Books, Life, & Everything Else (2)

1. | I am sitting here blogging and also writing up postcards to send on postcrossing. I just did up one for the Czech Republic and now am doing Germany. My issue has never been writing up the cards. It is simply I never have stamps and they sit around waiting for me to get some. The plan is to do these up and then go to the post office after a bit and get whatever stamps are necessary. If I make that a habit, maybe I can keep up the postcard sending. We will see how that goes. I really enjoy receiving postcards and definitely have to make rearranging my postcards a priority for this year because there is no organization anymore.

2. | At the beginning of the year, I decided to start The Others series by Anne Bishop. I am on the third book! I definitely plan to get book 4 later in the month and then book 5 is out in March. I apparently am better at series if I do the audio instead of reading them...

3. | I am trying to clean off some short story and essay collections from my shelves. I am atrocious at both. I have two short story collections on the go right now and just read a story from each every day. One I started last year, but then neglected. The other is me finally checking out Tad Williams. Hopefully that will mean reading some of his longer works later this year.

4. | My novel reading is going so slowly. January is usually a good reading month for me, but I seem to be mostly reading graphic novels and listening to my audio. I hope I can get back on track soon because this is supposed to be the year of the TBR!

5. | I am pretty sure that I spend more time fixing my puzzles after Chloe has tore through than actually making any progress on the puzzle itself. Puzzle making with cats is an adventure! I am hoping she will lose interest because I have two puzzles that I really want to make and they will not fit on my the table I have been using, so I will likely have to take over the kitchen table for a while. We will see how that goes...

6. | Speaking of Chloe, we live in an old house and we tend to have a fly issue. She found one in the bathroom and fell in the toilet trying to catch it. (It was flushed.) She has now fell in the bath tub and the toilet. It did not stop her from trying to catch the fly.

7. | I feel like I am getting better at this purging thing. I cleaned out some random stuff in my mother's basement yesterday. I need to do more at my own house, but that always seems to be the case. I got rid of a bunch of books last week and my bookshelves look much better!

8. | So far compared to last year, my book buying has been pretty quiet for January. Hopefully I can keep this up all year!

Books, Life, & Everything Else (1)

1. | Hope everyone is enjoying 2017! This last week has been interesting. Chloe had some bathroom issues two nights this week and needed a bath. Finn seemed to be upset about her being upset and was kind of a prick. We honestly shaved some hair off of the kittens back region (with scissors because I couldn't do a razor, she squirms) and Finn was playing with her tonight. Life returning to normal! lol

2. | I am thinking about all the things that I would like to do this year. I really want to use my actual camera more. I have all sorts of books and things for bettering myself and I end up using my phone for everything. Lazy me! I also want to work on my Mount TBR, blog at least once a week, and send postcards again. I rejoined Postcrossing and my first batch of postcards are in the mail!

3. | I have also been looking for more relaxing hobbies. To achieve that I have started making puzzles again, although with a kitten that is not always as relaxing as I would hope, and I have bought a few Lego sets. I am having fun honestly. I used to make puzzles with my grandparents and it has resurfaced off and on over the years. The Lego is something I have never really done other than building sets for my little brother when he was really too little, and disinterested, to do so.

4. | The other relaxing hobbies mean that my reading is not off to a running start and I don't really mind all that much. I would like to get to my Mount TBR, but it is honestly normal for me to have a quieter reading year after a busy one. It could change, but I am still listening to audiobooks and reading here and there. It could be a lot worse!

5. | I continue the Bullet Journal, Day by Day Journal, and the Q & A: A Day quest this year. The good thing about writing notes about my day in the Bullet Journal everyday is that when I fall behind on my Day by Day Journal, I have a reference to remember what I did each day. lol

6. | I am trying to take a picture a day on Instagram. I suck a this quest and usually miss a day here and there, but let's try again! At least I have two cats, a dog, and a bunch of books as subject matters on the boring days. (Especially this time of the year where it is cold and you don't necessarily want to go take pictures outside...) If you don't follow me on there, I am bookishnerd.

7. | I kind of fell out of the habit of Litsy near the end of the year, so I am also trying to get that to be a habit because I really like the app. There are just not enough hours in a day, people.

8. | I honestly read Volume 6 of Ms. Marvel last night, only to discover I had not actually read Volume 5. Now I know why I was kind of confused. The series was one that I caught up on last year, but it was after that time that Volume 5 came out. So, now I need to read Volume 5 and see what I missed.

9. | I bought a new iPod for myself as my Christmas present to myself. It is kind of a splurge for me, but my other one was broken and old and I use it daily. The iPod stopped updating over a year ago so I couldn't update any of my apps or add any new ones. I only got it yesterday and I am all ready in love. The difference is amazing when you can get updated versions of things.

10. | I will eventually wrap up 2016. I know I will enjoy having it to look back on, but I am struggling to commit to my post. By the time I get it up, next week at this point, no one will really care, but it is what it is!

A Month of Letters 2014

It's that time again! I love sending mail and I am really excited for Letter Month this year. The challenge is a bit 'Americanized'. The goal is to send 23 letters without counting Sunday's and a holiday. In my neck of the woods, there is no mail on Saturday either, so I might just go with 28. We will see how this goes! As last year, mine with be Postcard Month again. I have so many to send out it seems silly to buy anything else.

Let me know if you want to hear from me in February! I love receiving mail!

Start 2014 "Write!" - Hosted at The Estella Society

Look! Some winter fun! Here is the gist of it:

Here we are in 2014 and things are ticking right along! One of the coolest part of the holiday season for us is sending REAL MAIL to our friends, family, and bloggy community members. In order to keep the good times rolling Kailana from The Written World got together with us to create “Start 2014 Write!” A letter/card exchange!

• You may send letters, postcards, or greeting cards, but you should write a significant, thoughtful message meant to brighten someone’s day. This may require you to poke around on their blog and get to know them better. Fun!
• Use the form below to sign up to send and receive a specific number of letters (1, 3, or 5)
• Sign-ups end January 20
• Receive your assigned recipients by January 27
• Have the entire month of February to send your letters, postcards, cards, etc. All correspondence should be in the mail no later than February 28, 2014. 
• Because international shipping of letters and postcards is quite inexpensive, the assumption is that any participant may receive one or more international recipients

If you’re moved to do it, you can include something inside your letter or card, butPLEASE limit it to $5 or less. The important thing is to write something in the letter to brighten someone’s day…

So, you should head over to the Estella Society and join!

I chose February because it is also Letter Month hosted by author Mary Robinette Kowal.

I Have Been... Take Seven

Writing... Postcards! I actually mailed some earlier in the week and mailed even more yesterday! I have been behind since about May. It's terrible! They are all expired on Postcrossing because they sat here waiting for stamps. Not to mention friends are getting cards that look like they got lost in the mail for about two months. I used to buy books of stamps every pay day and then I was on the ball, but I got slack... I have also been buying postcards again. My mother found me some touristy ones at a thrift store near her place and then I did a bit of Etsy shopping...

First up there is Brian Moss. Chris, from Stuff as Dreams are Made on, told me about his work and suggested I get some postcards. I went over to browse and ended up buying 50... I am really impressed with them, too. The finish on the paper means I can't use my normal gel pens, but the quality of the paper over all is great. And the art is colourful and original. I am looking forward to sending cards around the world from this set and have started all ready.

Then we have Gaze of Dolls. I follow her on Instagram and a while back she sent me some postcards. I thought they were great and didn't really want to mail them to anyone else... So, the other day I asked if she was thinking about selling them on her Etsy shop and she started doing so! I of course bought some and am looking forward to being able to mail them out to people. Hopefully they will be here soon!!

There should be another Etsy shop listed here soon. I was told by a blogger they are going to start selling postcards so I just have to wait for that to begin.

Reading... ha! I just don't seem to want to read this year. Even when I have the chance to spend an entire day doing just that... I don't! I have lost the ability or something. I have even been doing bad on audiobooks! I don't know how to fix it, so I am just giving 2013 as a lost cause for reading. I am trying to decide if I should cancel my photography magazines because I am behind on them, too. And I haven't been reading photography books so sort of fizzled out on learning anything new...

Listening... I finally finished my reread of The Night Circus and started The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I loved The Night Circus all over again. I am still really new into the Gaiman so will have to wait to offer an opinion.

Looking... I have still been taking pictures, though! I successfully completed 7 photo-a-day challenges in July. I planned to cut back for August, but I couldn't decide on which ones... So, I am starting out with all of them and then will thin back if necessary. 

Learning... Nothing... I don't really have any projects on the go at the moment. I was thinking last night that if I don't start cracking on something soon my mind is going to go to sleep. I am not even reading non-fiction... Although, I am getting used to the clutch on my new car. It's a bit different than my old car, so it is a bit like learning something new.

Anticipating... Next weekend! We are going away for the weekend and I am looking forward to it. I am sure there will be pictures!

Wishing... That I could get back to using the treadmill. I gave up for a bit because it was so freaking hot, but this week is supposed to be manageable. I just have to get back into the groove...

Loving... A quiet morning to myself with a coffee.

Operation: Write Letters

I have been humming and hawing about whether or not I want to participate in this event... I decided why not... I am all about projects! I will be doing postcards, though. 2013 is the 'Year of Postcards' since joining Postcrossing. So, if you are okay with getting a postcard instead of a letter send me your address! (If I don't know you very well also include your blog URL so I can be sure to familiarize myself with you before sending you a card.) Just email me at kellyreads (@) gmail (dot) com. And, if you would like my address in return, feel free to request it. I love receiving mail! If I all ready have your address, be sure and leave me a comment saying whether you particularly want a card and if you are participating yourself. Otherwise, I will likely go through my address book and you will get a postcard anyway!

The Week in Postcards - Week 4

I decided to start a blog to share my postcard arrivals. I thought I would repost each week over here so that my collection doesn't sit in boxes and get forgotten about. You can visit my blog over here if you want to see it each day. The links also take you to see the stamps, what I wrote about the cards, sometimes more about the cards, and for the older ones the messages written on the back.

21 - Postcard from Finland (Postcrossing)

22 - Fort Rodd Hill National Historical Park (from Nat)

23 - Postcard from Germany (Postcrossing)

24 - Collecting the States - Minnesota (3/50) from Memory.

25 - Postcards from the Hoover Dam.

26 - Postcards from Las Vegas.

27 - Vintage Postcard from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Week in Postcards - Week 2 & 3

I all ready missed a week of postcard sharing, but I thought I would get back on track and show the postcards that I have posted over the last two weeks on The Postcard Project. On another note, for those that don't follow me on other media I received a postcard from Alabama last week. This means that I am now 50/50 for the American States. YAY! On to the postcards... If you click on the links I have shared stamps, thoughts, etc on the actual Postcard blog.

8 - Postcard from Dubai.

9 - Postcard from Memory. (British Columbia)

10 - Postcard from Christine. (Iceland)

11 - Postcards from Delaware (Collecting the States 2/50).

12 - Old Christmas Card.

13 - Old Christmas Card.

13 - Old Christmas Card.

14 - Christmas Postcard.

15. Christmas Postcards.

16 - Christmas Postcards.

17 - Sailing Ships on Postcards.

18 - Postcard from Japan.

19 - Postcard from Florida.

20 - Olden Days.

The Week in Postcards - Week 1

I started a postcard blog last week and I thought I would share what I have posted so far. I got tired of my postcards sitting in boxes and hardly seeing the light of day. If I didn't receive another postcard I could go on for quite some time showing the ones I have... If you click the link it tells who sent it, shows the stamps, and for the Olden Days series (postcards passed down to me from other family members) I will likely share the messages from the back as well as the stamps.

1 -  A postcard from the Netherlands.

2 - A postcard from Russia.

3 - A painting postcard from Care.

4 - A postcard from New Mexico (Collecting the States 1/50)

5 - A postcard from Arizona.

6 - A Greeting Card from Care.

7 - The Olden Days.

If anyone is curious where I stand on my Collecting the States I just need Alabama and I will have 50/50.

My Own Little Connections

POSTCARDS!

After struggling to get the last few postcards for my Postcard Project I decided to branch out a bit and join Postcrossing. Danielle mentioned it to me earlier this year, but the timing wasn't the best for a new project. I have had it in mind, though, and then Megan wrote a post all about her experiences on write meg! and I decided it was about time. I have sent 5 postcard so far to Poland, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, and Florida. Two of them have arrived safely which is very exciting. Today I am getting ready to send cards to Russia and Belarus (which I wasn't even really familiar with).

I have always loved meeting new people around the world. When the internet first made its appearance, I used to belong to pen pal sites and talk to people all over the world through the mail. Then, I started blogging and meeting new people that way. I guess now I am moving back to my earlier start and sending postcards instead. I have always collected postcards. My grandmother had a bunch of them and I always thought they were so cool. She actually collected stamps, but her brother collected postcards and she got them when he passed away. He had tuberculosis, so it was a way to keep in touch with people when he was sick. She also had postcards that belonged to her father. And her brother had acquired postcards that belonged to her friends. Some of the postcards I have as a result are over 100 years old. Needless to say, I am excited about opportunities to add to the collection.

I am looking forward to more from this experience and my own 'Five hundred little connections'.

Postcard Project - An Update

I thought that since I have been slack posting about my Postcard Project on my blog lately I would post all the ones that I have received since starting it. As it stands right now I have 10/10 provinces in Canada, 0/3 territories in Canada, and 43/50 states for the United States. I still need Alabama, Alaska (in the mail, though), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. I have no idea how to break the rest of the world down into manageable goals. Any ideas? I am delighted to get postcards from anywhere possible. Plus, I have sent a lot out. It is fun sending and receiving mail.

I apologize about the lousy picture quality. I haven't been able to get my scanner to work, so they are just pictures I took with my phone.

Postcard from Massachusetts from Care.

Postcard from Maryland from Meg.

Postcard from Rhode Island from Charlotte.

Postcard from Nebraska from Danielle.

Postcard from Rhode Island from Care.

Postcard from Kansas from Melissa.

Postcard from Kansas from Care's Mom.

Postcard from Care.

Postcard from Washington from Robin.

Postcard from Tasha.

Postcard from Iowa from Jeanne.

Postcard from Iowa from Jeanne.

Postcard from Minneapolis from Sam.

Postcard from D.C. from Daphne.

Postcard from New York from Debi.

Postcard from New York from Memory.

Postcard from South Carolina from Jill.

Postcard from Missouri from Jeanne.

Postcard from Mississippi from Nancy.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Random Postcard from my Mother.

Postcard from Nebraska from Danielle.

Postcard from Toronto from Amy.

Postcard from Massachusetts from Care.

Postcard from Melissa.

Postcard from Care.

Postcard from North Carolina from Wayne.

Postcard from New York from Debi.

Postcard from Nevada from Jenners.

Postcard from Florida from Heather and Ellie.

Postcard from New Zealand from Kerry.

Postcard from New Zealand from Kerry.