Hello May

April Update

 April was so busy, that I guess I gave up my blog to compensate.  LittleCJC had 3 dance competitions.  I'm sorry for the photo overload, but I am so proud of this little lady.  She has improved so much this year.

When we got these photos, I was even more proud.  I mean, look at her form.  There were so many where the photographer caught her at the perfect time or else she is actually doing what she is suppose to do.

This year I've noticed her showing emotion, smiling so much more, and hardly ever watching someone else.

She is in five dances again this year, but her favorite is the production, Diamond in the Rough themed after Aladdin.  She may not have a huge part in it since she's the youngest dancer in that group, but even I have to admit that this one is pretty awesome.  She has 4 costume changes within this number and a little special part where she gets to play Iago.

This year, the competitions have been in a block schedule, which is nice that we're not in and out of the competition all weekend, but they are crazy with fast costume changes and running from stage to dressing room and back again.  I definitely get a lot less pictures, but I'm so glad she loves it and I am reminded every time of how much she's growing up.

I'm so glad she loves all her dance friends since they spend so much time together.

LittleCJC has also discovered how fun a single string loop can be.

As for LittleCGC, she's been loving the warmer weather and getting to play outside more.

We've also seen a switch from baby dolls to barbies.

Hello Obsession

I am proud to report that I made it through phase 1 of the 80 day obsession workout plan.  In fact, I started phase 2 last week.  I'm still surviving and liking this program.  My nutrition had one amazing week, a few good ones, and quite a few bad days too.  Even with that, I lost 2lbs (I was down more the amazing week but the last week of the phase was probably my worst.)  Here's the interesting part though, I lost 4.5 total inches. (2.5 from my waist alone)  I also will confess that I missed 3 workouts.  Two of those were when we had our dance competitions out of town, and one was the day after I got my second dose of the Covid vaccine.  Although I feel as though I've cheated saying I completed phase 1, I'm also super proud of myself.

Hello Books

April was a great reading month, especially in quantity.  I did finish Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.  I enjoyed this book even though it took me a while to get through it all.  I admit, though, the ending is brutal.  It's a total cliffhanger so now I need to read the second book in this duology.  Since I struggle with reading physical books lately, I haven't gotten to that yet.  I did finish (what's published so far at least) the Outlander series with Written in my Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon.  I think I've come to decide I don't care as much for Brianna's storyline and that is why I'm not enjoying these books as much as I used to enjoy them.  

Next, I finally read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  This has been on my to read list for years now and I'm glad I finally read it.  However, I have to admit that I didn't like it that much.  That being said, this book stuck with me a while.  Feeling like I needed a simple feel-good story next, I actually ended up devouring the entire Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn.  This was exactly what I needed to pick up my reading.  I listened to the first seven books in five days and then took the weekend to read the last book in the e-book format.  After finishing the series, I started watching the Netflix show.  This was enjoyable (more so than The Handmaid's Tale that I also watched some of after finishing that book.)  However, the books are so much more fun.  In case you're interested here's the book titles:

The Duke and I

The Viscount Who Loved Me

An Offer From a Gentleman

Romancing Mister Bridgerton

To Sir Phillip, With Love

When He Was Wicked

It's in His Kiss

On the Way to the Wedding

When I finished this series, I wasn't sure what I was going to read next.  I've read all the books on this year's challenge plan that are available in audiobook format from the library, but I needed another audiobook.  Children of Blood and Bone popped up randomly on my library's page and it looked interesting.  I looked into on Goodreads and thought I'd give it a try.  I ended up with a lot of mixed feelings with this one.  I actually ended up liking it by the end, but then after the author's note I was left with a sour feeling.  I kind of hate that I let her note influence my overall feeling of the book, but since I kept going back and forth on whether I liked it to begin with I couldn't help it.  I know there is a second book out already, but I don't think I will be picking it up.

Finally, after leaving the last book with such mixed feelings, and wanting something more like the Bridgerton series that I loved, I decided to go back to the Virgin River series.  I had started this series last year and put it on hold when the new year started to work on my challenge plans.  These are fun quick reads that easily stand alone, but have several cameos from previous main plot characters.  So, I also finished books 9-12 which are:

Angel's Peak

Moonlight Road

Promise Canyon

Wild Man Creek

Hello Movies

April was not a good month for my movie project.  It seemed like I just kept falling further behind and one week I gave up entirely.  I'm hoping to get back to it and catch up over the next month, but we'll see.  At this point, I'm not sure if I should start where I stopped or just move on and fill in what I missed when I can.  I'm leaning towards the second.

