Category Archives: Blogging

10.01.17
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Getting Personal #88: October Goals

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Image Credit: Pinterest

Hooray – October is finally here!

There are so many exciting things happening this month!!

Here are my goals for the month of October:

  1. Donate blood.
  2. Celebrate several birthdays!
  3. Celebrate Mary Lauren & Jeremy’s wedding!
  4. Celebrate Nick & Savy’s wedding!!
  5. Write at least 400 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
  6. Write at least two blog posts on home improvements.
  7. Make / purchase photo canvases.
  8. Attend Hampton Comicon!
  9. Finally start moving items from my parents’ house to ours.
  10. Keep our kitchen table clean!
  11. Update my TBR.
  12. Be a successful co-hostess for the October PEO meeting.
  13. Write some snail mail!
  14. Celebrate Halloween!
  15. Enjoy Little (Lane) when she visits for a week!
  16. Order the Desert Mist Diffuser, and more Savvy Minerals makeup!

Here’s the breakdown:

Donate blood.

  • Our next blood drive is Saturday, October 7th!

Celebrate several birthdays!

  • My mom’s birthday is this week, as well my good friend Ashley’s.
  • Mia’s birthday is in the middle of October. She’ll become our niece in two weeks!!

Celebrate Mary Lauren & Jeremy’s wedding!

  • Their wedding is October 7th – It’s gonna be a blast!

Celebrate Nick & Savy’s wedding!!

  • October 14th!!
  • I’m so excited for Savy to become my sister-in-law!
  • Mia will be my niece!
  • We get to trek to the farm, eat, drink, bounce in the bounce house, and celebrate!!

Write at least 400 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

  • I’m chugging along. It’s felt really good to sit down and pour out my thoughts. I’ll reach 50,000 words yet!

Write at least two blog posts on home improvements.

  • I’m determined! It’s been over a year worth of work!

Make / purchase photo canvases.

  • I’m excited to pick several engagement photos and wedding photos with Al, and then hang them up!

Attend Hampton Comicon! 

  • We’ll head to Hampton for the day on Saturday, October 21st.

Finally start moving items from my parents’ house to ours.

  • The weather’s finally cool enough, and I’m beyond ready to make my office what it’s supposed to be! My dolls deserve to be in one place!

Keep our kitchen table clean!

  • Our kitchen table has been a perpetual mess for a long time. I’m determined to clean it up, and keep it clean!

Update my TBR.

  • It’s that time again! My final TBR update of 2017 is coming soon!

Be a successful co-hostess for the October PEO meeting.

  • I’m excited to co-hostess the meeting next week at Susan’s house. I’ve already bought Reese’s pieces cookie dough, and I’ll buy some veggies, crackers, and pretzels at the end of this week.

Write some snail mail!

  • I’m long overdue to write letters to several special people in my life.

Celebrate Halloween!

  • Al’s co-worker, Kathryn, and husband Tim, open their house every year for a Halloween bash! This year, the theme is Stranger Things. So exciting!
  • We’re excited to hand out candy to our neighborhood again – The kids’ costumes are awesome!

Enjoy Little (Lane) when she visits for a week!

  • My Little is coming home to visit toward the end of the month. I can’t wait!
  • We’re participating in a fun wood door hanger paint class!
  • She gets to see our house for the first time!

Order the Desert Mist Diffuser, and more Savvy Minerals makeup!

  • I updated my monthly order late last week, and it usually processes around the middle of the month. The plan is to put the Desert Mist Diffuser in the living room, and move the Dewdrop Diffuser to my office!
  • I’m starting to experiment with the Savvy Minerals eyeshadow, but I’m excited to get my hands on the eyeliner, blush, and misting spray!

Do you have any goals for the month of October?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

09.30.17
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Getting Personal #87: September Goals Recap

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Image Credit: Kara Cozier

September was a mix of busy and relaxed! It’s finally starting to feel like fall!!

Here’s the link to my September Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Celebrate seven years together with Al! — Accomplished!
  2. Enjoy Savy’s bachelorette weekend! — Accomplished!
  3. Make / purchase several photo canvases. — Did not accomplish.
  4. Make a series of home improvement blog posts. — Semi-Achieved.
  5. Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!
  6. Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours. — Did not accomplish.
  7. Inventory my entire personal library. — Did not accomplish.
  8. Make and start using homemade deodorant. — Accomplished!
  9. Start using my Savvy Minerals makeup. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate seven years together with Al! — Accomplished!

