The day is here! Goodbye sunny moderate California, hello blustery and chilly Nebraska! The boys and I are on a plane leaving the west coast for a quick trip to Indiana before driving over to Nebraska and settling into our new home. I'll share photos of the new house once we get in.
Fall Bucket List Update #1
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:
Visit Rocket Fizz - We went after a park playdate. Arthur picked out some gummis. That’s my kid! ✓
Take a Ferry Ride to San Francisco ✓
Have a Beach Day ✓
Enjoy my Retreat Weekend! ✓
Celebrate Arthur and Quentin's Birthdays! ✓
Visit Children's Fairyland ✓
Visit Children's Creativity Museum - scrapped this due to fussy kids
Eat at Black Bear
Buy pie in Guerneville ✓
Have one more pool party ✓
Midwest:
Visit Fort Wayne Zoo
Visit Science Central
Visit Omaha Zoo
Visit Omaha Children's Museum
Get a new library card
Find a good park
Go see a movie in the theater
Go to Vala's Pumpkin Festival
Eat at Coney Island
Travel to OBM Sparkle Party in Iowa City
Find a good indie bookstore
Visit the comic books store
Find a good brunch place (Wheatfields?)
Have dinner with a friend alone
Join a new parent group
Join a book club
Get my crafty business started
Go to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving
Create a fall signature cocktail
Next up on the TBR pile:
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:
- Visit Rocket Fizz
- Take a Ferry Ride to San Francisco
- Have a Beach Day
- Enjoy my Retreat Weekend!
- Celebrate Arthur and Quentin's Birthdays!
- Visit Children's Fairyland
- Visit Children's Creativity Museum
- Eat at Black Bear
- Buy pie in Guerneville
- Have one more pool party
Midwest:
- Visit Fort Wayne Zoo
- Visit Science Central
- Visit Omaha Zoo
- Visit Omaha Children's Museum
- Get a new library card
- Find a good park
- Go see a movie in the theater
- Go to Vala's Pumpkin Festival
- Eat at Coney Island
- Travel to OBM Sparkle Party in Iowa City
- Find a good indie bookstore
- Visit the comic books store
- Find a good brunch place (Wheatfields?)
- Have dinner with a friend alone
- Join a new parent group
- Join a book club
- Get my crafty business started
- Go to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving
- 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.
- Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) ✓
- Jelly Belly Factory ✓
- Go to the Warped Tour ✓
- Sonoma Train Town ✓
- Pool party 2x ✓
- San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique ✓
- Make popsicles 3x
- Pacific Pinball Museum ✓
- Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓
- Escape Room adventure
- Rocket Fizz Visit
- Baskin Robbins ✓
- Mini Golf ✓
- Movie in a Theater ✓
- Summer brunch party
- Make your own pizzas party
- Make Donuts 2x
- Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
- Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina ✓
- Waterpark day ✓ - We ended up spending most of our Gilroy Gardens Day at the waterpark area. Loved it!
- Cookout
- Read a romance series ✓ - I sped through Mose of the Renfrew/Kyle series from Jo Beverley
- Make smores
- Try a new (to us) ice cream place
- 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:
- Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) ✓
- Jelly Belly Factory ✓
- Go to the Warped Tour ✓
- Sonoma Train Town ✓
- Pool party 2x ✓
- San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique ✓
- Make popsicles 3x
- Pacific Pinball Museum ✓
- Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓
- Escape Room adventure
- Rocket Fizz Visit
- Baskin Robbins ✓
- Mini Golf ✓
- Movie in a Theater ✓
- Summer brunch party
- Make your own pizzas party
- Make Donuts 2x
- Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
- Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina ✓
- Waterpark day
- Cookout
- Read a romance series
- Make smores
- Try a new (to us) ice cream place
- 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:
- Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) -- One down! We went to Half Moon Bay Beach a few weeks back.
- Jelly Belly Factory
- Go to the Warped Tour ✓ -- We had such an amazing time even with the high temperatures and full sun.
- Sonoma Train Town
- Pool party 2x -- One down! We had a lovely morning at the pool with some friends.
- San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique
- Make popsicles 3x
- Pacific Pinball Museum
- 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.
- Escape Room adventure
- Rocket Fizz Visit
- Baskin Robbins ✓ -- We got ice cream after our beach day. It's become our tradition.
- Mini Golf ✓
- Movie in a Theater ✓ -- I took the little boys to see Ninjago. It was Q's first theater movie.
- Summer brunch party
- Make your own pizzas party
- Make Donuts 2x
- Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
- Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina
- Waterpark day
- Cookout
- Read a romance series
- Make smores
- Try a new (to us) ice cream place
- 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: