Progress On My 13 Autumn Goals

    It is about time that I talk about the progress of my goals.  That is exactly what I shall do today.

GIMP

    I downloaded GIMP and have taken a little bit of time to try it out.  I used a very simple tutorial from Her New Leaf's Pimp My Blog series.  How to Make a Signature Image With GIMP was very straight forward and the results were pleasing.  The only problem is since my blog has a colored background I could not get the resulting product to look seamless on a post.  It would have been nice to have been able to use the signature.  I enjoyed the tutorial though and if your blog has a white background, you should give it a try.  Here is one of the signatures I created.  It was really simple.  I look forward to trying out some more tutorials.  Maybe I can edit some of my photographs.

Created using tutorial from Her New Leaf.

Books

   I finished one book on the 25th of October.  Mary Robinette Kowal's "Glamour in Glass" is the second in a series.  I have adored these books.  They are artfully crafted and keep me on the edge of whatever I happen to be sitting on at the time with anticipation and excitement to see how things turn out.  I enjoy following the character  Jane and her adventures.  I very much look forward to reading the next in the series "Without a Summer."  However, I will have to wait to read it until December as, if  I start now, I will get nothing done.  

    I wanted to start a new book in October.  However, many of the books I am interested in starting next are too close to the genre of my NaNoWriMo project.  I don't want what I am reading during November to influence what I am writing.  This will likely happen anyway.  But at least if I am reading a cook book I will notice it much more quickly.  LOL.  I will of course never finish reading a cook book cover to cover in the remaining seven weeks of autumn.  But it can certainly be one of the books I am on the side.  Plus, I'd like to learn some new recipes to try for my 13 Autumn Goals.  I can always pick up another book in December.  Maybe even "Without a Summer."  Or perhaps I will read "Homeland" by R. A. Salvatore.  We'll see.

Autumn Decorations

    I have enjoyed this goal.  I haven't done a whole lot of seasonal decorating.  It can get expensive and I am saving up for things I really want to get.  I have gotten a seasonal item that I have wanted to get for several years now though.  A cinnamon broom.  Every year something seems to come up.  But not this year.  This year my home is filled with the delicious smell of cinnamon.  I have friends come over insisting that they smelled chai.  What a wonderfully welcoming smell.  I have also picked up a little, very little, pumpkin.  It sits at my door looking festive.  I will not be carving it as it will last longer.  Also, I feel carving it would make it very Halloween themed.   I look forward to adding a few more pieces to my decorations as the season goes on.  For now I am very pleased with my little treasures.

French

    I was successful I think in listening to more French in the background using 8tracks.  Just check out some of my Things I Love Thursday posts.  Even better, I was introduced to a website where I have started to study again.  Duolingo!  I found it through a friend's tweet.  I am not very far along and can't give much of a review.  I am enjoying it so far and am hoping to make it a part of my daily routine.

Decor

    I have been having fun dreaming of decor and all the beauty I would like to create in my home.  I have a rough idea of what I would like for several of the rooms in my home save the office.  Look forward to more dreaming of decor posts in the future.

    Well those are some of my major updates as far as my 13 Autumn goals.  Tell me about your goals and how you are progressing on them int he comments.  Or if you talk about them on your own blog leave a link.