Thursday, January 9, 2025

2024 Reading Highlights

2024 was a solid reading year, though I wish I had spent more time "butt in chair" reading physical books and ebooks.  Nevertheless, I am, as ever, so grateful for the opportunity to listen to audiobooks as many aspects of my daily life--laundry, continuous loop kitchen cleaning, decluttering--would be drudgery without the company of the wonderful narrators who bring these books to life.  Audiobooks certainly motivate me to get out and walk as well.

I've gotten away from offering commentary in my reading highlights post.  If you have questions, hit me up in the comments or via text or email.  I have posted short reviews of many of the titles below on Instagram -- I'm @booksandcarbs there!

Most of the books below were published in 2024; exceptions are indicated.  

 

Fiction Highlights

Good Material (2023) by Dolly Alderton 
 
The Road to Dalton (2023) and Where the Forest Meets the River (2024) by Shannon Bowring

Wait by Gabriella Burnham 
 
The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Factory Girls (2022) by Michelle Gallen
 
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
 
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

You Are Here by David Nicholls
 
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell   
 
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan
 
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
 
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Fiction Highlights with Romance Vibes -- not separating out because I find romance to be a lesser category but because I know some people avoid this genre (their loss!)

Pick-Up by Nora Dahlia

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin

Funny Story by Emily Henry
 
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan 
 
Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell 
 
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
 

Books I loved (and feel protective of) that you may NOT love...

The Happy Couple (2023) by Naoise Dolan

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

All Fours by Miranda July

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

 

Memoir/Non-Fiction Highlights 

Twopence to Cross the Mersey, Liverpool Miss, By the Waters of Liverpool, and Lime Street at Two by Helen Forrester (1974, 1981, 1982, 1985)

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
 
I've Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann Leary

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings
 
What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings by Leanne Morgan
 
My Name is Barbra (2023) 
by Barbra Streisand

 

"New Books from Favorite Authors" Highlights

The Marriage Sabbatical by Lian Dolan

The Hunter by Tana French 
 
Just for the Summer by Abby Jiminez

My Favourite Mistake (Walsh Family #7) by Marian Keyes 
 
Tell Me Everything (Amgash #3) by Elizabeth Strout

 

"New (to me) Favorite Authors"

Anthony Horowitz -- I read the first five books in thte Hawthorne and Horowitz series.  First books is called The Word is Murder

Stephen King -- I have always been a FAN, but this year I was a super fan, finishing eight Stephen King books, including every book (so far) relating to Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney.

Richard Osman -- I am eating up The Thursday Murder Club series and also read the first in his new series:  We Solve Murders. 




 



 



 







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Wednesday, January 8, 2025

2024 Non-Fiction Log

 2024  MEMOIRS, ESSAYS, POETRY, AND OTHER NON-FICTION

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps). 

Jami Attenberg
1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round
 
Robert Bhatia
Passage Across the Mersey (ebook via Hoopla)
 
Kelly Bishop
The Third Gilmore Girl (audiobook via Libby)

Claire Bowditch
Find Your Creative Courage (audiobook via Audible)

Julie Chavez
Everyone But Myself (ebook)

Claire Cohen
BFF?: The Truth About Female Friendship (audiobook via Libby)
 
Griffin Dunne
The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir (audiobook via Audible) 

Kevin Fedarko
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon (audiobook via Audible)

Helen Forrester
Twopence to Cross the Mersey (#1, ebook via Hoopla)
Liverpool Miss (#2, ebook via Hoopla)
By the Waters of Liverpool (#3, ebook via Hoopla)
Lime Street at Two (#4, ebook via Hoopla)

Ina Garten
Be Ready When the Luck Happens (library book and audiobook via Libby)
 
John Glatt
The Family Next Door: The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the Thirteen Turpin Siblings and Their Extraordinary Rescue (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Natalie Goldberg
Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice (library book)
 