Hello May

Thankfully, this month we'll at least be in town more often since there are no dance competitions.  I'm sure it will still be busy so we'll see if I start Hello Monday blogs again or just continue with a monthly update.  It's hard to believe that school is almost over and I will have a 2nd grader.

Happy May Everyone!

Hello Monday

 Well, at this point, maybe it should be Hello April.  It's been a bit since I've written one of these, and so much has happened since then.  We took our spring break vacation to Disney and Universal.  We had so much fun, so you'll have to be sure to check back for a trip report.  This past weekend, we visited the in-laws and celebrated Easter both there and at home.

Hello Monday

This week, the chaos continues.  LittleCJC has extended rehearsals before her first dance competition this weekend. On Sunday, we have one last Easter celebration with my side of the family.

Hello New Obsession

Last week, I started a new Beachbody workout, 80 Day Obsession.  So far, I'm loving it.  I was real hesitant to start this one, because the workouts are longer, so much equipment is needed, and there is no music playing.  I really thought that would be weird and I thought it would make the long workouts seem even longer, but instead it doesn't bother me and I'm always amazed at how quickly the workout passes.  I have been so sore this past week, but in a good way.  I'm curious to see how this week goes, but excited to keep going.  7 days down, 73 more to go.

Hello Movies

So, I can already tell this yearly project is going to be a struggle.  Obviously, I didn't watch movies on vacation, but the week leading up to it was almost a complete waste too.  I've discovered that I struggle more when other people are home.  For example, if LittleCJC is home from school or if Patrick is working from home I don't always take the time to watch whatever I'm suppose to be watching.  I guess I'll just keep trying my best to always play this catch-up game I seem to have going on lately.

Hello Books

As for books, I'm still working my way through Six of Crows, even though it's already due at the library.  Hopefully, I can finish it today, or else I'm going to feel too guilty and return it without finishing.  I guess that means I'm not loving it, but it isn't bad, so I'm not sure why  it's taking me so long to get through this one.  

Even with vacation, I was able to finish a few books on the car ride there and back.  First, was An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon.  These books are enjoyable while I'm in the story, but they don't really stick with me anymore.  The cast has gotten so big and so many storylines are going on, and some are definitely more enjoyable than others.  Next, I read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  I think I expected too much from this one.  There were some interesting and really enjoyable parts of the story, but overall, it moved slowly and I just didn't love it.  I then devoured The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory.  This was a fun sweet story and I loved it.  The final book I read since my last post was The Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory.  I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  Ironically, it reminded me of the Outlander series but without the time travel.  I think the similarities lie in the fact of all the battles taking place in the story and of course the historic aspect.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hello Monday

 Weekend Update

On Friday, LittleCGC and I ended up going to a toddler time event that LittleCJC's gym hosts.  We had so much fun.  LittleCGC loved bouncing on the trampolines.

From one to another

They even had an inflatable, that she loved too.

We ended up having some visitors this weekend.  Patrick's parents decided to come down Friday evening and spent the night at our house.  We had a really nice visit, and the girls loved reading and playing games with them.

It's always so sad when they leave.  

Saturday evening, we snowed.  I wasn't aware that we were suppose to get snow, so it was a bit of a surprise to me at least.  We didn't get a whole lot, but it was pretty while it lasted and the girls had fun playing in it.  Especially, LittleCJC who was determined that she was going sledding, even though the only hill on our property has a fence at the bottom of it.

Hello Monday

This week is another casual week, other than the weather.  It's suppose to be real cold with the chance of more snow and/or ice.  You never know, but we'll see if we get anything.  I'm just hoping school doesn't decide to close.  This weekend is also Valentine's Day, so we'll see if we end up doing anything special.

Hello Movies

This week, my movies were picked with Valentine's Day in mind, and Mardi Gras.

Musical Monday - The Last 5 Years

Tune Tuesday - Chess

Way Back Wednesday - Casablanca

Throwback Thursday - Sleepless in Seattle

Friday First - When Harry Met Sally

Seasonal Saturday - Sabrina

Disney Dinner - The Princess and the Frog

I'm definitely most excited to finally watch Casablanca.  This classic has been on my watch list for a long time now, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Hello Books

Last week was a good week for reading.  I did finish The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu, but it was my least favorite of the week.  My thoughts on this book didn't change much from last week's post.  Not to repeat myself, I'll just say some stories were enjoyable, but not all.  I also finished Trail of Lightning  by Rebecca Roanhorse.  This book I did enjoy.  It's set in the future after the Big Water floods most of the United States.  This story takes place on an Indian reservation that has survived, but monsters are now attacking.  So, naturally, the main character is a monster-slayer.  I know this sounds weird, but I liked it and now I'm excited for the next book in this series.  I also started the folk of the air series by Holly Black, and I devoured the first two books.  The first book The Cruel Prince introduces us to the faerie world and the characters.  In particular, Jude who is a human girl living here with the man who killed her parents.  I don't want to give the story away, but I enjoyed it.  The second book in the series The Wicked King was just as good.  At the beginning, I didn't think I would like this one as much since it was filled with more politics, but then it took off.  This is a fast-paced adventure in the land of the fey.  This author definitely knows how to write an ending that leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.  Unfortunately, I have to take a break from the series to read some books that I've had on hold for a while at the library.  They never fail to all come available at the same time.

First up, is Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.  I've heard a lot of talk about this book, but I hadn't really paid attention to what the book was about, I just assumed it was a light romance.  I was surprised to find out that it is a light romance, but about two guys.  I hate to admit that this might be my first romance with a same sex couple.  I've read some books that have that storyline before, but I'm not sure if I've read a book where that is the main plot.  I'm not surprised that I'm enjoying the book, because I have no problem with same sex relationships, but I'm happily surprised that I've heard so many good things about this book without even realizing that this was the storyline.  It makes me feel good about my reading community.  Next up from my holds list will be The Guest List  by Lucy Foley.  This is another popular book, that I didn't know anything about when I added it to my list.  It's classified as a thriller, so not my go to genre, but hopefully it's not too dark as it sounds like a who done it book.  The timing seems perfect as Clue is currently LittleCJC's favorite game.  I'm also trying to finish up the lost magic series with the final book, Sapphire Sun by Suzi Davis.  We'll see where else the week takes me and what progress is made.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hello Monday

 Weekend Update

Well, what do you know? We had another lazy winter weekend.  Especially on Saturday at least.  On Sunday, we did go to church and then Grandma came over to play some games with us.  LittleCJC has recently learned how to play Clue so she had to play that with Grandma along with some Mario Party on the Nintendo Switch.

Hello Monday

We've made it to another week, and yet again, I have nothing on my calendar other than LittleCJC's normal weekly activities.  I'm starting to wonder if I should change up this normal format as I don't seem to have much to report anymore.  I haven't decided if it's because it's winter or Covid.  Maybe it's both, but either way it seems strange having a post devoted to what's going on each week, when the most I can report on are what movies and books I'm watching and reading.

Hello Movies

Musical Monday - The King and I

Tune Tuesday - Dear Evan Hansen

Wayback Wednesday - An American in Paris

Throwback Thursday - The Mighty Ducks

Friday First - A Star is Born

Seasonal Saturday - Moulin Rouge

Disney Dinner - ?

So, I originally had planned on watching Cinderella on Sunday, but now I might be changing my plans.  As Patrick pointed out to me, Sunday is the Superbowl.  Whether we have people over or not, we most likely are not eating a Cinderella themed dinner.  I could either change my days around or my whole plan and that's what I have yet to figure out.

Hello Books

I guess I didn't read as much last week, because I only finished two books and one of those was finally Silver Dew by Suzi Davis.  I struggled a little with this one, because I like the story idea but the writing bothers me.  She tends to repeat her thoughts so much more than is necessary.  I sometimes feel as though I'm rereading so many parts of the book when it's instead just the writing.  Which honestly annoyed me more than it probably should have done.  The second book I read was The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel.  I really enjoyed this book.  I'm not sure if it's just y book interest of late, but it seems like there are so many stories recently written during the World War II era.  I find these stories filled with emotion and inspiration.  I know the tales are so sad and sometimes hard to read, but the characters of these stories are inspirational in how they continue to fight and survive.

