Morning Pages and Summertime Plan/Goals/Dreams

Wrote a whole post yesterday and poof it's gone. Poop. So here we go again...

I started reading The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron and she assigned morning pages. 3. I'm going to tweak it a little and make blog posts each morning. I know not as private as she wants it but seriously who reads my blog anyway? If you are then beware this is stream of consciousness stuff.

So I've put on some tea and letting that steep while I come out on the back porch to type for awhile.

Yesterday was the first day of summer I was home all day and trying to work on my Personal Plan Summertime edition. I started the pile of laundry that doesn't seem to be shrinking! I can't even blame it on the boys since they've been gone almost a week. I have got to kick it into gear.

I put dishes away, cleaned off the tables and put laundry up and yes that took relatively all day. Today's task is cleaning my studio. It is a disaster.

Mom's having a yard sale today through Saturday and I need to get a ton of stuff to her tomorrow morning. Yuck. Last year was so unbelievably hot so at least the weather appears to be cooperating today.  I have got to get some things done before the boys come home tomorrow. Amazing how I saw a whole week ahead of me with them on vacation and all the things I would get done only to end up scrambling to get the house in shape before they returned. Scary.
Tea's ready!

And look at that, blogger just auto saved my post. Why oh why couldn't you have done that yesterday when I worked on a post all day long? Too much to ask? Of course.

Well I'm falling in love with this borrowed MacBook from work. I checked yesterday to see if I could afford one. Alas not yet. Hard to reason I need it with my desktop, iPad, iPodS and such. But it's so nice!!! I can work on my blog outside and in bed. The iPad objects.
The dogs are in heaven that I am home 24-7 with them. Well 24-2 but I took them to Yolanda's Sunday Afternoon and we stayed till Tuesday morning together. All the dogs got along very well. My two are meant for each other. Really. They hang out and wrestle and share and generally drive each other crazy. I really think Marina loves Stella.

Listening to ...
The Milk Carton Kids- Maybe it's Time
Afrojack-Take Over Control
Kelly Clarkson-Whyyawannabringmedown
Bare Naked Ladies- One Week

Sipping Green Tea
Eating PBJ

I felt like I made headway yesterday upstairs. Closets straightened and laundry starting to be taken care of, and counters cleaned off but geesh so much to do still. Are normal people like this? Several houses I frequent puzzle me with all the sparseness they have. No hobbies, no passion, no creativity. That's not what I want but neither is this .... cluttered mess. Happy Medium. That's what I'm looking for.

Summertime.... sipping Arnold Palmers, reading/napping in the hammock, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows on the fire pit, playing board games on the porch in the evenings, watching movies in the evenings, reading on the boat, visiting farmer's markets, riding bikes, actually doing projects on pinterest, kayaking- that's a new one, sitting on the porch morning and night.

And some things to do... deep clean the house, BASEBALL ROOM: organize papers to scrap upstairs, complete some scrap projects, LAUNDRY ROOM: catch up on ironing, catch up on hand washing, fix things on counter in the laundry room, MASTER BED: clean the trunk downstairs and bring up to the bedroom for sweater storage, BUB'S ROOM: help him get his act together in there with the fridge and tv, SPARE BED: hang old hats, find a better way to store scrapbooks,
use up food stuff and restock with clean eating food, and then that STUDIO- whew that's gonna take some time to pare down and get some projects done, mainly get caught up scrapbooking and ordering photos, get cards stockpiled,
get Bub's started on some SAT problems via counselor who says he has a chance at a Merit Scholarship if he keeps his test taking skills up- that's very exciting since apparently that means a full ride!

Watching 2 hawks soaring. Wonder what they are looking at?

Okay back inside working on the studio.
Watching and listening to The Pelican Brief. I forgot how wonderful this movie is. Amazing and has so many stars in it!

The Ides of March? Really?

Gotta slow down and remember why I started blogging. To slow down.
Missed an OOTD pic from February...

My view 8 hours a day...

 Our newest obsession... Scramble

 Last night we met friends at Don Pablo's before attending Winter Jam 2012. WJ has been around for more than a decade and I am horrified that I've missed it but I plan to go back next year with more people! Skillet, Sanctus Real, Keri Jobe, New Song.. good stuff~

Apparently I've entered into a reading competition with a coworker/friend this year. 

I turned her onto Shelfari last year and she saw me set a goal. She set a goal and now she's kicking my butt! So anywho lately I've reading...

The Gazebo- Grayson

A romance suggested by a teenage boy. Yeah. That's why I read it. And its ok.  

            Leviathan- Westerfeld

            My first steampunk. Good but not great.

            Skinny B* at Home

           I read her first book and this is more of the same. I love her. It. The whole thingamageig.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Twain

Started over a year ago. Again astounded at the readability of the classics. Funny stuff. 

Murder is binding- Lorna Barret

Picked up from the public library and I like it. Fun fluff.

Scott Pilgrim: Vol. 1 Precious Little Life

Another teenage boy recommendation. Again. Ok. 

Friday night shopping led me into Ulta for BB creme. Cashier didn't know what I was asking for but another worker did. They didn't have the brand I asked for but I bought a different one and I like it/love it. Then I stumbled on  Hunger Games nail polish to go with my Hunger Games pin I've worn all week.

Added some images from Instyle April 2012 to my Pinterest because its an awesome issue!

