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November 2015 Wrap-up and Monthly TBR

Hop on over to Booksessed to participate.

November's TBR Pile (7/13):

  1. Nonfiction: The Fringe House by Jessica Turner -- DNF
  2. Reread: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  3. Book club selection: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova -- DNF
  4. Carry-over: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
  5. Series pick: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
  6. Random pick: Ex Machina Book 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
  7. Fairytale Pick: After Alice by Gregory Maguire √
  8. Mystery Pick: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie √
  9. Added: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson √
  10. Added: Some Enchanted Evening by Christina Dodd √
  11. Added: The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd √
  12. Added: The Prince Kidnaps a Bride by Christina Dodd √
  13. Added: Warrior Women by Jeannine Davis-Kimball √

Picture Book Roundup:

  1. I Love My Dinosaur by Caroline Jayne Church
  2. Global Babies
  3. No T. Rex in the Library by Toni Buzzeo
  4. Mommy Mommy by Taro Gomi
  5. Kiss by Jonathan Litton

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 2215 pages Pages Remaining: 776,392 pages

Current Read - The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

Books Won (0)

Books I Gave Up On (2)

  • Left Neglected by Lisa Genova -- The narrator of this book absolutely annoyed the crap out of me. I only got to page 30 before I gave up in frustration.
  • The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner -- This book was recommended to me by many people. Unfortunately, Turner's constant inclusion of God turned me off.

Challenges Completed  -- None this month

Comments - Somehow November just flew by and I got very little reading done. I think this might have been my lightest month this year. Hoping to finish the year out with some good reads.

December's TBR Pile: Still totally up in the air, although I'm hoping for a few of these to get read...

  1. Carry-over: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
  2. Series pick: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
  3. Reread pick: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  4. Book Club Selection: Chocolat by Joanne Harris
  5. On my shelf forever pick: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
categories: Monthly Wrap-Up
Monday 11.30.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Warrior Women by Jeannine Davis-Kimball

Title: Warrior Women: An Archaeologist's Search for History's Hidden Heroines

Author: Jeannine Davis-Kimball

Publisher: Warner Books 2002

Genre: Nonfiction -- History; Archaeology

Pages: 268

Rating:  3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure (perpetual); Ebook; 52 Books -- W48

Davis-Kimball weaves science, mythology and mystical cultures into a bold new historical tapestry of female warriors, heroines and leaders who have been left out of the history books-- until now.

I thoroughly enjoyed the subject matter and wanted to learn more. I loved that I learned so much about groups of people that I have only heard mentioned in other texts. What i didn't love was the writing style. I just couldn't get behind her dry sentences and asides about her own personal life. I would have liked a more straight forward archaeology/history book.

tags: 52 books in 52 weeks, archaeology, history, Jeannine Davis-KImball, nonfiction, nonfiction adventure
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 11.29.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

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!

 
tags: Sunday Sunset
categories: Weekly Wrap-up
Sunday 11.29.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

101 in 1001 Update #10

What I did:

1.Send out homemade holiday cards in December 2x -- I've gotten most of the cards made, but haven't sent any out yet...

8. Choose and document One Little Word 2015 and 2016 -- Working on it!

13. Pass 500 books for Arthur’s 1000 Books Before Kindergarten (409/500) -- Getting closer to this goal! And he just turned 2.

26. Read 50 of my owned unread books (49/50)  — Three more books read from my shelves this past month. One more book to finish this goal.

28. Read 100,000 pages toward 1,000,000 page goal (31,913/100,000) — In October, I read 3187 pages. Not a great month, but it's something...

34. Make 250 different greeting cards (142/250) -- 41 new designs from the last month! Participating in 30 Days of Christmas cards really pushed me.

