My Reading Identity | Who I Am and Who I Want To Be

I'm the kind of reader who will pick up a random book, regardless of genre, as long as it sounds good. I don't like to stick to just one or two genres, as I enjoy a variety to not feel stuck in a reading rut. I tend to go through cycles where I'll read mostly thrillers for a bit and then switch it up to historical romances or women's fiction. I'm definitely a mood reader as well, so I don't like being stuck to a set list. I'm now the kind of reader that has more time for audiobooks than print and that actually saddens me as I always loved the feel of a physical book in my hands, staying up until all hours or the night or early morning just to try and finish the book. 

I want to be the kind of reader who can get through books faster, but I have limited time between working and a toddler who always wants to play. I want to be the kind of reader who can recommend amazing stories to friends and family based on their likes and dislikes. I want to be the kind of reader who will DNF a book and not feel guilty for not reading just a little more to see if it gets better. 

I'm throwing away this feeling of not being an adequate reader just because I'm behind on my reading goals or I don't read as often as I used to. I'm going to be the reader that focuses on the books I want to read and make me happy, not what's popular and hyped up. 

I want to be the kind of reader that encourages my child to love reading too. This is my main goal right now, to bring the love or reading to life for her, just like my mother did for me. It's my fondest memory of my Mom and I want that for my daughter. 

What kind of reader do you want to be? What kind of reader are you now? How would you summarize your identity as a reader? Let me know in the comments.

To Continue Blogging or Not...

Recently, I made the decision to not renew my domain name. I know! This was a big decision for me, since snowdropdreams.ca has been a big part of my life for many years, but I find I am not able to blog nearly as much as I had in the past and I'm struggling to even write reviews at all. I'm still happily reading and listening to audiobooks, but I don't seem to have the time/energy to sit and blog that often anymore.

So I think the first step for me is to let go of my domain name and just keep my boring old Blogger web address - snowdropdreams.blogspot.com - this way I still have my blog, but I'm not paying for a service that I don't really need.

The next step is deciding if I'll blog at all anymore or if I'll just review my reads directly on Goodreads and what my reviews will look like going forward... fully thought out reviews, quick thoughts right after reading, another format? I still hang around Twitter and Instagram too and hope to start posting more bookish related photos on IG again with quick thoughts on my reads. I have a huge back log of reviews that I need to write up and am debating on just logging on to Goodreads and writing my thoughts down quickly and rating the books. I'm thinking that formatting a blog post is what keeps my from writing my thoughts down lately and this leads me to think it's almost time to say goodbye to my blog. I don't want to close it down, just maybe not continue writing anymore.

I have been constantly emailing myself links to post ideas, bookmarking all kinds of fun reading related things to do or try, but never have time for them. Ugh.

Decisions, decisions.

Being a Mom to a rambunctious 2 year old, working, taking care of a home and large property has been taking it's toll on my energy and time for actual blogging. I find that when I have a moment of quiet, that all I want to do is chill, browse social media or read. The more I write in this post, the more I feel like I'm making a decision already. Maybe I'm just not ready to say goodbye just yet?

Any one else go through something similar and make a come back later on - or did you just make a clean break and moved on in the next stage of your reader life? Any regrets?

The Top Books My Mom Loved

 

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So this week I decided to go with the top books that my Mom loved. She shared her love of reading with me at a young age and many of her favourite authors as well.

When I was little I remember my Mom reading and collecting ALL of Bertrice Small's books, yet I was never allowed to read them until I hit college due to the fact that they were historical romances with some steamy scenes. This was her all time favourite writer and she had every book. My sister and I began reading them in college and since we didn't live with Mom and Dad anymore, we began our own collection of Small's books. I also remember how excited she was that her favourite author was going to be a part of Romance Week on my blog, she even left a comment on that post. Here are a few of the ones I remember her rereading often...

