Day 1 #julybookwormchallenge

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July TBR. This does not include the books for #tbrtakedownreadathon2 or the book for the girls in capes book club. 

July Reading Challenge!

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Soooo I'm late with starting this, but I'm super excited anyway.  A couple might be problematic, but we'll see!!!

Instagram Read-A-Thon for July!

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1: a book on your shelf that you have been putting off for ages.
2: a book you bought but never read..
3: A guilty pleasure book (such as a child's book you have always wanted to read OR RE-READ!)
4: a graphic novel on your tbr list'!
5: a book recommended to you by a friend that you just never picked up!
6: any book on your tbr that is NOT YA.


Shouldn't be too hard, right?  I read like crazy.  This is from July 16th to 21st.  Five days, six books?  Meh, no biggie.  Right?  Right?!

Here's what I'm planning on reading:

1. The Princess Bride
2. Interview with a Vampire
3. One of the Mercy Thompson series
4. Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal
5. Ancillary Justics
6. American Gods

Somehow this feels ambitious.  Way ambitious.  But hey, fortune favors the bold.  

Deliciousness! Peanut butter ripple #summertime #jimmacks #nomnom

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Organization Terrors

I have a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder.  It doesn't manifest itself in constant hand-washing or a flicking lights on and off a certain number of times, but in my ability (or inability, really) to organize.  In my ideal world I would have an infinite number of shelves/drawers/places to put things so that I could have as many categories as I feel I need.  

The best way to describe it is a scene in Wall-E where he has just found a spork and is trying to place it on his shelves.  It doesn't fit with the spoons, nor does it fit with the forks, so he creates a new category just for sporks.  Luckily, he has the space to create that new category.  

My brain likes categorizing things into minutia.  Unfortunately, doing that level of organization is impossible without everything turning back into chaos, and the chaos is so overwhelming that I feel trapped by it and cannot organize.  If I cannot have the organization that my brain wants, then I don't know how to handle it, and suddenly piles (upon piles upon piles) are the only way to go.

But eventually the piles begin to meld together back into the chaos from whence they were formed, and I'm back at square one.    

After speaking to someone who knows more about how to handle issues like this, I'm going to start organizing, slowly.  Very slowly.  Starting with big categories.  Categories like: Books, Clothes, Jewelry.  Once everything is in its own container, I'll slowly start going through each container.  It's going to be difficult.  I accept that.    I also will NOT do things in large chunks. I'll dedicate 15-20 min at a time to go through the containers. This way I am limiting the amount of stress I'll be going through - taking nibbles instead of bites.  

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to organization.  I'm hopeful that sometime in the near future  I will be able to utilize many of these ideas to make my world a more organized place - a place that is closer to what I see in my head.

Monthly Goals

So, it has become painfully obvious that weekly goals don't work.  I cannot plan for my body.  I can; however, make plans for the month.  That way, I can adjust when I do them based upon when I feel up to doing them.  So here goes!

1) Take control of the garden!  I have no idea what is planted around the rented house, but I plan on finding out!  Let's do this!  Wooooo!  I hope to have pictures to document the process.

2) Clean out the closet.  My closet is in desperate need of re-organizing, cleansing, and just general de-funkifying.  Something in there REEKS and must be PURGED!

3) Make something each week.  This can be sewing or food or anything.

4) Post on the blog at least once a week.

And that's it.  Taking it easy, but still trying to get everything back together.  It's especially hard with R in Chile for some time this month.  It's making me realize how much he does for me.  I definitely didn't realize until now how helpless I am, and how he keeps me from knowing that.

Autism Village

Autism is a scary word.  It brings to mind children who are completely detached from the world, incapable of communication, tending frequently to loud, occasionally violent outbursts.  You see parents with stressed, worried eyes who try to insulate their child from the dangers of the outside world.  The fear of autism is so strong that some people are choosing not to vaccinate their children.  They would prefer them to be exposed to measles, among other diseases, rather than possibly have them be autistic.  (I should note here that the study people are fond of quoting about how vaccinations cause autism has been proven to have been falsified.)  

