Currently #11

Reading: I just started When Women Ruled by Kara Cooney. It’s about the six queens of ancient Egypt. I’m only on the first queen, but it’s fascinating. Turns out I knew very little about the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

Watching: J and I are making our way through S3 of Broadchurch, but it’s so very heavy. To lighten up our nights, we started watching Holey Moley S1. A mini golf competition crossed with Wipe Out? We’re totally here for this!

Listening: Palaye Royale’s new album The Bastards dropped this week. Oh so incredibly good!

Making: I did manage to make a couple of homemade loaves of bread this week.

Feeling: For the past four days, I’ve really felt off. I’ve had a fever off and on, body aches, nausea, and headache. It’s been terrible…

Planning: Meal planning like every week…

Loving: I figured out the “Over Ice” feature on my coffee maker and have been making iced coffee all week. So nice when I want coffee but it’s 90 degrees.

Next up on the TBR pile:

June 2020 Life Goals

Let’s check in on May’s goals and my progress.

Read 15 books ✓
Acquire furniture for craft/library room - 50% I now have a bookshelf for all my books so the library side is mostly done. I just need to hang some art over there. The craft side I have to wait for Ikea delivery. They are backed up until late June.
May Movie Month ✓ - We ended up watching 24 movies this month. Some great, some terrible, and quite a few in the middle.
Hang curtains and art ✓ - We still have a few pieces here and there to put up, but I got a lot done this month.
Make a decision about Reading Retreat and end of summer - The Reading Retreat has been canceled until at least late fall. I have no idea what we are going to do about end of summer…
Acquire summer school materials for Arthur ✓ - I now have an entire stack of activity books and ideas. We’ve started the first book and are figuring out the special projects.

June’s Goals:

Read 15 books - Keeping this going
Create weekly theme units for Arthur - We have already done Art History and Farm. I’m lined up 10 more weekly units, but I need to pull resources and make lesson plans.
Next Round of Soups and Stews - We’ve done so well so far this year. I want pick our selections for the next round or two so I can start fitting them into our meal plans.
Send out June birthday and pick-me-up cards
Figure out end of summer?

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I scored three amazing vintage furniture pieces for only $30 total! Usually I find nothing on Nextdoor that I want, but this weekend I found three great pieces!
The rain can be dreary, but I do love listening to it while reading.
Finished another craft project! One down, 50 million to go….
Thinking I need to send out some more pick-me-up cards.
We’re having a pretty successful May Movie Month. Hoping to finish strong.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List Update #3

A new season has begun! The global pandemic has really put an interesting twist on planning for the spring. We didn’t end up traveling anywhere this month and have loaded up on home activities and schedules. And due to the uncertainty of the near future, I’m shortening the Spring Bucket List to create some manageable goals.

Obviously things have not gone back to anywhere near normal. I imagine that very few of these items will be accomplished, but I’m still going for the ones we can do from home.

Read 50 books (34/50)
Make fun cupcakes -
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓
Make a planter for the front porch -
Find two good parks -
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys -
Create a spring Spotify playlist -
Mini golf family night -
Go berry picking -
Sign Arthur up for summer camps - Camps have been canceled.
Go on a hike -
Have a picnic -
Put together the littles’s room - In progress
Monthly Massage -
Go antiquing -

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: I’m rereading Circe by Madeline Miller for May’s Girly Book Club. I’m also finishing The Deep by Alma Katsu.

Watching: Continuing our May Movie Month. We just did a string of three YA scifi movies: The Darkest Minds (terrible), Mortal Engines (very pretty, but not great), and Alita: Battle Angel (confusing).

Listening: Lots of podcasts like usual, but I always make time for Corona Virus Daily from NPR.

Making: Working on various Project Life pages. I’m still finishing Arthur’s 2018 album, but have started the family 2019 album and the WITL 2019 album.

Feeling: Life with the teenagers has been pretty tense this past week. Not quite sure what’s going on right now, but hoping we can get to the bottom of this conflict soon.

Planning: Arthur is officially done with Kindergarten, but we’re not going to stop learning. As we cannot really visit various places, I’m setting up weekly theme units to get us through the summer. First up is Art History with lots of hands-on projects.

Loving: I picked up some stacks of rhubarb from the grocery and have really enjoyed the strawberry-rhubarb crumble I made from them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Forecast is calling for days of rain. I may just kick the kids of the house anyway…. They are really not good staying inside this long.
The local school district has extended their free meal program into the summer. So excited that kids can still get regular food!
So excited to do a zoom chat with bookish friends tonight. I need to go pull a stack of books to feature.
Reading a book about walking the Appalachian Trail has me inspired to attempt more short hikes with the boys once it’s safe.
It’s Arthur last day of Kindergarten. Very bittersweet day.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List Update #2

A new season has begun! The global pandemic has really put an interesting twist on planning for the spring. We didn’t end up traveling anywhere this month and have loaded up on home activities and schedules. And due to the uncertainty of the near future, I’m shortening the Spring Bucket List to create some manageable goals.

Obviously things have not gone back to anywhere near normal. I imagine that very few of these items will be accomplished, but I’m still going for the ones we can do from home.

Read 50 books (34/50)
Make fun cupcakes -
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓
Make a planter for the front porch -
Find two good parks -
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys -
Create a spring Spotify playlist -
Mini golf family night -
Go berry picking -
Sign Arthur up for summer camps - Camps have been canceled.
Go on a hike -
Have a picnic -
Put together the littles’s room - In progress
Monthly Massage -
Go antiquing -

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #9

Reading: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd - One of my Book of the Month selections. It’s a strange story reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes with a dash of actual fantasy thrown in. I’m really digging it so far!

Watching: We’re currently balancing a light show (Making It S2) and a dark show (Broadchurch S2) before we embark on a movie week.

Listening: Randomly picking albums to listen to while making meals. The other day is was Invented from Jimmy Eat World.

Making: Back at the Project Life spreads. I’m so close to finishing Arthur’s 2018 Album. Just about 50 more photos to print. and a few more weeks to journal.

Feeling: Tired. This whole thing has exhausted me daily. Sleeping 8 hours isn’t even touching my exhaustion.

Planning: We’re shooting for the grocery store once every two - two and half weeks. That means I really need to get creative about what to buy and when so things do not go bad before using.

Loving: With all the crazy, I have found time to read daily. Working in at least an hour every day.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2020 Soups and Stews from Around the World - March and April

Week 8: Ajiaco (Chicken and Corn Soup) from Colombia

Pretty darn good. Next time we will up the spice factor, but we really enjoyed the flavors in this soup. The capers and sour cream really bring it together!

Recipe used from Closet Cooking

Week 9: Maafe (Peanut Stew) from Senegal

This was a delightfully spicy stew! I added three whole habanero peppers with seeds and it was the perfect amount of heat for us! I paired the stew with homemade Hungarian Fennel Bread and it was delicious.

Recipe used from Nibble Me This

Week 10: Red Curry Noodle Soup from Thailand

Southeast Asian food is always going to be a hit in our house. I really enjoyed this mild curry noodle soup. We decided that it was Thai comfort food. Perfect for a chilly day!

Recipe used from Damn Delicious

Week 11: Cullen Skink (Fish Stew) from Scotland

Very yummy. Unfortunately we couldn’t get smoked haddock so I had to use regular haddock. We agreed that this would be even better with smoked haddock. Hopefully we can acquire some later this year and remake this dish.

Recipe used from Foodie Quine

Week 12: Gulyas (Goulash) from Hungary

This did not have enough flavor. It was like a bland beef stew. Not really what we want in goulash. We’re hoping to try again with a different goulash recipe soon.

Recipe used from Daring Gourmet

Week 13: Lablabi (Chickpea Soup) from Tunisia

Eh…. it was pretty bland and very starchy. We are constantly having this problem with bean soups. The ratio of starch to liquid never seems to be right even when I’m following the recipe exactly. Maybe something else…

Recipe used from Serious Eats

Week 14: Pasta E Fagioli from Italy

This was pretty good. I really enjoyed the shaved parmesan on top to give it just a little something extra.

Recipe used from kitchn

Week 15: Crab Coconut Curry from Mozambique

This was very yummy. Decent amount of spice. The crab did just completely lost in the mix, so next time I might just sub tofu.

Recipe used from The African Gourmet

Week 16: Kulajda from Czech Republic

Decently good. I did like this but it was a very dilly potato soup.

