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Farewell 2013, Greetings 2014

One year is coming to a close and another is opening up. I look forward to new opportunities for all good things to come.

In 2013, I made a few resolutions, some of which I succeeded in keeping:

  • Go to the gym once-a-week when I’m not volunteering: Maintained for 6 months.
  • Write in a journal daily: Maintained (or went back to complete) for 9 months … until I lost it. (This is 6 months longer than all past attempts.)
  • Found the journal in month 11 behind some overgrown dust bunnies … and still haven’t gotten back in the swing of it.
  • Eat more fruits and veggies: Which I do better when they are in season with an abundant garden out back.
  • Read 95 books in 2013: Read 100. (I’m hoping that 5% helps to bolster some that weren’t so good.)
  • Finish: scrapbooking through 2010: Done!
  • One blog for each day of 2013. Done!

In 2014, my resolutions are about the same. There are a few additions:

  • Find joy in everyday … even if it’s a cat antic or eating a fresh raspberry.
  • Get a 2014 journal and don’t lose it … while actually writing in it daily (or near so) for one year.
  • Start and finish scrapbooking 2011, and perhaps some of 2012.
  • Drink more tea and less soda pop.
  • Blog at least weekly. (Daily was too stressful, hence bullet #1 for 2014.)

What are your plans for 2014? What were your successes for 2013?

Praying you have a good year, and that health and happiness are in you every step of the way.

Fireworks in the night sky above the tree line.

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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I Fit, Episode 16

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Posted by on December 4, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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Bliss by Eric Weiner

Bliss by Eric Weiner was an interesting mission to seek out what happiness means to people around the world.

This was an intriguing read. In Eric’s travels around the world, he talked with people from each area asking what made them happy. The answer varied from place to place: friends, family, free time, work, money, and alcohol availability were just a few of the answers.

I read this slowly, and didn’t finish in time for book group. I couldn’t get into it at first. It took me about 6 months to complete, as the least. Perhaps it will go more quickly for you. For me, happiness was not reading this book, but having finished it after so long a time.

The image I’ve selected for this portrays two of the things in life that put a smile in my heart: reading and pets.

IMG_1910 Sign

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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The Voice in my Car

I enjoy books. I enjoy reading. For me, reading takes many forms. The two I use the most are with my eyes and my ears. Yes, listening is another way of reading – to me.

Most of the time, I have an audio book going in the car. I recently downloaded from LibriVox It’s Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville. It was read by Betsie Bush. (Here’s a link if you’re interested in “reading” it too: http://librivox.org/its-like-this-cat-by-emily-neville/.)

Betsie has been a friend since before kindergarten. That was a very, very, very, very long time ago. We have endured trials and celebrated triumphs. We have had falling outs and we’ve fallen down screaming with laughter. We have had many years to appreciate one another. Her voice is to me the sound of home.

So, when I started this cute audio story, I was looking forward to hearing the words read by my friend. Turned out, at the sound of her voice, I wanted to talk with her!

It drove me crazy to hear her voice each day, and not be able to carry on a conversation. Ack!

Well, I muddled through, each time I turned this on in the car, talking back at the audiobook by telling Betsie about my day, asking her how things are going, and laughing out loud at myself. I often talk to myself, but I’m sure this was stare worthy of my fellow drivers on the road. I yammered away at my dear friend for most of the book!

Not sure how much of the story I heard. Not sure I can do another one, but I might give it a try. It was nice to have her in my car for a few days.

Betsie, you’re always with me, even when you’re not.

Betsie & Kim Sign

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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Mrs. Lincoln’s Dress Maker by Jennifer Chiaverini

I’m going to add book reviews to this blog. Why? Because I’m a read-a-holic. Books are my beer.

This was a book I read because I was forced to by my evening book group. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy book group very much, but this one was huge, I couldn’t get it at the library in time so I bought it, and I didn’t finish reading it in time.

Jennifer put a lot of accurate history into this book. As always, for me, there’s a bit too much repetitive info, but I have a feeling that’s a publisher’s priority – so one never forgets where they are in the story-line, no matter if they stopped at their current page hours, days, or months ago. Personally, it annoys me – yet I see it in practically every book I read.

Otherwise, I was delighted to see this is the author who writes the Elm Creek Quilt books, so of course, the main character worked on a quilt. Not as soon as I would have thought, but I was glad it was there.

If you read the book and know the age of the main character, you will now know that I am around the same age as she. That really put the Civil War into perspective for me! To have her be a woman of similar age, it took away the feeling of, “this is just something bad that happened to us before I was born.” It made me wonder if we’d do it again today, and how it would impact this country. It made the Civil War more personal.

I appreciated that the main character purchased her freedom. She didn’t need President Lincoln to emancipate her. Yet she admired and appreciated all President Lincoln did while in office. I enjoyed the perspective.

At our book group, there was some discussion as to her ability to write back in the 1800’s as a former slave. I choose to believe that she could write well because of her former owners and her ability to run a solid business. True or not, it’s what I find true in my heart.

I find it interesting that at the time of reading this book, I’d recently seen the movie about President Lincoln. Soon after the book I saw “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. Both shared facts in common with this book, real history, and were entertaining – just as this book had some page turning moments.

Lastly, I hope you enjoy it too!

Mrs Lincoln Dress Maker

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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A Brew to Kill by Cleo Coyle

Today I finished reading a book in one of the many cozy mystery series that I enjoy. This series is about a Coffee House in New York state. It is run by a woman who is divorced from her business partner, which makes for some interesting scenes. These books are filled with great coffee facts.

As always, another enthralling tale. There wasn’t as much description of the coffee creations, once the beans are roasted. Yet there was more about pre-roasted coffee. Where is it grown? Why there? The conditions of the people who pick it were described as well.

If you have any fondness for coffee and mystery novels, I hope you read this series.

A Brew to Kill

 
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Posted by on May 28, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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Books are my Candy

Sweets. Candy. Chocolate. Jaw breakers. Licorice. Lemon drops. Peppermint patties.

Candy entices many people. They long to enjoy that sugar buzz or the flavor of a dark chocolate candy bar with a gooey caramel center. Perhaps the bitter and sweet taste of gummy candies.

The love I hear of candy, expresses well how I feel about books (most candy does not interest me). Don’t I mean reading? No, I don’t. I enjoy getting into a book more than I enjoy magazines, online articles, or the newspaper. A book to me is as luscious and enticing as chocolate is to most people.

Mysteries. Biographies. Humor. Oh my! Give me a Lorna Landvik tale or a Janet Evanovich adventure. Oh, a sweet mystery by Joanne Fluke, JoAnna Carl, or Diane Mott Davidson. Then there’s kitty cat sleuths with Rita Mae Brown or Miranda James. Delicious!!!

Morale of the Story: Books are sweet too! Check them out at http://www.goodreads.com.

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

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