Outside my window...
Believe it or not we all made it to 2019 with little lost! HaHa! Outside my window we are having spring-like weather. I don't know whether to be happy or be fearful of what is down the pike in the way of winter. It is only early January after all!!.It is currently sunny and almost 60* here today. A beautiful clear blue sky!
Pondering..
The thing I am most pondering is one of the things I most HATE to do. And that is take down all the Christmas decorations. I am not really fond of putting them up either. Next year I might just be really sparse. But in 2018 it was very much necessary to put them up. Because Darian came home and spent three weeks with me. His first time home since he left for the Army almost two years ago. He is still living in Tennessee. Still single! Still working! Still acting like a kid. But he will turn 21 this month! It was good to have him home. (And just as good to see him leave. LOL)
Watching...
I have been watching a lot of You Tube videos. I can learn so much in little 30 minute chunks of time. Do you watch You Tube? I have some favorites I follow and then I just like to brown.
Reading...
My reading has almost ceased to exist. I need to pick that back up in 2019. I tend to listen to more audio books now. And I enjoy that for the most part. I can't listen in the daytime. My mind wanders too much. I just finished listening to The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. I am currently listening to Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter. I am also reading Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This book is written so you read a little bit each day. And it is a huge lesson in gratitude. Which is very good for me. So that sums up my current reading. I reached my goal of 45 books in Goodreads. Actually I read 53. So I have upped my goal this year to 50. Do you do Goodreads to track your books? If so I would love to be your friend!
Creating...
Not doing much creating here. I did not hardly touch my bullet journal while Darian was home. So I hope to get into it again. Whether it helps me stay on track or not I couldn't tell you. But I like working on it.
Planning....
We will be working on wedding plans slowly. They have changed the date again. It is to be sometime in the fall of 2020. This coming weekend we are going to a Bridal Expo in Wichita. She is looking forward to it.
What's in the kitchen...
I have not jumped back into menu planning. I am still getting Hello Fresh once a month. My new shipment just arrived so I do know what I will be eating in the next couple days. I got a new crockpot for Christmas. I just finished a big pot of Vegetable beef soup which was amazing. It is so hard to cook for ONE!
A quote to share...
I hope to be back into blogging on a more regular basis in the coming months. What have all my friends been up to so far this year?
HELLOOOOOOOO!!!!! So good to hear from you. I went sparse on Christmas decorations, this year - but mostly because I dind't want to lift heavy boxes from over my head anymore. No place to store them lower, either. I'm okay with that. So what Have I been up to so far this year? Reading and reading and reading. Feet up on the couch, cozy quilt reading time! Happy New Year to you! goodnightgram
ReplyDeleteThank you Gram. I miss our connection. Hope to check out your blog and see what you have been up to!
DeleteI'm glad you got to spend some time with Darian! All of those books are new to me so I'll have to check to see what they're about. A Daybook of Comfort of Joy sounds like something I'd like.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here Vicki and I will be begin to connect again soon, I hope!
DeleteHappy new year! Good to hear Darian came home for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteWe are on vacation just relaxing and enjoying no snow. Aloha
Hope all the snow is now gone!
DeleteA great resolution.
ReplyDeleteI have missed you Joanne!
DeleteHow great to 'see' you again, g'friend! What a nice surprise to have Darian home for Christmas! Sarah Ban Breathnach's 'Simple Abundance' was a favorite of mine for a long while. Only this year did I 'release' it to Legacy's lending library. Because I still struggle to become the Avid Reader I once was, I've begun buying books by authors I've enjoyed in the past, whose style I'm accustomed to. 53 books read is amazing -- congratulations!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you Myra!
DeleteGlad to hear you got to spend some time with Darian. Thanks for visiting my blog, looking forward to reading more from you :)
ReplyDeleteI am trying to get back!
DeleteI'm with you on Christmas decor. There are some interesting trends that could help you out next year, if you do anything next year.
ReplyDeleteThis morning on Twitter there was a thread of people going off on this guy. He made a stupid mysogynistic comment (which I won't repeat). Someone checked out his profile, where he said he'd read 30 books. Total. Lifetime.
I think you're ahead of the game.
Oh how I miss you Liz!