45. Make 50 new recipes (33/50) -- No new food recipes, but we did try four new cocktail recipes for Thanksgiving.

Remaining goals and total:

Friends, Family, and Love 2. Build a snowman 3. Complete 52 once a week photos of Arthur 5. Date nights x 20 6. Complete a Jar of Life 7. Host a tea party 9. Write a personal manifesto 10. Take a picture of myself every first day of the month 11. Give 5 Just Because gifts 12. Give Arthur 25 pictures books in 25 days for December 2015 16. Take Arthur and twins to go see Santa

Crafting and Culture 17. Attend an opera or musical 18. Reread the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit 20. Finish one of my Perpetual Reading Challenges 22. Ask 20 friends to suggest one book, and read them all 23. Watch a meteor shower 24. Attend 5 concerts (1/5) 25. Complete 10 Day in the Life posts (2/10) 27. Tour a factory 29. Finish 2015 and 2016 Project Life book (family and Arthur) 30. Finish 2015 and 2016 December Daily 32. Watch 100 different TED Talks and do a short review/analysis on the blog (new series) 33. Watch/rewatch every Academy Awards Best Picture since the year I was born (1982) 1982: Gandhi 1983: Terms of Endearment 1984: Amadeus 1985: Out of Africa 1986: Platoon 1987: The Last Emperor 1988: Rain Man 1989: Driving Miss Daisy 1990: Dances with Wolves 1991: Silence of the Lambs 1992: Unforgiven 1993: Schindler’s List 1994: Forrest Gump 1995: Braveheart 1996: The English Patient 1997: Titanic 1998: Shakespeare in Love 1999: American Beauty 2000: Gladiator 2001: A Beautiful Mind 2002: Chicago 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2004: Million Dollar Baby 2005: Crash 2006: The Departed 2007: No Country for Old Men 2008: Slumdog Millionaire 2009: The Hurt Locker 2010: The King’s Speech 2011: The Artist 2012: Argo 2013: 12 Years a Slave 2014: TBD 2015: TBD 2016: TBD 35. See a drive-in movie 36. Listen to every song by The Beatles 37. Finish watching every Star Trek television episode and movie 38. Have a Pixar movie month 39. Complete The Artist’s Way 40. Complete a year of no book buying 41. Learn Ruby on rails

Food and Drink 44. Take a cooking class 46. Open a cookbook to a random page and make what ever is on it 47. Give up dining out for one month 48. Try Whole30 51. Make fresh pasta 52. Learn to make a good martini 53. Do a brewery tour 54. Try 25 new restaurants (13/25) 55. Try 5 new to me foods 56. No pop for a month

Health and Fitness 57. Lose 2 pants sizes 58. Walk a 5K 59. Get a massage 60. Take a yoga class 61. Get three pedicures (1/3) 62. Do a spa day 65. Get lasik 66. Get CPR certified again

Travel 67. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast 68. Go on a vacation with Josh 70. Travel to a new state

Philanthropic 71. Give a 100% tip 72. Donate something extra at each MVPA social x 10 (4/10) -- Another amazing social in the books. 73. Pay it forward at Starbucks/coffeeshop

Financial 75. Two week money fast (starting with full gas tanks and a full pantry) 76. Open an Etsy shop

Miscellaneous 79. Get Arthur’s tattoo 80. Get a passport 81. Get rid of 100 things 82. Learn how to use our DSLR 84. Make a chalk mural on the driveway/porch 85. Finish a Soduku puzzle 87. Complete a coloring book 89. Take an IQ test 90. Play Bingo in a bingo hall 93. Unplug completely for 24 hours 95. Go to a convention (blogging, SU, etc) 96. Dye my hair purple 97. Revamp my wardrobe 98. Take real photos of me for my blogs 99. Post a vlog 100. Go apple/berry/etc picking

tags: 101 in 1001
categories: Day Zero Project
Saturday 11.28.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Prince Kidnaps a Bride by Christina Dodd

Title: The Prince Kidnaps a Bride (The Lost Princesses #3)

Author: Christina Dodd

Publisher: Avon Books

Genre: Romance

Pages: 362

Rating:  3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Reduction; A to Z: P; Seriously Series

Betrothed in the cradle, Princess Sorcha and Prince Rainger were destined to rule their countries together. Then revolution sent Sorcha to a remote Scottish convent—and Rainger into a dungeon so deep rumor claimed he was dead.

Now danger threatens, and Sorcha must travel home with a simple fisherman as her companion—Prince Rainger in disguise. Changed by his imprisonment from a careless lad to a dangerous man, he's determined to win back his kingdom—and the woman he wants more than life itself. But can he protect a woman who believes every person she meets is her friend, every tavern is an opportunity to sing bawdy songs, and each turn in the road hides new adventure? To keep his princess safe, he must resort to his most treacherous weapon: seduction.

