May 2015 Reflections

From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

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I finally started Hound of the Baskervilles, which I don't think I've read since high school. I'm rereading the entire canon (probably reading some of them for the first time, actually), and I didn't want to watch the Sherlock episode based on it until I had reread the novel, so we've been stuck half way through season 2 for months now. Soon, though!


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New Movies:

• The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Very good, enjoyed it a lot, on the whole; did have a few issues here and there, but any film with this much going on is bound to have some
• Invitation to the Dance - Gene Kelly's personal labor of love; 3 segments of dancing only (no narration or singing), think Fantasia of dance (instead of animation); Ring Around the Rosy segment was my favorite (I love intertwining stories), and ironically featured the least Gene Kelly
• Tomorrowland - It's hard to figure out exactly what to say about this movie, other than it did not live up to its potential. One review said it was "less than the sum of its parts," and I tend to agree. It had all the right pieces, and it had its heart in the right place, but it just didn't really work, for reasons I can't fully articulate.
• Red 2 - We saw the original way back when, and found it a bit disappointing. This one seemed to have tighter writing and more fun throughout.
• Godzilla (2014) -  Eh, it was okay. Felt like it was just sort of there, which is the ultimate sin for an action movie, in my opinion. Was also a bit distracting seeing Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen playing husband and wife after just seeing them play brother and sister in Avengers 2.

Old Favorites: Monsters University, Sky High, Dick Tracy, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Gattaca, The LEGO Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, Robin Hood, The Neverending Story, Peter Pan (2003)

Fun with Family and Friends

The beach was fun, as always, until stupid me didn't put sunscreen on the tops of my feet and got burned. Normally, it's not a problem, but we were there at least an hour later than normal, so the sun was more intense. I just feel like an idiot, since I know better!

And it's summer movie season, woohoo! Here was my Avengers-inspired manicure.

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

We had a lovely Mother's Day with my mom and grandmother on Saturday. Here's our picture of 4 generations.

DH and I have officially been together for 20 years! Hard to believe.

We visited my parents and my mother-in-law over Memorial Day (see beach pictures above). Luke went fishing for the first time; my parents took him to a party at their friends' house while we went on a date, and they have a small fish pond. Apparently, he loved it. I have NO idea where he gets that from (DH and I both *hate* fishing!).

The Everyday and Routine

"The Everyday and Routine" is over for now! School's out, and none too soon. (And he even grew this year!) We are all quite burned out, especially after such an intense April preparing for a new standardized test. Ugh! Looking forward to some relaxing. (Remind me I said all of this in 3-4 weeks when I'm ready to send him back to school! LOL)

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

He made A and B honor roll, and we weren't sure if he would given that he had a C for two consecutive progress reports.

He was also named as a 5th Grade Patrol for next year, though he won't serve until the second 9 weeks. He has literally wanted to be a patrol since he was in Kindergarten, so he is very excited!

I had my eye exam and I've changed almost a full diopter in my right eye. I'm trying not to be concerned about it, but that is a pretty serious change. I still need to get new glasses, though (it was a busy last 2-3 weeks of the month!). I had a physical with my regular doctor the following week and everything looked good, including my labs (both cholesterol and triglycerides were down!).

In other news, I now own my first pair of open-toed shoes since before Luke was born, not because I didn't like them but because I couldn't find any that fit! I even painted my toes for the first time in many months just for their public debut.

Progress on Goals

I put a couple of strands in one of the dessert mandalas the last day or two of the month, not really enough to post a picture. I didn't stitch any at all on my Mirabilia fairies. For eating at home, um, er, but, but!!! I have made a meal plan to try to get back on track with cooking, but most of that will take place in June, so I'll report on that next month. I have started tracking my food again, but only for a couple of weeks, so not much progress to report yet. I do have a get-together scheduled with my local friends for June as well! Very excited to see them. I think it has been 3 years since I've seen these ladies.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready to relax this summer

April 2015 Reflections

From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Click pictures to biggify!

Read, Listened, Watched

Didn't do much reading; I think I finished one Sherlock Holmes short story (still working my way through those). Still hooked on listening to 40s on my satellite radio when I'm home alone (the boys don't seem to have the same appreciation for it that I do).

photo from Facebook

We tried watching Daredevil, but it is incredibly violent (more so than I am generally comfortable with; that is my issue, not the show's problem), and we're not really loving it (or even liking it much, which is a show issue, IMO). The characters are interesting, but I don't like any of them very much. I'll watch "bad" TV if I care about the characters, but I really don't yet after 3 episodes, and I'm not sure I want to sit through any more of it. It makes me sad. I really wanted to like it.


