Life Right Now #6

As I look outside my window: A bit of fog out there this morning. I'm sure it will burn off in a few hours.

Right now I am: Eating breakfast (PB toast and coffee) before heading out to Redwood City for book club

Thinking and pondering:  How can I stretch our grocery budget even more than we already do? Of course, we want to save money. But I also don't want to go to eating mac n cheese and ramen a few times a week.

On my bedside table: Stack of graphic novels (three volumes of Morning Glories and three volumes of The Manhattan Projects), Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and I, Robot

On my tv this week:Catching up with our currently airing shows -- The Muppets, Limitless, Teachers, Telenovela, The Magicians

Listening to: Lots of The Beatles and Hamilton Soundtrack

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Cashew Chicken in the crockpot, first time trying this recipe
• Tuesday - Bacon and Spinach Pasta
• Wednesday - Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
• Thursday - Leftovers
• Friday - Cheese Stuffed Meatball Sliders
• Saturday - Cookout, haven't decided the menu yet
• Sunday - No idea

On my to do list: Grocery list, send out March cards, clean clean clean

Happening this week:

• Monday - Ummm... nothing
• Tuesday - Oakland Zoo day
• Wednesday - Ardenwood Farm for toddler storytime; love Ardenwood and it's only $3 to get in
• Thursday - Possibly Tots on Wheels @ Las Palmas Park
• Friday - Nothing so far
• Saturday - My Birthday!!!! We're having a cookout to celebrate a friend and mine
• Sunday - Recovering from the cookout?

What I am creating: Retreat crafts and March and April design team cards

My simple pleasures: Strawberry fruit bars -- so incredibly yummy!

Looking around the house: Once again, our house is trashed. Ugh. It's a never ending struggle.

From the camera: Finally had a great day at the park. Lots of friends, great temps, and a happy toddler.

Life Right Now #5

As I look outside my window: Watching the hawks fly around the backyard. I will miss them when we move back to the peninsula (hoping that happens fairly soon).

Right now I am: Sitting on the couch enjoying breakfast with the bug.

Thinking and pondering: How are we going to handle another move? I just don't have it in me to pack up the entire house basically by myself and deal with a two-year-old. This is going to take some extra planning.

On my bedside table: Stack of comics that a picked up from the library. I've got a few volumes of The Manhattan Projects and a few volumes of Morning Glories.

On my tv this week: Lots more Limitless (with J) and Reign (without J). Arthur and I have been watching the second season of Gravity Falls.

Listening to: Elise Gets Crafty podcast. I'm about a year behind on her episodes and slowly working my way through. Just listened to episode 44 Building Creative Routines with Tracy Benjamin. Very interest conversation! And I already follow Tracy's blog so it was nice to hear more from her.

On the menu for this week: Usually I have my meals planned out super well. This coming week is a bit of a free for all. I'm just not into cooking lately and it's taking a toll on my meal planning.

• Monday - Frozen chinese with crab rangoon
• Tuesday - Leftovers
• Wednesday - Pizza Sticks
• Thursday - Some kind of chicken dish...
• Friday - Corndogs and mac and cheese
• Saturday - Pizza, maybe
• Sunday - No idea

On my to do list: Finish cleaning out the craft area; meal plan until Arthur and I leave for Indiana; probably a ton more that I'm forgetting...

Happening this week: Super light week coming up. I just haven't committed to a ton lately. We'll see how the week progresses.

• Monday - Nothing so far... maybe a park morning
• Tuesday - Doctor's appointment in the morning
• Wednesday - Seven Seas Park playdate
• Thursday - Nothing
• Friday - Nothing
• Saturday - Crop day
• Sunday - Book club in the morning

What I am creating: Finishing off the retreat crafts...

My simple pleasures: Lots and lots of iced tea; apples; ginger beer

Looking around the house: Once again, this place is a disaster. Really need to get the 2 year old to pick up his toys on a more consistent basis.

From the camera: Puzzle making first thing in the morning.

Life Right Now #4

As I look outside my window: Looking at the beautiful pink flowers on our trees out front. They only stay for a few weeks so we're enjoying them while they last.

Right now I am: Sitting on the couch, drinking some coffee while Arthur watches an episode of Chuggington.

Thinking and pondering: Wrapping my brain around some big news. Will share in a few weeks.

On my bedside table: ??? I have no idea what I'm going to read next. I could start March's book club books (Zeitoun by Dave Eggers and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan) or I could pick another random choice from the TBR jar. Decisions decisions...

