My list of goals for 2022

Good morning!

I’m forgoing my usual Friday Links post this week in order to bring you…

My 2022 goals!

It’s good to have something to work towards, right? Life has thrown quite a few curveballs at us in the past few years, and I know it’s possible that many or none of these will get done because of that (and if that’s the case, I’ll be kind to myself; it’s difficult to live through history like this!), but I like having at least a few things in mind to accomplish as I mosey through the year. From here on out, I’ll be updating my progress on this every month, so stay tuned to see how I do (or don’t do, as the case may be!).

Ready? Here we go!

 

2022 Goals

1. Read 100 books.

This is a goal I make every year, and I’ve made it every year since but two (both years that I had very young children). Some years I hit 100 fairly early in the year; other years, it’s not until August. Just as long as I hit 100, I’m happy!

SUB GOAL: Read all the ebooks on my list! The photo doesn’t show all of them, but it’s the majority. I’ve been kind of sitting on these books, waiting to see if the library was going to close down again, but if that happens, my plan is to focus on reading some of the books on my own shelf. Some of these have been sitting on my list far too long! I’ll get started on these as soon as I finish my current crop of library books. 

2. Sew at least one thing.

This is a big one! Sewing intimidates me; I have zero training as a seamstress. When it’s safe, whenever that is, I want to take a sewing class or two, but I’ve made skirts, pajama pants, aprons, and several Halloween costumes, all fairly simple stuff. I don’t yet have it planned out *what* I want to sew, just that I want to sew at least one item.

3. Knit at least one thing.

Doesn’t matter what, but I have a few ideas.

4. Crochet at least one thing.

Crochet is faster than knitting, but it uses more yarn, so I’m careful about how often I crochet things. I have a few ideas of what I might crochet, nothing big, but whatever I make will count!

5. Finish my grandmother’s cross-stitch.

Besides reading my 100 books, this is my first priority, and I’m well on my way there! It’s been sitting here for too long, and I’d love to surprise my mom with the finished product soon. I’m just doing the backstitching now, so this really shouldn’t take me too much longer.

6. Work my way through Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way.

Another major priority. I’ve gone through Aleph Isn’t Tough by Linda Motzkin twice and I’m more than ready to move on, but the second in her series, Aleph Isn’t Enough, didn’t break down the language enough for me to feel comfortable moving past the first lesson. Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way by Joseph Anderson is a good bridge between the two books (my rabbi agrees!), so I’m resolving to tackle this whole book this year. I worked through a little of the book this past summer, but fell off when my daughter went back to school and my brain started panicking at all the alone time I had (thank you, antidepressant, for getting me back on track!). Here you can see the outside of the book, and a sample lesson.

7. Read at least one book in French

This is something I’ve done almost every year as an adult, though I’ve taken the last two years off (THANKS, PANDEMIC. Little hard to focus when everyone is home and noisy and all of virtual first grade is taking place seven feet away…). I have a HUGE collection of untranslated French novels, thanks to my wonderful Belgian mother-in-law, and it’s time to get back on track with this. I don’t have a book picked out yet, but I’ll update when I do.

BONUS

We all need about 2347893248932 more hours in our days in order to accomplish everything we truly want to, and I’m no different. I realize there’s a limit to my time, and the goals above are what I’ll be focusing my time on, but if I find myself with extra time on my hands, here’s where it will go.

A. Write something and get it published.

I accomplished this last year! Alma published an article I wrote in June, and I’m still extremely proud of that. Writing can be a hit-or-miss thing, so I may write a thousand articles and not get anything published, but…it’s a worthy goal!

B. Do at least six drawings.

Drawing is something I picked up during the pandemic. My daughter was worried about doing art class all alone, so I said I’d do art with her. It’s hard for me. I’m not a natural artist; my brain doesn’t make pictures very well (I have a hard time even clearly picturing things in my own house), so I’m still in the stages of working out how to draw based on other people’s pictures, but it’s a fun learning activity for me (even if my brain feels like soup when I’m done!). Some examples of past drawings:

 

 

C. Watch more Karl Johan

I had originally had this as watching more SKAM. SKAM is a Norwegian show that was popular a few years ago. I watched and absolutely adored the first three seasons and then never got around to watching the final season. Unfortunately, the show is no longer available outside of Norway, which is a huge bummer, because it was incredibly well-done, and I’d always meant to watch Season 4. But another favorite, Karl Johan, is still available, so I’ll watch more of that instead. This isn’t a relaxing thing for me; I’m nowhere near fluent in Norwegian and I have to pause the show often to look things up, so this is work. But it’s good work, and enjoyable, so it’s something I’d definitely like to get to if I have time.