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New Movies:

• The Rocketeer (new for Luke) - he really liked it! Also his first real experience with Nazis, which made for some "fun" explaining
• Poseidon - not bad for a remake
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - interesting, not bad, but not good really; at least I liked (most) of these characters!
• Living With Lincoln - very interesting HBO documentary about family of scholars who followed/studied Lincoln, starting with the great-great grandfather who was a Union soldier.
• I tried to watch Bridget Jones's Diary, but I didn't make it more than about 20-30 minutes in. I just could not get into it. I never really experienced that kind of single life, I didn't relate to anyone, and I didn't find any of the characters likable. I tried, I really did. I just found it blah and boring and not worth my time.

Old Favorites: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's The Avengers (to prepare for Age of Ultron in May), Thor: The Dark World (not really needed for Ultron), Ender's Game, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The LEGO Movie, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Fallen, Pleasantville, Big Hero Six, Up

Fun with Family and Friends

Always fun to visit with BIL and family in NC. I even snuck in a visit with my friend Leah as well, though I don't have a single picture to prove it! SIL managed to take one that has one of hers, one of Leah's, and my one and only in it. Does that count as proof? LOL

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

Low key Easter spent with BIL and family. Luke also got to spend a whole day with his best friend over spring break (with the friend's mom graciously hosting so I could get some work done in peace; she earned cupcakes for her trouble).

The Everyday and Routine

Rain has certainly become a near-everyday occurrence. I know they say "April showers bring May flowers." If that's true, then all of Atlanta should be carpeted in flowers come May! I shouldn't complain, though, because the rain is helping a lot with my allergies. (Not sure the May flowers will help much, though.)

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

So, this is new....

Wasn't sure where to put those ("unusual" or "special event"). Definitely good! He looks so cute. And grown up. Yes, clearly, you can do both at the same time! (Because I'm the mom and I said so.)

Luke also caught his first kid-pitched game.

And pitched his first ever game. Walked four straight (I think having an actual batter at the plate really threw him). We'll see if that gets any better. It's hard, though, when both practice and games keep getting rained out!

The discovery that Luke hadn't been turning in homework (that we had taken the time, pain, and agony to do, just couldn't be bothered to turn it in!) was very not good. Nor was the C on his progress report, the second one in a row. We've got to figure out how to nip that in the bud.

Filed under bad for me is allergies. I didn't think it was possible, but they actually got *worse* at the beginning of the month, and even worse when we went to NC, which I truly thought was out of the question. (BTW, 24-hour Allegra only lasts about 22 hours.) I think it was the dogwoods, but I'm not positive. Whatever it was, the several days on either side of Easter were horrid.

Progress on Goals

Goals? What goals? Who said anything about goals? I have no idea what you're talking about.... There was some birthday party planning progress, and I did do a touch of stitching (more on that in the WIPocalypse update in a few days). That's about it.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: a bit damp

February 2015 Reflections

Sorry, y'all, I'm super late getting this posted (as in April), and it's pretty much post it with this limited info, or don't get it posted at all. I did throw in a few pictures for you, though, and they're clickable/enlargeable. Enjoy!


From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

Been listening to lots of 40s on 4 (SXM radio).
Very little reading
Really not much watching, either; Suits and Mythbusters are running, usual shows
Did see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Fun with Family and Friends

Snow days. And Disney!

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

Traditional snow day cookies.

Watched the Kitten Bowl again this year. Luke has been asking me about it for months (one of his friends is very into football, so he knew it was on, but no real sense of when the championship would be).

Our first time using MagicBands at Disney.

The Everyday and Routine

We all hate homework.

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

Luke got called for his first foul in basketball. Only took 5 games! I think my husband might prefer a few more, actually. He got to play against his best friend (number 25) in one game, too, which was fun for everyone.

Progress on Goals

Plenty of stitching, not much else. Only one picture to show here, sorry.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: not doing well at all on notes this month

January 2015 Reflections

This feature was formerly called the Monthly Round-Up. It is still essentially the same thing, just a slightly different name and format.


From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

As most of you know by now, I'm a bit of a "one at a time" hobbyist. If I'm really into one hobby at a particular time, there is very little happening with any of my other hobbies. Right now, stitching is at the top of that list, so there hasn't been much reading. I think I've knocked out a couple more Sherlock Holmes short stories ("The Blue Carbuncle" for sure), but that's about it.


Banner image from The Librarians Facebook page.

We really enjoyed The Librarians TV series. I wish they would stick to a more family-friendly format (certain instances of words (like s**t) and one super-creepy episode) since it's already so campy to begin with. We were hoping it would be a good show to watch as a family, but there were at least 1 or 2 episodes that he won't be able to see.


Banner image from the Agent Carter Facebook page.

We've also been enjoying Agent Carter. There have been some interesting developments and nods to the other shows/movies. I hope she gets to come back for another season, this time with the Howling Commandos (who will only make an appearance in the final episode). But as much fun as it has been, I'm actually looking forward to having Coulson and team back.



