February Recap

Okay, first off, February is always a tough month for me.  As I mentioned in my last post, Christmas is done, but there's still winter and snow and darkness and cold.  Cabin fever starts to hit a fever pitch.  But this February has been especially hard.

When I worked at the hospital, I worked the afternoon shift, so I could get out in the morning and go cross country skiing or even out of town for a few hours and go for a nice long car ride, but now I'm stuck indoors from sunset up to sundown.  Luckily, we are getting more sunlight so sundown is already starting to occur after I get home.  But really, I think there's nothing more depressing then going to work when it's dark and getting home and it's already dark.  I don't know how people in Alaska or those with really long commutes manage that.  So, I've been missing sunlight.

Then I turned 34, which happens every February.  You'd think I'd be used to it by now.  But no, it seems every year my birthday puts me in a funk, thinking of all the things I should have accomplished by now or how I imagined life turning out.

Then, last week, I came down with a nasty cold.  I actually missed work, which rarely happens.  But, I was just worn out.  I slept a lot and watched Netflix.  I've hardly read or created anything, but I'm feeling like winter is wrapping up and that's going to change now.

Here's what has been taking up my time...

Listening to: A lot of Avett Brothers and Avett Brothers type artists.  Loving this song from Shakey Graves and the True Sadness album from Avett Brothers.




Watching: Black Mirror on Netflix.  I had forgotten season 3 was out on Netflix so I powered right through it.  I started it a couple years ago, and nearly gave up after the first episode which I thought was just gross and disturbing, but I'm so glad I kept watching.  There's swearing, violence, sex, and I definitely wouldn't let kids watch it, but the stories just blow my mind.  I really liked "Hated in the Nation" and "Nose Dive" best this season.  The episodes are all stand alone and question how we use technology and where we're headed.  Think of them as kind of cautionary tales.  I don't feel like I'm doing it justice, but it's so hard to categorize and I can't really think of anything to compare it to, except maybe like a modern day "Twilight Zone".

Traveling: I got up north with one of my friends to visit our friend that lives near the Wisconsin/Michigan border and we had a blast.  My brother took me out for my birthday where he lives.  We went to a restaurant I'd never been to so that was fun,  and then we went out for a few drinks with his girlfriend after she got off work.  It was actually a lot of fun.  I love going new places and my brother and I don't get to hang out very often. 

My Masterminds group and I also went to a room escape and did a puzzle.  Room escapes are right up my alley, but this was at the start of my cold, and I just felt a little off all night.

Here's our pictures.  We made it out with just under ten minutes to spare.  That's me on the end, with my coat and scarf on because I was freezing the whole time.  That should have been my first sign that I needed to be dosing with Vitamin C and Echinacea.

Eating: These Swedish Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food.  I've also made this crockpot recipe that is basically shredded chicken breasts, a can of drained black beans, undrained corn, a jar of salsa, and a pack of cream cheese.  It creates this rich, spicy, deliciousness.  It's so easy that I've made it twice already.

Looking forward to: I'm hoping to get back in my morning routine and want to get back to doing morning pages as well as more sewing and reading in March.  How was your February?

Galentines Swap Reveal

We've reached that stretch where winter starts getting unbearable here in Wisconsin.  Christmas is done, we've made New Year's Resolutions, but the days are still short and cold and there's still snow.  So, when I saw that sign ups where open for Sweet Progress' Winters Swap or Galentine's Swap as they nicknamed this season's I knew I had to join.

I was paired with the lovely Sana from SuperSana.  She is gorgeous and a motivational dynamo blogging about healthy living and weight loss.  I feel like if she lived near me, I'd do a lot better about keeping on my fitness goals.  Check her out, she's awesome!

Her package arrived Friday and it was filled with treats that were right up my alley!

It was so nice out this weekend, that I did my pictures out on the deck!  The snow is rapidly melting, and although I'm sure we'll get a few more dustings, it does do good for my soul to see signs that spring is coming.  But, anyways, lets look closer, shall we.

The whole package was cushioned in a sea of hot pink tissue paper and inside was a large paper mache box which I can't wait to doll up as well as a cute card, Dove and Ghiradelli chocolates, and these treasures...

This adorable desk set in gold with blinged out paper clips, clips to organize papers, sticky notes, and erasers.

Gel pens.  I love these.   They write like a dream and jazz up list writing and notes, as well as a face mask.  I keep a basket of pampering goodies just for times when I need a little extra TLC.

And, a lovely pink potholder and polka dot dish towel.  I love pretty things that are also practical.  And, this adorable K initial necklace.  I where more necklaces now that I work at the credit union so this will be great to add to my rotation.

It was such a fun and thoughtful package and I'm looking forward to keeping up with Sana's blog.  If you want to see what everyone else got, you can head over to the link up.  And be sure to follow Mrs. AOK or Happy.Pretty.Sweet. so you can join in next time!

February Goals

Here we are, half way through February, and I still haven't listed my goals. My masterminds group got together last Monday, so we were already nearly a quarter of the way into February by then, so basically, what I'm trying to say is that this month is flying by!