 

That’s what I was able to come up with this year. I have plenty to read and learn and work towards. Notice that all of these things are things that can be done at home, using things I pretty much already have! I own so many books and a kindle, and I have access to many fabulous libraries; I have a HUGE stash of yarn and all the knitting needles and crochet hooks I need. I’d like to have other goals on here, like growing a larger garden, but things like that are deeply dependent on how my back is, and while it’s mostly fine now, it’s not been great through the pandemic as a whole, so I didn’t want to add anything super physical that I may not be able to complete due to no fault of my own.

It's going to be a busy year, and I’m looking forward to it!

What kind of goals do you have for this new year?

What's Been Going On: Monday, 27 December - Wednesday, 29 December, 2021

 Lazy, lazy week around here!

This is one of my favorite times of year. Not because of the holidays; more because of the coziness of it all. The weather is usually pretty gross, sloppy and cold; my husband is usually off of work because the lab is closed or, at the very least, slowed down quite a bit, so if he’s not off entirely like he is this week, he’s only going in briefly. My daughter is home from school. It’s a time of year to be cozy and lazy and snuggly, and that’s what we’ve been doing this week, for the most part.

Here's what’s been going on so far this week!

 

Monday, 27 December, 2021

After coffee and breakfast, I got dressed. I tidied my daughter’s room a bit and brought up the gifts that remained in the living room. And then it was time to take down the tree! Woohoo!!! (I really like having my living room back.) I got everything down and packed away, and I swept the living room floor.

I then sat down for a bit, because my back was pretty cranky, so I played on the computer a bit. I unloaded the dishwasher, and then it was time for lunch. Afterwards, we bundled up for a very cold and windy three-mile walk (lots of complaining from my daughter. Can’t blame her too much there).

I read and napped a bit under my heated throw, and then warmed the leftover chili for dinner. I did my Duolingo, loaded and ran the dishwasher, put the remains of dinner away, and showered. I read, finishing Knocked Down by Aileen Weintraub, and watched one episode of FBI Files with my husband.

 

Tuesday, 28 December, 2021

While having breakfast and coffee, I wrote two book reviews (which won’t be posted for several months, since they’re ARCs from NetGalley that won’t be commercially released for a while yet), which took a large chunk of the morning. I love getting books from NetGalley, but I definitely find reviewing those books to be a little more challenging, since I want to be as thorough and professional about them as I can.

I got dressed, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and ran it again, took out the compost, and then it was time for lunch. I wasn’t hugely hungry, but I had to eat because I had to drive my son to the doctor. We’d scheduled this appointment a while back, but of course it got scheduled for the ONE DAY where we got measurable snow. The roads were absolutely hideous the entire way there; we only saw one single plow the entire way there. I slid past our turn and had to take the next one, and probably didn’t go over 20 mph the entire time. My view when my son was in the building:

 

While my son was getting his physical and flu shot, I spent 30 minutes doing my Read Harder of The Joy of Sects by Peter Occhiogrosso. Fortunately, the drive home was much better; the plows had been out and the roads were clear. Phew!

At home, I tidied and swept the living room, pulling down the blue-and-silver garland I’d put up for Hanukkah (I stored it with the Christmas tree, since Hanukkah is late next year and will intersect with Christmas). I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, prepared a batch of Oven Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts, and I chopped up an onion. I took out the compost, then came in to cook One Pan Pasta. 

After dinner, I biked for 25 minutes, showered, and put my daughter to bed. I began reading Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration by Reuben Jonathan Miller.

When my husband came upstairs, we watched The First Wave on Hulu. It’s about the first wave of COVID-19 and showcases the horrors that took place at Long Island Jewish Hospital Medical Center in New York. I highly recommend it if you have the mental space to watch it. If you’ve lost a loved one to COVID, however, take care; this is absolutely not an easy watch, but it does a tremendous job of illustrating the suffering of the patients and the strain on the doctors and nurses caring for them- both physical and emotional. It’s by National Geographic; if you have cable, they may show it on that channel as well. There’s a LOT of suffering in this documentary, though, so be careful if you’re not quite feeling ready to witness that.

 

Wednesday, 29 December, 2021

Breakfast and coffee, grocery list, dressed, and I was out the door! I hit two grocery stores today; at the local store, in terms of good deals, I bought around four pounds of bananas, three containers of baba ghanoush, and two packages of cheese ends, all marked down, which made me happy!