On my tv this week: Still a week behind on The Bachelor. I hope Olivia goes home in the one I'm still waiting to watch... J and I have been on a bit of a Limitless kick watching about 6 episodes this week. And we continued our absurd Fantastic Four movie marathon with the sequel. Up next, the reboot that gets 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. This should be interesting.

Listening to: Hamilton soundtrack. J finally picked it up and it's been on repeat in this house for days.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Apple Bacon Sweet Potatoes and Salad
• Tuesday - Egg, Bacon, and Cheese rollups and Oatmeal
• Wednesday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Thursday - BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Friday - Potato, Barley, Ham Soup
• Saturday - Leftovers
• Sunday - BBQ Ribs, Baked Potato

On my to do list: Working on decluttering Arthur's room this coming week. And making a pass at the hallway (where all the board games are). Beyond that I need to complete a few regular cleaning tasks (wipe down bathrooms, laundry, etc)

Happening this week:

• Monday - Probably staying in due to President's Day and no school
• Tuesday - Social Committee Brainstorming Meeting; As Social Director I'm hosting this one to get some good ideas going forward.
• Wednesday - Bay Area Discovery Museum; So far, no one else has signed up, but Arthur and I are planning on going no matter what.
• Thursday - Possible park visit during the morning and Stamp Club in the evening.
• Friday - ??? Probably house cleaning.
• Saturday - Happiness Project check-in meeting
• Sunday - Book Club (The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom) and Paint Nite

What I am creating: Still have a few February design team cards to finish up. Need to complete examples for stamp club on Thursday. And I'm hoping to make some real progress on the retreat crafts.

My simple pleasures: Fill-it-in puzzles, love curling up with a puzzle book and a pen at night.

Looking around the house: The downstairs is in pretty good condition after cleaning for the cookout on Saturday. Now I need to look to the upstairs.

From the camera: Showing off his Monster Box we made at the Valentines Exchange last week.

Life Right Now #3

As I look outside my window: The sun is back after a hiatus for most of January. Arthur and I have been busy watching all the birds (hawks mostly) circle around the backyard and nature preserve beyond the fence.

Thinking and pondering: What I am willing to settle for house wise? We're looking to move closer to Palo Alto, but pickings are slim for our price and square footage requirements. I can sacrifice some things (big backyard), but am unwilling on others (large living room/kitchen/dining areas). It's hard! Real estate is insane in the Bay Area...

On my bedside table: I cleaned and dusted it, so nice and clean! I'm currently reading A Brief History of Time and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose which rounds out my chosen books for February. I'm sure I'll finish those two with days in the month to spare. I'm thinking about adding Coffee Nerd and You Did What to the table... Need another nonfiction to round out February.

On my tv this week: We finished Galavant (not as good as 1st season), watched multiple episodes of Limitless (really good now), and I enjoyed a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown (Tokyo was crazy!, Copenhagen was great!) and Week 4 of The Bachelor (watching it on free Hulu so a week behind)

Listening to:  More podcasts (One Bad Mother, Here to Make Friends [The Bachelor podcast] and The Beatles (all the songs!)

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, Rice side, Veggie
• Tuesday - Buffalo Chicken Sliders, Fries
• Wednesday - Tater Tot Casserole
• Thursday - BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Friday - PF Chang's Freezer Meal
• Saturday - Cookout! Brats and Hot Dogs on the Grill!
• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: I'm slowly working my way through decluttering the house. This next week, I want to finish the upstairs and get a jump on the downstairs. The hardest area is definitely going to be the kitchen and craft areas. Saving those until last...

Happening this week:

• Monday - ??? Probably grocery/errands, maybe some park time.
• Tuesday - Possible card class. If no one has signed up by tonight, it's getting cancelled.
• Wednesday - Parent group Valentine's Day Party! We've got our Valentines ready to go. And we get to make Monster Valentine boxes at the party. I'm excited.
• Thursday - Charity drop-off. The president and I are dropping off the charity donations from the Winter Social.
• Friday - Coffee and playdate at my house. We'll see if anyone actually signs up...
• Saturday - Cookout at our house! Invited the parent group. So far, two other families are driving up.
• Sunday - Possible toddler birthday party. Hoping everyone stays healthy so we can go. It's being held at our local in door play space.

What I am creating: Trying to finish up some retreat crafts (one is almost done, the other I haven't even started), two more design team cards for February, January Project Life pages, and one more card (shaving cream technique!) and one 3D project for stamp club (Feb. 18th). Wrapping up those projects to focus on March!

My simple pleasures: Green tea with honey (only thing that helped me survive my nasty cold); Tagalong and Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies (a neighborhood girl takes orders online and delivers to my door, this may become a problem...); good books (always!)