Karen Holcomb and John F. Holcomb
Easter Sunday Massacre: A Prosecutor's Diary: The True Story of Mass Murderer James Ruppert (paperback)
 
Ann Leary
I've Tried Being Nice: Essays (audiobook via Audible) 

Tia Levings
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy (ebook via Libby)
 
Jane Marie
Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans (audiobook via Audible)
 
Sarah McCammon
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church (audiobook via Audible) 

Leanne Morgan
What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings (audiobook via Libby)
 
Cathy Rentzenbrink
Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page (audiobook via Hoopla)
How to Feel Better: A Guide to Navigating the Ebb and Flow of Life (audiobook via Hoopla) 
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Scott Rick
Tightwads and Spendthrifts:  Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships (audiobook via Libby)
 
Barbra Streisand
My Name is Barbra (audiobook via Audible) 
 
Annabelle Tometich
The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony (ebook via Libby)
 
Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
Drunk-ish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol (audiobook via Audible)




ARCHIVES

 

2013 Reading Highlights
2014 Reading Highlights
2015 Reading Highlights
2016 Reading Highlights  
2017 Reading Highlights

2018 Reading Highlights -- Nonfiction 

2021 Reading Highlights 

2023 Reading Highlights 

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2024 Fiction Log

 2024 FICTION LOG

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps). 

Cori Adjmi
The Marriage Box (library book)
 
Louisa May Alcott
Good Wives (Little Women #2, audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Dolly Alderton
Good Material (ebook via Cloud Library)

Lara Avery
The Year of Second Chances (library book)
 
Cara Bastone
Ready or Not (audiobook via Audible)
Maybe This Time (audiobook via Audible) 

Audrey Bellezza
Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen #2, ebook via Cloud Library)
 
Flynn Berry
Northern Spy (audiobook via Libby) 
Trust Her (audiobook via Libby) 

Shannon Bowring
The Road to Dalton (Dalton, Maine #1, audiobook via Hoopla)
Where the Forest Meets the River (Dalton, Maine #2, audiobook via Hoopla)

Gabriella Burnham
Wait (hardcover)
 
Robyn Carr
The Friendship Club (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Steve Cavanagh
Kill for Me, Kill for You (audiobook via Libby) 

Katherine Center
The Rom-Commers (hardcover)
 
Kate Clayborn
The Other Side of Disappearing (ebook via Hoopla) 

Jenny Colgan
Studies at the School by the Sea (School by the Sea #4, audiobook via Audible)
Sunrise by the Sea (Little Beach Street Bakery #4, audiobook via CloudLibrary)

Sara Goodman Confino
Behind Every Good Man (ebook via Kindle store)

Lauren Connolly
PS: I Hate You (audiobook via Libby)

Kate Cotugno
Meet the Benedettos (audiobook via Audible) 
 
Christine Coulson
One Woman Show (audiobook via Libby)
 
Sophie Cousens
Is She Really Going Out with Him? (audiobook via Audible)

Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Rest in Pink (Liz Danger #2, ebook via Cloud Library)
One in Vermillion (Liz Danger #3, ebook via Cloud Library & Kindle store)
 
Nora Dahlia
Pick-Up (library book)
 
Laura Dave
The Night We Lost Him (library book)
 
Helen DeWitt
The English Understand Wool (ebook via Libby)
 
Lian Dolan
The Marriage Sabbatical (library book)
 
Naoise Dolan
The Happy Couple (library book) 
 
Katelyn Doyle
Just Some Stupid Love Story (library book)
 
Sarah T. Dubb
Birding with Benefits (ebook via Libby)
 
Dave Eggers
The Honor of Your Presence (library book) 
 
Alison Espach
The Wedding People (hardcover) 

Ivy Fairbanks
Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway #1, library book)

Kate Forster
Fly Me to Moongate Manor (audiobook via Audible)
The Perfect Retreat (audiobook via Audible)
Starting Over at Acorn Cottage (audiobook via Hoopla) 
The Sisters (audiobook via Audible)
Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross (audiobook via Audible)

