Tag: read

Hauls & Unhauls · Life Style

Redecorating Both My Kindles

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Hello and welcome to a bit of a makeover post! Today I am going to be redecorating both of my kindle devices to give them a bit of a new life, but also add some practicality as well. I was inspired by papernroses over on youtube for this little endeavor. For reference I have an 8th Generation Kindle that no longer is really supported and I just throw in my bag to take with me out in the world. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which I only use at home at this point in time. I think when my 8th one fully decides to stop working I will also be taking my Signature around town as well. As of right now my Kindle 8th Gen. just has some dead pixels, but does not impede my reading thankfully. Anyway, now that you have that bit of background information on to the redecorating!

The Supplies

Popsockets; one standard, one magsafe

Transparent cases; one sparkles, one plain clear

Various stickers, mainly knitting or halloween related

After

My newer at home kindle is the one I ended up adding the most to. The main reason for this is because it is the kindle I was able to find a see through cover for where I can collage the stickers together more easily without needing to commit. I ended up adding a Wool of Fortune tarot card, a moth knitting, a fox wearing a sweater, a hand, a la bien amiee sticker of her as a cartoon on a bike, and a moon. I also ended up adding a popsocket to the back as well to aid in holding the kindle while I get sleepy in bed. I found a realy cute one that had a moon and sun.

I ended up not being able to get a picture of my other kindle, but I did end up adding a clear sparkly popsocket and putting a few stickers on it as well. You might be wondering why I was not able to get a picture…well I misplaced it. This is why I have an out and about kindle and home kindle. I do think I know where it is, but I need to do a little travel to check. Oops!

I do hope you enjoyed this small post of my kindle makeover! Have you decorated for kindle? Any suggestions to make mine easier to use or even cuter? Please share below!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Let's Talk

What I Want 2024 to Look Like

ClassicBhaer5 Comments

Hello and welcome to another little post from my small part of the internet. Every year I take the time to write up some goals for myself and do my best to stick with them. This past year things have changed in my life, which is why I am not on here as much as I used to be, serious how did I have time to write two posts a week? Anyway, I didn’t want to make goals in the way I usually do, but more so wanted to talk about what I wanted the year to look like for me.

Kindle, two note books, a winter themed project bag, and a clear box sitting on a made bed.

Reading

This year I realized I have not read many books. In total I have read 7 books in all of 2023. If you want to see which books I read, you can see those here in my Year in Books 2023 recap. While this is no where near what I used to read when I was reading more than 100 a year a lot has changed in my life. I think my reading is going to stay reduced as far as I can tell, but I would like to read at least 6 books next year. I say that because I still want to have a little bit of daily reading in my life and that is what I have been doing. I read a few pages when I have the time and brain space to do so. in 2024, I want to keep that up.

Knitting, Crochet, and Crafting

This year I did a lot of making, which I am happy about. I think I did so much because it is easier to knit and crochet while chatting with someone, watching a movie, or just out and about during my spare moments. I ended up making 31 items this year. These include socks, sweaters, cowls, scarfs, shawls, dresses, and other items. I am really proud of the things I created this year and I just want to keep that up as well throughout the year. Finding me time while doing something relaxing is something I have really come to enjoy.

Life in General

I have started going back to yoga a few months ago and I have been really enjoying how it has made me feel. I feel stronger, agile, and overall more relaxed. I really want to keep this up as well, even if it is just once a week. On top of that, I would really like to go on more adventures throughout the year. That could be trying a new place to eat, exploring a few place, or going on a day trip. I just want to experience some new things.

As you can see, my “goals” for this year are really just to continue to do the things that make my happy. I want to read a few pages a day, do some crafting to calm me down, maintain my yoga practice, and just do something new and exciting. Nothing to out there, but I really want to focus on what makes me happy this year and not worry about specific numbers or items. Will I make some mini goals for myself throughout the year, most likely, but I feel like this year I want to go easy on myself.

