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Happy new year, dear ones!
Hope your holidays were heart-warming. Joining Anne in Residence for her “Currently” link-up and my first post of this shiny new year. For today’s prompts, we are talking about what we are hoping, playing, reading, scheduling and starting. Sometimes I have to really think on the prompts but my responses came easily this time. Have a look:
Currently, 01.2018
Hoping:
…for my best year yet. That is almost selfish of me because I’ve had a life filled with some pretty magical years. But for 2018 though, I have chosen a word of the year…peace. Planning to work hard to find inner peace (no more teeth grinding or clenching, no more rolling around all night ruminating) by beginning and ending my days the right way. “Miracle Morning” (learn more here) in the a.m. and completing The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude before bed. A big hug of gratitude goes to Carrie at Curly, Crafty Mom for sending me this journal for Christmas. Thank you, sweet friend.
Playing:
…two fun games on New Years. My PC grew up in a game playing family. His parents especially like to play a game I’d never heard of called “Upwords”. They are quite competitive and will play this “Scrabble”-type game for hours. By contrast, my family never played games. My mother really disliked board games and only played card games like “Bridge” and “Canasta” on occasion. Nowadays, whenever my daughters, sister and brother and I get together, there’s usually at least one round of “Pictionary” played. We’ve upped our game from drawing on little slips of scrap paper to using a large white board. Which makes it even more fun.
This holiday season, we added a new game to the mix. “Vertellis” is described as a conversation starter card game that encourages “more meaningful connections with loved ones in offline settings.” We played “Vertellis” while we ate dinner at a Chinese buffet and then came home to play “Pictionary” until time to usher in 2018.
Reading:
…a children’s lit title, adult fiction, finishing up a piece of historical fiction and starting a new nonfiction book.
In anticipation of the March movie release of “A Wrinkle in Time”, I am listening to this children’s book by Madeleine L’Engle via Audible. Joining Kristen at Taz&Belly and Rachel at RAD for their new monthly link-up series “Book by Book”. The theme for our January book is something cozy. Wasn’t sure how to determine if the theme of a potential title was ‘cozy’ but after some searching settled on How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal. The word ‘warm’ is used in its reviews. That equates to cozy, right? Finishing up The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory and just starting Finding Your Balance by Sandy Cooper.
Also following The Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2018 reading challenge and have set a goal of 25 books on Goodreads. Follow me on Goodreads, here.
Scheduling:
…blog posts. Can you believe it? Broke open my brand new Erin Condren life planner last week and wrote all of the link-ups I am looking forward to participating in. Then penciled in my own series. And a dental appointment for later this month. For a gal who blogs by the seat of her pants, that was a lot of scheduling. Although you’d never know from my haphazard blogging style, I am a planner. Read my post on planners, here.
Starting:
…work on winter goals. Lucia helped me write them onto my goal blackboard (check out my DIM, Did it Myself goal blackboard how-to). Tried to keep them do-able and readable. But Lucia’s snow effects make them a little hard to see.
- Exercise 4X a week.
- Track Weight Watchers points M-F.
- Add 2 new lessons to my TeachersPayTeachers store (shop here).
- Write at least 2X a week (this doesn’t include journaling).
- Most important, unplug by 9:00 p.m. (already doing well at this…the others, ehhh, not so much…YET!)
Hope you will cheer me on!
Your Turn
So, it’s a brand spankin’ new year! That’s my Currently, 01.2018. What are you hoping, playing, reading, scheduling and starting? Won’t you share in a comment below? I am always looking for great book suggestions!
Thank you, sweet friends, for starting another new year with me. Happy new year!
Hugs and kisses,
This makes me think that I’m not sure I’ve actually ever read A Wrinkle in Time – sounds like a great idea for an audiobook! I do better with audio if it’s shorter/simpler things, to keep my attention from wandering. And this goal of unplugging by 9 is such a good one – but it would be hard for me!
I am embarrassed as a children’s librarian to admit I haven’t read Wrinkle but rectifying that now. It is one of my husband’s fav children’s books and the favorite of the best teacher I know. Has to be a good book, right?
Unplugging is becoming easier. My PC is doing it, too, so that makes it easier. And we are sleeping better and ready to get up in the morning. Ok, kinda.