Laurie Frankel
Family Family (audiobook via Audible)
 
Tana French
The Hunter (Cal Hooper #3, audiobook via Audible)
 
Michelle Gallen
Factory Girls (paperback) 
 
Mike Gayle
The Museum of Ordinary People (audiobook via Libby) 
 
Fiona Gibson
How the In-Laws Wrecked Christmas (ebook via Hoopla)
'Tis the Damn Season (audiobook via Hoopla)

Emily Giffin
The Summer Pact (hardcover)

Taylor Hahn
A Home for the Holidays (library book)

Janice Hallett
The Twyford Code (audiobook via Libby)
 
Laura Hankin
One-Star Romance (hardcover) 

Danielle Hawkins
Take Two (ebook via Cloud Library)

Lottie Hazell
Piglet (library book)

Emily Henry
Funny Story (ebook via Cloud Library)
 
Sally Hepworth
Darling Girls (hardcover)
 
Kristan Higgins
Look on the Bright Side (ebook via Cloud Library) 

Elin Hilderbrand
"Natural Selection: A Short Story" (ebook via Kindle)
Swan Song (hardcover)

Ginny Hogan
The Great Indoors (audiobook via Audible)

Anthony Horowitz
The Word is Murder (Hawthorne & Horowitz #1, audiobook via Libby)
The Sentence is Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz #2, audiobook via Libby)
A Line to Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz #3, audiobook via Libby)
The Twist of a Knife (Hawthorne & Horowitz #4, audiobook via Libby) 
Close to Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz #5, audiobook via Libby)

Claire Keegan
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men (ebook via Hoopla)
 
Abby Jiminez
Just for the Summer (hardcover) 

Debbie Johnson
A Very Irish Christmas (audioook via Hoopla)
 
Miranda July
All Fours (audiobook via Audible)

Marian Keyes
My Favourite Mistake (Walsh Family #7) (audibook via Audible)

Rachel Khong
Real Americans (audiobook via Libby)
 
Stephen King
Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1, audiobook via Cloud Library)
Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges #2, audiobook via Libby)
End of Watch (Bill Hodges #3, audiobook via Libby) 
The Outsider (Holly Gibney #1, audiobook via Libby)
If It Bleeds (Holly Gibney #2, audiobook via Libby)
Holly (Holly Gibney #3, audiobook via Cloud Library) 
The Shining (audiobook via Libby) 
Misery (audiobook via Audible)
 
Sophie Kinsella
What Does It Feel Like? (library book)

Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Sequel (The Book Series #2, audiobook via Libby)

William Kent Krueger
The River We Remember (audiobook via Libby)

Mary Kubica
She's Not Sorry (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Kevin Kwan
Lies and Weddings (audiobook via Audible)

Christina Lauren
The Paradise Problem (library book)

Claire Lombardo
Same As It Ever Was (hardcover)
 
Portia Macintosh
Enemies to Lovers (audiobook via Hoopla) 
The Suite Life (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Rebecca Makkai
The Borrower (audiobook via Libby) 
 
Susan Mallery
One Big Happy Family (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Jennifer Mathieu
The Faculty Lounge (audiobook via Audible) 
 
Mhairi McFarlane
You Belong with Me (Edie Thompson #2, audiobook via Audible)

Dervla McTiernan
What Happened to Nina? (audiobook via Audible)

Arthur Miller
The Crucible* (paperback)

Jacquelyn Mitchard
A Very Inconvenient Scandal (audiobook via Libby)
 
Annabel Monaghan
Summer Romance (ebook via Cloud Library) 
 
Liz Moore
The God of the Woods (audiobook via Audible) 
 
Beth Moran
Let It Snow (audiobook via Hoopla)

Maxine Morrey
Just Say Yes (audiobook via Hoopla)

David Nicholls
You Are Here (audiobook via Audible)

