Lauren Garafalo

*WAVES* Hiiiii. So, I haven’t checked in for a few weeks. There are all sorts of new things going on in my life at the moment that have somewhat overwhelmed me. But in an effort to stay focused, I’m doing a quick check-in today.

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I have put in WAYYYYY more that 30 minutes every day this week. I’ve actually mostly been working on this for the past few weeks. I’m trying to get it over with. I need to for my sanity, to keep Monster Maya out of things she shouldn’t get into, and because boyfriend’s mother is coming to stay with us soon. And yeah.

2. Track progress

Total fail. I just can’t get with this one.

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

I haven’t been keeping track, but I definitely haven’t been doing much the past couple weeks. I did finish April with 20k words for CampNano though. That was when things started to get crazy, so I’m happy with that. I’m going to spend a few more weeks focusing on the house before I get back to pushing for two hours a day.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

I’m still ahead! I’ve read/listened to 45 books so far this year and am currently 17 books ahead of where I should be. It keeps me sane, y’all.

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week

Honestly, I haven’t even been cooking so definitely haven’t tried anything new. I’m not going to worry about it this coming week but will start again the next.

2. Three long walks a week

Check! Going to keep the same this week, but the week after that, I’m going back to the gym. (Because I finally have a car again! Thank god.)

That’s it for now. Hopefully I’ll have more to share next week!! I’ll leave you with more cute puppy:

Checking in a little late this week!! We picked up our new puppy, Maya, yesterday, and the day just got away from me. It was a really busy week. I think I managed, even though not everything was done.

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I put in 30 minutes everyday, though I spent most of it puppy-proofing. Man! I did so much, but it wasn’t even close to enough. This little girl is a MONSTER

2. Track progress

Binder fail. What is wrong with me?!

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

I have been putting in more than 2 hours every day except for yesterday. I added over 5k words on Saturday though, so not too worried about it. Campnano is going pretty well – I’m at 18,041 so far.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

Sooo, you know how I was a little unsure about the Iron Fey series last week? Yeah. I’m almost done listening to the whole series now O_O I guess you can say I’m hooked.

This past week, I finished Winter’s Passage, The Iron Queen, Summer’s Crossing, and The Iron Knight. Two novels and two novellas, and I’m currently listening to the last novella, Iron’s Prophecy.

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week

Didn’t get to this. With all the busy, I’ll probably stick to things I know until next month.

2. Three long walks a week

Done. Still haven’t gotten to use my gym membership, but one of these days!!

I’ll leave you with some MONSTER CUTE:

Hope everyone has had a good week! Stop by and check out the other ROWers HERE!

This has been a good week – a little nuts maybe – but a good week all around. I did pretty well on goals, especially considering I was out of town Thursday & Friday, and I’m happy with the progress!

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I did 30 minutes every day that I was actually here – got some boxes unpacked, found and organized all the hardware to finish the closet project I started 8 months ago , and emptied what should be our bedroom so I can actually make it a bedroom. (YEAH, DON’T ASK LOL.)

2. Track progress

YOU GUYS. I used the binder. I’m so excited!!

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

I actually sort of forgot to keep track of the hours, but on Mon/Tues/Wed at least, I did two hours. I’m re-writing a wip (for the 85th time lol) for CampNano and worked more than two hours on it those days. On Thurs & Fri, I was out of town and gave myself a pass. I thought I was going to be able to resume the regular schedule yesterday, but there was too much going on!

Like THIS:

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

I have mwahaha. This week I finished The Iron King and The Iron Daughter, both by Julie Kagawa. I really like this series. I’m sort of conflicted because I’m listening to the audio versions, and to me, the dialogue sounds really cheesy, but I honestly don’t know if it actually is or if it’s the performance. Either way, I’m still totally hooked. Ash and Puck are both pretty swoon worthy, and I can’t wait to get the next when my Audible credits come in!

I’ve also been listening to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It’s REALLY interesting, but it’s more of a slow, quiet, scholarly novel. For me, this is a wonderful thing, but I’ve been mixing it up with YA books that are faster paced.

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week

I haven’t even cooked this week with all that’s been going on, so haven’t tried anything new lately.

2. Three long walks a week

Done! I might try to get to gym this week instead. Ask me how I feel tomorrow lol.

Next week is going to be REALLY REALLY busy, so I’m just going to try to balance all the things with working on CampNano and not be too hard on myself.

Some more awww for you:

I’m off to puppy proof the house and get some work done on the wip! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

Well hi there, Round 2. Not sure how you got here so quickly, but good to see you. Not really. I mean, you look great there in your April getup and whatnot.