At home, I put the groceries away and did an hour of volunteer work. I had to email the folks from the foundation with a question, but in the meantime, I began compiling lists of food pantries in Tennessee (and already began to rage about the 2374832749832 requirements some of these places have for people down on their luck, just trying to stay alive. There’s a whole lot of racist, classist, power tripping nonsense that goes on in far too many of these places, and the language they use to speak about or to their clients is often completely disrespectful and othering. I’ve got rage for DAYS about this).

After lunch, I loaded and ran the dishwasher, tidied the living room, scooped the litterbox, and folded and put away two loads of laundry. My daughter joined me for 30 minutes of Read Harder- I’m SO close to finishing this book!!! If we read tomorrow, I’ll likely get through it. I read Halfway Home for a bit, then dozed.

I threw the Aldi pizza (with mushrooms I chopped and added) into the oven, and after dinner, I sat down to write this post. I did my Duolingo and showered (skipped biking because my contacts were bothering me, so I just wanted to take them out, which turned out to be a terrible idea, since my legs were bothering me all night long too. I really needed that exercise!), then read for an hour before my husband came upstairs. We watched two episodes of Killer in Plain Sight (I think that’s what it was called) before going to bed.

 

That’s it for now! We’re supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow on Saturday, so that’ll make things interesting. I’m glad we at least have more time before my daughter goes back to school, because case numbers are so high around here that sending the kids back seems like an absolutely terrible idea. I don’t even know what to think about that right now.

I hope you’re all doing well and staying healthy! Laundry, volunteer work, and cleaning for me today, and we’ll see what else I can fit in. Definitely exercise of some kind! ; )

What's Been Going on: Thursday, 23 December - Sunday, 26 December, 2021

 Welcome to a new week! I hope however you spent this weekend, it was safe and you’ve entered this week healthy and relaxed. Any plans we might have thought of earlier were rearranged; one family member came down with a mild breakthrough case of Covid, and my mom, while testing negative on her rapid test, has all the symptoms of it. We’re all healthy and tested negative, however, so we were able to visit my father, which was wonderful.

 Here's what I’ve been up to lately!

 

Thursday, 23 December, 2021

After coffee and breakfast, I posted my Thursday post, scooped the litterbox, and loaded and ran the dishwasher. I published my review for American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadowy History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser on my book blog. And then I settled down for an hour of volunteer work.

We all had lunch and took a 3 mile walk together. My daughter and I did 30 minutes of Read Harder together (I’m getting so close to finishing this book!), and then, with all the best intentions of reading more of my regular book, I…took a nap. It happens!

I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and put the cauliflower potato soup on to reheat. We had dinner, I did my Duolingo, showered, and put dinner away. I read for about an hour until my husband came upstairs, and we watched an episode of Cold Case Files before bed.

 

Friday, 24 December, 2021

I had breakfast and coffee, got dressed, and loaded the dishwasher. I then prepared a double batch of Grits Casserole (with vegetarian “sausage”); I make this for my family every Christmas morning, but it’s so much easier to prepare it the day before and shove it in the oven in the morning. I put some red and black beans in the Instant Pot to cook, folded and put away a load of laundry, started a new load in the washer, and folded and put away a second load.

I played on the computer a bit, talked with my Dad on the phone, and then it was time for lunch! Afterwards, we all took another 3-mile walk. This pond is on our walking route, behind my daughter’s school, and it’s always neat to see how it changes throughout the year.

I switched the laundry and started a second load, loaded and ran the dishwasher, and then prepared an Instant Pot full of sweet potato chili (no recipe, I just kind of wing it). My daughter helped me with my 30 minutes of Read Harder, then I read a little of my regular book before napping (again!). I read a lot more when I woke up, and then it was time for dinner.

I did my Duolingo, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, put dinner away, switched the laundry, then sat down to work on my grandma’s cross-stitch. I virtually attended my synagogue’s Shabbat services (small crowd; we have a lot of interfaith families! To be honest, I’m kind of expecting them to go back to all-virtual services soon. I know of a few synagogues that already have). It was an early service, so I was able to put my daughter to bed. I read for a bit, then my husband and I wrapped gifts while listening to a few episodes of Cold Case Files. I loathe wrapping presents (and I’m terrible at it!).

 

Saturday, 25 December, 2021

In the tradition of children everywhere, my daughter woke us up for the first time at 4:30 am. *blink blink* She got sent back to bed.

When we were finally ready to get up (somewhere around 7 am), I drank my coffee and put the casserole in the oven, and my daughter opened her gifts. She was pretty thrilled with all the fun art supplies, play makeup, games, and Squishmallows she got!

