Off the Beaten Path

Obviously I've been posting alot about books lately, but I wanted to take a few minutes to write a post about something else. To give you a little idea of what I've been up to lately other than reading.

Joseph had 11 days off for Christmas and New Year's vacation this holiday season. (I wanted to say year, but since Christmas was 2009 and New Years was 2010...yeah. you get the point.) Anyway, he put his time off work to wonderful use. He and his dad (well, mostly his dad) spent about five days painting the main floor of my house. Yay for color! I'll have pictures of the rooms that were painted very soon. I didn't have anything to do with the painting, but I sure did have a hand in the cleanup.

Also, last Sunday Joseph and I started a 1500 piece puzzle that we (I) just finished on Friday night. I'll post a picture of that for your viewing pleasure.

Of course, I've been reading. I just finished my 13th book last night.

Oh yes, about the cleanup part of painting. I kinda extended that cleanup into taking down all the Christmas stuff that was still lingering around my home. I even have the scratches on my arms to prove it. Did you know that Christmas trees are worse than cats!?! The other room that I cleaned was my office. Actually, I didn't just clean it; I revamped it. My desk got moved. Joseph added some more shelves for my Mary Kay stuff. I sorted through magazines, books, and TONS of loose papers. and now...it looks beautiful! It's still not quite finished, but at least I can handle going in there to work again.

On the to do list for this week:
Inventory my Mary Kay products
Clean out my closet in my bedroom
Shampoo the carpet in my bedroom
Start sending in payments for my Sentria
Scrub down my kitchen
and hopefully Make a few meals in advance that I can freeze or at least store for later in the fridge.

That's not much at all, right? I have to admit this is HUGE for me. I can't remember the last time I've been motivated to get things done for more than two days in a row. This has been going on since January 1st and I LIKE it! Wish me luck.

National Just Read More Novels Month

I know, I know, I KNOW that I said I would try to limit my posts about books, but I'm on a roll right now so why stop just yet, right? Actually, I do have other posts planned, but they actually require me posting from home as opposed to posting from my work office (like I am now).

With that said, let me introduce you to the latest challenge that I've joined. The challenge is exactly what it says - to read more novels in January. There are a few rules so if you feel like joining, be sure to check them out by clicking on the picture above. Wish me luck!

Because you haven't heard enough

Books, books, books. That's all she ever writes about! Well, not technically, but pretty close. Books are a safe subject for me. I can never run out of books to write about, but I really DO try to limit the number of posts that I devote to books. So, this will be my last for the night.

I need to set a new goal. Last year's goal was to read 100 books. I read 117. While being realistic, I really do want to set a higher goal. and reach it. What's reasonable? What's realistic? I've already read 7 books this year and it's only 5 days in. By the time I go to sleep tonight I will have finished at least one more. Should I shoot for 120? That's only 12 books a month. Pittance! Perhaps 142 - 13 books a month. But then, why not go for 8 more and make it a nice even 150?

Yes, I think that's what I will set my goal at. 150 books read in 2010. Good luck to me. I'm going to need it!