Music Monday -- Panic at the Disco "Victorious"

This song really gets stuck in my head! 

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!

January 2016 Clothes Summary

This past summer I participated in a capsule wardrobe challenge. I learned a lot from three months of wearing ~40 pieces. One of the biggest things that I learned was that I hate most of my wardrobe. I have so many ill-fitting and/or not my style pieces cluttering my closet. After completing the summer capsule wardrobe, I decided to take the fall off from that particular challenge and work on building a wardrobe I love. To that end, I started buying clothes agin. But not just any old clothes. No more purchases from the clearance rack “just because it’s cheap.” No more keeping things that don’t quite fit. No more buying things that i love on the mannequin but look silly on me. No more buying clothes that I realistically won’t wear. Instead, I’m trying to be very selective in my buying. So, dear readers, I am going to share with you what I bought during the past month. I will post links if the item is still available and prices i paid. I don’t have a specific budget, but definitely don’t want to spend more than $100 a month. (Realistically I’m aiming for around $40 a month). You will also get to see pieces I bought that I ended up returning. By December, I want to be able to say that I bought some great pieces that I wear often. I also want to plan for a possible winter capsule wardrobe… I decided to add a running total for 2016 at the bottom. I know some months I won't buy anything and other months I'll splurge. I would like to monitor my total spent...

Old Navy

I popped in on New Year's Day and grabbed some great clearance items. I actually went to Michael's next door to Old Navy, but had to pop in when I saw all the clearance. Along with the two tops for me, I grabbed two for my mom that she wanted. I bought a short sleeve knit shirt ($2.97), a 3/4 sleeve knit shirt ($3.99), and a pair of shorts for bedtime ($2.47).

Dia & Co. Box

I ended up buying the flared jeans ($46.90) in my box. And I've worn them a ton already. I think a good buy!

January Total: $56.99 Decent price tag for a pair of nice jeans and a few tops.

Total for 2016: $56.99 

Lovely Lovely Videos

Love Key and Peele! 

Still intrigued by this movie and I whole-heartedly approve of the music selection.

Love all these people!

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the absolute fucking best!

Love these lists! and love John Green!

I am intrigued...

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Title: Station Eleven

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Publisher: Knopf Books 2014

Genre: Fantasy -- post-apocalypse

Pages: 333

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Popsugar - Dystopian Novel (although I would classify as post-apocalyptic...); Women Authors

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

I've heard such great things about this book. Finally picked it up at the library as one of my random choices for February. I sped through this one, reading it in two days while home sick. At first, I felt like Mandel was telling too many unrelated stories, but quickly it became apparent that all these stories were connected. We just had to dig into these characters to see the connections. Pretty soon, I was deep into their characters and their survival (or non-survival as the case may be). I was fascinated by the recurring appearance of water and its importance to the character. I loved the Shakespeare connection. While the plot focuses on survival in a post-apocalyptic world, I felt like the book was really focused on the human condition. We dug deep into these characters, finding out their motivations, secrets, and dreams. I loved it! Kirsten was such a great main character. I wanted to spend so much more time with her. Highly recommend.

Monthly Life Goals February 2016

Let’s check in on January’s goals and my progress:

• 30 Day Challenge: New Movie Month — Fail. I only watched 11 new movies this month. Oh well. Not a big deal.
• Complete one freezer meal day — Success! I made five different recipes yielding dinner for that night and 12 extra meals for the freezer.
• Check into an Arthur and mom class for spring — Fail. January has been full of sickness. I just didn't get to it at all.
• Schedule a dentist appointment — Fail. Kept forgetting...

February's goals:

• 30 Day Challenge: No pop -- Plays into the budget goal, but also just a good habit to cultivate.
• 30 Day Challenge: No eating out -- Part of our budget reexamination and attempt to spend less!
• Money fast -- In coordination with my Happiness Project goals, I'm really going to try and cut spending this month.
• Read at least 3000 pages -- Last month I read 4951 pages, but that's not a realistic goal for February. But I'm pushing for 3000 pages this month!
• Get moving on my TED talk goal -- I keep pushing this one to the side. Hoping to make it a priority this month.
• Schedule a dentist appointment -- Really need to do this...