Looking around the house: Crap is everywhere! Being sick really takes a toll on the general cleanliness of the house. Need to get back into the cleaning habit this week...

From the camera: Arthur and his early Valentine's Day present from Grandma Heidi and Papa Bill!

Life Right Now #2

As I look outside my window: Still overcast and rainy. I'll take it over snow and ice any day, but I am missing the sunshine.

Thinking and pondering: I've been struggling with my goals for this year. What big projects do I want to take on? (ex. launching a third blog, learning some new skills like coding) Right this moment, I feel very stretched thin. I think that feeling is due to January just being a crap month. We've been sick almost the entire time. Getting healthy should help alleviate some of that stress.

On my bedside table: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking; The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

On my tv this week: Galavant (love the buddy comedy portions and Vinnie Jones is a treat), Revenge (only three episodes left, I'm almost done!), Limitless the tv show (J had me watch the pilot last night, has potential), The Magicians (J and I both love the book series, tv series has potential)

Listening to: Lots of podcasts! I completely caught up with One Bad Mother (love the podcast and the closed FB community, so supportive and funny!). I started The Simple Show with Tsh Oxenreider. I'm not a fan of the faith discussions, but I do enjoy the discussions about simple living. I'll keep with it. Getting caught up with Happier with Gretchen Rubin. Hoping to dive back into Elise Gets Crafty this coming week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Asian glazed shrimp
• Tuesday - Mini quiches
• Wednesday - Pulled pork sandwiches
• Thursday - Leftovers
• Friday - Baked potato soup
• Saturday - Black bean and guacamole wraps
• Sunday - Dijon brown sugar steak

On my to do list:

• Sort out Social Committee -- sickness pushed this meeting to next Tuesday
• Finish my book club book (Jan. 31st) -- so close!
• Clean Bathrooms -- sickness took all my energy this past week
• Make 4 design team cards -- never got around to it...
• Grocery shopping
• Start looking into plane tickets for March
• Brainstorm some long term goals
• Finish my stamp club cards for the absent ladies
• Pick up the playroom!
• Mail out Craftmas Swap Project

Happening this week:

• Monday - Grocery and errand day
• Tuesday - Possible park day if nice
• Wednesday - Playdate at Seven Seas Park, dropping off meal to mom friend with newborn, possible card classes (if people RSVP by Monday)
• Thursday - Library day
• Friday - Coffee and playdate at my house
• Saturday - Winter Social!!!!
• Sunday - Nothing so far... will be nice to have a break after the insanity of the Winter Social

What I am creating: February design team cards. Hoping to get 4 done this week. And maybe start working on February stamp club cards...

My simple pleasures:  A healthy toddler. Thank goodness!

Looking around the house: It is a disaster after multiple sick days. Hoping to get some things cleaned up this week.

From the camera: My favorite card I designed for January stamp club. Love watercolor emboss resist!

Life Right Now #1

With the start of the new year, I'm changing up my usual Sunday wrap-up posts. I've grown tired of my format. I found this one somewhere on the internet and love it!

As I look outside my window: Overcast and rainy. Starting to miss the sunshine...

Thinking and pondering: What to do with the social committee and upcoming winter social? Long story short, I'm taking over as Social Director of my nonprofit parent group earlier than I had planned. Things are a bit in disarray and we have a social planned for Jan. 30th. Time to get my butt in gear and sort it all out...

On my bedside table: The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig; A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

On my tv this week: Ash vs. Evil Dead; Telenovela (surprisingly funny); Revenge (I will finish this series sometime soon)

Listening to: David Bowie tribute channel on Sirius XM, it's been a hard week

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Vegetable Beef Soup and Baguette
• Tuesday - Lemon Chicken Skillet with Brussel Sprouts
• Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan Wraps
• Thursday - Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup
• Friday -  Pot Roast
• Saturday - Cookout
• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: 

• Sort out Social Committee
• Brainstorm for Cares Committee
• Finish my stamp club cards for Thursday
• Figure out my stamp club order for Thursday
• Finish my craftmas swap
• Finish my book club book (Jan. 31st)
• Laundry
• Clean Bathrooms (oh fun...)
• Make 4 design team cards
• Send out first retreat email
• Lots more I'm sure I'm forgetting right now...

Happening this week:

• Monday - Errands probably
• Tuesday - Cares Committee brainstorming meeting
• Wednesday - Visit to the parking lot sized sand box in Berkeley; it's only open this week so we have to take advantage of it!
• Thursday - Social Committee prep meeting
• Friday - Trip to the Bay Area Discovery Museum
• Saturday - Crop Day and Thirty-One Open House and dinner BBQ
• Sunday - Book club meeting (Chocolat by Joanne Harris)

What I am creating: Working on crafts for my Craftmas Secret Swap buddy. Can't tell you what I'm working on, but I'll be sure to share once I've sent it off.

