Getting Personal #113: April Goals

Hello, April! I’m so happy that you have arrived. Bring on the warmer weather!!


Here are my goals for the month of April:

  1. Give blood.
  2. Celebrate Dad’s birthday!
  3. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018.
  4. See Avengers: Infinity War.
  5. Continue working on my Lady Lounge.
  6. Read at least two books.
  7. Enjoy time with Melissa!
  8. Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon.
  9. Attend Olivia’s bridal shower!
  10. Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth.
  11. Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering.
  12. Update my TBR.

Here’s the breakdown:

Give blood.

  • Our 18th Anniversary blood drive is this coming Saturday, April 7th.
  • If you’re in the Hampton Roads area, come on out and Give the Gift of Life.

Celebrate Dad’s birthday!

  • Al and I likely going to take my dad out to dinner to celebrate his birthday very soon!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018.

  • See my announcement post from March 27th: Getting Personal #111: Camp NaNoWriMo.
  • I’m SO PUMPED to do this. Seriously! I haven’t felt this invigorated to write in months. Bring it on!

See Avengers: Infinity War.

  • We’re definitely seeing this on either the Thursday night it premieres, or Friday night. We’re so stoked!

Continue working on my Lady Lounge.

  • I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Read at least two books.

  • I’ve finally broken out of my reading slump. I stopped reading the book I was attempting to finish, set it aside, and moved on to a different one.
  • It was an excellent decision – I’ve been powering through 5-6 chapters per night!

Enjoy time with Melissa!

  • My best friend is coming home for a visit!
  • She’s invited Al and I to drive up to Richmond on a Sunday, to eat lunch with her, her mom, and her stepdad.

Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon.

  • I am part of the Greek Woman of the Year Committee, so I look forward to being part of the award ceremony on Saturday, April 14th.

Attend Olivia’s bridal shower!

  • After the TAPA luncheon, I’m headed to my mom’s to celebrate Olivia! She’s getting married in July. She’s one of the first friends I made when we moved to Chesapeake in 1992.

Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth.

Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering.

  • This is something new we’re trying as a chapter. It’s not a formal meeting, but a space and place to harbor open discussion and idea sharing.
  • I’m hoping for a good turnout and positive discussion about the upcoming year!

Update my TBR.

  • It’s that time of year again! Look for my post within the first two weeks of the month.

Do you have any goals for the month of April?

If so, I’d love to hear about them! Comment below!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #112: March Goals Recap

BeautyBeyondBones

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

So far, 2018 is turning out to be very busy. Most of our weekends have been chock-full, although we have had a blessed few where absolutely nothing was on the calendar. March seemed to drag on a little bit, probably because of the crazy weather! At least now it’s a bit more spring-like. Temperatures in the 60s and 70s – I’ll take it!

Here’s the link to my March Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!


  1. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Semi-Achieved.
  2. See A Wrinkle In Time. — Did not accomplish.
  3. See Ready Player One. — Accomplished!
  4. Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!
  5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month. — Accomplished!
  6. Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition. — Accomplished!
  7. Make chocolate mousse for the office. — Accomplished!
  8. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!
  9. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I was able to do this for a few weekends, but not all.
  • I spent two solid hours on one Sunday afternoon, and I was immensely proud of myself. I’m slowly carving a path through!

See A Wrinkle In Time. — Did not accomplish.

  • This wasn’t a priority for us. Maybe one day soon!

See Ready Player One. — Accomplished!

  • We have tickets to see it TODAY! Cannot wait!

Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month. — Accomplished!

  • It feels good!

Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition. — Accomplished!

  • I was officially elected and installed as the chapter’s treasurer!
  • Thankfully, almost everything is logged and recorded through Excel. That makes me happy!
  • I’m excited for this new role!

Make chocolate mousse for the office. — Accomplished!

  • Al helped me make it, and I brought it to the office last week. Out of three I’ve made since Thanksgiving, this one was the best of them all. It was awesome!
  • My department director was even able to find the original recipe online, and sent it to everyone.

Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!

  • We dropped off all the clothing donations, plus the big boxes of books and DVDs.
  • Then, after that solid two hours of work in my Lady Lounge, I had quite a bit to donate. We loaded up the car and dropped it off at the CHKD Thrift Store near our house.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Accomplished!

