Tag Archives: Personal

07.16.19
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Getting Personal #174: Eleventh TBR Recap

Paul Sweeney Book Quote

Image Credit: Good Housekeeping

Welcome back!

Here’s what I’ve read since my last TBR update:

  1. Cullen, Dave, Columbine *Re-Read*
  2. Rowling, J.K., Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone *Re-Read*
  3. Humphries, MD, Suzanne, Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History (DNF)

Removing from Laura Beth’s TBR:

  1. Brubaker Bradley, Kimberly, The War That Saved My Life *Re-Read*
  2. Fisher, Carrie, Wishful Drinking
  3. Hite, Sid, My Name is America: The Journal of Rufus Rowe, Witness to the Battle of Fredericksburg
  4. Russell, Kristen, A Sky for Us Alone
  5. Thomas, Angie, The Hate U Give

Removal Rate: 5/11 = 45%

Keep & Re-Classify – Laura Beth’s Updated TBR

  1. Arnold, David, Mosquitoland
  2. Conley, Garrard, Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family
  3. Goldstein, Amy, Janesville: An American Story
  4. King, Stephen, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft *Re-Read*
  5. Kubica, Mary, Good Girl
  6. Oviatt, Didi, Search for Maylee

Keep Rate: 6/11 = 55%

Adding To The TBR

  1. Anderson, Laurie Halse, Shout
  2. Duncan, Lois, Who Killed My Daughter?: The True Story of a Mother’s Search for Her Daughter’s Murderer
  3. Martin, Kristen, The Alpha Drive
  4. Rowling, J.K., Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *Re-Read*
  5. Spinney, Caroll, The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers
  6. Vaughan, Brian K., Paper Girls Volume 1
  7. Ware, Ruth, In A Dark, Dark Wood

So, my current TBR is 13 books.

Do you have a TBR?

What book are you looking forward to reading next?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

 

07.01.19
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Getting Personal #173: July Goals

July

Image Credit: Facebook

Hello, July! It’s hot and humid here in Virginia. Summer just started, and it’s already reaching the mid-90s during the day.

Here are my goals for the month of July:

  1. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2019.
  2. Catch up on maintenance / gas logs for both cars.
  3. Do another round of closet clean-out.
  4. See Spider-Man: Far From Home.
  5. Watch Stranger Things, Season 3.
  6. Finish cleaning the attached garage.
  7. Work on my office, making sure everything from the garage has a proper place.
  8. Read every night before bed.
  9. Celebrate the 4th!
  10. Spend quality time with family and friends.

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month of July?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.30.19
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Getting Personal #172: June Goals Recap

BeautyBeyondBones 2

Image Credit: Beauty Beyond Bones

June felt like a bit of a marathon. Oh well. It was a good month!

Here’s the link to my June Goals post:

  • Getting Personal #170: June Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. See Dark Phoenix. — Accomplished!
  2. Test out the “natural” weed killer recipe. — Accomplished!
  3. Plant mosquito-repelling plants in our front flower beds. — Did not accomplish.
  4. Work on tidying up both garages with Al. — Accomplished!
  5. Catch up on maintenance / gas logs for both cars. — Did not accomplish.
  6. Do another round of closet clean-out. — Did not accomplish.
  7. Decide what to work on for Camp NaNoWriMo July 2019. — Accomplished!
  8. Catch up on tags and participation blog posts. — Accomplished!
  9. Spend more time reading. — Did not accomplish.
  10. Spend more time with my journal. — Semi-Achieved.
  11. Find at least one new recipe to make. — Accomplished!

Al and I went to see Dark Phoenix the weekend it opened. It was pretty decent, but we both have similar opinions about the X-Men movie franchise. The cast was great!

The “natural” weed killer recipe is three ingredients: Vinegar, Epsom salt, and blue Dawn dishwashing detergent. It worked pretty well. We definitely have some stubborn weeds, though, so it may take multiple applications!

We made HUGE progress with both garages this month! I’m so excited. Al single-handedly worked on the detached garage, and we were able to park his Mustang in it last weekend! Happy dance. We took several hours yesterday to tackle the attached garage together, and it looks like a different space already. We still have some work to do, but we filled up my car with thrift store donations, and we have so much less stuff to deal with going forward. We’re hoping, by some time in July, to park one of the other cars in it!

I can’t believe it’s already time for Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2019! I really enjoy the structure of it, and I look forward to meeting everyone in my “cabin.”

I’m working diligently to write in my journal every day. I’m taking a page from my Gratitude Challenge blog posts and trying to capture my gratitude list daily.