I got dressed and semi-tidied the living room (OY VEY!), and I spent the majority of the morning hanging out with my family, which was lovely.

We had a frozen lasagna for lunch, so we put that in the oven, set the timer for the 23847329743 minutes it takes to cook, then walked over to where my son lives (which is on our usual walking route). We grabbed him and completed our walking route, and he opened his gifts (he’s an adult, so his big gift was the promise of car tires, which he needs). He got me what’s essentially a stocking hanger (and it’s perfect for me; see picture), but it’ll sit on my piano year-round:

 

He also bought me tickets for a local movie theater’s showing of Live at the Met in June, where the theater (and theaters around the country do this) teams up to broadcast a live performance from the Metropolitan Opera; we’re going to see Hamlet. I’ve always wanted to attend one of these, so I’m pretty excited! It’s not until June, so plenty of time to be giddy with anticipation.

We all had lunch and spent the afternoon together; I gave my son a ride back to his place because he had a blister on his foot that was irritating him. I went upstairs to snuggle under the heated blanket my husband had given me and finished reading Challenging Pregnancy: A Journey Through the Politics and Science of Healthcare in America by Genevieve Grabman…and then I took a nap. Did you expect anything different???

We had leftovers for dinner, then I biked for 25 minutes, showered, and loaded and ran the dishwasher. I started a new book, Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir by Aileen Weintraub, and read that until my husband came upstairs. We watched most of an episode of The New Detectives, but we didn’t care for the style of the program that much (or the janky audio!), so we went to bed.

 

Sunday, 26 December, 2021

My daughter came into our bedroom at around 7 to wake us up, so I got her breakfast, scooped the litterbox, got dressed and ready, and headed off to Walmart. We needed squirrel food (it’s only fair that they get some right along with the birds!), along with a few gifts for my father and his wife. We hadn’t been sure when we were meeting with them; I was kind of waiting to see when we would meet up with everyone else and then play it by ear so we could make sure we were healthy. My dad is a Type 1 diabetic and I didn’t want to risk bringing anything to him. But since everyone else was sick, we didn’t visit anyone else, and we decided we’d get together this day, so off I went to grab a few gifts!

At home, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the living room (my daughter’s gifts are still down here; we’ll get the living room fully back together this week!), including sweeping and taking out all the recycling we’d amassed, and the compost. My husband and daughter and I took rapid Covid tests, all negative!

My husband picked my son up and brought him back; his Covid test was also negative, so we were off for the hour-long drive to my dad’s house (I read my book on the way). We ate lunch together, my daughter played, we talked, it was just a really nice afternoon. We’re planning on repeating it again at some point when we’re sure it’s safe.

We drove home (I read the whole way home as well), and I got my daughter her dinner; I wasn’t quite hungry yet. I farted around a bit on the computer, then showered and showered my daughter, and then I had some dinner before putting her to bed. I crawled under my toasty electric throw and read until my husband came upstairs, and we watched two episodes of Unsolved (which I liked, but he didn’t, so I’m not sure if we’ll continue watching this one).

 

That it! I’d really love to get the living room back together this week; that means taking the Christmas tree down, so I need to get motivated enough to do that. The tree is currently in the spot for what we call my daughter’s ‘pandemic school desk,’ the desk she used all last year for remote learning. So, obviously case numbers are exploding all over right now, and I’m feeling increasingly uncomfortable about sending my kiddo back to school next week. I’m REALLY hoping the schools make the switch to go remote for a week or two to let everything settle down, or just cancel altogether and tack the extra week or two onto the end of the year. Otherwise, I’m heavily considering keeping her home for a bit. Even if Omicron isn’t quite as destructive as earlier variants, I still don’t want any of us getting this, especially not my still-developing, still-growing seven-year-old daughter. I don’t know. This is a really scary decision and I’m not sure what to do. Stay tuned!

Stay warm and toasty and safe, my friends. I hope whatever you’re doing this week, it’s productive and fun and you’re able to find some joy.

Friday Links: 24 December, 2021

 It’s Friday! Merry Christmas Eve, Shabbat Shalom, and welcome to the weekend (something everyone can celebrate!). I’ve got a busy day of house chores before me, but hopefully I’ll squeeze some time in there for some reading and relaxation. As I write this, it’s not quite 8 am, and I’ve got the cat snuggled up on my lap. Makes typing difficult, but he’s nice and warm and this makes him happy, so it’s all good.

Here's what I found interesting online this week!

 

In Praise of Scruffy Hospitality

How much do I love this article???