  • I signed up for CampNaNoWriMo for the first time, with a singular focus on this endeavor.
  • Read more in my March 27th post: Getting Personal #111: Camp NaNoWriMo
  • Feeling inspired, I went on an awesome sprint this past week. When Al was in the shower on Thursday morning, I wrote over 1,100 words! Woohoo!
  • And then, last night, I wrote another 884 words!
  • I’m up to 37 pages now. It’s really starting to come together, and I’m enjoying writing again.
  • I wrote approximately 2,025 words!! Happy dance over here!!
  • Current word count: 13,241 words.

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to seven out of nine goals. More than 75 percent – I call that a win!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: This was mainly due to time constraints. However, I’m happy with the progress I made.
  • The one goal that I did not accomplish: I’m not too worried about this one. Movies will always be there to watch.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my April Goals!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Tag #41: The Listicle Tag

listicle-tag

Image Credit: Kristin Kraves Books

Thrice Read came up with an intriguing tag post!

Here’s the link to their post:


What is the Listicle Tag?

Listicle means a piece of writing or other content presented wholly or partly in the form of a list.

In this case, it’s a prompt for a particular top five related to books.


The Rules:

  • Create your own listicle tag, using the prompt from the person who tagged you.
  • Tag the creator of the post (not-so-modern-girl!) so that she can read all your brilliant posts and see how the joy of listicles is being spread.
  • Nominate as many people as you want!
  • Set those five people the subject/prompt of their listicle post!

The prompt I was given: Top Five Favorite Fantasy Novels


Laura Beth’s Top Five Favorite Fantasy Novels (in no particular order)

  • A Wrinkle In Time, Madeline L’Engle
  • Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
  • The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
  • The Green Mile, Stephen King
  • The Princess Bride, William Goldman

I have a much greater appreciation for Madeline L’Engle now – I want to read all of her books!

At this point, most people know my love for / obsession with Harry Potter! I love re-reading them every so often. It’s a great kick of nostalgia. And the movies are awesome, too. Can’t wait to see the new Fantastic Beasts movie!

I don’t talk about C.S. Lewis very often, but I loved all his works. Like L’Engle, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for him over the last several years. And the movies based on some of his books are well done, at least in my opinion. If you haven’t checked them out, I recommend doing both.

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. I want to watch the The Green Mile movie adaptation again soon – Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. What a combo!

The Princess Bride is best known for the movie adaptation, but the book is really good, too.


Tag – You’re It!

Your listicle prompt: Top Five Favorite Books Published in the 21st Century


This was so fun, and challenging! I need to read more fantasy, apparently. It was hard to come up with five!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #106: March Goals

march goals

Image Credit: East Willow Grove

Hello, March! It’s lovely to see you arrive. I’ve started to see the daffodils bloom, and buds on the trees!


Here are my goals for the month of March:

  1. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.
  2. See A Wrinkle In Time.
  3. See Ready Player One.
  4. Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.
  5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month.
  6. Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition.
  7. Make chocolate mousse for the office.
  8. Make at least one thrift store donation run.
  9. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

Here’s the breakdown:

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.

  • As I mentioned in my February Goals Recap, I simply didn’t have the time or make the time last month. I’m determined to make some sort of progress now!

See A Wrinkle In Time.

  • This comes out early in the month. I’ve read the book several times. The cast and cinematography look AMAZING!

See Ready Player One.

  • This movie’s trailer intrigued me from the beginning. Al is reading the book that the movie is based on now, but I’m excited to see it. Plus, it’s Spielberg!

Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.

  • We are looking forward to this! Al has done a ton of research over the last several months, and we’ve determined that a greyhound is likely the best breed for our house and current working situations, etc. It’s exciting to think about!
  • This is the first big step in a lengthy process, but we’re excited that we found this local place that specializes in greyhounds!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month.

  • When Al and I bought our house, I started an Excel spreadsheet which is a space where we can log and track all of our expenses and discretionary spending.
  • I did a massive update at the end of February, and we’re finally caught up after getting buried in receipts.
  • My goal is to make this a monthly priority!

Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition.