My simple pleasures: Arthur going to bed at 8pm (he didn't while we were in Indiana...), cup of tea before bed, time to read, my couch

Looking around the house: The bathrooms haven't been cleaned since I left for Indiana in early December. J's not big on the cleaning. And I need to do another closet cleanout.

From the camera: Arthur really loves his baby (panda Care Bear)

Sunday Sunset #29

Listening To: Christmas music! The car radio has been set on the Christmas music station. Loving it!

Book finished: Soulbound; Body and Soul; Fables Vol. 20

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (yep, still)

On the Nightstand: Fairest Vol. 5; American Vampire Vol. 4-7

Making Lists: Meals, blog ideas, craft class ideas, 2016 projects, etc. It's time for my big blog break. I usually take the break to plan ahead for the next year and take time to brainstorm. This week I've been working on meal planning for January through March and craft classes.

From the kitchen: Nothing as my mom has been cooking or we've been going out. I am looking through my Pinterest board for a good bog batch Christmas cocktail...

Crafting: I received my SU preorder this past week and can't wait to dive in. I'm playing around with some designs for my swap cards. Nothing definite yet, but I'm hoping to do some crafting soon. And I have a few holiday albums to complete before we leave.

Watching: PBS cartoons. Arthur's been enjoying a bit more television while we're here in Indiana. As for me, I've been starting Season 3 of Sleepy Hollow. Hoping to get caught up before I go back to California.

From Nature: Flew from California to Indiana and didn't change temperatures. So weird! We've had temps in the 50s for the first part of this week and then it dropped to the mid-30s. Mid-30s this normal for December. Hopefully it doesn't get super cold while we're still here.

Project: So many projects! I'm working on a ton of new projects and ideas for 2016.

Picture: The twins and Arthur hanging out at one of our Christmas get-togethers last weekend.

Sunday Sunset #28

Listening To: One Bad Mother. I'm about 5 episodes behind (horror!) and trying to catch up. I'm hoping to be able to listen to some during the plane ride. Here's hoping Arthur cooperates and plays and/or sleeps for part of the long flight.

Book finished: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation; The Happiness Project (reread); The Mask of the Black Tulip

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (still)

On the Nightstand: Chocolat by Joanne Harris; Heart of Christmas

MakingLists: Ideas of 2016. I've got a blog ideas list, a craft ideas list, a general household list, a kid-related list, and many more... Yeah I love making lists!

From the kitchen: Nothing exciting at all...

Crafting: I finished all my Christmas cards last week, so this week was all about clean-up!I wanted my craft are to be clean before I left. But before I got to that, I knocked out November's PL pages. Now my area is clean and tidy. All ready for me to get back in January and dive back into crafting!

Watching: Lots of Atlantis, it got super serious and good. Catching up on Shield, Elementary, and The League.

From Nature: The weather has gone from chilly to warm and sunny to raining. My favorite has been the rainy days. I love listening to the sound of the rain.

Project: Prepping for travel. Arthur and I leave for Indiana on Wednesday. I've gotten most of our stuff packed, but have a list of last minute things to put in (you know, toothbrush, phone and charger, etc). I managed to pack everything in one large suitcase, my new Take Two Tote as a carry-on, and a small backpack for Arthur. My suitcase is mostly full of presents. Thankfully those will be gone coming back, but just in case I need an extra carry-on, I packed my Fold-Over Weekender in the bottom. It lays completely flat in the suitcase and can be made bigger or smaller depending on my needs.

Picture: After bath time, I was laying on the bed reading while Arthur ran around. He grabbed a book off my shelves, climbed up on the bed, laid down next to me, and starting "reading." He's definitely my kid!

Sunday Sunset #27

Listening To: Christmas music! It's after Thanksgiving, right?

Book finished: Some Enchanted Evening; The Barefoot Princess; The Prince Kidnaps a Bride

Reading: Warrior Women by Jeannine Davis-Kimball; The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (reread); Dargonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: ????? Trying to decide what to take with me to Indiana on Christmas vacation.

MakingLists: Packing list for Indiana!

From the kitchen: I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner and it went amazingly well. J made a loaf of fresh bread, ring of fire chicken, and a lemon-blueberry-blackberry pie. I made twice baked sweet potatoes, corn casserole, apple crisp with homemade caramel sauce, and four different cocktails. Other attendees rounded out our meal. Everything was delicious and everyone seemed like they had a good time. We ended the night with dessert while watching The Usual Suspects.

