It's the Weekend | Number Thirteen

I didn't do a weekend post last week...Oops. But, here we are again, and it's Saturday and another weekend is already here. I feel like I blink and it's another week lately. I probably say that in every one of these posts, but seriously. Where is time going? Marin was up nice and early today so she joined me for my quiet time. That's always fun. 

I've been in full prep for maternity leave mode. I've been organizing cabinets. I've been creating lists. I've been getting the nursery slowly finished and am thinking about what needs to go in my hospital bag this time around. I am due in a few weeks and I'm trying to prepare myself emotionally and mentally for leaving work for a really long time. It's messing with my head lately. It will all be fine, I am sure, but 12 weeks is a long time. It will be fall by the time I fully return. I'll be working part time from home for a good chunk of it, but still. It's weird being away from anything for that long. 

Ryan and I are celebrating 8 years of marriage in 10 days as well. We are trying to figure out even a night have a date night. Life is super crazy. I've been daydreaming about taking a big trip once we hit ten years. I want to be on a beach for at least a week. No kiddos. Lots of margaritas and some good beach-y reads. That's all I want. We have 2 years to plan and save but of course I'm already thinking about it. It gives us something to look forward to. 

Anyways, here's some link love for the week....

A Summer Reading List.  Sometimes I need to not read parenting books and dive into a delicious novel. 

I've always dreamt of owning a breakfast place. Breakfast is where it's at. 

I'm always working on our budget. Here are some budgeting methods to swear by.

Last time I had a baby, it was in the dead of winter. Now, it will be summertime. Here are 6 heath benefits for getting babies out in nature. 

I love snacks. These energy balls aren't bad for you and sound delicious. Even Marin would eat these. 

Our cat has single handedly destroyed our sectional in our family room. He's lucky he's a part of the family. I'm dreaming of a new sectional that's kid and cat friendly. Someday, maybe. 

I like meal planning. Here is a podcast about it and how to meal plan with your Bullet Journal. 

Have a great weekend! 

12 Novels, 12 Months

One of my goals this year, found on my 27 before 27 list, is to read 12 novels. I figure if I get through one a month, I should be able to make my goal. I might branch out to a memoir or two, but it's rare for me to sit down with a book that isn't about a diet or decorating part of my house. I love being able to get lost in a story that isn't my own and be totally alright with that. 

I read this book while traveling in September. In the past, I haven't read a ton of westerns. But, being stuck in an airplane for a good chunk of time, allowed me to become completely sucked in to this story. Spending the time playing some shows out in the desert didn't hurt either. 

"A darkly humorous Western satire about contract killers in the time of the gold rush may not be the first book you'd peg me to read, but I've been enjoying it ever since picking it up at the airport bookstore and feverishly ripping through its first half on one plane ride. Cinematic and easy to read, this Coen brother's True Grit-meets-Cormack McCarthy narrative is not just for the guys, trust me."

—Annie Georgia Greenberg, New York editor

I just finished this book the other evening. I actually bought this book a year ago before a trip to Mexico and it sat on my bookshelf for a year. It was a recommendation from some of the ladies at the bookstore/coffeehouse I used to work at. I should have read it sooner. I don't know why it took me so long to pick it up again. It's dark, but in a way that it pulls you in and you don't want to put it down. 

This well-written first novel attempts to be several things: a psychological suspense thriller, a satire of collegiate mores and popular culture, and a philosophical bildungsroman. Supposedly brilliant students at a posh Vermont school (Bennington in thin disguise) are involved in two murders, one supposedly accidental and one deliberate. The book's many allusions, both literary and classical (the students are all classics majors studying with a professor described as both a genius and a deity) fail to provide the deeper resonance of such works as Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose . Ultimately, it works best as a psychological thriller. Expect prepublication hype to generate interest in this book and buy accordingly. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/92.

- Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Now I must choose one for November....Any other suggestions? 

1. Wild: By Cheryl Strayed

2. Gone Girl: By Gillian Flynn

3. The Newlyweds: By Nell Freudenberger

4. Late Nights On Air: By Elizabeth Hay

5. The Dead of Winter: By Lee Collins 

(who actually is a friend of ours and just released his first novel!) 

6. Beautiful Ruins: By Jess Walter

Book Nerd: A Wish list

It is no secret that I love books. I would spend my entire paycheck on them if we didn't have to pay our mortgage every month. Here is what's on my wish list. 

1. The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs To Know To Start, Run, & Maintain Her Own Business

2. The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World 

3. The Anti 9 to 5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside of the Cube 

4. Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story 

5. Steve Jobs 

6. If It Makes You Healthy 

I've obviously been thinking through a number of things....Travel, healthy eating, getting out the cubicle and actually doing a job I adore, and a few biographies of people that inspire me. 

My current read is this book. It's challenging me to really think about all of our stuff, all of the belongings that we might not really need in the long run. Reading this makes me want to deep clean our lives and get rid of a bunch of things that have piled up over the last couple of years.