The recipe I chose knocked it out of the park! I was looking for something different to make in our Crock-Pot, and I stumbled upon Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas. It’s only four ingredients, and it’s simply set it and forget it!

Did you have any goals for the month of June? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.28.19
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Getting Personal #171: “My Grandma, the PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!” (Reblogged)

Full disclosure: This is not about my grandma!

I wanted to spread this exciting news!

I’ve been following Didi and her blog for quite a while. I remember her telling us about her amazing grandmother, who was in the process of writing a novel. Well, this week, her grandma’s dream became a reality! Check out Didi’s post, Doris’s book, and share away! I’m definitely buying it in the near future.

Congratulations, Doris!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Didi Oviatt

My Grandma published her western romance novel today! I couldn’t be any more thrilled! Not only to have a grandma of my very own, that’s a writer like me, but to have her step up and publish her work, is absolutely amazing! I’ve mentioned her project before, even wrote a bit ofdescription andreview as she pushed through the process of it all. Writing a novel is no small task, and she’s been working on it for quite some time. As a long time poet, she’s had the itch to write for years, and I am so proud of her. The book is a delight! The characters are phenomenal! Even in her 80s, my Grandma is a confident, beautiful, and extremely talented woman! SO GO READ THIS BOOK!

DESCRIPTION:

Terry is an independent woman who stems from a prominent family that founded Paradise. She’s humble yet fierce, and she…

View original post 71 more words

06.06.19
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Getting Personal #170: June Goals

img_1946

Photo from Coral Gables, Florida. Found on Facebook.

I’ve been doing a double-take when I look at a calendar. It’s June. We’re basically halfway through 2019 now. It feels crazy!

Here are my goals for the month of June:

  1. See Dark Phoenix.
  2. Test out the “natural” weed killer recipe.
  3. Plant mosquito-repelling plants in our front flower beds.
  4. Work on tidying up both garages with Al.
  5. Catch up on maintenance / gas logs for both cars.
  6. Do another round of closet clean-out.
  7. Decide what to work on for Camp NaNoWriMo July 2019.
  8. Catch up on tags and participation blog posts.
  9. Spend more time reading.
  10. Spend more time with my journal.
  11. Find at least one new recipe to make.

Do you have any goals for the month of June? Let me know in the comments!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

05.31.19
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Getting Personal #169: May Goals Recap

Welcome back! I don’t know about you, but May seemed like a really long month! It’s been a mix of heat waves and cooler weather here, so we’re in for a long, hot summer.

Here’s the link to my May Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Continue work on the garage. — Did not accomplish.
  2. Make at least two thrift store donation runs. — Accomplished!
  3. Meal-prep for the entire month. — Accomplished!
  4. Participate in Didi’s WIP Writing Challenge for May. — Did not accomplish.
  5. Attend P.E.O. Virginia State Convention! — Accomplished!
  6. Celebrate May The Fourth Be With You. — Accomplished!
  7. Create two planters for our front stoop with mosquito-repellent plants. — Did not accomplish.
  8. Continue work on my 2014 WIP. — Did not accomplish.
  9. See Long Shot. — Did not accomplish.
  10. See Pokemon Detective Pikachu. — Did not accomplish.
  11. See The Hustle. — Did not accomplish.
  12. Spend time with good friends. — Did not accomplish.
  13. See Avengers: Endgame again. — Did not accomplish.
  14. Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend with family. — Accomplished!

I didn’t work on the garage, but I made a lot of progress with my office. I organized all of my doll things, and got a lot of trash and recycling out. I made two runs to Goodwill, and have plans for at least one more.

We watched Solo: A Star Wars Story with Nick, Savy, and Mia at their place on May 4th. So much fun!

We had a good trip to the farm to see Al’s parents. Nick, Savy, and Xeno joined us on Saturday night. We watched The Majestic and North By Northwest. So much food! When we got home Monday night, my parents invited us over for skeen burgers and fun with Debbie D.

Look for more book reviews in June!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

05.01.19
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Getting Personal #167: May Goals

BeautyBeyondBones 36

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

Here are my goals for the month of May:

  1. Continue work on the garage.
  2. Make at least two thrift store donation runs.
  3. Meal-prep for the entire month.
  4. Participate in Didi’s WIP Writing Challenge for May.
  5. Attend P.E.O. Virginia State Convention!
  6. Celebrate May The Fourth Be With You.
  7. Create two planters for our front stoop with mosquito-repellent plants.
  8. Continue work on my 2014 WIP.
  9. See Long Shot.
  10. See Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
  11. See The Hustle.
  12. Spend time with good friends.
  13. See Avengers: Endgame again.
  14. Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend with family.

Do you have any goals for the month of May? Let me know in the comments!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