Crafting: I finished up my Christmas cards this past week and put most of those supplies away. Pam and Sara came over yesterday for crop day. We each worked on some projects and chatted about the upcoming Occasions and SAB catalogs and the craft fair. I sorted out my December Daily supplies and started prepping the holiday albums...

Watching: J and I are moving through the released Marvel movies. Last night we watched Captain America and on Friday we watched Thor. We'll probably continue the trend until I leave for Indiana. Alone I caught up with Once Upon a Time. Birth was a great episode and The Bear King was a complete snooze. Oh well. I'll keep watching I'm sure. I also finished Star Trek: The Original Series this past week. Third season was a struggled, but I made it through. Now I just have Voyager, Enterprise, DS9, the animated series, and Star Trek Continued to finish...

From Nature: Some rain this week. Some wind this week. And temperatures all over the place. Typical for November in the Bay Area.

Project: Prepping for holiday crafting. I'm getting my December Daily supplies ready. I'm prepping the Holiday albums. I'm picking my preorder items to be sent to my mom's house so I can play. I'm cleaning up my craft area for when I'm gone (I love to return to a nice clean space). I'm working on at least the first half of November for my Project Life albums. And I'm thinking about classes to teach for January. A focus on crafting this week.

Picture: What I wore for Thanksgiving. Loving these new faux leather panel pants I got in my last Dia & Co. box. So comfy and fashionable!

Sunday Sunset #26

Listening To: Amy Winehouse. One of our usual dinner music selections has been on heavy rotation this week...

Book finished: None although I'm really hoping to finish my current read today.

Reading: Some Enchanted Evening by Christina Dodd;Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon; Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (had to return to the library, hoping to finish soon)

On the Nightstand: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (reread)

MakingLists: Christmas gift list. I like to be done early. I've already gotten a few people finished, but I have more to go.

From the kitchen: No interesting food recipes, although we did try out one of our Thanksgiving cocktails last night. J and I enjoyed a pineapple rum cocktail. The recipe as written was a bit off for our tastes. We made a few modifications and now I think we have a great recipe for Thursday.

Crafting: I finally caught up with Arthur's PL album. I'm starting work on the holiday albums and my December Daily. And I may make a few more Christmas cards before the craft fair on the 5th.

Watching: J and I watched Amy last night. So good, but so depressing. We also started watching Toast of London (random British show starring Matt Berry).

From Nature: After some chilly temps last week, we're back to warm sunny days.

Project: So many Christmas projects...

Picture: Arthur modeling the Thirty-One Littles Carry-All Caddy. It's his toy caddy for in the car. That's my baby!

Sunday Sunset #25

Listening To: Arthur talk to his cars and trains. There's a steady stream of words but not all of them are in English...

Book finished: Murder on the Orient Express (didn't review this one as I read and reviewed it three years ago; read the review here); Furiously Happy

Reading: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs; Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: The Happiness Project (reread)

Making Lists: Paper crafting inventory (for upcoming craft fair); grocery list; packing list for Christmas in Indiana

From the kitchen: Another boring week on the recipe front. Although I did make an apple dump cake that was delicious! As I am feeling sick today, I think next week's dinners will once again be tried and true favorites. If I'm feeling better, I might throw in something new...

Crafting: Yesterday was our big Holiday Bazaar. I sold a fair amount of paper crafts (and even more Thirty-One products), but I don't know exactly what. A friend ran the paper craft table while I ran the Thirty-One table. I need to do an inventory today and figure out if I should maker more for the craft fair in December. I think I will need to make a few more Christmas cards, especially if I am want to send some out this year.

Watching: I finished Downtown Abbey... The finale was full of happy moments and sad moments, just as it should be! On the joint watching front, J and I have almost finished Star Trek: TOS. I think I only have four episodes to go. And of course we've been watching our currently airing shows (The League, Review). Yesterday, J picked up Inside Out at the store. Apparently he and Arthur watched it and loved it. I'm hoping to watch it soon...

From Nature: Cooler temperatures and a bit of rain at night. It's officially fall in our neck of the woods. I love curling up on the couch with a cup of tea, a book, and a fuzzy blanket. We've even turned on our heat a bit this week. Not much, but just a bit to get the house back to 68 degrees. (mostly at night)

Project: Prepping for my December 5th craft fair. As I mentioned earlier, I really need to do an inventory today to find out what I need to make for that fair. It won't be a ton, but I like to be prepared early...

