Currently : June 2022

It seems like June snuck up on us because it was just the beginning of May, like, yesterday! Time really does fly, and even though I haven't participated since September 2021, it's time to jump into another edition of Currently! 

Celebrating : Getting through Kindergarten! I don't know how families with more than one child, especially more than one in school, do it! Teacher Appreciation Week hit during the same time as a new consignment sale that Mom and I participated in, so there were a few days in May that I questioned my sanity! We made it though, and now it's time to celebrate with lots of family time and sleeping in a little bit! 

Giving : Our budget another look...we are so bad about sticking to it and working on our financial goals, so I'm going through it again to see where our weak spots are and why we have trouble. Wish me luck! 

Taking : A data analytics course. I have been interested in the idea of it for a while, so I'm taking a free course to learn more and see if this is a career option I want to explore since I've felt kind of lost over the last couple of years, career-wise (well, okay, I've felt kind of lost about a lot of other things too but one thing at a time, right?!?).

Trying : To figure out what all we're doing with Charli this summer! We want her to take swim lessons (but I may have waited too late to find some because they all seem to be booked up), and then there's summer reading activities at all of the libraries in our county, a couple of different classes at the local park, plus cheap movies. Phew! We also want to explore our area a little more. Mom, Charli, and I went to Cheekwood on Sunday, and we had a ton of fun but didn't have time to see everything! Plus, the zoo has a nighttime lights thing this summer that seems super fun. I'm worn out just typing all of this, and I won't even get to participate in everything with her!

Wearing : Comfy dresses or leggings and oversized shirts. Living that remote work life! ;)

Linking up with Anne! 

On your sixth birthday

Dear Charli,

Somehow you're 6! Time is flying by as you get older, and I'm not sure that I'm okay with it (as though I can control it!). 

You've had such a busy year! You started Kindergarten in August, and we weren't sure how it would go, but you have excelled! You love your teacher, your classmates, and you especially love recess! It doesn't hurt that Gran works at the school and helped you with those first few bumpy weeks. Now the only problem is that you think you're going to start first grade tomorrow because you turned 6. I'll let your teacher try to explain that one to you because my explaining hasn't worked, obviously! You were already a great reader before you started school, but I've seen that improve even more, as well as your handwriting, cutting, gluing, and math skills. Sometimes you ask so many math questions that I can't keep up with you! You're so amazingly smart, and I can't wait to see how that will develop throughout your years in school. 

You have a huge heart and personality. You're very kind and loving, even when we've had a rough time and argued with each other because we've butted heads over something (usually it's when you don't want help with something that you're struggling with). Your sassy side definitely comes out a lot for us and Gran, and that can be challenging. We'll work through it, though! 

You love your cat at Gran's house and your dog at our house, and you're starting to love other animals too, like Mimi's puppy and the dogs at your dad's work. Cats are your favorite animal, so maybe we can convince Gran to get another kitty! 😉

You love to play with your tablet and watch videos on it. You also have a really active imagination and can make up the best scenarios with your toys. You love to play outside, especially when there's water involved. That makes sense since you told me that summer is your favorite season! This year has been fun too because we got more snow than usual, so you've had a few chances to play in the snow, and once you got to bring some inside and play with it in the tub! 

We're starting to notice little signs that show you're growing up. Sometimes you'll tell us you're tired and ready to go to bed; I could've never imagined that happening when we were in toddler land and you sometimes would stay awake for hours at night. It's a very welcomed change! You're also becoming so helpful around the house and can do some chores at our house and at Gran's house. You usually love to help with anything...except picking up toys! 

We've been through a lot over the last year, and I've seen it weigh on you. I know that some things are hard to understand when you're young. Little girl, they're hard to understand when you're not as young too! But, know that your dad and I will always be here for you, and you've got so many other people who love and support you as well. We're here for you, even when you don't want us to be...ha!

I hope this year is full of fun, laughter, and loose teeth! We love you so much our sweet, silly, sassy, smart, brave, beautiful 6 year old! 

Love, 

Mama, Daddy, and Koopa

Annual birthday picture with the bib from your first birthday!

