Sunday Sunset #29

Book finished: Entwined

Reading: Shadowdance

On the Nightstand: I am Malala; Expecting Adam

Making Lists: Grocery list. Our food situation is approaching critical. Need to get my meal plan in order for this coming week.

Around the house: Dealing with the aftermath that was Arthur's birthday. We didn't have it at our house, but we still have a giant mess to clean up.

On the Web: Following the shit storm from the CEO of Microsoft's comments on gender and raises.  I imagine the Microsoft PR department is scrambling.

Farmer's Market Finds: Kettle corn, sausages for lunch, and German pastries.  Yum yum!

Crafting: I finished all of Arthur's party decorations with time to spare! Now to finish my PL swaps and keep up with my Card a Day project.

Watching: While J was gone on a work trip this week, I caught up on all my cheesy season premieres -- Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Reign, and Sleepy Hollow.  I also rented Pompeii (hilariously bad) and A Winter's Tale (makes me want to read the book, gotta be better right?). Other than those few things, I spent most nights reading, crafting, or hosting a board meeting, so not much TV overall. This weekend we caught up on a few other shoes (The League, Bad Education, Last Week Tonight) and watched the documentary Dinosaur 13.

From Nature: After 90+ degree temps, the weather has cooled back into the low 80s.  Thank goodness!  I don't want it to be 40 degrees, but 90 was a bit much.

Project: Arthur's 1st birthday party is over and a huge success.  Now on to the next big project: Preschool Playdate.  We are hosting this Friday and our theme is apples.  I've got it mostly planned out, but now I need to buy the crafting supplies and ingredients for snacks.  And finally set everything up on Friday morning.

Picture: An angry Arthur selfie.

Sunday Sunset #28

Listening To: Fall Out Boy and Florence + the Machine.  Weird combo I know, but I decided that I really want to listen to the entire discography of both these artists.

Book finished: No Turning Back; Dune

Reading: The Living Dead

On the Nightstand: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; The Awakening by Kate Chopin; Entwined by Kristen Callihan

Making Lists: All the craft related projects for October.  So many to figure out what, how, and especially when.  This month may just be a black hole.

Around the house: Continuing my battle with the tornado that is Arthur.  At this point, I could vacuum everyday and no one would be able to tell.  As it is, I do vacuum about every other day. Constant, constant.  On a happier note, I'm starting to serious destash before our upcoming move.  J wants to find a place and move before Christmas, so I'm starting now.  Not packing yet, but definitely weeding through the crap.  We saw a few properties this week and at least two possibilities.  We may put in an application for those two.  Still mulling it over a bit.

From the kitchen: This past week's meals were some of our tried and true favorites: Italian beef sandwiches, buffalo chicken sliders, tacos, tilapia, and bbq chicken.  I did attempt a new recipe on Friday, tomato pie, but it turned into a soggy gross mess.  We got Thai takeout instead of eating the pile of goo. Since J is leaving on a work trip and we have Arthur's party on Saturday, I've only got one new recipe up for next week: Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup with Rosemary Rolls.  We'll see how it goes...

Watching: Lots of Key and Peele... Seriously addicted to that show.

Wondering: When and how much food should I buy for Arthur's party?  We now have about 60 people coming... Crazy times!  And I can't forget about beer!

From Nature: Such a contradiction.  We've had 90+ degree days while parts of the midwest saw their first snowfalls.  Can we have something in between?  I would love a good 70 degree day right about now.

Shopping Scores: Finishing up the last of the party supply buying (except food).  I think we now have all the nonperishable items.  I also picked up more supplies for the preschool playdate and the fall social.  Getting close!

Project: Final prepping for Arthur's party next Saturday.  A fair amount still to do.

Picture: Hurricane Arthur, the aftermath...

Sunday Sunset #27

Listening To: Anberlin, Fall Out Boy, Brandi Carlile, all from our iTunes account

Book finished: Fairest Vol. 3; An Abundance of Katherines

Reading: No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman

On the Nightstand: Dune by Frank Herbert; Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Making Lists: So many lists!  I spent Friday morning writing down everything I needed to do and then organizing that big list into topical lists.  I have one for Arthur's party, one for the fall social, one for my Meetup group, one for the house, one for Christmas... You get the idea.  At least now I have a much better picture of what I want and need to do in October.

Around the house: Slowly starting to destash and simplify.  If we are going to move soon, I don't want to have to pack all this junk.  We've only lived her for 2 1/2 years, but we already have accumulated a ton of crap.  I did the kitchen last week, but still need to work on the others rooms in the house.  And I can't forget about the closets, including the storage one and balcony one!

From the kitchen: I made a new to me version of pot roast that I think I will keep.  Very yummy and ridiculously easy.  I need to look up some new recipes for next week and finally make the pretzel bites and rosemary rolls that I was planning on for last week.  I ran out of time and parchment paper...

Crafting: Besides teaching a few classes (Project Life and Halloween/Thanksgiving cards), I've been spending some time organizing and planning.  A few friends and I will be selling at a couple of craft fairs this holiday season.  I've been attempting to comb through my stash and completed cards to see what I have to sell and what I need to make.  Definitely thinking some stationary sets or modified notebooks.  Plus I have 30 Days of Cards coming in October, Arthur's birthday thank you cards, the fall social, and future classes to prep for.  Busy, busy!