Well I finished the trilogy. This wasn't the best at all. I hated Sorcha and Prince Rainger annoyed me in this volume. The entire set-up of their relationship really bugged me. I just couldn't understand the continual lying and disguises. And some of the interactions were just ridiculous! Oh well. Another series I can cross off my list.

The Lost Princesses:

  • #1 Some Enchanted Evening
  • #2 The Barefoot Princess
  • #3 The Prince Kidnaps a Bride
tags: 3 stars, a to z, Christina Dodd, historical fiction, romance, Seriously Series, TBR Reduction
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 11.27.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

FF #40: A Wild Dinner

A Wild Dinner

The perfect winter date night outfit. Apparently, I am loving shift dresses right now even though they all look like crap on me. I paired this simple dress with an amazing coat and shoes. Check out the detailing on those items! Simple accessories complete the look.

Loose dress

$1,170 - montaignemarket.com

Coat with belt

wsdear.com

Salvatore Ferragamo leopard pumps

ferragamo.com

Yves Saint Laurent black tote bag

$2,145 - ssense.com

Alexander McQueen gold tone jewelry

net-a-porter.com

Pamela Love necklace

$185 - shopbop.com

categories: Fashion
Friday 11.27.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Happy Thanksgiving

We're hosting a friend Thanksgiving today with a mix of Indian and American food, plus fancy cocktails! I'm excited!

tags: Thanksgiving
categories: Life
Thursday 11.26.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Currently #17

 

Watching: Lots of movies lately! In the past week, we've watched Tomorrowland (not great), Amy (depressing, but really good), and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (lots of fun).

Reading: The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd, actually I just finished this one and are moving onto the last book in the trilogy, The Prince Kidnaps a Bride by Christina Dodd.

Listening: Arthur and I have been listening to various Christmas music Pandora channels.

Making: Working on some Christmas gifts today.

Feeling: Still fighting a cold. Annoying...

Planning: We're having some people over tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone's bringing something, but that still means that I have some dishes to prep and a house clean...

Loving: We've had a few rainy days lately and I love them. 

tags: Currently
categories: Life
Wednesday 11.25.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd

Title: The Barefoot Princess (The Lost Princesses #1)

Author: Christina Dodd

Publisher: Avon Books

Genre: Romance

Pages: 349

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Reduction; Seriously Series

Life in exile has taught the passionate Princess Amy to hate injustice, and on the enchanting English isle of Summerwind, she finds injustice personified in the powerful and wickedly handsome Jermyn Edmondson, marquess of Northcliff. Since he has stolen the islanders' livelihood, Amy decides to stealhim. She kidnaps the arrogant nobleman, chains him with his own manacles, and holds him for ransom.

It's a simple plan, destined to succeed. Surely Jermyn's uncle will pay his ransom. Alas, his uncle would be delighted if someone killed his nephew and left him to inherit the title and fortune. And holding the furious, guileful, sensual Jermyn chained in her basement provides a challenge to Amy's restraint...and her virtue.

I liked this one better than the first book in the series. Glad I kept reading the trilogy. Amy and Jermyn are fun characters. And the side characters give the book even more. I enjoyed the storyline and the reappearance of Prince Rainger. Really I could have done without the sex scenes. They were a bit much and I do lie a good sex scene. Oh well. I'm hoping to finish the series before I leave for Indiana...

The Lost Princesses:

  • #1 Some Enchanted Evening
  • #2 The Barefoot Princess
  • #3 The Prince Kidnaps a Bride
tags: 4 stars, Christina Dodd, historical fiction, romance, Seriously Series, TBR Reduction
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 11.24.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Music Monday -- iPod Shuffle

O.A.R. "Heard the World" 

Panic! At the Disco "She Had the World"

Broken Bells "The Ghost Inside"

tags: Broken Bells, O-A-R-, Panic at the Disco
categories: Music
Monday 11.23.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Some Enchanted Evening by Christina Dodd

Title: Some Enchanted Evening (The Lost Princesses #1)

Author: Christina Dodd

Publisher: Avon Books 2004

Genre: Romance

Pages: 363

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Reduction; Seriously Series; 52 Books - W47

One of Scotland's most dangerous men, Robert MacKenzie is dazzled by the enchanting beauty who rides into the town he is sworn to defend. Though he is wary of the exquisite stranger, Clarice stirs emotions within him that Robert buried deeply years before. And now he must have her at any cost, vowing to gain her trust through the powers of his sensuous seduction.