The two books that I have not read yet, but I do have my mother's original copies on my shelf are... Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Scarlet by Alexandra Ripley. Gone With The Wind was my mother's number one book. She read it so many times, I lost count. And she loved the movie (I also have her DVD of the movie, but haven't watched it either - I want to read the book first). The novels are daunting as they are long at over a 1000 pages each.

The next author that my mother introduced me to was JK Rowling.! I know, right? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? I was in college and Mom was talking to her friends grandson who was reading a book and she wanted to know what he was reading. After telling her all about the book she decided to buy a copy to see what this wizard fuss was all about. She fell in love with Harry Potter and his world and shared her passion with my sister and I. She bought us the first few books and we fell in love too. As each new book released we would all buy a copy, read it and then talk about it. And as each movie came out Mom was excited like a little kid to go see them. I think this series helped bring us together more.

And finally, the last author that she shared with my sister and I was Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight series. I have no idea how she heard about it or what made her want to read it, but she was obsessed with the books. I actually have her set on my bookshelves. Again, Mom was excited for the movies so my sister and I would take her to midnight release parties.

Thanks Mom for giving us your love for reading and introducing us to a variety of books, even ones that maybe should have been us showing to you. Miss you every day!

What books do you remember your Mom loving? What books did she share with you?

Mother's Day: Our Mini-Reviews of Mother/Child Books & Missing My Mom

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Every year Mother's Day is a hard day for me. We lost our Mom in December 2012 just before Christmas. The first Mother's Day we spent it with our Mom's family, gathered with aunts, uncles, cousins and of course our grandparents and father. It was bittersweet.  We were surrounded by so much happiness, yet filled with a loss that our family shared, but not in the same was as losing a mother/wife feels.

Since then I've spent the last few years celebrating my Mother In Law and just trying to get through the day. Last year I was pregnant and getting ever closer to my due date and it was a very tough day. I cried A LOT. But this year feels like it's the hardest yet. It's my first as a new mother, but celebrating without my own mother. I've cried quite a lot while thinking about doing this post... but I think in the end my Mom would be so happy to see me turn today into a day to celebrate with my daughter. And what better way then to celebrate it than using books! Looking forward I think that coming Mother's Day celebrations will be different as my own daughter grows and I can share happy memories with her of her Grandma.

My Mom was the one who introduced us to reading at a young age. We spent weekends going to the library picking out tons of books to bring home. And when I was in school and struggling with reading, I was almost held back a year, my Mom was the one who stepped in and pushed them to let me move into the next grade and promised she'd work with my over the summer to be at the correct reading level when school started up again. Not only did I reach that goal with her help, I surpassed it. I ended up flying through the reading program for my grade and started reading the next grade up. And for that I will forever be thankful. My mother instilled in me a love of books, reading and learning. This is her greatest legacy in my eyes, and I just hope that I can do the same for Spencer.

So today, let's be happy and celebrate Mother's with some great children's books that Spencer and I read this past week.

My favourite of the bunch was a book called Someday by Alison McGhee and Peter H. Reynolds. It's a sweetly illustrated story of a mother telling her daughter all of the things she hopes that she will someday see her do or that her daughter will someday do. Honestly, it's so sweet and inspiring. It made my ugly cry. I even tweeted about the hot mess I was after reading it to my daughter and thinking of my own Mom. It's everything you want in a book to share between a mother and daughter.

You Mean The World To Me by Bayne Gibby and illustrated by David Walker – This is a sweet little book featuring two cats (my daughter loves cats) and they go about their day doing everything together while the mother cat teaches the kitten all she knows and why she loves him/her so much. They do everything from gardening to reading and crafting to tickling. Very fun and cute to read with your little one.

I Will Love You Forever by Caroline Jayne Church – A cute book about watching her baby growing up before her eyes while reminding baby that Mommy will always love them.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw – do I even need to say why this one is on the list? This one is also one that made my ugly cry while reading. I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be. Ugh! That's the part that made me lose it. Such a great book that shows a parents love for their child, yet also how a child grows to become the next generation of loving parents.