We watched a few new-to-us movies this month:

• The Illusionist - No, we had never seen it. It was pretty good, but I don't get what all the hype at the time was about.
• Young Mr. Lincoln - This was fun to watch, as much for the actors involved as anything. Definitely a case of "they don't make them that way anymore." Lovely to see Mr. Fonda so young!
• Coyote Ugly - Yes, that is a bit of a jarring jump from the previous two. This was another case of "I remember the hype, let's see what the big deal is." I actually found it a bit disappointing, and given that I wasn't expecting a cinematic masterpiece to start with, that's saying something. I guess I was hoping for a bit more comradery between the girls.
• Hawking (BBC TV Movie) - This is quite an early Benedict Cumberbatch appearance, one of those that put him on the map, so to speak. I happened to catch that it was coming on after Mythbusters one night, so I recorded it. Very interesting, both in terms of information and performance.
• Coal Miner's Daughter - I just had to see what a 1980 Tommy Lee Jones looked like. Good grief, the man has always been old! LOL But I love him just the same (though the blond hair was a bit much). I thought the movie was fine. I'm not hugely familiar with Loretta Lynn, though you can't live in the South your whole life without knowing something about her. I was impressed that everyone did their own singing!

Old Favorites: Wreck It Ralph, Iron Man 3, The Mask of Zorro, Demolition Man, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (new for Luke), Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Star Trek (J.J. Abrams), Ratatouille, Maverick, Ender's Game, Interview With the Vampire, Arsenic and Old Lace (DH's first time), Oblivion, Hello Dolly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Fun with Family and Friends

We rang in the New Year quietly, as usual. Luke watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on New Year's Eve before going to bed around 9:30 (which is quite late for him). Technically, he had seen it before at school, but we had a rule that he couldn't watch it at home until he had finished reading the book, which he did a few days into the Christmas break. After he went to bed, I stayed up and watched the original King Kong (which I had never seen) until about 11:50 PM. DH watched the movie with me napped on the sofa until Midnight, at which point we kissed and then went to bed. Pretty sure we were lights out by 12:05! Do we know how to party or what?

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

We booked our 2015 Disney trip! We'll be staying on property this year (first time since 2009 or 2010, I think). That has involved all sorts of new "learning opportunities," such as trying to learn to navigate the new MagicBands and FastPass+ system. More on that in a later (dedicated) post. (I was hoping to have a picture of our MagicBands to post here, but they just shipped on January 30, so they aren't here yet.)

The Everyday and Routine

Well, I was hoping to actually reestablish something vaguely resembling a routine. We got completely of whack towards the end of last year. Basketball was starting, school was starting back, we had no "extra" commitments or obligations for the month. Yeah, we did well for about a week, and then it all fell apart again. We're still trying, though.



Basketball has fallen into place rather easily, though the 740PM games are tough (especially when they start 10-20 minutes late). Luke is usually in bed with lights out between 8 and 8:30, so not getting home until 9, *then* having to shower and such has been hard. I think we only have 3 of our 10 games that are not at 7:40.

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

I don't know what my husband said to L on the 2nd day of school, but whatever it was, his homework attitude has been *much* better, generally speaking. It's usually quite a struggle/meltdown in January and/or February (crossing my fingers that it doesn't come next month), but homework has been even flirting with pleasant. Maybe not every day, but most days. There is still the occasional meltdown, of course. With basketball practice lasting until 8 PM (or later) on Wednesdays, that makes Thursday homework consistently much harder than any other day because he is short 1-2 hours of sleep, but we're muddling through.



We tried a new restaurant: Newk's. Reminds me a bit of a glorified Panera, but they serve pizza (which means Luke will actually eat there, unlike Panera). It was good enough that we ate there twice this month. The Four Cheese Mac and Cheese was awesome!



I purchased my first Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery designs. I saw their Fairy Tale sampler from last year pop up on Facebook several times in one day. I'd never seen the pattern before and I thought it was pretty cute, so I checked it out. Sure, that one was cute, but the monthly mystery Story Book sampler absolutely sucked me in. The Alice shown in the preview is beyond adorable, and as soon as she said "Sherlock," I knew I was sunk. (The little "symbols" at the top of each frame, like the watch shown, were the final nail in the coffin.) This is only the second or third mystery I've ever done like this. I'm actually quite excited (even if I haven't yet started stitching it; I'm just excited to see what's coming!). I'm also hoping to start a "seasonal wall" at home, and when I saw this Halloween design, I had to have it. So cute!

Progress on Goals

Not doing so well on the eat at home thing (shocking). Weight loss is progressing slowly, but I also know that I have not been 100% committed, which is my fault. I'm starting to work on the birthday party and friend get-together plans, but nothing solid yet. About the only goal that is going really well so far is stitching. I've put in quite a few hours in the last month on 3 different pieces, and I should be able to fit in a fourth piece before the official WIPocalypse due date. Above is just a small example. More pictures coming in the first week of February. They're coming along slowly but surely. Yay!


Click to read about our 2014 Disney trip!

I'm doing better with the blogging (so far; it seems easier to do in the winter, for some reason). I even finally got the Disney 2014 trip written up! About time, too, since we leave in a few weeks for our next trip.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: chilly, but ready for February