Some of this perception is true, and some of it isn't.  What is important to understand is that autism is a spectrum.  Each person on the spectrum has their unique quirks - the saying is that when you meet a person with autism, you have met ONE person with autism.  Their form of autism is unique; the things they react to are unique; the intensity of their reaction is unique; the form of their reaction is unique.  

Now, I am not in any way an authority or expert on autism.  I likely have things wrong.  I am not a parent of an autistic child nor do I have autism myself.  All of my information is second-hand.  I know parents of autistic children.  I know people who are on the spectrum.  I have read blog posts/articles written by parents of autistic children.  So, I repeat, I am not in any way an authority or expert on autism.  

What I understand is that, frequently, raising a child with autism is a balancing act.  You want to have your child experience the world, but you also want to protect your child from negative experiences.  Which, now that I think about it, is the want of all parents.  Unfortunately, this is more difficult for parents of autistic children.  

Let's say you want to have a family dinner out at a restaurant.  For most families, the most difficult part is deciding which pizza location they like best and making sure everyone has shoes and a coat on.   Families with an autistic child have to consider much more than that.  Is my child having a good day?  How close together are the tables; will someone bump into my touch-sensitive child?  How loud is it there?  Will they be accommodating to my child's food requirements (like having each part of the meal on a separate plate or having only square food or any one of a number of things)?  How will the staff deal with my child having a melt down?  What sort of seats do they have?  And a million other things I cannot even begin to fathom.  

The answers to these questions aren't in restaurant reviews.  They are in the parents' minds who have already been to that restaurant.  Families with autistic children rely on word of mouth to find places.  But what if there were a better way to communicate?  

That's where Autism Village steps in.  

Autism Village is striving to create ways to advertise autism-friendly businesses.  They are currently running a kickstarter  to create an iOS app sort of like Yelp or Trip Advisor for autism friendly businesses.  It's for autism families, by autism families.  They recently hit their goal, but still have quite a bit of time left.  Stretch goals include expanding the app to Android and tablets.  Beyond that?  They want to create a certification program for businesses looking to become more autism friendly.  

These people are going to make the world a better place.

How can you help?  Donate $1.  Really, just $1.  They have a friend of the project who will donate at least $10,000 if there are more than 10,000 backers.  So the number of backers is just as important (if not more so) than the average donation per backer.  

Do you know anyone on the spectrum?  

Weekly Goals

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Work on counted cross-stitch NOPE
2) Take hold of my email inbox - it's getting out of control A LITTLE BIT
3) Cut out my next sewing project NOPE

It was a perfect storm week.  I'll spare you the nitty gritty details, but I was miserable and barely functioning as a human being.  So nothing really got done.  I was doing everything I could do convince myself that the sky (or the roof/ceiling) wasn't going to fall down on my head.  I seem to have the fatigue and whatnot under control now so I can actually set goals that I'll accomplish - rather than hoping beyond hope that I'll be something other than a zombie and creating goals just to create them.

Now, for this week I'll attempt to:

1) Take hold of my email inbox - this is critical.
2) Cut out my next sewing project - if I want to have any chance of completing anything for March, this must happen

Book Review - Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton

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I should have known better than to read this book.  It's just not my type of book.  The cover screamed "you'll hate this", and the premise of a girl getting Cupid powers and setting up her friend with three guys at once.... just didn't appeal to me.  But, it was a book club book, so in fairness to the rest of my fellow book-clubbers, I suffered through it.  

The book is advertised as Young Adult, though I found the writing (and the attitudes/reactions of the main characters) more along the lines of a middle school-age reader.  One of the discussions we had during the meeting was why it was labeled Young Adult.  It was decided that the "sexual innuendo" where the parents are found lying naked on top of each other along with a scene where the protagonist states she needs to sleep with music to ignore the noises from her parents' room was what pushed it to the YA classification.

Other than the writing, I found the stupidity of the main character to be beyond belief.  She is given three rules with her Cupid powers - 1) she can't talk about being a Cupid, 2) she can't match herself with anyone and 3) she can only match two people together at a time.  Three rules.  And she goes right ahead and breaks rule three.  Now, this is not a situation where she didn't think the powers worked - she had already matched people together!  She just decides to disregard one of THREE rules and is surprised there are problems!  Ugh.