Forever by Emma Dodd – I love the illustrations in this book and the silver foiling on the pages for snow. The sweet polar bear parent and child. A great story about how a parent will help their child reach their hopes and dreams by loving them always.

So, did you all ugly cry along with me? What books do you recommend for Spencer and I to read next that showcase a mother and child? Leave suggestions in the comments!

PS That sweet little figurine in the photos is one that I gave to my mother when I was five or six, I brought it home just before my daughter was born and it sits in her room on her dresser. Such a cheap little trinket bought as a child, but obviously cherished by my Mom enough to keep all those years and now I'm passing it along in hopes that my daughter can cherish it just as much.
 

Cute new co-blogger!

Cute new coblogger?  Yes please! #teachthemyoung #bookblogging #babygirl

A photo posted by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Nov 14, 2016 at 4:29pm PST

November Hiatus

Sadly, I will be missing most of November. I am watching my sister's children for the month while she does training for a new job. She lives about an hour from me and I'll be on the road a lot with my little one so that I can help my sister out. And I'll be travelling to see my Dad this coming weekend so things are hectic. 

I have been working on some great blog post ideas and cannot wait to work on them. I've also been listening to audio books in the car since I'm driving about two hours hours a day. It seems to be the easiest way for me to get any reading time in. 

At night I'm so tired that I either watch Netflix in bed or snuggle with my little one and go to bed early. 

Stay tuned for a ton of great posts in December and the new year. I have some great reviews and posts in the works.

PS I actually wrote this using my cell phone while snuggling my sleeping baby. 

Blogging, Reading and Baby

It's no surprise to those who read my blog lately that I have a four month old daughter who is the sweetest baby ever, but I feel that my blog is taking a backseat to life again (as it should I suppose). When Spencer naps, I generally try to get some chores done or end up watching Netflix. I haven't put as much time in to reading either, but I'm hoping that changes soon.

I'm trying very hard to work on a schedule for Spencer so that her feedings, naps and bedtime are more consistent in hopes that I can figure out how to fit in reading and blogging a little more. Or at least setting aside a few hours a week for blogging, so I can work on a few posts a couple of times a week so that I feel more accomplished. 

This week Spencer is trying baby cereal and bigger bottles. It's been a challenge going from smaller bottles more often to larger ones spaced out, but we'll get there and I hope this means she may nap longer or go to bed earlier at night. 

The one thing that has been happening is reading with Spencer and I've already posted the first review for a book we read together - No, No, Gnome! So look forward to more reviews featuring my sweet baby girl.

I have a few blog tours to complete, which I think are helping me to make sure I get some reading into my routine. I miss reading! And I've been trying to use my tablet to read using my Kindle app. I've been trying to use social media more while baby is feeding or sleeping my arms. Thank goodness for cells phones with WiFi.

Finding balance has always been hard, but now it's that much more difficult. I'm looking at ways to organize my blogging ideas and posts while fitting it into my day of being a full time Mom (at least for a year while I'm on maternity leave) and keeping my home organized as well. I'm sure when I go back to work it will be even more interesting.

For other momma book bloggers out there - how did you find the balance? Looking for suggestions on getting organized. When do you fit blogging and social media into your day?

Welcome to the book world little one...

Introducing the new love of my life... Spencer Grace! Born June 27 10:30pm, 8lbs 10ozs #mommysangel #babygirl #iminlove

A photo posted by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Jun 28, 2016 at 4:50pm PDT

Today is the first day I've had time to sit down in my office and look through emails, check my blog and write a quick post. Hubby is spending time with Spencer and I thought I'd check in and update everyone on her arrival. If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter then you'd have already seen pictures of her. If not, then here she is book world! 

Thank you @simonschusterca for the thoughtful gift! Spencer will love these! #booklove #babygirl #welcomehomebaby

A photo posted by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Jul 13, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

And a big thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the lovely surprise gift this week in the mail. I am so in love with the No, No, Gnome book! I know Spencer will love it too!