Picture: Scenes from our Holiday Bazaar yesterday. Our photographer will have more later, but these are the ones I managed to snap right when we opened.

Sunday Sunset #24

Listening To: Dinosaur Train... Arthur's really liking the combo of dinosaurs and trains lately. He's watching an episode while I catch up on emails and blog posts.

Book finished: After Alice

Reading: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson; Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie; The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (reread); Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Making Lists: Weekly to-do lists. I have a craft fair coming up on Saturday. I'm the event coordinator, so I'm updating my final to-dos. I also have to do the grocery list for this coming week...

From the kitchen: As I was so busy prepping for the Holiday Bazaar, we ate a ton of easy meals this past week. Mostly frozen meals and a few stand-bys (BBQ Chicken).

Crafting: In the past 7 days, I've made over 60 Christmas cards plus some random small projects for the Holiday Bazaar. I also organized my photos for October project life and cleaned up my craft area. I am hoping to get about another ~30 cards done before next Saturday, but if I don't have time, not a huge deal.

Watching: The Librarians started up again. Woohoo! Silly adventure fun! It's one of our guilty pleasure shows that are perfect to watch while blogging or scrolling through FB.

From Nature: Cooler temps this week. The Bay Area has finally turned to fall. Arthur has requested pants and long sleeve shirts most of the week. And I even started wearing socks.

Project: Holiday Bazaar prep for Saturday. My paper crafting projects are mostly packed and ready to go. I just need to get the boxes in bags. I still need to get my Thirty-One display prepped and packed. I am not going to bring every piece I have, but I do want to fill the table. Plus, I need to tag my cash and carry items. Other than my tables, I need to do a cursory check-in with all the other vendors. I want to make sure everyone has all the information they need for Saturday. One of the other coordinators (there are three of us, but I'm the only one doing the vendor side) should be having her baby today (or at least by Tuesday), so I'll need to rely on the other coordinator more this week. I'm sure everything will come together, but man it's been a chore.

Picture: Status of my craft area yesterday after a full week of crafting. Yeah, it's a crazy mess. I cleaned it up a bit yesterday night, but it's still crazy looking!

Sunday Sunset #23

Listening To: One Bad Mother -- Catching up on my episodes!

Book finished: Happier at Home; The Runaway Princess; Someday My Prince; Saga Vol. 2-4

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (yep, still); After Alice by Gregory Maguire

On the Nightstand: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie; Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Making Lists: Getting my grocery list in order...

From the kitchen: Nothing at all exciting this past week. We ate a lot of family staples: Italian Beef Sandwiches, Chili, Tacos.

Crafting: Yesterday I had an epic day crafting! I finished 11 marge modified notebooks, 3 medium modified notebooks, 6 small modified notebooks, and 12 Baker's boxes that will be filled with candy. Whew! All of these will be on sale at the Holiday Bazaar on November 14th. Now it's time to focus on Christmas cards. 

Watching: J and I have been watching movies lately. We've decided Friday is movie night in our house, but this week we extended it to a multiple night affair. We rewatched Iron Man for our Marvel Phase 1 marathon. We also watched Pirates: Band of Misfits with Arthur and then The Man from U.N.C.L.E. once he went to sleep. Pirates was great fun! And so was U.N.C.L.E. Thoroughly enjoyed all our movies this week.

From Nature: Lovely weather this week. It was warm but with cooler nights. Halloween night was perfect for wearing just a costume and maybe a light jacket. No parkas needed here!

Project: Holiday gifts! I need to make all my Christmas cards and I have plans for some other craft-related holiday gifts.

Picture: Arthur helping to hand out candy last night.

Sunday Sunset #22

Listening To: Catching up on my One Bad Mother episodes. I'm still two episodes behind.

Book finished: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell; The Sixth Extinction; Saga Volume 1

Reading: A Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon; Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

On the Nightstand: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie; Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Making Lists: It's grocery list day. The bane of my existence.

From the kitchen: Nothing new to report. I stuck with some of our tried and true recipes this past week (Cajun Stuffed Chicken; Balsamic Pork Roast; Baked Ziti). I don't have any new recipes on tap for dinner entrees. But I did pin a caramel apple dessert that looks amazing...

Crafting: Along with my design team cards, I need to start my Christmas cards. I've got a craft fair coming up on November 14th and I have maybe five Christmas cards ready. I definitely need more! And I'm looking to the December 5th craft fair and my usual family cards.

Watching: The Book of Life - Arthur and I watched this one afternoon. I really enjoyed it!  And J and I finished the entire series of Merlin! While I loved the show, the last scene in the series really didn't need to be there.

