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Millennial Mom












What a week. A few highs complemented a couple of lows, but mostly it was a success. We got our first snow of the season, though it quickly disappeared. There's something special about the first snow. It might be the only snowfall of the year that doesn't make me sad -- rather it's an indicator of what's about to come. It's the holiday season.
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What I'm Reading: First, let me touch on The Paris Wife, which was wonderful. I couldn't put it down, and it's been a while since I've been so called to read something. Called, as in, oh jeez, it's 7pm, I could eat dinner and watch Jeopardy and maybe call my husband or do something productive.......or I could read. 10 times out of 10, I read. I just finished that up on Friday night and so technically I'm into a new book, The Kite Runner, which I've been told many times by multiple sources, is a fantastic read, I'm really only on page 4-ish. I'm looking forward to getting into that this week. To be honest, I've heard that it's great, but I've been putting off reading it for a long time. I bought it months ago when it turned up at Goodwill, but for whatever reason, it always ends up on the bottom of my book pile. The time has come, I guess. I'm hear to find out what all the fuss is about.

A Quick List of Highs: A quiet reconciliation. Successful cooking adventure. That's right, successful. A couple of really fun work successes. The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Special on Netflix. Gum Drop scented wax melts at Walmart. My house is decorated for fall and Thanksgiving, but it smells like Santa's workshop. Speaking of Christmas, I initiated a therapeutic furniture rearrangement to make room for the tree that will soon sparkle in my living room.

A Quick List of Lows: Emotional tears and being a big baby. Also, Ry's been gone all week and in retaliation, I guess I gave up sleep. I woke up at 2 or 3am, eyes wide open, every morning for the last four days. Can. Not. Sleep. And there's nothing good on TV at 4am. Nothing. The picture above of my puppies sleeping at 3am is an indication of my jealousy that they can sleep and I cannot. Anyway, this should go on the "highs" list, but it's resolution for my all of my lows, so the good news here is that the boss man will be home in a few hours.

As a Side Note: I told someone, in all seriousness, that I'm "not sure my 10-year old believes in Santa anymore. So sadsies." They don't know that my "10-year old" is a German Shepherd who's never heard of Santa. Anyway, I thought it was funny.

Highlight of the Week: Mamma Mia with three of my favorite girls. Totally unrelated, I have decided to pursue a future in singing and dancing and I'd like my husband to join so that we may break out in spontaneous song while doing the dishes or grocery shopping. Also, every step we take will be choreographed.



Happy Sunday!

8:23 AM No comments
It's fall here.





What I'm reading: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Remember how I said last week that I wanted to have an experience. Well, I'm having an experience. This book is good. Better yet, I swooped up a copy at Goodwill for a quarter. Bazinga!

My Favorite Indulgence: Well, there are several, really. This time of year, however, it's all things Christmas. I feel slightly guilty, as though I'm indulging to early -- tasting the cake before the party -- but then I just can't help myself. So, I pulled out Manheim Steamroller and watched Mickey's Christmas. I'm saving my favorite Christmas stuff for December, but I'm dabbling here and there.

CD on Repeat: Ellie Goulding, Lights. I kind of forgot I have that CD, but then I let my disc changer run to the next CD and boom! There she was. I haven't listened to that CD since the summer before last. It's like all the songs are new again, yet deliciously familiar.

Nanowrino: I've stalled. I spent all of Wednesday night catching up, writing 7,000 words in a day. I knew Thursday would be perilous and I just never made it a priority the last two days. Looks like tonight is going to be another couple thousand word throwdown. For the record, I'm at 9,045 words.

Four Simple Goals Update: One cannot humbly say "I'm a better friend," so I won't. But I have cognitively made efforts to be more thoughtful of my friendships. I spent time with my bestie, the Officer and cultivated my best friendship, my marriage, with my husband. I've read. I've been positive. I've reaped the rewards of positivity. Thinking creatively might be on the back burner. But, you know, Nanowrimo.

The highlight of my week: Spaghetti with my husband, who cooks. Bless him.

