What I'm reading Wednesday...

From now on, I think I will just post my finished challenge books on What I'm Reading Wednesdays.  Yesterday, I was too excited to have finished Moby Dick, so I had to share immediately.  :)

Eighth finish for the year.

I have not read all of the books in this series (Cork O'Connor Mysteries), but have enjoyed the few that I have read (and the author's stand-alone novels are wonderful).  When I saw that this prequel was available, I definitely wanted to read it to fulfill this prompt.

Wasn't disappointed.  I read it every chance I got, and worked my way through it very quickly.

Ninth finish of the year.

Glad I stuck it out.  Personally I think it could have lost about four- to five-hundred  pages for the current-day audience.  But as I was thinking about it, when it was published, there weren't a lot of forms of personal entertainment, and books were expensive, so I suppose the hours and hours and hours of story were welcome.

And I learned a lot about whaling and sperm whales.  Then, just today, I was sad to see that a sperm whale was entangled in ropes from fishing boats and washed up on the Isle of Raasay (between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland) where it died.

image found at animalspot.net/whale

Check out the size difference between the Sperm Whale and the Killer Whale that we are used to seeing at Sea World!

Tenth finish for the year.

I really love Elizabeth Strout's work.  The way she writes auxiliary characters is the best.  They come, stay awhile, and go.  And then in another book or two they drop by for another visit or at least a mention.

I almost gave this 5 stars, because I could happily read it again.  In fact, I wouldn't mind starting with the author's first book and reading them all again chronologically.

It is 4:00 a.m., and I came to say...

 

I SURVIVED MOBY DICK!

Woohoo!!!

Now I just realized that I am supposed to be quilting at the library in a short five and one half hours, so off to bed I go.

2025 Frugal Friday File, February 28...

 

Frugal things that are easy for me, and make others feel special.

1.  A couple of months ago a friend mentioned to me that she was wanting a serger.  I told her I wished I had known sooner, as I had donated one after the garage clean out...but wasn't sure it was one she would have wanted anyway, as it was from the 1990s back when they were really complicated to thread (at least that's what I heard, though the serger had never been out of the box since my mother had purchased it a little while before she died).  Friend assured me that she would have been happy to give it a try, too bad it got away.

Fast forward to now.  I was out in the garage, and saw the serger in its box with some other things I had planned to donate, but never had.  I texted my friend that it was still hanging around after all.  I'll meet her at the library to get some volunteering done together and hand over the serger.  So excited my procrastination paid off for a change!  LOL

(In my defense, the creative re-use center where the serger and other items were to be donated is in an inconvenient part of the city, and they have very limited donation hours.)

2.  My son-in-law (Beau) phoned me the other day to tell me he was texting me a photo that he wanted to discuss.  The photo was of the cuff of his jacket where the Velcro was failing due to design flaw, and he asked if there was a way to save the jacket.  He loved that the cuffs could be tightened as needed, but due to the poor hook design of fastener, they did not stay tightened.  

I love that he doesn't hesitate to ask my opinion on something I have more experience with than he does.  I love that he wants patches/fixes rather than replacing.  I love that he is comfortable enough to ask me for a favor.  And in this case, I love that it is an easy fix with supplies I have on hand, so I said a quick yes.  Now we'll see if we have any more cool temperatures this season.  He may or may not get it back in time as I am having a sewing machine malfunction that I need to get figured out first.

3.  The dessert I made for Sunday family supper was something that Caitlyn had asked me to make next time she came home from school.  Well she came, but she had to head back to school before Sunday family supper.  So I made it the night before, and I separately packed serving for her to take with her.  Then I texted her a photo with a "Come get this out of my fridge before you leave."

4.  I text Kasey things that I know will make her smile.  This week a photo of an orange dog toy with a note that I was considering buying one for her dog and mine just for the ten minutes of watching them destroy it.  I didn't because I was leery of how it would alter the ads that pop up on my screens.  :)

5.  And on a separate note, today I am participating in the NO SPEND DAY you may have seen across social media.  RESIST!

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Breakfast for dinner

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Enchilada Casserole

Tuesday:  **out for Tex-Mex

Wednesday:  Twice-baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Brisket

Thursday:  Veggie Loaded Fried Rice

Friday:  leftovers

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

Reading Challenge - Book 7 finished...

Elizabeth Strout consistently delivers hours of enjoyment to me.  I definitely want to read this one again.

Reading Challenge - Book 6 finished...

Somewhat of a struggle to get through this one, but I did finish it a couple of days ago.  Turns out it was the fourth book based on this case that I have read:  three novels, and this non-fiction study of the investigation.  

The three novels were: The Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott, Avery's Knot by Mary Cable, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Reading multiple books on this topic/case was totally unintentional.  Women moving into the work force of the industrial revolution has always interested me, as have the changing religious leanings in Colonial America.  This book spoke to the burgeoning freedoms of women in both the factories of New England and in the tent-revival religiosity of Methodism moving away from the Puritan ways of worshiping.  It also spoke to the bias and discrimination they had to deal with.

FYI, I am still plugging away at Moby Dick.  Finally in the final quarter of the book.

2025 Frugal Friday File, February 21...

1.  I baked bread with some of the sourdough starter a friend gave me last week.  The recipe I chose to try (because it was easy to remember) was called the 1,2,3,4 Bread.

• 1 cup of starter, 2 cups of water, 3 teaspoons of salt, & 4 cups flour.  Mix together, and form loaf.
• Let rise 7 to 9 hours.  Bake at 425° for 15 minutes; lower temp to 375° for 15 more minutes.

Three teaspoons of salt seemed like a lot to me, but I thought I would try it as it was written for ease of memorizing.  It was too salty...so I think I will change it to 3 half-teaspoons of salt.

In the meantime I have a whole loaf of bread that I don't want to throw away.  I cubed up some of it, spritzed it with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder...baked it for 5 or 10 minutes...tossed them on baking sheet and continued baking till toasted...croutons!  (They added interest to our leftover slaw/kale salad.)

I'm letting the rest of the slices dry out some, then I'll make bread crumbs to put in the freezer for future use where I can cut added salt elsewhere.

2.  Staying home.  Sounds boring, but with a warm pup snoozing on my lap, a book in my hands, and a log on the fire, it is the loveliest place to be on these cold, damp days we've been having.  (I consider them a bonus, as we thought they were over.  Happy to have a little more of my favorite days before the thermometer jumps back up to 100°F.)

3.  Watching a lot of YouTube videos, for quilting, card making, news replays, almost anything.  I have to say, the paid subscription to watch without ads is THE best value I've ever received from a subscription yet!

4.  Put another subscription on 'pause' as I haven't used it much lately.  May cancel if I don't miss it.

5.  I've been enjoying cooking for cold weather.  While I was at the library yesterday, I picked up two cookbooks for $1.50 each in our Book Nook area (used books for sale).  One is very succinct recipes.  Got no time for complicated ones, and I know as the weather warms I will want quick and easy.

     I'll copy any recipes I really like, and then I'll re-donate.  

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Salad..slaw mix, kale, black beans, chicken, orange, avocado, cilantro dressing

Sunday:  Family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  leftovers

Tuesday:  leftovers

Wednesday:  Tortilla Soup

Thursday:  Homemade Chili & store-bought Tamales

Friday:  Pork chops, squash casserole, green vegetable

2025 Frugal Friday File, February 14...

 

1.  Made menu on Tuesday for part of this week and next, and picked up grocery order.  Came out at less than $150, which I thought was pretty good (compared to the last grocery order anyway).

2.  Thursday found me getting creative to use up bits and pieces that have been lingering in the kitchen, so that they wouldn't go to waste.  Small bits of different cheeses in the fridge, a partial package of grape tomatoes that had gotten pushed to the back of fridge a week or two ago, but were miraculously not wrinkled or mushy, a spaghetti squash that I've put off cooking due to energy or time constraints.  I put some chicken breasts in slow cooker to use for the spaghetti squash tonight, but also to go in a salad and another meal.  

I think Four Cheese Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Roasted Vegetables, sounds a lot classier than the use-it-up-or-toss-it-out ingredients that went into it.  :)

3.  Since putting the planning into the 2025 Reading Challenge, matching books currently on my Kindle to the challenge's book prompts, I don't believe I've bought a single book, even from the Kindle special-deal emails.  

I even remembered to take a book with me when I knew I was going to a business that had a little free library out front, so that if I found something to borrow I'd have something to leave...but I didn't find anything.

I've borrowed a few from the library...just remembered I did buy two used books from the library book nook for $1.50 each.  I forgot about those, as I didn't have any cash, so Carey paid for them.  :)

4.  I window shopped (online) for window coverings.  I have an idea for a change in the guest room.  It is a very tall window with an arched top.  Currently there are only old fashioned, metal Venetian blinds in the non-arched part of the window.  They were here when we bought the house.  I am not in a hurry, and styles and/or my plans may change before I actually come across what I want at a price I want to pay.  It's never been a priority.  Still isn't.

5.  Last Saturday I was out running errands and purchased some extra heavy weight cardstock for making cards while it was 40% off (about a $7 savings).  After the purchase I was running some other errands, and I found myself near an Office Depot.  I took the cardstock into Office Depot to inquire if they could cut it in half for me while I waited.  I watched her place the entire package into their "industrial" paper cutter, and in one "zip" the entire ream of cardstock was cut into the size I use for card bases.  The employee handed me the cardstock, cut to the size I requested, and said there would be no charge for the single cut.  

So I saved on the original price of the package of cardstock, the price of having it cut to the size, all of the time it would have taken me to cut each sheet one piece at a time, AND probably half a dozen cutting blades for my paper cutter (as cutting really heavy cardstock dulls blades quicker than lighter papers).  

This was my favorite frugality of the week!  I'm ready to make cards!

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  takeout BBQ baked potatoes 

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Sausage, Onion, Kale, and Cheddar Quiche

Tuesday:  Salmon, Wild Rice, and Broccoli

Wednesday:  leftover quiche

Thursday:  Four Cheese Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Friday:  Italian Meatloaf w/ Smashed Parmesan Potatoes

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

The Sinners All Bow:

Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne

by Kate Winkler Dawson

This is a recent release by the author, and I saw it available on our libraries recently-acquired list.  The author hosts a podcast that I listen to occasionally, and since this book's  real victim may have been the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, I thought I would give it a try.  

I'm not loving it.  For one thing it turns out I have read two other previous novels based on the event (in addition to The Scarlet Letter which I read ages ago), one of which leaned heavily on the transcripts from the trial of the accused.

Also this author keeps referring to her "co-author."  In actuality she's talking about a woman, who two years after the event ( which occurred in 1832) wrote an account of it.  For some reason, this annoys me; probably because it was so sincerely and often stated, that I took the time to research why this "co-author's" name was not listed on the cover of this current book.

Anyway, I will give it another chapter or two before deciding if I will finish it or not.

2025 Frugal Friday File, February 7...

 

1.  Changed the planned menu when our weather was in the eighties on Monday.  We were going to have tortilla soup, but I just wasn't in the mood for soup.  I had shredded cabbage, cooked chicken, and kale in the fridge; peeled a couple of oranges and tossed them in; made a peanut/soy/honey dressing; topped each serving with some chow mein noodles from the pantry.  Easy, health, filling, and not half bad.  And since the cabbage and kale hold up for a couple of days even with dressing on them, we had the leftovers for another supper on Wednesday.

2.  Quilted at the library.  Selected some fabric already in my 'collection' and figured out a pattern I could improvise to make a baby quilt...or maybe two.  No babies on the horizon, but my intent is to have baby quilts ready and waiting, so that when they are needed there will be a selection to choose from.

     This is frugal because I had everything I needed without any purchases.  We meet at the library, so no rental for the space.  No dues for membership.  

3.  Received two checks to reimburse part of my chiropractic costs.  Only fifty-ish dollars total, but every little bit helps.

4.  Oops...I lost #4 when I tried to paste something in here.  Can't recover it, and I'm too tired to try to start from scratch.  

5.  Still haven't gone for a haircut.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  leftover spaghetti casserole

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Asian Chicken Slaw

Tuesday:  Spanish Rice

Wednesday:  leftover Asian Chicken Slaw

Thursday:  Breakfast for supper

Friday:  out for late lunch / early supper

Reading Challenge - Book 5 finished...

 

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Time of the Child by Niall Williams

I am reading the library book pictured above when I'm not reading that other leviathan of a book.  I am currently at 50% reading progress in both of them.  

I was talking to a friend of mine about my slow progress in Moby Dick, whereupon she told me about her father's strategy of reading (and he read a lot).  Apparently her father only read the dialog; saying that the plot could be determined just by reading the dialog.  I personally like to read for things like setting and character development in the non-dialog prose, but I thought I would give his way a try this morning.  Wouldn't you know that the three chapters I read this morning had no dialog at all, so I had to read all the non-dialog to determine what was going on.  LOL  

I asked her if her father had read Moby Dick, and she said she was sure he had, but probably before he started his dialog-only strategy.  I replied that Moby Dick was quite possibly WHY he developed his dialog-only strategy!  LOL

2025 Frugal Friday File, January 31...

 

1.  I added https://www.libraryextension.com/ to my browser.  Now when I am book shopping online, it shows whether what I'm searching for is available at my library.  Mind blown!  No more opening another window to sign in to my library account and search the library catalog myself.  I can even borrow or place a hold at my library (if they have the book I'm looking at) right from the Amazon (or Barnes & Noble, etc.) page.  Free time and money saver! 

2.  On Tuesday night I planned upcoming menu and placed grocery order.  On Wednesday I picked up order and restocked the pantry and fridge/freezer...except for chicken breasts which I put immediately into the slow cooker and seasoned before cooking.  When they were done, I diced the three large breasts and placed in fridge.  They will be quick to add to burrito bowls (tonight) and tortilla soup another night (using the broth which I stored separately in the fridge).  It was a large grocery order, but we should be set for awhile now.

3.  Carey has been coming with me to volunteer at the library.  Though I originally was going to volunteer on my own, my start coincided with a huge donation to the library, so I asked Carey to come too and lift and tote boxes and bins.  He has enjoyed it, so he may continue at least sporadically as he has time.  And when we're done with our shift, we go out for a late lunch/early supper.  It has unexpectedly turned into a fun joint activity.

4.  Still no hair cut.

5.  Carey was sharing with me a conversation he had with his sister about walking in Walmart.  I've heard of mall walking back in the day, but we aren't near any malls.  So I will have to keep Walmart in mind for walking.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  out for burgers

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Spaghetti Casserole w/ garlic bread

Tuesday:  out for lupper (late lunch/supper)

Wednesday:  Crab-stuffed Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Salad

Thursday:  Chili

Friday:  Chicken Burrito Bowls

**designates meatless meal

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

This would be the reason I haven't posted any finished books lately.  I am about 1/3 of the way through it.  Why, yes, it is the complete unabridged version.  😬  It's one of those that has been lingering on my Kindle for ages.  Occasionally I get it in my head that I should read a classic that I somehow got through school without reading.  

When I told my friend, the other Kathleen, what I was reading, she said her middle-school grandson had to read it recently for school.  Good God, surely they let kids read the abridged version!  Unabridged is something like 800+ pages.

I've had a library book that I had on reserve become available, so I will have to begin it soon.  

I may possibly read one chapter a day from Moby Dick, and then read my other challenge books the rest of the day, thus taking a long-way-about making my way through this one.

2025 Frugal Friday File, January 24...

1.  I feigned ignorance of menu at a drive through to stall for time.  The special price started at 5:00 p.m.  Didn't want to chance full-price as my clock said 4:59.  Hey, it saved five bucks!

2.  I'm binge watching Outlander as the Starz' cheap trial subscription needs to be cancelled by the end of the month so it doesn't auto renew at full price.

3.  When we go inside the store to shop, we take reusable cloth bags with us, but when we order curbside they put all items in plastic bags.  Normally we return the bags to the store for recycling.  But since returning from Colorado in November, I have been saving every plastic grocery bag we get.  While in Colorado I learned that their state restrictions mean that no bags are supplied with store purchase.  My friend said that plastic bags are 'like gold' and used as sparingly as possible to make each one last.  

    Since her birthday is this week (and we always exchange fun but frugal-ish packages on our birthdays), I used the bags that I had accumulated to cushion her boxes' contents.  This will be a reuse that will continue to be reused at their new home over and over.  

  I downloaded a free video meeting app so that friend and I could be together as she opened her birthday presents...at least virtually.  It was so fun, and I was pretty sure some of the items included in her gift box might need some explanation.  ;)

    (I'm sorry if readers find the use of plastic bags repugnant; the state I live in is not too eco conscious.  Carey and I try to do our part individually.)

4.  Same friend gifted me a viewing of a lovely documentary on Orthodoxy in Alaska over the last couple of centuries.  It was made by two filmmakers at her church.  Just finished watching it, and the scenery and message were very beautiful.

5.  I patched jeans, and figured out a way to adapt a design flaw on a couple of dusters that I will happily wear now.  I caught up on laundry.  Carey and I volunteered at the library today, and perhaps again tomorrow if needed, as the library received a donation of 6,000 books that need to be gone through.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  takeout Schlotzky sandwiches

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Pancakes, bacon, &eggs

Tuesday:  homecooked meal from freezer (15 Bean Soup)

Wednesday:  Broccoli Cheese Soup

Thursday:  out for Chinese

Friday:  Sweet Potato & Sausage Hash with Eggs

2025 Frugal Friday File, January 17...

1.  I recycled Amazon delivery boxes to make ornament organizers rather than buying pre-made.

2.  We ate leftovers two nights in a row, to avoid food waste.

3.  I received a check from our Medicare supplement company to reimburse some of my chiropractic treatments.

4.  I sewed some insignia patches on sports apparel for Jared.

5.  Semi-fail, and I don't care.  I had a semi-annual doctor appointment to review bloodwork.  Ferratin (stored iron) levels too high, so had to get phlebotomy...bad, bad veins...they have to access blood through my port...that's the only reason I have a port...drawing blood from it not easy...for them, pretty easy for me...except for the time...it took two hours to remove a pint of blood...left exhausted...stopped for takeout on way home for supper.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  out for breakfast for dinner

Sunday:  Family supper with Kasey & Beau

Monday:  Twice-baked sweet potatoes w/ brisket from Beau's cookoff entry

Tuesday:  leftovers

Wednesday:  leftovers

Thursday:  Tex-Mex takeout

Friday:  ?

Working around the house...

I spent a good part of the day Tuesday measuring, cutting, and assembling these ornament trays for this bin.  I looked at pre-made dividers, but I since I wanted to use this precise bin with others like it that stack very well, and since (goodness knows) we had plenty of boxes to reduce/reuse/recycle, I just did it myself.  It made a good project to do while I watched a series of videos (which I can't even remember the name of at the moment).

Christmas decorations are all down, but I haven't gotten everything packed away yet, as I wanted to rearrange the closet they go in a bit.

I also washed (and hung to dry) all the bath mats.  And before putting them all back down, I cleaned the floors in the master and guest bathrooms.  I had ordered a new rug to use as a bath mat in the guest bath, so I put that down in there.  The laundered bath mats are very thick, and so they will need to continue hanging to dry overnight.

Feeling good about making some progress on this week's to-do list.

I still have some mending that I promised to do, so I will try to get that done before I call it a night.  Tomorrow I have an appointment with the chiropractor.

Reading Challenge - Book 4 finished...

This is the one I chose for free from Amazon First Reads.  I like a good time travel, and this was a little of that.  Parts of it I really liked, and parts dragged a bit.

2025 Frugal Friday File, January 10...

1.  Monday was quilting at the library day.  Two of our members created a group activity based on the cooking show Chopped.  They assembled brown paper sacks containing a collection of color coordinated scraps (each bag different prints and colors), embellishment, and batting.  We each chose a paper bag and had an hour and a half to complete a project of our own choice and design using at least some of each item that was in the bag.  All the bags were stapled closed, so we truly had no idea what we were getting.

My sack held all red, white, and blue scraps.  I made a miniature quilt (slightly larger than a hot pad).  It was not my best work.  But it was fun!  :)  And it was frugal, because everything (fabric, embellishments, and batting) was donated by the two ladies (who planned the activity) from their scrap collections.  The use of the library meeting room is free.  Such a fun group.  

After I got home, Caitlyn dropped by, saw the 'hot pad,' thought it was cute, and took it home with her.

2.  Before I left the library, I remembered to pick up a book I had on reserve.  Saved a trip.

3.  One-skillet meal on Wednesday from items on hand that needed using.  Sausage from freezer, head of cabbage from over purchase, apples from fridge, at the last minute I saw the half jar of leftover Alfredo Sauce in fridge from Monday's supper, and decided to add it so it wouldn't go to waste.  It actually wasn't bad.

4.  Still haven't gotten a hair cut...but it's gotta be soon!

5.  Amazon First Reads has been hit or miss for me lately...mostly miss.  This month had a pre-release book that sounded interesting.  I'm reading it now.  First Reads are a selection of books each month that haven't released yet, from which Prime members can select one for free.  I think the hope is that early readers will leave customer reviews.  

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Chicken & White Bean Chili

Sunday:  Family Sunday Supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Chicken fingers, Pasta Alfredo, Garlic Green Beans

Tuesday:  Schlotzky's sandwiches

Wednesday:  Sausage, Cabbage & Apples Skillet Dinner, Cranberry sauce

Thursday:  Carey had leftovers, I had late lunch so skipped

Friday:  Beef Stew and Cornbread

Reading Challenge - Book 3 finished...

 

I started this one before #2, but just finished it tonight.  Really liking this series so far.

Reading Challenge - Book 2 finished...

 

I reserved this one at our library, and picked it up after quilting there this morning.  Of course, I have read Shirley Jackson's story before (it always gives me the willies), but wanted to 'challenge' myself by adding a graphic novel to my reading list for the year (thanks for the suggestion, Juhli).  This authorized adaptation is by Miles Hyman, who is the grandson of original author Shirley Jackson.

His art is beautiful, and like a setting for a jewel, this gem of a story settles securely into it.  The salient points of the story were condensed down and shared through speech bubbles.

Glad to have read this.

Reading Challenge - Book 1 finished...

 

For some reason this title just spoke to me.  :)

2025 Frugal Friday File, January 3...

1.  After a full year of letting our credit card's cash-back accrue (5% on store-brand groceries, and 1.5% on everything else), I have transferred to our bank account a tidy $281.97.  We only use this particular card for groceries and meals out, and we pay the full balance off each month.

2.  I made a week's menu and grocery order.

3.  I made a batch of homemade Rudy food.

4.  I read.

5.  Jared was off today, so he and Carey went out for brunch at IHOP.  Carey had received a coupon for 20% off of a visit.  They really like IHOP, and it is a rare treat that they get to go out for a meal together.  Though I was invited, I wasn't in the mood for anything I could think of on  IHOP's menu.  Lunch out, even when it's 20% off, is still money out of pocket.  I enjoyed the Toasted Cheddar Jalapeno Bagel topped with Mashed Avocado that I made at home so much more.  And I can enjoy another one tomorrow.  :)

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Out for Tex-Mex

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Dublin Coddle

Tuesday:  New Year's dinner at Kasey & Beau's

Wednesday:  takeout burgers

Thursday:  Spanish Rice

Friday:  leftover Spanish Rice, 1/2 bagel w/ avocado, grape tomatoes

**designates meatless meal

Bucket List of Hopes for 2025...

 

  1.  Stop wasting so much time on my phone playing games.  On 12/31/2024, I deleted all games on my phone except for four New York Times puzzles (Strands, Connections, Wordle, and Weaver) that I play once each per day.  If I want to play Sudoku, my plan is to use puzzles in book form.  If I want to do a jigsaw puzzle, I have a number of new, unopened ones on the shelf.  

The time freed up should help me accomplish more of the following goals:

  2.  Bake bread at least once a month.

  3.  Finish two quilts.

  4.  Complete The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge with e-books already on my Kindle and library and/or free books.  I won't say that I won't buy any books this year, but if I do it won't count toward the challenge.

  5.  Complete the Storyworth project and have it printed by Mother's Day.  Kasey gave me a one-year subscription for it awhile back, and I have since had to renew the subscription so as not to lose completed entries (which is not enough to justify printing).

  6.  Start volunteering.

  7.  Find a new reflexologist.

  8.  Relearn Canasta.  Carey and I used to play all the time, but have forgotten how.  We so frequently lament that there is 'nothing on tv worth watching,' so instead, why not play a game of cards to spend time together.

  9.  Get my Singer Featherweight up and running and in use.

10.  Make some progress on our family trees.

11.  Check out our local farmers market.

12.  Send 52 letters in 52 weeks.

This is a longer list than last year's, because:

    a.  last year's shorter list wasn't very challenging,

    b.  some of these do not require much sustained time over the year, and

    c.  these are all things that I continue to tell myself, "You really should..."