Enjoy Savy’s bachelorette weekend! — Accomplished!

Make / purchase several photo canvases. — Did not accomplish.

  • I spent way too much money on other things this month.

Make a series of home improvement blog posts. — Semi-Achieved.

Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!

  • With the journal I wrote about in my recent Writing Prompt post, it was an excellent motivator!
  • I wrote approximately 554 words!
  • Current word count: 11,216 words.

Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours. — Did not accomplish.

  • Argh. A few missed opportunities to make this happen. Soon!

Inventory my entire personal library. — Did not accomplish.

  • This goes hand-in-hand with my bookcase. Soon!

Make and start using homemade deodorant. — Accomplished!

Start using my Savvy Minerals makeup. — Accomplished!

  • See the Getting Personal post, above, for more information!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to five out of nine goals! Woohoo!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with this one. More to come!
  • The three goals that I did not accomplish: Like last month, most of these involve time. I’ll keep chipping away at them until they happen!

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of September?

Come back tomorrow to see my October Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

09.25.17
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Tag #30: Burn, Rewrite, or Re-Read Book Tag

Ann posts some of the most interesting book tags! Here’s another!

Here’s the link to the original post:

The Rules:

  1. Randomly choose 3 books — I liked Ann’s idea of writing them down and placing them in a cup to randomly draw, so I totally did that. Great idea, Ann!
  2. For each group, decide which book to burn, which one to rewrite, and which to re-read.
  3. Repeat until you complete three rounds. (You can do more than three!)

Round 1

Image Credit: Goodreads
Image Credit: American Girl
Image Credit: Complex
  • Burn: Jake Riley: Irreparably Damaged. I read this book several times in middle school and high school, but I don’t think I’ll read it again. Jake’s character gave me the creeps!
  • Rewrite: The Runaway: A Maryellen Mystery. This was a tough choice. It’s a really good book, but I think I would be a tad more sensitive, given its target audience. Seeing animals in distress is never good, or fun!
  • Re-Read: The Great Gatsby. This is one of my all-time favorite books. I re-read it every year.

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Round 2

Image Credit: Wikipedia
Image Credit: Amazon
Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
  • Burn: Ender’s Game. Given the choices, I would reluctantly burn this one. This is one of the few science fiction books that I actually liked!
  • Rewrite: Fire From The Rock. This was a good book (I’m currently researching Sharon M. Draper for an upcoming “Awesome Authors” post), so I wouldn’t change much of the story. Maybe make it a little shorter, but that’s it. I really liked the characters and the structure.
  • Re-Read: To Kill A Mockingbird. Like The Great Gatsby, this is another book that I re-read every year.

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Round 3

Image Credit: John Green
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Image Credit: Amazon
  • Burn: Paper Towns. Again, this is a reluctant burn. I have enjoyed all of John Green’s books thus far.
  • Rewrite: The Notebook. This was a hard choice. I would make a few edits, but this is one of my all-time favorite books from Nicholas Sparks.
  • Re-Read: Story of a Girl. I read and analyzed this book for my Young Adult Literature class back in 2011, so I would love to read it again.

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Round 4

Image Credit: Goodreads
Image Credit: Veronica Roth
Image Credit: Goodreads
  • Burn: This Is Where It Ends. I would actually be okay with burning this one. I understood the author’s intent, but books about school shootings will always been unsettling to me.
  • Rewrite: Divergent. Out of the entire trilogy, I wouldn’t make a ton of changes. I would be okay with extending Divergent a little longer, and ending with Insurgent. No need for Allegiant!
  • Re-Read: The Pelican Brief. This is one of my favorite John Grisham books. I don’t re-read it every year, but it’s one that will always be on my bookshelf.

—

I Tag

  • Anyone!

Have you read any of these books?

Would you change any of them?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

09.05.17
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Blog Awards #17: Liebster Award – Number Two!

liebster-blog-awards-2

Image Credit: wwwpalfitness

I was nominated by Ann at Ann’s Reading Corner!

Thank you, Ann!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Answer the 11 questions they gave you.
  • Nominate 11 blogs.
  • Give them 11 questions to answer.

