Last year I read Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin and I still think of it often. Erica and I even discussed it in a Girl Next Door Book Club! In the book, Rubin outlines four habit tendencies - Upholder, Questioner, Rebel, Obliger - which describe how a person responds to internal and external expectations. (You can take the quiz here to find out your tendency.) I'm an upholder and respond equally to internal and external expectations. In other words, I love goals and enjoy meeting them. Surprise!! I had so many lightbulb moments while reading about my own personality... Read more →

Relishing a weekend of family time and glorious weather. Remembering that my favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon is on a family bike ride. Reading A Gentleman in Moscow. Delighted by the idea of a personal reading syllabus, which Erica described on our recent podcast episode. Recommending Homeward Bound to any women who blog, read blogs or are active on social media. I loved this thought-provoking book about women and feminism, and the author's conclusions. Eating salads for lunch at work with feta, olives, wheat berries, toasted pecans, edamame and sometimes a hard boiled egg or tuna. Looking at... Read more →

I'm heading into February feeling a bit weary - and it's only the second month of the year! I've been putting in at least a couple of hours of creative work (podcasting, blogging, writing, Copper Quail Style) most evenings and usually a bit of time on the weekends as well. Plus all of the news is weighing heavily on me. Whew! I've always found joy in small things and it's advice I'll readily repeat to others. So perhaps this month is a good time to recommit to my 2017 goal of choosing gratitude. Despite the heavy happenings in our world... Read more →