I really hope you had a wonderful 2023 and that 2024 is even better for you!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Current Reads and WIPs

Current WIPs and Reads | August 2023

ClassicBhaer1 Comment

Hello and welcome to a little mid-month check in with the book or books I am reading and projects that are keeping me busy. I will say, I already finished a book this month…who am I?! But, I am still working on another that I believe will last me the rest of the month because it a TOME. As for projects I am, as always, working on a few.

Current Reads

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, which is about J. Robert Oppenheimer. Yes, I did see the movie Oppenheimer and then promptly picked up the book the next time I went to a bookstore. This is a tome, but I am reading a little bit at a time and really enjoying learning a bit more about Oppenheimer. I can’t say that this is an aspect of history I really ever delved in, I never thought to look up who or whom created the atomic bomb and their stories. After seeing the movie, I became curious and as is customary, not everything can be kept in a movie so I am already seeing some information that is new to me.

Current WIPs

Completed ribbing on knitting needles on couch next to lemon themed yarn bag.

While I have about four WIPs or works in progress on the go, I am really focusing on two at this point in time. The first being Wyethia by Jessica McDonald (Ravelry | Website) This is a really nice shirt with lace along the bottom that I really would love to finish ASAP so I get some wear out of it before the weather cools off. As of writing this I am done with the lace, body, and have split for front and back. I am currently working on the back, so I don’t have a ton more to do. I am using Concept by Katia Cotton-Merino in color 59 (gray), which is 70% cotton and 30% wool.

The second project I am really just starting is my Tessellated Vest by Andrea Mowry (Ravelry | Website) for New York Sheep and Wool this year. I am using a kit I picked up from Farmer’s Daughter Fibers using pincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool in the color ghost ranch (wool), The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Oh Dang! in the color clay dreaming (alpaca suri silk blend), and The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Spinster’s Daughter in the color willow creek (wool). My goal is to work on this and finish in time to actually wear it to the festival. Since I decided to work on the vest, I think I will be able to do it in time.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Let's Talk

Why I Think I Don’t Read As Much As I Used To and How I Plan to Change It

ClassicBhaer6 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to a little retrospective post. I know I have been silent for sometime…yet again. I thought I was on such an upswing of blogging and reading following Blogmas and finishing a book in January. Well, as you can probably easily see, my blog has been silent for the most part. I have not felt motivated at all to write or read in the last few months, which has been very strange for me. I am used to reading over 100 books a year and filling every free moment with reading and talking about reading…what has changed? Well, this has led me to do some self reflecting and ask myself, “Why don’t I want to do the things I absolutely loved anymore?”.

First and foremost, I think the main reason is because I fell in love with a new hobby. Reading has been my main hobby for years and years! I participated in others, but they were not new to me and I had done them for years as well. During the Summer of 2021 specifically August I taught myself how to knit and it became a love for me. Well, let me tell you something it is hard to knit and read. So, I slowly read less and less because of it. Yes, I can listen to audiobooks and I do from time to time, but when I need to count, do yarn overs, and patterning listening to a book leads me to make a lot of mistakes. I am hoping as I knit more, this will be something I can work through, but we shall see.

Life style change is probably the second biggest contributor I would say. I honestly can say I prefer reading physical books, but I do enjoy other formats a lot. But, I think because of some changes I needed to make in my life in recent years not getting my hands on physical books has led me not to pick up my ereader or phone to listen to an audiobook. I have had to downsize a lot in recent years, my library of physical books has really dwindled. Most of the ones I have chosen to keep have been some of my favorite reads of all times or special books that have been signed or picked up at events. That doesn’t really leave a ton of room to add books to the bookshelf I do have and I do not want them to spread around the space, apart from the book I am currently reading on my nightstand. On top of that, I have gotten out of the habit of putting library books on hold at my library. Now, because I think of the pandemic, I got in the habit of really looking at their digital library and downloading stuff onto my kindle and then promptly forgetting they are there because they are just in a kindle that always looks the same. This is for sure something I have realized and need to work on.

