The First Monday of the Year

Okay, so it's a Monday and you know how Mondays are. However, as Mondays go, this one was pretty good. It's been a productive day. The daily readings were done early. The writing was accomplished. There was definite progress on the house. The den is cleaner and I even got in some work on my workroom (not a lot, but there is some forward movement). The kids' rooms are looking better and we've weeded out an entire garbage bag full of clothes to go to Goodwill. I did a bit of reading on the Art of Home book and I've read another chapter in the journaling book. I also went through some of the stuff that came from my mom's kitchen and found pots and pans and seasonings and a few kitchen tools for Spitfire's new house. How cool is it to declutter your house by helping other people provide for theirs? Love that!

Interesting times

Yesterday was amazing. We got news that two different friends that had been wanting to have a baby just found out they are expecting. I got to see an old and dear friend who is happier than I have seen her in years. I saw my next to oldest dd (henceforth known on the blog as Princess) off headed back home and back to work in a job she loves.

I'm still trying to get menus made, but maybe I'm not supposed to. At lunch today, I went in and looked at my pantry and started pulling things out and combining them together. We ended up eating a fairly tasty pasta dish that had broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and squash mixed with whole wheat penne in a rich tomato sauce. It was served with brown and serve rolls dipped in garlic butter. Tonight I'm making chicken pot pies for my oldest dd (aka Spitfire) who will be heading home in a couple of days. Pretty soon it will be down to the usual crowd here at home. Still up to date on my daily readings, but not making much progress on the regular reading list.

Day One...So Far, So Good

I started my reading program today. I did all the daily readings and even got the writing exercise completed. I had a lovely lunch out with my husband and ran a few errands while we were out. It's been a nice, relaxing day which I really needed. I've weighed and measured to track progress (and, no, I won't be posting all those numbers on the blog just yet). I'm starting with small changes that I hope will add up to big ones. Time will tell. Today at lunch I divided my meal in two and ate one portion. The other portion came home with me for lunch tomorrow. When I finished eating, I realized I had eaten plenty of food and didn't really even want any more. Tonight I've probably eaten too much while grazing snack food during the football game. Oh well.

2010 Reading List

This year I'm involved in several reading challenges. Read more about that here: Up for a Challenge and It's A Sickness, Really. All books on the list qualify for the 100+ challenge. The rest are as follows:
(L)      Support Your Library Challenge (100 books from the library) 
(T/S)   Thriller & Suspense Challenge (12 books)
(ND)   Nancy Drew Challenge (56 original Nancy Drew mysteries)
(CBR) Clover, Bee and Reverie Poetry Reading Challenge (couplet--two books of poetry)
(TT)    Time Travel Reading Challenge (3 time travel books)
(CF)    Revisit Your Childhood Favorites (5 children's books)
(AA)   Aussie Authors Challenge (3 books by Australian authors)
(MR)   Mystery Reader Cafe Reading Challenge (4 books)
(MPH) Marple Poirot Holmes (2 books of each for a total of 6)
(CNF)  Christian Non-Fiction Challenge 2010 (10 books)
(EB)    e-Book Reading Challenge (20 e-books)
(TQ)    ThemeQuest Reading Challenge (5 books on the them of peace with at least one each of f & nf)
(WN)  What's in a Name Reading Challenge (6 books with various requirements)
(CR)   Colorful Reading Challenge (9 books each with a different color in the title)
(20)    Twenty Ten Reading Challenge (20 books in 10 categories)
Some books may have multiple designations because they qualify for multiple challenges.

The Perfect 10 Diet by Michael Aziz, MD
The House That Cleans Itself by Mindy Starnes Clark (EB)
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (L, ND)
Baby Steps to Better Health by Sheri Graham (EB)
Learning for the Littles by Sheri Graham (EB)
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene (ND)
Purposeful Planning by Phyllis Sather (EB)
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene (L, ND)
Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers by Heidi Schaap (EB)
Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joann Fluke (L, T/S)
The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (L, ND)
Supermom’s Simple Guide to Healthier Eating for Beginners and Beyond! by Erica Johns (EB)
Making a House a Home by Edgar A. Guest (EB)
The Mystery of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (ND)
The Joyful Christian Homemaker by Candy (EB)
The Secret of Red Gate Farm (L, ND)
The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene (L, ND)
The Apple Turnover Mystery (L, T/S, 20, MC)