We invite people over (when it’s safe, that is!) and we stress out cleaning our homes to make it appear that no one actually lives in them, and we cook fancy food that takes ages to prepare and wastes time and money and resources. How necessary is it that we make our home into a museum, instead of being okay that our kid left a pile of drawings and crayons under the piano bench and our current knitting project is lying in a bag on the floor? Maybe those items could spark a conversation and deepen friendship (“Oh, I’ve always wanted to learn to knit, could you teach me?” “Wow, you must really love art. I have some old painting supplies I’m not using, would you like them?”). And are people coming over to see your house and eat fancy food, or are they coming to visit you? Definitely something to consider before you plan your next gathering.

 

It's Time to Stop Giving Gifts to Adults

YES, PLEASE.

It’s not that I’m not grateful- I very much am (my mom in particular is an excellent gift-giver and chooses gifts with a lot of thought). But it’s just so much pressure, and gift-giving is super unnecessary. If anything, a single, thoughtful gift that can be used up- a plate of cookies, a loaf of bread, something along those lines- would be better. Less waste, less pressure, and everyone has more time to spend on the things they want (and maybe more time to spend with each other as well!).

 

How to Get Rid of Throwaway Culture

I wish I could print this out on a poster and stick it to my wall.

I hate waste. Loathe it. And I also realize I can’t fix the problem of waste in this country or in this world all by myself. I can do my best to buy items with less packaging, but if all I can afford is the item with more packaging, well…

But I keep trying. My husband’s repair skills are pretty impressive (he replaced a burned-out fuse in my Instant Pot this year; he rewired one of my daughter’s toys in the past; he’s replaced small plastic bits and soldered things back together), and I’m pretty handy with sewing repairs. I reuse everything I can, buy used as often as possible, and I’m doing my best to instill those words in my daughter: “There is no such thing as away.”

And along those lines…

 

Why Shopping Should Be a Last Resort

I hate shopping. I tend to buy only the things I need. There’s a big glass canister at Walmart that I’ve had my eye on for years, for keeping flour in…but I have a really large plastic barrel that was originally a canister for cheese balls (given to me empty by my mom; she knew I’d have a use for it, and I did!), so I don’t need it. I have a terrible time finding gifts for anyone, because most of the things in stores look like such junk, junk that no one needs…This is a really great article that points out how we should be thinking about shopping. Buy new only when necessary, buy only what you can repair, and buy quality so that it lasts. And, of course, buy as little as possible.

And finally…

 

The Danger of Treating Body Parts Like Fast Fashion

How we think about our bodies and our looks is important, and so much of our culture is hellbent on making us dislike ourselves so they can sell us more stuff. If only we put on this outfit, we’ll finally look the way we want! If only we buy this makeup and that hair dye and schedule that procedure, we’ll look young again!

Who cares? Why can’t we be happy in the bodies we have? Being trendy is boring; being comfortable with what we have- gray hairs, spreading hips, cellulite and all- is revolutionary.

I’m 41; white hairs are starting to crop up in my dark brown hair like weeds in a garden. But not all weeds are bad; some are useful (hello, dandelions!) and should be celebrated, and that’s what I’m doing with my white hair. I’m lucky to have lived this long; not everyone else has been privileged enough to experience this. My stretch marks and soft belly are medals of honor from surviving two pregnancies. I’m not going to have the body I had when I was 16, and that’s okay. I can love my body for what it is right now, chronic pain and all, no matter what any company says. And so should you.

 

That’s it for this week! Merry Christmas, Shabbat Shalom, and I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Whatever your plans, whether you’re meeting with friends or family or ordering Chinese takeout, please be safe. So many people I know right now have breakthrough cases, and I have two family members who are sick with non-Covid viruses (so we’ll be meeting with grandparents on a later date). There’s still a lot of yuck going around out there, so test before you meet if at all possible, and please, please, please, stay safe.

What's Been Going On: Monday, 20 December - Wednesday, 22 December, 2021

 What a lovely week this has been so far!

There’s really something so nice when our kids are home from school, isn’t there? I homeschooled my son until he was nine, and then I was pretty much counting down the days until every single break, because he was so much fun to have at home. My daughter has been a different story; it’s been clear from the beginning that she learns better from other people, so homeschooling was never really an option for her (believe me, if it were, I’d gladly keep her home right now!), and I was thrilled for her to go off to kindergarten (and, uh, maybe learn some of those behavioral skills she obviously wasn’t showing me she’d learned at home! Her kindergarten teacher called her her ‘angel child’ and seemed shocked when we told her that our daughter’s nickname at home was The Beast, haha). But she’s grown and matured and we have so much fun together now on her days off. I’ve had such a nice time with her this week!

