Happy Sunday! I thought I would shake things up a bit and change the format of my Sunday posts to make them a little easier to read and maybe a bit more interesting as well. Plus, change is good.
Reading: Empire of Sin by Gary Krist, a nonfiction account of New Orleans history during the Roaring Twenties before the end of the year. For the new year, I started Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo because a nonfiction book isn’t exciting enough for a new year.
Listening: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski because I am a glutton for punishment and always want to compare the book to the show or vice versa. For music, I have had Spotify’s Classical Essentials playlist on in the background lately. It makes for a pleasant alternative to the louder music I tend to play while at work.
Watching: Football, football, and more football. College playoff games, and bowl games, and NFL games. What can I say? I love the game!
Cooking: Cilantro-lime chicken, which I turned into burrito bowls with cilantro-lime rice, and black beans. Tonight, I plan to make mushroom risotto paired with a salad and some fresh bread. With the snow we received overnight, it is such a great comfort food meal.
Enjoying: My clean house and the end of the holidays. Yesterday, I switched out my Christmas/Yule decorations for my winter decor. Plus, I cleaned the house because a new year requires cleanliness. There is something about a snowstorm that makes me feel a desire to clean before I can settle down to get cozy.
Planning: The year. We have two weddings to attend, Holly’s graduation and graduation party, our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, five or six dance competitions plus nationals, and Holly going to college in the next twelve months. Plus, our graduation gift to Holly is a trip to Europe, something we also need to plan and organize. It’s a lot, and I want to make sure we stay on top of everything. Jim is working on the trip. I’m in charge of everything else.
Feeling: Hopeful. I ended the year feeling really good about what I was doing to feel better and get better. Plus, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do with my blog and social media. I finished all my outstanding reviews, spent at least two days setting up planners and trackers. I feel like I’m in a really good spot to make 2022 a fantastic year.
Upcoming: This upcoming week is going to be a bit crazier than normal, but I like it. Three workouts, a therapy session, a manicure, and Holly’s booster shot are all on the calendar. Plus, I am working with the school district on a project, and we have a meeting this week. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is enough to keep me on my toes.
What are you reading, watching, cooking, planning, or feeling these days?

I read Ninth House last year. It was very interesting. I liked it a lot. I’m excited to read the next book in the series. I’ll be interested to see what you think of it when you finish.
Congrats on 25 years this year! My husband and I will celebrate our 24th this year. I can’t believe it’s gone by so quickly!
Here’s to a fantastic 2022!
Thanks, Jennie! I am reading things a bit slower pace these days and am relishing the skullduggery of Ninth House a lot.
I wish you a happy and healthy 2022!
New format, new year — nice. And making things easier is always good. That cilantro-lime chicken sounds good. Kim gets a cilantro-lime rice from the store that is very good.
So it’s going to be your 25th wedding anniversary this year? Nice. Ours was last year (a little weird saying that with the year just ending, but there you go).
I’m not cooking anything these days, but Kim’s making up some “sausage” wontons as today is our last day of the New Year’s weekend where we’ve been eating mostly little “nibblies,” appetizers all weekend. Reading? The Art of Living by Epictetus. Watching? We just finished The Beatles documentary which was very good and now we’re watching McCartney 3, 2, 1 on Hulu, which also is very good but a hell of a lot shorter. It’s Paul and Rick Rubin going over master tapes of The Beatles and McCartney’s solo and Wings music. They do a lot of isolating certain tracks and it’s been pretty cool. We’ll finish that out tonight since it is short
I love appetizers as meals! I could eat them for every meal.
I saw that you ended one year and started the next watching The Beatles. It certainly is a peaceful way to celebrate New Year’s.
I found a really good copycat recipe for Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice. It is so easy to make at home. I can send it to Kim if you are interested.