In case you hadn't caught on, I did not like this book. 

Weekly Goals

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Update my planner CHECK
2) Write at least 3 posts and schedule them CHECK (just wait, the last two are coming)
3) Work on counted cross-stitch (with pictures!) NOPE

2/3?  Not bad, not bad.  It was a rough week health-wise.  I spent a lot of time just trying to keep myself together.  The fatigue has gotten overwhelmingly bad.  Luckily, I have a dr's appointment this week so I'll be discussing that with him.  


Now, for this week I'll attempt to:

1) Work on counted cross-stitch
2) Take hold of my email inbox - it's getting out of control
3) Cut out my next sewing project

Podcast Spotlight - Bizarre States

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Bizarre States - Nerdist Industries

Jessica Chobot and Andrew Bowser host this new podcast.  With fewer than 20 (at this writing) episodes, they discuss weird and paranormal happenings across the states and occasionally internationally.  Listener stories are read, and they interview people who have had paranormal experiences or are interested in various mysteries - like Jack the Ripper.  

I think they're still trying to hit their stride - as some episodes have held my attention while others have meandered through seemingly random topics.  What I think they lack is the ability to tell a story effectively along with some organization - things that, I hope, will improve over time.  Overall, it's a good podcast if you enjoy hearing about others' experiences with weird things and exploring the black hole of the internet.  

Weekly Goals (Clearly Late)

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Keep a pain journal
2) Start The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
3) Write post on the scarf exchange!


Well, that didn't go as planned.  I started the pain journal, and I uploaded the photos to Evernote for the scarf exchange.  I didn't do anything about the book.  That's not to say I didn't read.  I did, quite a bit, just not The Blind Assassin.  Whoops.


Now, for this week I'll attempt to:

1) Update my planner
2) Write at least 3 posts and schedule them
3) Work on counted cross-stitch (with pictures!)

Weekly Goals

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Finish Manila leggings and take pictures

2) Make (and mail) scarf for swap CHECK

3) Read 1 book CHECK

Woohoo 2/3 complete!  I read a book (follow me on GoodReads), and I made/mailed the scarf for the swap (a post is upcoming once I figure out an efficient method for uploading the pictures I took).  I also did do a little work on the Manila leggings while I was sewing.  Attaching the waistband is causing me a bit of trouble, but I think I have it sorted.  Unfortunately, it's going to be much too cold this week to venture downstairs for any length of time (unfinished basement problems).  

As for steps last week:

Monday: 1,589
Tuesday: 4,908
Wednesday: 3,549
Thursday: 4,992
Friday: 2,700
Saturday: 3,339
Sunday: 1,810

ARG THOR'S DAY!  8 steps to goal!  I didn't realize until just now how close I was!!!!  To be fair, I made that (and more!) during aquatherapy in the pool (where I don't wear my FitBit as I'm worried about damaging it).  I also likely made goal on Tuesday as well due to aquatherapy.

Now, for this week I'll:

1) Keep a pain journal
2) Start The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
3) Write post on the scarf exchange!

Podcast Spotlight - True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History and the Authors That Have Written About Them

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Podcast Spotlight: 

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History and the Authors that Have Written About Them      

Dan Zupansky's podcast spotlights many of the spectacular true crime books that have been written.  Started in 2009, there is quite an archive so you don't have to worry about running out any time soon.  I'm the type of person who binges this type of thing.  I'm fascinated by the idea that a person would kill another person.  Criminal Minds is one of my favorite tv shows, before that it was CSI: Las Vegas.  Investigative Discovery channel is my go-to for when there's nothing on.

If you're like me, this is a podcast for you.  The authors have done extensive research on the crime they are writing about - they talk to victim families, detectives, lawyers, and, sometimes, the criminal.   From the heartbreaking to the unbelievable to the downright hilarious, this podcast has it all.

It's a very well run interview, with Dan asking not only about the case, but about the personal experiences the author had while he/she was writing.