I see that I never commented on the Clothing Swap I went to last month. Maybe that's because it was a major fail. Seriously. Talked up online then didn't follow through. Won't return. Why? Stained clothes with holes in them, ripped, shredded even. Old. Shrunk. Disgusting. I got maybe 2 items then grabbed my own stuff and left. Pitiful.

We have coworkers whose 4 yr old has cancer. A complete change of perspective. I'm not saying much on this front but I'm feeling it.

There's no comfort like staying home...

Finally saw Avatar. Watched it in the truck on the way to New Years and forgot to blog it. It was good and now I do wish I had seen it on the big screen.
Also saw Midnight in Paris and Marry Me last weekend while scrapping. Midnight was good. Definitely a Woody movie.

Read my first manga, Black Cat, not a fan. My student book club read picked it. They aren't working out so well lately. Losing books, not picking them up, not reading them when they do. I think we'll go on hiatus until they straighten up a bit.
On a more chipper book note I've finished the first 20 chapters of Moby Dick and met 8 fellow readers last night for a wonderful discussion. The restaurant, Padrinos, lost my credit card for about 30 minutes but other than that we had a delightfully, enjoyable evening being the nerds that we are!
Currently reading A Guide to the Birds of East Africa.

Spent the day sleeping in, cooking beef stew in the crock pot, taking down more winter decor and setting up February decor.
I made my first crock pot meal earlier this week via Pinterest. Chicken, black bean, cream cheese, corn, ranch dressing and viola!

Trying to get back on the OOTD posts.

 a little Christmas gift

 My Frye boot came unglued at work and I had to resort to tennies- at work. I was so awkward the rest of the day I didn't want to leave my desk.

 We've still not had a good snow but one Sunday we did have a large ice and fog.

 I shared this instagram pic from the lake

 a new comforter

 listened to the Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band 'Live' Bullet

Last Friday Hubs and I dined at Acapulco's, our favorite Mexican restaurant, with a retired teacher friend of ours and his wife. They then picked up 2 of their dogs and came out for a visit.

 yes my Christmas tree was still up. I'm OK with that. It wasn't February yet.

 Then Sunday we visited our youngest 'family' member and Hubs did what Hubs does best.

 A college friend of mine 'adjusted' my instagram photo.

Strugglin'

Just a few OOTD pics because, whew, just not there lately. Early mornings and late nights.

The skirt is a hot pink sweater material that bunched up in the photo. Ah well. Next time must remember slip.

 Liked this especially because after being gone from 6am - 9pm yesterday I didn't even want to get dressed. This was comfy and I love the frye boots.

 I was freezing though so changed into the cashmere sweater ASAP when I got home.

Caught Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsome on Austin City Limits DVR. Lovely. 

An Austen Saturday

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”
― Jane Austen

Drinking a green tea to wash down the rest of the pumpkin bread I had with my pumpkin latte this morning. Ahhh.

Listening to the new Twilight Breaking Dawn soundtrack on facebook

Catching up on housework, Pinterest, Facebook and my blog roll.

This lovely jewelry set is from the Sauerkraut festival... Sweetleaf Sisterz

 Picked up this wrap blouse in Chicago at my favorite Chicago second hand store... McShane's Exchange.

 I could not stand in these heels one more minute. But my are they gorgeous. A new to me Michael Stars shirt.

 Picked up this J. Crew dress in Columbus earlier this month at One More Time.

 The blessed orange corduroy dress...

 Picked up this crochet skirt at Goodwill Boutique off season.

 my shoe broke half way through the day so I spent the rest of the day close to my desk...

We started planning our friends Thanksgiving for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Hubs does not know how to edit a guest list so we end up with all the people he must have there. Bless his heart. 

Lately I've been working with a student who has no family. Very difficult.  And I wonder what his Thanksgiving looks like. I've heard of 3 other kids who don't have a family to go home to at night. Again. I feel a rumbling. What can I DO. It is no coincidence this paragraph follows the one above. Things are sticky and there is a protocol with teachers and students and foster care. I'm trying to navigate the system.

I've done some reading lately that I haven't blogged about...

I continued The Cat Who series with  The Cat who Moved a Mountain 13- Braun . I always listen to these on audio because I might enjoy the readers voice as much as the books.       

A few reads from my school library. Both of these were ok and I'll be able to recommend to certain readers but I'm not crazy about them.

Pretty Little Devils- Holder

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes- Johnson

A self published book a coworker passed to me- Carried Over the Threshold- King.

And a book authored by my 4th grade teacher's husband. The Blue Zoo- Powers

Currently reading this beauty...

 this pumpkin I picked up in Columbus at a thrift store is properly filled with candy presently

 via a cute store found while at the Sauerkraut Festival... listed as a rainhat holder

this loveliness was one of the trades at Stampaway this year. yeah they normally aren't this exquisite. 

front

 back

 here are normal trades

 one of my favorites

Judy Collins from last weekend's appearance at Books By the Banks in Cincy. Over 70 and rocking leggings and spike heels. Yeah. And she flossed her teeth on stage prior to being introduced. DIVA and she owned it.

 Dusmesh Indian Restaurant. My first Indian food and wow what an intro. Loved it. Chicken Tandoori, nan bread, and some apps.

Someone who is currently trying to sit on my lap...

 2 vintage books from thrifting this month