Currently : September 2021

Hi again. I haven't posted since February, and coincidentally, it was my February Currently post. 

It's been a really tough year. My dad died at the end of March after a really short sickness, and it has changed basically everything for us. We live about a mile from my mom and dad's house, and Charli has stayed with them since she was born. It has been a huge loss for all of us, and until recently, I had no desire to read anything, write anything, or do anything. Lately though, I've started thinking about how I want my life to look and how we really aren't guaranteed time on this planet (and I've started writing about that more on Medium). I miss writing here and having a reason to be creative and work on my writing skills. Plus, this blog (and the 8,000 other ones I've gone through) help tell a story of who I am and what is going on in my life. So, here I am again, and I'm starting off with a light post about what I'm currently up to.

Beginning : Goal-setting and the process of shaping my life into what I dream of it being - not just what I feel like I "have to" do. 

Ending : Consignment sale tagging. We have a pretty big local sale twice a year. Mom and I participated once as sellers, but we paid for someone to do the tagging for us. This time, we decided that we would do the tags, and wow, do we have a lot of stuff! I'm almost finished entering, printing, and pinning everything, and I'll be glad not to be surrounded by piles of clothes and bags after we drop this stuff off in a few days!

Just a small pile of clothes...

Loving : My family. No further explanation necessary!

Picking : Up our groceries. With the variant surge, Charli's kindergarten (!) schedule wiping us all out, plus a hundred other little things, I've decided to have us go back to doing grocery pickups. I'd much rather shop on my phone on my couch than go up and down each aisle while avoiding getting close to people!    

Posting : I made a posting schedule for this blog, my debt free blog, my Medium page, and Instagram account (I love participating in photo challenges!), so September is shaping up to be a month of posting many things in many places. I welcome the distraction and structure. 

Linking up with Anne!

Currently : February 2021

Loving : My little family! My husband is amazing, and we make such a good team! Our daughter is sweet, silly, funny, and hands-down the best kid I've ever met...even when she has her fiery tempered moments! We also have the most ferocious guard dog who is not at all scared of things like garbage bags and earmuffs. I'm so thankful to have this little family to call mine! 

Reading : Nothing at the moment, but I need to choose my C and D books for the Read the Alphabet Challenge, as well as get cranking so I can reach my goal of reading 13 books this month! 

Remembering : How different February 2020 was. I was still a school librarian, and we hadn't experienced any quarantine/lockdowns at that point. I love working at home now, but I do miss going places on a whim. Will and I talked about it Friday night while Char was at my mom and dad's house for a sleepover. We had date night in the car at Sonic, and we talked about how much we missed having options like going to the movies or to a sit-down restaurant. However, we are doing our part to be safe and responsible during this time, and we know that those things will be options again eventually! I wonder what I will be remembering in February 2022...

Sharing : Daily pictures on Instagram! I follow a daily photo prompt from The Idea Room, and so far, I haven't missed any in 2021!

Wishlisting : Mom & Me shirts for Char and me! There's a website called Sparkle in Pink, and they have the cutest matching mother and daughter shirts! I haven't ordered anything yet, but their prices seem pretty reasonable, plus they have bigger sizes that will fit me, so that's a plus (literally...hahaha). I know we don't really go anywhere, but I still want get us a matching set before she decides that it's the most embarrassing thing ever! Plus, eventually we'll be out and about again, right? I just can't decide what to get for our first order! If anyone has ordered clothes from this site, I'd love to hear your feedback! 

Linking up with Anne! 

Sentence A Day : January 2021

Now that we're in a new month, it's time to recap January, a sentence (or two) at a time! I'm trying something new for this recap and linking the blog posts I published in brackets at the end of the sentence on the days they were published. Let me know if you like it, or if it's just annoying self-promotion...or both! 

1 - Happy 2021! We went to Target today to get a couple of things with gift cards, then Mom bought us coffee, and gave Char Christmas money from my grandma!

2 - Char's Christmas money from yesterday was enough to buy her a Paw Patrol toy that she didn't get for Christmas but HAD TO HAVE so back to Target we went; also, lots of fussing from her today, so I hope she isn't getting sick!