I highly recommend this podcast.  It's also a good way to up your true crime knowledge while waiting for the second season of Serial.  Especially since the most recent episode is on Serial!  Lots more information that wasn't covered on Serial.  

Weekly Goals

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Increase average steps to >5k.

2) Finish Manila leggings and take pictures!

3) Make scarf for scarf swap

4) Drink tea and read for 1 hr before bed.

Well, to be honest, I failed miserably at these goals last week.  With the start of physical therapy, late days at work... I was just not up to the challenge.  My body was reeling from the addition of PT, my mind was elsewhere..... Just not working.  Here are my goals for this week:

1) Finish Manila leggings and take pictures

2) Make (and mail) scarf for swap

3) Read 1 book

I'm going to take care of my soul this week by sewing.  I'm not going to be afraid to leave the puppy alone upstairs while I go downstairs to sew.

January Favorites

I want to visit this Wizard of Oz theme park so badly.

Could you live on $5000 a year?  This guy can and loves it.

I don't like Doritos, though I won't say no to them, but this could be why many people can't get enough of them.

This article in the New Yorker about a woman's experience with chronic disease brought me to tears one morning.

Jen, over at Epbot, always finds the BEST STUFF!  She also has amazing tutorials.

I'm seriously considering this Craftsy class on making your own bras.

Long Live the Queen!

I did a research internship one summer studying graphene, and this information makes me giddy.

I have some love for Anne Hathaway, and her response to being compared to Amal Clooney is adorable.

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is my biggest fear related to children, but the way this family is handling the tragedy is inspiring.

Some people are yelling conspiracy about this girl's discovery, but I don't see it as anything other than proving that we are all genetically linked somehow.

I think this new app that identifies toxic friends based upon your physical reaction to them is fascinating.  A bit terrifying, but fascinating.  A lot of the self-help books/posts/etc say to get rid of toxic friends, but how does one quantify which friends are truly toxic - this app will quantify which friends are toxic.

Weekly Goals

Let's see how I did last week:

1) Drink sleepytime tea every night before bed - check and double check!

2) Increase average steps to over 5,000

Monday: 5,508

Tuesday: 3,087

Wednesday: 5,540

Thursday: 5,236

Friday: 2,970

Saturday: 3,950

Sunday: 5.169

Not bad - actual average = 4,494.  Not quite 5k average, but almost.  I'll continue this goal into this week.  

3) Write blog about Seamwork Magazine and sewing the Manila leggings... uhhh well, I need to finish the leggings before I can do that!


So it looks like I only really accomplished 1 goal last week.  Not great, but I was pretty close with the step goal so I'm not going to beat myself up about that.  I made goal 4/7 days.  The days I didn't during the week were bad body days and Saturday?  I'm not sure what happened on Saturday - I was on my feet for a long time, but I guess I didn't really walk much.  Whoops.


So... for this week I'll:

1) Increase average steps to > 5k.

2) Finish Manila leggings and take pictures!

3) Make scarf for scarf swap

4) Drink tea and read for 1 hr before bed.

Building Bridges

Since you can't change it - what are you going to do now?

This is a question that my therapist puts to me frequently.  There are things in my past I cannot change, but still have quite an impact on my emotions today.  I carry them with me all the time, and while I know I cannot change them, I also don't know what to do about them.

Most people are probably rolling their eyes and saying "well, build a bridge and GET OVER IT!"  Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that... or maybe it is.  Maybe I've been looking at bridge as one unit, when really, it's multiple steps.

Sometimes my engineering brain takes a smoke break.

Now, I have no true idea on how to build a bridge.  I'm basing this on my experience designing cathodic protection systems.  I assume the theory behind design is the same.

First, you have to get the lay of the land.  You need to know the distance across the river, whether the bottom of the river is silty or rocky, how many cars theoretically want to cross the bridge each way, what kinds of materials you might have access to... etc.  This is where you are going to start.

So, emotionally, what is the lay of the land?  Right now, I'm still exploring what emotions are and how to deal with them.  I've never truly been angry.  I don't know how to deal with strong emotions.  And that's what I'm learning.  I'm learning to embrace the anger, and how to experience it and not let it become overwhelming.

So that's step 1 - learning about what is going on inside me right now.  It's been an eye-opening experience so far.  

Weekly Goals

Ok, back to the grind... let's set some achievable goals for this week!  That's going to be my motto from now on - achievable.  I know that I haven't been able to predict how I'll feel on any given day, so frequently goals have been more like obstacles and become overwhelming.

1) Drink sleepytime tea every night before bed
2) Increase average steps to over 5,000
3) Write blog about Seamwork Magazine and sewing the Manila leggings

That's it!  I'm going to take it easy and ramp it up as time goes on.

101 in 1001 Update

So my life changed.  And a whole bunch of these goals suddenly seemed out of line with where my life is going and where I want it to go and who I seem to be turning into.  I've italicized anything that doesn't line up anymore, and will revamp the list to replace the things I've replaced.  

1.  Create the list  (September 2013)

2.  Finish my wall of art (Happened before I moved, I didn't get a picture)

3.  Set up a schedule for posting on the blog

4.  Start taking "outfit of the day" shots to create a section on the blog

5.  Wardrobe overhaul

6.  Invest in a classic handbag Replaced with Reach 10,000 steps in a day

7.  Drink 8 glasses of water (or 1 gallon) every day for one week

8.  See all the Harry Potter movies

9.  Send fifty handwritten notes (10/50)

10. Visit a city I've never been to before

11. Revisit Boston

12. Catch up on all the magazines I have

13. Throw out or donate twenty things and do not replace them

14. Create an official address book with friends' and family's information

15. Send out Christmas Cards

16. Spend a day with siblings doing whatever they want, all paid for by me

17. Wear makeup for every day for twenty-one days

18. Make ten recipes off of Pinterest (4/10)

19. Send my mom and stepmom flowers out of the blue

20. Learn calligraphy 

21. Read 100 new books  (Read over 170 in 2014!)

22. Get a facial

23. Get my nails done for Orchid Ball Replaced with Be Active with Jamberry for 4 months in a row

24. Get new glasses (October 2013)

25. Go camping

26. Revitalize five pieces of furniture 4/5 (Nightstand x2, Desk, Makeup container  - October 2013)

27. Go to the top of the Empire State Building

28. Go zip lining

29. Have a friend take a portrait for my blog

30. See ten "classic" films

31. Get a DSLR camera Replaced with Wear an entire outfit of things made by me

32. Find out my blood type (B+ January 2015)

33. Go skydiving

34. Finish my Renaissance Faire costume

35. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

36. Donate old clothes 

37. Surprise the boy with something special

38. Donate money to a friend's charitable cause (September 2013)

39. Clean out kitchen

40. Run a 10k

41. Develop an exercise regimen and stick to it for 21 days

42. Take a yoga class

43. Visit five new states

44. Learn how to shoot a gun

45. Learn to snowboard

46. Write a short story

47. Have boudoir pictures taken

48. Give twenty "just because" gifts

49. Achieve target weight Replaced with Complete a 5k

50. Research Dad's side of the family back to immigration to USA

51. See one of the wonders of the world

52. Visit ten new museums

53. Work with an interior designer (or design-minded friend) for one room in my apartment Replaced with plan meals for a week and stick to it

54.  Work on Inbox Zero

55. Get personalized stationary 

56. Buy a Hermés scarf Replaced with Go running with Matthias

57. Join the local public library (October 2013)

58. Floss everyday for one month

59. Purchase and learn photo editing software

60. Go tubing on a river

61. Go apple picking (October 2013)

62. Make my college t-shirt quilt

63. Pay off credit card debt (1 card down, 1 to go!)

64. Put together a master birthday calendar and send birthday cards

65. Get up without pressing snooze for one week

66. Avoid eating out for one month

67. Participate in 31 days

68. Build a wardrobe look-book

69. Make 20 things off of Pinterest (not food)

70. Learn to throw a football

71. Discover 30 new restaurants

72. Complete a blog challenge (like A-Z, Something from here, etc)

73. Buy myself flowers every week for a month

74. Spend a week Facebook free

75. Figure out a way to showcase my jewelry

76. Go paintballing

77. See the northern lights

78. See a movie in the theatre by myself

79. Go Geocaching

80. Complete 30 miles in 30 days challenge

81. Leave 100% tip

82. Have my palms read

83. Design the blog to reflect my personal style/content

84. Unsubscribe from as many email services as possible

85. Subscribe to one more style magazine

86. Subscribe to one good home DIY magazine

87. Subscribe to one good cooking magazine

88. Take a free online class

89. Start donating monthly to the Phi Rho Foundation

90. Attend a meetup.com group

91. Dye my hair

92. Finish writing the book

93. Watch 10 different TED talks and review/talk about them on the blog (1/10)

94. Micro-finance 10 female-owned businesses via Kiva

95. 200 Sit Ups challenge

96. 200 squats challenge

97. Write a letter to myself to open on my 30th birthday

98. Buy something from Tiffany's Replaced with create high-vis coats for Matthias

99. Find an updo and make it my go-to

100. Take one class a season Replaced with foster for Finding Shelter Animal Rescue

101. Save $20 for each goal accomplished Replaced with save every $5 I come across

Resolutions

It's January.  A new year - a "fresh start" - a time to make resolutions to make yourself/your life better.  Usually, (unless you're particularly stubborn) these resolutions fall by the wayside relatively quickly.

This is why I have chosen resolutions that can be broken down into tiny TINY steps and work with the overall of where I want my life to go.  These resolutions are themes that I know I struggle with and would like to do things to try to be more mindful of each of these themes.  Plus - I don't want to set myself up for failure.

Theme 1: Physical Self-Care

For the past year and a half, I have struggled with as-yet-undiagnosed pain and fatigue.  Doctors don't know why I have these issues.  So, in 2015, I resolve to be more conscious of my physical state and to work towards a pain/fatigue free life.

What does this mean on a day to day basis ?  I will pay attention to my body.  If I am in pain, I will not suffer through it - I will actively work to alleviate pain.  I will be more conscious of how much I move throughout the day (thanks to my Fitbit Flex!).  I will also be more conscious as to what I am eating.  This is not to say I'm going to give up sugar or caffeine or anything like that (at least not all at once) - but I'll be just be aware that I tend to binge on Starbursts when I'm stressed and that I tend to not drink enough liquids in a day and things of that nature.  It is my hope that if I continue to be aware, that I will create better habits that will carry throughout the year and be the bedrock to making larger, healthier changes like moving to a paleo or vegan diet, beginning to workout regularly, etc.

Theme 2: Emotional Self-Care

I started going to a psychologist in 2014, and it has been an eye opener.  I carry a lot of sadness, anger, and lack of self-identity with me.  And although I carry these emotions with me, I have no idea how to process them – so I don’t, and frequently, turn them inwards… at myself.  So this year, I resolve to take care of myself emotionally.  I will indulge in anger, allow sadness to roll over me, and not analyze every self-image decision I make.  I will not question my urge to wear bright pink lipstick.  I will attempt not to be afraid to be me.  I will take time for me. 

I will sew for myself.  I will take baths.  I will make sure my nails are the way I want them (this is where Jamberry steps in).  I will drink tea.  I will take time to “egg up” if necessary and hide away from the world.  I will take care not to overwhelm myself.   I will concentrate on communicating how I am feeling to the people around me. 

Theme 3: Financial Self-Care

My savings were crucial during several points in 2014.  I relied on them when pet expenses included unplanned surgeries, and the adoption of Matthias.  I plan on building them back up – one $5 at a time.  Whenever I receive a $5 bill, I will save it.  I will also make an effort to use cash more often – that way I am more conscious of what I spend.  Now that I have combined finances with R, things are a bit more complicated, but also much simpler.  There’s no longer the argument as to who is going to pay for what – it all comes out of our account.  And there is a discussion when someone wants to buy something – so impulse spending is lessened significantly.  With the move, I can now eat lunch at home – another way to keep costs to a minimum.

Well, there we go - three themes.  

Here's to 2015!