Okay, done talking to myself now Seriously though, the beginning of the year just flew by!

I’m pretty happy with the progress made last round. I definitely need to do better with tracking since I really haven’t gotten that worked into my routine yet. And I’d like to spend more time on the house so that hopefully I’ll be done with it soon!

I’ll be focusing on mostly the same things this round: house projects, reading and writing, and trying to be more healthy. Round 2 goals are:

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation
2. Track progress

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day
2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week
2. Three long walks a week

To wrap up last week, I met every goal except tracking. (Poor binder.) Worked on the house, got in 10 hours of writing related things, finished A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (loved it!), read/listened to part of 4 other books, tried 1 new recipe (it sucked lol), and took 3 nice long walks.

That’s it for now. Hope you all have a great first week!! Good luck to anyone who is braving CampNano! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

Yeaaaaah, it’s kind of late. This is going to be super quick. I don’t have much to report as this week was pretty much insane. I tried to keep up but not too successfully.

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

Think I got in one day this week.

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

Managed two hours 4 out of 7 days. Not upset with that considering how busy the week was.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

I don’t think I finished anything this week, but I’m about 11 books ahead so not worried. Also, I listened to half of A Clash of Kings, read some of The Raven Boys, and some of a craft book. There was progress, just nothing finished.

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week

We ate out a lot this week with so much going on, but I have groceries and a plan for next week!

2. Three long walks a week

Checkity check.

That’s it! I know it’s really short. I don’t have much to report, but I didn’t want to miss a check in either.

Hope you all have a great week!! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

This week has been busy, but also very productive. Just a quick check-in today, so that I can hopefully keep it up!

ORGANIZE ME

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I did more than 30 every day this week and am starting to see the progress. I put together my desk and started making myself a nice little writing space – excited about that.

2. Track progress

Shhhh. Again.

WRITING AND READING

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

Writing activities included a lot of non-writing this week. Things like making space for my desk, putting it together, taping plot cards to the wall, reading craft books, pinning pretty pictures. <---clearly the most important activity Even so, I did manage about 13 of 14 hours, which is WAY better than usual. All this stuff needed to be done and now it is, so I'm pretty happy about that.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

This week I read Roar & Liv (Under the Never Sky #0.5) by Veronica Rossi – REALLY LIKED, listened to Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger – REALLY REALLY LIKED, and re-read a craft book, Save the Cat by Blake Snyder – ALWAYS HELPFUL.

I’ve also started 3 new books – don’t know what is going on with me?! I used to only be able to read one thing at a time. Then when I started listening to audiobooks, I would read one book and listen to another. Nowwww, I seem to listen to multiple audiobooks at once, usually depending on my mood. So that’s new

HAPPY HEALTHY

1. Try one new recipe a week

Actually didn’t make anything new this week. Since it was so busy, that left little time to cook, but we did make some old favorites to keep with making things from scratch as much as we can.

2. Three long walks a week

Done and done. And a couple steps closer to having my car again…only a couple though.

NO. NEW. THINGS. It works – things are getting easier and I’m not trying to conquer the whole world at once

Hope you all have a great week!! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

Last week’s declaration of no new things is going pretty well. I forgot before I wrote my check-in last Sunday that this week I had to go down to the office. I know I keep saying it, but work has been absolutely insane. We’re doing about 4 times the business we would normally do this time of year. Since I’m only going to see the bosses once a month and things have been so busy, I had to stay for three days instead of only two. That messed up my week a little, but it was definitely needed.

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I wasn’t home Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, but I did manage to make up that time yesterday and have worked 6 1/2 hours on the house this week. THANK GOODNESS. I forgot how long even the smallest projects can take. Even though seeing the results is slower than I’d like, at least there’s progress.

2. Track progress

Shhhh.

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – zilch. Sunday, Thursday, Friday – about an hour each day. Saturday – about 3 hours. I can’t help the traveling schedule – it leaves no time to write. Next week, I still need to reclaim my lunch sprint.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

I listened to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander this week, and I have a new book love. (What else is new lol?!) It started out just the tiniest bit slow for me, but as soon as she hit the new world, I was sucked in. FOR THE NEXT 32 HOURS.

The narrator, Davina Porter, is amazing. All those Scottish accents! She had me in love with Jamie’s voice and she’s a she. <--I'm still trying to figure that out. Outlander has everything I like – castles, time travel, fish out of water, epic love, sass, smexy, and utter heartbreak – as usual, I have no idea why I hadn’t read this sooner! Good thing there are 6 more books, with a 7th due out sometime this year.

Also, it’s kind of awesome to discover how many of you are fans of the series. I’ve never had so many comments on status updates. I can’t wait to catch up!

1. Try one new recipe a week

I found a recipe for enchiladas with ancho chile raisin sauce. I was really excited about it. It took me a week and a 1/2 to FIND the ancho chiles, and then I hated the recipe. I was hoping for spicy and sweet, and it was only sweet.

The other things I was going to make this week didn’t happen because I was out of town, but I’ll probably try them this week.

Oh right! Yesterday I made pico de gallo, and that was awesome!! I like fresh salsa over saucey salsa, and since you can’t really buy fresh salsa, I wanted to learn how to make it. It was more involved than I thought, but not hard, and it came out great! This week’s kitchen revelation: I need real knives.

2. Three long walks a week

Somehow I managed this – one while I was gone, and two after I got back. It was nice to be outside – even if it was cold – and as I can’t possibly work and walk at the same time, it gave my brain a few much needed rests.

Again for next week: NO. NEW. THINGS. It seems to be working, so I’m going to try to keep it up.

Hope you all have a great week!! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

I understand that this probably sounds idiotic. That’s ok.

I have an incredible ability to plan and my subconscious has a life mission to kill any plan that I make. I know all the things I need to do, and because knowing is half the battle, it’s like my brain stops there. It gets satisfaction from knowing that I have a plan.

Then I try to focus on carrying out said plan and my subconscious – that little evil wench – strokes the brain oh so nicely and says, “slow down, you have a plan, what’s your hurry? You’re tired, you’ve worked hard today, you should get some rest. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you silly girl.” I’D LIKE TO STRANGLE HER.

This struggle is why I used to not plan. As much as I would like to bend my subconscious into submission, I don’t think she’ll go for it – time for mind games. In an effort not to cause myself bodily harm, I’m going to try to focus on less this week. Three. Specific. Things. That’s it.

When I have a plan, everything is safe. I’ve figured out how to get where I’m going, so I open myself up and allow my head to take in new things now that some of the others have been sorted. That’s definitely the problem.

I don’t want to be someone who can make a plan but not follow through with it. So, NO NEW THINGS. (Knock knock, brain, do you hear me?) The most important areas right now are life organization, writing & reading, and being healthy.

Sooo…

1. 30 minutes a day working on the great house transformation

I probably didn’t hit 30 minutes a day this week, but that’s the new goal for next week. I’m going to focus on the dining room area that’s in the middle of the house which has become the place for all the important stuff we use everyday that has no place of its own.

2. Track progress

I didn’t AGAIN. *pets binder*

1. Two hours of writing activities each day

I’ve been plugging along but definitely didn’t meet this goal. I’ve fallen asleep several times for the evening sprints and excessive work has kidnapped my afternoon sprints. I usually at least take a break during the lunch sprints, and that’s important, but I want my time back. I’m REALLY going to try to disconnect from work next week and actually participate.

2. Read 1 1/2 books each week

I have finished two books and two novellas this week. Since everything else has been basically insane, I’ve clearly been turning to reading (and listening) to keep my mind off it all. I listened to Beautiful Darkness (the 2nd in the Beautiful Creatures series) and loved it just as much as the first.

Also listened to Dreak Dark (a Beautiful Creatures novella) which was fun, but felt more like backstory and seemed, though I obviously don’t know yet, like the gist could have been included in the 3rd book.

I finished reading Lord of the Silent (Amelia Peabody #13), and it was fantastic! I do hope the audio version of this and #14 and #15 become available at some point because these are definitely stories that I will listen to over and over again.

Also, this morning I read a really quick (80 pages!) novella – Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. I LOVED Shatter Me, and this was a snippet from the antagonists POV. Honestly his POV was a little choppy for me to read – I’m not sure if it was actually that way or if I was just up WAYYYYY too early this morning. BUT! A lot of the novella has him reading things the protagonist wrote, and her voice is the reason I originally loved the book – her rambling, repetitive, completely insane sounding, so so raw thoughts that somehow meld into something poetic. That inclusion made the novella totally worth it.

1. Try one new recipe a week

This is a new goal, but it’s designed to get me to try new things and make more things from scratch. This week I actually made two new things – Greek Chili and a different way to bake chicken legs. Both were good. Not amazing, but good and easy. Next week, I have several new things planned to try.

2. Workout 3 times a week

I’m incredibly frustrated by this goal. I have a gym membership that I can’t use because we’ve had some vehicle disasters. SO. For now, this is going to turn into – go on 3 long walks a week. Annnnnd, fix all the cars

This is the plan. NO NEW THINGS. Focus and work the plan.

Hope you all have a great week!! Stop by and leave some love for other ROWers HERE!

I haven’t reached a state of calm yet, but I’m working towards it and that has made all the difference this week.

1. Work on the wishlist

Doing pretty well. I was able to put in about 30 minutes each day. I’m only focusing on organizing my house and catching up on a backlog of work projects right now. Having made progress in both areas, I already feel better than I did last week.

2. Two hours of writing activities each day

I honestly didn’t keep track. I know I attempted to be present at both sprints everyday, but I didn’t always get to work on what I needed during them.

I did, however, have several really great writing sessions, which is more the point right? I have missing pieces of my plot at the moment, so I’ve attempted to write random scenes just to see where they head. It has been so much fun and really informative.

3. Track progress

Not so much. *goes to find awesome binder and gravel for its forgiveness*

4. Read 1 1/2 books each week

This week I finished Soulless (Book 1 in the Parasol Protectorate series). It was a really fun read – Victorian England, slightly steampunk, strong heroine AND paranormal – AWESOME.

I started #13 in the Amelia Peabody series. (I LOVE these books!) Also started two non-fiction books this week – one for wip research about number 13 superstitions (sldjfkadjsfldkj!!!) and a fascinating one about the olive oil trade.

I usually only have 2 books going at once – one to read and one to listen to – but the brain seems to want a little of everything.

5. Take and share one photo a day

I’ve taken some fun photos this week, but still haven’t posted anything new.

6. Workout 3 times a week

Has not happened this week – must do better next week.

I’m planning on spending all of today writing and reading…maybe stopping long enough to make some homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Yesterday was full of mishap, so today is all about relaxing before work starts again tomorrow.

How are you guys doing?! Stop by and leave some love for more ROWers HERE!

This week wasn’t that great for meeting goals. I have been in a state of survival for quite some time. (We’re talking years, here.) It’s uncomfortable and exhausting and I want more than anything for life to return to something you’d consider normal. (I know some of you fellow survivalists are laughing hysterically at me right now. )

The entire point of my 2013 battleplan is to try get back a level of comfort (and possibly sanity) that I haven’t had in a long time. It’s not like things are awful or anything, just…..constantly disjointed? That seems like a good way to describe it.

What I’m trying to achieve is going to take a lot of work. I know that and am ok with it. But I seem to be struggling with motivation and energy. I go back and forth between “you can only do so much at once, you only have so much time and energy” and “if you really wanted change, you would just do it.” BAH. The problem is, I think both of those statements are right.

So I’m admitting that I’m not trying hard enough. And I’m also admitting that I don’t have the energy to try as hard as I need and want to.

I’ve been spinning in circles for a few weeks trying to figure out what to concentrate on, and now I think I know. The health goals have to be first, or I’ll never have enough energy. I have to finish the GINORMOUS house organizing project because it’s just making me insane. I cannot express what clutter does to me o_O.

I had counted on January, February, and March being easy months at work because they are usually the slowest. I figured that would give me an extra boost to start off the year. But it’s been exactly the opposite…freakishly busy. So some things need to be done there too, so that work stops eating into non-work time.

Goals that died this week: wishlist stuff, tracking, posting photos, and working out.

Reading (listening, really) is going great! I am nine books ahead of schedule. Seriously, thank goodness for audiobooks, or I wouldn’t be able to keep up with this either! I finished Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. LOVED it!! Can’t wait to listen to the other three in the series. If you like audio, it has a great narrator.

I also finished Die For Me by Amy Plum which I really liked. It wasn’t LOVE status for me, but the few things I felt were iffy were so far surpassed by it’s originality and intrigue, that I really enjoyed it. Plus, it’s set in Paris with incredibly romantic boys captivating you with beautiful words in French. What more do you want?

I’m also doing ok with writing activities. Of course, I didn’t keep track of time this week, but I’ve been working on the demon wip every chance I get. I’m taking a few weeks to re-plot and research because the events are a bit messed up and everything needs more depth. I’m REALLY EXCITED about a book I ordered for research on superstitions. Seriously cannot wait for it to arrive!

So, I’m a girl with a plan once again. I have the same goals, just a bit more refined and a shift in focus. I’ll let you all know how it goes!!

Check in with and leave some love for the other ROWers HERE.