This week, I have started two books already.  I'm listening to The Paper Menagerie and Other Short Stories  by Ken Liu.  I don't normally read short stories so I'm struggling with my thoughts on this book.  Some stories are enjoyable, but others I don't care for at all.  I guess I'll just have to hope the last story in the book is really good so that I'm left with a great feeling when I finish the book.  The other book I've started is Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.  This is actually the first physical book I've picked up this year and that alone feels great, just holding a book in my hands.  (The other books I've read instead of listening to, were ebooks.)  I'm not too far into it yet, so I can't say much, but I'm interested already, intrigued with where the story will go.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hello Monday

 Weekend Update

This weekend was a perfect lazy winter weekend.  We stayed in Saturday morning, sleeping in and then eventually playing some card games.  After lunch, we were all ready to get out of the house.  The sun was shining brightly deceiving the girls that it was nice outside and so they kept bugging us to go play at a park.  Patrick and I both thought that idea sounded too cold, but we found a happy middle by going to the zoo.  We used to go to our zoo all the time, but our annual passes actually had expired just before everything shut down with the pandemic.  Our zoo has been reopened for a good while now, but we still hadn't been back.  So, for the first time in over a year, we went to the local zoo, renewing our annual passes.

We had a lot of fun.  LittleCGC obviously didn't remember the zoo since she was only 1 the last time we went.  As for LittleCJC, it had been such a long time since we'd been that she also enjoyed it.  She loved being big sis and showing LittleCGC everything.

On Sunday, we went to church, made a quick stop at the store on the way home and enjoyed this week's Disney Dinner, 101 Dalmations.

Hello Monday

We've made it to a new week, and thankfully it looks like another average week with nothing out of the norm on our calendar.  The only extra activity I can think of is that LittleCJC is celebrating kindness week at school.  Each day, they have a different dress theme that they can participate in.  I love that she loves participating in these.

Hello Movies

I'm really getting my use out of the library this year with this project.  I will admit that it is a little more frustrating right now with the libraries physically being closed.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful that we can use our library at all.  Let me back up and explain our current situation.  We have 8 branches of our library, and I am the type of person who will travel to any and all of them to get the material that I want.  The way our library is currently running, you place a hold on any item you want and then when your items are ready to be picked up they have a curbside service where you call and they bring them out to you.  So, of course, these movies are usually all over the place.  Mostly, it just seems a little inconsistent.  Some times, I request items and they're almost instantly ready and other times they seem to take two full days.  One time I tried changing my pickup locations based on where I thought the materials were, but I think I just confused the librarians and they changed my location pickup for me.  Another time, I was sure my home library had one or two of the items I requested, but yet they still weren't ready until all my transferred items arrived.  So, who knows, but again, I'm just thankful to get access to the library material during this time so that I can work through this crazy project of mine, even if I have to adjust some of my days of viewing to make it work.  Whew! With all that being said, here's this week's movies.

Musical Monday - Brigadoon

Tune Tuesday - Ragtime

Wayback Wednesday - It Happened One Night

Throwback Thursday - Iron Will

Friday First - Moonstruck

Seasonal Saturday - A Walk to Remember

Disney Dinner - Robin Hood

Hello Books

Well, I still haven't made it through Silver Dew, so I better spend some time reading that this week.  As for my audio books, I did listen to Exit West last week and it wasn't for me.  I also got through The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.  I was really excited for this one, since this author wrote some of my favorite books of last year, but unfortunately, I didn't get into this one.  It was an interesting concept and many of the ideas/themes in the book are compatible with current themes of our nation, but maybe that's part of why I didn't enjoy it.  I'd rather escape from the craziness going on in our politics and society when reading instead.  I don't know.  Pacing of the story also seemed a bit off.  I'm not really sure, but this one really just didn't do it for me.  As for this week, my hold has come up on The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Hamel so I'll start with that.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hello Monday

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend!  Patrick's parents came in town Friday evening and spent the night playing games with our girls.  We also watched the original The Parent Trap, even though the girls didn't get into it, all us adults enjoyed it.  On Saturday, his parents spent some time at his sister's house while we prepared for dinner, when they were to all come back to our house.  If you missed last week's update, both Patrick and his sister recently had birthdays so we had fun celebrating with everyone.  On Sunday we went to church and the girls were able to play with a friend afterwards.  The rest of the day was spent at home watching football and our Disney dinner, Inside Out.  Of course, I didn't get any pictures of the birthday kids, but here's a picture of the little kids being their crazy selves.