From Nature: Temperatures have been perfect this past week. And Saturday was nice and cooler for our costume social. Good thin as J had many layers on.

Project:  Working on the Holiday Bazaar. It's a very large project. There's a big part of me that will be happy when it's over.

Picture: At our Fall-O-Ween social on Saturday.

Sunday Sunset #21

Listening To: Random Spotify playlists. I never know what I'm listening to, but I know I like it.

Book finished: We Should All Be Feminists

Reading: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke; Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin; Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

Making Lists: October-December craft projects. I'm trying to decide on which Christmas card designs I want to make plus any candy holders or gift card holders.

From the kitchen: I made yummy sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash last week. Perfect to help me get into the mood for fall, even if it was 83 degrees that day.

Crafting: This past week, I took a break from active crafting. Between the retreat and Arthur's birthday party, I was too busy. My little craft area feels very lonely. I promise to get back to it next week.

Watching: J and I have been watching our currently airing shows (The League, Last Week Tonight). He also had me start watching High Maintenance, a fascinating web series. And we're four episodes from the finale of Merlin.

From Nature: Beautiful this weather this week until yesterday morning. I had planned to have Arthur's birthday party in the backyard. Imagine my surprise when we woke up to extremely low clouds and drizzle. No good! Thankfully our house accommodated everyone. And the sun finally burned off the clouds around noon.

Project: Working on the big parent group fundraiser for November 14th. It's a doozy...

Picture: Revealing his dinosaur at the party.

Sunday Sunset #20

Due to Blog-Tember, I haven't posted a Sunday Sunset in a month. This might be a big post...

Listening To: Arctic Monkeys; Florence + the Machine; Sirius XM Alt Nation; Sirius XM Octane

Book finished: Interest; Don't Know Much About Mythology; First Frost; Artemis Fowl; The Distant Hours; 1491; Dark Places

Reading: Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

On the Nightstand: 1493 by Charles Mann; Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke; The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

MakingLists: So many lists! I've got my Arthur's birthday party list, grocery list, Holiday Bazaar list, Christmas list (yes I've started planning), general to-do list, 2016 TBR list (yep, started this one as well), craft project list, and rest of 2015 TBR list. Thank goodness I have my handle planner and Evernote to keep track of it all!

From the kitchen: I've made a few new recipes lately included one for Lemon Chicken with Brussel Sprouts that was super yummy. I spend a few days last week and meal planned for the entire month of October. I stumbled upon a new meal planning system (involving my planner and post-it tags) and decided to jump in with both feet. I hope this system lessens my meal planning stress.

Crafting: I've been focused on SSINK design team projects for the past month. With October's card finished early, I've been thinking about my Christmas card plan of attack. I've narrowed it down to about 5 designs that I can more or less mass produce. Plus, I've started thinking about December Daily and how to pack my supplies when Arthur and I head to Indiana in December.

Watching: Many of our currently airing shows just started back up again, but we've been in the midst of a big television switch. We got rid of the Apple TV (actually we still have it, but not for tv viewing) and bought a Roku. From there, we have Amazon and Netflix loaded. We also moved all our shows to Plex running off the Roku. That has taken ages, so we are a bit behind on current shows. Instead, we spent most of September binge watching Merlin. Almost to the end and I'm sad for it to be over. Really loving that show!

From Nature: September was hot! But that's normal around here. We had lots of sunny days wearing shorts and tees. And then on the last day of the month, the temperature dropped 20 degrees and it rained. I loved Wednesday! I spent part of the day listening to the rain while reading my book. It's not very often that we enjoy a rainy fall day in the Bay Area. It was a nice change.

Picture: Arthur selfie with sunglasses!

Sunday Sunset #19

Listening To: Happier by Gretchen Rubin. Been on a podcast kick lately. Picked this one up as I am finally caught up with One Bad Mother. These are great little 20 minute episodes.

Book finished: Bitterblue; Young House Love; Common Phrases; Where'd You Go Bernadette

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

MakingLists: Crafty to-dos, possible classes, ideas for Thirty-One events, etc.

From the kitchen: Nothing new this week. Just lots of standards for us this past week.

Crafting: Not much crafting this past week. I was busy with the crafty garage sale and Thirty-One party. Hoping to get some great crafting in for this next week.

Watching: We finally caught up with Mr. Robot and oh my goodness! Every time I think that show can't get crazier, somehow they top it!

From Nature: The temps have been up and down this week, but overall amazingly nice like usual.

Project: Retreat planning and Arthur's birthday party. These two will continue to be my two big projects until they happen in October.

Picture: My garage sale set up on Saturday.

