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Tuesday, September 05, 2017

Polishing Off My Summer To-Do List

Random picture of the Jefferson Memorial from one of our summer visits to DC.

Labor Day has come and gone, and though our summer weather often lingers through September, I'm more than ready for autumn!  Which means it's time to report in on how I fared with my Summer To-Do List.

~ Read Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Fail.  I read the first couple chapters, realized my kids will enjoy it, and set it aside to read aloud to them.

~ Read 4 other books from my TBR shelves Check!  In fact, I read TEN!  They were: Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig, Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering, A Singular and Whimsical Problem (e-book) by Rachel McMillan, Destry Rides Again by Max Brand, The Trials of Sherlock Holmes by James Moffett, Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland, Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering, Echoes of Sherlock Holmes ed. by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger, Finding God in "The Lord of the Rings" by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, and The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power by Jane Chance (reviews for both of those coming during Tolkien Week later this month).

~ Read 5 books from the library Semi-check.  I read three:  Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor, Careless People by Sarah Churchwell, and Snow White by Matt Phelan.  I'm okay with this number being lower, though, as I'm really concentrating on trying to read books I already own so I can get my TBR shelves under some semblance of control.

~ Watch 5 movies from my TBW shelves Check!  I actually watched eight:  Lucky Jordan (1942), The Great Gatsby (2013), Crossfire Trail (2001), Anna Karenina (1961), The Man who Never Was (1956), O.S.S. (1946), The Fall (2006), and Dark Command (1940).  I think I might have taken more off the shelves than I added to them, for once.  Yay!

~ Rig up a new cover for our deck swing Check!  I got a big vinyl-like window shade from Ikea on clearance, cut it to size, and sewed it to the awning frame with fishing line.  I was rather dubious about how well it would work, and suspected the whole thing would rip off the frame the first time it rained hard, but nope!  It worked beautifully!  I couldn't be more pleased.

~ Finish the skirts and cape I'm sewing for my kids Fail.  Total fail.  Never touched them :-(

~ Finish my Newt Scamander scarf Fail.  But I think it's almost done -- I did work on it now and then.

The Washington monument, from the same trip.

~ Reorganize the shelves where I keep all my homeschooling materials and supplies Check!  I got them all spiffed up before we ever started school up again, and I even improved on my system from last year of how to keep everyone's books organized.  So far, it's been working nicely.

~ Order curriculum for the new school year Check!  I would hope so, right?  I mean, we started school in July, so I'd better have had our curriculum by then.

~ Make lesson plans for the class on creative writing I'll be teaching our new homeschool co-op group Semi-check.  I've got lots of ideas and resources, and I know what I'll be doing for the first lesson, but I haven't yet actually plotted everything else out.  We'll be starting up in a couple weeks, so I'd better get on that.

~ Clean up my crafting corner Semi-check.  I cleaned up and reorganized all my craft supplies that I use for Sunday School and homeschooling, but my crafting table is a disaster still.  Which is why I never managed to touch my sewing projects.

~ Organize my kids' crafting cabinet Check!  I bought some storage boxes and sorting bins so all their papers, stickers, markers, and so on are easy to find and store.

~ Publish "Cloaked" Fail?  Turns out that editing a 40,000-word book takes a lot longer than a 20,000-word story like "The Man on the Buckskin Horse."  However, I'm in the formatting-for-publication stage, so it won't be long now.  I'll be revealing its cover to you TOMORROW!!!

Six checks, three semi-checks, four fails.  Not too bad, considering how insane my summer was.  I'm pleased!

And the Washington Monument one more time cuz it's cool.

8 comments:

  1. Awesome! I can't wait to see the cover for your book!:)

    Your picture of the Jefferson memorial is perfect. (I really struggled to get a good one when I was there last summer.)

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    1. Thanks! Coming sooooooooooooo soon :-)

      I took that shot from across the river, in a park where we ate a picnic lunch.

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  2. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE COVER OF YOUR BOOK EEEEEEEEEEEEK.

    :D

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    1. Jessica, you've only about about 11 hours to wait. I'll post it before breakfast tomorrow.

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  3. Hey, well done on your list! I just remembered, I have my list (for winter though, haha :D). I may as well check back on that...

    Get organized with my brother's wedding coming up! Check! I have everything I need. Except maybe a bit more preparation mentally, haha.

    -Brush up on the violin. Check! I've been improving slightly. (Still sounds a bit like a screeching cat times, though. *cough*)

    -Finish re-reading "Little Dorrit" and read some books from the library. Semi-check! Finished Little Dorrit and am part way through a book from the library right now.

    -Finish watching Arrow Season 5. Check!

    -Finish watching Lark Rise Season 3. Fail. Saw 1 episode.

    -Finish my Business course. Check! I finished it ages ago.

    -Get back to editing my WW2 story. Fail. Sadly, haven't touched it.

    -Have my lines memorized for the play I've written and am performing with my younger siblings. Check! We're going to perform it next week!

    -Sew flowers on a scarf my little sister knitted for me. Semi-check. I got all the material out and made a plan with my Mum, I just have to sit down and DO IT.

    Well, it looks like I need to sit down and sew my scarf while watching Lark Rise, and then get back to writing my story! ;D

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    1. Gabby, looks like you've checked off lots of great stuff! And sewing while watching Lark Rise to Candleford sounds like I a delightful plan. I've only seen the first handful of eps of that show, but it's quite charming. I want to see the rest eventually!

      Best of luck with your WWII story!

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  4. Whoa! You did pretty good! I hardly got anything done.

    Wow, I really, really, need to get our swing a new cover, I might (Might? More like definitely) steal your idea. And I really don't like sewing and I have tried so many times to knit and crochet with no success, so I am definitely not blaming you for not working on those things.

    Books and movies, let me think: I read quite a bit (our new hammock really helped me there) and I guess I did watch a few movies, but only a few were really good (4?).

    CLOAKED!!! I am about to put the post up.

    We start school in July, too! How cool, must be a homeschooler thing ;) I have a lot to do, I probably should stop messing around...

    Oh, and cleaning and orginizing is really a fall/winter thing. You got so much more done than I did.

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    1. MC, you'll notice that mostly I just sat around reading books and watching movies :-)

      Good luck with replacing your swing's cover!

      I find sewing, knitting, and crocheting to be very relaxing and satisfying, so the issue hasn't been lack of desire so much as lack of opportunity on those ones.

      I love the flexibility of homeschooling. Where we live, it's so beastly hot and humid by mid-July that nobody wants to play outside during the day anyway, so why not do school if we're all inside? We try to take May and June off instead because it's lovely outside then.

      Cleaning and organizing happens when I have time, lol!

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