Reading Challenge '12 -- January Update

GoodReads: one of my favorite and most frequented sites.  I love maintaining my virtual bookshelves and keeping up with what my friends are reading... and it is an awesome place to get book recommendations.  If you read a lot it is a good place for you :  )

This is my second year to participate in the site's Reading Challenge; last year I exceeded my goal of 25 books, finishing the year having read 32  I have challenged myself to 25 books again this year... here are the ones I read in January:

Summer and the City (sequel to The Carrie Diaries) continues Carrie Bradshaw's journey into adulthood and life in the Big Apple.  I felt compelled to read this since I had started the series (and will probably read any others published) but I cannot say it is fabulous.  I am a huge SATC fan and this storyline is not how I see Carrie's character developing... oh well :  )  It was quick and fun and a good way to start of the year.

Love, love, love Harry Potter :  )  If you have not read them... read them.  If you have read them, read them again.  LOVE.

Heehee, this one was fun.  If you are a Child of the 70s or 80s... this book is for you!  Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? is a good compilation of some of our childhood favorites... everything from TV shows to toys to food products... with an explanation of why they disappeared and, where applicable, what replaced them.  A good trip down Memory Lane.  Without doubt there are lots of things missing (we had a TON of stuff!) but I read somewhere the authors are working on a sequel :  )

What have you been reading?

The Search for Shorts

It may still be winter in some parts of the country but it is warm here in North Texas!  Our temps are starting out cool (30s and 40s) but we have been ending the afternoon in the upper 60s and low to mid 70s... and last week we had a few days in the 80s!  Nothing like warm weather to get me thinking about spring... and shorts!

I am in desperate need of some new ones this year, especially because we are going on vacation at the beginning of the summer.  Two summers ago I was still expecting CB (her birthday is in June) and spent the rest of the warm weather still in maternity clothes.  Last summer I was able to purchase new, post-baby summer clothes but have lost enough weight throughout this year to warrant needing new shorts again... this is both a positive and negative thing!

In general, I dislike shopping; nothing ever fits correctly and clothes seem to cost entirely too much for the quality received.  I am also tall at 5'9" and not a stickly size 4 (although I was once in a previous life, heehee).  Ideally, a pair of navy, white, and khaki will be in my future, and I am also looking for a pair of light blue, which I think would look super with a variety of polo shirt colors.

These from Vineyard Vines look like a nice fit... and score they come in navy, white, and stone.  I have never purchased VV shorts and would appreciate opinions from anyone who has! 

LOFT currently offers these cotton ones, available in a light blue called Bay Blue (which I kind of like, but I do not trust Web swatches enough to forgo viewing them in the store) as well as khaki and a super fun green called Lush.  All my other shorts are from LOFT and I have generally had good luck with the fit and durability.

Finally, these from Land's End look quite delightful... but I am sad they are already backordered in navy and are not available in white!  Their light blue version, Venetian Blue, looks like a good shade.  My only concern: the one online review comments about the fabric being thin, which is not okay for me.  I need structure!

Where do you purchase shorts?

New England Dream

Ever since I can remember, I have been completely enamored with New England; interestingly, I have never been there.  How can a person be so infatuated with a place they have never seen? 

Let me clarify that while New England (and this entry) specifically refers to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massaschusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, my infatuation is not limited to these... it most certainly includes all thirteen of the original New England colonies.  I have been to New York City.

Maybe it has something to do with the cobblestone...

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Or the Colonial architecture...

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Or the abundance of trees (with beautiful fall colors)...

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Or the picturesque seaside towns...

Startle

Or, even more important to this American history teacher, actually living and being where our nation's amazing story began... such a dream of mine!

Old North Bridge

I might would even go so far as to say I am slightly obsessed with everything about the region... its history, culture, clothing... as well as its exclusive colleges and universities... and I read everything I can to learn more about life there.  To me, New England is a private club and I am outside the door trying to figure out how to gain membership.

I want to walk the streets of Boston... I want to go to a Cape Cod clam bake, even though I am desperately allergic to shellfish... I want to lunch at the Griswald Inn... experiencing four seasons would be fabulous... I want to go sailing even though I do not know how to swim or tie any sort of knot with rope... and let's say I would be quite happy if the American Studies Ph.D. program at Yale would waive the foreign language requirement so I could apply.

New England seems to be a part of me that is not yet realized... and I do not know if I will ever feel complete until I have been able to be part of it beyond photographs, travel books, and the movies.

I  would like to end by saying my desire for New England does not lessen my love for Texas... but simply acknowledges there is another part to my heart and soul : )

Darling Daughter's Monogram

Since CB was born I have wanted a piece of jewelry I can wear all the time to represent her.  I have never been a fan of birthstone jewelry (like the necklaces with a stone for each child) but rather have been eyeing an engravable disc from James Avery, complete with her initials.

What I am not sure about is if I should wear it as a necklace or start a second charm bracelet.  The last charm I added to my current bracelet is my Texas A&M charm to signify graduation from my master's program.  The next significant event in my life was having CB so starting a new bracelet seems appropriate. 

What do y'all think?  Necklace or bracelet?  Would adding more charms to a new bracelet ultimately take away from the meaning of this one?  Or is it a good place to start a new collection?

Wednesday

Ah, Middle of the Week... how I love you!  The weekend is in sight and it was a fabulous 80 degrees out today... nutty! 

My blog photographer (The Hubs) is catching up on some work he brought home (instead of taking photos for me, gasp) so I am posting some images from my Pinterest boards that make me happy... just like Wednesdays.

Pinterest

No doubt there have been endless posts about Pinterest... and I am not going to pretend it is anything new, as I have been on there for many, many months now (along with everyone else)... but I will say I am totally fascinated by what people add to their virtual bulletin boards!  You really can learn so much about a person by the boards they create, what they pin, and their comments.
 

My favorite boards I have created are Dream Home (what I would live in if money were no object and my location was somewhere other than Texas, ha!)...

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... My Style Pinboard (because I could not come up with a fun name to replace the standard issue one, suggestions welcome)...

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... and LOVE... a random collection of things I, well, love... for many and varying reasons :  )  (For those interested, you can access my boards here).

www.houserevivals.blogspot.com

What are your favorite things to pin?  I would love to follow y'all on Pinterest so send your link along... and happy pinning!

Long Live LSP

Oh goodness... where do I even begin?! 

I hope some of my readers wondered where I disappeared to oh-so-many months ago... well, it is easy to explain.  Blogger flipped out and would not let me log in to my account.  When I finally could log in to my account, I was unable to view my own posts.  After a few weeks of fiddling around with things, and unable to make any progress, I simply gave up, gave in to my busy life, and moved on.

Fast forward to today... I am hoping to come back to the preppy Blogger world (glitch-free) and continue where I left off... please look for more upcoming posts... I have missed everyone!  :  )