Author: CasuallyChristine

January 2021 Reads

Books, Reading

In January I started my reading challenge. At some point a few months ago I realized that my Kindle App needed to be cleaned up. There were a number of books that I had downloaded at some previous point and have never gotten around to reading. I decided that this was a good place to start my reading challenge since I would be doing some housekeeping as well.

As you will see from the list of books below, The Boxcar Children made an appearance. I normally would not count these, but I am trying to instill my love of reading in my daughter, so I have been reading to her. It took us a couple tries but we finally found a series of books that she is into and looks forward to reading.

Books I read:

The Dying Hour– Rick Mofina

This book is about a rookie reporter and a story that falls into his lap. There are almost two separate stories taking place at the same time but eventually they come together. I really enjoyed this one and if you are looking for a mystery/thriller you should give it a try.

The Windy City Mystery – Gretrude Chandler Warner

The Woodshed Mystery– Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Mountain Top Mystery– Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Mystery at the Fair– Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Mystery in the Old Attic– Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Last Monument– Michael C. Grumley

The Last Monument takes you on a thrilling adventure through South America in search of clues from WWII. It was a fairly easy read and I kept wanting to read more. It is a great book for a relaxing read while on vacation.

Images courtesy of Amazon.com

2021 Reading Challenge

Reading

A few years ago I did a year-long reading challenge, so this year I decided to do another one. I set my goal for 52 books, which breaks down into one book a week. For me personally, this is a pretty small goal due to how fast I can usually read a book. I intentionally set my goal this small because I know that sometimes I get burned out on reading and at other times I read non-stop. It really depends on my mood and what all I have going on in my life, but setting a goal of one book a week balances everything out to something that I know is attainable.

I don’t have a favorite genre of books but I am not that into Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I wont lie, I am a sucker for Romance novels, mainly due to the fact that they are usually easy reads. When I am reading at night I want something that allows me to shut off my mind and relax.

I also am a huge history fan and love to read about the United State and things that have shaped it into what it is today. I have a few books that I am ready that have to do with the history of Texas and the history of Northern Michigan. I live in Texas and vacation every summer in Michigan. I love to learn about the places I live and travel to.

What are your favorite book genres or favorite authors? I would love to know or if you have any suggestions please post in the comments.

Not Resolutions, Intentions

Personal Life

As we start 2021 I have looked back on 2020 and took a good look at what I did, what I didn’t do and what is in my control that I can change. When doing this I realized that I need to plan out my time better to get accomplished what I want instead of aimlessly scrolling through social media. It was during these reflections that I decided I was going to have “Intentions” this year rather than “Resolutions”. I want to be more intent in what I do and set attainable goals for myself.

My 2021 Intentions:

-Find me time everyday to meditate and focus on my intentions – I want to learn to close off my mind to the white noise in the world and block out the negative thoughts.

-Hit 400 CG check-ins– Each time you go to camp you check-in and add to your total number of workouts. Each workout is 1 hour long. I want to complete about 180 workouts this year to reach a grand total of 400.

-Read 52 books this year– I love to read and it is one way that I can relax. I am a member of GoodReads and have set my goal for the year. I can keep track of the book I read here and it has a shelf of all the books that I have read as long as I log it in on the site.

-Finish all projects in a timely manner– I have an ongoing list of projects that I have started and not finished. I want to finish all of these projects along with any that I start and do it in a timely manner.

-Get ready everyday– This one may sound like I spend my time in my pajamas all day but what I want to get in the habit of is doing my hair and a little makeup on a regular basis. Most days I am wearing workout clothes and have my hair thrown up in a pony tail. I don’t need to have a full face of makeup on everyday but doing my eyebrows and throwing on a little mascara can make a world of difference.

-Be more organized and keep the house clean – This comes down to being more intentional with my time and making sure that I have enough time to finish something when I start it and to schedule out my time better. I also need to set rules for myself as far as getting things done around the house so that it doesn’t get too cluttered. Having a list of daily chores and making sure they done before I do the more fun things.

-Read the bible– This is a goal that I have set for myself a number of times and have never accomplished it. I have a Daily Walk Bible that breaks down the reading into short daily portions that are easily doable.

-Work and grow my business– This goal is going to be tricky to accomplish because it is going to force me to push my comfort zone and balance my time. I need to be more active on Social Media and tying into another intention mentioned above, getting ready and show casing it more often.

-Journal each day – This one is going to be the hardest by far. I want to journal each day to record how I felt each day and how I handled it and what led to me feeling that way. I am really going to have to manage my time at night to make sure that I sit down and do this.

Now that I have put these Intentions out in the universe I have others to hold me accountable. I am going to do a checkin on how it is all going in June and see what all I have kept up with. What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions or Intentions?

Welcome

Uncategorized

Hello there! Welcome to my new blog Casually Christine.

I have tossed the idea of having a blog around for some time now and tried to pull the trigger a couple of times but never did it. It never felt quite right and I never had enough courage to do it. I always felt like what I had to say was not important enough or that no one would read it.

It quite literally dawned on me the other day that what I write doesn’t have to be anything profound. As long as I am enjoying what I am doing that is good enough.

I hope that you all enjoy what I write about and if you ever have any topics you would like to see or questions you want answered please feel free to let me know. I could always use some inspiration.