So, what does this mean? Well, for me I think this self reflection is really helpful in figuring out what is a priority in my life. I want reading to be one of those again and I think realizing the why is a good tool in getting it back to that place. Now, I don’t want to stop knitting, it is something I love as well, but I think I need to get in the habit of balancing my time better. Why not set aside some time for fun reading? Why not borrow a physical book again? These are things I have under my control and I can change. My limited space is not something I can control. I think I just need to make an effort to find a balance and realize that it is not going to happen over night. It is not going to happen through force, but through my desire to read.

I think two things I am going to try to do over the next two months. The first being requesting physical books from the library again…I need to figure out how to get my login information again. The second I think is setting aside some time in my week to read. I think I kept failing at reintroducing it into my life was because I kept saying doing one book a week or 30 min a day. I was adding pressure to it instead of letting it fit into my time more organically. I feel like I should be happy and proud that I sit down to read once a week at this point. If this week it happens on a Monday, then next week it is on a Thursday…Perfect! I read at least once during the week.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Monthly Digest & Wrap Up

Monthly Digest & Wrap Up | July 2023

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Hello and welcome to my monthly recap! This months post is going to be short and sweet, but I did some reading and got a few projects off of my needles. I didn’t go outside too much due to the heat so I was able to get a bunch done on my projects.

Books

As for reading this month, I am making my way through The Spite House by Johnny Compton. So far, I am enjoying it, but I will say the building at the start is a bit slow. I am at a point where things are getting real and the pace is more something I enjoy. I am curious to see where this story brings this family in this apparent haunted house. I feel like it might get very intense, but I can’t be too sure.

Crochet & Knitting

Tee shirt with short balloon sleeves in a cream color with specs of various colors.


Ghost Whisperer by Park Williams (Ravelry | Website), this is the first project I finished this past month. I really enjoyed making this pattern, although I did enjoy up adding a few inches to the body for my preference. My plan is to wear this over a dress for a little bit of a cover when in the air conditioning this summer as well. This pattern is made with a single strand of mohair for most of it, but in certain points it is held double.

A pair of red socks with stitch markers counting rows.


My second completed project was a modified version of the Dorsal Socks by Helen Stewart (Ravelry). I actually made this pair in a single week as part of Knitty Natty’s Sock Week. It takes place every year in the Summer where you do your best to knit a single sock within the week, she also runs something similar in the winter that is a bit longer where the goal is to knit a pair. Anyway, I modified this pattern by only adding a single fin on the back of the socks and using a shadow wrap heel created by EarthtonesGirl. This is also my first pair of shortie socks and I can see myself making more of them to wear around the house in the warmer weather.

Adventures

Collage of yarn store, comic store, bubble tea, and knitting at a restaurant with a tea.

This month I went on a few adventures, but I am going to only share a few. The first one I want to share is the fact I went on a little day trip my with boyfriend to Doyles Town, PA. There we went to a yarn shop, comic shop, and ate some yummy ramen. It was a lovely day just walking around a little downtown together and exploring a new place. Another day I took myself out to breakfast, not something I normally do, but I was bored and I wanted breakfast food. So I took myself and my knitting out to breakfast and worked on my Twisted Tea Shirt by The Little Wolf Knits. I also ended up going to get my hair done that day and running to a little local yarn store and picked up some yarn to make a pair of socks.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Let's Talk · Reading Challenges

My 2022 Reading

ClassicBhaer3 Comments

Hello and welcome to a post where I am going to share some books stats from my reading this year! I did not track too much, but I still think it is fun to take a look at. If you want to see the list of books I read this year, you can find that on my Good Reads Challenge Page. Now I will also say I am taking advantage of the data collected by Goodreads to create this post. In the past I tracked my reading a bit more with a google sheet, but this year I just didn’t for one reasons or another.

