Category Archives: books

31 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11 (and kind of a Read It in disguise!)

Posted on by
Reply

For the month of March, I am participating in Fabulous Finds by Tiffany’s 31 Day Blog Challenge. Today’s prompt: the last book you read.

I want to talk about two books in this post: Four of a Kind by Valerie Frankel and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

 

Source: goodreads.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

Four of a Kind, synopsis: Four of a Kind is a novel is split into parts, and each part is further divided into chapters, each of which is told from the point of view of one of the four main characters: Bess, Robin, Alicia, and Carla. All four women have children who attend Brownstone, a private school in Brooklyn Heights. They come together as members of the Diversity Committee, and in order to break the ice at their first meeting, they play a game of poker. However, instead of playing for money, they play for secrets. Soon, the four become close friends and a support system, helping each other to challenge the “givens” of their lives and their families.

Four of Kind, my thoughts: I was interested in this book for a few reasons: (1) It falls into one of my two favorite categories, chick lit; (2) the premise intrigued me; and (3) it is authored by a woman who writes articles in Self that I just love. I was not let down. This book was very engaging. The characters were well-developed, with relatable responsibilities, desires, hopes, and fears. Even though I am not married (yet!), I don’t have children, and I don’t share the same career as any of the characters in the book, there were dozens of times throughout the reading that I felt a strong connection to the readers’ feelings and situations. I felt inspired and strengthened to deal challenges of my own. Aside from feeling an emotional connection to the characters, it was just a really good story. I had trouble putting it down to work on things I had to get done! I highly recommend it.

 

Source: goodreads.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

The Happiness Project, synopsis: Gretchen Rubin decided she was going increase her happiness to its maximum potential, and spent a year in pursuit of doing so. She did tons of research and documented the entire process. Each month she focused on a different theme: energy, marriage, work, parenthood, leisure, friendship, money, eternity, a passion (books, in her case), mindfulness, attitude, and overall “boot camp perfect.” Rubin perfectly blends humor, research, and honesty.

The Happiness Project, my thoughts: I am blown away by this book – totally inspired, marking up the whole thing with notes, reading parts over and over. Rubin has a blog that I am now 100% subscribed and addicted to, and another happiness work that I immediately went out and purchased upon finishing her first. Rubin has developed and put out many tips and materials for readers to pursue their own happiness project, and I have already begun to take full advantage of it. I cannot recommend this book enough. I feel happier just having read it and recalling its lessons and stories on a daily basis.

 

Have you read either of these books? What did you think of them? What was the last book you read?

31 Day Blog Challenge: Days 2 & 3

Posted on by
Reply

I recently discovered and joined the 31 Day Blog Challenge. Here are (yesterday) Day 2: Favorite Quote(s) and (today) Day 3: What makes you happy?

 

Day 2: Favorite Quotes

I LOVE quotes. I keep a quote journal, I have an extensive Pinterest quote collection, I follow multiple Twitter accounts that exist solely to tweet quotes, etc. So there are a great deal of quotes that inspire me or have been especially meaningful to me throughout the years. However, over the past year or so – a time in which I have been trying to get sure footing in my career and life post-college while also learning how to better manage my anxiety – the quotes that have been especially inspirational and guiding to me have been the following two:

 

Source: flickr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

 

Day 4: What makes you happy?

At this point in my life, I could write a great deal on this prompt. I am about 2/3 of the way through The Happiness Project, just purchased Happier at Home and Daring Greatly, and have been bookmarking articles on happiness and balance left and right. I guess the best answer I have to this question at this moment is this: Thinking about what I’m grateful for and brightens my life makes me happy. Morning coffee, cuddles and walks and playing with Madison, baking, reading a really good book, listening to history podcasts, watching a funny TV show, sharing a meal with my family, trivia with my friends, painting my nails, spending all day in sweatpants, helping and laughing and teaching my students and athletes, working out until I am dripping with sweat and feel on fire, listening to my mom play the piano, playing cards with my grandma, seeing a beautiful sunset or sunrise, and so much more.

 

What quotes do you love? What makes you happy?

new year’s all year: october reflections and november goals

Posted on by
Reply

In January I introduced the 2012 New Year’s All Year Challenge, in which I made broad “endpoint” goals for the year and explained that each month I will make specific small goals that are stepping stones to my endpoint aims. Each month I will also reflect on the previous month’s goals and efforts.