Watching: We're making our way through The Newsroom S2 (I love Sorkin!) and have started some of our returning shows (Downtown Abbey, Modern Family {argh this one!}, Sleepy Hollow, and The League).  Plus, we've really been getting into Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  Loving his commentary and in depth pieces on current news topics.  The one about student loan debt was spot on!

From Nature: We finally got a bit of rain this past week.  The weather reports stated that we hadn't had any significant rains since March!  No wonder we're in a drought!  The rain was nice, but very short lived.  We need more...

Shopping Scores: I haven't taken any pictures, but I've been buying a ton of Christmas stash supplies, Halloween supplies (including Arthur's costume), and party supplies.  Arthur's birthday party supplies are almost completely bought.  I should get the last package this Monday. I've also got a few more craft supply packages on their way for later in the month.  Amazon has been my best friends lately...

Project: Take your pick from my giant list.  I feel like I'm working on a million different things right now because I am!

Picture: Arthur and a meerkat checking each other out at the Happy Hallow Zoo.

Sunday Sunset #26

Listening To: Mumford and Sons.  I've had their albums on repeat lately...

Book finished: Washington; Winterblaze; Fingersmith

Reading: No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman; An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

On the Nightstand: Dune by Frank Herbert

Making Lists: Grocery list for the next two weeks. Projects to finish before Christmas.

From the kitchen: Last week I made a few new recipes -- Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Dijon Pan Sauce (very yummy) and Tater Tot Casserole (American shepherd's pie)

Crafting: I finished with my holiday swaps, my September swap card, and my Halloween and Thanksgiving class cards.  Plus, I caught up with PL for the family album.  I was on top of it this week.

Watching: We finished Game of Thrones S3 (yeah, I know, way behind), The Newsroom S1 (so very Sorkin), and Gravity Falls S1 (my little guilty pleasure).  Even though we finished three seasons, we didn't actually watch too much tv this week...

From Nature: Beautifully sunny and breezy.  That's the Bay.

Project: An upcoming movie.  With J's new job in the city, we need to fin a place that gives him a shorter commute.  From our place now, it will be almost 3 hours a day in commute time (2 hours on the train and about 1 hour walking).  We're looking at Fremont in East Bay.  Not my absolute favorite, but it's close to the BART line (faster trip into the city) and way cheaper. We've looked at three places so far, but none are right. We have the time to shop around a bit.  However, with the market around here we will have to jump when we find a place we like.  I'm hoping before Christmas... But that also means that I need to start packing/decluttering now.

Picture: Arthur enjoying his first sushi.  Don't worry it was imitation crab and shrimp tempura.

Sunday Sunset #25

Book finished: Becoming Mona Lisa; City of Bones

Reading: Washington by Ron Chernow

On the Nightstand: No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman; Fingersmith by Sarah Waters; An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Making Lists: Grocery list (it's that week again), projects to do, daily tasks, craft classes and events, fall social projects, pre-Christmas planning.  So many lists!

From the kitchen: I tried three new recipes this past week -- sweet garlic chicken (decent), potato ham bake (mediocre), and cake mix lemon cookies (amazingly awesome!).  I'm looking at a few more new recipes for this coming week, but need to narrow them down.

Crafting: Next Saturday, I am attending a SU demo event.  As part of the event, I am participating in a card swap.  That's 50 card fronts that I need to make by Friday.  This may have been a mistake...

Watching: Finally getting around to catching up on Parenthood S4.  J and I are continuing with The Newsroom S1.  And that's about it... we've really not been watching much tv at night this week.

Wondering: Will I have have any time to work on projects during the day?  Arthur's non-napping is really taking its toll on the house and my personal attitude.

From Nature: It's been breezy lately and it's downright lovely.  It's still warm, but it almost feels like fall.  The change helps me justify hot coffee in the morning.

Project: Besides that crazy card swap, I am attempting to clean and organize my crafting space.  I need a better system of packing for classes and crops without tearing everything apart and then having a giant pile to put away.  I need some different storage options.  Right now I'm trying out some different configurations in the hopes that I can work with what we have.  Don't have high hopes.  I'll probably need to buy something else.

Picture: Arthur selfie. He's really be obsessed with the camera this week.

Sunday Sunset #24

Listening To: The Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse Pandora channels.  Jazzy goodness. And Arthur loves it.

Book finished: Reasons My Kid is Crying; The Orphans at Race Point; Moonglow

Reading: Becoming Mona Lisa by Donald Sassoon

On the Nightstand: The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald; City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

Making Lists: Stampin' Up to order lists, projects to complete list, TBR lists for the rest of 2014, house projects list, baby craft ideas list. Lots and lots of lists.

Around the house: I finally put the twins' bunk beds back together.  They've been in disarray since they left at the end of July.  Every time I think about it, Arthur is sleeping in the room so I can't fix them. Finally got a chance yesterday.  Now on to organizing/destashing the random office products bin in the office.