 Hello Monday

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, so everyone is home.  Plus, we're getting a new furnace installed so it's a little crazy around here.  However, once we get past today, the rest of the week should be a normal schedule and I don't think we have anything planned for next weekend.  I'm sure we'll come up with something though.

Hello Movies

Here's this week's musicals/movies:

Musical Monday - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Tune Tuesday - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Wayback Wednesday - Little Women

Throwback Thursday - The Cutting Edge

Friday First - An Affair to Remember

Seasonal Saturday - Mr. Popper's Penguins

Disney Dinner - 101 Dalmations

I think I'm most excited for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, because that appeared on many favorite musical lists when I was doing my research.

Hello Books

So last week, I did finish Amber Frost by Suzi Davis like I planned, but I can't say I made any progress in the second book of this series called Silver Dew.  Hopefully, I'll get to that one this week.  I did listen to Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, but I can't say I loved it.  It was a short, easy read (or listen in my case) but I definitely didn't find it humorous like so many reviews stated.  I also listened to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  Maybe I was just in a reading funk last week, because I didn't care for this one much either.  It was an interesting idea, but I didn't enjoy the way it played out.  I will say I enjoyed the ending, but the middle left a lot to be desired in my opinion.  This week, I've already started listening to The Huntress by Kate Quinn.  So far, this book is everything I expected it to be.  I will probably also listen to Exit West by Mohsin Hamid this week, since I borrowed it last week from the library but ended up getting The Huntress (which was on hold) before I started reading.  We'll see if I get to anything else.

I guess that's all for now.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hello Monday

 Weekend update

We had a nice family fun-filled weekend.  We bought a small card table and spent a lot of the weekend playing games.  Every thing from Hungry, Hungry Hippo to checkers and Phase10.

We also are always blessed with music and dancing in our house, lol.

We also have a big girl in our house now.  LittleCGC decided she was ready to stop using diapers this week.  She decided her little potty should be in the living room for some reason, but I'm not complaining since she's actually using it.

Hello Monday

This week we have a lot to celebrate.  Thursday is Patrick's birthday and last week was his sister's.  So, their parents are planning on coming in town this weekend so we can all celebrate.

Hello Movies

If you saw my post last week, you know that I've got a musical/movie project I'm working on this year.  So, here is this week's schedule.

Musical Monday - The Fantasticks

Tune Tuesday - Frozen the Musical

Way Back Wednesday - La Dolce Vita

Throwback Thursday - Cool Runnings

Flashback Friday - Wind River

Seasonal Saturday - Message in a Bottle

Disney Dinner - Inside Out

Hello New Books

Well, I didn't quite finish the book I started reading last week called Amber Frost by Suzi Davis so I'll need to finish that first.  Once I do though, I plan to read the second book in that series called Silver Dew.  However, I did finish a massive audiobook, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  I have some mixed feelings on this book.  I was interested enough to know where the story was going, but it was unnecessarily long.  It's a good thing I listened to this book, because I don't think I would have ever made it through otherwise.  

Happy Monday everyone!

Hello Again

 Hello 2021

Well, we finally made it to this new year.  We had a great Christmas.  Although we did not get together with any extended family, we are thankful that we were able to celebrate with both sides.

On New Year's Eve, my mom came over to play games with us and both girls crashed almost as soon as she left, meaning that they were both asleep by 10:30.

Hello New Plans

Like most people, I have so many plans for this year.  I've been keeping up on my Friday post, so of course, I want to continue those and I would like to update here on some of my other projects.  What are those you ask?  Well, I dorked out a few weeks ago with musicals that I wanted to see.  After looking at different list of best musicals, I started compiling a list of musicals that I wanted to see including some of my favorites and popular choices that I haven't seen or in some cases hadn't even heard the music.  In my list loving fashion, I started a yearly plan of musicals which then morphed into musicals and movies.  You guessed it, I have a theme for my movie schedule.  Monday Musicals for old movie musicals or musicals that I can physically watch. Tune Tuesday is for my Monday musical overflow and more obscure musicals that I can't actually watch but I can at least listen to the soundtrack.  Wayback Wednesday for classic movies, most of which I haven't seen before but a few are ones I just haven't watched in a long time, and some are more overflow of classic musicals.  Throwback Thursday will be my childhood classics.  So nothing new on Thursdays, but probably a lot of movies that I haven't seen in a long time.  Friday First is reserved for new movies to me.  These can include new release movies but it's mostly older movies that I've somehow missed or maybe just haven't watched all the way through or at least watched since being an adult.  After compiling my first lists of movies, I was left with some leftovers and I knew some holidays required extra movies so I decided to add Seasonal Saturdays to encompass those overflow/seasonal favorites.  Sunday is once again Disney Diner nights.  So, hopefully I can continue this project and keep you all updated.

