Winter Break Goals!

 I just finished my first semester of teaching since 2014! I turned in grades last night, and since I'm an adjunct, I now have a break of almost exactly a month. I'll have some work to do, wrapping up fall and prepping for spring, and I'll have tutoring prep. But I'll have a lot more time and a lot more time with the boys. So what do I want to do with this time?

Winter Break 2023-2024 Goals:

1. Finish final 6 art/design/fashion books of the year (for a total of 25 this year).

• At Home with Books

• Audrey

• Coco Chanel

• Christian Dior

• Joie

• Sixth book

2. Put away books.

3. Put away Christmas presents.

4. Wear gift socks.

5. Use that gift of Josh’s.

6. Thoroughly clean bedroom.

7. Put away all laundry.

8. Keep up with laundry.

9. Reorganize kitchen cabinet.

10. Read/listen to Wintering again (preferably with Josh).

11. Finish Sharing Loving Abundantly in Special Needs Families.

12. See Girl from the North Country with Josh.

13. Walk around downtown with Josh.

14. Go to Pan with Josh.

15. Get Oliver’s hair cut.

16. Put up new magnets.

17. Make at least one art journal Christmas spread.

18. Make at least one art journal bookstore spread.

19. Buy Wallflowers/soaps during semi-annual sale?

20. Finish all fall magazines for 2023:

• Bella Grace

• Real Simple

• Enchanted Living

• Art Journaling

• In Her Studio

• Oh Reader

• Elle Décor

• House Beautiful

• Other magazines

21. Start winter magazines:

• Real Simple

• Bella Grace

• Oh Reader

• Bella Grace Cozy

• Other magazines

22. Write 10 blog posts.

23. Type all new poems.

24. Type all workshop responses.

25. Respond to prompts.

26. Attend December 28 workshop.

27. Attend additional $10 workshops?

28. Round out reading list.

29. Pay for duotrope membership.

30. Update duotrope. 

31. Make fried rice.

32. Make pesto pasta.

33. Make rice and beans.

34. Read two children’s lit books.

35. Read Santa by L. Frank Baum to boys.

36. Finish Holly Claus.

37. Read Susan Branch’s Christmas.

38. Revive chart.

39. Finish Poetry Will Save Your Life.

40. Clean out nightstand.

41. Start walking.

42. Clean out bookcase.

43. Put away journals.

44. Number journals.

45. Start artist’s dates (week of December 17).

46. Go on artist’s date (week of December 24).

47. Go on artist’s date (week of December 31).

48. Go on artist’s date (week of January 7).

49. Use Strand tote bag.

50. Document gifts in journal.

51. Document gifts in art journal.

52. Wrap gifts.

53. Chapter 3 Creative Recovery.

54. Chapter 4 Creative Recovery.

55. Chapter 5 Creative Recovery.

56. Plan 112A.

57. Plan 112B.

58. Clear work inbox.

59. Catch up 2023 quotations.

60. Quote Goodbye, Flicker.

61. Read Bring Down the Little Birds.

62. Eat dessert for breakfast.

63. Eat muffins.

64. Make Dec/Jan budget.

65. Stay within Dec/Jan budget.

66. Reserve Airbnb for Todd marathon.

67. Drink a lot of iced peppermint mochas.

68. Update notebook list.

69. Update wish lists.

70. Finish Inkvent Calendar.

71. Work on Better Than Before.

72. Catch up with Libby.

73. Listen to audio books daily.

74. Listen to Donna Lewis.

75. Start January playlist.

76. Finish Sex Ed.

77. Start Fall of the House of Usher.

78. Encourage Josh to complete step 1.

79. Read one Christmas gift book.

80. Have Christmas with Bruce.

81. Give gifts.

82. Restart yoga.

83. Prep new charts.

84. Read Best American Essays 2023.

85. Read Best American Short Stories 2023.

86. Read Best American Food Writing 2023.

87. Read Best American Poetry 2023.

88. Read Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2023.

89. Reach 117 books for 2023 (to beat 116 last year!).

90. Read 8 books in 2024 before January 16.

91. Assessment?

92. Upload gradebooks.

93. Dye hair black.

94. Get haircut.

95. Put away gift wrap.

96. Go to Barnes 3 times.

97. Catch up library books.

98. Return library books.

99. Hide more notes for Josh.

100. Finish Linotte.

101. Do daily couples cards with Josh.

102. Find the last note from Josh.

103. Enjoy Bruce’s fake fire.

104. Read Matthea Harvey.

105. Shower daily.

106. Get well!

107. Discover new poets.

108. Search for journals.

109. Begin poetry collection 3.

110. Begin poetry collection 4.

111. Wear favorite sweaters.

112. Go to holiday reception with Josh.

113. Get sunshine.

114. See The Waitress Musical.

115. See Wonka.

116. Watch more Key & Peele sketches.

117. Use writer’s medic bag.

118. Clean out old purse.

119. Use 50% of presents.

120. Finish Books and Libraries Poems.

121. Nap or sleep in several times.

122. Sticker 2 journals.

123. Put away Oliver’s presents.

124. Drink more water than anything else.

125. Burn candles daily.

126. Finish Italian celestial journal.

127. Finish Christmas journal.

128. Clean out teal basket.

129. Pay radiology bill.

130. Get car inspected.

131. Pay car taxes.

132. Make February budget.

133. Lose 5 pounds.

134. Reread/annotate first half of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

135. Celebrate winter solstice.

136. Go to online writing workshop with friends.

137. Choose word of the year for 2024.

138. Write end-of-year blog post.

139. Write word-of-the-year blog post.

140. Finish “Essential Reading” blog post.

141. Finish listening to Gingerbread.

142. Finish The Source of Self-Regard.

143. Visit with Mom.

144. Visit with Dad.

145. See James.

146. Wear green boots.

147. Wear black tall boots.

148. Wear Uggs.

149. Wear fuggs.

150. Enjoy Christmas trees.

151. Drive around to see lights again (winter solstice?).

152. Read FLB.

153. Measure belly and thighs.

154. Lose 3 inches.

155. Wear pretty green coat.

156. Go to Sephora.

157. Find out Oliver’s TA’s name (the shame!).

158. Get cash for teachers’ gifts.

159. Give a gift to Oliver’s teachers.

160. Stay within grocery/snack budget.

161. Order Gatorade for Oliver.

162. Get lunch items for school.

163. Read poetry aloud to Oliver when we’re alone.

164. Take photos of presents for blog.

165. Reorganize tote bags (house purses, as Josh calls them).

166. Keep utility bill under $300.

167. Eat breakfast each day.

168. Clean house January 5.

169. Clean house January 12.

170. Update E-mail signature.

171. Start Field Guide to Everyday Magic.

172. Clean standard pens.

173. Fill standard pens.

174. Clean specialty pens.

175. Begin Agnes Gray with Josh.

176. Organize and use new page flags.

 

Prompt Response: What to Look Forward To.

I was reading last year's summer issue of Bella Grace today, and it had a prompt to write down what you can look forward to over the next week. I decided to write it for this week and next week. I'm trying to remind myself that tasks are something to look forward to as well. Of course, every day, I look forward to that first morning soda.

Friday

• Seeing Bruce and watching Sex Education or American Horror Story if I'm up for it (here's hoping I'll feel well tomorrow)
• Reading ENG 002 students' improved drafts
• Waternelon for breakfast
• Morning snuggles with Josh until 8:30
• Resting until 9:30.
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Starting Best American Poetry 2023
• Typing up new poems
• Reading student journals
• New ink from my Diamine Inkvent calendar! I'm starting it early because I probably won't open a new ink each day. It just arrived today!
• Starting to look at student social sciences studies
• Getting caught up on some training

Saturday

• Reading Mandy for tutoring
• Discussing Mandy and teaching Jacob new words
• Maybe sleeping in?
• Watermelon for breakfast
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Reading student journals
• An empty work inbox
• Wearing my star tank top for the first time
• Sitting with Josh in the study
• New Diamine Inkvent ink
• Finishing What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours: Stories
• Starting Toni Morrison's The Source of Self-Regard

Sunday

• Maybe sleeping in?
• Wearing holiday Twinkle T-shirt
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Iced peppermint mocha!
• Sitting with Josh in the study
• Reading student studies
• New ink!
• Two hours of rest time while the boys go to the trampoline park

Monday

• Morning snuggles until 8:00
• Yoga
• Reading literature for class
• Reading student literary anaylses
• Sending out new week announcements
• Catching up on classes
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Reading student journals
• Reading Mandy for tutoring
• Discussing Mandy and teaching Jacob new words

Tuesday

• Quiet morning with Oliver out of school
• Morning time in the study with Josh
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Reading student journals
• New ink!
• Finishing Ink Blood Sister Scribe
• Starting to listen to Circe
• McD Dr. Pepper

Wednesday

• A Dr. Pepper at the grocery store
• New groceries!
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Catching up on classes
• An empty work inbox
• Wearing green velvet Mary Janes
• New ink!

Thursday

• Watermelon for breakfast
• A whole day with Josh, including lots of snuggle time
• Maybe sleeping in?
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Reading student journals
• Maybe a date to Barnes?
• Maybe an iced peppermint mocha?
• Maybe a new magazine? Poets & Writers?

Friday

• Watermelon for breakfast
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Maybe sleeping in?
• Quiet morning with Oliver out of school
• Sitting with Josh in the study in the morning
• The Addam's Family musical with Bruce at Cape Fear Regional Theatre!

Saturday

• Watermelon for breakfast
• Reading Mandy for tutoring
• Spending the morning with Josh in the study
• Maybe sleeping in?
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Funny Girl with Bruce at DPAC!
• Peanut M&Ms
• Big bottle of Dr. Pepper
• Finishing The Source of Self-Regard

Sunday

• Maybe sleeping in?
• Morning in the study with Josh
• Morning pages
• Bella Grace article in the morning
• Finishing The Plague
• Starting Like Life: Stories by Lorrie Moore
• Starting Death of a Bookseller
• Iced peppermint mocha!
• Two hours of rest while the boys go to the trampoline park
• Hopefully making up a tutoring session

Now, I just have to make sure I actually do all this!

30 Selfish Wishes.

1. The perfect free house with space for a guest room, a study, and a playroom. 
2. The perfectly equipped backyard with a swing set and slide and a trampoline.
3. Help from the Innovations Waiver, now (no ten-year wait!).
4. A cure for me.
5. A gradual cure for Oliver.
6. A cure for Josh.
7. Perfect skin.
8. A steady weight of 125 pounds.
9. Naturally black, curly hair.
10. Perfect teeth.
11. Perfect eyesight. 
12. Cooking ability and joy.
13. Better reading focus.
14. Icy cold drinking water any time, anywhere. 
15. Three hours a day for reading.
16. Three hours a day for writing.
17. Oliver's sleeping through the night in his own room.
18. A part-time secretary for paperwork and submissions. 
19. Unlimited supply of the retired Dark Stardust Sakura Gelly Roll pens.
20. Unlimited supply of returning and new prestige Hard Candy cosmetics (currently converted to a Wal-Mart brand).
21. Unlimited PB Teen furniture, bedding, and decor. 
22. A Madame Alexander 10-inch Cisette Jo Goes to New York Trunk set.
23. A Madame Alexander 10-inch Cisette Jane Eyre doll.
24. Unlimited money to buy gifts for people I love (or just like). 
25. Unlimited online classes with Francesca Lia Block.
26. Miss Katie (our OT) as a part-time nanny.
27. Money to get us through a Ph.D program for Josh.
28. Unlimited Loft clothes.
29. A free new Honda for Josh.
30. Annual shows on Broadway. 

If I Were Quite Wealthy.

• I'd buy most of my shoes and dresses from Modcloth.
• I'd buy most of my jewelry and tops from Loft.
• I'd have a few pieces from the Zales Disney Enchantment Collection.
• I'd buy one of these cabinets for the bathroom and reorganize my makeup and bath products.
• I'd use a bath bomb every night and keep or give away the rings. 
• Something interesting would come in the mail every day.
• I'd hire someone to clean our house once a week.
• I'd buy books as they'd strike me at Barnes--no checking online for a better price.
• I'd be a member of the Health Plex--pool, gym, hot tub.
• I'd buy one of those big, castle-like apartments in Charlotte, if only for visits.
• I'd try new activities for Oliver--music lessons, dance, drama, gymnastics...
• I'd rent a sweet house locally (Josh would probably still want to work) with four bedrooms--both a guest room and a study...with a master suite and a massive bathtub.
• I'd have a hot tub.
• I'd help family with medical bills and such.
• I'd pay off the last credit card.
• I'd have room to store and display my journals.
• I'd go to Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory.
• I'd see Phantom in NYC and the West End.
• I'd buy us bikes and ride mine in the neighborhood.
• I'd take Bruce somewhere to see Sunset Boulevard. 
• I'd buy my mom a glass case and slowly fill it with dolls.
• I'd have a fancy aquarium. 
• I'd buy more wood-wick candles.
• I might take a cooking class.
• I'd go to Washington, DC with Bruce and visit the museums. We'd take the train.
• I'd take my mom to ballets all over the state.
• I'd try more new foods.
• I'd grocery shop at Harris Teeter.
• I'd bring back the Disney Store.
• I'd take my family to Disney World for 10 days--time to rest and swim between parks.
• I'd rent a skating rink one night every week.
• I'd take Josh to the UK.
• I'd have an antique claw foot bathtub full of pens.
• I'd have high tea with my mom once a month.
• I'd rent a boat at Lake Norman and go swimming once or twice a month.
• I'd get Josh into a digital photography class.
• I'd buy a real, mother-of-pearl pair of opera glasses.

The Wonder of the Wist List.

I love a good list, as you may have noticed. When I was growing up, I loved pros and cons lists. I'd make them when deciding whether or not I (or a friend) should break up with a guy. My darling friend Melissa even bought me a Knock Knock pros and cons list pad. I made lists for her too.

My 40 before 40 and my 30 before 30 lists have at least given me and dusty map or a cloudy compass to keep me, at least, going in a good direction.

I've written Reasons I Love You lists, and I've received a few in return.

My to-do lists were lengthy when I was in 6th grade. Now, my weekly to-do lists are almost out of control. I write them in my journal, taking up two or more pages and still ending up with items crawling on the margins. My actual goal is to complete half the items on my list for the week. The lists are detailed and repetitive. What I don't achieve goes on the next list, or I decide the task isn't important. The lists are unrealistic, but they remind me about the kind of person I want to be in my daily life and with my long-term goals.

But the greatest of all lists is the Wish List. I've had one on Amazon for many years. I should probably clean it up. The list and recommendations steer me toward great discoveries. I put wish lists on my blog occasionally, mixing wishes for objects and experiences. I keep a wish list at the back of my current journal, usually including hard-to-find objects (red rhinestone earrings), books or notebooks, and makeup items. I edit the list when I copy it into my new journal.

Wish lists also express or reveal who I am and what sort of creature I am becoming or want to be.

Right Now Wishes: 11.8.18

I wish

• All the movies and shows were streaming for free from one place.
• For sparkly red earrings--silver ones and gold ones (not easy to find!).
• To see myself with a little more clarity.
• For an aquarium in the wall.
• To return to size 4!
• For easy hair curling. Snap!
• To be pen pals with Sierra Boggess.
• For beautiful, mismatched dishes from Anthropologie.
• I had a dressing room with everything arrange by color.
• For better reading focus.
• To learn gorgeous lettering.
• For someone to get a kitten I can cuddle.
• To go out to eat with Josh once a week.
• For fairy lights over my bed.
• To stop snoring.
• To have perfectly clear skin.
• For my wedding rings to fit again.
• For a windchime made of antique keys.
• A quilt made off my old T-shirts.
• To put all our pictures and art back on the walls (and for Oliver to be done with tearing everything down).
• For no bloating.
• I could draw well.
• For the ability to play any instrument I touch.
• To see Starlight Express.
• To see Sunset Boulevard again.
• To be a better friend.
• For a cleaned-out car.
• For a garden tub in a master suite.
• Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory--here!
• For a painless nose piercing.
• For a nearby, non-sketchy roller skating rink.
• To read all of Andrew Lang's colorful books of fairy tales.
• For Aunt Linda to come back and read me stories. 
• To talk to my grammy, even for an hour.
• To spend another evening with Kay and Joseph Bathanti, Cathy Smith Bowers, and Alan Michael Parker.

Today's Top 10 Wishes: 10.10.18.

1. Gray dress pants with pink pinstripes.
2. More pink clothes in general.
3. German chocolate cake.
4. Sugar gliders.
5. My own aquarium--a whole building.
6. Access to a hot tub.
7. A huge bathtub. 
8. Peace for my whole family.
9. An orange-peeling machine.
10. More insight on how to interact with Oliver.

(Nearly) Impossible Wishes.

None of these would require money or major effort from me!

• I wish I could see new colors.
• I wish I could be an attentive and totally balanced mother, knowing how to act and respond to shape Oliver and make him feel loved.
• I wish I could have two sugar gliders and that someone else would take care of them.
• I wish I could have seahorses and a trained professional to care for them.
• I wish for an aquarium in my city.
• I wish I could play a small role in a touring show, just to experience the performance and travel.
• I wish I could play Phantom.
• I wish I could play instruments: piano, bass guitar, clarinet, drums.
• I wish I could be fluent in French and Italian.
• I wish I had a private, close-by place to swim in deep water.
• I wish I could sing, really sing.
• I wish I could lead an '80s tribute band. 
• I wish I had loosely curling hair.
• I wish Josh could go to the moon and return safely and quickly.
• I wish I had free access to every movie ever.
• I wish I were a brilliant cook.
• I wish I could draw well.
• I wish I could try Irish step dancing again.
• I wish I could read quickly but still retain and connect with what I'm reading.
• I wish Oliver could reach a typical stage of development. 
• I wish someone else would be in charge of painting my nails.
• I wish my whole house smelled like lilacs or cinnamon, depending on the seasons.
• I wish I could French braid my hair and do any other hairstyle.
• I wish I were a prolific product writer: stories, poems, a novel, a memoir, essays...
• I wish I had a safe place for my journals.
• I wish I had a small, tailored summer wardrobe.
• I wish I were more comfortable around people.
• I wish I could find the perfect church for me.
• I wish I had a self-driving car.
• I wish I could get a weekly massage.
• I wish my skin were clear and smooth.
• I wish I had fairy lights in my bedroom.

Some Wishes.

• More focus and determination
• More Mary-Jane-style shoes
• Finished taxes
• To watch a movie every day
• Too Faced Festival eyeshadow palette
• Too Faced rainbow highlighter
• A stay in a cabin with Mom, Keely, and Vicki
• Calorie-free Reese Pieces
• Mash House cheese grits every day
• More Phantom, somehow!
• Gorgeous handwriting
• An end to breakouts
• More courage
• Ability to play the piano
• A class on ancient Egypt
• An in-home rollerskating rink--and my own skates
• More books by my favorite authors
• An online class with Francesca Lia Block
• Hanging pots of hardy fuchsia
• To take Oliver to a show and for it to go well
• To have all my pictures and art back on the walls, safe from Oliver
• More Italian journals
• More kissing
• An aquarium in my city
• A quilt made of my old T-shirts
• To see Sunset Boulevard again

10 Wishes.

If some genie or enchantress offered me 10 completely selfish wishes, these might come to mind.

1. More healthy energy. That would allow me to fulfill more of my own wishes.
2. My old weight back.
3. Perfect skin.
4. The perfect home to rent: master suite with deep jet tub, separate shower, and double vanity; a den, formal dining room, extra bedroom, or bonus room to be Oliver's playroom; a fenced-in backyard; lots of huge closets; a fridge with water and ice dispenser; built-in bookshelves. 
5. Our student loans--paid off.
6. Our car--paid off.
7. My 401k loan--paid off. 
8. Our credit cards--paid off.
9. A second Honda.
10. An endless Sephora gift card.

What might be on your list?

Beauty Wish List.

Since I was 16 (half my life!), I've always had a big beauty wish list. I don't know if any shopping is as fun as shopping for makeup. I love it alone and with a companion. I love it in a bright Ulta or a shadowy Sephora. I love the colors and sparks that catch my eye. I love swatching the colors on my wrist, seeing which ones really sparkle like they do in the pan and which ones last on my skin. I'm not doing much shopping these days, but these items are at the top of my wish list.

1. Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Eye Shadow Trio in Peace. These sea glass shades stun me, and they all glitter or glimmer. I have trouble finding blues that shimmer and suit me. But these are perfect. I received a sample of Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink, and I've been paying attention to Bobbi Brown ever since. Funny, I used to think she was too grown-up for me! But I'm suddenly 32, and she has a lot of the glitter I love.

2. Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Collection. I like every color! When does that happen? The palette has plenty of pinks, which I'm loving right now, and the sea foam shade with the blue glitter is gorgeous. I'm so glad to see that sparkles are coming back. I can't wait to play with this at Ulta or our mini Sephora in J. C. Penny's. By the way, Too Faced is my second favorite beauty brand (after Urban Decay).

3. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Cruel. This shimmery red will complete my Snow White look! And I love the shiny metal tube. I love UB for continuing with shimmers and metallics despite the matte trend (though UD certainly does matte too!).

4. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Bloom. This is a newish pink shade I want to try. Sugar Lip is amazing--the perfect blend of lip balm and lipstick. I've gotten Mom hooked on it too. I think we both discovered it when two mini balms were the birthday gift from Sephora. The rosy metal tubes are so fancy. At $24, though, I won't be buying Sugar any time soon!

5. Marc Jacobs Beauty Twinkle Pop Stick Eyeshadow in Frannie 408 (white shimmer),
6. Shoshanna 414 (teal shimmer), and
7. On the Verge 412 (grape shimmer). I fell hard for Marc Jacobs Beauty when I tested his Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in (Luna)Tic 64 on my wrist. The color, shimmer, and texture were just perfect. I think I thought I wasn't good enough for Marc Jacobs. Psssh. And right now, I'm so into crayon or stick eyeshadow, so these are dreamy.

8. Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eye Shadow in Silver Lilac,
9. Ballet Pink, and
10. Sunlight. I have a custom Bobbi Brown eyeshadow palette with space for six shadows. The palette currently holds one! It's a pretty purple shimmer, and I'd love to give it some sparkly friends.

11. LORAC's Beauty and the Beast Cheek Palette and
12. Beauty and the Beast PRO Eyeshadow Palette. I don't need to tell you why these are so awesome. I was so happy to see them; I'm still mourning the death of the Disney-Sephora collaboration. The packaging here is lovely, and I love the variety. If I had to choose between these two, surprisingly, I would pick the cheek palette. I'd use the colors for blush and for eyeshadow. I've never had anything by LORAC.

13. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Spandex (dark blue),
14. AMP (light blue), and
15. Junkshow (hot pink). I have this in ACDC (purple). It's fun to use on its own but also looks good over a matte black eyeliner. I love the Cinderella blue (AMP) especially.

Those top the list! What kinds of wish lists are you hiding?