Reading in French

Reading in French is tedious. I don't actually know French, which necessitates frequent word look ups. It takes a very, very long time.

I've come up with a new strategy which probably actually isn't new and I ought to have realized it was a thing and implemented it a long time ago. I'm reading the French version with the English version right beside it. Brilliant, I know. And now you all know why after 10 years of semi-consistent (read: not consistent at all) study of French, I still haven't mastered it. I'm a little slow.

I'm currently making my way through Harry Potter. Next up, Chronicles of Narnia. For reals. Also, I like to read it out loud so I can practice making the sounds. This probably means I'm practicing poor pronunciation. (Wait! I can solve this problem! I think this might be a necessity in my life.)

Someday I'll graduate to reading actual French works in French, like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Three Musketeers. I might even make it to Les Miserables. Or not.

I may have started wishing I could read classical works in their original language, which means knowing Greek and Latin. I swear, going kitchen crazy does not bode well for my life.

A Visit to the Library

I visited the library on my lunch break. It totally counts as my first visit this week since for my not-real, first visit the library was closed and I was returning materials through the book slot. So technically it was my first visit of the week.

Some time ago I told myself that I couldn't leave the library with more than two books at a time. Today I came home with four. One of them is for my book club so that one doesn't count. The other extra one I've no excuse for.

I feel good about my selection which gives me good reason to not feel bad about breaking the rule.

This post probably should have been called "The Ways in Which I rationalize My Book Habit."

Black Cherry Milk

Seriously, this happens in my life. It's pretty much the best thing that's happened to me since, well, since my doctor told me all those headaches I was getting were actually atypical migraines and that caffeine would help.

Have I mentioned how much I despise milk? Unless of course you hand me an ooey-gooey brownie. Caramel swirls optional.

But black cherry milk? It's creamy, delicious, full-up with protein, and caffeinated.

Pink perfection in a paper cup.

Things Are Getting Desperate

I've been without a kitchen for a week and a half and things are not going well. The kitchen is coming along just fine. I am not going well. I am seriously getting desperate. I need a peanut butter pie. It's practically a health food with all that protein in it. And I believe in being healthy. So I need one.

Yesterday, I visited the home of a sweet friend and I swear if I had brought my purse I would have stolen her lemons. They were so pretty and yellow and, oh my goodness, these lemon meringue pie bars? I must make them. I must!

I'm turning into a crazy person here.

Must.bake.something.delicious.

Only three more weeks to go.

Do you think reading cookbooks will help or hurt? I'm on the fence.

Reasons to Live with Your Parents #62

You can enlist the help of your pa when a wasp attempts to shower with you.

PS I definitely did not have a hard time closing my eyes and putting my head under the water because of visions of the shower curtain exploding into a thousand angry wasps coordinating their efforts to avenge their fallen friend whose swift execution I had unflinchingly ordered. That would never happen.

Romantic Interludes Over Oatmeal

This is what the parents kitchen currently looks like. It's going to be beautiful when it's done. Until then, eating is a rather difficult proposition. The parents are taking it in a stride. Mostly they just don't eat.

I thought it was pretty humorous a few years ago when McDonald's started serving oatmeal for breakfast. I've since decided it's pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Since Monday, I've started each morning by heading down to my local McD's and ordering myself some delicious oatmeal. The same curly-headed order taker has been there every day but one. This morning they were slow with the person's order two cars ahead of me. Curly-headed order taker decided to be friendly. He leaned out the window and started flirting.

Ah!

I probably should have been rude and rolled up my window, but I'm not very good at that sort of thing. Happily, the electrician ought to be done in the kitchen today; the power can come back on and I can start microwaving my own oatmeal. Microwave oatmeal is a serious step down from McDonald's oatmeal (I'm a stove top kind of girl), but it doesn't come with any flirting. Just my style.

Investments

I've been working on becoming more fiscally responsible. Yawn.

But not really. I kind of love being able to read the finance section of the newspaper and understand what it's talking about. More than that, I love feeling good about the financial decisions I'm making in my life.

The crazy thing about learning about any subject is that all the sudden everything seems to make more sense.

I've been reading an embarrassing number of financial books and it's got me thinking about investments. Nearly every book I've read proposes a different strategy for how you invest your money. I don't think that any one strategy is the right one and all the others are wrong. In fact, I don't believe I've followed any particular strategy as I've worked on restructuring my finances and living a fiscally responsible life.

My thinking recently has been pretty stuck on financial principles, and I've found myself applying those ideas to other areas of my life. Specifically, I've been thinking a lot about time investments. Time and money are kind of similar. You only have so much of it (for most of us) and it's pretty uncertain how much you actually have. You can make projections and estimations, but really none of us knows exactly how much we'll have of either of them. To have a healthy retirement portfolio it's crucial to make the right investments now. It's hard to see how a small money investment in the right place makes a difference, but if you make that same investment paycheck after paycheck it's amazing how it adds up.

Time is finite for each of us, but that's not really important. What is important is that you have this moment right now.

I've decided recently that I need to invest more of my time in me. It's a shift in focus. I don't go to the gym because I should but ugh it's awful. I go to the gym because I'm worth the time investment. It's not always the easiest decision to make, but each time I make it I've taken another small step toward a happy, healthy, hopefully long life. (Also, it was fabulous at a recent work conference to be able to run up the stairs when most of my colleagues were huffing and heaving up the stairs.) It's the same with everything I want to do and everything I want to become. A small time investment will reap big results.

I truly believe that the possibilities are endless and most of our limitations are self-imposed. We are what we choose to become and that largely comes down to our time investment.

So how are you investing your time?

I'm investing my time in me.

Southern Utah and Arizona

This is how I spent last week.

Don't worry. I didn't fall in.

I went with my parents,

my very pregnant sister,

the Big Brother and his two oldest girls,

the Middle Brother and his two oldest girls,

my cousin and his cute wife,

and my uncle.

We went to Zions, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon. It was a lovely four days of family and fun. Seeing some of the beautiful wonders offered by our country was the perfect way to spend Independence Day.

Also, I kind of loved that I didn't have cell service most of the time. Cut off from the world? Yes, please!

A Slew of Baby Burp Cloths

Perfect for little boys.

Kelly Belly and I, we got skills.