July TBR

I went to the library yesterday and picked up a few books. These are the books I hope to read in the month of July. I may add or take away some books but want to at least give all these a shot.

From top to bottom:

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey. This is the sequel to Cold Kiss which I just finished today. Cold Kiss was okay but not great. I did like enough though to see what happens in Glass Heart.

Storm and Spark by Brigid Kemmerer. This is the first two books in the Elemental Series. This is a new author to me so we'll see how it goes.

The unbecoming of mara dyer by Michelle Hodkin. This is the first in a trilogy. It's about a girl who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I've heard a lot of things about this book on Booktube. You either hate it or love. I'm interested to see which group I fall into.

Changeling by Philippa Gregory. This is the first book in the Order of Darkness series. Years ago I read Philippa Gregory's historical fiction books and thought I would give this book a chance. 

I've linked each title to it's Amazon page if you would like more information. What are you reading?

My Intentions

Source

 I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I really want to post here. So much thinking in fact that it has kept me from writing which is not what I wanted. I'm going to declare my intentions and then simply get to writing. I want to post about my everyday sometimes boring life. I want to post about books I'm reading and what I'm excited to read next. I want to post about my love of Sci-fi shows and action movies. I want to post about the challenges I face and how well or not so well I overcome them. In a nut shell I want to write about everything. That's what this blog will be about and it's about time I got to it.

Currently.....

Reading...The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. On book two and loving it. 

Listening...To a very quiet office.

Loving...that my workouts are making me stronger.

Thinking....to many thoughts to list :)

Feeling...like I should be doing something but can't remember what. 

Wanting...to finally get the last of my moving boxes unpacked!

Needing...more time with friends. 

Enjoying...watching Ted Talks like this one from Adam Braun. 

The Perfect Pen???

Is there such a thing as the perfect pen? I have no idea. All I know is that I stop myself from writing because in the dozens and dozens of pens I have I can't find the "perfect" one. This one doesn't feel right in my hand. That one doesn't have the right color ink. The excuses go on and on while the page remains blank. 

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what type of pen or pencil or crayon I use. What matters is that the words were taken out of my brain and put on the page. I can't let little things like the search for the "perfect" pen keep me from doing what I most want to do - write. If I do then all I have is a closed empty book to add to my already large collection of notebooks waiting to be filled. 

I don't want that. I want the words to come out. I want them out of my head so that I can make room for more. What excuses do you make to keep you from writing, or painting, or starting that project you were so excited about?

Glue booking

     I am obsessed and captivated by glue booking. I take scraps of paper and magazine images and glue them down in a 9in x 6in sketch book. I pick only those images and colors that make me smile. I want an entire book filled with such images. 

        There is something so pleasing about cutting and pasting. It allows my brain to shut off for just a little while. I don't think about anything other then where to put the next piece of paper down and what color washi tape I should add. Hours slip by so easily!

      The image above screamed for words but could have spoken loudly without them. Sometimes I add words but mostly it's about the image and how it makes me feel.

     I love love love bright colors. The brighter the better! They make me smile and brighten my day! What do you do to bring a little color into your day?

Water

     These dark clouds brought with them hours and hours of rain. It was lovely to listen to. I went to bed that night listening to the rain. I thought to myself how soothing it sounded. But then I realized it also sounded really loud and clear. I reached over and touched the windowsill and instantly felt the water coming in. My sheets and mattress were wet on the corner of the bed closest to the window. Turns out there is a leak in the roof that caused water to leak in when the rain was at it's hardest. 

     I had a problem a few days ago with a leaking pipe under my sink due to a clog somewhere deep along the pipes. It was an easy fix and required minimal clean up. This latest adventure with rain made me think maybe the water was trying to tell me something. Maybe I should let things flow their natural course instead of trying to control things or let my fears "clog" things up. 

     I'm doing a lot of thinking about different areas in my life that need some "flow". Are there things in your life that would ease some stress if you just let them "flow" and stopped trying to clog them up?

Skinny Pants

     I did a bit of shopping on Saturday. I wasn't looking for anything in particular just seeing what was out there. I went to JCPenney and walked around for a bit. I found a couple of shirts in my favorite bright colors. Then as I was looking through the clearance rack I saw a pair of dark gray corduroy pants. They just happened to be my size and in petite as well. Figured I'd better try them on. I went in to the dressing room and tried on the pants. It's then that I realized that instead of them being straight legged they were skinny. I am not skinny and had never tried on a pair of skinny anything.

     For some reason these pants felt amazing. I was worried they would be too tight near the ankles (makes me feel claustrophobic) but they weren't. I feel really good in them. They are totally comfy and I love the color. I'm so glad I tried them on. I'm proud of myself for taking a chance on something I felt wasn't for ME. Turns out I was dead wrong. 

    Take a chance on yourself......you just might get a wonderful surprise.