From the kitchen: Nothing really excited from the previous week.  However, I have a few new and interesting recipes to try this coming week.

Watching: We finally started The Newsroom.  So far, I like it, but it's no West Wing. We'll keep with it I'm sure.  We're also enjoying Garfunkel and Oates, and True Blood, Game of Thrones (S3).  Plus, Doctor Who started again!  Woohoo!  So excited to see where Peter Capaldi's takes the Doctor.

Shopping Scores: Arthur's early birthday present arrived on Saturday.  I bought him the green one.  Now we have to blow it up so he can play.  Hope he likes it.

Project: Lots of crafting projects lately.  I've got the Meetup running and people are starting to RSVP for classes and events.  Now I need to nail down my card designs for those classes and events.  And order any supplies I need for those classes and events.  And make the sample cards.  Busy, busy, busy, but hopefully this all pays off.

Picture: State of the dining room table.  Trying to catch up our scrapbook albums

Sunday Sunset #23

Listening To: Random iTunes shuffle. Loving my eclectic collection. (And so is Arthur)

Book finished: Casino Royale; The Little Prince; Sunrise; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Diary; Ten Things I Love About You

Reading: The Orphans at Race Point by Patry Francis

On the Nightstand: Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn; Moonglow by Kristen Callihan; The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Becoming Mona Lisa by Donald Sassoon

Making Lists: Lots of various to do lists

Around the house: Attempting to keep the house clean with a whirlwind of destruction.  Also trying to reorganize and clean my craft space after prepping for fairly disastrous open house and card class.  Neverending...

From the kitchen: I tried out a few new recipes these past few weeks --

• Reese's bottom cheesecake cups -- Holy cow!  Yummy!
• Black bean soup -- Needs more spices
• Apple and garlic pork roast -- Easy and yummy
• Slow Cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole -- Burned on to and bottom.  And the sun dried tomatoes were a bit much.  With modifications, this could be good.

Watching: Finally saw The Lone Ranger and don't know why I wasted my time.  Argh! On the tv front, we've been enjoying The Wil Wheaton Project, Drunk History, King of the Nerds (S1 and S2), and Game of Thrones (S3, yeah still behind).

Wondering: How September is going to work?  I have many things cooking right now.  Busy, busy, busy.

From Nature: Temperatures have been usual, but the breeze has been extra fantastic lately.  Often we don't get much of a breeze down here in South Bay, but this past week has been lovely.  I really enjoy this weather.

Project: I actually have two giant projects currently in play --

• I took on the task of writing a nonfiction book aimed at middle schoolers.  This is going to be a longer term project as I'm in the planning stages, but eventually we want to possibly self-publish.  I know this is vague, but I can't disclose too much right now...
• A mom and crafter friend and I are launching are own crafting Meetup within the next week or so.  We're currently tweaking our name and description and laying out classes for the upcoming months.  Hopefully we can gain some customers and share our love of crafting.  I'll post a link when we've launched.  Getting really excited about this one!

Picture: Such a big always-moving little boy!

Sunday Sunset #22

Book finished: Journal Bliss; How to Sell Your Crafts Online; Pinterest Perfect; Handmade to Sell; A Long Way Down

Reading: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

On the Nightstand: The Little Prince; Sunrise by Mike Mullin; Moonglow by Kristen Callihan

Making Lists: Grocery, tbr piles, picture book list, kitchen inventory, projects to finish list

Around the house: Everyday is a struggle recovering from Hurricane Arthur.  Vacuming is a daily task, along with the dishes and laundry.  I found time to dust and even rearrange some of our living room organization.

From the kitchen: I tried an easy recipe for chicken yakisoba that was incredibly yummy.  It is being added to our regular recipe line-up.  For next week, I've got a few more new recipes and even one for Guiness chocolate pudding.

Watching: In terms of television, we've been enjoying The Wil Wheaton Project, Star Trek: TOS, True Blood (finally catching up on S7), started Halt and Catch Fire (undecided so far)

For movies we'e been all over the map lately:

• Bad Word - better than I thought it would be
• Particle Fever - doc about CERN that I actually found interesting
• Non-stop - crazy Liam Neeson movie
• Game Change - somehow never watched it; very crazy
• A Long Way Down -- for book to movie comparison; really enjoyed it; read my review here

From Nature: After some pretty high temperatures for our area, we're back to normal.  Thank goodness.  I was sweltering.

Shopping Scores: I used my Kohl's cash for a couple of cute comfy outfits for Arthur and a pair of capris for me. Yeah! I have another pair of pants that actually fit.

Project: I've been working on 11 Project Life card swaps this past week.  They are almost ready to be sent out.  I just need to put the finishing touches on them, label the packages, and get to the post office.

Picture: Climbing into his jumper... oh no!

Sunday Sunset #21

Listening To: Attempting to make a blogging playlists for my Spark ecourse. So far, I've narrowed it down to ~400 songs.  I think it needs to be narrowed down even further...

Book finished: Fairest: In All the Land; What Happens in London

Reading: Nothing at the moment, I just finished a book today

On the Nightstand: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby; Various crafting books

Making Lists: Blog tasks, household tasks, party planning, September weddings (sister and J's brother) related tasks, simplifying tasks...  Lots of things to start thinking about for fall.