Any day now...

I love this photo! Esme guarding my baby bump - the cats have been awfully snuggly lately. I have a feeling they will be good guardians/babysitters for Baby S.

I'm officially overdue... currently 40 weeks + 4 days pregnant. Due date has come and gone, yet for some reason this extra time home before baby arrives has seen me trying to write some blog posts to get myself back into blogging. I can't say for sure that I'll be back as often as before my hiatus, but I plan to try to write at least one post a week - a review that I'm overdue with writing, a book tag, meme or discussion post. And I'm sure I'll toss in a few baby related posts here and there (perhaps bookish baby posts as Baby S has a ton of books in her room already). 

Wish me luck... I'm anxious to meet my little one soon.

#oneword2016 - enjoy

So I found this simple little exercise/challenge while finally reading TheBloggess for the first time - #oneword2016, where you pick one word to represent your 2016. You need to pick ONE WORD that will describe your goal for the coming year. 

This is harder than you think. There are always so many great goals to have, but what ONE WORD do you pick to challenge yourself to reach your goal? 

I've decided on the word ENJOY. This is the year to enjoy every moment, savor every minute and absorb every detail. A baby on the way will change everything and I want to enjoy every second of it!

enjoy [en-joi]

verb (used with object)

1. to experience with joy; take pleasure in

2. to have and use with satisfaction

3. to find or experience pleasure in

synonyms: appreciate, fancy, relish, savor

-source

For ideas - check out the hashtag #oneword2016 on Twitter.

What ONE WORD would you pick for your 2016 challenge?

Why I've been MIA and why I'll still be dealing with an on again/off again hiatus

So ya... this is why I've been MIA. I've been super tired and very sick (morning sickness is not always morning sickness - I have all day nausea and I am sick any time of day... fun times). So I've had to back out of a few blog tours at last minute and they tour hosts have been amazing about it all. Honestly, this blog nation we have is amazing and supportive and I cannot imagine being a part of any other group. 

So I'm actually just past my 3 month mark this weekend and Baby S is due June 19th! We find out the gender in early February - I cannot wait to find out. Since this will be my only baby, I want to know! And yes, this will be my only child as I am getting older and was worried this wouldn't even be a possibility for me shortly. It's all exciting and scary and amazing at the same time.

I actually found out that I was pregnant on my birthday. I had been feeling a little off and realized that it was a possibility so I took a test that night and received the best birthday gift ever. ♥

Pretty much I think I will MIA a lot, but I am hoping to pop on here from time to time. I have a few reviews I'd like to get written up and post. I'd also like to find a schedule that will work for me... maybe twice a week if I can figure that out, now that my exhaustion should be subsiding.

Wishing you all the best this holiday season and hopefully the new year will bring me around more often!

Happy Birthday!

So  earlier in the year I stumbled upon Rosie Reads post about her Backwards Birthday Bucket List and loved it. I have a life list of things I'd like to complete one day, but why not have a list of things you've accomplished! So here's my list of.... some of the things I've completed to date. I'm not making a full list, but just highlighting some of my favourite things.

-I've traveled more since I met my hubby than I ever have. Nova Scotia (for my sister's wedding), Florida (kissed a small alligator), Mexico (swam with sea turtles) and Dominican Republic (had my picture taken with a spider monkey and a parrot).

-Attended a few amazing book signings in Toronto, Belleville and Ottawa: Kathy Reichs, Kelley Armstrong, Courtney Summers, Melissa Marr and more!

-Visited France when I was 14. I went with my entire class as a graduation trip after having raised money for four years and being a part of an exchange program. Eiffel Tower, Chateau Versailles, Champs Elysees, Montmartre, Notre Dame, Louvre, and more. Amazing trip!

-Spent a few weeks in Australia after college and was able to hold a koala and feed kangaroos. Also, I visited as many Big Things as I could.

-Adopted a beautiful cat, Esme, from the Humane Society (actually hubby bought her for me for Valentine's Day).