The following new plans aren't blog related, but I've also started a new bullet journal (which I haven't done in the last several years.)  I'm also reading more again, and hopefully will be able to complete my Goodreads group challenge.  I think it would be nice if I start writing some reviews of the books I read, but that's not one of my top goals for the year, so we'll see if they get done or make it to the blog. 

 Hello Health Goals

I know the last time I posted I was so proud of the fact that Patrick and I were using Beachbody consistently.  Well, I don't know exactly when we stopped, but of course we did.  So, I've started all over again.  I chose Piyo because I loved how well it worked the last time.  I've noticed a big difference in my back pain and I think this program is the key.  We'll see what shape I'm in when I'm done and decide from there where to go.  Another big health goal I've set for this year is my water intake.  I've had horrible headaches lately and I think it's because I struggle to drink water (or anything besides coffee really.)  I'm 4 days in and guess what, I haven't had any headaches.  So, even though I'm consciously drinking a gallon of water a day now, hopefully it will become a habit soon instead of just a goal I can check off my list.

 Happy Tuesday everyone

(Hopefully, I'll be back next week.)

Hello Tuesday

Update

I know I missed last week's post, so instead of a weekend update you get the whole week.  Here in Indiana, we got about 5 inches of snow last week and with the cold temps it lasted all week.  It doesn't seem like much snow, but I guess since we had all the freezing rain first the kids were actually out of school all week.  Most main roads were cleared after a day or two, but the neighborhood streets were pretty bad for a while.  You would think that with all the time stuck in our house I would have gotten a lot done, but in reality, I don't really know where all our time went last week.  It did finally warm up a little on Sunday and we celebrated with a little walk around the zoo.

Hello Tuesday

This week seems to be a little more back to normal, with the exception of a visit to the dentist yesterday.  Littlecjc and I both had healthy appointments yesterday.  This obviously wasn't Littlecjc's first visit, but it was the first time I was able to sit back and admire my big girl.  Previously, she's laid back on me in the chair, but this time she sat there all by herself.  She looked so cute in the big chair and I was so proud when she did everything they asked without a peep.  They even gave her sunglasses so that the bright light wouldn't hurt her eyes which made her even more adorable.

Hello Menu

Last week, we tried two new recipes.  I made a honey garlic chicken and broccoli which will probably be a new go to since it was really easy and super yummy.  Patrick wanted to try a temp-ah chili that he saw on tv.  I'll say it was ok.  Honestly, I didn't really eat all that much since it was a little hot for my taste.  As for the previous week, I still haven't gotten to those cabbage rolls I wanted to try, so you'll notice them on the menu again this week.  So what else are we eating this week:

M: mini meatloafs, mashed potato

T: tilapia, sweet potato, brussels sprouts

W: tomato spinach chicken spaghetti *new recipe

T: cabbage rolls *new recipe

F: hawaiian chicken, rice

S: dublin coddle

S: stuffed peppers

Hello New Book

So, after my last post, I changed my book of the week.  The topic for week 2 was one of the first 10 books added to my to be read list, and I had planned on reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I was on a waitlist for the audiobook from my library and it became available shortly after my last post so I quickly changed books.  This book had an interesting concept, and I ultimately gave it a 4 star rating, but at times I got really annoyed with the main character.  I mean, I know she was suppose to be very naive, but I also found her a little selfish and at times it seemed like she was way too naive when it was convenient for the storyline.

I think it was the next day or so, another book that I have been on hold for since last year, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  Since I didn't get this book last year, I had added it to this years plan under the week 10 topic, an author's debut book.  If I was actually reading this book instead of listening, I'm not sure I would have made it.  It took me a really long time to get into it, at least 3 hours.  However, I ended up really enjoying this once I felt like the story finally started and again gave a 4 star rating.

So, what's this week's book?  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.  The topic for week four is actually one of four, where we're reading four books linked by the four elements, with this week's specification is earth.  I really struggled with this one, but some other members of my group chose this book based on the garden - earth connection so I decided I'd try it too.  So far, I'm still a little confused as it's not what I expected the book to be like.  I guess we'll see where it goes.

