Notebook Love

I love, love, love notebooks! Just on my desk alone I have five notebooks. Granted two are blank and are just waiting to be used. Thanks to Pinterest I've discovered mind mapping too, which is a fabulous use for notebooks and helps to get all the thoughts in my head onto paper. So, what you might ask do I use my notebooks for? Well, here is my Tuesday Ten of some notebook ideas and since I've been so awful at posting lately today is a double post with a Tuesday Ten of the best notebooks (hint, hint for Christmas gifts!).

Notebook Uses

1. Budget

I used to have an entire notebook for my budget but I have moved this to Google Docs. I still have budget notes in my notebook though.

2. Party Planning

Of course I have lots of notes for upcoming parties and you can bet that having a baby isn't going to stop us from hosting our annual events!

3. Date Nights

We don't really get date nights that often. We didn't really before Carter was born and we really don't know but we at least try to plan a few and get one in a month.

4. 2017 Vacation Plans

This is my favorite! I love planning vacations and now with Carter we are trying to make more of an effort to actually take time off and go on family vacations. Definitely hitting up DC next year since its been too long and of course Key Largo since we now have a reason to visit all the time!

5. Gift Ideas

Another favorite! I love buying gifts for people and especially now that its almost Christmas!! Yeah!!

6. Movies to Watch

Who am I kidding? I never watch movies anymore. I'm lucky if I get to watch the latest episode of This is Us or Blue Bloods. My TV watching consists of Today Show if we Carter wakes up at 7 a.m. and I have time before work, lots of football and occasionally a show on demand during a weekend day feeding.

7. Doodles

Sometimes you just need to draw and not think about anything else. My main notebook has random drawings in it as well.

8. Reading Lists

I have a list of books that I want to read this fall. I haven't been reading that much lately but I realized I can listen to books in the car again on my way to work and while I walk to get more reading in. I also have lists of books I want to read.

9. Writing

I have a whole notebook dedicated to my novel ideas. Last year, I tried to do NaNoRiMo but I was too busy. I definitely won't have time this year.

10. Price Comparisons 

I have a whole notebook for this but I hardly ever use it anymore because I'm lazy and do all of my shopping at Target.

I have a lot more in my notebook but this is just a few of the items and this isn't even including my work notebooks.

So, does that make you want to go out and buy notebooks? I do and I already have all of these lists or use notebooks for these items.

Best Stores to Buy Notebooks

1. Target 

Surprisingly, Target has a really great selection of notebooks and lots of different sizes in case you want smaller ones to put in a purse.

2. Marshall's/TJ Maxx

It's hit or miss but when they actually have notebooks in stock they are normally awesome.

3. Plum Paper

This is where my planner is from and maybe someday I'll start buying notebooks there.

4. Lilly Pulitzer

My planner last year was Lilly and I loved it. They have great notebooks as well.

* After I wrote this, I actually went back to look and they no longer have the notebooks. :(

5. WalMart

I don't really shop here at all anymore but when I lived in Ohio I did and the selection of notebooks isn't awful.

Notebooks I Want or You Should Buy :)

1. Erin Condren Custom Notebook

These are awesome and maybe someday I'll switch from Plum Paper to Erin Condren.

2. Plum Paper Notebook

How cute are these simple notebook/journals from my favorite Plum Paper?

3. Vera Bradley Notebook

I'm not a big fan of Vera and these prints really aren't my style but these are nice notebooks.

4. Kate Spade Notebook 1

Ahh I'm in love with these Kate Spade notebooks and journals! Sometimes they have these at TJ Maxx and Marshall's.

5. Kate Spade Notebook 2

Ditto to above!

So, what are you waiting for?! Get out there and get a notebook! Start making lists, mind mapping or doodling! I guarantee you'll like at least something!

My Favorite Books: A-Z (Part 1)

Vacation season is upon us, so have you picked out some books to read while you are traveling? Need some selections for book club? Why not try one of these? 

I'm always getting asked for book suggestions, so here are my favorite books from A-Z (Part 1). There is a good variety here and I tried to mark the genre of each book.

There are summary paragraphs and links to my reviews for some of them. Some were so much harder than I thought to pick just one, so there are more than one for most! And of course I'm probably forgetting some!