3 - Will and Char went to his mom and stepdad's house today, and I stayed home and barely did anything...oops!

4 - First Monday of the new year; let's go! [Monthly Goals : January 2021]

5 - Welcome back, This Is Us! [Sentence A Day : December 2020]

6 - What a day. (But on a positive note - happy birthday to my dad!) [Currently : January 2021]

7 - In an effort to distract myself from...everything, I spent most of the night reading, and it was wonderful!

8 - Ugh, insomnia yet again...

9 - We did quite a bit of grocery shopping today, and now our Christmas freezer is full!

10 - Thankful for my husband painting the wall of my little corner of the basement so I look more official on camera during meetings, plus thankful to Char for helping me make a quiche for breakfast this week!

11 - My parents took Char to her annual cleft surgery follow-up, and the doctor said no nose surgery!!! We're so relieved!!! (This is definitely worth an extra sentence!) [10 on the 10th : January 2021]

12 - Surprise meeting at work and extra projects have my brain feeling tired! [Amber Can Read : December 2020 Edition]

13 - Whew, sometimes I wonder how our daughter's teenage years are going to be...

14 - Manicure and pedicure for the little girl tonight! 

15 - Dollar Tree had some really cute things for our tiered tray (that I need to take pictures of)!

16 - Picked up Char from her sleepover, got lunch, then spent a lazy afternoon at home; why are couch naps on Saturday afternoons so good?!?

17 - Neither football team I chose won today; I think I should stop choosing teams...

18 - I took a walk at lunch today, and wow, I definitely have some work to do!!

19 - Another walk and more sore legs; I miss the days when I was in shape! 

20 - Welcome President Biden and Vice-President Harris; despite our political differences, I hope we can all agree on how amazing it is to finally have a woman in a high-ranking office!!

21 - New projects at work are kind of fun but taxing to the brain!

22 - I forced Koopa to take selfies with me, and it was entertaining!

23 - Ran a couple of errands today, including getting Char some Wendy's since she had been asking for food from there all day!

24 - Sunday at home relaxing and planning for the week!

They were supervising Will to make sure he took the trash out correctly...

25 - Rainy, blah Mondays make me so tired!!

26 - Just a regular old Tuesday in these parts.

27 - Helped out sorting at the warehouse for work today, and wow am I exhausted and out of shape!!!

28 - I am so sore today; I need to move around more often!

29 - I felt so unmotivated and unable to focus today; good thing it's Friday!

30 - Rainy, blah Saturdays also make me tired!

31 - Lazy Sunday at home to wrap up the end of January!

How was your January? Are you glad to be in a new year, or does it feel like month 13 of 2020? 

Linking up with Leslie!

Monthly Goals : February 2021

Happy February! It's a new month, so it's time to revisit my January goals and set some new ones for February! 

First, let's see how I did with my January goals. If you don't remember them, I'll recap them here. If you want to read more about them, check out my post. 

My five goals for January were:

1. Read 13 books - Done! Look for a recap of allll of the books on the 9th.

2. Deep clean/declutter living room - Nope! I picked up a little bit, but I didn't do anything near what I wanted to do in there. 

3. Finish putting away Christmas decorations/items - Done! Plus, we even got some Valentine's Day decorations out. Look at us!

4. Lose 4-5 pounds - HUGE FAIL!! Not only did I fail on losing weight, but I actually gained weight this month! Ugh! We ate waaaay too much fast food and had too much coffee shop coffee, so I know that contributed. This was not a good start to my weight loss journey!

5. Determine where we stand financially - Half credit for this one. I still don't have the exact amount of debt we owe figured out, but we have made a budget and got everything caught up, which was a nice feeling!

January progress 2.5 out of 5 goals. Not perfect but some beats none, right? Onto February's goals!

February 2021 goals:

1. Read 13 books 

This one will be a repeating goal and hopefully an easy win each month!

2. Deep clean/declutter dining room

I have a plan to do a room or area of the house each month this year, and February's room is the dining room. Since our dining room is fairly small, it shouldn't take long, and I should be able to revisit the living room, which I'm making goal 3...

