No, I am not referring to my nest which is my temporary status at home this week while my hubby and I are on vacation. (Andrew is in Europe with STA.) I am referring to the spare room in my house that will soon become my scrapbook room. It is officially empty of stuff and is in the process of being rejuvenated. Today, the ceiling was repainted. Tomorrow (fingers crossed), the walls will be repainted. Instead of the off-white color which we painted the entire house when we built it 20 years ago, I chose Blue Shock to beautify my space. Crown moulding was purchased over the weekend, and my Daddy is coming over this Friday to help Barry install it. The air vent needs to be replaced, and I’m considering a new light fixture. Once the baseboards, trim, and crown moulding are spruced up, I can move in all my scrapbook supplies. The timing could not be better since I’ll be settling in my new creative digs around the outset of summer break.

Some other tasks that I will be attending to this week include bringing Comet aka Tooty (my dog) to the vet to get his teeth cleaned, addressing Andrew’s graduation announcements and enclosing senior pictures, and getting my first colonoscopy. Of the three items that I will be crossing off my to-do list, I can bet you can guess which will be my least favorite to complete.

In Other News:

Since The Walking Dead is on hiatus until the fall and the fifth season of Fear the Walking Dead does not start until the beginning of June, I started watching a new television series called A Discovery of Witches based on the historical-fantasy novel by Deborah Harkness. The story centers around Diana Bishop who is a professor visiting the University of Oxford for research purposes. She also happens to be a witch although she has chosen not to practice witchcraft or associate with other witches. Through her research, she accidently discovers an extremely well sought-after book which has her crossing paths with dangerous creatures including the handsome and charming vampire Matthew Clairmont. I like an alluring mystery with intriguingly magical creatures, so I’m hooked.

As for my 19 for 2019 list, I completed:

#8 Read one book a month for self-improvement. For April, I chose Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis. I borrowed a copy of this book from my BFF Shelly who had not actually finished reading it (not her cup of tea). I was curious about it because while I knew nothing about Rachel Hollis or her writing, she was making quite an impression on many people in the social media arena. Mixed reviews, really. Some love it while others hate it. I wouldn’t say I hated it, and I appreciated her candidness about her life; however, it isn’t my favorite self-improvement book either. Honestly, I wanted to like it more than I did. The one nugget I took away from 213 pages of text is summed up in one paragraph which appears on page 212 and that I’ve included as my quote at the end of this post. I can see her appeal and believe she has motivated many, but for me I’ve heard her message before just not as preachy. Finally, I listened to the podcast episode (11/28/18: Girl, Wash Your Face) of By the Book where Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer spent two weeks implementing some of Hollis’s advice for approaching life by not buying into the lies we tell ourselves. It was interesting to hear their perspectives, especially Kristen’s. I found myself agreeing with her assessment in a number of areas.

Today, dear reader, was such a beautiful day on so many levels. It also happens to be Earth Day. There is a great deal to be thankful for concerning our planet. It provides many wonderful gifts for our lives. It is up to us to protect our Earth not just today but every day. Happiness!

“You have the ability to change your life. You always had the power, Dorothy. You just have to stop waiting for someone else to do it for you. There is no easy way out of this; there is no life hack. Just you and your God-given strength and how much you desire change.” ~ Rachel Hollis

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