I read a total of 9,267 pages

I read 32 books

Shortest book read was 18 pages and it was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Longest book read was 607 pages and it was The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

Average book length was 289 pages

Most popular book read was One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Least popular book read was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Average rating for a book in 2022 was 3.8 stars

Even though I did not track a lot of other things this year like genre, I am glad to have this data to look at. I am really happy that while I did not read nearly as much as I usually do, I rated books, on average pretty well. On top of that it was kind of fun to see the most and least popular book, based upon how many people have also read the book, not its rating. I am not sure if I am going to track on a goole sheet next year or not yet, but I know for sure I can count on Goodreads at least to give me some fun stats to look at during the end of the year.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Let's Talk · Lists & Recommendations · To Be Read

Books I Took With Me On Vacation

ClassicBhaer5 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I am going to take a moment to share some of the books I took with my on vacation! I don’t know about you, but I love reading on vacation. The new environment is just a wonderful place to get lost in a book. This summer I decided to only take a select few, even though I wanted to fill my suitcase with only books. Anyway, here are the books I decided to take with me!

Picture of Lapvona hardcover and I’m Glad My Mom Died on eReader

Lapvona: A Novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, I recently picked this book up when visiting a local bookstore that is a mixture of new and used books. I picked this up because of the unusual cover and read the description and it sounded very interesting. It seems like this books is going to be a mixture of fiction and fantastical, but also a little bit of horror.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, I enjoyed watching her on tv when I was younger and honestly I saw she was coming out with a book a while ago and knew I wanted to read it before really knowing how dark the topics within the book were going to be. From my understanding, her mother and her did not have a great relationship (I mean read that title!) and was taken advantage of. I am glad that she has written her story and I look forward to learning more about her personal life in her own words.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Current Reads and WIPs

Current WIPs and Reads | August 2022

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Hello and welcome to a midmonth check-in! This month has truly flown by, I feel like the year always speeds up the further along we are. While I have finished a few projects and finished a few more books, I am just going to take a moment to share what I am currently reading and working on. But, don’t worry, in my monthly digest post I will share all my reads and projects! Anyway, here is what I am currently focusing on.

My Current Reads

Maledictions: A Horror Anthology by Cassandra Khaw (Contributor), this is an anthology in a very expansive universe called Warhammer 40k. I have never read anything from this universe before, honestly I was very overwhelmed because this science fiction is honestly a phenomenon in my eyes. There is just SO MUCH. But, I finally decided to see if there was some horror within and lo and behold there is some horror, a lot actually. So, I picked it up. I am about 30% in this collection of short stories and honestly I think it is a great introduction to this very large universe that is so rich with lore and history. It gives small peaks into that, so I feel like I am only dipping my toe in before really jumping in. The writing is honestly just wonderful. All of the stories I have read so far have been done so well, I have been utterly freaked out, which is perfect since it is horror. While this is me just dipping in my toes for now, not knowing everything or much about Warhammer 40k I feel like these stories explain what is needed and I think is a good foundation/starting point, even though it is not a traditional starting point. I am really excited to continue to read this.

My Current WIPs

Cuff and part of a leg of a sock on flexiflips with a shark progress keeper

The first project I am working on is a pair of socks, this time I am following a pattern called Picnic Blanket Socks (ravelry) by Helen Stewart. It has been a fun and easy knit so far and this yarn has been a dream to work with, nice and squishy. I am looking forward to wearing them when the weather gets a bit chillier.

Collar and short row shaping on a started sweater with fluffy mohair, wool in 2 colors, and 2 skeins of multicolored yarn

The second project I am currently working on is a bit more of an undertaking and I feel like I am going to be working on for a bit. It is the Alpenglow I (ravelry\non-ravelry) sweater pattern by Andrea Mowry. It will be my first time doing color work, I am both excited and scared out of my mind. I have completed just up to the start of the color work. I decided to put it aside until I do a bit more research on color dominance and then picking it back up to continue. I feel like I will have done that by the time this goes live.

What are you currently reading or working on?

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.