DeleteI like that New Year's quote. Good to see a post from you Paula! I do hope you get back to blogging. I'm even thinking of doing the A/Z challenge this year to keep myself into the blogging habit. That was a great achievement with the number of books read! I tend to read about one a week in the mornings while exercising on the treadmill. I bet it was so neat to see Darian! It is hard to believe that its been about 2 years. That time has flown by fast, just like the time between now and the wedding. Lots to plan though so good to get a start on it.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
betty
I'm going to try to come back Betty!
DeleteWelcome back sweet friend!!! Happy New year! I'm so glad you had a great visit with Darian. I am sure he also loved every minute of being home with you.
ReplyDeleteThe wedding expos are so fun- go hungry because the samples of cakes are the best part!
Is goodreads an app? I'll look into it. One of my resolutions this year was to read more. I love to read but then get sucked into social media instead of reading my books but yet I keep buying books. I already read one book last week so i'm off to a good start. How's your dog? Will you post a pic of him soon please.
Have a great week!
Little doggie is doing fine and we are adjusting to each other. I will post a picture soon! He turned 13 in January!
DeleteGood to see you here. I'm sure you enjoyed having Darian home but I get that you were glad to see him go too. When you get used to your own routine etc and then that gets disrupted it's not always easy to adjust. It sounds to me like you did ok with reading in 2018 so hopefully you'll pick up again this year. I use Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/51686742-wendy-jakob
ReplyDeleteYes to everything you said Wendy!
DeleteSo so happy to see you again!! You have been missed. I like the quote you posted also! So true!! My reading has been cut down due to my knitting so much - LOL! But I spent a good chunk of this past weekend finishing two books that I had half-way done. Felt so good to read for awhile. I have my Xmas decorating down to a science. The tree goes up pretty quickly - done over 3 days - put together one day - lights on the next day - and then decorated the third day. I have some decorations that I always put out every year - in the same places. So when it is time to take it all down - it goes fast also. I leave my primitive Santas and snowmen out all year. And I keep one strand of Xmas lights in the dining/living area and one in the family room - and turn them on each night - all year long...
ReplyDeleteLinda in VA
I like the idea of having lights up year round.
DeleteI like the New Year's Resolution, LOL. Also, I *am* on Goodreads and will look for you there!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward Susan!
DeleteHappy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteI have missed you my friend!
DeleteHappy 2019 Paula. So glad you got time with Darian over the holidays. Try not to get too stressed over the wedding and yes, come back to blogging. It is a great way to vent!!
ReplyDeleteIt would be an even greater place to vent if there wasn't people who judge you! I miss you Wendy!
DeleteI hope that you have a wonderful 2019, Paula. You asked what your friends have been doing. Well, I don't know about anyone else, but *this* one has been trying to avoid going insane after some very upsetting news in early December. Haven't had much luck with that, though.
ReplyDeleteAfter a month of letting everything slide, I am trying to get back in the swing of things. As I type this, I am waiting for a butter pecan cake to cool so that I can frost it. It is one of the next features on our YouTube cooking channel. We'll see how that goes.
Good luck with the wedding planning. I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit with Darian. :) We haven't seen our Davey since 2015. His time is up in the Marine Corps. Due to a paperwork glitch, they didn't re-enlist him. He had planned to go career. Life has a way of changing our plans, doesn't it?
Have a blessed night and weekend!
Thank you Suzanne. I hope life has settled down for ou!
DeleteQuiet here Paula. I hope all is ok.
ReplyDeleteAll is good Wendy! Thank you for checking on me. I will be working on a post soon!
DeleteI see we are already friends on GoodReads! My challenge is to read 40 books this year. We shall see how I do! I exceeded my goal last year (I think it was 25 books), so I might be able to do this. I don't watch too many YouTube videos, but my hubby loves them for learning about his hobbies. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI hope everything is ok, you haven't posted in a while.
ReplyDeleteEverything is as fine as they can be. I will soon be working on a new post to let everyone know what I have been up to. Mostly nothing!! Thank you Vicki for checking on me!
DeleteSo glad to hear everything is ok. I'm looking forward to seeing you posting again!
DeleteI find that if I am coloring in my adult coloring book (I love that thing) while listening to Audible, I don't lose focus. But, if I try to cook or do any chores, I find I am not listening well enough. It's hard to sit still but I'll get there eventually
ReplyDeleteYes you will!
Delete