Around the house: As the boys have only a few more days here, we are attempting to organize, pack, and generally clean out their room.  The house has gotten a bit disorganized and cluttered over the summer.  We really need to do a thorough cleaning and organizing.

From the kitchen: Nothing too exciting this week, but I am thinking of lining up some new recipes for the next month.

On the Web: Pondering my blogroll and trying to decide what to cut...  I keep finding more and more interesting crafty blogs to add.  But I've got way too many blogs already.

Watching: Top Gear, Mythbusters, Drunk History, Star Trek movies

Wondering: How long will it take me to actually work through the Spark ecourse?

Shopping Scores: We finally finished our Back to School shopping!  It took a very stressful trip to Target, but we got it done. Okay, I'm lying.  We still need to get Alex a pair of pants.  Then we will be done.

Project: Prepping for the twins' departure.  We have lot to do in the next few days: arcade, haircuts, packing, library returns, dinner out, etc.

Picture: Baby snack shipment!

Sunday Sunset #20

Book finished: Fairest Vol. 1; Bel Canto; Firelight; Fairest Vol. 2

Reading: Fairest: In All the Land

On the Nightstand: Various craft centered books

Making Lists: Blog to-dos... I finally bought the Spark Ecourse, but of course i am behind.  I need to schedule out 30 minutes to complete my blog tasks.

Around the house: We spent about 2 hours the other day and did a major clean of the house.  Of course, within 30 minutes it was messy again.  Typical.

From the kitchen: I tried a recipe for easy beef tips that went over well with J but not at all with the twins.  That seems typical.

Watching: Lots of Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Big O.  I did watch the documentary about finding Richard III's skeleton under a parking lot in England.  Fascinating!

Wondering: How to fit all our summer activities and regular baby activities into the next 10 days?

Project: Other than the Spark Ecourse, I am hoping to participate in a few card challenges and read more this coming week.  Those goals don't seem that big and scary, but somehow I know that this will be a struggle.

Picture: Love the look...

Sunday Sunset #19

Book finished: Silent in the Grave; Locke and Key #6; Fables Vol. 19

Reading: Fairest Vol. 1; Bel Canto

On the Nightstand: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby; Firelight by Kristin Callihan; Fairest Vol. 2

Making Lists: Grocery lists, blogs posts to complete, picture books to read, potential dresses to wear to two fall weddings, recipes to try, blog post ideas, remaining summer to-dos, house chores, card challenges to complete.  Yeah, it's been a listing kind of week.

Around the house: It's a never-ending battle with crap on the floor.  I'll clean the living room, get a glass of water, and when I return, it's a disaster again.  I live constantly with Hurricane Arthur.

Watching: We finished Cowboy Bebop this past week.  Holy cow!  What an ending!  But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the show.  After Cowboy, we watch The Empire Strikes Back and Star Trek: The Voyage Home.  We then started The Big O to continue with our anime series.  I finally finished S1 of Reign and caught up on my random short videos.  Now to catch up on The Daily Show...

Wondering: Why can I never get 5 full minutes of silence?  Oh wait, I remember.  I have three boys...

From Nature: While various other parts of the country experienced storms for the Fourth, we had gorgeous clear skies with temps in the 70s.  The nice temperature made our pool part BBQ with an unheated pool actually enjoyable.  The water was much warmed than I thought it would be.  The twins and the babies (with some parents) swam while the adults drank beer and ate yummy BBQ chicken.  My kind of Fourth of July!

Project: I've embarked today on a major blog focus.  Right now I'm working about a day ahead on my two blogs.  Usually that's more like a week ahead for my weekly routine posts.  Because I'm not ahead like I should be, I've been having some mild panic attacks about the blog.  I even had a few nightmares!  I decided to schedule in some alone time at the coffeehouse to work on posts and back end organization.  I also signed up for the Spark e-course to help restart my creative flow.  I'll let you know how it goes...

Picture: Baby at the beach

Sunday Sunset #18

Listening To: Lots of Lithium and Octane on Sirius XM.  I've been feeling the harder rock lately.  Plus, I'm loving my 90s Alternative.  Takes me back to high school.

Book finished: Stranger Than Fiction

Reading: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

On the Nightstand: Fairest, Locke and Key, Fables, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, business and crafting books...  July's TBR pile is looking very interesting!

Making Lists: Grocery. Projects (craft and life). Thoughts for July Co-op Board Meeting. Ideas for Co-op Summer Social.  Inventory of to-get-rid-of crafting supplies. 1000 Books Before Kindergarten books read and to be read. Lots and lots of lists like usual.

Around the house: Moving some things around due to destructo baby. cleaning out the pantry. Trying to decide on craft supply and kids' storage systems.  There's been a few project completed and a few thought about.

From the kitchen: I made my baked chicken parmesan this past week and the twins absolutely loved it.  Score one for mom!  They even requested the leftovers for lunch the next day.