 

 

 

October goals:

  • Health: get enough sleep
  • Finances: budget and stick to it
  • Relationships: try to balance relationships with work in a good way
  • Wedding: BOOK A PHOTOGRAPHER and go bridesmaid dress shopping
  • Career: stay on top of to-do list and fundraising for swimming
  • Self-enrichment: take time to a read a fun book or listen to history podcasts

 

October reflections:

Health:  I really struggled with getting enough sleep this month. Partly because of all that I had to do, partly because I was worrying a lot so I had trouble sleeping. Either way, I did my best. For the most part, I think I did okay. Hopefully I can do better in November. Finances: I budgeted and stuck to it pretty well! Definitely something I plan to keep up. Relationships: I did my best to balance seeing friends, family, and Dan and keeping up with work. I think I did decently. It’s hard because I love spending time with the people I love, but I also don’t want to fall behind on work. Wedding: A photographer has FINALLY been booked!!! Dan took the reins and settled a contract with our first-choice photographer. I’m so relieved and excited! My sister Jackie, who is my maid of honor/only bridesmaid, and I went dress shopping this month. We didn’t find a dress that we liked at the store we looked at, but we got better ideas what we wanted. Career: I am doing better with staying on top of things, though there is still so much to do all the time! And I am enjoying it more again now that I have a bit more of a rhythm.  Self-enrichment: I travel every other weekend to visit Dan (we’re in different cities until we get married) and I look forward to listening to Stuff You Missed in History Class on the rides. I’ve also started reading for fun again, as a way to get my mind off my never-ending to-do list.

 

Source: google.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

 

November goals:

  • Health: make attending the group exercise classes I enjoy a priority and don’t feel guilty about using that time for exercise instead of work! Also consume less caffeine.
  • Finances: budget and stick to it; meet monthly savings goal
  • Relationships: make sure I thank those in my life for the ways they enrich it
  • Wedding: Ask for help with planning and start figure out best florist/flower option
  • Career: reflect on how my first quarter of teaching went and make/implement plans on how to improve the second; start swim season off on a great note with the students, continue working on fundraisers, and get all home meet preparations done well ahead of time
  • Self-enrichment: schedule regular pockets of time to myself to unwind (read a book for fun, bake, cook, watch a movie without also grading, BLOG, etc.) and don’t feel guilty about doing so!

 

new year’s all year: september reflections and october goals

Posted on by
Reply

In January I introduced the 2012 New Year’s All Year Challenge, in which I made broad “endpoint” goals for the year and explained that each month I will make specific small goals that are stepping stones to my endpoint aims. Each month I will also reflect on the previous month’s goals and efforts.

 

Source: piccsy.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

 

I obviously haven’t posted in awhile, mainly because I have been completely overwhelmed with work – still trying to adjust to a rhythm that works for me. I did, however, write October goals at the beginning of October, though I did not post them here. I realized this weekend, it’s almost then end of October and I haven’t shared them yet! So here we go:

September goals:

  • Health: continue practicing healthy eating habits and workout a couple times a week
  • Finances: budget and make first student loan payment
  • Relationships: show loved ones my love for them
  • Wedding: Book a photographer and update to-do list/plans
  • Career: find a rhythm/routine that works for teaching full-time and stick to it; finish preseason plans for 2012-13 swim season
  • Self-enrichment: learn more about stress and anxiety and coping techniques

 

September reflections:

Health: my eating habits got a bit wacky again, but I managed to get back on track and workout more than in August. Finances: Budgeting was tricky this month due to the timing of paychecks from summer job and the new job, but I did get my first student loan payment knocked out, which felt awesome! Relationships: As always with goals about treating others well and with love, I think I did decently but could have done better. Wedding: Wedding planning took a total back-burner this month. Didn’t get anything done, eek! Career: By the end of the month I had a better rhythm going and pre-season was in swing. Still need to cement this rhythm/routine though. Pretty sure I will feel like this all year, but from what more experienced teachers have told me, it will get better with time. Self-enrichment: I am doing my best to learn more about stress and coping techniques. I’ve started counseling again part-time to do so and reading about it on my own.

