My Reading Bucket List for 2024

I did my own reading bucket list challenge last year, and I even though I didn't reach my goal, I did read more than what I had expected to, which is great for me.

I read 9 books in 2023, which is nowhere near the amount I hoped to read (I wanted to read 22 books).

This year I would hope to read 12 books. I know this isn't much more than what I was able to read this year, but I wanted to make it easier for me to reach my goal, since I had a few health issues pop up, that made it hard for me to want to read much during the second half of the year.

So, in no particular order, here is my reading bucket list for 2024:

• Counting the Cost: A Memoir by Jill Duggar
  
  
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
  
  
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
  
  
• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
  
  
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  
  
• Beyond the Magic Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
  
  
• Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst
  
  
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
  
  
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
  
  
• Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear by Jinger Duggar Vuolo
  
  
• Heaven: Your Real Home by Joni Eareckson Tada
  
  
• Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund

Well, there you have it. My reading bucket list for 2024. Hopefully I can read more this year than I did last year.

I may read other books, but these are the ones I would most like to read this coming year. 

What books are you wanting to read this year?

My Goals and Bucket List for 2024

How is it already the end of 2023?! This year went by way too fast for me.

Like I do every year, I have decided to make a list of goals/a bucket list for 2024, and I hope to get at least a third of this list completed.

I am more of a summer person, but with all of the heat and humidity we had this summer, I am looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall.

Here is my goals/bucket list for 2024:

• Get my driver's license
  
• Get into a loving, healthy relationship with a significant other
  
• Get a job that I will love, and that works for me  
  
• Be an STM at a Joni and Friends retreat
  
• Relearn how to play the violin, and practice on a regular basis
  
• Improve my relationships with my friends
  
• Improve my baking and cake decorating skills
  
• Read at least 2 books a month
  
• Visit a friend in another state
  
• Go horseback riding
  
• Go to Medieval Times
  
• Learn Spanish
  
• Learn Sign Language
  
• Work on writing a book
  
• Figure out an exercise routine that works for me, and keep up with it
  
• Knit or crochet a blanket
  
• Knit or crochet a sweater for myself
  
• Pray every day
  
• Read the Bible every day
  
• Become financially stable/independent
  
• Get a tattoo in memory of my mom
  
• Get a second piercing in each ear
  
• Make chalk art
  
• Fly a kite
  
• Host a game night
  
• Visit the farmer's market
  
• Participate in an escape room
  
• Go on a picnic
  
• Go swimming
  
• Ride my bike on a regular basis
  
• Roller blade at least once a week
  
• See a movie at a drive-in
  
• Learn how to barbecue
  
• Spend a day at the beach with friends
  
• Have a photoshoot taken
  
• Make popsicles
  
• Work on becoming more comfortable with public speaking 
• Spend a day (or more) in the city  
• Go to a Renaissance fair  
• Knit or crochet an infinity scarf  
• Have a self care day at least twice a month   
• Get a henna tattoo  
• Go mini golfing  
• Learn to sew  
• Learn to love/be confident in who I am  
• Update my résumé  
• Get my vision rechecked  

What is on your bucket/goals list for 2024? I hope you have a happy and safe New Year!!

My Craft Bucket List for 2024

For a few years now, I haven't made anything, either by crochet or knitting, painting, or other form of craft, and I do miss it when I am not at it for long periods of time like this.

I got into knitting in 2010, shortly after my mom died, as a way to help me cope with her death. I am so glad I did this, as I now love to knit, and it broadened my love of making things.

About a year after I learned how to knit, I decided to pick up crochet as well, and am now pretty good in both forms of yarn crafts.

I also took up painting a couple of years ago, as it is something I have enjoyed doing in the past. I'm not the best at painting, but I love it, and it helps me process things going on in my life, as well.

Anyway, here is my 2024 craft bucket list:

• Sweater for myself
  I made a sweater for my dad a few years ago, which was the first and only time I've ever made one, and now that I know I can make a sweater, I want to make one for myself.
  
  
• Blanket
  
  
• A spring junk journal
  
  
• A summer junk journal
  
  
• A fall junk journal 
  
  
• A winter junk journal
  
  
• Scrapbook/album for my 2021 Joni and Friends retreat photos
  
  
• Scrapbook/album for my 2022 Joni and Friends retreat photos
  
  
• Scrapbook/album for my 2023 Joni and Friends retreat photos
  
  
• Socks
  
  
• Paintings specific to my friends' interests
  
  
• Pillows
  
  
• Shorts
  
  
• Shirts

Hopefully I can make at least half of these things in the coming year, as I love crafting and using my hands.

Are there things you would like to make in 2024?

What I Got for Christmas 2023

To those who celebrated, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!!

I can't believe Christmas day is over already. I always look forward to this time of year, where I get to see family, open presents, bake cookies, watch Christmas movies (which I am still doing!), and just enjoy the season.

Christmas eve we had Giordano's pizza (probably my favorite pizza ever!) and opened presents (my dad, brothers and I), and Christmas day we had an early dinner at a local Mexican restaurant with my sister and her family and opened some more presents. This was my first time going to the Mexican restaurant, and their food was really good!

I had a great Christmas season and am a bit sad that it's over already. It went by way too fast! 

In no particular order, here is what I got for Christmas this year:

• Call the Midwife season 2 on DVD
• Hawaii 5-0 season 1 on DVD
• Outlander season 2 on DVD
• Harry Potter Christmas tree ornament (this one wasn't on my list, but I love it!)
• Hogwarts Legacy for PlayStation 4
• 2 different sets of storage bins (one set to store out of season clothes and other items, and another set to store items that are used more often)
• The Beginner Violinist: Easy Violin Sheet Music for Beginner Adults & Kids sheet music book
• First 50 Songs You Should Play on Ukulele sheet music book
• Rainy night walk 1,000-piece puzzle
• Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle 3D puzzle
• Sewing supplies (cutting mat, ruler, rotary cutters, sewing clips, straight pins)
• See-through thinking putty
• Fidget pop-it balls
• Charger for my tablet

What did you get for Christmas? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas season, if you celebrated!!

My Favorite Christmas Movies

I love Christmas movies, and I watch as many of them as I can during the holidays. I'll even watch them throughout January, as I'm usually not ready for Christmas to be over then.

Christmas movies are one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays, and I am looking forward to watching them again!

In no particular order, here are my favorite Christmas movies:

• A Christmas Carol (my favorite versions are the one with George C. Scott, the animated Disney version with Jim Carrey, and the Muppet Christmas Carol version)
• A Christmas Story
• The Polar Express
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
• The Grinch
• The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
• The Year Without a Santa Claus
• The Little Drummer Boy
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Frosty the Snowman
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• The Snowman
• The Nativity Story
• Arthur Christmas
• The Christmas Candle

I love how there are so many different movies that we can choose from to watch for Christmas, and that I enjoy a variety of them. There are a mix of Christian and non-Christian movies that I enjoy, and I will definitely watch them every year.

I am looking forward to this Christmas season, as well as watching my favorite Christmas movies again.

If you celebrate Christmas, what movies do you like to watch? I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's!

My Christmas and Winter Goals/Bucket List for 2023-2024

How is it December already?! I don't really like the cold and the snow, but I do love the activities that come with the season.

As usual, I have made a list of things I would like to do during the winter, as well as for Christmas. I have been looking forward to Christmas for quite a while now, and I can't wait for it to get here.

I hope to be able to do at least half of the things on this list and am looking forward to getting started on it!

Without further ado, here is my bucket list for winter/Christmas:

• Watch Christmas movies
• Bake Christmas cookies
• Clean up bedroom 10-15 minutes a day (yes, this is on my list; it is something I REALLY need to do!!)
• Practice playing the violin 15 minutes a day
• Drink hot chocolate
• Send out Christmas cards
• Make a blanket
• Have a spa day
• Read 1-2 books
• Write 1-2 poems
• Make paper snowflakes
• Paint at least 1 picture
• Binge watch at least one season of one of my favorite shows  
• Decorate a gingerbread house
• Go to a German Christmas market
• Go to a local winter/Christmas fest
• Learn how to apply my own makeup
• Make a snowman
• Make a Christmas stocking
• Read A Christmas Carol
• Go sledding
• Go ice skating
• Host a game night  
• Go to a holiday craft fair
• Make ornaments

If you celebrate Christmas, what are some things you would like to do for the holidays? I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful December!