10:17 AM No comments

Puppy portraits are on the wall! It was my project for the week, which is a little stupid. I finished the hard part on Sunday, but it took me five days to get them hung. But now they're there -- like children.
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What I'm Reading: First of all, I have to admit -- last week I indicated that I was reading a book that kind of sucked. Then I suggested that I hate to quit a book in the middle and that I would plow through the thing, come hell or high water. Well, I didn't. Three-quarters of the way through and it was still just bad. I gave up and put it in the Goodwill pile.

A few days ago I picked up a new book, 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan. I'm a little discouraged that it's also sub-par as far as capturing my attention, but it's good enough that I really will finish it. I have all the hope in the world that the next book I pick up will be awesome. I'm ready for an experience.

My Favorite Pinboard: I have a couple favorites -- I really love Lauren Conrad's board, although she's getting very wedding oriented. I mean, I get it, but I'm over it too. Not quite as famous, but just as faboosh, is Anne Marie. And finally, Caitlyn Cawley of "Color Me Caitie." You can find my boards, here.

A Struggle and a Success: For once, these two are related. I had a struggle and it resulted in a success. Kind of. I had a stressful week at work, for a number of reasons, and I let it get to me for 4 of the 5 days. On day five, I had too much going on to give in and you know, I won. I propped myself up with (sometimes false) positivity and by the end of the day, when I locked my office door, I giddily trotted down the steps and got into my car with a smile. Positivity wins, negativity loses. I'm pretty sure the universe pays you back when you're positive. In fact, I know it does. Lesson learned.

My Online Shopping Stop: Amazon.com -- always. They have everything, and it's usually cheap. I typically spend a few minutes on a weekly basis perusing Sephora's site and Target takes up some of my time too. What really owns my online shopping time, though, is etsy. Specifically here, here, and here.


Highlight of the Week: Thinking towards the holidays.





























the list is a free download from one of my favorite blogs, A Pair of Pears. You can find the list, here. 

Happy November!
8:57 AM 1 comments

Sunday again, because time doesn't only fly when you're having fun. It blazes from the minute you realize that you only have one life. That's when time sets itself on fire.

Ryan's out on a fishing trip and I've got the house to myself this weekend. I indulged in a lazy Saturday that included only one productive project -- my house was cleaned by 9:44 am. Fall has unceremoniously switched over to winter and it's too cozy in my house to leave without a good reason. Besides, October is dedicated to living in my car and I like to stretch my legs on the weekend.
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What I'm Watching: If I'm honest, I have considered, maybe even craved, breaking out the Christmas movies. When it's cold, I like to feel cozy and festive. I haven't yet, but I did immediately put on the search for Halloween movies that are more cute than scary. Alvin and his Wolfman is playing right now, but Scooby Doo and ParaNorman owned the day yesterday.

What's on My Night Stand: The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. It's not great, but it's not necessarily awful. I usually fall hard for historical fiction, but the plot in this one feels a little too easy for my taste. In any case, it's entertaining and once I start a book, I feel guilty if I don't follow through on it. I'll finish this one and then give it a nice, warm place on my bookshelf.

What I'm Looking Forward To: The holidays. The warm fuzzies. The snugly goodness of  hot chocolate and Charlie Brown. Spending countless hours with the Grizwolds as I watch and rewatch and rewatch again "Christmas Vacation." Knitted socks and big band orchestras playing Sleigh Ride. Parades. Silver bells. A Christmas Carol. And the food. Oh, the food.
But, this is the first year without my Opa and his presence will be so missed.

What's on My Agenda for the Week: One last, final travel day. I'll be out an about on a couple more dates in November, but Monday is my only lingering day on the road for traditional admissions travel. Thursday is Halloween and I don't have definite plans yet, but I do have a sparkly spider necklace and I feel confident something fun will present itself. A few major work things are scheduled for this week, and I have a writing deadline to meet by Friday. In my personal life, I have a creative project planned. I'm working on pet portraits and I'd like to see them hanging on my wall by the weekend.
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The Highlight of My Week: Dinner with this gal.








Have a great week!
8:48 AM No comments

What's this?! A fresh post, three (3!!!) days in a row?! And in travel season?!
Well, there's a couple of reasons. Primarily, time was abundant this weekend. The college where I work enjoyed "fall break," awarding the entire campus a fun Friday off. Secondly, aside from this particular, magical weekend, I have otherwise been denied the necessary time to write and as a consequence, I felt stunted creatively. Once the time collided with the pent up energy, words exploded.  Here they are.

Anyway, it's Sunday, and I'm aiming for a new tradition. I'm securely in week three, which suggests I might actually be able to follow through on this planned feature. And so, the three weeks old tradition, Across the Table.
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What I'm Reading: Tomorrow Will Be Better by Betty Smith. Betty has long been my favorite writer and I've read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning a million times, but had never really sought out her lesser known books. I found my current read for a steal on Amazon and was delighted to find, when it finally arrived, that it was a first edition. I'm nearing the end, and can see why this novel didn't shine as much as her more popular two, but her voice is still so there. That voice is why I love her as a writer, and I'm loving this novel.

What's on My Fingertips: I like classic fall colors, like burgundy or brown, but I like them best on short finger nails. I filed my tips this morning and painted a thick coat of Pure Ice (cheap cheap cheap Wal-mart brand) in Scandal. Nail polish is, in my opinion, one of those things where you get what you pay for, so it doesn't give me too much heartburn to invest $8 in a bottle of Essie or OPI, because I know I won't regret it. When I find a great color in a cheaper brand, I'll make sure to use a high quality top coat to extend the life of the cheapy stuff, otherwise I expect chips to happen overnight.

Something New: I'm really trying to focus on the positive. Positive people, positive constructive criticism, positive attitudes. An, in turn, responding positively. Treat people right, and for those people who refuse to return the good vibes, eliminate them. Negativity just does not belong in my life, anymore.

What I'm DIY-ing: Food! I'm learning to be a wife and trying my hand (finally!) at cooking. I still don't really love it, but I do love knowing precisely what I put in my body and I'm having some good luck. Right now, slowcooker cooking is my specialty, but I'm excited to experiment and see what else I can do! This week I've made about 15 batches of applesauce, every time changing up the recipe a tiny bit to see how variations can change the flavor. Currently, I have a batch marinating in Fish Eye Reisling as it steams. The best part is that Ryan likes it! He eats it! All these years and we've finally hit a taboo -- the first time he ate and genuinely enjoyed food that I made.

Highlight of my week: Butter cookies and tea with my Oma on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
























Wishing you a magnificent week!
9:26 PM No comments

































Casa Hodges is under quarantine this weekend. I started to feel slightly....questionable...on Friday afternoon and I made the mistake of admitting this to my husband who promptly blamed me for his suddenly questionable aches.

I was driving to Olivet when I heard on the radio that Saturday could quite possibly be the last weirdly nice day we have this fall. Oh, there's more pleasant days in front of us, but the weather chick on Channel 10 warned that 80 -degrees might be done until next summer. Sunshine, t-shirt weather and two adult sickies. Ryan and I did not enjoy the beautiful weather. We enjoyed our couch, our TV and our NyQuil PM.

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What I'm craving -- A new camera. A real, DSLR camera. I've been frustrating myself for more than a year, trying to get great pictures with a mediocre camera. My current camera was a gift and I love it, but I'm so ready to have the technology to back up my vision. The thing is, you cannot compare what a point and shoot takes to what a DSLR takes and I've been trying for nearly 12 months.

What I'm making -- Ryan and I received a really great cookbook full of slowcooker recipes as a wedding gift. That's my kind of cooking, especially this time of year, so last night while Ryan and I were being supreme sickies on the couch, I perused the book in its entirety. I've already made a white chicken pumpkin chili twice from the book, but today I'm going to try the applesauce recipe. Apples are cheap this time of year and I picked up four pounds for $2.50 and I've been making like Johnny Appleseed, eating them round the clock to get rid of them before they go bad. Applesauce sounds like a good solution, and if nothing else, it'll make my house smell divinely autumn-ish.

What I'm ordering at Starbucks -- Cappuccino. Every time. I used to be a barista at an unnamed local coffee place and there was this horrible, awful, completely mean man who would come in at various times of the day and request an extra dry cap. When you handed him his order, he'd lift the cup and make a subjective decision whether it was light enough. If not, he'd slam it down angrily and tell you to try again while rolling his eyes. He was not nice. Seeing his car pull into the parking lot would stress me out, but I ended up drinking a lot of the cappuccinos that he deemed unworthy. I became an addict.

What I'm watching -- Once Upon A Time. My nieces got me hooked on this show and I've blown through the first couple seasons in a matter of two weeks. I.Can.Not.Stop. It's so engaging. PS - Snow and Charming just got engaged in real life. Talk about happy ending.

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Speaking of nieces --
Happy 12th birthday to the turkey on the right. Love you love you love you!


8:56 AM No comments


Happy Sunday!

I've been traveling for work and although this year is different, it's still busy and exhausting. This morning, I woke up and heard the rain and literally thought, oh thank God, it's a perfect day to clean.

I need a perfect day to clean. I love a good cathartic scrub.
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What I'm reading: Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith. I've read this book too many times to count. The pages are dog earred and page 74 keeps falling out. My favorite sentences are highlighted and every time I reread it, I highlight a couple more. But, it's a book about young, real love and struggling and marriage. It's about fall in Michigan. It's about love. It's one of my favorites, and like I said, I've read it a bazillion times, but I've never read it with the eyes of a married woman. I've never read it with the ability to identify with the lead character. When I got married, I knew I had to read this book again, and I'm glad I decided to, because it's a whole new book.

"Carl, when I get old, you won't have another woman, will you? And run me down to her?" 
"Another woman?" he asked incredulously. "God forbid! I have all I can do to handle the one I already have."  - Page 115


What I'm listening to: Lana Del Rey -- Born to Die and Paradise. Last year, quite by accident, I bought a new CD right before travel season began. It became the soundtrack to the season and now, every time I put it in the player, I am reminded of fall 2012. This year, I planned it. It was a good experience and one I thought worth repeated. A week before I hit the road, I bought Lana Del Rey's CDs and I've been singing along ever since. Cheers to fall 2013.

If you're interested, last year was No Doubt, Push and Shove.


What I'm loving: This weather. This fabulous, warm, slightly muggy October. The evenings are just cool enough to pull on a long sleeved t-shirt, but the days are still firmly rooted in flip-flop season. Summer started late, but it's sticking around a little longer. God Bless You, 80-degree days.


What's in my cup: All things fall.  Hot Witches Brew. Hot chocolate. Cider. Mulled wine. And coffee. I am always always dedicated to coffee.
When I was a little girl, my mom always made a huge batch of instant hot chocolate mix. She'd fold in a big bag of those miniature marshmallows and after several weeks, they'd start to get a little stale and hard and chewy -- my favorite-- and I'd dig through the tupperware container to find them. Last weekend, I found a similar recipe and made a large batch of my own. It's in a giant pickle container on my counter and it tastes exactly the same. It's like 1993 over and over.

My plans for the week: I'll be continuing travel of course, which will consume much of my week. But I'd like to salvage some time to add caramel apples to the agenda. Carefully choosing the perfect apple from the grocery store. Melting the caramel. Plunking the hot sticky mess in a pile of chocolate sprinkles and crushed walnuts. I should also plan a strategically placed fall walk with my pups. We like to crunch the leaves and burn caramel apple calories. And gossip with our best friends  (Kelsey, Chloe and Logan -- this is your formal invitation. Let's go for a walk this week.)

What I'm enjoying:





10:14 AM No comments
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JENN.

Standard millennial, just casually winging it through motherhood and other stuff in Northern Michigan.



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