Onyi Nwabineli
Allow Me to Introduce Myself (audiobook via Hoopla)

Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club (audiobook via Libby)
The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2, audiobook via Cloud Library)
The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3, audiobook via Libby)
We Solve Murders (audiobook via Audible)

Zibby Owens
Blank (ebook)

Lynn Painter
Betting on You (audiobook via Libby)
Happily Never After (hardcover) 

Ellie Palmer
Four Weddings and a Funeral (hardcover)
 
Louise Penny
The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Gamache #19)

Ashley Poston
A Novel Love Story (audiobook via Libby)

Nita Prose
The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2, ebook via Cloud Library)
The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid #2.5 via Cloud Library)
 
Anna Quindlen
After Annie (audiobook via Libby)
 
Kiley Reid
Come and Get It (library book)

Rebecca K. Reilly
Greta & Valdin (hardcover)
 
Suzanne Rindell
Summer Fridays (library book) 

Ava Robinson
Definitely Better Now (audiobook via Libby)
 
Sally Rooney
Intermezzo (audiobook via Audible)
 
Jane L. Rosen
Seven Summer Weekends (audiobook via Libby)

Emma Rosenblum
Very Bad Company (library book)

Rainbow Rowell
Slow Dance (hardcover)

Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Last Call at the Local (ebook via Cloud Library)
 
Cynthia Rylant
Missing May (paperback)
 
Susan Scarlett
Sally-Ann (ebook via Hoopla)

Jessica Saunders
Love, Me (audiobook via Hoopla)
 
Elizabeth Strout
Tell Me Everything (Amgash #3, audiobook via Audible)
 
Natalie Sue
I Hope This Finds You Well (audiobook via Libby)
 
J. Courtney Sullivan
The Cliffs (audiobook via Audible) 

Jesse Q. Suntano
You Will Never Be Me (audiobook via Libby)
 
Duane Swierczynski
California Bear (audiobook via Cloud Library) 
Fun & Games (audiobook via Libby)

Plum Sykes
Wives Like Us (audiobook via Libby)
 
Alexandra Tanner
Worry (library book) 

Rufi Thorpe
Margo's Got Money Troubles (hardcover)

Colm Toibin
Long Island (Eilis Lacey #2, audiobook via Audible)
 
Amy Tintera
Listen for the Lie (audiobook via Audible)

Bethany Turner
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other (ebook via Cloud Library)
 
Ruth Ware
The Perfect Couple (audiobook via Libby)
 
Kate Weinberg
There's Nothing Wrong with Her (library book)
 
Chris Whitaker
We Begin at the End (audiobook via Libby) 

Marcia Willett
The Garden House (audiobook via Hoopla)

Monica Wood
How to Read a Book (hardcover)


ARCHIVES

2013 Reading Highlights
2014 Reading Highlights
2015 Reading Highlights
2016 Reading Highlights  

2017 Reading Highlights

2021 Reading Highlights 

2022 Reading Highlights 

2023 Reading Highlights

2024 Reading Highlights 

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

25 in 25

If you are one of the 0-3 readers of this blog, you may have caught my recent posts about how I fared with regard to my 24 in 24 list.  Quick summary:  the results were just so so.  I did some things.  I rolled a few things over to 2025.  I changed my mind about several things and ended up just not caring about doing them.  You may be wondering, "Well, Megan, why bother to make a somewhat arbitrary to-do list for 2025 if the Megan of March of 2025 or August of 2025 ends up shaking her head at Megan of January 1, 2025?"  Well, why not?  Why not give myself a little extra motivation that might lead to a little extra fun, a little extra joy, a few new experiences, and/or some bonus good habits for the coming year?  So, in the spirit of why not? I offer you my 25 in 25 list.   

1. Reflect often on this mantra:  I have all that I need, and I am grateful for all that I have.

2.  Meet my Peloton minutes goal of 15K.   I got to 13,650 in 2024.  Not that you care about the nitty gritty of this, but I do track outdoor walks and playing tennis (cardio workout) through the Peloton platform in addition to Peloton content.