Recipe used from Culinary Goddess

Week 17: Chicken Coconut Curry from Micronesia

So bland in comparison. The curry from Mozambique was so much more interesting and tasty!

Recipe used from Food.com

May 2020 Life Goals

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

Read 20 books - Fail. I did get pretty close with 18 books finished.
Paint the craft/library room ✓
Make Easter baskets for the boys ✓
Clean up the yard ✓
Get supplies for a small vegetable garden - Fail. I haven’t gotten around to making a shopping list.
Every-other-day neighborhood walks ✓
Go on an Easter Egg hunt ✓

May’s Goals:

Read 15 books - Scaling it back just a bit to keep moving along.
Acquire furniture for craft/library room - I think I’ve decided on a library bookcase and hoping to get it soon. And I’m hoping Ikea fixes their stock issues so I can get my crafting system.
May Movie Month - I’ve compiled a list of movies that I keep forgetting about watching. So next month we’re going to pick a movie to watch every night.
Hang curtains and art - Putting those things up makes the house feel more finished.
Make a decision about Reading Retreat and end of Summer - I need to get some tentative plans in place.
Acquire summer school materials for Arthur - Instruction from his school ends May 14th, but I need to keep him learning especially if we are still going to be quarantined.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

My reading is rolling on! I’m so excited to get to a variety of books from my own shelves and from digital loans.
I think our deck needs to be power washed this summer…
Here’s hoping I can get at least one bookshelf in my craft/library room soon.
I rediscovered my Frixion pens and have been using them everywhere!
Thinking I should make some cookies today.
Debating on where or not to even buy a new planner next month (mine is ending in June).
May movie month is looking like we’re going to be watching a ton of good movies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #8

Reading: The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams - A WWII novel, but feels refreshing in the setting and the characters.

Watching: We just finished the first season of Making It last night. I loved that show!

Listening: For some reason, I’ve been pulling out the entirety of Mumford & Sons catalog to enjoy.

Making: We’ve been experimenting with different curries this week. Yummy!

Feeling: Over a month practicing social distancing and I’m feeling so weird… Every day is just so strange.

Planning: I’m almost finished painted my craft/library room. Hopefully this weekend I can start moving in furniture this weekend.

Loving: J and I have been turning to feel good television. It has made our nights so much more enjoyable.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

With the weather nicer, I want to go places even more. So sad that I cannot.
I did order a blow-up pool and some bubbles for the kids once it’s warm again.
And I impulse ordered an entire box of books from Book Outlet. Terrible, but I couldn’t resist.
Priming my craft/library room has given me new motivation to get that finished to I can furnish and decorate.
Speaking of, I really need to order the shelving units already.
I hate making food multiple times a day…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List Update #1

A new season has begun! The global pandemic has really put an interesting twist on planning for the spring. We didn’t end up traveling anywhere this month and have loaded up on home activities and schedules. And due to the uncertainty of the near future, I’m shortening the Spring Bucket List to create some manageable goals. - It looks like I was very optimistic a few weeks back and thought we would be able to do more things than we can. Focusing on the home activities.

Read 50 books (17/50)
Make fun cupcakes -
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓
Make a planter for the front porch -
Find two good parks -
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys -
Create a spring Spotify playlist -
Mini golf family night -
Go berry picking -
Sign Arthur up for summer camps
Go on a hike -
Have a picnic -
Put together the littles’s room -
Monthly Massage -
Go antiquing -

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #7

Reading: 1776 by David McCullough. Finally! It’s been sitting on my shelves for years at this point…

Watching: J and I are slowly making our way through Broadchurch S2.

Listening: I overdid it on podcasts last week, so I’m trying to listen to more music especially calming music. this week, I’ve been turning to simple piano tracks.

Making: Back to crafting a tiny bit. I’ve been working on my Memory Planner pages for February and March.

Feeling: Arguably I have more time on my hands right now. And yet, I find that I don’t have enough time to do things. I finally pinpointed my problem. My brain is having trouble focusing on tasks. I’m feeling so incredibly scattered.

