cleanout before the move. Doing well so far, but I'm getting into some weird random things. I'm going to have to do some Googling...
• The craft projects are getting done, but I've still got a backlog. 
• A cold glass of iced tea is calling my name.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #7

Reading: The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley. I turned to some fun Regency Romance for this week.

Watching: J and I are getting close to finishing Supernatural S5.

Listening: I completely forgot about listening to Annotated S2 and rediscovered it on my podcast app. Yeah!! I'm four episodes in and I'm loving the collection of topics.

Making: Attempting to finish my Family Project Life spreads so I can pack away the supplies.

Feeling: Calmer this week. Hoping it lasts.

Planning: We're having a Mad Science Party for the boys's birthday party. I'm busy planning the science experiments that we will be featuring.

Loving: Having a to-do list to tackle every couple of days is keeping me on track. Usually I make them on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on July's goals and my progress.

• Sell books at HPB -- Success! We sold three full bags of books and only brought five home.
• Read 15 books -- So close! I only read 14 books this month, but still decent showing.
• Enjoy a week with the in-laws -- Success! We all really enjoyed the week. 
• Gather the twins's school supplies -- Fail, but no big deal. We were going to buy the supplies, but nothing was stalked or on sale at Target yet. I'm planning on buying them this week.
• Start the birthday party idea gathering -- Success! I have a Pinterest board and have started to buy key pieces. 
• See at least one movie in the theater (without kiddos) -- Fail. 

August's Goals:

• Read 15 books -- I have a stack of books waiting on my nightstand.
• Wrap up the OBM Care Exchange -- The sending deadline is the 5th. I hope to wrap-up this exchange quickly.
• Finish sending out OBM cards -- Half are sent out, need to buy more stamps to get the rest out.
• Pack 10 more boxes -- We've had great progress over the last two weeks. Hoping to keep the motivation to finish packing more boxes. 
• Plan and execute 10 more kid activities -- We have a small bucket list before we leave California. 

Next up on the TBR list:

Summer Bucket List Update #2

Currently I'm sitting at 12/25 activities completed. The twins have gone back to Indiana, so I'm just hanging with the two littles until the end of summer. I hope to check a few more activities off our list before. On to the list:

1. Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) ✓
2. Jelly Belly Factory ✓
3. Go to the Warped Tour ✓ 
4. Sonoma Train Town ✓
5. Pool party 2x ✓
6. San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique ✓
7. Make popsicles 3x
8. Pacific Pinball Museum ✓
9. Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓ 
10. Escape Room adventure
11. Rocket Fizz Visit
12. Baskin Robbins ✓ 
13. Mini Golf ✓
14. Movie in a Theater ✓ 
15. Summer brunch party
16. Make your own pizzas party
17. Make Donuts 2x
18. Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
19. Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina ✓
20. Waterpark day
21. Cookout
22. Read a romance series
23. Make smores
24. Try a new (to us) ice cream place
25. Take the ferry to SF

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Sad that the twins are leaving today
• Flies in our house are driving me nuts. If I can kill them outright, I keep closing them in our bathroom to die a slow death.
• Moving back to reading books on my iPad is a weird transition
• Not sure which room to tackle packing next. I hate packing kitchen stuff but we do have a ton of things that can be packed from the kitchen. Ugh!
• I need to do a pantry inventory to start cleaning it out before we move.
• I hate selling things on various sites. Just please buy my crap so I don't have to move it...

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: Give Up the Ghost  by Juliet Blackwell. Love my cozy mysteries!

Watching: J and I started watching Bounty Hunters and it is a treat.

Listening: I'm behind on all my podcasts but I have been listening to a lot of Alt Nation. 

Making: A week off from to do lists and chores has put me behind. I'm spending some time today making new to do lists to get back on track.

Feeling: A week of vacation activities while still at home was much needed. I'm feeling a bit more steady. 

Planning: I'm getting the birthday party and retreat planning started this week. Both are happening in September, but I like to be prepared early.

Loving: We stopped by the fudge place in the city and I do so adore the fancy flavors. My favorite was Cheesecake Brownie. Yum yum!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I really love playing cruise director. I may need to pursue this angle for a future profession.
• Macarons are my weakness. Definitely had to buy some while in the city yesterday. And I'm not sharing with anyone!!!
• I will miss walking along the water if we ever move out of the Bay Area. 
• I need to make some time to read today.
• The pantry needs to be cleaned out soon. I've built up lots of random odds and ends that need to get used or tossed. 
• Quentin's belly laughs are getting me through his toddler tantrums. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: Picked up Symbiont by Mira Grant (Parasitology #2) and am flying through it!

Watching: J turned me on to What Would Diplo Do? and it is glorious. So sad that there was only five episodes. Hope it gets picked up for another season.

Listening: I downloaded and have been binging Nothing More's The Stories We Tell Ourselves. Love love love this album and keep coming back to it.

Making: My online community is obsessed with Smitten Kitchen's Summer Strawberry Cake. We love it so much that it's become #teamcake. I've been making my own and recently experimented with peaches instead of strawberries. So good! 

Feeling: The last few weeks have been difficult. This week has been a bit better. 

Planning: The in-laws are coming next week for a visit. And if you know me at all, you know that I love planning and scheduling. I'm putting the finishing touches on our plans next week. 

Loving: Arthur and Quentin have been spending most afternoons in the backyard running around and playing with their toys. I've been taking a few minutes to sit and watch, play with them, and/or read a chapter in my book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

July 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on June's goals and my progress.

• Make our Summer Bucket List -- Success! And we're making progress. 
• Work out our whole living situation -- Success I guess. Things are still sorta in limbo.
• Fill three bags for Goodwill -- Fail. I really need to get on with some destashing. 
• Sell books at Half Price Books -- Fail. Although to be fair, I'm waiting until I fill a second bag before we go. I should be ready to sell at the end of July.
• Start the Library Summer Reading Program -- Success! We've been reading and recording.
• Try 5 new recipes -- Fail. I think I tried one new recipe this past month...
• Read 25 books -- Success! 
• Implement our new chore chart -- Success!

July's Goals:

• Sell books at HPB -- Carry over goal.
• Read 15 books -- I don't have a huge stack of comics this month to read. So there will be less books but hopefully a comparable page count.
• Enjoy a week with the in-laws -- They are visiting for a little over a week right after the Fourth of July. We have some fun activities planned!
• Gather the twins's school supplies -- We need to get our lists together, backpacks selected, and supplies either bought or sent home.
• Start the birthday party idea gathering -- We're going with a Mad Scientist theme this year and I need to start thinking about what we want to do.
• See at least one movie in the theater (without kiddos) -- J and I haven't seen a movie in the theater for years. I would love to sneak away for a movie or two before the twins leave. 

Next up on the TBR list:

Summer Bucket List Update #1

It's time for another season and another bucket list. The twins will be here for the first two months of summer, so our list will reflect a wide range of activities and tasks. On to the list:

1. Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) -- One down! We went to Half Moon Bay Beach a few weeks back.
2. Jelly Belly Factory
3. Go to the Warped Tour ✓ -- We had such an amazing time even with the high temperatures and full sun.
4. Sonoma Train Town 
5. Pool party 2x -- One down! We had a lovely morning at the pool with some friends.
6. San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique
7. Make popsicles 3x
8. Pacific Pinball Museum
9. Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓ -- The boys and I explored Point Pinole and went on a fun and easy hike through the park. 
10. Escape Room adventure
11. Rocket Fizz Visit
12. Baskin Robbins ✓ -- We got ice cream after our beach day. It's become our tradition.
13. Mini Golf ✓
14. Movie in a Theater ✓ -- I took the little boys to see Ninjago. It was Q's first theater movie.
15. Summer brunch party
16. Make your own pizzas party
17. Make Donuts 2x
18. Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
19. Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina
20. Waterpark day
21. Cookout
22. Read a romance series
23. Make smores
24. Try a new (to us) ice cream place
25. Take the ferry to SF

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Monday's time at the beach was definitely needed
• Feeling a little lost when it comes to meal planning for the next few weeks
• Watching Q drive his trains through the house is too cute!
• I really miss ice cream (I can only have a little before I have some tummy issues)
• Still need to finish June's book club selection; book club is on Sunday
• The little boys have a large stack of library books to read this week
• Super sad and angry about the state of politics currently
• I seriously need to organize my planner supplies; it's a bit out of control

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• It's so great to have all four of my boys in the house again.
• Once again, I'm flying through books. So excited about the among of reading I have been doing.
• My crafting well is full again, thank goodness. I was in a dry spell last week. 
• Warm, just out of the oven cookies are heaven.
• My sandals have given me a weird criss-cross tan on my feet. Guess it's summer time here!
• Speaking of, I just wish the temps would stay warm so we could go swimming. We keep missing the hot days.
• I can't wait to go mini golfing today. I do so love it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List

It's time for another season and another bucket list. The twins will be here for the first two months of summer, so our list will reflect a wide range of activities and tasks. On to the list:

1. Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson)
2. Jelly Belly Factory
3. Go to the Warped Tour
4. Sonoma Train Town 
5. Pool party 2x
6. San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique
7. Make popsicles 3x
8. Pacific Pinball Museum
9. Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos
10. Escape Room adventure
11. Rocket Fizz Visit
12. Baskin Robbins
13. Mini Golf
14. Movie in a Theater (maybe Incredibles 2, opens June 15th)
15. Summer brunch party
16. Make your own pizzas party
17. Make Donuts 2x
18. Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
19. Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina
20. Waterpark day
21. Cookout
22. Read a romance series
23. Make smores
24. Try a new (to us) ice cream place
25. Take the ferry to SF

Next up on the TBR pile: