Monday - New week, new goals!

I finished 2 books last week and started another 2..........

from Good Reads "Every day some species of plant or animal on our planet becomes extinct. In Mama Poc, the bestselling author of Woodswoman and Beyond Black Bear Lake relates her own attempts to halt the decline of a single species of bird found only in Guatemala. The giant grebe, a flightless bird living on mile-deep Lake Atitlan, came to LaBastille’s attention in 1964. Her population count revealed that a mere eighty-two birds remained. Over the course of twenty-five years, Anne LaBastille made the cause of the giant grebe her own. This is the story of her life in Guatemala, observing the birds and working to reclaim their habitat and—against odds that turned out to be overwhelming—give them a future. (less)"

I gave this 4 ****...very good and I learned a lot about all the components that can contribute to a species going extinct.  She writes great nature books!

  This was the 2nd book I finished.............

This Year I Will...: How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True

by M.J. Ryan

3.8  ·  Rating details ·  1,893 Ratings  ·  218 Reviews

Are you really ready to change? Take this quiz and find out.

Goodreads states:
"Every New Year’s Day, my list of resolutions is:
Ambitious. I aim for everything from losing weight to saving more money for my retirement.
Realistic. I just try to bump my good behavior up a notch--be a better friend, give more money to charity---without giving myself any strict deadlines or goals.
Precise. I decide exactly how many men I will ask for a date, or how many new jobs I will apply for. Whenever I decide to change something, it’s usually because:
My doctor has put the fear of God into me.
I read a magazine article about why making this change is important.
I start daydreaming about how great life will be after I make the change.
True or False: When you want to make a big change in your life, timing is crucial.
Failure is:
Impossible.
Inevitable.
Not in my vocabulary.
(The answers are on the inside back flap.)
Learn the secret to making changes that stick
Every so often people get inspired (again!) to lose weight, get organized, start saving, or stop worrying –but a few months later they give up, frustrated. It doesn’t have to be that way. In This Year I Wil . . .l, bestselling author M.J. Ryan offers breakthrough wisdom and coaching to help readers make this time the time that change becomes permanent.
Why do people find it so hard to change? The secret is that everyone has their own formula for making changes that stick, but most people don’t know what theirs is. They think there is one way to lose five pounds, and another way to stay on top of their e-mail, but they don’t realize that for all changes, there is one system that works best for each individual. This Year I Will . . . helps you lock on to your unique formula for planning, implementing, and seeing a life change through, so you can use it again and again to tackle anything else you’d like to do.
 For anyone who has broken a New Year’s resolution, fallen off a diet, or given up on fulfilling a dream, the ingenious strategies, inspiring stories, and sheer motivational energy of This Year I Will . . . help you make a promise to yourself that you can actually keep."
Answers to the jacket quiz: c, c, false, b. Take the whole quiz and learn your score at M.J. Ryan’s Web site, www.mj-ryan.com. (less)

The above was from Good Reads and I have read many of these type of books over the years but this one is a cut above the rest in my estimation.  It is brief, to the point, there are human examples and it has many tips and techniques I have not heard of before.  I am keeping this book to refer to whenever I need  a little motivation to keep going!  I give it 4 ****.

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 I am now reading.......

Two in the Far North

by Margaret E. Murie, Olaus Johan Murie (Illustrator), Terry Tempest Williams (Foreword by)

4.19  ·  Rating details ·  761 Ratings  ·  70 Reviews

From Good Reads: "This enduring story of life, adventure, and love in Alaska was written by a woman who embraced the remote Alaskan wilderness and became one of its strongest advocates. In this moving testimonial to the preservation of the Arctic wilderness, Mardy Murie writes from her heart about growing up in Fairbanks, becoming the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska, and marrying noted biologist Olaus J. Murie. So begins her lifelong journey in Alaska and on to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where along with her husband and others, they founded The Wilderness Society. Mardy's work as one of the earliest female voices for the wilderness movement earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (less)"

and this one.............

Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer

by Sena Jeter Naslund

4.03  ·  Rating details ·  38,708 Ratings  ·  2,447 Reviews

From Good Reads: "A magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby Dick, it is the story of Una, exiled as a child to live in a lighthouse, removed from the physical and emotional abuse of a religion-mad father. It is the romantic adventure of a young woman setting sail in a cabin boy's disguise to encounter darkness, wonder, and catastrophe; the story of a devoted wife who witnesses her husband's destruction by obsession and madness. Ultimately it is the powerful and moving story of a woman's triumph over tragedy and loss through her courage, creativity, and intelligence. (less)"

 

So far both are good but of course the non-fiction/true life is always my favorite!

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 I made some weekly goals a few weeks ago and a monthly goal list and I am still back in January! LOL!  The good news is things have gotten done around here despite Grace being ill and then me.  There was definitely more progress and direction than without it although, as always, I think I am superwoman and can get as much accomplished as 3 people.....NOT!  But I feel good about what I got done and things didn't slip between the cracks.

I finished the "deep clean" of my bedroom, windows, doors, walls, baseboards and all drawers and surfaces.  I'm also setting goals for my crafts and hobbies and researching eating for pancreatitus which means lots more creating from scratch such as my own tortilla chips and whole wheat bread instead of white and coming up with alternative snacks, breakfasts and desserts?....not a lot of changes but a few.  No doctors have called me back and my appointment with the gastro guy isn't until May so I am guessing this is what it is and taking action now and so far I'm feeling much better so we'll see what he says in May unless I end up in the ER before then but I am hoping not!

This week my goals are a little less since I am still catching up with January!  

 

This Weeks Goals: (in addition to daily chores)

*started

** in progress

***finished

__________________

deep clean my closet

**iron 10 items (5 are done already)

finish sleeve #1 on sweater

**finish star ornament

make dog treats, tortilla chips, whole wheat bread, black bean dip, and citrus chicken

***pickup groceries to make the above

***fill and pickup prescriptions

vacuum

*pay bills

cards and letters 

gift making for others

Advent Calendar gift making

**4 squares on CMB

**read 2 books and a magazine

 

I'm sure there's more but  this should be a good start! LOL  I hope you get everything done that you want to this week and Happy President's Day!  Isn't it odd that teachers who teach about the presidents don't get this day off but banks and post offices do......who makes these rules?    

Happy Trails!!!