A

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (Children's, Classic)

Anne of Green Gables is the classic story of a young orphan girl who is adopted by a brother and sister who never married on the beautiful island of Prince Edward Island. Anne has a wild imagination and is always creating tales and assigning clever names to the island’s landmarks. She becomes bosom buddies with Diana Berry. Her other classmate Gilbert teases her about her hair, which is as red as carrots. The delightful story chronicles Anne’s life on PEI and the adventures she and her friends embark on. The movies are also fabulous!

Astronaut Wives Club - Lily Koppel (Nonfiction, Book Club)

Check out my GoodReads review here. The TV show is great as well.

Others: Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons (Beach Read, Fiction, Book Club), Apollo 13 (Nonfiction), All the Summer Girls (Beach Read, Fiction)

B

Bloom:Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir - Kelle Hampton (Memoir, Book Club)

Check out my blog post about this title here.

Others: Burn for Burn (Beach Read, Teen), Bridget Jones' Diary (Fiction)

C

The Castaways - Elin Hildebrand (Beach Read, Fiction)
The Castaways starts with the death of Greg and Tess, a couple trying to recover from some marital problems. After leaving their twins with friends, the couple sets out on a sail for Martha's Vineyard, drowning on the trip. The rest of the book details the summer following their deaths and how the three other couples that Greg and Tess are friends with deal with the loss. The books is full of surprises that anything else written would give away the plot twists! This is an enjoyable beach read that reminds readers to treasure friendships and the time spent together because life is short. Fans of The Castaways should also read Summerland and Summer People by the same author.

Commencement - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: Cheaper by the Dozen (Memoir)

D

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells (Fiction, Book Club)

E

Engagements - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

F

Forget-Me-Not Summer - Leila Howland (Middle Grade, Beach Read)
Check out my blog post here.

Others: First Lady from Plains (Biography), From Love Field: Our Final Hours with President John F. Kennedy (Memoir)

G

Girls from Ames - Jeffery Zaslow (Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls (Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer (Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads post here.

Others: Grayson (Memoir), Great Gatsby (Fiction, Classic, Book Club)

H

Hurricane Sisters - Dorothea Benton Frank (Fiction, Beach Reads, Book Club)
Maisy is the family matriarch in The Hurricane Sisters. The story begins with an hilarious scene where Maisy’s daughter, Liz and son-in-law, Clayton are bailing her out of jail for walking a llama down the street. Maisy is full of spunk and passionately in love with her chauffeur who is much younger and was hired by Liz and Clayton to drive her around. The story unfolds through the voices of each of the main characters but is the story of the women, the hurricane sisters, that shines through. Liz is struggling with the homosexuality of her grown son, the infidelity of her husband and the immaturity of her young daughter, Ashley. Ashley, an aspiring artist, and her roommate, Mary Beth, are living rent free in Clayton and Liz’s beach house trying to struggle with achieving their dreams or coming to terms with reality. The theme of domestic violence is woven through the story as Liz works for a domestic violence organization and Mary Beth is a survivor after witnessing her father abuse her mother growing up but when tragedy strikes within the family, they pull together and support each other with love and encouragement. The Hurricane Sisters is a beautiful story of family and the low country of South Carolina. In the end, no matter how crazy family is, the characters realize that they do need each other more than ever.

Others: An Hour Before Daylight (Memoir)

I

In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner (Fiction, Beach Read, Book Club)

Others: The Island (Fiction, Beach Read), I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan (Memoir), In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir (Memoir)

J

Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot - Randy Taraborelli (Biography)

Others: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life (Biography), Just Kids (Memoir, Book Club)

K

Kate: The Future Queen - Katie Nicholl (Biogaphy)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years (Biography), The Kennedy Women: The Saga of An American Family (Biography)

L

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead - Sheryl Sandberg (Memoir, Business)
Check out my blog post here.

Others: The Last Summer of You & Me (Fiction, Beach Reads), The Last Lecture (Memoir), Leeway Cottage (Fiction, Book Club), Letters from Skye (Fiction), Life as We Knew It (Teen, Book Club), Light Between Oceans (Fiction, Book Club), Little Earthquakes (Fiction), Love Lucy (Biography)

M

Maine - J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction, Beach Reads, Book Club)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards (Fiction, Book Club)

Others: Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog (Memoir), Moon Shell Beach (Fiction, Beach Reads), Mrs. Kimble (Fiction), My Dear President: Letters Between Presidents and their Wives (History), My Father, My President: A Personal Account of George H. W. Bush (Biography)

Happy Reading!

Need Something to Read?

Try these blogs.

I don't follow many blogs but there are a few that I like to read everyday (which doesn't really happen now without Google Reader). These blogs are random - some are about life, others about the library world and some about houses but they are all interesting and someday I hope that my blog with a little love and encouragement might be as successful. So here are five blogs to try:

Pawley's Island Posh

Someone recommended this blog to me and for the life of me I can't remember who now but Julia's posts about home decor, fashion, cooking and life are creative and inspiring. I'm always interested to see what project she is working on in her house or see the awesome infographics she designs. Plus she's a talented photographer and as an aspring one, I love to see her work.

The Dating Divas

I found this blog via Pinterest. It's fabulous for finding creative date night ideas, out-of-the-box gift options and other fun ways to show your significant other/spouse how much you love and care for them. Their Pinterest boards are awesome as well. The Dating Divas is where I found the Year of Date idea, which I gave to Dennis for Valentine's Day, gave to my friend Kristin as a wedding present and that Dennis and I received as a wedding gift from my friends at the Western Allegheny Community Library.

1000 Awesome Things

I've been following this blog for years. I really wouldn't consider it a blog but a fabulous list. The books are great as well. Everyday the post is about something awesome obviously but they are simple things like the post for today - coming back to your bed after a long trip. Sometimes they are hilarious! It's just something little that brightens my day and most of the time the post is nothing more than the title and a picture.

Hooked on Houses

I started following this blog obsessively with my former coworker, Amanda. The author posts about celebrity homes, houses for sale and great renovations. The part that I love the most though is the posts about movie and TV houses. Think about all the movie and TV houses that you love? They are probably on the blog. I love the Family Stone house and there is a whole post just about that.

Read them. See what you think!

10 Things You Didn't Know About Me...Or Maybe You Did

Remember the days of instant messenger when you could make quizzes for your friends or when those surveys were circulating on Facebook?  Every one knew lots of random facts about each other then.  Whatever happened to those?  Such great time wasters...

So, here are 10 random facts you may or may not have known about me:

1.  I NEVER watch TV.  I'm obsessed with movies but I'm way too busy to watch a TV show regularly.  I don't even have time to watch the Today Show anymore.  I do, however, love getting TV shows on DVD from the library.  Basically, I'm watching TV shows years after they aired, which means I have no idea what happened on Downton Abbey since I'm still waiting for Season 2, so don't tell me.  Here is what I'm watching right now.  I know...old school, right?

(Wikipedia)

2. I may be a librarian NOW but it took awhile to get here.  When I was little, yes, I wanted to be a librarian.  I played library.  Ha ha!  I also wanted to be the first woman president.  In junior high, I wanted to  be a travel agent.  In high school, I wanted to be the next CJ Craig from West Wing.  When I was at Mount Union, I wanted to be a writer.  When I was at La Roche, I wanted to be an account executive at a major public relations firm.  Deep down...I wanted to be a librarian.  The lesson here...follow your dreams.  Those childhood ideas might come true.  Does that mean the White House is next?

3.  I don't eat jello EXCEPT for a jello shot.  I only eat jello shots because a certain older cousin told me when I was little that jello was made from bones.  I never ate jello again.

4.  I DO stupid things.  Before a swim meet, I wanted my clean and still wet suit to dry faster.  It was my favorite one and expensive I think.  I decided the fastest way would be to use the hair dryer.  Wrong.  I burned the swim suit.  I had to wear my ugly suit to the meet.

5.  Halloween is probably my LEAST favorite holiday.  When I was little I couldn't have most of the candy because of eczema, so I thought what was the point.  I stopped trick or treating in middle school or earlier.  I like to dress up but I just never cared for the holiday as much as Christmas, Thanksgiving or Fourth of July.  I'm not really a fan of Easter either.

6.  I'm a mini-golf champion.   I won first place in a miniature golf tournament at Lakeside in eighth grade.

7.  I HATE the mall.  I think it was my eight years at the Gap that caused this.  I'd rather shop online or in small stores now.

8.  If I won the lottery...I'd split it three ways.  I donate one-third to Lakeside, Lutherlyn and breast cancer charities.  I would invest one-third to use for the education of my children and grandchildren.  I would buy a summer house with the rest.

9.  I do things in threes.  My sisters and best friends come in groups of three.  I went to three colleges (Mount Union, La Roche and Kent State). I speak three languages (Japanese, French and Italian).  I have lived in three places that I called "home" at some point in my life (Annapolis, Lakeside and Pittsburgh).  I have worshiped in churches of three different religions (Lutheran, Methodist and Episcopalian).  I've had three cars so far (the wagon, the cobalt and the G6.  That's enough threes...

10. I CAN'T relax!  In college, a yoga teacher told me she couldn't get my neck to relax when she massaged it.  I'm really trying to not be so uptight.

That's enough for now...

Ciao!

Top Five YouTube Videos

The holiday weekend is almost finished.  It was a relaxing weekend and I'm grateful for the reprieve.  I was playing around on YouTube and watching some my favorites to get a good laugh (some are vintage), so here they are:

1.  Ghosting
Meg introduced me Hamish and Andy.  Hilarious!  I laughed so loud I cried.  Ha ha!  Then we tried to reenact ghosting at Lakeside.  It didn't work so well because we couldn't start laughing.

2.  Muffins

Annie and I used to love this one.  She even tried to make her own version!  Ha ha!

3. Call Me Maybe

4.  Superbass

5.  He's a Lutheran too!

I probably forgot some but these are always good for a laugh.  And want a bigger laugh...

The dance video my sisters and I made a few years ago on Easter weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!  Happy April!!

The Music of My Life

Recently, I read somewhere about coming up with 10 songs that define different periods of your life.  At first, I thought this would be really easy but it was actually quite hard.  So many songs came to mind, but did they really define my life at that time?  Some did, but others were just the first song that conjured up memories of my teen or college years.

Here are my picks…

Birth – Preschool: Christ Came Walking Down by the Water, If I Were a Butterfly, White Coral Bells

When I was little, most of the ones I sang or come to mind from my childhood were mainly songs I learned at church, especially Bible school.  One of my favorites was Christ Came Walking Down by the Water, which according to my parents I used to sing while I walked up and down the beach at Stone Harbor.  Apparently, I thought I was Christ…  The last song was the lullaby my grandma sang to me.

Elementary School: Jesus is the Light, Pharaoh, Blessed Be, This is the Day

Do we see a pattern here with the church songs?  Whether it was church camp, Sunday school or Bible school, I was singing my heart out to one of these songs.  Those experiences and these songs did define my childhood. The last song was special because it was the first song I remember learning at Lakeside in God Squad.

Middle School:  Peaches, Gangsta’s Paradise, Wannabe

Ah and the tables turn…  These songs definitely did not define my middle school years but are the first titles that come to mind when I think of those years.  I remember singing these or listening to them on…wait for it… a Walkman on the bus ride to school.

High School:  Because I Got High, Graduation, Big Pimpin’

Again, these didn’t define high school but I always think of them when high school comes to mind.  My aunt hate the last one and I remember her turning the radio off when it came on.  Ha ha!

College: Hot in Herre/ Unbroken/I Would Walk 500 Miles

Hot in Herre was the song I remember from my first frat party at Mount Union.  The priest at La Roche used the lyrics from Unbroken for his baccalaureate homily.  It was pretty interesting.  And I Would Walk 500 Miles was on our mix CD for away tennis matches at Mount Union.

Annapolis: Jesse’s Girl

I remember blasting this on the way to the beach on Saturday mornings with the windows down and the warm air blowing through my, at the time, long hair.

Lakeside: All Summer Long

This was the song that we sang and played over and over during my two summers at Lakeside.  I will always feel blessed to have had those two summers with my sisters and summer sisters. 

And now…I’m not really sure what song defines my life at the moment.  That my friends may take some more time but for now these 10 (OK, I listed a few more) were hard enough.

Try it…see if you can come up with 10!  Do you have any suggestions for my list?  What did I miss?

Isn't it awesome how much of a role music really does play in our lives...