New Binges

Last week, we finished The Magicians and I finally devoured This is Us.  I loved this show, as I knew that I would.  So this week, Patrick and I decided to finally watch season 6 of Once Upon a Time.  We really enjoyed this show when we first started watching it, but I kind of feel like it's run it's course.  I still enjoy watching it, but it's a lot easier to stop and once we have, I don't feel the need to continue watching like I used to.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Hello Monday

Hi! I know it's been a while since I've done one of these, but in traditional New Year's fashion, here I am again trying to get back into a good habit of reporting in on Mondays.

Update

Well, a weekend update seems silly since I haven't done this in forever.  Since my last update, we went back to Disney for an early Christmas celebration.  The recap of the first few days have already been posted and the rest will be up in the next few weeks.  If you haven't read any of them, I will say we had an amazing time as always.  Disney is even more magical during the holidays.  

We were back home in time for the holidays, which were wonderful.  We are truly blessed by our families and it was so nice to spend so much time with them.

Besides our traditional Christmas celebrations, my mom also hosted some Grinch themed parties, which I hope to write more about soon.  For now, I will tease you with this.

For New Years, we celebrated with my brother, sister in law, and their beautiful new baby.

Since the holidays, we've been a little lazy, but everything is starting to get back to order.

Hello Monday

Here's your peak at my week:

As you can see, I'm sticking with the bullet journal.  However, you will also notice that the art work is missing.  I've decided to go back to the basics, which is a step I missed last year.  I love my journal from last year, and each week I amazed myself with what I was capable of drawing since I never thought I could draw anything.  After a while though, I almost dreaded each week when I sat down to work on my next spread.  I think I wanted to be able to change it around, but I also didn't want to mess it up since I had stuck with the same format for so long.  I realize this goes against the whole idea of bullet journaling, but that is how I felt.  So, in my typical fashion, I'm fixing that in the extreme this year with the goal of changing my weekly spread every week.  I can still draw in my journal if I ever want to and I hope some small doodles appear at least, but I'm not requiring it this time around.  If you can read any of the details, you might see that this is an exciting week.

Hello Birthdays

We celebrate two very special birthdays this week.  Today, we celebrate the birthday of Patrick's sister and Sunday is Patrick's birthday.  No real plans are made yet, but hopefully we'll get together with Kara this evening and we'll definitely try to make Patrick feel special this weekend.

Hello Date Night

For Christmas, Littlecjc received tickets to see Shopkins Live with her aunt and uncle.  As the show is this week, we will be child free and intend to make the best of it.  We will probably go out to dinner, Patrick's choice since it's his birthday this weekend, and maybe a movie?  I'm not really sure yet, but I am looking forward to our night out.

Hello Preschool

You also may notice that preschool plans are back on the schedule.  We're attempting it again.  We'll see how this goes this time around.  If we succeed, I'll share more about it later.  Littlecjc was excited this morning, so hopefully we can keep this momentum going.  Although, I have to admit that we didn't really get through everything I had planned for today, but I'm okay with breaking up my activities throughout the day or even the week.  I should look at this as an advantage of homeschooling instead of worrying that my child can't sit still through these activities, right?  LOL, either way, I feel like we made it through all the important activities.  It's not like my kid doesn't work on her gross motor skills at dance, and if we never get to the art activity I planned I think we'll be okay.  She did help me paint a new project yesterday to help us display all our Disney pins.  (Don't worry, I'll post about that later, too.  When it's all finished.)  The traditional, circle time activities and her letters are what I really want to focus on anyway.  

Hello Menu

As usual in January, we're trying to be better about what we are eating.  Most importantly, I'm trying to cook more meals at home instead of just picking up something.  I remembered the other day that when I was regularly reporting our menus, I had tried to plan one new recipe each week, so I've decided to bring that plan back to get me out of my planning slump.  So what's on the menu this week:

Monday - Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken Soup

Tuesday - Cabbage Rolls *this is my new recipe this week

Wednesday - Sausage Sweet Potato Pizza

Thursday - Steamed Chicken Teriyaki with rice and broccoli

Friday - date night

Saturday - Baked Hawaiian Chicken with rice

Sunday - Meatballs with sweet potato and brussels sprouts

Hello #Littleliam2017

My sister in law is returning to work this week, and my mom and I are splitting some days to help them out with childcare for a while.  I'm so excited to hang out with Littleliam.

