Reading Goals for 2026

 If you ask anybody who knows me to name one of my favorite pastimes, they would most likely answer reading. 

I've enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories involve my mom and dad reading Dr Seuss's Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb Book to me. According to my ever-growing "books I've read" list on Goodreads, I've read roughly 752 books. I'm sure it's closer to 850, but I only started tracking in my late 20s, so all of the books I read as a teen, etc., are missing. 

Back in 2022, I found myself in a reading slump and barely got over 30 books read that year. That's abysmal! At the time, I usually averaged 50 books a year! I was very unhappy with my reading, but couldn't seem to find anything worth reading.  Then I stumbled across this challenge for reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks. For the next three years, I not only completed the challenge but exceeded it. I doubled my reading quantity!

The only downside to the challenge is that my TBR list grew three times larger, as well as the number of books I physically own. At last count, I own over 420 (not including digital), and there are a total of 598 books on my TBR. 

Which brings us to this year's reading goal. 

I want to read 100 books that I already own physically or digitally. I'm putting myself on a book-buying ban, well, minus my birthday and Christmas. I'm also not going to take part in the 52in52 this year. This is more because I'll be too tempted to buy new books to complete the challenge. 

So far, I've read 5 books for the year. Which puts me about two books behind to hit my goal, but I'll catch up and surpass that once I get through King Sorrow. I'm nearly done with it and have a couple of small fantasy novels lined up that I should be able to get through quickly. 

Mornings Before Work

 On days I work, doing deliveries for Spark, I'm up early at 7:30, which is rather early for me. I've not done early mornings since Hayley was in elementary school. One of the many perks of homeschooling and being a spoiled stay-at-home wife is sweet, sweet sleep. 

A new part of my morning routine, working or not, is facial skincare. I should have listened to my grandmother years ago and started moisturising when I was younger. 

My morning routine consists of a gentle cleanser, a vitamin C serum,
a peptide cream, and a moisturizer with sunscreen. 

While my serum is setting, I make some coffee, curl up in my book nook, and get my Bible reading done.  This week I'm working my way through Leviticus.  My end goal is to read the Bible in full in chronological order. 

My book nook is one of my favorite spots in the house. I'll have to give a tour one day. It's not only one of my favorite spots, but it's become one of the favorites for the whole family. Mister and Ms H both like to relax after work. 

After my Bible reading is done I head back to the room and make the bed while Mister has his morning shower and gets ready to head off for work. Here lately, he's taken to wanting coffee also. I usually fix it after the bed is made. 

I just love the way the light filters into my room in the morning. 

Once Mister has his coffee, his lunch, and his goodbye kiss, I boot his butt out the door and get my lunch ready. I'm usually on the road for at least five hours on Spark days. When I first started, I'd grab something from a drive-thru to eat. However, that was adding up, not only in money but in inches on my waist.  So, now I bring my lunches to control my calories and my wallet. 

Today's lunch consists of a sandwich, some granola, blueberries,
cherry tomatoes and a side of ice water. 

I also grab the recycling on the way out the door in the mornings, which is why the picture includes trash. That's this week's recycling. 

After my lunch is made, I grab a quick breakfast. Usually, it's a couple of slices of toast with the last of my coffee. This morning, I also started a quick load of laundry before telling Ms H bye. 

The last thing I do before logging into the work app is log my mileage before I leave the house. Partly because it's a habit my grandfather instilled in me when I was young, but mostly because I'm able to deduct the mileage I put on my car during 'work hours' on my taxes. I'm also able to deduct some of the gas and most of the maintenance. 

That's me all ready for work. Now it's off to deliver groceries to people over the next five or so hours. 

Homemaker Sunday ~ Week of Februrary 1st

 Happy February! 

Somehow, this country has survived the first 31 days of the new year. Here's hoping we can survive the next month as well. 

This last week was a weird but productive one. I decided not to work because of the remaining snow/ice on the ground. I have a fused ankle, and the risk of slipping and hurting it outweighed the money I could make. Instead, I spent the week cooking and putting up food, piddling around the house, and reading. 

I hope this next week has a little more routine as the weather warms up. 

Speaking of the weather, here's next week's outlook. 

Weather Outlook

Sunday~ 41/28

Monday~ 59/38
Tuesday~ 45/25
Wednesday~ 43/23

Thursday~ 53/36
Friday~ 59/29
Saturday~ 59/36

Definitely warmer than last week, which I'll take as a major win. 

Current Mood

Cranky. I'm trying very hard not to be cranky; it's proving to be a difficult task today. I woke up still tired. The perimenopause hormones are also wreaking havoc on my system. I'm 'hangry' because I'm trying hard to cut my calories to lose some weight. All of which is making me very cranky today. My solution to this is to put myself into a time-out in my little book nook. I'm going to try to take a few calming breaths, write some, read some, and browse Pinterest for recipe ideas. Maybe by the time it's time to cook dinner, I'll feel a little better, and I won't have bitten off any heads of my undeserving family members. 

Bible Reading 

Leviticus 1-18

Meal Ideas 

• Fried Deer Steak
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Baked Peanut Chicken, spinach, and purple rice
• Taco Soup (double batch for freezer lunches)

Work Schedule

With the better weather, I hope to work Tuesday and Thursday from about 10-5. 

Reading This Week

Working on King Sorrow by Joe Hill. It's a rather large novel; it'll probably take me a week, maybe two, to finish it. I'm having a hard time getting into it, but I'm hoping that if I get a few more chapters in, it'll grab me. 

Creative Outlet

I didn't get around to crocheting or working a puzzle last week. I did, however, spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking things from scratch. From-scratch cooking is a wonderful outlet for me. 

This week, I want to... no need to, get some work done on my crocheted blanket. 

Favorite Picture From Last Week

Ms H giving her classic smirk while out sledding