-Watched my first NHL, NBA and MLB games with my husband. I'm not much into sports, but I seem to attend a lot of events with him. Funny thing - my first NHL and NBA games were both watched in Florida instead of Canada. Go figure!

-I've participated and helped out with good causes: Ride For Dad, Relay For Life, Amazing Pace, and the Breast Cancer Walk.

There you have it! Some of the most amazing things I've done to date!

Ten Things You Don't Know About Me

1. I have an office supply addiction. Pens, journals, planners, highlighters, stickers, you name it - I've probably got it. I think my biggest obsession is sticky notes.

2. The Harry Potter Series is by far my favourite series ever. Almost time for a re-read! Funny, I don't think I've ever written that down on here before.

3. I dislike when people try to shorten my name to Chrys/Chris. My name is Chrystal. That's it. No short form, no nickname.

4. Over the years I have become a little anti-social or more of a homebody. Guess I'm mostly an introvert. Whatever way you want to look at it, I'd rather be at home reading a book, watching a movie, gardening or chilling with my husband and cats. I'm not much for parties or social gatherings anymore. I'm not sure if it's because I am shy at first or if I just would rather be alone. I'm a weirdo!

5. I tend to lose interest in hobbies quickly, but when I start a new hobby I go all out! So far blogging is the only one to stick.

6. I think I have become addicted to doing book tag posts. So don't be surprised if you see a lot more down the road. I'll try to space them out a little more. Coming soon will be the More Happy Than Not tag. EDIT: Finally wrote my post for this tag... check it out.

7. I collect sea shells from every place I visit. If there is a beach and sea shells can be found - you know I'll come home with some. I have even learned to bag plastic zipper bags in my suitcase for this purpose alone.

Nova Scotia, Australia, Florida x2, Mexico and Dominican

8. I have always wanted to get a tattoo, but have never had the courage to get it. It's taken me a long time to figure out what I'd want, but I know that I want a tiny blue star. For my Mom. Just need to work up the courage to get it and figure out where I want it (wrist, ankle, hip). *sigh*

9. I always thought my favourite colour was purple, but now I realize it's blue... azure, cerulean, turquoise, baby blue... all shades of blue.

10. I use an old CD walkman to listen to audiobooks from the library. I know I can download them using overdrive to my ipod, but for some reason I just really like switching to the next CD.

 

Learning to Love Gardening

So pretty much I love how beautiful gardens are and I promised my husband that when we moved into this house that I would take care of the gardens as they are absolutely stunning when in full bloom. The last two years I was terrible about getting the weeding done and remembering to water them. Soooo.... this year I have been a lot better about it. I spent five hours one Sunday afternoon weeding the back garden.... so many weeds! I did buy a book this year to help me take care of the plants... I needed to learn when to cut them back, how to take care of them during their blooming period, etc. So far so good.

I picked up a copy of The Perennial Care Manual by Rob Cardillo and think this is the best gardening book I've read yet (for someone like me who
loves plants, but doesn't always know the right way to take care of them. And is always eager to have a beautiful garden, but usually get lazy over the course of the year in taking care of them.) Pretty much this book has all of your basics in it, but it also has very specific care for each plant that you might have in your garden. I've added sticky tabs to all of the pages where there are plants that I have in my garden so I can flip back anytime. It's been extremely helpful so far this year.

And now...

The flower beds look lovely and the different perennials are starting to fill in and bloom, so after this mornings rain showers, I decided to go out and take some pictures of them flowers that are currently blooming. I cannot wait for the rest to start, there will be so many colours and textures. I'm lucky in the sense that these gardens were already planted and established before we moved in three years ago.

There are some pretty little statues mixed in. I want more though, so they will look like they are peaking out from under the plants. I would love to have another bird bath to put in the front garden. And I think it's time to pick up some more cedar chips/mulch since it started washing away in the rain.