Planning: We have dinners planned and supplies gathered for the next week or so. But then, I don’t know. And I don’t necessarily plan breakfasts and lunches, but thinking I should. Which leads to me to the next point…

Loving: Millard Public Schools is giving away free breakfast and lunches to students at select schools across the district. This is amazing! We don’t go every day, but have been hitting up the service a few times a week. Today we got Uncrustables, oranges, milk (chocolate and regular), muffins, string cheese, raisins, chips, and a snack (graham crackers or rice crispie treats). Such a great service to make sure the kids in our district are still being fed. This is helping my family add some variety to breakfast and lunches.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Quarantining is hard, but the weather has at least been cooperating this week.
I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow or Saturday. Dreading it greatly…
I loved our outing to the Wildlife Safari yesterday even if the boys were grumpy. (Don’t worry, no one can get out of their cards. Just fun to see the animals.)
#teamcake anyone?
I keep waiting for more restrictions to come from our governor, but so far, they have been “suggestions.”

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2020 Life Goals

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

Read 20 books ✓
Put in my Ikea house order - Fail. With all the changes this past month, I never got around to this.
Get the Reading Retreat attendance set - Put on hold indefinitely…
Secure Reading Retreat lodging - Ditto
MPS move - Things got a little lost in the shuffle.
Get the craft/library prepped for furniture and decor - Fail. I did make progress, just not ready to move things in yet.

April’s Goals:

Read 20 books - Going for another big month.
Paint the craft/library room - Getting so close!
Make Easter baskets for the boys - I had bought things before we went into lockdown. Just need to get a bit creative for the last pieces.
Clean up the yard - There are some dead plants and lots of leaves laying around. Hoping to get things cleaned up before everything really gets growing.
Get supplies for a small vegetable garden - Arthur is really excited to grow some things especially tomatoes and zucchini.
Every-other-day neighborhood walks - I would say every day but I know the weather will not cooperate some days. We are hoping to explore more of our neighborhood.
Go on an Easter Egg hunt - The entire city of Omaha has gotten into doing a city-wide easter egg hunt. People have printed and colored easter eggs to hang in windows and doors. There’s a giant Google map filled with pins for houses with eggs. We are going to try and go out Friday and then again next week.

Next up on the TBR list:

Currently #6

Reading: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - Some of these essays are amazing.

Watching: J and I are in the middle of a rewatch of the Cornetto Trilogy. Last night we rewatched Hot Fuzz (J’s favorite; mine is Shaun of the Dead).

Listening: Arthur and Quentin have really amped up their fighting in the past week. It’s a bit much…

Making: Trader Joe’s lava cakes are oh so good and so easy to make!

Feeling: The twins have arrived at our house. I am relieved.

Planning: . This week I need to go to the grocery. I need to think on my strategy.

Loving: I’m managing to find quiet moments to read in between the school lessons and kids fighting.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Happy Birthday to my two first babies! They definitely aren’t babies anymore and are taller than I am.
Meal planning and grocery shopping are terrible right now. I have so much anxiety over food…
This social distancing is really doing wonders for my reading. So many pages read this past week.
We finally have finished moving everything to the new house and got the old house cleaned on Tuesday. Hoping to sign off on everything by tomorrow. One less worry.
If my sandpaper would ever get delivered, I could start prepping the craft/library room for painting.
Related, I need to finish removing the caulk from the blue bathroom so we can recaulk it and prep for painting.
Home school with Arthur is going fairly well. We’re relaxed but still trying to structure our days a bit so they don’t devolve into fights and too much television.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List

A new season has begun! The global pandemic has really put an interesting twist on planning for the spring. We didn’t end up traveling anywhere this month and have loaded up on home activities and schedules. And due to the uncertainty of the near future, I’m shortening the Spring Bucket List to create some manageable goals.

Read 50 books - I came so close to my winter goal of 45 books. Here’s hoping settling into the new house and health concerns lead to more reading.
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!
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys - We have shirts and some dye, just need to get it all out and play!
Create a spring Spotify playlist - I need something fun to listen to in the house or when doing chores.
Mini golf family night - Hoping we can go in a few weeks.
Go berry picking - I hope we can go again this late spring…
Sign Arthur up for summer camps - I’m waiting for this due to health concerns.
Go on a hike - Maybe a state park? Or along the river?
Have a picnic - Even if we just have lunch or dinner on the back deck…
Put together the littles’s room - Right now everything is very much in pieces.
Monthly Massage - Yes please!
Go antiquing - I’m loving finding mid-century pieces for our new house. Hoping to go out soon.

Next up on the TBR pile: