April 2019 Life Goals

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

Go see Captain Marvel in the theaters for my birthday movie — Fail. Haven’t been able to find the time yet…
Take the littles to Legoland Chicago — Success!
Throw a small birthday party for the twins — Success!
Make Doctor appointment for Arthur and Quentin — Fail.
Read 20 books (four from my UnRead Shelf) — I succeeded on the first part of this goal, but failed on reading four from my UnRead Shelf. I only read two. Fail.

April's Goals:

Put together Easter baskets and home egg hunt for the boys - I’ve gotten some things started, but need a better plan.
Make summer travel plans - Looking ahead to the end of May.
Make Doctor appointments - Seriously!
Read 4 books from UnRead Shelf - Trying this again…
Buy some outdoor activity toys - We got rid of broken/old things when we moved. Now we don’t have much in the way of outdoor toys.
Find a good playground - Self-explantory
Oil Change - The van is just about due for an oil change. Need to keep that in mind so when the sensor gives me the alert, I’m not surprised.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Warm, but windy outside. I’ll take it over the below zero temps.
We need some kind of outdoor toys for this summer… Maybe a small inflatable pool?
I really need to restart my library ban (and stick to it!). Too many books checked out and I’m not reading my own shelves.
Excited to find a good playground close by our house.
Thinking about trying a new scone recipe, but don’t really want to go to the store for ingredients.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. So so good! I can’t wait to finish and get the next book.

Watching: J and I decided to rewatch all of the Marvel movies in anticipation of Endgame being released soon.

Listening: I started S2 of Slow Burn podcast the other day at the gym. This season focuses on the investigation and impeachment of Bill Clinton. I’ve realized that I know very little of the details in that case.

Making: Diving back into Project Life albums. I started Quentin’s 2018 alum and hope to start the 2019 Family album this week.

Feeling: Traveling with two small kids stresses me out a bit. Thankfully we’re back home and I feel calmer.

Planning: I can’t wait for the Stampin’ Up! convention in mid-April. I’m busy planning what I’m going to take (craft kit!) and what I want to do with my limited time in Minneapolis.

Loving: We’re continuing our weekly grilled cheese recipe and I really really love this project! We’ve tried some good recipes and I’ve got some good thinking ones on tap for next month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List

A new season has begun! We’re currently in Indiana visiting family, but will be home this weekend. This season’s bucket list was harder to put together than I thought!

Read 50 books - I blew away my Winter goal of 45 books, so hoping to keep up the momentum!
Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants - Five seemed to be too many last season, so I adjusted it down to three.
Attend two theater performances - The Rose has Winnie the Pooh and Dragons Love Tacos coming up! Can’t wait to see them.
Make fun cupcakes - I want to try some new-to-me recipe for these.
Create an Easter Egg Hunt - I need to put this on my calendar to collect small items and brainstorm some ideas.
Make a planter for the front porch - I want to do something to spruce up our front porch. It’s so boring right now…
Find two good parks - One of these days, the kids will be able to play outside. We need to scout out some fun parks!
Host a cookout - Speaking of outside, we need to get the grill set-up and make something scrummy!
Have fun at OnStage! - I’m meeting a friend for a weekend in Minneapolis at the Stampin’ Up! convention. I can’t wait!
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys - We have shirts and some dye, just need to get it all out and play!
Check out three new museum/zoos - I know we want to go to the Durham Museum, but maybe also the Union Pacific Museum or the Lincoln Zoo.
Check out The Makery - They offer an array of fun craft events. I want to try one out.
Create a spring Spotify playlist - I need something fun to listen to in the house or when doing chores.
Buy a sprinkler for the yard - it will be hot before we know it!
Smoothie month - I would love to move away from coffee every morning and make more smoothies. I might do this as a monthly project in April or May.
Mini golf family night - I would love to start this family activity tradition.
Make a rain gauge - One of those random crafts I’m thinking of doing.
Buy and fly a kite - Living in the plains should give us perfect weather for flying kites!
Go berry picking - I know of a few farms around here that do it, just need to research the when.
Sign Arthur up for summer camps - He wants to do an animal themed camp, but I need to find a couple and decide.
Find a Farmer’s Market - There’s gotta be some around.
Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer - Maybe make a little weekend trip out of it?
Go on a hike- Maybe a state park? Or along the river? (after all the flooding subsides of course)
Visit Old Market - The boys and I haven’t gone yet as it’s too darn cold!
Redo my hair - I’m thinking about doing all-over color, or potentially an ombre look.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Finish Line

Christmas is over! Time to jump into the bleak season of winter here in the Midwest. This list was a bit of a struggle to create due to the weather constraints, but I think I’ve come up with some goodies.

That’s it! According to calendar, it is spring. Time to retire this bucket list and begin a new one. I didn’t quite get to as many of these as I had hoped, but whatever. We tried.

Progress: 10/25

Read 45 books ✓
Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants (3/5) — We ended up trying three new restaurants (two Chinese and one Indiana), but we also went to Le Peep and Wheatfields for brunches. So yummy!
Go sledding
Attend a hockey game
Attend two theater performances (in progress 1/2) - We ended up skipping the current show at the Rose Theater as it’s more suited to an older audience.
Bake some bread ✓
Make winter crafts ✓
Create a table centerpiece ✓
Get our fireplace working
Movie Month January ✓
Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur ✓
Make Valentine’s ✓
Try 3 new hot chocolate recipes/mixes
Visit two new-to-the-boys museums ✓ - On the way to Indiana, we stopped and played at Legoland Discovery Center in Chicago. I am going to count it.
Have an indoor picnic
Swim at the gym 5 times (in progress 1/5)
Host a tea party!
Make a snow globe
Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath
Complete a jigsaw puzzle ✓
Find a great coffee shop for me!
Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore
Buy some new cozy pajamas
Explore an area of Omaha
Travel to Indiana for Nick and Alex’s 16th Birthday! ✓ — We’re here!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Grilled Cheese Adventures: January and February

Part of my 2019 goals is make a different Grilled Cheese recipe each week. I find grilled cheese to be so comforting, but just cheddar or Colby gets boring after awhile. So, I checked a few books out from the library and make a Pinterest Board with lots of options. Here’s what we ate:

Week 1: Pesto, Bruschetta, and Mozzarella

We started the new year off right yesterday with a pesto, bruschetta, mozzarella gc on homemade Hungarian fennel white bread. It doesn’t look like much, but it sure was tasty!

Week 2: Jalapeño Popper

Good but the cream cheese was almost too much. And don’t get me started on removing the skins from jalapeños. Not as easy as the recipe made it seem.

Week 3: Cranberry, Brie, and Prosciutto on Marbled Rye

I really enjoyed this one! Next time I’m going to get the Brie more melty.

Week 4: Fancy BLTs

One of our regular in rotation recipes. I love love love this grilled cheese! For this week, we put it one some thick Italian bread.

Week 5: Spinach and Feta (with Mozzarella) on Sourdough

I really enjoyed this one. The secret is to add red pepper and a bit of garlic to the spinach before grilling!

Week 6: Cheddar, Bacon, and Tomato on Sourdough

Liked it even though I ended up partially burning it. Kids and kitchens don’t mix...

Week 7: Shrimp and Cheddar

Decent, but next time we need to add some cajun seasoning to the shrimp or something similar. Also, this sandwich was the inaugural run of our new sandwich press.

Week 8: Spinach and Artichoke Dip Melts

This is in contention for my favorite GC so far. I love spinach artichoke dip and this is even better as it’s sandwiched between crispy bread.

Week 9: Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese

We switched things up and made grilled cheese for breakfast. Frozen blueberries and cream cheese made a pseudo-strudel to enjoy.

Currently #4

Reading: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield. I loved The Thirteenth Tale, hoping this one is just as good. I’m only a few pages in, but so far, pretty interesting.

Watching: J and I started This Giant Beast that Is the Global Economy with Kal Penn. Depressing, but interesting dive into various aspects of the global economy.

Listening: Lots of podcasts. I’m currently catching up with a few back episodes of Reading Glasses.

Making: The dish of the week is apparently scones. Yesterday I made chocolate chip ones and mango and coconut ones. I want to try out a savory recipe (maybe ham and cheese?) and a new sweet recipe this week.

Feeling: It’s my birthday!!!

Planning: Putting the finishing touches on our travel plans next week. We’re hitting Legoland Chicago on our way to Indiana.

Loving: My in-laws got me a cozy new library themed blanket. Perfect addition to my reading chair in the playroom. It’s been so cold lately and our house has weird cold (playroom) and hot spots (master bedroom) so we’ve been playing with the thermostat. A blanket helps me stay cozy reading while the kiddos play.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #3

Christmas is over! Time to jump into the bleak season of winter here in the Midwest. This list was a bit of a struggle to create due to the weather constraints, but I think I’ve come up with some goodies.

Progress: 7/25

Read 45 books ✓
Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants (in progress 2/5)
Go sledding
Attend a hockey game
Attend two theater performances (in progress 1/2) - We went to see Thumbelina at the Rose Theater. Very fun little show. I don’t think we’ll get to another performance before the end of this bucket list, but we do have at least three more scheduled for Spring and Summer.
Bake some bread ✓
Make winter crafts ✓
Create a table centerpiece ✓
Get our fireplace working
Movie Month January ✓
Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur (in progress)
Make Valentine’s ✓
Try 3 new hot chocolate recipes/mixes
Visit two new-to-the-boys museums (in progress 1/2) - Not quite a museum, but we did visit the botanical garden at Lauritzen so I’m counting it!
Have an indoor picnic.
Swim at the gym 5 times (in progress 1/5) - After Q’s stomach bug this January, I didn’t think we would ever get to the pool. We have been 1 time so far. Hoping to squeeze in a few more trips.
Host a tea party!
Make a snow globe
Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath
Complete a jigsaw puzzle ✓
Find a great coffee shop for me!
Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore
Buy some new cozy pajamas
Explore an area of Omaha
Travel to Indiana for Nick and Alex’s 16th Birthday! - Finally scheduled everything! We will be there for their actual birthday!

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2019 Life Goals

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

Secure hotel for April’s Stampin’ Up! convention — Success! Pam and I will be staying at a cute looking AirBnB pretty close to the convention center.
Nail down travel plans for March — Success!
Nail down travel plans for April — Still working on this one. Not sure when I will be leaving exactly.
Driver’s license — Fail.
Make dentist appointments — Success! Mine isn’t until May, but we already had Q and A’s appointments.
Find a babysitter for monthly date nights — Fail. I need to get on this…
Library ban for rest of February — Fail. I always get distracted by the shinies…
Get rid of two boxes in the kitchen — Fail. I just don’t know what to do with all this random, yet occasionally useful crap.

March's Goals:

Go see Captain Marvel in the theaters for my birthday movie — I haven’t been out on a date with J in years (seriously years, it’s been rough). We both want to see Captain Marvel and it comes out two days after my birthday. Going to try and get there!
Take the littles to Legoland Chicago — I have the tickets and a hotel booked, just need to actually get there. We’re stopping on the way to Indiana for Spring Break.
Throw a small birthday party for the twins — March 19th my big boys are turning 16!!! We’re working out the details, but they are wanting a small party at Crazy Pinz.
Make Doctor appointment for Arthur and Quentin — Need to get this scheduled if not actually happening in March.
Read 20 books (four from my UnRead Shelf) — Pushing my reading momentum into this month. 20 books should be doable, but I need to remember to grab some off my UnRead Shelf.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Four days stuck in the house due to a winter storm… It was rough! We needed to get out. We rescheduled out zoo day for tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we can get out there and have some fun.
Constant meal planning and prepping is getting to me. We may need to re-introduce a meal delivery kit for once a month.
Super excited for our Spring Break in Indiana along with a stop at Legoland!
Trying to finish the book club selection by Monday, but it’s really dragging for me. Not quite sure that I’m really excited about this one at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: Eruption by Steve Olson about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. So far, so good.

Watching: Slowly making my way through Riverdale S2. Finally got the Christmas break.

Listening: Plugging along with This Podcast Will Kill You about infectious diseases. Next up is Malaria.

Making: Feeling like I need to make some brownies this afternoon. Yum yum.

Feeling: Anxious about some upcoming decisions.

Planning: Spring Break is just around the corner. So is the twins’s birthday. Busy busy with the logistics of getting there and back and what to do while there.

Loving: We’ve had a ton of snow this January/February. currently there’s about 7 inches of cumulative snow in our yard. But the sun is shining and the reflection has created a glittery wonderland. Arthur thought there was actual glitter in the snow. So cute!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I had J re-dye my hair and it looks amazing! Now I need to find a stylist here to continue my look or possibly change it up drastically.
Q has been so tired at bedtime lately that he hasn’t even wanted to read books. Crazy!
The kiddos are loving playing in the snow this week. Much nicer temps and calmer wind.
I think sweet tea is my kryptonite.
Missing the gym this week. I tried to take Q to the daycare again and it didn’t go well. Not an option right now and I’m struggling.
How it is my February book stack is growing instead of shrinking? #bookproblems Speaking of books…
Rushing to finish a book before it’s due (today!). Silly people putting a hold on a book I’m currently reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #2

Christmas is over! Time to jump into the bleak season of winter here in the Midwest. This list was a bit of a struggle to create due to the weather constraints, but I think I’ve come up with some goodies.

Read 45 books (in progress) — I’m up to 34 books so far this year.
Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants (in progress 1/5) — We got takeout sushi at a place very close to us. Pretty good!
Go sledding
Attend a hockey game
Attend two theater performances
Bake some bread ✓
Make winter crafts ✓ — Arthur and I grabbed some cute kits from Michael’s and went to town!
Create a table centerpiece ✓
Get our fireplace working
Movie Month January ✓ — We ended up watching 25 movies in January. Decent showing!
Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur (in progress) — Arthur got a few card games for Christmas. We’re currently enjoying Go Fish.
Make Valentine’s
Try 3 new hot chocolate recipes/mixes
Visit two new-to-the-boys museums
Have an indoor picnic.
Swim at the gym 5 times
Host a tea party!
Make a snow globe
Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath
Complete a jigsaw puzzle ✓
Find a great coffee shop for me!
Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore
Buy some new cozy pajamas
Explore an area of Omaha
Travel to Indiana for Nick and Alex’s 16th Birthday!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas. Loving the third book in the Lady Sherlock series.

Watching: Slowing working my way through Riverdale S2.

Listening: I dove into the Last Seen Podcast this past week. Fascinating account of the Gardner Museum heist and the ongoing investigation.

Making: I tried to make gluten free wacky cake again. Last time, the results were disastrous. This time, much better although I still think the cake is a bit dry.

Feeling: My stomach has been a bit off for the last few days.

Planning: Still working on Quentin’s Project Life spreads for 2017. I’m up to November, so my goal to finish that year during this month is definitely doable. Hopefully I can dive into 2018 spreads later this week.

Loving: A few weeks back I bought a log of cranberry goat cheese from Aldis and loved it! This week, I grabbed another log for last night’s book club and another of Blueberry Vanilla to enjoy at home.

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2019 Life Goals

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

Get a Nebraska Driver’s License — Fail. I seriously need to block out an entire day to accomplish this.
Find Eye Doctors, Dentist, and GPs — Another fail. I hate dealing with health insurance.
Start Kindergarten Registration — Success! We got the process started and some of the forms uploaded. Next step is to schedule a physical after Feb. 12th.
Discuss Spring Break Plans — Ongoing. The twins are deciding on their party plans. I need to nail down dates of travel, but it’s tentatively on the schedule.
Read 4000 pages and 15 books — Success! I blew this one out of the water! 29 books and almost 8000 pages read!
Check in with BFC about Exchanges — Success! We are currently in the middle of our Q1 exchange. Going well so far.
Schedule January RnR Classes and Activities — Success! I scheduled things and then a few winter storms disrupted the schedule.
Complete 1/2 of January’s Self-care List — Fail. My completion rate is more like 1/4 of the list, but that’s okay.

February's Goals:

Secure hotel for April’s Stampin’ Up! convention — Rooming with a friend, but don’t want to pay for the extra charge to be next door to the convention center.
Nail down travel plans for March — Self-explanatory
Nail down travel plans for April — For the convention
Driver’s license — Ugh, still
Make dentist appointments — Another task that keeps getting put off
Find a babysitter for monthly date nights — It would be nice to get out once in awhile.
Library ban for rest of February — No more checkouts. No more holds (none currently there anyway). I need to work through the giant stack I already have and my owned books.
Get rid of two boxes in the kitchen — I have two random kitchen boxes still sitting around. One is full of party supplies and the other full of random things. I could probably get rid of like half of the stuff, but some will still need homes.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

The cold! We were at the western edge of the polar vortex this week, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t cold. School was canceled yesterday due to the weather.
Finishing up my 29th book of the year so far. I don’t think my Goodreads goal of 175 book is going to be hard to attain at this rate.
Broke my promise to not get more books from the library. I have a bag full of comics sitting by my chair. Oops!
Searching for a new pajama set is proving to be surprisingly difficult… I might just have to go back to Victoria’s Secret.
Q’s diaper rash (was really bad two days ago) has gotten a lot better. Here’s hoping for dry bottoms.
I hate dealing with health insurance. That is all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #1

Reading: The Fifth Seasonby N.K. Jemisin. Somehow this book kept getting pushed to the bottom of the TBR pile, but so glad I picked it up last week. Oh so good!