 

 

 

October goals:

  • Health: get enough sleep
  • Finances: budget and stick to it
  • Relationships: try to balance relationships with work in a good way
  • Wedding: BOOK A PHOTOGRAPHER and go bridesmaid dress shopping
  • Career: stay on top of to-do list and fundraising for swimming
  • Self-enrichment: take time to a read a fun book or listen to history podcasts

 

read it: death, taxes, and a french manicure

Posted on by
Reply

Source: goodreads.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Review: I greatly enjoy chick lit, and as of late, have become hooked on mysteries, as well. I recently discovered the chick lit-style “Death and Taxes”  series by Diane Kelly, which are mysteries about Dallas resident Tara Holloway, a special agent with the IRS who loves gardening, tax law, the second amendment, and manicures. I got the first book, Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure, on a whim from a Kindle Daily Deal, and I’m super glad I did! It was a little cheesy and romance novel-like at times, but it was also hilarious, kept me guessing, and entertained and inspired me with excellent portrayals of strong women. Kelly doesn’t shy away from giving plenty of detail as to what rules and regulations the white collar crimes are violating, but explains the financial concepts in readable and engaging terms. Tara is an extremely likable character, a heroine you can root for without reservation: intelligent and quirky, responsible yet daring, and tough but girly. Each of the supporting characters are well-developed and entertaining, including Tara’s love interest. I wanted to buy the second novel immediately after finishing the first, but I managed to restrain myself by using the purchase as motivation for achieving some goals. I am definitely looking forward sitting down sometime soon with Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte and some Starbucks of my own!

Have you ever read the Death and Taxes series? Are you interested in it? What books have you read and loved recently?

 

weekly gems

Posted on by
Reply

Source: flickr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

 

recent inspirations

Posted on by
Reply

Source: amazon.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

I have been reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin for a couple months now. I highly recommend it if you are interested in political biographies and/or the American Civil War from the perspective of the North, though you might need to take a break every once in awhile (it’s really long and very detailed! I’ve paused and read a couple light novels in between).

There is a lot of inspiration to be found in Team of Rivals and the historical andecotes and political profiles it provides. Goodwin often talks about how Lincoln was very self-aware and took whatever actions he needed to in order to keep his spirits and his hope high. She references current research to explain why having hope is key in troubling times:

” ‘Having hope,’ writes Daniel Goleman in his study of emotional intelligence, ‘means that one will not give in to overwhelming anxiety, a defeatist attitude, or depression in the face of difficult challenges or setbacks.’ Hope is ‘more than the sunny view that everything will turn out all right’; it is ‘believing you have the will and the way to accomplish your goals.’ ”

 

You can do it! Never lose hope!

 

 

bookmark it, LOL edition: suri’s burn book

Posted on by
Reply

 

I came across this Tumblr, Suri’s Burn Book, earlier this week. Basically, it’s a satirical blog written from the perspective of Suri Cruise in which she provides commentary on celebrities’ (particularly celebrity’s children) fashion and ability to handle fame. I spent a whole evening reading through it and I could not stop laughing. I’m sure some people would say it’s not right to make fun of children’s clothes or imitiate Suri Cruise in such a manner, to which I would say to those people it’s clearly all in good fun and when you come to my house you can just ignore the book on the coffee table.

You really should take a look at the Tumblr, since photos are always included and add to the commentary, oftentimes being the sole focus and not just accompaniment. Here are some stand-alone quotes that cracked me up:

  • “Either get your things monogrammed or just expect that people know who you are.”
  • “Amy Poehler’s ginger baby is not amused. He is, however, still extremely ginger.”
  • “It’s not cute, it’s not clever, and it’s not symmetrical, which are three of my highest priorities for haircuts and for life in general.”
  • “I feel like her eyes are silently asking for help. Perhaps she’s just realized that her name is Maxwell, and Jessica Simpson is responsible for her.”
  • “Even I know better than to pretentiously tweet about my bad days, even though I assure you I have them. Just yesterday, my chef tried to serve me pancakes instead of waffles, and it threw me off for the rest of the morning.”
  • “Blue Ivy Carter showed up in Paris yesterday without shoes on. Going barefoot in Paris is like showing up to the Oscars in a denim miniskirt. A frayed one.”
  • “All I would want to discuss with the President is equal pay for equal work, and the ridiculously high tariffs on French cheeses.”

 

things that are making me happy

Posted on by
Reply

Source: beagleandbear.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

What is making you happy as of late?

 

does anyone else…

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

…enjoy driving with sunglasses on, the windows down, and music blaring?

…adore black tea lemonades?

…think August 18th is way too long to wait for The Hunger Games on DVD?

…love the start of summer grill-out season?

…read historical nonfiction (like this)?

…not understand the need for so many singing competition shows on TV?

…enjoy cheesy puns (like the ones in the photo above)?

…think napping is wonderful?

 

P.S. Thinking of all those the U.S.A. lost in the line of duty, their legacy, and their families, as well as all living past, present, and future servicemen and women. Thank you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...