Hello Binge List

What am I watching this week?  Well, we're currently working on finishing the new season 2 of The Magicians.  I'll probably start something else this week, but we'll see.  I've also been working on my cross stitch picture that I didn't even pick up once last year, so most of my me time has been going to that lately.

Hello New Books

After failing miserably last year at my book challenge, I almost didn't even start this year's challenge last week.  However, I decided I did want to try it again this year, but that I needed better planning.  I'm trying to pick smaller books this year, but more importantly, I'm picking more audio books that I know will be available at the library.  I don't seem to have much time to actually pick up a book these days, and so audio books seem to be the only way I get anything read.  The first week's challenge was to read a book with A, T, and Y in the title.  This was a random challenge, but I decided on Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick as a quick listen to jump start my success.  The book was okay, but I would have been more interested if she talked more about her work instead of some of the random stories included.  I also didn't need all the curse words, but for the most part it was enjoyable if not really memorable.  

Thanks to books being on hold at the library, I'm jumping out of order on my challenge list to week eight: to read an "own" voices book.  I've chosen Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn.  In case you're wondering an own voice novel is a book about marginalized protagonist (by ethnic group, religion, sexual orientation, mental illness, etc) written by an author who shares that same identy.  For example, my chosen book is written by a female, Jamaican married to a woman and the book is about a Jamaican woman who loves another woman.  I haven't actually started this book yet, so I can't share anything else.

I think that is everything going on this week.

Happy Monday everyone!

Show and Tell: Favorite Pictures

This week, we were prompted by Andrea to share our favorite 5 pictures (or maybe 10 if we couldn't decide.)  This is so hard.  How do you possibly choose?  Now that we have cameras in our phones, we take so many pictures.  And, if it's of all time, you also have to search through prints from back before this convenient time of digital photos.  As I'm writing this, I still have no idea what pictures I'm including.  But, I guess we'll see what (and how many) I end up with.

I thought this might be easier if I break "all time" up into different times of my life.  Otherwise, every picture could have easily ended up being of Littlecjc.

Childhood

When I think back to childhood photos, there's one that I remember distinctly.  This is my grandmother and me.  I don't think this was any special event other than the photography studio was running a special this day, but I have always loved this photo.

College
There are several pictures that still come to mind from my college years, but this one is probably my favorite.  Ironically, I only actually went to school with one other person in this photo, but we all got together freshman year of college for spring break and we had the best time.  I may not talk to everyone in this photo very often, but they are by far my best friends and I know they will always be there for me.

Patrick
Thinking back to early pictures of Patrick and myself, I always think of this one from our first visit to Disney World together.

Bonus: I found this picture while searching through photos, and I really like this one too.

Littlecjc
Again, I could have easily just picked pictures of this little girl.  For the Littlecjc's first year, we took at least one picture every day.  There are so many great photos from that year.  Here are a few of my favorites.

We also did a photoshoot, thanks to my mom mostly, for every holiday that first year as well.  My mom took amazing pictures for Christmas, New Year's, and Easter. We teased her about it at first, but in all honesty, we are very thankful for those photos.  We joked that this photo fit in that series.  Here's Littlcjc's Derby day bonnet and horse.

We were lazy on the daily pictures of Littlecjc from when she turned 2 at the end of September until the New Year when we decided to continue to take a photo a day again.  They're not always just of Littlecjc anymore and some days we end up with nothing, but we try to stay on top of it.

Hike it Baby

Now that Littlecjc is older, most of my favorite photos come from our outside adventures with our hiking group, Hike it Baby.  I have so many cute pictures of her exploring nature or taking in amazing views from my back.  However, my most favorite picture from these trips is the following one that shows how crazy these group of friends are and how much fun we all have together.

Disney

As you know, I could have come up with 10 photos that are all from our Disney trips as well.  I tried really hard not to include these, but then I realized that I really needed to include at least one.  Of course, trying to pick just one seems impossible as well.  If I have to pick just one, I'm going with this photo of Littlecjc and Maleficent from our evening at Club Villain.  We had so much fun watching all the villains and dancing the night away.  It was enough money that we will probably only do it once, but it was completely worth it.  I will never forget that evening and this interaction with Maleficent.

Ha! I made it at 10 after all.  Yay!  How good would you be at picking 5-10 photos? Join the fun and  the link-up at Momfessionals.