Here's what I’ve been up to so far!

 

Monday, 20 December, 2021

After coffee and breakfast, I posted my Monday post, then posted my review for Children Under Fire: An American Crisis by John Woodrow Cox over at my book blog. I scooped the litterbox, loaded the dishwasher, and tidied and swept the living room. I wiped off the stovetop, got dressed in some cozy, at-home clothes, and my daughter and I tidied her room and then sat down to read a few books on climate change. Last week’s heavy winds and high temperatures had prompted her to ask what climate change was, so I’d gone to the library and found some children’s books that explained both the science of climate change and things that we (even kids!) can do to be better to the earth. This has led to some great conversations between us, and I love when her thoughtful side comes out.

I put several sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot and cooked up some Soyrizo to go with dinner, and I made a batch of Spanish rice in the rice cooker. And then I made up what I called our ‘fancy lunch,’ and my daughter and I had lunch together. It’s just steamed sweet potatoes with white beans, salsa, and a little cheese, but she absolutely loved it, and I thought it was really good as well!

 

After lunch, we worked on my Read Harder project for 30 minutes (I read my The Joy of Sects by Peter Occhiogrosso; my daughter read a middle grade series novel. I told her she had to help keep me on track when she was home, and she readily agreed). My husband came home and we did 22 minutes of Pilates while my daughter laughed at us and played on her Kindle.

Some days, Pilates wears me OUT. I wanted to read, but ended up napping for a while instead. When I got up, I took out the garbage, the recycling, and the compost, and I hauled the cans to the curb. I prepared a batch of Garlic Brussels Sprouts, leaving a few behind to steam in the Instant Pot, since my daughter hadn’t liked the oven-roasted ones the last time I made them. I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, replaced the garbage bag, and played on the computer while the Brussels sprouts roasted.

I stirred the Soyrizo into the Spanish rice, and we had the Brussels sprouts on the side (and of course my daughter liked the oven ones better this time!). This was a really tasty dinner!

 

After dinner, I did my Duolingo, showered, showered my daughter, and cleaned up the kitchen and put dinner away. I read my book, and my husband and I watched one episode of Cold Case Files before bed.

 

Tuesday, 21 December, 2021

After breakfast and coffee, I prepared a pot of Cauliflower Potato Soup in the Instant Pot (no link; I adapted this from a cookbook, and it’s a family favorite. One day, I’ll put up a post about it...). I loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the counters, I posted my review of When I Grow Up: The Lost Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teens by Ken Krimstein on my book blog, and then it was upstairs to read with my daughter! We read a bunch of books about activism, about using your voice to point out what’s wrong, standing up for what’s right, and the importance of taking action to make things better. All lessons that I hope she’ll take far into the future!

We spent the morning reading; after lunch, we returned back upstairs to my daughter’s room to do our 30 minutes of Read Harder (I finished the section on Islam and began the section on New Age religions). When the timer went off, I finished reading American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadowy History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser. When my husband got home, we did 20 minutes of Pilates, and then I began reading Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu (a book I stumbled across at the library last week).

I blended the soup and we ate dinner. I did my Duolingo, biked, showered, read, and put my daughter to bed (we began reading Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women by Kate Schatz). I read more of my book, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Cold Case Files before bed.

 

Wednesday, 22 December, 2021

Even when my daughter is off school, I’m still committed to doing my volunteer work, so after breakfast and coffee, I set to work on an hour’s worth of work. My daughter, meanwhile, started on a project I’d found earlier this week: the local grocery co-op-to-be put out a call for coloring some pages for a local nursing home to bring them some brightness and cheer, so I had my husband print them up. She had gotten a few pages done by the time I was finished, so I grabbed some of the tougher ones, that looked more like they came out of an adult coloring book, and got to work. This took us all morning, but we were pretty pleased with the results!

 

We got dressed, packed up the pages, and drove across town to drop them off, then came home so I could prepare some breakfast burritos for lunch. Afterwards, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, swept the living room floor, finished reading Brazen, and then it was time for 30 minutes of Read Harder.

When my husband got home, I headed out the door; I stopped by Aldi (so busy, yikes! I did buy a new set of flannel sheets, though!), the Dollar Tree, for wrapping paper, and the library, to pick up a bunch of books. At home, I put the groceries away and took out the compost, then sat down to write this post. I wrote two book reviews, then chopped up mushrooms to put on the pizza I put in the oven. (I love nights when I don’t have to cook!)

