My Monthly Check-in: July 2018

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

My first post for the #MonthlyCheckIn. There are twenty-five categories - I will write the first thing that comes to mind and in subsequent months, I promise to NOT look back to see what I wrote.

Of course, that means there may be duplicate entries - just warning you. LOL!

I hope more folks will give this a try - just post a comment here or in the original post with your blog name/URL and I will add you to the list in the side bar. C'mon in - the water's fine!
ENJOYING the added shade our pop-up canopy on the deck gives us in the morning. Plus, it keeps a lot of the rain off our patio set.

MAKING lots of clean laundry. Seems like it's never ending with the hot weather!

COOKING not very much. Sticking to simple things, like burgers and hot dogs. Things Stu can make on the grill. Of course, we're still doing bacon & eggs every day for breakfast. Diets still going good!

DRINKING lots of water in this heat as well as too much coffee. Cold coffee. No, not iced coffee. Just cold from sitting. Oh, and occasional Skinny Pirate - Diet Coke and Captain Morgan.

READING a lot! Trying to get enough books read and removed from my Kindle e-reader so the newer books I've bought can be downloaded. Recently I read the four books in Julie Smith's Talba Wallis mystery series. Set in Louisiana, they were a fun romp. I started with one free one and then bought the other three. Right now I'm concentrating on light mysteries with humor. Suits my mood lately.

WANTING to see more progress in the building of Stu's building, the Backend of Nowhere Garage. Next step is getting the materials delivered. Hoping we will hear something next week.

LOOKING for motivation. I have so many things on my To Do list and it's just not getting any shorter. I need to start work on revamping my Paradise Trilogy novellas, I have stuff to sell that needs to get listed on local marketplaces (Facebook, Craigslist, Local Sales Network). I spend too much time just browsing Facebook, reading blogs and playing games on my iPad.

PLAYING, um, games on my iPad? Words with Friends, Townville, Solitaire, Mahjong...

BUYING too much! Remember, I just blogged about this.

WISHING it was a bit cooler. We seemed to go right from winter into summer with very little spring. We are paying for that in our landscaping. We lost all our butterfly bushes and most of one small tree out front. Doing some yard clean-up now.

FOLLOWING too many blogs. I added a lot of blogs to my reader list during the April A to Z Challenge. I enjoyed them then but find I don't as much now. So, time to cull the list. Same with flash fiction. I spent April-May writing a lot of that and reading others, now I'm in a lull and need to choose the ones I enjoy the most and get rid of the rest.

WAITING for fall. Sigh...my favorite season!

LIKING that this low carb diet is working for both of us. We started Feb 13th and so far, Stu has lost 30# and I'm almost at 22#. So nice to be able to fit into some of the clothes I had to stuff in the back of the closet.

WONDERING why there is so much hate in the world? I find myself avoiding a lot of the news lately, sharing only positive posts. We don't watch news on TV anymore and since Facebook dropped the trending feature, I see a lot less of what is going on other than what the local news stations post on Facebook. I fear for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It's gotten to be an uglier world than I would ever have envisioned.

LOVING the #2Doods! Yes, they can be a pain, but they are so loving and watching them play is so much fun!

CONSIDERING renaming my Paradise trilogy now that Amazon has dropped the Kindle World and we have to remove any reference of the former world they were written for. Thinking of calling it the Ohana Paradise Trilogy since "ohana" plays a big part in all three books or maybe the Ohana Mystery Trilogy?"

WATCHING, well, just finished watching all four of the Hunger Games movies. We had seen the first three at the theater but never made it the fourth. Recently recorded it and binged watched. Our newest series, just started last night is Cloak and Dagger, based upon a Marvel comic. We watched the first three episodes last night and so far, it's interesting.

HOPING the build on the Backend of Nowhere Garage stays within our budget and gets done before fall.

SMELLING the oil I put on after my shower. It's not unpleasant scent but not my favorite. But oh my, what it does for my skin! I use it weekly. 100% Organic Blend of Olive, Lavender, Almond and Grape seed oils with Vitamin E.

WEARING black capri leggings and a bright neon orange lightweight (wicking) shirt that says "Yay, cadio! Said no one ever." Oh, and my Teva Mush II flip-flops. I buy more of them every time they are on sale. Usually either black or coral prints.

NEEDING not much of anything. I am blessed!

HEARING Shark Tank in the background. It was a Hallmark movie, then How to Train Your Dragon till hubby came home. LOL!

THINKING how lucky I am - good health, happy marriage, three wonderful children, six wonderful stepchildren plus twenty-five grandkids and ten great-grandkids. Life is good!

NOTICING the bumps on my arms from the thorns when we trimmed back the rose bushes. Yes, it's the wrong time of year, but we have aluminum awnings coming for our two front windows (hoping to cut down on the amount of sun coming in them from the west) plus they were WAY overgrown.

KNOWING I need more coffee. This cup is almost gone and quite cold. It's times like this that I love having a Keurig. Quick, hot, fresh coffee in my choice of flavors.


Remember, comment here or on the original post (where you can copy the list of categories) with your name and blog URL if you want to be added to the monthly list. It's just one post a month. C'mon, you can do it...

Ciao for now!

22 comments:

  1. Hi Donna I loved your list and perhaps I will join your monthly check-in. I do a monthly Virtual Coffee Catch Up but I also like your idea of the word list. Thanks for sharing your check-in with us at #MLSTL. I get what you mean about following so many bloggers especially as a result of AtoZ, however, I hope I still make the cut with you! Enjoy July. xx
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

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    1. Thanks for joining in, Sue. I will add your blog link to the list. I look forward to this each month.

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    2. Thanks Donna! Also it is great to have you link up and join us this week at #MLSTL. Have a great week!

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  2. I also love mysteries that are fun. I'll have to check out the series that you mention.

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    1. They are quirky, which I happen to love. Also, a bit of language, but germane to the characters.

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  3. I've been culling a few of my followings from the AtoZ too - there were just too many to keep up with. I comment on those who have stayed in touch and have let the others go until I'm silly enough to sign up and do it again next April! I also can't believe how many grandchildren + great grankids you have! I have almost two grandbabies and would love to have 20+ like you! I'm off to read about the garage now.

    Thanks for linking up with us at #MLSTL and I've shared this on my SM xx
    Leanne | Cresting the Hill

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    1. I only wish we got to see the grandkids more often. They are scattered across the country. Over a third are grown and presenting us with great-grandkids!

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    2. Back again to say hi from #MLSTL and to let you know I've shared this on my SM xx

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  4. Hi Donna - I’m visiting from #MLSTL. I enjoyed reading your list and your Airstream blog. I made a note to join your monthly check in.

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    1. HI Natalie and welcome to my blog(s). I added you to the list for the #MonthlyCheckIn, glad to have you aboard!

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  5. I like your list for checking in not sure I would keep it up though. I understand about signing up for blogs I had to thin the ones I follow out I just don't have the time.
    http://amotheradaughterandlife.com/

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    1. Well, if you do it, just post a link in the comments on mine so folks can find you! I'm finding it interesting/fun to schedule a few things and not just rely on daily life (which can be quite boring at times...LOL!)

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  6. OK, Donna, did my first one. This was easy compared to the A-Z Challenge :)

    https://spendingmytyme.blogspot.com/2018/07/taking-stock.html

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    1. Yay, Marion! Will add you to the list - off to read this one and look forward to future posts.

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks, it was fun and I look forward to doing it every month.

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  8. Hello, I am visiting from MLSTL. I've seen your name around and I think we have a lot of blogging friends in common. Thanks for the Julie Smith book suggestion, I read the Skip Langdon books but not these. I like a nice, easy to read mystery series. I also noticed you retired in Ecuador. I have been there a few times, working with the Working boys Center (WC4F) in Quito. I loved travelling around Ecuador- oh those markets in Otavalo and the incredible cloud forest!

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    1. Hi Michele, thanks for stopping by. I did really enjoy the Julie Smith books, I love a little quirky in my characters, too, and she hit that note. Another great, fun, quirky series is J.B. Lynn's Hitwoman series. I met Jen at the Writer's Police Academy in 2014 and have followed her ever since. Once I start writing my third series, the Lia Rules P.I. Series, I hope to take some notes from her style of writing - humor, great characters, mystery and fun!

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  9. Hi Donna, thanks for this interesting read. I do one each 9 weeks called Taking Stock with similar prompts. I also like to not read previous ones I have done and let the answers come by themselves. Always interesting I think!
    Denyse #MLSTL

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    1. Hi Denyse...your blog was where I got my idea. I can't do weekly, already doing #AccountaClub weekly, but thought monthly would be fun. Thank you!

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  10. Hello Donna. I really enjoyed this catch up as a way of getting to know you a little better. Thanks for linking up to #MLSTL. That's where I found it. Enjoy your day! I hope it's a little cooler for you.

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