The Questions I Was Asked:

(1) What is your favorite thing about blogging?

  • I love being able to write about nearly anything I want, any time that I want to. I also have a deep appreciation for the awesome blogging community!

(2) What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your blog?

  • I wish I knew that I could literally write about anything, that I didn’t have to be afraid or hold back, that this blog would be amazing outlet!

(3) What is your most anticipated release for the rest of the year?

(4) Which author do you think shaped your reading the most?

  • Although I was late to the game, I have to give J.K. Rowling immense credit for writing Harry Potter and making this girl interested in fantasy books!

(5) What color book do you own the most of?

  • Oh, gosh. It’s probably a tie between black and white. Most of my older American Girl books, the Central Series for the Historical Characters, are white!

(6) Do you eat or drink while you are reading?

  • Not anymore. I got too many crumbs and water drops on my books!

(7) What TV Shows are your current favorites?

  • Right now, I’m re-watching Forensic Files on Netflix and YouTube. But, we’re also deep into The X-Files on Hulu (Season 3), and Unsolved Mysteries on Amazon Video (Season 6). We can’t wait for the new season of The Flash on The CW! And the countdown is on for the return of Stranger Things!!

(8) Harry Potter or Twilight?

  • Harry Potter. I have read all of the Twilight books and seen most of the movies, but Harry Potter will always win.

(9) How long do you think it takes you to read a book? (on average, of course)

  • On average, about a week.

(10) Who are some of your favorite bloggers that you think everyone should check out?

(11) What book are you currently reading?

  • I’m currently about four chapters into Frank W. Abagnale’s memoir Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake.

Nominees:

  1. It’s Lu Again
  2. Steff – Little Booky Nook
  3. Literary Weaponry
  4. Charlotte Annelise
  5. Drizzle & Hurricane Books
  6. Lolsy’s Library
  7. Tia – youmenaturally0
  8. Chelsea – The Suspense Is Thrilling Me
  9. Kristin Kraves Books
  10. Brittany’s Book Rambles
  11. Books, Vertigo and Tea

My Questions for the Nominees:

  1. Are you excited for any particular movie this fall / winter?
  2. If you could go anywhere to see the fall foliage, where would you go, and why?
  3. Is there a new TV show that you are excited to watch?
  4. Do you have any Halloween traditions?
  5. Who are your three favorite authors, and why?
  6. Is there a particular author that you want to meet in person?
  7. Design your perfect library / reading nook / reading spot.
  8. Do you use your local library?
  9. Do you shop for books on Black Friday / Cyber Monday?
  10. When you celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc., what book or books do you pack when you travel?
  11. What is your favorite book to read during the holiday season?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

09.01.17
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Getting Personal #82: September Goals

Image Credit: Kara Cozier. Kara is a wonderful leader with Young Living!

September is the kick-off to several months of excitement. To name a few: A crazy awesome bachelorette weekend, an epic wedding, celebrating birthdays, and more!

Here are my goals for the month of September:

  1. Celebrate seven years together with Al!
  2. Enjoy Savy’s bachelorette weekend!
  3. Make / purchase several photo canvases.
  4. Make a series of home improvement blog posts.
  5. Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
  6. Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.
  7. Inventory my entire personal library.
  8. Make and start using homemade deodorant.
  9. Start using my Savvy Minerals makeup.

Here’s the breakdown:

Celebrate seven years together with Al!

  • This one is probably the easiest! We will celebrate our “dating anniversary” on September 4th! I can’t believe it’s been seven years!

Enjoy Savy’s bachelorette weekend!

  • I’m so excited to get away for a weekend to celebrate Savy!
  • This will also be my first-ever airbnb experience!
  • I have new hiking boots, hiking pants, and workout-style shirts ready to be used!
  • I’m also excited to make breakfast for everyone on that Saturday morning – French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs! With coffee and orange juice, of course.

Make / purchase several photo canvases.

  • Our living room walls are sadly bare!
  • I want to have more documentation of our engagement session, and our wedding!

Make a series of home improvement blog posts.

  • Be prepared for many Before & After photos!

Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

  • I’m absolutely determined to surpass the 11,000 word mark this month!

Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.

  • Hopefully, the weather will actually cooperate this month!

Inventory my entire personal library.

  • This coincides with moving my bookcase. I’m excited to go through everything!

Make and start using homemade deodorant.

  • I knew most traditional deodorants and antiperspirants contained chemicals, but I’m definitely ready to make the switch now.
  • The recipe I just learned has baking soda, arrowroot powder, organic coconut oil, Purification essential oil, and Lavender essential oil.

Start using my Savvy Minerals makeup.

  • I’m beyond ready to clean out my makeup bag!
  • There are so many awful chemicals in makeup. Ugh, it makes me cringe. I don’t even want to wear any of it.
  • With Savvy Minerals, their new makeup line is non-toxic, and never tested on animals. Yay!

Do you have any goals for the month of September?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

08.31.17
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Getting Personal #81: August Goals Recap

Pinterest

Image Credit: Pinterest

August felt like a long month, but it was full of exciting things! I celebrated another birthday, we had AC all month long, I got addicted to LuLaRoe (More on that later), and my work department moved to a new, renovated office space. Yay!!

Here’s the link to my August Goals:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Register for the fall semester. — Accomplished!
  2. Donate blood. — Accomplished!
  3. Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all. — Semi-Achieved.
  4. Celebrate my birthday! — Accomplished!
  5. See The Dark Tower. — Accomplished!
  6. Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Did not accomplish.
  7. Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours. — Did not accomplish.
  8. Update my resume and LinkedIn profile. — Semi-Achieved.
  9. Make a series of home improvement blog posts. — Did not accomplish.
  10. Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy. — Semi-Achieved.

Here’s the breakdown:

Register for the fall semester. — Accomplished!

  • FINALLY! I triumphed over the course of four hours on Friday, August 4th. I met with an awesome academic adviser, who removed the English prerequisite, and I registered for Legal Writing.
  • I started the class last week, and I’m loving it so far. Our professor is super laid-back, but also knowledgeable. She works in one of the Legal Departments for Dollar Tree!

Donate blood. — Accomplished!

  • Yay! Spencer, my favorite phlebotomist, was there during the drive on Saturday, August 5th. I dropped a pint, and later learned that it went to the main hospital in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Red Cross sends an email to all successful donors and tells them where their donation went!
  • The next drive is Saturday, October 7th!

Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I got my Donation Bag from thredUP, and filled it to bursting. But I haven’t had a chance to send it in. I feel awesome. This weekend!

Celebrate my birthday! — Accomplished!

  • My mom bought an awesome birthday cake to share at the blood drive!
  • My parents took Al and I out to Spaghetti Eddie’s on Sunday night – Delicious!
  • Mom and Dad found “the gift that I have always wanted” – See the photo below!
  • I took my birthday off from work, and had a shopping spree at MacArthur Mall, and Best Thrift. I also went out to lunch at Uno’s with Al, and his co-workers Kathryn and Frances. They gave me Prosecco, an awesome phone stand, and a journal!
  • Al and I went out on Monday night to Ninja Sushi, and then Sweet Frog for dessert!
  • It was an absolutely wonderful birthday, and weekend. Here’s to 29!




See The Dark Tower. — Accomplished!

  • We saw this on Saturday, August 5th!
  • Even though I haven’t read any of the books, I really liked the movie.
  • I’m hoping for more!

Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Did not accomplish.

  • This just didn’t happen. I’m putting it on the list for September!

Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours. — Did not accomplish.

  • Ugh. I wanted this to happen! Every weekend was either busy, or my parents were out of town!

Update my resume and LinkedIn profile. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I successfully revamped my LinkedIn profile – Yay!
  • Still working on the resume. Piece by piece.

Make a series of home improvement blog posts. — Did not accomplish.

  • Making this happen in September!

Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I have all the things to make it. But, I’m trying to time it correctly so I can give it to her closer to the bachelorette extravaganza!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to four out of 10 goals! Woohoo!
  • The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with my progress with these goals. More to do next month!
  • The three goals that I did not accomplish: Timing is everything. Making time for things is so important!

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of August?

Come back tomorrow to see my September Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

08.04.17
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Blog Awards #16: Blogger Recognition Award – Number Five!

Many thanks to Jenna, the amazing author of Bookmark Your Thoughts, for nominating me! This is the fifth time I’ve received this award, and I really appreciate each and every nomination!

Here’s the link to Jenna’s post, where I was nominated:

The Rules

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Give a brief story of how you started your blog.
  • Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  • Select 10 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  • Comment (or ping) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How Hot Shot Headlines Started

I majored in Communication Studies, Mass Media, in college. That’s a fancy title for journalism. I also minored in English, Writing & Rhetoric. In 2007, I had dreams of being the next Katie Couric, or at least eventually living and working in New York City. Four years later, I graduated, and headed back home to Hampton Roads. I worked a few temp jobs before I got my first “big girl” job at a major health system, learning everything about health insurance, plus the ins and outs of contracts, analytics, percentages, and communicating via email and the phone.

Five years have passed, I’m still with Riverside, and my blog has continued to grow. I’m not getting paid to be a journalist, but I’m just as happy with writing about whatever I want, whenever I want, and throwing in some news articles and hot topics for good measure.

For New Bloggers

  • Don’t be afraid to write how you feel – Don’t hold back profanity, etc. Your blog is your own. Just as long as you’re not trashing your current employer! You don’t want to lose your job.
  • Post as much as you want, but don’t be afraid to take a break. I don’t write blog posts at all when I’m on vacation with Al, for example. I’ve also gotten burnt out several times. But, when I give myself a break, I start to miss blogging, and then I come back to it refreshed and rejuvenated!

And The Nominees Are …

Disclaimer: Do not feel obligated to accept this nomination or award – It will not hurt my feelings. Several bloggers I know do not accept awards, and I completely understand! The purpose of these awards are to recognize that you’re an awesome blogger! I don’t want to pressure anyone into anything!

  1. trainhrtraining
  2. Little Blind Book Finds
  3. YRM
  4. Chinese Characters Decomposition
  5. Delphine’s Babble on Some Good Reads
  6. Texas Law Student
  7. DJ Art Love
  8. Jina S. Bazzar – authors inspirations

Thank you again, Jenna, for this nomination!

If you have any questions, please contact me! I’m happy to listen.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

08.01.17
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Getting Personal #78: August Goals

We have arrived at the peak of summer. It’s my birthday month! But, I’m also excited because we’re in the home stretch, headed toward fall. Yay!

Here are my goals for the month of August:

  1. Register for the fall semester.
  2. Donate blood.
  3. Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all.
  4. Celebrate my birthday!
  5. See The Dark Tower.
  6. Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.
  7. Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.
  8. Update my resume and LinkedIn profile.
  9. Make a series of home improvement blog posts.
  10. Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy.

Here’s the breakdown:

Register for the fall semester.

  • This is happening on Friday! I’m absolutely determined to make this happen!

Donate blood.

  • Blood drive #101 is on Saturday!

Clear out the clothing clutter, once and for all.

  • My thredUP donation bag is scheduled to arrive this week!
  • I’m so excited to finally clean out! Our closets need it!

Celebrate my birthday!

  • I’m excited to take the day off from work and thoroughly enjoy it.
  • I’m making my regular pilgrimage to LUSH Handmade Cosmetics and Barnes & Noble, plus meeting Al and his co-workers for lunch!
  • My parents are taking us out to eat sometime this coming weekend – Spaghetti Eddie’s!
  • Al’s parents are supposed to stay with us during the second weekend of August, so hopefully we can get our parents together then, too.

See The Dark Tower.

  • Al is more excited for this movie than I am (Stephen King’s epic book series), but I’m intrigued!
  • Plus, who can resist Idris Elba?

Write at least 300 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt.

  • I felt so good at the end of July – I just want to keep going!
  • Making time for it makes such a big difference.

Move my bookcase from my parents’ house to ours.

  • This will be a significant step in making my office complete!

Update my resume and LinkedIn profile.

  • Piggybacking off of last month, this is something that I desperately need to do. Five years is way too long!

Make a series of home improvement blog posts.

  • This is long overdue, so be prepared for lots of Before & After photos!

Make the Succulent Sphere craft for Savy.

  • Link coming soon!
  • Savy saw this video when I shared it on Facebook and tagged her, and I’ve offered to make it for her!

Do you have any goals for the month of August?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.31.17
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Getting Personal #77: July Goals Recap

July felt like one of the longest months to me, but I think that’s because of two weeks of suffering through AC issues (Now gloriously fixed!), and we didn’t have many plans during the weekends. However, the end of the month always seems to sneak up on me!

Here’s the link to my July Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Clear the clothing clutter. — Semi-Achieved.
  2. Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit. — Semi-Achieved.
  3. Register for the fall semester. — Did not accomplish.
  4. See Spider-Man: Homecoming. — Accomplished!
  5. See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. — Accomplished!
  6. Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!
  7. Work toward weekly meal planning. — Accomplished!
  8. Set up a consistent cleaning schedule. — Accomplished!
  9. Update my resume. — Semi-Achieved.
  10. Publish a bigger variety of blog posts. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Clear the clothing clutter. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I got it a bit more organized and clearly divided.
  • I tried everything on, just to be absolutely sure!
  • This past week, I just ordered a Donation Bag through thredUP – I love that what I put into this bag, when it arrives, (including Al’s stuff!) will help our local Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation! There are three local charities that we can choose from, at any time.

Start designing my custom American Girl doll cabinet / storage unit. — Semi-Achieved.

  • We took measurements of a standard American Girl doll box.
  • Al is starting to work it up on the computer, using Adobe Illustrator.

Register for the fall semester. — Did not accomplish.

  • This is happening, just later this week!
  • I called the academic advising department two weeks ago – They don’t make appointments, they only take walk-ins (Of course they do).
  • I’m prepared to sit on campus all day on Friday until this happens. I’m tired of waiting!

See Spider-Man: Homecoming. — Accomplished!

  • We saw this on Thursday, July 6th! It was a later showing, and we were both really tired on Friday at work, but it was COMPLETELY WORTH IT.
  • It’s one of the best movies with Spider-Man, in our opinion.
  • It’s a movie that I think would make John Hughes proud.
  • If you haven’t seen it, we both highly recommend it!

See Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. — Accomplished!

  • We saw this last weekend – A Sunday matinee.
  • It was good, overall – Not anything spectacular.
  • The CGI was stunning and mind-blowing.
  • The story – Not so much.
  • We’re both a little sad that it flopped at the box office.

Write at least 200 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo attempt. — Accomplished!

  • Drumroll … I wrote approximately 452 words!
  • I feel awesome. I’m hoping to keep this momentum going!
  • Current word count: 10,662 words.

Work toward weekly meal planning. — Accomplished!

  • We sat down and mapped out the month of July. We basically picked one meal per week, and then I adjusted the recipes I had accordingly.
  • One of our favorite recipes now is Creamy Parmesan Garlic Mushroom Chicken.
  • The first time I made it, I followed the recipe step-by-step. It was really good!
  • When I made it again this week (Monday), I grilled the chicken on our George Foreman grill after marinating it for over 24 hours with olive oil, water, salt, and pepper. Instead of spinach, I used a whole head of broccoli. Absolutely delicious! I made enough for us to have ample portions for five nights.
  • This week – Taco salad!

Set up a consistent cleaning schedule. — Accomplished!

  • I took a pen to our Chick-fil-A calendar in our kitchen, and basically alternated Kitchen, Bathrooms, and Floors on every weekend. I wrote it down for every Saturday, but I give myself all weekend to make sure whatever it is gets done.
  • I’ve also noticed that I now feel less stressed because I’ve broken it down in this way!

Update my resume. — Semi-Achieved.

  • The main thing I did was write down the highlights of my current job, and the skills that I’ve learned while working for Riverside so far. I just need to condense it down into something that’s resume-worthy.
  • I’m not planning on leaving my current job anytime soon, but I know that it’s a good idea to keep my resume updated and refreshed.
  • I also need to overhaul my LinkedIn profile.

Publish a bigger variety of blog posts. — Accomplished!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of 10 goals! Yay!
  • The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy with my progress with these goals.
  • The one goal that I did not accomplish: I’m okay with this – I’ll be able to mark it as officially Accomplished at the end of this week!

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of July?

Come back tomorrow to see my August Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.20.17
by

Blog Awards #15: The Sunshine Blogger Award – Number Three!

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Image Credit: Found on Bookmark Your Thoughts

I’m honored and humbled to have been nominated for The Sunshine Blogger Award for the third time. I was nominated by Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts. Thanks, Jenna!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive, and inspiring, while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

The Rules

  1. Thank the person/persons that nominated you and link back to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions your nominator has given you.
  3. Nominate 11 other people, and give them 11 new questions to answer.
  4. List the rules and display the award.

Questions from Jenna

One. What’s your favourite book from your childhood?

  • I read and re-read the American Girl “Central Series,” or the six books that were about the original Historical Characters, throughout my childhood. I had many of the books in my own library, and I checked out the others from the library. Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly were the original three girls when the company first started in 1986. Felicity was added in 1991, Addy debuted in 1993, and Josefina was introduced in 1997. Note – I shamelessly read them as an adult, too. I’m currently rebuilding my childhood collection!

Two. From the best of your knowledge, what is your favourite childhood memory?

  • I have so many! I think my favorite is playing with the kids in the cul-de-sacs of Leeward Drive and Leeward Court (where my parents still live), and hopping the fence in my backyard to access the city park. We had many neighborhood “Breakfast in the Park” get-togethers for years,

Three. What was your favourite subject in school? Why?

  • I’ve always loved English class more than anything else. I love to read, and I became a fairly good writer in elementary school. I think my love of reading and writing led to my decision to study journalism / Mass Media in college.

Four. If reincarnation is real, what would you like to come back as?

  • I’d love to be a guinea pig or a hedgehog. I had several guinea pigs growing up, and we took care of several for friends after ours passed away. My 6th grade Civics teacher had a classroom hedgehog named Curious, and I’ve wanted one of my own ever since.

Five. Name one reason why you would want to teleport to the future? What do you think it will behold?

  • I would love see if self-driving cars actually come to fruition, among other things. I would love to see revolutions in healthcare, cures for diseases (Cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS, etc.), and agreement on tax reform!

Six. Who is your favourite hero/heroine in YA literature?

  • I loved Tally Youngblood in Uglies. Thinking about it, I need to read the rest of the series (Three more books). But, when I read it for my YA Literature class in the spring of 2011, I thought the book was revolutionary.

Seven. You’ve won a million dollars; what’s the very first thing you do with the money?

  • I pay off our mortgage.

Eight. It’s movie watching time; what’s your favourite movie genre that you’re most likely going to watch? Do you have a favourite movie?

  • Forrest Gump has always been my favorite movie! If I’m not watching that movie, anything with Tom Hanks is a good choice.

Nine. You can instantly travel to anywhere in the world; where are you travelling to? Why?

  • I’m headed to Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to visit! There are so many things to do there. My parents have been several times – They climbed Diamond Head in 2009!

Ten. You find a genie (with no restrictions) and are the lucky one to have three of your wishes granted; what are they?

  1. Have all of my novel attempts officially published and available to everyone.
  2. Have a library like Belle’s in Beauty and the Beast be built in my house / on my property.
  3. Pay off our mortgage, plus have about $20,000 available for several home improvements (New HVAC system, new windows, etc.)

Eleven. What book series or standalone novel would you recommend/do recommend to anyone? Why?

  • If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s one book that I re-read every single year, and it’s made a big impact on my life since reading it in high school.

Questions for the Nominees

  1. Do you have a favorite sports team?
  2. What movie are you most excited about for 2018?
  3. If money was no object, what would be your dream job?
  4. If you could do your school experience over again, would you have changed your field of study? If so, what would you pick?
  5. What is your favorite breed of dog?
  6. Do you have a dream pet(s)?
  7. If you could embark on a week-long trip in the United States, where would you go?
  8. What’s your favorite breakfast food(s)?
  9. If you could meet any author, who would you choose, and why?
  10. Is there a particular time period that you would want to live in?
  11. Do you have a favorite vacation or trip from your childhood?

And The Nominees Are …

  1. Dutch Lion
  2. daily(w)rite
  3. “An Tony’M”
  4. theexceptionalwriter
  5. Noveau Bohemian
  6. The Diary of a Muslim Girl
  7. Thriller/Suspense Film and Writing Festival
  8. Around the Library in 80 Days
  9. Bookends and Endings
  10. WilliWash
  11. BRAINISNTAFTERTHOUGHT

Please note: Your participation is completely voluntary!!

Thanks for reading! I’m so honored to receive this award.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