Sunday Sunset #18

Listening To: Almost caught up with One Bad Mother. Only five backlogged episodes to go! I also added a few other podcasts to start listening to once I catch up with OBM.

Book finished: The Complete Decorated Journal; Creative Lettering; The Crafter's Devotional

Reading: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore; A Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

On the Nightstand: Common Phrases by Myron Korach; Young House Love by Sherry and John Petersik; Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

MakingLists: It's grocery and Target list day! I haven't been to Target for a few weeks so this visit is going to cost some money. We need a ton of household and personal products. Plus I want to check out their clothing clearances know that I know what i want to do with my wardrobe and I know what Arthur needs for fall/winter and next spring/summer. And I may pick up a few birthday party items and/or birthday presents for our toddler friends.

From the kitchen: I tried a ranch chicken club recipe that wasn't very good. Crossing that one off the list.

Crafting: See my project section for all my upcoming projects. I've also been playing with some of the Stampin' Up Holiday catalog products (yeah for demonstrator preorders!). And I am working on some holiday catalog swap cards.

Watching: J and I have been watching Merlin. I never watched it. It's been on my list for awhile and we've finally dove in. We're almost finished with season 1.

From Nature: It's been warm but nice this week. Just the perfect summer day.

Project: Been working on prepping for multiple crafty projects this coming month. I've signed up for Week in the Life, 30 Days of Lists (September), 31 Things, and 31 More Things (September). Busy busy! Plus planning for the retreat and Arthur's birthday party for October.

Picture: View of my crafting area this week.

Sunday Sunset #17

Listening To: One Bad Mother podcast. I've been working through the backlog for a few months now and am almost caught up to present day. I only have about 10 episodes togo. I love their candid talk about parenting. And I just joined the closed Facebook group and my local OBM FB group. So much fun!

Book finished: The F Word; How We Got to Now; Leaving a Trace; The Secret Museum

Reading: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon; Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

On the Nightstand: Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

MakingLists: Lots of lists! I've started using mambi's The Happy Planner and loving it's design! It makes my list making so much easier. I've even bought the notes and graph paper inserts to allow for more internal lists. Check out my blog post about my usage here.

Around the house: Arthur was sick this week and absolutely destroyed the house. Ugh! It's taken days to get the house back to normal.

From the kitchen: I retried the twice baked sweet potatoes. I made them less sweet than last time and they were delicious! I also made a simple fresh tomato sauce and kale caesar salad. So very good!

Crafting: I finally caught up with some of my challenge cards. And I finished the Find Your Voice workshop. And prepped my cards for stamp club and classes. And moved forward on my Project Life catch-up. And started planning for Week in the Life later in the month. It's been a very productive few weeks!

Watching: I tried to start August Movie Month, but life has gotten in the way. Instead we have been watching Merlin (I never started it), Another Period, Mr. Robot, and Last Week Tonight.

From Nature: It rained and thundered the other night! Holy cow! We never hear thunder here, but it happened. We got a bit of rain in the night but not that much.

Project: I'm busy planning the October retreat and Arthur's birthday party. Love the planning, but there is so much to do!

Picture: Train ride!

Sunday Sunset #16

Listening To: One Bad Mother podcast. I've almost completely caught up on the backlog.

Book finished: Highlander Unbound; The Girl on the Train; The Happiness Project; This Side of Paradise; Bayou Folk; The Mad Scientist's Daughter

Reading: Nothing right this second... still deciding on my next book.

On the Nightstand: The F Word by Kristin Rowe; Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon; A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Making Lists: One big list of ideas. I'm feeling that brain dump is in order this week to get all of it out of my head. I need to dump and organize my ideas into projects.

Around the house: I did a crazy clean this week. it was a bit manic, but I feel so much better with a clean and tidy-ish house.

From the kitchen: I tried a few new recipes these past few weeks. And most have been successes. I also decided that I'm not a fan of chipotle flavor.

Watching: Since finishing The Newsroom last week, we've been watching a ton of new and new-to-me shows: Another Period; Brink; and Merlin (new-to-me). Another Period is definitely my favorite. Laugh out loud funny!

Wondering: Will we ever catch up with Game of Thrones? Still almost two seasons behind.

From Nature: The weather has been all over the place this week. We went from 90+ temps to cool and windy. I actually have to look at the weather report to get dressed in the morning.

Project: A group of friends and SU demonstrators are having a craft supply garage sale at the end of August. I've started to clean out my craft area in preparation. I finished probably 60% this weekend. That last 40% is going to take awhile. I hope to have everything tag and ready next weekend for my crop day. I always have some products out for sale.

Picture: My crazy climber...