Torn between her need to protect her secrets and her aching desire for the dark, tormented earl of Hepburn, Clarice is pulled into Robert's glamorous world . . . and into his perilous plan for justice and revenge. And with the winds of treachery swirling around them, a runaway princess must draw Robert's heart from the shadows and make him believe in happily-ever-after.

A decent fluffy romance to tide me over this week, but it's nothing special. There were a few scenes that I could do without. And the sex scenes weren't that great. But the story was decent and I really liked Clarice as a character. I'm sure I'll be continuing this series...

The Lost Princesses:

  • #1 Some Enchanted Evening
  • #2 The Barefoot Princess
  • #3 The Prince Kidnaps a Bride
tags: 3 stars, Christina Dodd, historical fiction, romance, TBR Reduction
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 11.22.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

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!

tags: Sunday Sunset
categories: Weekly Wrap-up
Sunday 11.22.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

FF #39: Leafy Thanksgiving

Leafy Thanksgiving

For this year's Thanksgiving outfit, I went with some major shine and a leaf inspired motif. While this dress is way short for me to ever wear, I love the pattern and shine to it. I paired it with some simple tights and boots to help let the dress stand out. For the accessories, I went with two bracelets keeping the leaf theme.

Rochas shift dress

therealreal.com

Mason by Michelle Mason pink jacket

intermixonline.com

Fevrie red socks

fevrie.com

Short boots

ralphlauren.com

Yves Saint Laurent leather handbag

$955 - ssense.com

Brooks Brothers cuff bracelet

brooksbrothers.com

Gold plated bracelet

naturesjewelry.com

categories: Fashion
Friday 11.20.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Fall Thanks

1. Pinterest -- For inspiring a new project. Crazy, but I'm excited!

2. Apple cider -- For reminding me of my love of fall.

3. Friends -- For giving support even in the dark hours.

4. Indoor plumbing -- For nice hot showers to help me breathe easier.

5. The builders of our house -- For giving me a completely unnecessary, but well-used crafting area (otherwise known as a butler's pantry).

tags: Thankful Thursday
categories: Life
Thursday 11.19.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Quote Wednesday -- Ephron

I know that I am essentially a sort of fun-loving person who really just wants to sit around and eat pies. -- Nora Ephron

categories: Quote Wednesday
Wednesday 11.18.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Title: Furiously Happy

Author: Jenny Lawson

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2015

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Pages: 329

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure (perpetual); TBR Reduction; 52 Books - W46

In Furiously Happy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea.

But terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.

I love her, I love her, I love her! Just like her first book, this volume made be reflect, cry, and laugh (mostly laugh) at all the ridiculous episodes of her life. Life lessons abound disguised as silly arguments with her husband and strange encounters with the outside world. I loved diving more into her world even the parts that aren't so nice. I'm so glad I preordered this one. I had to wait almost a month before I had time to read it, but when I did I pounced. Now I feel like I should reread her last book... Maybe in January.

tags: 5 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, Jenny Lawson, nonfiction, nonfiction adventure, TBR Reduction
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 11.17.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Music Monday -- Hellyeah "Hush"

Been really digging Octane lately and especially this song. 

tags: Hellyeah
categories: Music
Monday 11.16.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

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.

tags: Sunday Sunset
categories: Weekly Wrap-up
Sunday 11.15.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

FF #38: Reimagined Menswear

Reimagined Menswear

I'm a huge fan of menswear inspired pieces for women. Today's outfit features a nice mix of pieces. I am really digging those shoes. If only I could find a comfortable, not-too-expensive pair for myself.

BCBGMAXAZRIA top

bcbg.com

Wide-leg pants

shein.com

Restricted shoes

nordstromrack.com

Vince leather bag

nordstrom.com

Rebecca Minkoff gold bracelet

6pm.com

Dorothy Perkins ring

dorothyperkins.com

categories: Fashion
Friday 11.13.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Videos Galore

Hilarious!

This looks so stupid, but I kinda want to watch this one.

Really intrigued by this series.

So weird, but I'm loving it!

Holy shit I am so excited!

categories: Fun Videos
Thursday 11.12.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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