On the Web: I've caught up on my Bloglovin' feed and am really delving into a few specific (detailed and long) posts about blogging, business, and creativity.  Really getting inspired for a new creative drive on my blogs.  Trying to form a new plan and execute phase one.  That sounds all crazy and exciting, but really it's just me getting back to being inspired about blogging.  I'm also debating about taking the Spark ecourse from Campfire Chic.  I feel like that just might give me the extra push I need to get moving again.

Watching: I finally finished S3 of Once Upon a Time.  It's been sitting on the server since it aired, but I just wasn't super excited to watch.  Now I know why.  I'm just about done with the show.  Too silly.  Too many deus ex machina events to keep the show alive.  Too annoying characters.  I may just quit the series with the end of S3.  As a family, we've been watching a ton of Cowboy Bebop and old Top Gear episodes.  I can get behind both of those shows.

Shopping Scores: I scored the motherload on Ebay last week.  I ended getting 5 boxes of baby boy clothes 18m - 4T for a ridiculous bargain price.  They came in the mail yesterday and I proceeded to wash everything.  Arthur is now set for clothes until at least spring.

Picture: First time driving across the Bay Bridge.  You can see the old bay bridge to the right of the new one.

Sunday Sunset #17

The littlest one came down with a nasty cold this week and we spent most of the week in doors being bored and cranky.  We had to forgo activities on Wed-Sun to allow him time to rest.  Hopefully everyone will feel good enough to go to the zoo tomorrow.  We really need to get out of here.

Book finished: Death in Yellowstone

Reading: Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk

On the Nightstand: Locke and Key #6; Fairest #1-3

Making Lists: Grocery...  Turns out my last trip failed to take into account how much everyone around here eats.  We've run out of a ton of essentials that was counting on for meals this coming week.  I feel a trip in my near future.

Around the house: Attempting to mitigate the tornado that is Arthur.  He's in to everything now and loves destroying things.  He finally found the DVD racks in the hallway and has lots of fun pulling the cases out.  Thankfully he's not allowed in the hallway very often.

Watching: We finished with Samurai Champloo last week, so we started Cowboy Bebop.  I must say that I love Radical Edward!  I also finally finished season 1 of The 100 and made some progress on Once Upon a Time (only 3 episodes to go).  Other than that, I been forced to watch entirely too much Digimon (the twins). And we have gotten the twins hooked on Top Gear (even I enjoy it!).

From Nature: It looks gorgeous out this week.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to leave the house with a sick cranky baby.

Project: Trying to get the little one's health back to normal.  Must get out of the house!

Picture: The twins trying to hide from their little brother.  He can't climb yet, but he can stand and yell at them...

Sunday Sunset #16

Book finished: Lost Lake; The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making; Grand Forks

Reading: TBD

On the Nightstand: Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk; The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Making Lists: Grocery lists, what else?

Around the house: Trying to keep up on my weekly chores.  I actually vacuumed the living room this past week while Arthur was sitting there.  Surprisingly he didn't cry at all.  He just watched me vacuum and then went to check it out when I turned the machine off.  This might help get stuff done...

Watching: J got the boys hooked on Samurai Champloo.  We finished the two seasons in about four days.  And now we've started Cowboy Bebop.  Guess we are becoming an anime household.

Wondering: How such a little body can hold so much food?  Arthur is little crazy pig pig at lunch lately.

From Nature: We turned off our air conditioning, but the temps decided to rise a bit towards the end of the week.  We contemplated turning it back on, but suffered through the slightly muggy temps.  Next week should be better.

Shopping Scores: Nothing super exciting.  I did pick up a stuffed caterpillar and indestructible book for Arthur at Bookasaurus.  The boys grabbed the first book in a new to them series.  Now I'm trolling Craigslist for good baby toy deals.

Project: Getting ready to start Week 3 of our summer adventure.  We still haven't decided our big events for the week.  The boys really need to decide...

Picture: Love the facial expression

Sunday Sunset #15

Listening To: Nina Simone Pandora channel.  Last night it went to Ray Charles and smooth jazz.  Usually it goes to her French period.  I love that every time we listen, we get something just a bit different.

Book finished: The Devil in the White City

Reading: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

On the Nightstand: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland; The Beautiful and the Damned

Making Lists: Adding to the never-ending grocery list.  The boys have only been here for a few days and we're already out of apple juice.  N requested croissants.  And I would like more bagels.  I think we are going to have to make a cycle grocery run tomorrow.  I wanted to wait until next weekend, but I don't think we'll make it...

From the kitchen: Nothing too exciting.  I've been making twin friendly dinner meals this week.  (BBQ Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Ravioli, pizza night)  I have a few more interesting meals plans (tonight's Balsamic Glaze Pork Roast), but I'm trying to keep it simple for the summer.  Plus, I know we'll be tired after long days of activities.  I really don't want to cook some elaborate dish then.

Farmer's Market Finds: No market due to the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival this weekend.  The boys and I will be venturing down sometime today (I'm thinking after breakfast before it gets too hot) to check out the art and maybe grab a snack .

Watching: J started the twins on Samurai Champloo and they fell in love.  We watched the first season in two days and they keep begging to finish off the second season.  Even I'll admit that it's good.  We also watched the cleaned up version of Star Wars (no additions but cleaner images) and Captain America (so we can then watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier soon).  Other than those, we've been too busy to sit and watch a ton of television.

Shopping Scores: As soon as the twins arrived, we had to make a Target run to get sandals with backs on them (they came with crocs and flip flops).  While there, N picked up a pair of skinny jeans and a plaid button down for fall.  And both boys got new Minecraft tees.  I also found a cute military style jacket and gingham button down for Arthur.  I'm thinking those will be part of his wedding outfit for September's events.

Project: Summer bucket list!  We've already crossed three things off of our list.  Woohoo!

Picture: Watching the swings at Great America

Sunday Sunset #14

Book finished: Summer Rental; Tapestry of Fortunes

Reading: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

On the Nightstand: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Making Lists: Last minute grocery list before the twins arrive on Tuesday.  I think I now have an entire month of meals planned out.  I plan to grocery shop every two weeks and only go again if we need milk or bread or something of the like.

Around the house: We finished our baby proofing last week and now I've just been tweaking things here and there.  Mostly moving collectibles and breakables.

From the kitchen: Nothing super exciting this week.  I did try a new pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.  It was okay but some of the muffins stuck to the paper cups.  Ugh!

Watching: The Double; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; Saving Mr. Banks; Lego Movie; Philomena; Lots of documentaries; Catching up with The 100; Binge watching Turn; Enjoying a bit of Phineas and Ferb with Arthur

Wondering: Am I missing something?  I filled out my weekly to-do list and keep feeling like I'm missing something big.

Project: I'm putting the finishing touches on our summer plans.  I've got the bucket list notebook prepped, meal plans readied, and bedroom put together.  I think we are ready to kick off summer right.

Picture: Arthur's new favorite trick is hands up!

Sunday Sunset #13

Being sick sucks!  J was sick for a week, Arthur and I are about to start week 3.  This cold is just hanging around...

Listening To: Random iTunes shuffle and Bastille's "Bad Blood" over and over and over.  So good!

Book finished: American Gods; The Strain; A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Reading: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

On the Nightstand: Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg; Devil in the White City by Erik Larson; Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk

Making Lists: Lots of lists this week

• Grocery and meal plan -- I'm pulling together a meal plan list for the entirety of summer.  Yes, I am a bit of an over planner.  And yet my list should make the summer go by a bit easier.
• SU wish list -- New catalog is live in just over a week...  I've got catalog highlighted with things I want, now to narrow down to a manageable wish list.
• Craft projects -- Trying to stay on top of swaps, blog hops, and occasions (birthdays, etc).
• Summer Bucket List -- Putting the finishing touches on our summer bucket list.  I'll be sharing what it looks like (hint: I used SU's Epic Day This and That journal to document) over at my craft blog soon.
• Baby-proofing -- A few last minute items (like what to do with the LEGO Millennium Falcon)

Around the house: Putting the finishing touches on our baby-proofing project.  The boys' room and living room are baby-proofed.  We're still debating about the short bookcase in the "hallway" between the kitchen counter and boys' room.  I just might clear it and make it a toy bookcase.  I even remembered to get J to lower Arthur's crib mattress.  He's almost pulling up to his feet and I was having nightmares of him flipping over the top of his crib.  He's now very far down and would have to actually climb the crib to get out.

From the kitchen: Made a few lackluster recipes that won't be added to our rotation.  However, I did finally find a sloppy joe recipe that I actually like.  I just need to add chili powder, basil, and oregano to the recipe.  Yum yum.

Watching: Lots of documentaries for my 30 days goal for May including Cosmos and Out of Egypt series.  A full list will appear in my June Life Goals post.

From Nature: After a couple of 90 degrees days, we're back to 75-83 degrees.  Love this weather!

Shopping Scores: I managed to make it to Target yesterday to stock up on things like toilet paper.  While there, I grabbed a few tees for me (always need great fitting tees to throw on) and a cute shorts outfit (with neon dino wearing sunglasses!), onesies that fit, and a hoodie for Arthur.  We should be set on clothes for him until fall (or until he has another huge growth spurt).

Project: Working on the craft blog and my SU demonstrator business.  Lots of work that will hopefully pay off in the near future.

Picture: Bopping himself on the face with his beloved Sophie while friend Luke looks on...

Sunday Sunset #12

Listening To: The Beatles channel on Pandora (Arthur loves him some Beatles)

Book finished: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?; Gentleman of Her Dreams

Reading: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogen (readalong); Ember by Kristin Callihan

On the Nightstand: A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft; Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; The Beautiful and the Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald; American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Making Lists: Meal plan and grocery list.  We are currently eating out of the freezer while I make a new meal plan.  Pulling some interesting recipes from Pinterest to try.

Around the house: After getting the house looking gorgeous for the crafting open house last week, it has slowly devolved into a mess.  My problem was that we were out and about almost every day this week.  Cleaning is the last thing I want to do after coming home from a long day of stuff.  Amazingly the kitchen is the one area that has been fairly clean.  Now to work on the laundry, bathrooms, office, and random toys everywhere.