Happy new year!
Look at you, Miss Organized!!! Well done! I’m still getting my 2018 goals/plans thought through and written out. Posted my Reading Challenge list yesterday on my blog. I’ll have to head over to Goodreads and see what’s on YOUR list! (Ah, Goodreads. I still haven’t decided if/how much I want to do over there!) Happy New Year, Leslie!
Ha! * Miss Organized! Actually at home, * I am pretty organized but at work I was all over the place…organized chaos and a lot * like that with blogging * and crafting. Ugh. *
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I mean to write book reviews but never do much any more. Just finished The Baker’s Secret, though, and it is review worthy. Going to try to do that by this time next week but also going out of town. *
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Enjoy * that snow! *
You inspire me to get back on track with planning posts! I’ve been so bad at that lately! I absolutely love your word of the year. It’s beautiful and applicable in so many ways! Happy New Year my friend!
Come on, girl, let’s plan those blogging posts!! I really want to do better this year. And I love all of your ideas … the glossies (going to find a magazine today!!), the book charity stuff, the unwrapping. Hey, let’s do something together with Word of the Year? Wanna? We could even give examples of adventure and peace in each other’s lives. Or give each other an adventure/peace activity to try. Let me know! Would love to hang out more!
What a great list of goals! I am so happy right now to find so many great new blogs to read and add to my list. I love Erin Condren planners. However, I’m terrible at sticking with using planners, so I just look at others and admire.
Hope your New Year is everything you wish it to be and more, Leslie!
Hey new friend!! Thank you for finding me on Anne’s Currently link-up and thanks for the comment. I am a struggling blogger with a small group of readers, hoping to maybe try to expand that this year. Sooo glad to meet you.
I have trouble remembering to open my planner. But along with getting skinny, fit, reading a whole lot, writing, and crafting, I am also going to use my planner more.
Please come back again. We have a couple of fun and easy series you might like to try. Holler back if you are interested!
Aww! So glad you’re enjoying the gratitude journal. I need to figure out some goals for 2018 still, I will probably start to think about that after the kids go back to school tomorrow! I love how you plan to unplug before 9pm. I want to workout 5x a week still this year, but I might be getting a little burned out on running and may see if I want to incorporate a little something else into my workouts and run less mileage (I do 17 miles a week so I can stay on track for my two half marathons a year). BUT, I’m just not sure yet! LOL! I need to check out that Vertellis game!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I love planners/planning – I just really need to get back into the habit of scheduling ahead on my blog. I do have some ideas for the coming weeks, but I need to actually get them written, etc. Good luck with all of your goals!! When someone says “book” and “cozy” I think of cozy mysteries, which I love. I read A Wrinkle in Time a couple years ago and loved it; can’t wait for the movie.
-lauren
Ha, when I looked up cozy books, the Cozy mysteries came up!! I am not familiar with them but maybe I should have chosen one for January. Will keep them in mind or the future. Will be going on a solitary road trip tomorrow so plan to get a lot of A Wrinkle in Time “read” (heard).
Will be joining up for your unwrapped post in the next few days. Great fun!
Thank you for the reminder to unplug at 9:00. Happy New Year!
Awww, thank you so much for coming by!! So glad to hear from you. I am going to try very hard to unplug at 9:00 pm which translates to using my time better all day long! Wishing you and your honey the best in the new year. Please come back again! XO
I’m waiting for the Wrinkle in Time audiobook from the library. I can’t wait to hear this classic from my childhood! Have a wonderful week!
Thank you for coming by! I feel ashamed of myself (elementary librarian) to have never read A Wrinkle in Time but rectifying that right now! In fact, driving from El Paso to Albuquerque tomorrow and plan to listen to the book on my ride. Looking forward to the movie with Oprah in March. Stopped by your blog and will be following you on Bloglovin’ We Texas gals need to stick together.
Great goals! And don’t feel bad about wanting another magical year; embrace the good fortunate and possibilities! 🙂
Proud of you for scheduling out posts! Aren’t planners magical in what they can motivate us to do?
Yes, yes, yes to planning in my planner!! Now to open it and review what I have planned. Ha!
I am so blessed and you are right, I shouldn’t feel bad for wanting my blessings to continue.
Thank you for your wise words and friendship.