Watching: Slowly slowly working my way through Riverdale S2.

Listening: I listen to a ton of podcasts, but the Apocalist Book Club is my current favorite. Such fun!

Making: Working on some card kits for a friend’s craft retreat later this spring.

Feeling: The kids keep waking up in the middle of the night and early in the morning. I’m super run down right now…

Planning: Why does my family always need to eat? Argh! Back to meal planning…

Loving: My little escape lately has been working on my planner and memory planner. Looking through my planner stickers really makes me happy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #1

Christmas is over! Time to jump into the bleak season of winter here in the Midwest. This list was a bit of a struggle to create due to the weather constraints, but I think I’ve come up with some goodies.

Read 45 books (in progress) — I’m up to 17 books so far this year.
Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants
Go sledding
Attend a hockey game
Attend two theater performances
Bake some bread ✓ — I made a long of Hungarian White Bread with Fennel for one of our grilled cheese nights. Very yummy!
Make winter crafts
Create a table centerpiece ✓ - Nothing super special, but I did buy some flowers and arrange my center table tray.
Get our fireplace working
Movie Month January (in progress)
Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur (in progress) — Arthur got a few card games for Christmas. We’re currently enjoying Go Fish.
Make Valentine’s
Try 3 new hot chocolate recipes/mixes
Visit two new-to-the-boys museums
Have an indoor picnic.
Swim at the gym 5 times
Host a tea party!
Make a snow globe
Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath
Complete a jigsaw puzzle ✓
Find a great coffee shop for me!
Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore
Buy some new cozy pajamas
Explore an area of Omaha
Travel to Indiana for Nick and Alex’s 16th Birthday!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

My amazing plan to take Quentin to the gym pool on Wednesday was thwarted by an epic 40 minute tantrum. Maybe next week. Le sigh.
Speaking of, I’m really craving some gym time (last time was Sunday morning). I am willing to go at 7pm, but I really hope we can find another earlier time that works.
January’s reads are turning out to be a mixed bag. Some great. Lots of middling reads.
Digging some Regency romance and cozy mysteries this week.
On the other hand, January movie month is going much better. Some great movies so far!
Attempting to navigate the Nebraska DMV site is giving me a headache.
I moved all the random crap so I can park in the garage again! (Just in time for Friday-Satruday’s storm) It’s a tight squeeze, but the van fits. I have to pull all the way in and pull in the mirrors. Fun fun!
Downloaded the Me and White Supremacy workbook from Layla F. Saad. Need to find some dedicated time to dive in, but looks very interesting.

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2019 Life Goals

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

Finish cleaning out the kitchen and living room -Eh. Not a complete success, but most of the randomness has been put away.
Read 15 books (including 5 Christmas themed) - Success!
January Blog Drafts - Success!
Enjoy the holidays! - Success!

January's Goals:

Get a Nebraska Driver’s License — Need to transfer over my license.
Find Eye Doctors, Dentist, and GPs — I’ve got some leads, but need to make appointments for everyone at each doctor.
Start Kindergarten Registration — Enrollment process starts on Jan. 14th for our district. I need to get everything moving!
Discuss Spring Break Plans — I’ll be going to Indiana to celebrate the twins’s 16th Birthday and have some family time, but need to nail down travel dates, decide on hotel if needed, etc.
Read 4000 pages and 15 Books —Hoping to start my reading year strong!
Check in with BFC About Exchanges — Another fun care exchange is coming!
Schedule January RnR Classes and Activities — I’ve got most of it scheduled, just need to fill in a few more things.
Complete 1/2 of January’s self-care list — I took a huge 365 self care idea list and broke it down into monthly lists. Some are little things and some are more complicated. I want to complete at least half of January’s list this month.

Next up on the TBR list: