Fall Stuff List 2017

Published on by Louise32 Comments

Before I begin… Today, four years ago, we moved into our house 🙂
Also, Happy Birthday to my cousin Sam!

On to some fall time goodness…
I’m always more motivated this time of year and it’s reflected in my goals and seasonal bucket list. (Last year I killed it.) This year I’m combining everything into one list and I’m going to be more specific and intentional with each goal 🎃

fall_bucket_list_2017

  • Go to at least two fall festivals (examples below)
    • Yankee Peddler Sept. 9 & 10, 16 & 17, or 23 & 24
    • Swiss Festival Sept. 29 & 30
    • Atwood Area Fall Festival Oct. 6, 7, & 8
  • Move into the new house! (We close the first week of Oct.)
  • Host our annual Halloween Party!
    (This is year it’s more housewarming and less costume. I know, I’m sad about it, too.)
  • Visit a nursery and get some mums for the front porch
  • Pick/buy pumpkins
    • Carve them
  • Get a bay of straw for the front porch
    (Sidenote: You should always buy straw for decorations. Hay is food for animals.)
  • Work on meal planning and try out these recipes:
  • Find a walk route in the new neighborhood with pups
  • Get a few rooms in the house decorated
    • Living room
    • Master bedroom
    • My office
  • Get 25% of my Xmas shopping done by the end of Oct.
  • Visit an apple orchard
  • Bake a new fall cookie
  • Drink some apple cider
  • Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Beetlejuice
  • Find cute booties (*part of 30×30 list)
  • Take a dog or two on a hike (*part of 30×30 list)
  • Scrapbook. Even a little bit. Just get something done… lol
  • Dog park with E (in Columbus)
  • Homemade ice cream, damn it

For the sake of consistency and closure, I guess I should touch on my summer goals and bucket list items…

Bucket List

  • Go on a mini-golf date with K
  • Finish Year 3 scrapbook
  • Beach house vacation with the whole family
  • DCI Championships with K in August
  • Finish backyard landscaping
    • & host a cookout for the company
  • Take Enzo to the dog park
  • Outdoor concert with K & friends
  • Garage Sale (#2)
  • Visit the farmers’ market
  • Make a serious dent in Erin’s reading challenge
  • Drink more water
  • Make homemade ice cream
  • Take the pups on an adventure

Recap: I sucked… Most of the things I crossed off were already in the works when I made the list. Also, Ly and Enz got a bunch of time at the dog park thanks to open houses and showings so…. I feel like that counts as “an adventure.”

Goals

  • Clean junk out of basement & utility room (Yay house-selling!)
  • Get spare bedroom clean and de-cluttered 
  • Wash cushion slips
  • Wipe down fans, baseboards, etc.
  • Go for a bike ride once a week
  • Go putt-putting/mini-golfing (With the fam, but not as a date with K)
  • Tackle three books per month (…ish)
  • Clean out/update my Spotify playlists
  • Finish Year 3 scrapbook
  • Order pics for year 4

Recap: Slightly better than the bucket list. Opening the house to strangers forced me to clean a lot.

For being an insane season at work and selling the house (twice), I feel ok about those goals. Plus, we all know I’m not that tough on myself anyway with these. *shrug*

What’re you hoping to accomplish this fall? How’d you do over the summer?

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Thoughts While Rereading Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone

Published on by Louise39 Comments

As I’ve mentioned, I’m rereading all the HP books as they’re illustrated & released. I started this task a few weeks ago (even though I got SS and CoS as soon as they were released… Yay for October releases and an October b-day!). Since PoA comes out this year I decided I should start reading.

Going home to Hogwarts and revisiting these books fills me with so much joy. I love reading them as an adult because I take away something totally different than I did as a 5th grader. Also, when Harry and Ginny meet or when other characters make statements that come back to bite them in the butt I just get so giddy.

*There really aren’t spoilers, but there’s some alluding. Just FYI

Anyway…. here are the thoughts I had while rereading Sorcerer’s Stone:

I can’t spell “sorcerer” save my life. It’s a simple word but my fingers never type it correctly.

Vernon Dursley is a terrible human in the movies, but he’s 100xs worse in the book. I want to punch his fat face.

source

The line is actually: “Harry – yer a wizard.”

I got real, tangible goosebumps when Harry entered Platforms 9 & 3/4 for the first time. It was wonderful.

I wish Fred & George’s first interaction with Harry had made the movies. The twins will always be two of my favorites.

Neville was actually with the trio when they discovered Fluffy. I can’t believe I’d forgotten that. Neville misses a lot of action in the films 😦

Harry & Draco’s hatred for one another is immediate in the book. Malfoy is a nasty little human.

“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” ❤︎

During the broomstick jinxing on the Quidditch pitch F & G were circling under Harry to catch him if he was de-broomed. Have I mentioned how much I love them…?

Totally forgot about the scuffle that Ron and Neville started with Malfoy in the stands. I love Neville so much.

Compared to the movies, Neville trying to stop Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room makes so much more sense in the books. He’s with them for almost every out-of-bed, middle-of-the-night adventure.

The points awarded to him in the end make much more sense, too 🙂

Firenze is such a great character. I think the forest scene is so well written.

I love the first time Ron and Hermione tell Harry that *of course* they’re coming with him- why wouldn’t they be? It’s like the theme of their friendship from here on out.

When Hermione forgets she can make magic with a wand (because she’s muggle born) 😂

Harry and Hermione’s friendship is my favorite. I feel like the Snape task (which doesn’t make the movies 😠) is their first real moment in their relationship.

I 100% cried when Dumbledore explain the power of Lily’s love to Harry.

Then Hagrid’s photo album gift made me lose it all over again 10xs harder…

The book was better… 😉

I was scrolling through the reviews on GoodReads and saw this:

I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me laughing out loud.

School Days & Locker Talk

Published on by Louise36 Comments

I’m a week and a half late to this link-up party but Nadine did this “Back to School” tag and introduced me to Andrea’s monthly questions. Since the link-up is still open I decided to play along.

Did you love school or hate it?
I loved school. I enjoyed seeing my friends, I loved having a routine, and I’m one of those weirdos that likes learning.

Start school before or after Labor Day?
I think we usually started the week before Labor Day. I never understood that.

Wake up: Eager Beaver or Slow Poke?
Mornings have never ever ever been my thing.

Favorite Breakfast?
My mom would make us Cream of Wheat on wintery weekend mornings (or snow days) and I loved it!

Favorite Cereal?
Life. (Sorry for even mentioning it, Rebecca Jo!!)

School uniform or no school uniform?
No, thank God. I was so into my style in high school.

New outfit for the first day of school or no?
Of course! Although, by high school I pretty much only wore band t-shirts, ripped jeans, vans, and a sideways belt. #emoForever

Walk to school or ride the bus?
I rode the bus until I got my license/car. Then I drove my brother and self every day.

Backpack, tote or messenger bag?
Messenger bag (in the pic). I had one from PacSun that was brown with pink embroidering and I LOVED it. I still have the bag even though it’s beat to crap…

Eat school lunch or pack lunch?
I think it was 50/50 in elementary and middle school- it depended on the lunch menu. I remember my brother bought more often than I did. In high school you could leave the school and get your lunch which I did 99% of the time.

Remember the little milk cartons? White or chocolate?
I don’t like white milk so chances are I was a chocolate drinker. #healthy

Paper bag or lunch box?
Didn’t we all pride ourselves on our lunch boxes? Especially if they had a matching thermos? (No? Just me?) I think I might have occasionally brown-bagged it in hs.

Favorite thing to do at recess?
We played American Girls and Disney Princesses in elementary school. Also, ‘big toy tag’ on the equipment. In middle school it was 4-Square.

Favorite back to school supply item?
Notebooks!

Chalkboard or dry erase board?
In 2nd grade I told my teacher I was allergic to chalk and asked to use the mini-dry erase boards when we were practicing our letters. I actually just hated how my hands felt covered in chalk. Hahaha. Other than that, I think all my classrooms had chalkboards.

Regular or mechanical pencil?
Mechanical- duh!

Homework as soon as you get home or after dinner?
I used to do it on the bus ride home… Nerd alert.

Favorite after school snack?
Ramon noodles or a sandwich.

Favorite after school show?
General Hospital. Hahahahahaha!

Favorite subject in school?
History.

Least favorite school subject?
Math; specifically algebra. 

Name of  your best friend in high school.
Sam.

SAT or ACT?
I never took the SAT. I got a 27 on my ACT the first time & told my mom I was done. Lol.

Favorite year in school.
I don’t know… Third grade was a fun year. Second grade I had my favorite teacher. High school had its highs and lows but it was fun. Probably my junior year was the best. I started dating K, I was so carefree, and I made a million reckless decisions but survived. I switched up my friends toward the end of hs because mine weren’t so nice, and I think I really figured out who I wanted to be at that point in my life.

I get anxious thinking about all the drama and emotions and trouble I went through in high school. Thank Jesus (and, honestly, Kyle) that I made it out alive. I hope I remember my teenage years when our kids go through them- I’d like to be an empathetic parent.

Class ring or no class ring?
I had a gorgeous one with a purple stone. I don’t know what happened to it…

Funny class ring story… One day I was wearing a male friend’s ring and we went to Burger King for lunch. I took the ring off because it was big and I didn’t want to get it messy or lose it. Well… I left it on the tray and threw it away. Later, when I realized it was gone, I called my grandma from the hs bathroom bawling because I’d lost my friend’s ring. She and my aunt went to BK, dug through the dumpster, and found the ring under a pickle. Best. relatives. ever.

Attend or not attend high school reunions?
My class didn’t have a 5-year and I doubt I’ll attend the 10-year in 2019. Maybe I’ll go to one later on in life. Who knows…

*sigh* I miss school. That said, I’d never go back or reverse time. Ha!

*Linking up with TBB for TBB Asks

What I Read… vol. 9

Published on by Louise54 Comments

Best blogging day of the month! Let’s get to the books!

What_I_Read_blog

If you’re new here, this is how the review goes:

Ok! On with the show!

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood | ★★★★★/5
Summary: With Congress gone and the Constitution suspended, American men and women are forced into new relationships and roles. | Why I Read It: Everyone has or is reading it (I was 78th on the library waitlist- it took 2 months to get) & it filled a spot in Erin’s Challenge. | What I Thought: This book was like nothing I’ve ever read. I have so many thoughts but at the same time I’m speechless over it. It’s so relevant and scary and foretelling… especially for being written in 1985. It read like an actual retelling and it ended so vaguely. I think that the reader is meant to walk away with their own epilogue depending on how you felt by the end- you might have some hope for Offrend and think that she’s going to be alright but you might be feeling completely hopeless and beaten down by the end, in which case you probably imagine the worst for her. Also, I wonder what it would’ve been like for Offred if she’d have been in a different position of power or even a different part of the US or a different relationship when the changes started…. I don’t know… this book was eerie and engrossing and unique.
You should read it because… you’re a reader. If you are someone who enjoys reading I think you should give this book a try.

The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver | ★★★★/5
*ARC provided by Ashley Weaver (but it’s available now!)
Summary: Summoned to France by Milo’s childhood nanny, Amory and her husband find themselves in the middle of another high society death. Was it an accident or something more sinister? | Why I Read It: I like this series & it worked out with Erin’s Challenge. | What I Thought: First of all, I’m so happy I got my hands on an ARC. Sometimes all you have to do is ask and an amazing author says “yes” 🙂 I love the high society and historical vibe in these novels. This one was no exception as it introduced the Ames duo to the French Belanger family, master perfumers. With the recent loss of their patriarch, the company, fortune, and family are in a state of covert disarray. While I enjoyed Milo and Amory’s strengthening relationship, I felt like his secrecy and lying were serious (& annoying) setbacks. Also, Milo’s effect on women was a little overstated. That said, I still loved their chemistry and I’m liking Amory’s backbone as it grows a little in each novel. I think my favorite parts were Milo’s reaction to men flirting with his wife. He’s much less of a cool cucumber than Amory in those situations.
You should read it because… you’ve read the first three books and/or you enjoy historical murder mysteries.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman | ★★★★/5
Summary: New to town and already bored with her home and routine, Coraline decides to explore the dark mysteries of her new home. | Why I Read It: It’s been on my TBR list forever because I thought it looked spooky and entertaining. | What I Thought: For whatever reason, it took me over 2 months to finish this book. It was enjoyable, but it was easy to pick up other books instead of this one. I liked Coraline very much. She started off with a pretty decent level of maturity but by the end she’d become very wise and clever and brave for her age. I’ve read that this book is creepy and scary for adult while children tend to find it more empowering and encouraging. I can see that. The villain (“the other mother”) was delightfully terrible. I think there were many details hinted at by Gaiman that weren’t blatantly explained and I enjoyed that. It was a very descriptive and visual book- perfect for a fall afternoon.
You should read it because… you enjoy spooky, contemporary tales of evil and trickery (defeated by clever, good little girls).

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, Jim Kay (Illustrator) | ★★★★★/5
Summary: (Really?) After 11 years with his abusive aunt and uncle, a young boy is suddenly immersed in a world of witchcraft and wizardry, trolls and dungeons, unicorns and werewolves. | Why I Read It: No one needs an excuse to read HP. That said, I’m rereading all the books as their illustrated versions are released. I’ve had this one for a while now and finally cracked it open. | What I Thought: Bloody hell. I didn’t think there were any Harry Potter stones unturned. If you haven’t gotten your hands on the illustrated novels then you need to do so right now ❤︎ I’ve heard that the Kindle/ebook versions are animated! I’m ashamed that it’s been so long since I’ve read this magical book. Next week I’m dedicating an entire blog post to it so stay tuned for that 😉
You should read it because… it’s one of the greatest series and stories to ever grace the literature world. #fact

DNF: The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart
*I didn’t finish this book this month and I ran out of renewals (because I got it at the beginning of the summer and kept putting it off). I fully intend to re-borrow this book and finish it, but I’m taking a break for a few weeks and giving it back to the library for now 😉

Here’s a quick challenge update:

|5 points| Freebie: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
|10 points| Starts w/ “B”: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
|10 points| Yellow cover: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
|15 points| An animal on the cover: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
|20 points| Published in 2017: The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver
|20 points| Compass/cardinal direction in title: West With the Night by Beryl Markham
|25 points| A most commonly banned book in America: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
|30 points| About mental illness: The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
|30 points| Non-human main character: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
|35 points| A Disney movie /book/ based on a Disney movie: The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

I have 105 points now.

Not a bad month for reading 🙂 What’d you read this month?

Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books!

Life According to Steph

Currently…

Published on by Louise46 Comments

Reading… The Moon-Spinners for Erin’s Challenge. I’m having a hard time with this book even though I find the story interesting. Fortunately I’m also reading HP & the SS which is sucking me in just like it did nearly 20 years ago ❤︎

Eating… terribly. I haven’t wanted to dirty the kitchen because of all the showings/inspections happening so we’ve been doing a LOT of external dining (or take out). The few meals I have made at home were busts. I need to work on this.

Feeling… sick. My mother had a head cold (#FirstGradeTeacherProbz) and I think she passed it on to me last weekend. Grr.

Planning… a house warming / Halloween / fall party in the new crib 🙂

Pinning… alllll the home decor. When we moved into our current house we were newlyweds carting around everyone’s generous hand-me-downs. Since then we’ve been intentional about design and I’m excited to decorate the new space with pieces that are important and unique to us.

Recovering from… last weekend’s bachelorette party in Cleveland. We took a party bus to the city, dined at Margaritaville, & had some dessert at The Chocolate Bar. The bride was on antibiotics and crutches (different incidents) so it was a slightly tame evening, though still exhausting!

Looking forward to… a slower season at work, moving into a new neighborhood, cool temperatures.

Here are some pictures from the last month or so of life 🙂

Kyle and our PI banner on the field at DCI World Championships
Lylee channeling how I hope to be this fall…
A bridal shower I helped with… K and I are both in the wedding next month!

*To my blogger friends in the south/east: If you need anything please let me know! Stay safe this weekend ❤︎

So what’s new with you? (Linking up with Kristen & Gretch!)

What's New With You

Ten Midwest Weekending Adventures

Published on by Louise26 Comments

I call Ohio home and have for almost 27 years (a.k.a. my life). We do a roadtrip at least once a year, but there are millions of places I haven’t been. Today I’m sharing some places in my neck of the woods that still remain on my bucket list. For me, these places are only 1.5 to 6 hours away.

No one is paying me to write this, but if companies would like to give me a free stay/visit in exchange for a blog post I’d happily oblige 😉

(1) Treehouses at The Mohican | Glenmont, OH
This is a popular place for romantic weekends, fall trips, and bachelorette party get-aways. My brother and his wife spent a weekend here once & loved it. These just think they look awesome! Can you imagine this place in the fall??

(2) Ohio State Reformatory | Mansfield, OH
I’ve been here twice- once on a 4th grade field trip & once on a classic car tour. Shawshank Redemption was filmed here! This remains on my list because I’ve never been during Halloween… They offer a pretty insane haunted prison experience. K isn’t into haunted things so I’d have to gather a group of friends. 100% NOT going alone 😉

(3) Mammoth Cave National Park | Kentucky
I’ve been her as a kid, but I really want to go back! I’m dying to explore the caves and maybe go spelunking! (Again, K isn’t quite as excited about this… ha.)

(4) Chicago
I know that’s vague, but Chicago is about six and a half hours from us and I’d love to visit as an adult- especially around Christmas time!

(5) Lakeside | Lakeside, Ohio
This cute little destination along Lake Erie is actually a little Christian community. (I think I almost applied for a job in the area in college.) From what I can tell it has that small town Stars Hollow kind of feel. Adorable!

(6) Upper Peninsula/Mackinac Island | Michigan
This is one of those rare places that K has been and I have not. Fortunately, he thinks it’s a gorgeous place and he really wants to visit again! I’m thinking this is a spring or summer trip!

(7) The Old Vermilion Jailhouse | Vermilion, Ohio
I think this unique little bed & breakfast looks so neat! It really is a historic jail.

(8) National Corvette Museum | Bowling Green, Kentucky
This is K’s contribution to the list- he’s been talking about this museum forever. The museum actually experienced a sinkhole a few years ago. Right now they’re adding on to the manufacturing facility next door & K says we need to wait to go so we can tour both places.

(9) Ravenwood Castle | New Plymouth, Ohio
Remember that time I was obsessed with The Tudors? Yeah, I’d love to spend the night in a castle!

(10) Any NASCAR tracks nearby that I haven’t been to…
There are so many race tracks within hours of us that I haven’t visited: Martinsville, Charlotte, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Kentucky, Pocono, & Richmond.

I’m linking up with the amazing Emma at The Adventures of a London Kiwi as well as her friends Polly (Follow Your Sunshine) & Angie (SilverSpoon London) & Erin (Erin Out and About) for the Travel Link-Up!

Have you ever stayed in a super unusually hotel or B&B? What are some day-trips you’d like to take?

(Any local resorts want to offer me a free stay? 😉 lol)

Confessions

Published on by Louise28 Comments

Don’t worry, nothing too deep here 😉

Apparently I’m a hypocrite. I word vomited about having a mental diet and avoiding dramatic/violent/etc. television… then I pushed The Tudors on people. It’s about Henry VIII who had 6 wives (of which he killed 2, possibly 3), and he completely flip-flopped on religion a million times (and killed heretics with each change), and it was on Showtime. Obviously it’s not G rated. Oh well. We like what we like, right?

A teeny tiny part of me is sad to see summer go. I felt like we had a pretty mild one in Ohio. Plenty of humidity, but the temperatures were fairly enjoyable. This doesn’t change my opinion on fall’s arrival, though.

I’ve mentioned our house selling woes here so I’ll confess that we’re seeing progress right now. I know we should/could be celebrating, but we got burned so hard last time so I’m waiting to pop the bubbly until we sign the closing papers. Ha.

I could drink the new Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino all day, every day. I rarely get their blended drinks but holy cow, Batman. Cinnamon and caramel and pure deliciousness.

I go through waves of reading. I’ll finish 3 books within days (or hours) of each other, then start three more, then fall into a lull for a while. I’m in a lull right now but also in the middle of HP & the SS and The Moon-Spinners (and Coraline, which is less than 200 pages & I’ve been “reading” it for 3 months). I’m such a book loser. Hahaha.

I’ve been a crying mess lately over Texas. Every time I see someone carrying humans out of danger or boats filled with stray dogs I just 100% lose it. Sometimes humans are amazing. We do a lot of business in Texas and it just makes me so sad that we can’t be there physically to help (or take in a million dogs).

Sidenote: I’m a big believe in backing companies/people who do good. Pay attention to who does what in the wake of this tragedy and go forward spending your time, money, attention on those things. From what I’ve seen online, Anheuser-Busch canned and sent water for Texas victims, Chip and Joanna Gaines are selling shirts through the end of Sept. with 100% of their proceeds going to victims, and Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation took 72 displace dogs out of harms way. Sometimes humans are very, very good.

I believe that 2000s pop punk/alternative/rock is the best era of music. How’s that for a confession? My inner (former) emo kid enjoys listening to playlists on Spotify from my youth. And then I get the urge to put another layer of eyeliner on 😉

Every time we ship a product to a city where a blogger lives, I immediately want to reach out and tell them. Ha. But I know they wouldn’t actually care. Hahaha.

Alright. I’m done 🙂 Share a confession with me!

Have a happy weekend! We’re almost there!