2014 Reading List

I know we're already almost a month into 2014, but I have been wanting to share what's on my reading list for the year, and I finally have the time to do so.

These are not all of the books I will read this year, but they are the ones I have on my "want to read" list on Goodreads. Are you on Goodreads? If so, we should be friends on there -- here's my account!

If you click on the photo of the books, you will head to the Goodreads page for the synopsis of each one. Enjoy!

To see book reviews I've written, check out this page. To see my list of my top 15 books of all time, check out this post.

• Do you enjoy reading?
• What is your favorite book?
• Do you have a list of books to read this year?

New Year; New Goals

As I venture into 2014, I’ve decided to create six resolutions I can stick to this year. The resolutions are simple and to the point, but they will require strength that comes in physical, mental, and/or emotional form.

1. Read 25 Books

Yes, last year my goal was to read 36 books. I almost reached that goal by reading 33. I was ahead for a while, and I lost some steam toward the end of the year. Since my wedding (and five-six week honeymoon) is this summer, I’m sure I won’t have quite as much time to read as normal, so I lowered my standards for 2014. Don’t worry, though. 2015 will be here soon, and I’ll play catch-up!

2. Run a Full Marathon
Luckily, I’ve already jumped the biggest hurdle by simply signing up for one. I’ll be running the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 27^th with one of my best friends, and I am absolutely stoked! I’ve run several 5Ks and a half marathon, but it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to run a marathon… what better time to run 26 miles than when I’m 26 years old, right?

3. Blog Twice {or more} Per Week
I’ve been blogging for two full years now (but only one year on this blog; I ditched my old one after my “blog-every-day-for-a-year” challenge because that one was so cluttered, but my hope is to have a regular posting schedule. My goal is to plan better for posts and take the time every week to type out two or three posts. I also want to pre-write topics to post while I’m on my honeymoon (and schedule them to post automatically since I’ll be without Internet). Here’s to the year of writing!

4. Grow Spiritually
Last year, I started going to church regularly with Dan. In fact, we actually joined our church, which we love. It’ll be difficult to leave it when we move for Dan’s pilot training. Rather than simply going through the motions, however, I’d love to grow more spiritually. I’m not exactly sure what that means yet, but I’m going to work on it.

5. Complete Seven {or more} Items from 30 Before 30 List
When I turned 26 last July, I made a list of 30 things I want to accomplish before I turn 30. I have three and a half years left to complete my list, and this year, I want to cross off at least seven more items. I’m not sure which ones will happen this year, but you can check out my list by clicking here.

6. Continue Living Fearlessly
In 2013, I made a goal to not be afraid to try new things and to always focus on what I can do rather than what I cannot do in given situations. I think I did a pretty good job, but I know I still have lots of room to grow. I’d like to focus on new endeavors without all of the “what-ifs” that run through my mind. There is no time like the present!

Well, those are my resolutions for the year. Here's to hoping I can conquer them all!

What do you think? Do you have any resolutions of your own?

Framed Book Quotes For My Classroom

Bear with me if you've already seen this post (on my old blog, Always Write 2012). I am slowly but surely trying to transfer all of my DIY projects to THIS blog so people don't keep finding by crafts on my OLD blog. I want them reading over here!

Since school starts TOMORROW, I thought this would be a great post for today! 

Last summer, I was inspired to create something I'd been wanting to for a few months. At the beginning of the summer, I gathered 16 quotes about reading/books that I really like, and I knew I wanted to have them hanging in my classroom to inspire my kiddos.

Long story short: I tried to paint them myself on scrapbooking paper, and it turned out to be a disaster. I normally am really great with crafty things like that, but they were AWFUL, and instead of using them anyway, I decided to let Photoshop do the work for me. I typed in the quotes in a big, bold font (Century Gothic) and then put the author's name in a different, fancier font below (Pea Heather Michelle -- weird name, I know).

I decided to use four different background colors since there are 16 quotes, so I have four in each color. That way, there are not too many different colors going on around the room.

I ordered these prints from Office Max for 49 cents each, but when I got there, they gave me 25% off with my teacher ID. This project was a STEAL! I ordered document frames from Walmart.com that came in packs of six (so I now have two left over to use later), and they have real glass frames. I am happy with them, and they arrived on my doorstep in just two days with standard shipping. Overall, I did end up spending about $25 on this project, but these will last forever. I can hang these quotes up year after year, and if I get tired of them, I can print new ones for very cheap and change them out.

And now the pictures! You probably can't read the quotes in the first three pictures, but I wanted to show them all off at once. The last two have close ups of the quotations! (and yes, I know Seuss is spelled wrong; it has since been fixed. I noticed it right away!)

Okay, I lied. I decided to post individual pictures of each quote just because I like them so much. They really are just SO pretty. 

These were so simple to make, and the colors are so vibrant! I can't wait to use them year after year! :)