3. Deep clean/declutter living room

Bringing this one from January. Ugh.

4. Lose 4-5 pounds

This one is a repeating goal too. Unfortunately losing 5 pounds will put me exactly where I started in January since I gained 5 pounds total last month. I really need to figure out my plan of attack for this one!

5. Blog calendar/clean up

I've written on here and on my old Wordpress blog about how I messed up the Wordpress blog and lost some content. I want to get all of the Wordpress stuff back here, which will be tedious but good when it's finished. I also need to finish filling out my blog post calendar for this one and my other blog so I will publish more consistently. I may not finish the clean up process this month, but I'd at least like to get it started!

6. Finish setting up my planner/goals/vision board

During the last couple of weeks of December, I was good about getting my planner set up, making a neat goals tracker for my planner, and gathering things for a vision board. Then, in January, I just sort of fizzled out before getting any of those things completed. I'd like to get them done before February is finished!

One extra goal this month, but that's okay (especially since it's from last month anyway...ha). I'm ready to make this month even more successful than last month!

How did you do with your January goals? Have you made your February goals yet? Let me know so I can cheer you on!

Amber Can Read : December 2020 Edition

I know you have all on the edge of your seats wondering if I hit my Goodreads goal for 2020. Drum roll, please.

I did not. 

I made it to 77 books, which put me slightly above halfway to my goal of 150 books for the year. I had so much trouble getting into reading and focusing, so instead of being frustrated about falling short, I'm going to be happy that I still read as many books as I did! 

This year, I decided to go for 150 books as my goal, which is the exact same as last year. I feel better about this year though, even if we still are quarantined/locked down for a good part of it. I can't wait to dive into this year of reading and crush this goal!

But first, let's look at what I read in December!

Disclaimer: If you click on the picture of the book, then it will take you to an Amazon purchase link. If you choose to buy the book from that link, I will earn a few pennies from it. It won't cost you anything extra, so it's a win-win situation! 😉 If you click on the title of the book, it will take you to a Goodreads link for the book. Last thing - if you want to be friends on Goodreads, add me! 

Books read in December: 6

Books read in 2020: 77

1. More Myself by Alicia Keys

I've made it no secret that I enjoy celebrity memoirs, and I like her music (okay, I'm a surface fan; I like her music that I've heard on the radio), so I thought I would enjoy this one. At the beginning, I did. It was inspiring to read about how the daughter of a single mother worked hard, used her talent, and got signed for her first record deal. However, I liked her less and less as the book dragged on, and by the end, I was rolling my eyes and just skimming through it. I think what flipped the switch was when she started talking about her concept (borrowed from Oprah) of the resounding yes, making space in her life after tours/recording/events to have time alone with her family, her charitable work, etc. I'm all for confidence and being proud of who you are, but it read like a #humblebrag (only without the humble). It's absolutely wonderful that you can take the time off between your tours to be with your family and experience the peace of being at home. I'm so incredibly glad that you're able to only say yes to the events that nourish your soul. It's not that I don't think this is realistic for actual people; I think there's an opportunity for all of to do some variation of this. I think it's just the way that she puts it into words and presents it as "this is what I do, and if you don't like it, then tough on you." There's a part where she goes into the whole #nomakeup movement that evidently she was instrumental in starting, then another part where she talks about wearing makeup while being a judge on The Voice. Don't worry though - when another judge said that he thought she didn't wear makeup, she made sure to let him know that she does "whatever the f she wants to." Cool, cool. 

I didn't mean to go on such a rant about this book, but I think reading it in 2020 when life was exceedingly difficult for a number of people (including my family at times) just made me super salty. When you're having day-to-day issues, it's hard to cheer for someone who devotes time talking about how she and her husband like to give each other extravagant gifts and outdo each other every birthday. Wonderful. Meanwhile, I'll continue to keep my grocery order under $100 this week because, you know, we live in the actual world.

Recommended for: Anyone who is a huge fan of hers and won't care about all of the stuff I've complained about above, anyone who has low blood pressure and needs to raise theirs by reading about the struggles she has endured (particularly if you've just finished paying utility bills or something similar).