  • I have been nominated to be my P.E.O. chapter’s next Treasurer. This is a completely new role for me, but I’m excited to have been nominated.
  • If elected, I will be making my transition from Recording Secretary to Treasurer soon.
  • It’s a great opportunity, and a resume booster, too.

Make chocolate mousse for the office.

  • Now that Chris has completed the Disney Marathon, it’s time to celebrate!

Make at least one thrift store donation run.

  • Al cleaned out his closet, and filled two big trash bags full of clothes to donate. Yay!
  • I also have a few clothing items, books, and DVDs to give away. I may give some of the books and DVDs to the local library.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I’ve been feeling the itch to start writing / working on this again. I’m hoping to write at least 500 more words this month, if not more!

Do you have any goals for the month of March? I’d love to hear about them!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #105: February Goals Recap

Planning Inspired

Image Credit: Planning Inspired

February seemed like a really long month, for once. It was mostly good, but a bit wild and crazy. The recent spring-like temperatures have me very excited that it’s almost March!

Here’s the link to my February Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!


  1. Host my first P.E.O. meeting. — Accomplished!
  2. Get back to a regular cleaning schedule. — Semi-Achieved.
  3. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Did not accomplish.
  4. Donate blood. — Accomplished!
  5. Use my diffuser more often. — Accomplished!
  6. Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses. — Semi-Achieved.
  7. See Black Panther. — Accomplished!
  8. Wear my contact lenses every day this month. — Accomplished!
  9. Write in my journal at least once a week. — Did not accomplish.
  10. Read at least two books. — Accomplished!
  11. Explore options for essential oil storage. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Host my first P.E.O. meeting. — Accomplished!

  • Hosting my first P.E.O. meeting went as smoothly as it could have. We did have some excitement the night before (of course, Murphy’s Law!) when Al discovered a stream of water coming out of the crown molding in our dining room! After some “exploratory surgery” between Al and my dad late Friday night, we discovered the drain pipe from our bathtub was definitely leaking – An old cast iron pipe, probably original to the house (50+ years old). Luckily, my dad was able to drain the rest of the water and stop the leak!
  • The meeting went along as scheduled on Saturday morning. Thirteen lovely women shared coffee, refreshments, and good company. It felt good to open up our house to visitors other than our immediate families!

Get back to a regular cleaning schedule. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I did more spot cleaning this month, like wiping down certain areas while in the kitchen, laundry room, etc.
  • We bought an AWESOME Shark DuoClean vacuum cleaner to keep in our downstairs closet. It was a hefty price tag (Over $300), but seriously, this vacuum cleaner is worth it! It works on all surfaces – Wood floors, tile, and carpet. I’m actually excited about vacuuming now!
  • Al and I worked together this past week to do a massive deep clean – Stuff we hadn’t touched in months. We got all the dust and junk out of our bedroom – Under our bed, and I used the Swiffer dry and wet cloths on the bathroom floor while the rug was in the wash. As long as we mark dusting more often on the calendar, it will be more manageable and less time-consuming.

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Did not accomplish.

  • This schedule didn’t work this month. I moved a few things around, but wasn’t able to invest the time that I wanted to.

Donate blood. — Accomplished!

  • My iron was high enough, on the first stick!
  • I’m now one pint away from six gallons (48 pints) donated!

Use my diffuser more often. — Accomplished!

  • I diffused the sample “Gratitude” blend that April made for me, and “Raven” twice. The house smelled amazing!

Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I have the box filled to the brim – I just need to mail it!
  • Also, Darby recently created a new Facebook group, solely dedicated to her boutique items that she sells – Check it out! It’s called Darby’s Dresses Boutique.

See Black Panther. — Accomplished!

  • We saw the movie with our friends Mike and Shana on Sunday, February 18th. It was a really good movie – I think it’s one of the best that Disney/Marvel have produced.
  • Getting excited for Avengers: Infinity War to be released on May 4th!

Wear my contact lenses every day this month. — Accomplished!

  • This was a super easy goal, and I’m glad that I overcame my laziness!
  • I even started wearing makeup nearly every day, too!

Write in my journal at least once a week. — Did not accomplish.

  • This literally got buried!

Read at least two books. — Accomplished!

Explore options for essential oil storage. — Accomplished!

  • Thanks to Ariel at Writing Radiation, she led me to Amazon to find this beauty of an essential oil storage solution: Essential Oil Wooden Box.
  • I love it! I had forgotten how many oil bottles that I needed to store. But, I still have room to spare. This things holds 68 bottles!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to seven out of 11 goals: I’ll take it!
  • The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: Just a few more steps, and I can mark them as complete. It feels good!.
  • The two goals that I did not accomplish: I simply didn’t have the time, or make the time this month.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my March Goals!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #102: February Goals

February-Goals - Balancing Today

Image Credit: Balancing Today

Welcome to February! We’ve almost turned the corner for winter. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring!


Here are my goals for the month of February:

  1. Host my first P.E.O. meeting.
  2. Get back to a regular cleaning schedule.
  3. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.
  4. Donate blood.
  5. Use my diffuser more often.
  6. Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses.
  7. See Black Panther.
  8. Wear my contact lenses every day this month.
  9. Write in my journal at least once a week.
  10. Read at least two books.
  11. Explore options for essential oil storage.

Here’s the breakdown:

Host my first P.E.O. meeting.

  • I’m hosting our meeting for the first time! We are trying a few Saturday meetings to see if it increases attendance, among other things. Our typical meetings are held on Monday nights.
  • What is P.E.O., you ask? It stands for Philanthropic Educational Organization. The way I describe it is it’s women helping women, where we raise money for scholarships, grants, and loans.

Get back to a regular cleaning schedule.

  • The holidays were a blur, and I had little to no consistency with my cleaning schedule in December and January. Like last month, I want to dust and vacuum more often, so that’s going on the calendar.

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.

  • Every time I look at my Lady Lounge, I want to scream. I have been so lazy recently, and the clutter and boxes are driving me nuts. I want to find permanent homes for everything in the lounge, and in the garage.
  • I figure committing a time to each weekend will hopefully hold me accountable. My plan is to set the oven timer for an hour, and then see what happens.

Donate blood.

  • Our next blood drive is on Saturday! Fingers crossed for high iron.

Use my diffuser more often.

  • I love my Desert Mist Diffuser in our living room, but I want to use it more often. I have an abundance of oils, and I want to use them!

Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses.

  • I’m part of this awesome Facebook group / small business called Darby’s Dresses. Darby is an awesome woman in Tennessee, and she sells women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories on consignment for very affordable prices. I’ve sent her two big boxes already, and I’m almost ready to send her another one!

See Black Panther.

  • We are so excited for this movie! We’re hoping to see it at least once with our friends Mike and Shana.

Wear my contact lenses every day this month.

  • I need to give my glasses a break, and stop being so lazy in the mornings!

Write in my journal at least once a week.

  • Last month’s goal was a bit ambitious, so I’m hoping that committing to once a week will help motivate me.

Read at least two books.

  • I started reading my current book two nights ago, and I devoured the first chapter. It’s really interesting so far!

Explore options for essential oil storage.

  • I love all my Young Living essential oils, but they’re currently cluttering the end table next to our couch. I’m exploring building a shelving unit out of wooden crates at the moment, so that they can be displayed in the Lady Lounge. More to come!

Do you have any goals for the month of February? I’d love to hear about them!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #101: January Goals Recap

january-goals - See Jane Write

Image Credit: See Jane Write

I’m pretty sure that I say this every month – That it flew by! I looked at the calendar today, and was stunned. February starts tomorrow!

Here’s the link to my my January Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!


  1. See The Post. — Accomplished!
  2. Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner. — Accomplished!
  3. Dust the house more often. — Semi-Achieved.
  4. Get better at weekly meal prep. — Semi-Achieved.
  5. Commit to regular journaling. — Did not accomplish.
  6. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.
  7. Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.
  8. Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry. — Semi-Achieved.
  9. Celebrate Al’s birthday! — Accomplished!
  10. Update my TBR. — Accomplished!
  11. Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018. — Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

See The Post. — Accomplished!

  • We went to see the movie this past Sunday. It was really good. I’m a sucker for historical dramas, and this one absolutely did not disappoint. I highly recommend it! I look forward to seeing it again.

Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner. — Accomplished!

  • Al and I attended the dinner at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. I was one of over 800 employees honored for milestone anniversaries – Five years, up through 40 years. It was a really nice experience!

Dust the house more often. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I want to keep improving upon this goal, but I pulled out the vacuum, Swiffer, and broom a bit more often this month.

Get better at weekly meal prep. — Semi-Achieved.

Commit to regular journaling. — Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t write a single word! Womp, womp.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.

  • This was the farthest thing from my mind this month.

Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.

Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry. — Semi-Achieved.

  • I was really good at this at the beginning of the month, but faltered a bit in the middle. Oh well, there’s always next month!

Celebrate Al’s birthday! — Accomplished!

  • He picked out New York strip steak, which I marinated in Peppercorn and Garlic mix overnight. It was delicious!
  • We also feasted on shrimp cocktail, Red Lobster Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits, and cookie cake!
  • Al’s parents also came to visit this past weekend to celebrate. His mom made amazing lasagna!

Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018. — Did not accomplish.

  • I went back and forth over this all month long. I couldn’t find anything that was particularly interesting or inspiring.

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to four out of 11 goals: I’ll take it!
  • The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: There’s always room for improvement.
  • The four goals that I did not accomplish: Most of these were based on time and effort. I’m looking forward to continued progress in February.

What about you? Did you have goals for the month of January?

Come back tomorrow to see my February Goals!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #100: Fifth TBR Recap

Reading Quote - Ebook Friendly

Image Credit: Ebook Friendly

Welcome back!

In case you’re interested, here are the links to my previous TBR posts:


This is what I’ve read since my last update in October:

  1. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  2. Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond, Lilly Ledbetter and Lanier Scott Isom

And, here’s my updated list!

Laura Beth’s To Be Read (TBR) List, as of January 2018:

  1. The Language of Silence, Tiffany Truitt
  2. Black Rabbit Hall, Eve Chase
  3. Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
  4. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
  5. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller
  6. New Boy, Julian Houston
  7. The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling
  8. 11/22/63, Stephen King
  9. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
  10. Hollow City, Ransom Riggs
  11. Library of Souls, Ransom Riggs
  12. Tales of the Peculiar, Ransom Riggs
  13. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling
  14. Quidditch Through the Ages, J.K. Rowling
  15. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Emma Straub
  16. Modern Lovers, Emma Straub
  17. In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume
  18. You Will Know Me, Megan Abbott
  19. Dare Me, Megan Abbott
  20. The Fever: A Novel, Megan Abbott
  21. Give Me Your Hand, Megan Abbott
  22. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
  23. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand
  24. Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
  25. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
  26. Loving Day, Mat Johnson
  27. American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst, Jeffrey Toobin
  28. The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Toobin
  29. The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, Gretchen Bakke
  30. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance
  31. A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression, Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe
  32. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney
  33. Bright, Precious Days, Jay McInerney
  34. Underground Airlines, Ben Winters
  35. A Good Month for Murder: The Inside Story of a Homicide Squad, Del Quentin Wilber
  36. Teardrops of the Innocent: The White Diamond Story (True Colors – Volume 1), Allie Marie
  37. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
  38. Caraval, Stephanie Garber
  39. Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
  40. The War I Finally Won, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
  41. Read All About It: A Kit Classic Volume 1, Valerie Tripp
  42. Turning Things Around: A Kit Classic Volume 2, Valerie Tripp
  43. Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit, Valerie Tripp
  44. Autumn Street, Lois Lowry
  45. The Giver, Lois Lowry
  46. Gathering Blue, Lois Lowry
  47. Messenger, Lois Lowry
  48. Son, Lois Lowry
  49. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
  50. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
  51. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
  52. Emma, Jane Austen
  53. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
  54. Persuasion, Jane Austen
  55. The List, Patricia Forde
  56. Hello Me, It’s You, Anonymous; edited by Hannah Todd
  57. Use The Force: A Jedi’s Guide to the Law of Attraction, Joshua P. Warren
  58. Digital Fortress: A Thriller, Dan Brown
  59. Deception Point, Dan Brown
  60. Inferno, Dan Brown
  61. Origin: A Novel, Dan Brown
  62. The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
  63. Camino Island, John Grisham
  64. The Rooster Bar, John Grisham
  65. Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, Manoush Zomorodi
  66. Lost Laysen, Margaret Mitchell
  67. Before Scarlett: Girlhood Writings of Margaret Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell; edited by Jane Eskridge
  68. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane
  69. Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane
  70. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
  71. Pretties, Scott Westerfeld
  72. Specials, Scott Westerfeld
  73. Extras, Scott Westerfeld
  74. Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, Robert Kolker
  75. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.), Francine Prose
  76. Reading Like a Lawyer: Time-Saving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert, Ruth Ann McKinney
  77. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
  78. All The Missing Girls, Megan Miranda
  79. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
  80. In the Lake of the Woods, Tim O’Brien
  81. July, July, Tim O’Brien
  82. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Jenny Han
  83. P.S. I Still Love You, Jenny Han
  84. Always and Forever, Lara Jean, Jenny Han
  85. Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn
  86. Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
  87. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
  88. Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
  89. The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls
  90. Half Broke Horses, Jeanette Walls
  91. The Silver Star, Jeanette Walls
  92. Because You Exist (Light in the Dark Series) (Volume 1), Tiffany Truitt
  93. Among The Hidden (Shadow Children #1), Margaret Peterson Haddix
  94. The Goldfish Boy, Lisa Thompson
  95. Postcards from the Edge, Carrie Fisher
  96. Shockaholic, Carrie Fisher
  97. Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
  98. The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher
  99. Trell, Dick Lehr
  100. In A Dark, Dark Wood, Ruth Ware
  101. The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware
  102. We Can Be Mended, Veronica Roth
  103. Carve The Mark, Veronica Roth
  104. Sing, Vivi Greene
  105. West End Quartet, Ariadne Apostolou
  106. Defining Sexism in the U.S. (Sexism in the United States) (Volume 1), Elizabeth Hall Magill
  107. Sexism and U.S. History (Sexism in the United States) (Volume 2), Elizabeth Hall Magill
  108. What Yo Mama Said, Elizabeth Hall Magill
  109. Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy, Seymour Reit
  110. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, David Foster Wallace
  111. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
  112. The Upside of Unrequited, Becky Albertalli
  113. Words in Deep Blue, Cath Crowley
  114. Turtles All the Way Down, John Green
  115. Lea Dives In, Lisa Yee
  116. Lea Leads the Way, Lisa Yee
  117. Lea and Camila, Lisa Yee & Kellen Hertz
  118. Mary Jane’s Ghost: The Legacy of a Murder in Small Town America, Ted Gregory
  119. The Dark Lake, Sarah Bailey
  120. The Innocence Treatment, Ari Goelman
  121. Haunting the Deep, Ariana Mather
  122. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich
  123. Bright-sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America, Barbara Ehrenreich
  124. The Secret, Bryon Priess
  125. A Winning Spirit: A Molly Classic Volume 1, Valerie Tripp
  126. Stars, Stripes, and Surprises: A Molly Classic Volume 2, Valerie Tripp
  127. Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly, Valerie Tripp

That’s all, for now!

I’ll publish my next TBR update / recap in April!

What have you read recently?

Happy reading!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #99: January Goals

Aristotle

Image Credit: Pinterest

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s the first day of 2018. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year ahead!

To you, my readers, I wish that this year brings more peace, harmony, health, happiness, and joy to your lives! I’m so grateful that many of you, all around the world, continue to follow my blog and support my writing! Thank you!


Here are my goals for the month of January:

  1. See The Post.
  2. Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner.
  3. Dust the house more often.
  4. Get better at weekly meal prep.
  5. Commit to regular journaling.
  6. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  7. Read at least three books.
  8. Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry.
  9. Celebrate Al’s birthday!
  10. Update my TBR.
  11. Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018.

Here’s the breakdown:

See The Post.

  • Al and I have been looking forward to this movie for a while now. Some of you may have guessed that I’m a sucker for movies involving journalism, so I’m excited to see Spielberg’s adaptation of the journalists publishing the Pentagon Papers. Plus, I can’t pass up a movie that stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner.

  • In honor of my five-year anniversary with Riverside Health System, I have been invited, along with a guest, to attend their Annual Service Awards Dinner this month. Al and I are excited to have dinner at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton!

Dust the house more often.

  • We’ve been plagued with sinus issues and allergy symptoms since the weather turned cold. I figure dusting and vacuuming the house a bit more regularly may help a bit.

Get better at weekly meal prep.

  • Al recently tagged me in this video from Tasty: Meal-Prep Chicken 5 Ways.
  • Our plan is to use Sundays to get everything ready for the following week.

Commit to regular journaling.

  • I’ve received several really nice hard-bound journals as gifts. It’s about time that I start using them!
  • My initial goal is to start with this 100 Writing Topics post – One topic at a time – and see where that takes me this month!

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I’m not setting a specific word count goal this month, since I want to get back into the swing of things after being on hiatus for a while.

Read at least three books.

  • I just rearranged my stack on my nightstand to include the books that Al gave me for Christmas. Get ready for more Book Reviews, coming soon!

Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry.

  • After spending well over an hour tonight emptying three full laundry baskets between the two of us, it’s nice to reclaim some space in our bedroom. I want to be more efficient!

Celebrate Al’s birthday!

  • Al’s birthday is toward the end of the month. I’m excited to make him his favorites: Surf and turf, plus cookie cake! Yum!

Update my TBR.

  • The newest quarterly update is coming to the blog very soon!

Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018.

  • Look for this announcement before this week is over!

Do you have any goals for the month of January?


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Getting Personal #98: December Goals Recap

Image result for new year's eve quotes

Image Credit: LoveThisPic

I’ve been saying for days and weeks that it’s hard to believe it’s December, that it’s the last month of 2017. Now, today is New Year’s Eve. Wow!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!


  1. Decorate for Christmas. — Accomplished!
  2. Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party. — Accomplished!
  3. See Star Wars: The Last Jedi. — Accomplished!
  4. Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday! — Accomplished!
  5. Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time. — Accomplished!
  6. Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner. — Accomplished!
  7. Get back into reading. — Accomplished!
  8. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas. — Accomplished!

  • We put up our Christmas tree in our living room on December 10th, and I set out the wooden Jingle Bells blocks. I also changed out the Halloween ribbon on our monogrammed “V” wreath. It’s not super fancy, but it’s pretty.

Image may contain: christmas tree and indoor

Image may contain: indoor

Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party. — Accomplished!

  • We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on December 8th. So many people got into the theme and really liked it. Plus, Al, Frances, and Kathryn actually got to relax a little and enjoy the cocktail hour and the party. We all had fun!
  • Al and I even won one of the door prizes – A weekend getaway to the Williamsburg Winery!

See Star Wars: The Last Jedi. — Accomplished!

  • We saw the movie on Thursday, December 14th. It was SO GOOD. Al’s seen it twice now. We received several generous gift cards to the movies for Christmas, so we’ll definitely be seeing it a few more times!

Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday! — Accomplished!

  • We drove up to Lynchburg, Virginia on Saturday, December 16th. We met Lyndsey and many friends at O’Charleys for dinner, games, photos, and gifts. We had a lot of fun.
Image may contain: 1 person, smiling

Lyndsey had awesome photo booth props!

Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time. — Accomplished!

  • On Christmas morning, we hosted Al’s parents, my parents, Nick, Savy, and Mia. Between Al’s mom, Savy, and me, we had waffles, egg casserole, goat cheese and tomato tarts, kielbasa, coffee, mimosas, and more! Everything was delicious!

Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner. — Accomplished!

  • It was the consistency of chocolate pudding when dessert time rolled around, but everyone really liked it. We even had leftovers!

Get back into reading. — Accomplished!

  • Finally! I’m almost finished with my current book. Look for a new Book Review soon, hopefully this week!

Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!

  • Earlier in December, Al and I loaded up my car to the gills (full trunk, full backseat), and went out in the cold and drizzle to the local CHKD thrift store. More to come, but we got our dining room back!

Final Thoughts:

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to ALL EIGHT THINGS!!!!!! YAY!!!!!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my January Goals!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