Here's a recap of January:

• Daily quiet time.  Managed to do this about 3/4 of the time.
• Work out at least three times a week.  I think I only hit this once, but the rest were all two times a week.  One of my friends from work goes so a lot of times we convince the other one to go or I'd be going even less.
• Church every Sunday.  Uhm, I made it twice.
• Twelve blog posts.  We were at six.
• Get together, or set dates to see four friends.  I did this!  There was some early morning breakfasts, an after work supper, and a weekend trip to see a friend about two hours north of here that was so much fun!
• Send four letters.  I sent more than four letters, I'm not sure they were all encouraging, but at least people knew I was thinking of them.
• Sew at least 1/2 an hour a week.  Happened only once.
• Write at least 1/2 an hour a week.  Didn't happen at all.
• Save $100 for travel.  Saved $50, but then spent it on my trip north.
• Read four books.  Managed to accomplish that!

So here's February's goals.  I'm scaling back and since it's a short month, just focusing on a few things.

• Read four books.
• Paint my laundry room.  It's still the matte white it was when we moved here ten years ago.  I'm dreading it because the room is so tiny and there's five doorways to trim around along with a set of cabinets, and the washer and dryer.  But it's looking tacky and it's time.
• Work out three times a week.
• Get together with friends four times.
• Twelve blog posts.
• Start getting up at 5am.  This one would allow me almost four hours before I have to be to work, so it would give me more time to sew, write, or even clean before work.

So how did your January go, or how is your February going?  Let me know.

February Reading List

The books I picked for February are all fiction, but there's quite a variety of genres represented.

Here we go:

• South of Superior by Ellen Airgood was loaned to me by one of my friends.  It takes place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is my most favorite spot, and seems to just be a story about small town living and how it shapes the protagonist who is new to the area.
  
• Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple is written all in letters and emails and faxes and the like, but they all work together to tell the story of a mother who disappears and how her daughter resolves to find her.  More comedy than mystery, it's gotten great reviews.
  
• Madd Addam by Margaret has been on my reading list, a couple times now- once in October of last year, and again in November of the year before.  I really want to finish up the trilogy, so I'm hoping this is the month I do it!
  
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is probably considered young adult, which I normally avoid, and reliving the awkward teenage years doesn't sound fun, but the book appears solid in the reviews department and to be honest, it's a little on the thin side so I figured it was a good pick for a short month. 😉

So there it is, my February reading list. What are you reading this month?

January 2017 Reading Recap

So we're already a month into the new year.  My goal for 2017 is to read 48 books.  (Same goal I've had for the past two years, but I haven't been able to reach it yet.  Third time's a charm.)  So, I need to read four books a month to stay on target.  Here's how January looked.

I did get four books read!  They were:

• The Man from Bejing by Henning Mankell was a nice, cross continent mystery with action taking place in Sweden, China, and even western Africa.  I love a good Swedish mystery in the winter time, but this one kept you in the know for most of the story, and you knew half way through the book who the killer was and the motive, you were just hoping the main character would put it all together. 
  One thing that annoyed me was how naive Birgitta Roslin, the protagonist, was. She was smart and kept her wits about her for the most part, but she did some stupid things, like randomly asking strangers in Beijing if they recognized the picture she had of her prime suspect for a mass murder.  I may just be a cynical American but this seemed like a bad idea on so many levels- like first off, the odds are minuscule that anyone will recognize the man in the picture so it's probably a waste of time, and if they do, then what?  And, if they recognize him, it's probably not because he's a fine, upstanding citizen known for doing good.  She also gives out her contact information to everyone and their brother, and spills her guts about looking for a killer to random strangers, but won't tell her husband she was mugged.  It just didn't really make sense to me.
• Dear Mr. Darcy by Amanda Grange, which was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice via letters many of the characters write each other.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  Due to the fact that it gave more dimension to Willoughby, Georgiana Darcy, and even Mary Bennett.  It was quite enjoyable. 
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown has been on my radar for quite a while, and I am glad I finally read it.  It was more about living a whole-hearted life, than about letting go of perfectionism, although I guess if you're a perfectionist than you need to let that go in order to live a whole-hearted life.  I am not a perfectionist, but it did really make me think about a lot of the things I do in my life, and make some resolutions on things that I need to change.
• The Cozy Life by Pia Edberg was a Christmas gift from a friend and is all about living a happy life with less based on the Danish concept of Hygge.  Hygge is kind of like minimalism but it also involves nature, entertaining friends, good food, hominess, and being content.  I kind of picture it as practical minimalism.  I was happy to see I was already practicing a lot of the concepts, but it encouraged me to do more.  It's very practical and if you're new to the Hygge concept, I'd really recommend it.

As for what I acquired, both were Christmas gifts I received in January:

• The Cozy Life by Pia Edberg which has already been read
• Daily Rituals by Mason Currey is all about what different artists did to prime their creative pumps.  This was from a friend who I frequently discuss creativity with and it should be an interesting read.  Each artist is featured over one or two pages and just thumbing through it has proven interesting.

2017 totals: 4 Books Read/ 2 Books Acquired.