A Thursday list

1. I made a command decision this weekend that even though we hadn't quite landed into fall weather yet, it was soup season darn it, and I was going to start making soup. I love soups/stews, mostly because it can be an inexpensive, easy way to make a meal with tons of flavor and lots of good-for-you stuff inside. Can you make expensive soups/stews full of stuff that isn't quite so healthy but delicious? Of course. But the beauty of soup is that there are so many options! This week's soups: chili (obviously), Italian sausage and chickpea stew, and butternut squash soup.

2.So, I think I mentioned recently that I started a new knitting project. Well, knitting means one of two things: audiobooks or television. I haven't started any new audiobooks lately, but I have been enjoying the return of This is Us, Superstore, and The Middle. My latest Netflix watch has been Longmire, and I'm really enjoying it. It's based on a book series, which Jeremy has read. I read the first book several years ago and liked it, just never got around to picking any more up. They're essentially police procedural mysteries, but the small-town Wyoming setting gives it a unique flavor. The setting is almost like a character, and the show does a good job of translating that. And as far as the show goes, the actors are really top-notch, so it's worth a watch if you enjoy mysteries, small-town settings, or the American West.

3. You know what makes for a great day? Noticing that you have enough rewards on your Starbucks card for a free drink. Yay!

4. Last year I decided to try reading the Bible through chronologically this year. A couple of friends had done it in the past and really enjoyed that kind of read through. While I usually enjoy an in depth study now and then, I felt like I was past due for a good big-picture, broad view reading of the Bible. The Bible app I use (YouVersion) has a chronological plan so I didn't have to buy anything or do any special research. It just tells me what to read every day. I've loved it! It really helps keep things in context, especially the prophets. Everything feels like part of a whole, not just isolated books or chapters or stories. Highly recommend doing a chronological plan at least once in your life (maybe more than that!).

5. Finally picking up All the Crooked Saints today! I had a review book I was plowing through last week, so All the Crooked Saints has been sitting on my table calling to me (the review book, incidentally, was actually a pretty interesting sci-fi book -- C Square. It leaned pretty heavily on the science part of the science fiction, and on philosophy and characters. It was a little rough around the edges, but not bad for an independently published book).

Until next time!