Today I actually caught a picture of one of the many hummingbirds! I was delighted. And we have about six pairs of mourning doves in our backyard (I think it's because of the storage barns out back). We had a mourning dove nest and a robin's nest in the hedge by my kitchen window this year. It was wonderful to watch them grow (and my cat's loved sitting by the window trying to catch a glimpse).

Front garden - left side

The thing I love more about the gardens is the colours, smells and that it attracts so many birds. I could sit outside for hours (when the bugs aren't biting) and read while listening the song birds. We even have a swing on the front porch that I can lounge in while reading. I need to make time to do this more often.

So do you have any other hobbies that you are just starting to get into and enjoy? Tell me all about them.

If you love gardening and have any tips for me please leave them in the comments too!

What's on your life list?

I've seen life lists around for a long time and I've had one myself for years. Funny enough, I haven't updated mine in a while and I'm topped out at 49 things I'd like to do. Some are mundane and others are exciting. I made the list with the thought of reaching 50 things to do, but now I'm thinking I can expand that to much higher... say 100? Obviously I'd need to come up with some new things to add, so I'll be brainstorming over the next little while to come up with some new ones. 

In the meantime, I'd like to try and scratch a few more off the list.

2. Send a secret to Post Secret.

7. Get a tattoo.

20. Plant a tree.

28. Visit a psychic/medium for a reading.

Those are the ones that I would love to complete this year. I'd love to get a tattoo of a star/shooting star in honour of my Mom. And I've been saying for years I'd love to visit a medium, but I really want to now as I'd love to see if my Mom reaches out. 

What kinds of things would be on your list?

Reading on vacation...

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions for books to bring on my trip, I took four books and bought two while there (one for the last day and one for the plane ride that I haven't finished yet).

I also found a little library at the resort. It had books in all kinds of languages. At least I know that I could grab more books there if I ran out. Loved this idea, wonder how many other resorts have libraries?

The five books read on my trip.

Maria the spider monkey and Coochy the parrot.

Only missed meeting Charlie the iguana.

Mostly we just lounged around the pool at the rest which is how I was able to read so much on this vacation and I went sea shell hunting on the beach a few afternoons (I collect them from each place I go and display them in my living room). And we went on a city tour of Puerto Plata. It included a tour of the Brugal Rum Factory, a tour of City Centre, the Catedral San Felipe Apostal, a jewelery shop (where I bought an awesome amber and larimar ring), a cigar shop that let you make cigars, an amber museum, Fort San Felipe and a cable car tour to the top of Mt. Isabel de Torres.

Thinking Out Loud About Ed Sheeran

So I think I'm in love with Ed Sheeran's voice. I melt a little every time I hear the song Thinking Out Loud. I find myself humming the tune at random times during the day and signing lines like, "So honey now, Take me into your lovin’ arms, Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars". The music makes me nostalgic and wistful. It makes me want to dance in the kitchen in my husbands arms (which I did last night while listening to this song and making dinner - in he walked and I just snuggled into his arms and made him dance with me). The video is lovely - the dancing style matched with the music so perfectly and makes me smile each time I watch it.

I was listening to it on the way to work the other day and as I was taking in the lyrics, it reminded me of one of my conversations with my Dad after my Mom had passed away. He said that no matter how much they went through he loved her so much and would give anything to take care of her again. So the lines, "When your legs don’t work like they used to before, And I can’t sweep you off of your feet, Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love, Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks", makes me start to cry for the love they shared. As a kid, I took for granted that my parents were just my parents and I didn't think about the love they shared, it wasn't until my Mom fell ill and my Dad was taking care of her the best he could that I realized no matter the disagreements and hard times - they really, truly loved each other.

My Dad shared so many stories with me about the things he misses and wishes that he told her during the last months. So this song is not only romantic, but completely makes me want to ensure the I don't take love for granted. Don't just assume it will always be there, but to appreciate it while you have it and enjoy it. 

