karenika

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 06

Here’s piece six:

strawberries 🙂

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 05

Here’s piece five:

love the tomatoes.

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

A Book a Week – How to Start a Fire

I read How to Start a Fire because it was on a list I had made and it was a quick read. I remember thinking it was ok but not amazing. I hadn’t read Lisa Lutz before and I am not sure I will again. She has a new book out but I haven’t felt tempted to pick it up.

This, while okay, was relatively forgettable for me.

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 04

Here’s piece four:

not a fan of this one, but alas. I did it on the plane with peerless watercolors so the blending is also not great.

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 03

Here’s piece three:

mmm….

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

2016 Stories – 27 – Los Angeles

A week before school was out, the kids got two days off school for Memorial Day weekend. We didn’t know what to do but wanted to do one more quick getaway before we officially called it for the school year. So we decided to drive down to Los Angeles.

We don’t go to LA nearly enough considering how close it is. It’s only a 5 hour drive from us and it’s one of our favorite cities. Especially because we love Venice Beach, the diversity of LA and Jake has a good friend from college that we both love who lives there.

On this particular trip we got to go to the Griffith Observatory, La Brea Tar Pits, Venice Beach, meet with our friends and their awesome kids, and go to Santa Monica Boulevard. We also went to the beach. Considering we were there for just two days, it was a full and joyous vacation. We got to stay at this lovely hotel with a pool so the kids also spent a lot of time in the pool.

All in all, Los Angeles never disappoints.

Stories from 2016 is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 02

Here’s piece two:

strawberries and ice cream 🙂

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

Weekly Reflection – 26

Three Choices I made this week:

One: I chose to donate a lot of things. I am trying hard to clear up some of the accumulation in our house and I feel incredibly lucky when I can donate things so they will continue to be used.
Two: I chose to do the 7-minute exercise every single day.
Three: I chose to take the plunge for some work travel. It will make July and August a bit challenging but so be it. I can do hard things.

I read/learned: I finished The Girl in the Red Coat and The One in a Million Boy. I am listening to The Life we Bury and Happier at Home. I am reading The Speechwriter and Vinegar Girl and Salt to the Sea. A little bit of everything lately.
I celebrate: I celebrate a four day weekend. The long summer days. Beautiful California.
I am grateful for: my family. i have the best husband, kids, parents, sister, nephews, in laws of all kind. How does that happen to one person?
I focused on my health by:

Did my 7-minute exercise everyday.
I’ve been trying to not eat when I am full and not continue to eat anything I don’t like.

I made art: I made a lot of art this week. Finished my July project and August project all in one sitting.
I let go of: I let go of worrying about work travel. It was going to hang over my head for weeks so I just bit the bullet and decided to go right now.
Core Desire Check-in:

Kind: I can’t think of a particular kindness situation this week. But I’ve been ok, I think.
Strong: I’ve been working out daily. Not too much but still it’s an effort to build strength.
True: I’ve been trying to balance between who i am and who i want to be. it’s a delicate path.
Generous: I’ve been generous with work. Open and accepting and easygoing.
Brave: I was brave with all the trips I booked. Brave with going to new places. Brave with meeting new people.

Here’s to another good week! 🙂

Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

July 2016 – Watercolor Food – 01

It took me a while to come up with the July plans. All year I’d been wanting to do some sketching but felt either uninspired or like I didn’t have enough stability to commit to actually sketching 20 pieces. But then one night, I randomly was surfing Pinterest and got really inspired by all the food art and decided that would be my focus for July.

I am not that good at drawing food so I figure I can use all the practice I can get.

Here’s piece one:

Watercolor Food is a Monthly Project for June 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.

A Book a Week – To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman

I reread To Kill a Mockingbird because I wanted to read Go Set a Watchman and I felt it was important to read them in order. I hadn’t read To Kill a Mockingbird since I was in middle school but when people ask me what my favorite book is, I still say it’s this one. So I was a bit worried that a reread wouldn’t live up to what I had in my heart.

But it so did.

I fell in love with the book all over again. I loved loved loved the characters, the description, the setting, the plot. Just all of it.

Then I listened to Go Set A Watchman and it was just not the same. It was a lovely book on its own right. It had flaws but it wasn’t terrible. It just was no To Kill a Mockingbird.