Well this has been a year of ups and downs. Work for my husband is still up one week and down the next but we still have a roof over our heads and food in our belly so I'm not going to complain. And while sometimes it seemed that just getting out of bed was hard some days all in all some really life isn't that bad and some really niffty stuff happened.
I continued to be active in the James Gang Yahoo group which has really been such a blessing to me. With some ideas from them I created a brave twin Katy Beth McKee who now has a Good Reads and Facebook account and this blog where I'm free to share all my book interests as well as journal freely without having to worry about offending anyone. I've come to discover that those who are the most worried about "those people" (whoever those people are in any given situation) are the ones who are the most intolerant people around. I've decided that I like being "those people" but I still have survive in my small town, church, and homeschool group thus Katy was born.
My oldest got engaged this fall and will be returning from relief work in South Sudan summer 2012 and hopes to be getting married next November.
Through book giveaways I've discovered all new genres of romance to enjoy and explore.
While my Nook Touch is my primary e-reader I'm so excited to have won a Kindle Touch to match. There are somethings that are only available from Kindle plus it gives me an extra as backup and to let the kids use when traveling. They know enough to stay off mom's shelf. I also won a few free books this year which is also very cool. This stuff came at a time when I really needed a lift to my spirit and it left me feeling very jazzed.
So with all the books I bought, won or got as freebies I have over 400 books on my Romance To Be Read shelf. So I resolve to make no more book purchases until my TBR pile gets under 150. Now for the exclusions and disclaimers: The no purchase rule does not apply to books for free, books won, books by favorite authors, new books in a series already started, a book needed to complete a challenge, books on a really great sale or special, or books that just look too good to pass up. Other than that I promise no new books. I also resolve that if I got a book for free and it is making me nuts to read it I have permission to delete said book and I am not forced to read it just because I have it. The world will not come to an end if I "waste" a book.
So my plans for 2012 are read a book or two every day. Use the journal prompt cards I've had sitting on my desk for three years and try to add some ramblings every few days to my blog. Set boundaries for myself and my kids so I can continue to enjoy them without making each other crazy.
