I will look into this! I actually have a bit of travel anxiety, and a train trip might be quite enjoyable for me.

That sounds amazing! I've been to Paris only once, and dh has never been.

We enjoy both natural spaces and cities, actually. Most of our family trips have been to cities lately, but we are hoping to take DD17 (and the rest of the family) to Yellowstone for a senior trip. DD18 chose NYC as her senior trip destination, which we also turned into a family trip. We were both teachers when we married, so we got married in June. DH could possibly be retired from his ps admin job by then. I have recently changed from teaching to public library work. Summer is pretty busy at the library; I am the children's librarian and will direct the summer reading program, etc. All of that is to say that we aren't necessarily tied to a time of year (though I guess we might be if we take the kids). As a lifelong resident of the Deep South, I am averse to vacationing anywhere during the summer that will make me suffer heat and humidity like I already do at home UNLESS close proximity to the ocean is involved.

Very cool! I might've known this once but had forgotten.

Ah! How could I forget--we honeymooned on PEI, Canada (lifelong Anne of GG fan here, accommodating hubby 🥰). It's the opposite side of the country, but worth a revisit. other ideas?

Dh and I will celebrate this milestone in 2024. We're in the dreaming stage so nothing is off limits. We've thought about a cruise (Alaskan or Disney) and also just regular trips. We tend toward going and doing, though the older I grow, the more I like relaxing and doing nothing. We're considering trips with kids (who will then be 20, 18, 14, and 11) and without. Ideas?

Dh and I did NOLA before children, about 20 years ago. We actually were planning a beach trip to the Gulf (probably Alabama or FL panhandle--can't remember exactly now). When we got to our destination, we decided to go west since we'd never been to NO. (Oh, the footloose days of childless yore!) Of all the places we've been, it's the place we sat we really don't want to go back to. LOL. (I don't mean for this to be disparaging, truly--just wasn't our cuppa.). We did enjoy a walking tour of the garden district a lot, and we also enjoyed the aquarium, best I remember. One of our teens went last summer or the summer before with a friend's family, and they enjoyed a cooking class. I'm not sure where it was, though. ETA: we also did a swamp tour, which was fun.

I got mine yesterday. I'm planning to work on it this weekend! 🤣

What did you think of the show?

Can't wait to read your review! This one intrigues me.

Enjoy! The impact of the writing of LM Montgomery on my life is enormous. 💕

I'm not ready to commit to goals yet, but you all are inspiring me and giving me much to think about. Thank you! I'll be back!

Our dining room has some old vinyl tiles (?--could be a sheet) and the entry/mudroom has the same type of vinyl. ETA: both vinyls are marble-ish

We have hardwood in our kitchen. I'm pretty sure it's original to the house, which was build in the 1970s. We actually put engineered hardwood in the kitchen in our last house. I have no regrets.

One thing we did when we bought our current house is replace the gross living room carpet with much darker hardwood than is through the rest of the downstairs. I know that's not what you're asking about, but I say this to say that I agree with everyone else--it's almost impossible to match woods, so I wouldn't even try.

Thanks for mentioning this, Kareni. I remember reading a review of this series years ago (probably yours on WTM), but it had fallen off my radar.

Finished book 1/75 for 2022. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 🌟🌟🌟🌟 This family drama was very engrossing to me. This is the second of Ng's books I've read, and they all relate an Asian American experience, and I find this interesting. Something about this novel was a bit jarring--somehow the third person point of view seems to oscillate from immediate to removed, and that distracted me a bit. Obviously, though, it wasn't enough to make me quit or not find it compelling.

Thanks to everyone who shared. After much research, I ordered a Clever Fox weekly premium planner. I hope it will be here by the end of the week. I am optimistic that it's going to turn me into a productivity queen. LOL

One historical fiction novel I really enjoyed a few years ago is Island of the Sea Women by Lisa See. Historical fiction is probably my most-read genre over all, and this one had a unique setting with history I was completely unfamiliar with.

QFT on the bolded part! I can attest to this as someone who has taught high school and college English over the years.

I'm currently invested in The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell in audio and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng on paper. I have a little bit of a struggle confusing the storylines not because they're a whole lot alike but because they both have teens in them and I sort of mix up the characters. I shall persevere because I'm into both stories.

Ooh! Off to google!

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I've been doing NYE a family stuff all day and will be tonight, and I didn't want you all to think I posted and ghosted. Lol. Right now I'm most intrigued by the Commit 30 planners and the Clever Fox planners. I hope to watch some YouTube videos of walkthroughs of those before I order. Anyone who has used either (or both!) care to comment? Side note: I failed to mention above that I am also a failed bullet journaler. I love the idea and even kind of enjoy setting it up, but I'm bad at follow through, especially when I have to make so much from scratch. Time is an issue.

I searched but didn't see a recent thread. If I missed one, please point me in the right direction. I want to use a planner. Some things about me that make this hard: 1. I'm scattered/forgetful. I don't THINK I actually have ADD. I think it's just a combination of anxiety (treated) and too much to do. 2. I used to scrapbook when I was primarily a sahhm, but I quit as we added more children to the family. My point in mentioning this is that I do appreciate the aesthetic parts of planners, etc., but they're not my primary reason for using one. 2. My purpose in using a planner is to keep me on track with home tasks and personal goals. What have you used? Tell me about your favorites, please.

Can someone link me to the planner thread/discussion? I'm planner challenged but imagine one would help my extreme scattered-ness.