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Title: The Kitchen House

Author: Kathleen Grissom

Publisher: Touchstone 2010

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Popsugar -- Finish in a day; Women Authors

Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.

In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.

Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, Grissom’s debut novel unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds.

Our book club selection for February. I'll admit that the first two chapters didn't really hook me, but I kept on reading. And the book and characters got much more interesting. The plotline was fairly predictable. I could ignore the predictable based on the strength of the characters. I was drawn into Belle and Lavinia and Miss Martha and Jamie and Fanny and Mama. I was rooting for all of them but knew this wasn't going to be the happily ever after kind of story. The ending seemed like the happiest one that could happen given the storyline. I appreciate that Grissom didn't go for a fairytale ending. In the end, I very much enjoyed this book. Now I have to wait until late February for book club to discuss.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Title: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 396

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series; 52 Books -W5

September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

I finally got to pick up the sequel to Miss Peregrine and it did not disappoint. I love seeing the characters travel through 1940 London and attempt to save Miss Peregrine. I especially loved their visit to the menagerie and meeting Addison. The wights and hollowgast were thoroughly scary. Something about the storyline and writing wasn't quite as tight and magical as the first book, but I still really enjoyed reading it. Hoping to pick up the last book in the trilogy soon.

Miss Peregrine:

• #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
• #2 Hollow City
• #3 Library of Souls

Happiness Project: February

Last year, I read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and it really spoke to me. I know that I often put myself last on the priority list. This year, I want to be more intentional about my goals and monthly plans. So I am modifying Rubin's plan to fit my life. To help keep me accountable, I will be posting my goals and progress here on the blog. I've also helped create an in-person group through the parent's group. We are sharing our goals and progress and meeting once a month for a check-in.

For February, I wanted to focus on money. We are wanting to move back to the peninsula or South Bay. And I would like to see to be able to take a family vacation this summer. To do so, we need to reexamine the money situation...

Goals for February:

• Keep frivolous spending to zero -- I am a sucker for the Target One Spot and clearance sections. For February I'm going to try my hardest to not spend extra money.
• Splurge on one big item -- I can't cut out all spending, but I would like to buy one larger thing. I'm thinking Arthur's tattoo.
• Create a budget -- Been overspending a bit. Need to get something established.
• Donate, sell, trash -- We are possibly moving in the next few months (back to the peninsula!!!!) and our house is a mess! I know we need to do a big cleanout. I'm planning on doing one area/room a week.
• (continuation) Commit to fresh flowers and natural room scents
• (continuation) Be aware of judgements
• (continuation) Establish daily and weekly routines

Recap of January:

• Commit to fresh flowers and natural room scents — I splurged and bought flowers for the kitchen. Makes me happy...
• Be aware of judgments —Looking at my progress for January, I'd call this a success. I really held my tongue some days and others I stopped myself from even giving certain thoughts weight. Continuing this for February.
• Establish daily and weekly routines -- Total bust! January was full of sickness and craziness. We never got our routines established and it makes me sad. Trying again for February.

2016 Monthly Focuses:

• January -- Attitude and Mindfulness
• February -- Money
• March -- Marriage
• April -- Work
• May -- Friendship
• June -- Parenthood
• July -- Play
• August -- Knowledge
• September -- Books
• October -- Self-care
• November -- Vitality
• December -- Reflection

New Movie January #10-31

Okay so I'm lying a bit here... we got nowhere near 31 movies watched this month. We only got to 11 movies. A bit sad, but January has been a bitch. We've all been super busy, but also sick almost the entire month. Only a few movies to highlight for the last two-thirds of the month.

#10 Spy "A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster." -- Way funnier than it should have been. Why was it so funny? Still don't know, but we definitely enjoyed it.

#11 Taken "A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris." -- Somehow I had never seen the first Taken, but have seen the two sequels. The first one is way more brutal than the other two. Crazy stuff! It was an enjoyable night of movie watching...