Crafting: Tons and tons of crafting.  From now on, crafting posts will appear exclusively over at The Craft Sea.

Watching: Trying to catch up on our currently airing shows from whnen J was in Romania: Parks and Rec, Community, Portlandia, Castle, Elementary.  I'm also watching The Voice on Hulu.  J and picked up the new Hulu Original Deadbeat; has some potential.  Finally, I started watching The 100 from the CW.  Cheesy teen drama, but I'm actually enjoying it.

From Nature: Overall a lovely week.  Although I could have done without the two 90 degree days...

Shopping Scores: Lots and lots of crafting items bought.  I'll be highlight my craft supply haul over at The Craft Sea on next Sunday.

Project: Reorganizing and destashing the craft room.  I know I just reorganized the room about two months back, but I have so much new stuff that it needs a refresh.  Plus, I have the added need to separate out my retired and current SU products to use in potential classes and workshops.  So, I've been slowly working on a new storage configuration.  Also, I think I need to buy the SU Ink Pad Carousel to hold all my ink.  My current place of ink pads stacked into a bin just doesn't cut it.  Especially because I am constantly pulling them all out to compare shades. I cleaned off a space on the desk, but am waiting to order until June to take advantage of the hostess deals.  Other than reorganizing, I am slowly filling a box of craft things to sell/give away/throw away. I even decided to get rid of a few retired SU stamp sets, but have to wait to sell those until after June 1st.  Big ongoing project, but it's coming together.

Exercising: Our usual Shoreline walks, although it was incredibly hot this week (91 degrees!) which put a bit of damper on my desire to get out and exercise.

Picture: Pam and I at the Stampin' Up Catalog Premiere on Monday.  Such an experience!

Sunday Sunset #11

Book finished: How I Live Now

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

On the Nightstand: Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano; American Gods by Neil Gaiman; The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Making Lists: Meal planning and grocery list.  Now that J's back home, I need to take another look at our meal plans.  Trying to mix a few favorites with a few new recipes.

Around the house: After my crafting open house yesterday (fun times!), there is crap everywhere.  I don't want to throw all the crafting supplies back into the office without a plan.  I need to pull all my retired SU products.  Decided whether I want to keep said retired products.  Prep to sell those I don't want.  And organize what I am keeping.  I also need to take a bit of inventory to help me destash.  I feel a bunch of RAKs being packaged soon...

Farmer's Market Finds: We headed down on Saturday to stock up on sausages and popcorn.  Yum yum!

Watching: Now that J's back, we'll probably start catching up on all the currently airing shows from the last two weeks.  Last night we caught up on Workaholics and Cosmos, but that's it.  I'm sure we'll be watching more TV this coming week.

Wondering: What are the best business strategies for my new crafting venture?  I'm starting to form a business plan...

From Nature: It's been warm and sunny, it's been warm and breezy, it's been raining, and it's been cool and cloudy this week.  Every time we had time to introduce Arthur to the pool, it was either too cold or raining.  Hoping the weather stays sunny and warm next week so we can finally get down to the pool.

Shopping Scores: Obligatory Michael's visit.  I run in to get snail, and look at all the stuff I bought!  (Not shown: Door prizes for my crafting open house yesterday).  I grabbed a cute desktop organizer that fits some of my PL cards, snail, pack of Amy Tangerine designed cardstock (really good weight), and the Inspirational PL Theme Pack.

I also received two RAKs in the mail.  I'm especially loving the alphabet stickers.  Can never have too many of those.

I received my PL Rain partial that I ordered from the FB group.  So pretty! Finally I have some cards with purple in them.  And I finally picked up a partial Midnight kit.

This past week I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  That also means that I had to order my starter kit.  $125 worth of product for $99!  I got my total down to having $0.25 left.  I'd say that I spent my money wisely.

• Island Indigo Ink Pad -- How do I not own this ink pad yet?  I have the marker and adore the color.
• Glue dots -- I use these a ton.
• Glue sticks -- Bought for classes and workshops.
• Embossing Buddy -- I have no idea where mine disappeared to...
• Polka Dot 8" x 8" Album -- Thinking about making this my Daily December album for this coming year.
• Green Dot 6" x 6" Album -- Not sure what to do with this one yet, but it was on clearance for a great price.

•  Letters to Santa DSP -- Clearance and retired, but such a cute pattern that I couldn't resist.
• Epic Day This and That Stickers -- To go with the journal.  I already own the washi tape.
• Blender Pens -- Been wanting these for awhile.  Figured I should finally buy them.
• Basic Black Ink Pad -- My black ink pad is on of the old designs.  I know they've reformulated the ink, so I thought it was time for a new one.
• 2013-2015 In Color DSP -- I really need to highlight these gorgeous colors more.

I also put in my April club order to snap up some retiring items.  All the items from my April club order are retiring and all but the markers are now completely gone.

• 2012-2014 In Color 12x12 Cardstock
• 2012-2014 In Color 8.5x11 Cardstock
• 2012-2014 In Color Markers
• Primrose Petals Reinker
• Gumball Green Reinker
• Summer Starfruit Reinker
• Midnight Muse Reinker

And finally, I made another $150 order to get my 30% off in the first 45 days.