And he has a song on the soundtrack for The Fault In Our Stars. I adored the book and the video for the song All Of The Stars is great - love all of the little scraps of paper and clippings that make up the story of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters.

source

I think his music is eclectic in the variety that he's chosen to write. I love every song that I've heard of his - Sing and Lego House (seriously love the video because it features Rupert Grint from Harry Potter!) are some of my favourites. And I love the cover of the album X. And I'm going to get my hands on a copy of Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey by Ed Sheeran and Phillip Butah.

So what is your take on Ed Sheeran? Love him, does his music make you think of a memory or inspire you? Or is there another artist that's piqued your interest lately that I just need to check out?

Making Life Easier

So this year I decided needs to be about getting organized. So what is the best way to get organized? With a planner and a plan of course. I spent a long time looking at planners and printable planners. And after weighing all of the pros and cons, I finally picked one from Staples.

It's oh so pretty and can lay flat due to it hardcover and spiral binding. So now I'm trying to dedicate time each day to update my planner. And it helps to have pretty things to organize things and keep it fun. 

Pretty pens, cute clips, washi tape, highlighters, post its and flags. I could live in the stationery store surrounded by all of those lovely and colourful items.

And after looking at my agenda and getting myself organized, I realized that I am going to stop using NetGalley for a while. I tend to get over excited with all of the books available and then run out of time to read and review the titles I was so excited about. It's almost overwhelming to be on the site, because I want to READ ALL THE BOOKS and it's just not possible. I'm going to keep my account open and try to tackle the ones I can still read as well as my TBR pile on my shelves and the few review books for tours I've accepted. Hopefully this will help with my feeling of being overwhelmed and then not reading due to those feelings. Don't get me wrong, NetGalley is amazing, but I can't limit myself to one or two titles and I feel like I'm letting everyone down, including myself, when I can't get through them. It makes me feel incredibly guilty and I think it adds to my reading slumps.

Over the holidays I did read a little more than I had been which was super exciting. Now I just need to write the reviews and keep this momentum going. 

Next up, working on my budget and adding that to the planner. And setting goals for DIY projects and household projects. Also adding in some health tracking as well (treadmill use, water intake, vitamins). I can't wait to share some of the awesome things that I have planned for this year. So stay tuned. You should see more posts happening over the next few months as I get the momentum going to blog more often.

Christmas Tree 2014

Every ornament on my tree has a meaning behind it. I love keeping things like this, not only are they pretty, but they hold precious memories. I only have a tiny tree so I don't have a ton of room for ornaments. This year I picked out just the ones that were special to me and filled it in with some tiny snowflakes and colourful mini ornaments.

1) The raincoat clad snowman was from the first trip Greg and I took (with my family - for my sisters wedding). It's from Halifax, Nova Scotia (he has his little lobster and lobster trap). 

2) Astronaut Santa from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from our trip at the beginning of this year.

3) Pink ornament with white squiggles (I have almost a whole set of these and they are all different colours). These are from the 1970s and I remember them on our tree every year until Mom decided to update the ornaments a few years back. She was going to donate/toss them and I freaked out. I took them all because these are some of my favourite memories. 

4) Turquoise with gold star - from our 1 year anniversary/honeymoon trip to Mexico. It's made from clay and it's so pretty.

5) Sea shell angel - this was a gift from one of Greg's sisters. She brought it back from the Bahamas for us last year.

6) Paper star ornament - given to us by Greg's other sister. I believe it was made in Africa.

7) One armed paper Santa - this is something I made in Kindergarten. And has been with me ever since. He lost an arm along the way and his cotton pom pom is slowly falling off his hat, but he means a lot to me. 

8) The candy sleigh - this was a gift this year from a coworker. I can't make myself take it apart to eat just yet, but I really am craving chocolate and this would just hit the spot.

And this beauty was made by my niece, Kaycee and my nephew, Owen. It's Owen's hand print for the snowmen and Kaycee's thumbprint for the reindeer. I just love this one.

Do you have any decorations that hold special meaning? How do you display them?