Week 6: Something That Makes Me Happy

Something that makes me happy - what an easy theme, right? 

No!

There were so many things to pick from: a collage of pictures from London, my bookshelf, a video I made at the ocean while in Portugal this summer, my huge pile of colored pens, ...
I think you can see my problem but the first thing that came to my mind was color, organization and sticky-notes.

So here it is:
a small part of my colorful collection of sticky-notes I love using while planning

 

 

And while I was moving little knick-knacks to clear the perfect place for my photo, I realized that this little sign by Britto that is right next to my desk makes me smile every time I look at it (which is a lot because it's right in front of my Winnie-the-Pooh alarm clock which I got from my friends for my 13th birthday).

 

Week 7's prompt is:

Sleep

Week 5: Red

This week has been a bit slow blog-wise because I had so much to do. It was officially winter break in Vienna and my birthday so I celebrated a bit, went out with some friends, had one student to tutor and did some other fun things but from tomorrow afternoon on (Today is Superbowl Sunday and two of my friends are celebrating their 30th birthday before watching the game. So tomorrow morning calls for some much needed sleep.) it's back to normal.

This week we had to take a photo capturing "Red" and this is what caught my eye at a playground:

It's part of a supercool slide at a playground near university where I spent some time with my good friend Judith and her two boys this week.

For week 6 I would love to see your creations for the following prompt:

Something that makes me happy

Week 4: Memories

Some topics you need to interpret a little bit. 

In my case it has to do with this photograph:

I cannot remeber this specific situation this picture was taken but one of my fondest memories from childhood is when my parents read to me. I remember weekends spent reading Berenstain Bears books, The Monster at the End of the Book, Big Bird brings Spring to Sesame Street and many many others. Most of the time they read to me but from time to time I "read" to them. I tended to remember books and knew exactly when to turn the page so I was able to "read" my favorite books before being able to really read.

So as you can see, I always had a love for books and reading and early memories of mum and dad reading to me for hours and hours. Thanks guys btw!

Next week I would love to see your creations for:

Red

The Big Three O

Today is my birthday! 

My 30th birthday! 

Happy Birthday to me!

Damn it, I'm 30! Sorry, but life wasn't planned that way. I never agreed to being thirty and still at uni, tutoring and not teaching at school, being single and everything else life threw my way over the last few years! No! That's not how I imagined it!

BUT

I am happy! I have a great life - well, obviously not the dream life 10 year old me imagined - but I have an amazing family, great friends (some for 20 or even 25 years), the best parents ever, a career goal, a job I really like, the best and most loyal dog a girl could wish for, ...

I learned a lot over my 30 years of existence - talking, walking, writing, reading (Thank God), arguing, forgiving, concentrating, test taking, playing an instrument, forgetting how to play an instrument - best of all I learned to let go - of so-called friends, of friends who just went another way, of negative thoughts, of prejudices, of a self-image that's no longer true, of hoping that the world evolves around me (yes, I realized that this won't happen)...

I am living a fabulous life and I achieved so much over the last years that I can be so proud of myself - so proud!

So let's raise a glass: "To many more incredible years to come with old and new friends, many more books and a loving family by my side!"

Week 3: Animal(s)

As a dog owner what other animal should I post except my beloved Felix. He loves water (but not rain) and is standing in puddles and river every opportunity he gets. During the warmer months - at least what he defines as warmer (aka March till October) - he loves chasing after stones we throw into a river. And nothing is more fun than barking like a maniac while doing it. Here's some proof.

Next week I would love to see your creations for:

Memories

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish.  

This week I'm going to tell you my

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

Wow, I've written my last Top Ten Tuesday post on June 16th, 2015. It's been a long time to neglect a meme I love so much but this week's topic stole my heart the moment I read it. 2015 was the year of reading books I already owned. I didn't buy as many books as I did the years before and I returned from London - my mekka for buying books without proper thinking before running to the register -  with only 3 books. That never happened before. 

So I want to try to limit my book buying even more in 2016 or to put it more correctly: I want to read more books I already own. I bought them with the intention of reading them, I bought them because they sounded interesting and like my cup of tea, I bought them, put them on my shelf and didn't give them a chance. In 2016 they will get their chance.

These are my Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR ("oldies" but goldies style):

V.E. Schwab - A Darker Shade of Magic 

(by the time this list goes up, I've already finished it the day before - go me!)
 

C.J. Daugherty - Legacy

Leigh Bardugo - Shadow and Bone
 

Samantha Shannon - The Bone Season
 

Ali McNamara - The Little Flower Shop by the Sea
 

Gail Carriger - Manners & Mutiny 

(the last book in a series and it's hard for me to say goodbye to the characters. Sophronia is just kick-ass.)
 

Kady Cross - The Girl with the Iron Touch
 

Janet Evanovich - Takedown Twenty
 

Terry Pratchett - I Shall Wear Midnight
 

Mike Gayle - Seeing Other People

 

Let's see how many of these I actually read during this year and if I can stick to my resolution of reading more books from my TBR pile. 

Week 2: Bloom

The promp this week was Bloom and the minute I read it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Unfortunately the sun wasn't a frequent guest last week and over the weekend when it was sunny-ish I just wasn't feeling like taking a picture. So here is my contribution for Bloom - a few days late.

Next week I would love to see your creations for:

Animal(s)