• Birthday Cake Stamp (Retired)
• Rich Razzleberry Ink
• Calypso Coral Ink
• Mosaic Madness Stamps
• Mosaic Punch
• Dimensionals
• Daydream Medallions Stamps
• Subtles 8.5x11 Cardstock (2 packs)
• Project Life Card Collection -- not pictured
• Project Life Accessory Pack -- not pictured
• Project Life Stamps (both sets) -- not pictured

Project: I'm currently spending my free time either crafting or working on my craft business and blog.  Lots to do!

Picture: Love this little boy!

Sunday Sunset #10

Listening To: Random iTunes shuffle.  Been rediscovering some of our owned music, especially The Dresden Dolls.

Book finished: The Thirteenth Tale

Reading: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

On the Nightstand: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft.

Around the house: I'm attempting to baby proof the kitchen/living room area before J comes back on Friday.  I've got a few things done, but I still have a few things to finish...

Farmer's Market Finds: After book club on Saturday morning, Arthur and I popped down ti the market to grab some strawberries and kettlecorn.  Yum yum!

Crafting: I have two crafting projects for this week.  I finished my stamp club homework in time for club on Thursday.  I took the sketch and made two birthday cards for some upcoming dates.  No pictures as at least one card is going to someone that occasionally reads the blog.

I also started working on my OSW sets again.  This time I took some SU Twitterpated DSP and created a Valentine's/Love set and a Mother's Day set.  I love the pastel colors.  I even experimented with some inking techniques and embossing folders.

Finally, Pam came over on Sunday for an impromtu crafting session.  She worked on some cards for the Ronald McDonald House and I worked on my OSW Christmas set and Project Life spread.  We also had a lovely chat about being a Stampin' Up demonstrator, the catalog reveal event, and convention.

Watching: A few random shows for just me.  A few random movies that J has watched but I haven't.  And a few videos on the internet.  Mostly, I've been crafting and reading this week instead of watching anything.

Shopping Scores: I've bought a ton of things in the past two weeks and they're slowly being delivered.

I snapped up these cute little cloth makeup bags on an Amazon deal.  I'm sure I'll find a use for them.  I don't have much makeup, but they could be cute mini crafting bags or to be mini purses for inside the diaper bag.

Tons of baby proofing supplies.  I bought cabinet and drawer locks, a sliding lock for the bifold closet doors in the boys' room, a stove lock, a lock for the fridge, a cute new washable playmat, a fencing system, and a fence for the hallway.  The playmat is part of my new crazy play space plan.  We don't ever use the balcony off our the master bedroom.  So, I bought a broom a few weeks back and set to cleaning it out.  We get a horrendous amount of dust settling from the trains passing by.  It took me forever to get it mostly gone.  Next step is to wash off the chairs and existing outdoor rug.  Then I plan on using this cute new mat to create a temporary outdoor play space for Arthur.  It will be nice to have an alternative to the middle of the living room.  I just need to remember to always fold up the playmat to reduce the dust collection.  The fencing in front of the entertainment center seems like it will work, but I still need to find the final position and anchor it to the walls.  Plus, it's currently upside down.  Oops!  I put it up and realized my mistake yesterday.  Good thing it's not secured yet.  And after getting all this I realized that I forgot a toilet lock and a cabinet door lock for the boys' bathroom.  Shoot!  More shopping for me.

One of my PL FB groups alerted everyone to the fact that Amazon had discounted the Olive Core Kit to ~$10 last week.  It's an older kit that I've been tempted to buy before, but have always gone for the newer ones.  For $10 I couldn't resist.  I also found both Childhood Kits (Wellington and Bridgepot) for $5 each.  I am getting quite a PL card collection.

PL cards from FB Swap and Shop group.  I snapped up a partial Turquoise (right side) and a WRMK Memo (left side).  Wow!

Various PL and scrapbooking supplies from Rukristin. She was having a huge PL destash sale.  I bought a huge grab bag and then went on to grab some alphas and her Currently stamp.  I might start doing the "Currently" cards monthly, potentially weekly.

New clothes for Arthur.  Almost all of the summer wear that people bought us are too small for him.  Target was having a great buy 1 get one 50% off Carter's sale.  I snapped up two cute nautical outfits.  I also bought him a swimsuit and swim shirt and an outfit from Old Navy.

More PL supplies... like I need any more.  But Target got a WRMK set in stock that I didn't own.

Finally I received my last two PL Swap and Shop deliveries: partial Jade and partial Cinnamon.  I'm really digging Jade's more subdued color palette and Cinnamon cards can act as great neutrals to spreads.

Project: A whole new business adventure!  I recently (as in Wednesday) became a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  I've been thinking about this for a while, but didn't know if I could actually follow through.  With the announcement of a partnership between SU and Becky Higgins' Project Life, I felt that the time was right to make my move.  I'm super excited to work on my business and my contact.  As part of my new venture, I have started a crafting-specific blog.  It's not quite ready to reveal to everyone, but I am currently working behind the scenes for a May debut!

Picture: Happy Easter from my little bunny!