2. The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward

I didn't like this one at all. I wanted to. There was one character (Cord) who I liked the most, and I was interested in his sister Reagan's sub-story, but that was about it. I found this book scattered, and I thought it was difficult to really care about any of the characters (except Cord). The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to see if there would be a good resolution to the events, but even that let me down. This book also had such an unsatisfying and abrupt ending. I was so mad, but since I finished it after Will was asleep, I couldn't even share how annoyed I was! I'm sure he's sad he missed that...

Recommended for: No one, unless you like disappointment and books about whiny families where the issues never fully get resolved. 

3. The End of October by Lawrence Wright

 

This felt like a couple of books mushed together. It was about an infectious disease scientist trying to contain a worldwide pandemic (seems a little familiar), but it was also about how his family was affected by it, a political scandal, a submarine, something about an old colleague of his, maybe 10 or 12 other sub-stories too, I don't know. It felt like too much disjointed content trying to fit together. Plus, I don't know the author's background, but he either is really good at research or has a history in some of this stuff because the writing was so boring at times, I can only assume he has written academic, peer-researched papers about these things. I didn't quit this one only because I wanted to see what would happen to the scientist and his family. I should've just looked it up online because it was such a blah book that wasted my time.

Recommended for: Fans of sci-fi-ish type stories who can handle boring and technical writing, people who can keep up with multiple plotlines better than I can.

4. Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle

Lest you think my December was full of literary losers, this book has come to provide a little hope! This was the story of a woman who found a body floating under the deck in a lake near her home. After her husband finds out, he disappears for a few days, leaving her to try to solve the mystery of who the woman was. If that wasn't enough, it turns out that this is the second body that has been found in that lake; the first one belonged to her husband's first wife. This was a good mystery that showed how far people would go to protect their friendships and relationships. And honestly, I was just so excited to finally like a book this month!

Recommended for: Mystery fans, people who think lakes are disgusting and want another reason to stay out of them

5. Fly Guy Presents: Monster Trucks by Tedd Arnold

I got this one in a Book Fair preview pack during my school librarian days. I read it on Christmas Eve so I could give it to our younger nephew on Christmas (not as a gift - just as a book that Aunt Amber thought he'd find interesting!). I had never read any Fly Guy books, but I know that they're popular. This is a non-fiction title that gives information about a certain topic (obviously monster trucks in this case). It was quick and informative. Thanks to this book, I was able to recognize that our nephew got the "Gravedigger" truck for Christmas. See, reading does help you learn...

Recommended for: Kids or adults who want to be cool and learn to recognize popular monster trucks so they can briefly impress their nephews on Christmas day...

6. The Cousins by Karen McManus

I've read her other books (One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next) and while this one wasn't bad, it didn't capture me as much as the other two did. Maybe it's because this was set in a new place with different characters than the other two. Three cousins are summoned by their grandmother to spend a summer working at her resort. All of their parents encourage them to go since their grandmother disowned all of them years earlier via a letter and refused to have any contact with them. When the cousins get to the island where the resort is, their grandmother immediately leaves. Things just get weirder from there because of course they do!

Recommended for: Anyone who isn't close to their family and thinks that they need to change that, mystery fans

Didn't finish 

1. Notes from an Apocalypse by Mark O'Connell

This was on my library eBook's app under the "It's your lucky day" section, which I assume means that it's a popular title and it was my lucky day that it was available for checkout. Otherwise, they're pranking me because I did not feel like it was my lucky day to start reading this one. I got a couple of pages in and determined that it could be someone else's lucky day...

2. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

I was so excited about this one. I loved her Hyperbole and a Half comics and the subsequent book, but I just could not get into this one. I don't know if I just wasn't in the right head space for it or what, but I slogged through a good bit of it before deciding to return it early and be done with it. Have any of you read it? Should I go back and give it another try?

This month's favorite book: Definitely Stranger in the Lake because not only did it break my streak of crappy books but it was also just an enjoyable read!

This month's least favorite book: More Myself hands down. I mean, look at that rant. I think we all could've guessed this one...

Read any good books lately? Let me know in the comments!

Linking up with Steph and Jana!