3.  See three movies in the theater with Diet Coke and generously buttered popcorn.  Repeating this item from 2024 because it motivates me to do something I really enjoy.  

4.  Stream three documentaries at home.  I have seen (almost) nothing of late.  

5.  Make three new recipes from cookbooks on my shelves.

6.  Make three new recipes from those saved in the Paprika app.  Great app, btw, for saving recipes you find online.  More efficient than screenshots.  

7.  Read two Agatha Christie books.  The only one I've read is And Then Were None and that was in 1989 Honors English when the book was still titled Ten Little Indians.

8.  Try the Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie mystery series.  First book in the series is Case Histories.  Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum is one of my all-time favorite books, and I don't know why I've never tried her mysteries.  

9.  Try a little harder with my finger nails.  I realize "try a little harder" is not easily quantifiable, but I want to make more of an effort.  

10.  Finish transforming our playroom/family dumpster into an organized storage space.  

11.  Work out five times at Courts Plus.  I rejoined this past August when I felt brave enough post-ACL to start playing tennis again (very proud of myself for that).  If you add up my tenure at Courts Plus, it's got to be about a decade of membership.  And in that decade, I have collectively done a non-tennis workout there less than five times.  So, even though this goal seems pathetic, it would be a big step forward.  

12.  Clean out the bottom half of my china cabinet.  

13.  Clean out the bottom half of the family room entertainment center.

14.  Get a new rug for the family room.  My husband has authorized and encouraged this purchase for three years now, and I just haven't gotten it done.  

15.  Log the clothing items I purchase.  I have a very full closet.  I "treat myself" often.  I'd love to say, "Megan, you are not buying any new clothes in 2025.  Won't that feel great?!  LFG!"  Realistically though, restriction doesn't work for me, except for in 2016 when I stayed out of Target for the entire year!!!!  I think logging my purchases will make me more mindful. 

16.  Walk the Steps at Swallow Cliff.  I heard about these when my son was preparing to go on a scout high adventure trip at Rocky Mountain National Park.  Some scouts walk these steps with their packs on for practice.  My son never did, but I have been meaning to visit the Steps at Swallow Cliff for over five years now.  **Rollover from 2024**

17.  Take a walk at Lake Ellyn.  Twenty minutes away, and I've never seen this lake.  Actually, had never even heard of it until a dogsitter told me how much my dog enjoyed walking there.  My dog is not an enthusiastic walker so I gotta check this place out.  **Rollover from 2024**

18.  Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.  I have not been there since my freshman year of college.  What?!  I took a screenshot of the "free days" as motivation, but it wouldn't kill me to pay either.  I'd love to get one of my kids to go with me, but it may be a tough sell.   **Rollover from 2024**

19.  Visit the National Museum and Shrine of St. Therese in Darien.   There is daily mass there at 11:30 am.  I can easily fit this into a weekday.  **Rollover from 2024**

20.  Encourage/Force family to watch a comedy special as a family.  Mom's choice and snacks provided.

21.   Clean out linen closet.

22.  Clean out upstairs hall closet.

23.  Find a series to stream with my husband.  Our tastes our different so we haven't watched something together in years, but we totally could. 

24.  Try food at Aunt Tina's Kitchen, a newer restaurant Elmhurst.

25.  Take walks with 50 different people in honor of my 50th birthday.  Deadline for this is 3/15/26.



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Tuesday, December 31, 2024

24 in 24 -- Rolling Over

Wasn't on the list, but I did walk through the City of Berkeley (IL not CA) holiday lights display.  NTB.

Below are the 24 in 24 tasks that I really meant to do, really wanted to do, and just didn't.  They will be rolling over to my 25 in 25 list -- coming soon to a neglected blog near you.

What do the items below have in common?  They all would require me to leave my house. 

2.  Walk the Steps at Swallow Cliff.  I heard about these when my son was preparing to go on a scout high adventure trip at Rocky Mountain National Park.  Some scouts walk these steps with their packs on for practice.  My son never did, but I have been meaning to visit the Steps at Swallow Cliff for over five years now.  

Rolling it over.

5.  Take my family to a Brazilian steakhouse.  I mostly just want to watch my boys react to endless offerings of animal protein.  

Hmmmm, I am not sure I actually want to roll this one over to 2025.  

6.  Take a walk at Lake Ellyn.  Twenty minutes away, and I've never seen this lake.  Actually, had never even heard of it until a dogsitter told me how much my dog enjoyed walking there.  My dog is not an enthusiastic walker so I gotta check this place out.

Rolling it over.

21.  Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.  I have not been there since my freshman year of college.  What?!  I took a screenshot of the "free days" as motivation, but it wouldn't kill me to pay either.  I'd love to get one of my kids to go with me, but it may be a tough sell.  

I became a member so I really, really have to get there.  

22.  Visit the National Museum and Shrine of St. Therese in Darien.   There is daily mass there at 11:30 am.  I can easily fit this into a weekday.

 Rolling it over.


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24 in 24 -- Middling Successes

See below for commentary on the things I can check off of my 24 in 24 list.

9.  Develop the habit of bringing reusable grocery bags to the store.  I would love to stop dealing with flimsy plastic bags.  The space, the guilt, the annoyance.

At the beginning of 2024, I was really hard on myself.  If I forgot my reusable bags and had to use a flimsy plastic one, I had a tally going inside the door of a closet (that is, btw, jam-packed with all the plastic bags I collected back when I was a terrible person).  After about six plastic bag tally marks, I was like, "Megan, get a life.  Just do the best you can."  And then I did do the best I could.  Remembering reusable shopping bags did become a habit.  Did I forget every now and again?  Yes, I did, especially if I had failed to bring the empty bags back to the car.  But, in general, if I had the bags in the car, I brought them into the store.  And, since I am self-checking pretty much everywhere, I realized that I really prefer packing groceries in reuseable bags.  

My Spotify Wrapped for proof of item 10.

10.  Learn five Lana Del Ray songs.  I don't mean like learn to play them on the guitar or piano or prepare for karaoke or anything.  I just mean, listen to these songs until I learn the words and have a sense of what they mean.  LDR is my oldest's favorite artist, and he has chosen the five songs for me.

I did it.  I learned these songs and really fell in love with all of them, especially "California."  Don't take my Spotify Wrapped as proof that I did little else but listen to Lana Del Ray this past year.  I actually don't use Spotify all that often as I am usually listening to audiobooks.  The past few years, my top Spotify listen was a recording of The Rosary.  

 12.  Meet my Peloton minutes goal.  I'm not going to say what it is, but I will say that it is more than double what I achieved this year on the Peloton platform.  I do track my outdoor walks through Peloton, lest you think I am a cycling fool.  

My secret goal was 15,000 minutes.  That includes Peloton content/classes but also outdoor walks, stretching on my own, and cardio workouts on my own (this is how I count tennis).  I made it to 13,650 minutes.  I realized in November that 15K was going to be a stretch and decided that 14K would be a good goal.  But, then December happened, and I was busy being Mrs. Claus and attending fun Christmas events and then traveling and then resting and regrouping.  Considering I made it to 7K in 2023, I am very proud of almost doubling my exercise minutes in 2024.  I didn't track time spent playing golf (I almost always walk the course) and that was a good amount of activity.  I will try for 15K again in 2025.

13.   Unsubscribe to 20 emails.  I've already unsubscribed to 45, NTB, but I will keep going.

Nailed it.  Probably unsubscribed to 100 different senders, but my inbox is still at 37,132 unread messages so... 

15.  See three movies in the theater.  I love movies and buttered popcorn and giant Diet Cokes and reclining seats and being somewhere where I am not distracted by things I could/should do (fold laundry, empty dishwasher, stare mindlessly at phone).   

I was hoping three would turn into thirty, and I would become a movie-going maven.  Truth is, there probably weren't thirty movies I wanted to see in the theater.  I did enjoy the ones I saw though!  In January, a friend and I saw an afternoon showing of the rom-com Anyone But You.  A month or so later, I saw American Fiction during a school day by myself (well, me and handful of old people).  Last month, I saw Conclave with some female friends.  I enjoyed each movie and hope to make more time for going to the movies.  Popcorn with extra butter and a big old DC each time.  Bliss. 

16.  Clean out "playroom."  I attacked this sloped-ceiling secret room during quarantine and, guess what, it is full of everyone's sh$t again.  

This project is underway.  I hit it hard in November, but pressed pause when Christmas tasks started knocking on my door.  I've already cleared out and donated five big boxes of books.  I washed ten blankets and donated to Pilot Pete's homeless outreach in Chicago.  I am consolidating school supplies, identifying trash, and sorting, sorting, sorting.  One exciting thing that happened while I was in there is that I found my missing passport!  This room's chapter as a "playroom" has come to an official end, but I'd like to turn it into an organized storage space instead of the "family dumpster."   

17.  Try five new recipes.  I mean dinner recipes.  Send me any ideas but keep in mind I have one child who does not eat sandwiches, one who won't touch pasta, and one who hates salmon.

I made five new recipes but no slam dunks.  

24.  Track added sugar.  I am figuring out what this looks like for me.  I need some controls/accountability in place so I don't go on a sugar bender (as I just did in December), but I know from experience that if I try to cut out sugar, the feelings of deprivation don't lead to good choices or results.  Feeling my way here.  

I didn't do this all the time, but, SURPRISE SURPRISE, I do feel better when I limit added sugar. 

Up next ... the 24 in 24 tasks that are rolling over to my 25 in 25 list. 

I am hoping to share my progress here for my 0-3 readers. 
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Monday, December 30, 2024

24 in 24 -- Ain't Gonna Happen and That's Okay

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project and other books, Instagram posts/challenges, and podcasts, I created a list of 24 things I wanted to do in 2024.  I don't want to say "I failed," but I also didn't succeed, at least in terms of completing all of these items.  The items below are cut and pasted from my original 24 in 24 post.  My babbling about how each task was not exactly a failure can be found below in green.  Circle back for future posts addressing the items I successfully completed and the ones that will be rolling over to 2025. 

1.  Take an online painting class.  I take wonderful in person art classes at Michael Symber Studios in Elmhurst, IL and I plan to continue with those!  However, I follow and have grown fond of quite a few artists on Instagram.  Several offer online painting courses, and I'd like to give one a try.  One front-runner is this watercolor house portrait class by Elizabeth Wade. 

Short story here is that I am no longer excited about the idea of creating a watercolor portrait of my house.  I have continued taking classes and participating in guided studio time at Michael Symber Studios.  I have expanded my printmaking to include new methods and materials and have even secured my own printing press.  I am working on a Matisse-inspired interior painting during my studio time.  All in all, I am feeling creatively inspired and energized with the artistic pursuits I already have in place.


One of my first travel prints ... just okay, but I learned from it.
One of my first travel prints.  It's just okay, but I learned from the process.

3.  Start and finish travel prints for empty family room wall.  This is a project that I'll be taking on at Michael Symber Studios this winter.  

I did create prints inspired by scenes I encountered in Nantucket, Arizona, Laguna Beach, and downtown Chicago.  Maybe some of them will make it onto our family room wall, but I am no longer envisioning nine to twelve different travel prints.  However, creating a few travel prints has helped me develop as a printmaker and as an individual who looks at the world with the eyes of an artist.  So, I'm calling it in a win.   

4.  Do something with my @mileawhile photos.  I have an Instagram for tracking my walks and each walk includes a photo taken along the way.  I'd like to do something with these photos.  I'm picturing a big collage poster that I can display in the basement.  Message me if you've made a collage from Instagram photos.  

I couldn't find an easy way to upload photos from an Instagram grid onto some kind of poster-sized collage maker.  I'll circle back to the task if anyone can show me an easy way that doesn't involve digging through my iphone photos to find the photos I posted on Instagram.  I continue to take my walks and look for a beautiful spot to photograph the path before me.  The walking matters more than the recording. 

7.  Make the Greek Yogurt pizza dough... using the skinny pizza dough recipe from @mybizzykitchen. I won't tell you how many large containers of plain nonfat Greek yogurt I have purchased for this purpose and failed to follow through upon.   

I wasted a few more containers of Greek yogurt in early 2024, but I am just not going to make this pizza dough.  Yeast is an ingredient that makes me feel nervous and, let's face it, if I want pizza, I have never hesitated to treat myself to pizza with real pizza crust.  

8.  Make the Greek Yogurt jello thing.  I'm not even going to link it because it probably sounds so gross, but I need to try it.

This culinary confection isn't going to happen either.

11.  Eat at Riley's.  It's a bar/restaurant in my town.  I've been there once late night for a drink, but I'd like to eat there, finally, after a dozen years of living in Elmhurst, IL.

I found out Riley's is a Pepsi establishment.  I'd be happy to eat there if the opportunity arises or someone invites me or whatnot, but I don't go seeking out casual meals where I can't pair my food with a Diet Coke.  

14.  Visit the golf simulator five times.  Every winter I fear that I will totally forget how to play golf (do I even know how to play golf?).  Anyway, it does help me to pick up a club a few times between October and April.

I only visited the simulator one time and, guess what, I golfed no worse and maybe slightly better than in recent years.  For the second time, I won my Ladies' League "Most Improved Golfer" Award.  This award is measured by your handicap going down so in order to win it twice, you had to start with a really high handicap.  If I play my cards right, I could even win it again.  Plenty (and I do mean PLENTY) of strokes to go before I am in single digit territory.  

18.  Make Marcie's cookies.  My friend Marcie made some delicious peanut butter m & m chocolate chip cookies, and I am still thinking about them.   

I am still thinking of them, but I'd have to track down the recipe and that would take at least two minutes of searching through my text messages.  Plus, if I made them, I'd eat them until they were gone.  I have been trying not to tempt myself like that.  

19.  Make a new variety of puppy chow.  I love the puppy chow I always make (and gift), but I'd like to expand my repertoire.

You know what?  The puppy chow I always make is pretty darn good.  I gift it to others who seem to enjoy it (unless they are just being nice) so I'm going to just stick with it.  

My cardinal print held up in front of my cardinal Christmas tree, also a work of art.    
 

20.  Complete the cardinal paint-by-number.  I'm obsessed with cardinals.  They're all over my house.  I have a cardinal paint-by-number kit.  Have had it for years, in fact.  I'm going to paint it this year if all the paints in the kit aren't crusty and dried out.  

That kit is still somewhere in our playroom/family dumpster.  When I unearth it, I will give it a whirl, but I am not going to sweat it, considering I created the cardinal print above (with which I am quite pleased).

23.  Develop a greens habit.  I am talking about the green powder you mix with water that is supposed to help your gut, etc.  I have already dabbled here this month and ended up with some bloating and distress.  Yikes.  Plus, the brand of greens I bought tastes HORRIBLE.  However, I am going to circle back on this soon and start with fewer ounces.  

I tried like two more times.  The greens still tasted absolutely horrible, gross texture and a weird artificial fruit flavor permeating the green liquid.  I felt more bloated than ever and life is too short for that.  I've got some other things in place to promote gut health.  Liquid greens are officially off the table and good riddance. 

Stay tuned for more 24 in 24 updates. 


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