We had dinner and I did my Duolingo. I showered (no biking or Pilates today; my arms and legs were so sore from Tuesday!), put dinner away, and then dove into my next book, Challenging Pregnancy: A Journey Through the Politics and Science of Healthcare in America by Genevieve Grabman, from NetGalley. My daughter wanted me to put her to bed, so I did that, and then it was more reading before watching two episodes of Cold Case Files with my husband before bed.

 

And that’s it! I’ll see you tomorrow for Friday links. Whatever your plans are, be safe about them. Things are a little scary out there!

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 16 December - Sunday, 19 December, 2021

Happy Monday! I hope this is the beginning of a relaxing, stress-free week for everyone (I know, I know, it’s tough around this time of the year, but we can always hope, right?). We’re keeping things fairly low-key; we haven’t even really finalized any plans with our families at all. We’ll definitely test first (we have a bunch of at-home rapid tests from my husband’s job) before visiting my father; he’s a type I diabetic, so I’m especially concerned about keeping him safe whenever we visit him. Whatever you do, whatever your plans this week, be safe about it and exercise caution. Things are getting scary out there again.

Here's what I’ve been up to this week!

 

Thursday, 16 December, 2021

After breakfast and coffee, I got dressed and ready and tossed some white beans into the Instant Pot (which I scrubbed out a little with baking soda before). I edited and posted my Thursday post, and then headed out for a very windy school drop-off. We had winds that gusted between 60-70 miles per hour all night long, so that was a little scary! Wind is my least favorite kind of weather.

I drove to a grocery store in the next town over to pick up pickles, onions, and peppers, and on their marked-down produce shelf was a large bag of green beans for a dollar, so those also went home with me. Back at home, I did an hour of volunteer work, then threw together a seitan loaf (which used the white beans, and which we would slice up for sandwiches for dinner). I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and then it was time for lunch with my daughter.

At home, I had lunch myself, then read 30 minutes’ worth of my Read Harder book (The Joy of Sects by Peter Occhiogrosso). I skipped Pilates again (the weather changes were making me sore, and I didn’t want to push it), and put the seitan loaf on to steam, snapped the green beans and chopped mushrooms, and put them together to make Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms. The seitan loaf went into the oven, later followed by the beans and mushrooms, and I checked in on my favorite homemaking blogs.

After dinner, I did my Duolingo, biked on my stationary bike for 25 minutes, showered, and put dinner away. I settled down with my book, American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadowy History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser. My husband and I watched two episodes of Forensic Files before bed.

 

Friday, 17 December, 2021

After breakfast and coffee, I scooped the litterbox, loaded the dishwasher, and dropped my daughter off at school. I learned that one of her best friends will be traveling with her family to Bangladesh, to visit extended family. She won’t be back until mid-February, so while my daughter is happy that her friend gets to have such an exciting adventure, she’s really going to miss her until then!

And then it was time for Christmas errands at Walmart, Five Below, and the Dollar Tree. Nothing major, just a few extra odds and ends for not-my-holiday. Still fun! At home, I poked around on the computer in the brief time I had, then took lunch to my daughter. Back home, I scarfed down lunch myself, and then my husband and I picked our daughter up because it was an early release day. Hurray for winter break!

We drove over to the local animal park and met another school friend and her mom there. It was super fun getting to see all the animals (and pet some of them!), and even more fun getting to hang out with friends. I had bought a pair of thermal socks at Five Below earlier in the day and stayed warm the whole time, while everyone else was freezing!

When we got back home, I ran my son on some errands, and then it was time for dinner at home. I did my Duolingo, biked, showered, put dinner away, loaded and ran the dishwasher, and then watched YouTube videos while I cross-stitched until it was time for virtual services at my synagogue. Afterwards, I worked on my grandmother’s cross-stitch a little more until I went to bed early.

Saturday, 18 December, 2021

After coffee, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, wiped down the counter and stovetop, scrubbed out the sink, and then got dressed and ready. I took out the recycling and compost, tidied the living room, and wrote two book reviews. And then it was off to my mother-in-law’s for lunch! She made a delicious breakfast casserole, which we all enjoyed. After that, we all went to Target so my daughter could pick out a gift (which she won’t get until Christmas). She picked out an Our Generation doll accessory set that she’s been eyeing for ages, and everyone was happy! (This took FOREVER, though. My daughter hadn’t been in Target in ages, so this was a big deal for her and she couldn’t make up her mind.)

At home, I had a headache, so I just played on the computer until dinnertime, when I threw together bean and cheese quesadillas for my daughter and me. Afterwards, we finally put up the Christmas tree! I enjoy the lights, but not the mess, and it’s always a relief to me when I’m able to put it away and have my living room back. It IS pretty, though!

 

I showered and read my book until my husband came upstairs, and we watched two episodes of Forensic Files, thus completing all the episodes Netflix had to offer. Not sure what we’ll watch next!

 

Sunday, 19 December, 2021

After breakfast and coffee, I was browsing the local Freecycle group and found someone across town was giving away a recorder and a tin whistle, so I got dressed and picked that up from them. I played the recorder for years as a kid (it gets a bad reputation because it’s often a first instrument for kids, but when it’s played properly, it’s actually gorgeous), and the tin whistle fingering is close to it. I can play by ear, so it’s fun to be able to mess around on any kind of musical instrument.

I sat down to work on this post, then started a load of laundry and loaded and ran the dishwasher. I spent the morning catching up on some things on the computer, and after lunch, I biked for 25 minutes (sweaty!). I was going to read when I was done, but I ended up falling asleep! I must’ve needed it. I came downstairs and hung out with the family (and found something for my daughter to do later on this week!), and we had pizza for dinner. I did my Duolingo and showered, then worked on my grandmother’s cross-stitch while watching YouTube videos.

 

I put my daughter to bed (we finished reading The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park), and then settled down to read my book. My husband and I watched an episode of Cold Case Files before bed.

 

And that’s it for this week! After I get this posted, I’m going to tidy up the kitchen and living room, and then spend the day with my daughter. We have a whole stack of library books to get to, so I’m excited for that! I know this is a time of hustle and bustle for many people, along with tension, but I truly hope you’re able to find some enjoyment in this time as well. Whatever your plans are for this week, be safe!

Friday links: 17 December, 2021

 We’ve made it, friends! Welcome to Friday, the weekend, and for many of us, winter break for our kiddos! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turn those alarms off if you’ve got nowhere else to be for the next few weeks like me. : )

I’ve got a huge stack of library books to read with my daughter, and a nice cozy new bedspread to lounge around on while we read together (it’s soooooooooooo soft!). I am ready to be comfy at home for a bit. How about you?

 

Here’s what I found interesting online this week. Not too much, since I haven’t been online all that much, but still some good reading!

False prophets: When preachers defy COVID --  and it then kills them

Oof. Tough subject here. I’ve seen this happen online multiple times, unfortunately, and it happened to a pastor who lived in the town we used to live in in Tennessee. He said Covid wasn’t a big deal, everyone should still come to church…and then he caught Covid. And then he ended up on a ventilator. And then he died, leaving behind a wife and four daughters, one of whom was pregnant with this man’s first grandchild. There's another pastor who constantly talked about how Covid wasn't a big deal and no one should get vaccinated...and then he and his wife got Covid. And his wife died. 

Needless to say, listen to your doctors. Listen to the medical professionals and scientists, the people who have spent their entire lives dedicated to helping people. Don't wait until it's too late. Stay safe out there, friends. Get vaccinated, get your booster when you’re eligible, wear your masks in public, keep your social circle small. This isn’t over, as much as we would like it to be.

 

Mitoch shelo lishmah ba lishmah  

Here’s a little Hebrew for your day! It literally means, ‘What’s not for its own sake will come from its own sake.’ In other words, good intentions will follow good actions.

In Judaism, we’re more about action than belief; it usually doesn’t matter what you believe so long as you do. You can grumble when you donate money so long as you donate; people will get fed even if you’re grumbling. Sure, it’s nice to give with a happy heart, but so long as people get fed, that’s what matters most. And I find this is true in other aspects of life- it’s an ancient form of ‘fake it ‘til you make it,’ right?

I often don’t feel like getting up and doing all the things I need to do, like make dinner or get the dishes into the dishwasher. But the work still needs to be done, and sometimes, when I get up and do it regardless of how I feel about it, I find I’m motivated to do more things.

Here's another article on the same saying. The way it ends- ‘Some day I hope to be a much improved product’- is something that I agree with. Someday, I hope I’m a better person, a more grateful person, a kinder person, a more intelligent, more thoughtful person. I’ll keep doing my best to act as though I’m already that person, and hopefully, I’ll eventually get there!

 

That’s all I have this week, folks! We’re meeting friends at a local tiny native-animal zoo after school today, and we’ll finally get around to putting up the Christmas tree for my husband and daughter tomorrow. Other than that, no big weekend plans, just hopefully a lot of relaxing and reading. I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend! :)