A Tuesday list, summer thoughts....

Summer is for...

1. Fun movies like action, adventure, and romantic comedies. Because romantic comedies seem to have taken a back seat on the big screen lately, may I recommend these two gems on Netflix: Set it Up, and Man Up. 

2. A good summer jam. I have let go of any need to be up on current or popular music, but music fills my soul so I'm always on the lookout for the right song for the moment. Currently, Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves is my perfect summer album. For me it perfectly captures the feeling of sitting on the back porch, lounging by the pool, hanging out at the beach, or going for long drive with the windows down. It's lingering daylight and sunscreen and backyard barbecues. And if I want something with a little more rock-n-roll vibe, Needtobreathe has released a handful of new songs this summer in anticipation of their fall tour. These songs have a 70s feel to them, which fits right into a groovy summer vibe. 

3. Fresh produce and farmer's markets. Give me all your berries and stone fruit and tomatoes and cucumbers and eggplant. We are fortunate that in Texas a lot of fruits and vegetables are in season almost year-round (it's our consolation for the wicked-hot and unending summers), but even down here summer is a bounty.

4. Bugs. This is not my favorite thing, and sometimes it feels like a losing battle. The other night I killed three separate bugs within 10 minutes of walking through my house. 

5. Backyard gatherings. This one hasn't happened much yet. To be fair, in Houston this is actually more of a fall activity so on one's melting or being carried away by mosquitoes, but there's no denying that summer makes me long for friends, music, the sound of laughter, and the smell of charcoal. Something about the lack of school schedules, the lingering daylight, and that's just the way it's always been. Our schedule hasn't allowed for it much, but it's only June. We all know summer in Houston lasts well into October. 

Happy Tuesday!

A Friday list...

1. I'm finally catching up on the second season of The Crown on Netflix. Aside from one episode in the middle that I ended up doing some fast forwarding through (some sex scenes that were too graphic for my taste) -- I just love this show. The costumes, the history, the subtlety, the outstanding acting, the accents...British historical dramas aren't for everyone, but I'm a fan of this one.

2. Last year, Jeremy and I discovered we could fairly easily adapt the classic Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe for our little guy with food allergies, and the results are actually pretty yummy. Last week I decided to bake a batch with the kids, then put most of them in the freezer. The problem with this whole scenario...I am eating WAY too many chocolate chip cookies. The freezer is not far enough. I know they're there.

3. I got inspired at the public library the other day and picked up a book on impulse that turned out to be really delightful and engrossing enough to keep me up too late a few nights in a row (What You Don't Know About Charlie Outlaw). I returned it today and checked out a nice stack for the bedside table. I also have a review book that needs my attention soon, but after that I think I'll try either a British historical mystery (The September Society, by Charles Finch) or a sci-fi book recommended in an article at Book Riot (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers).

4. We have a family of stray cats that like to hang out in our back yard, and I find it mostly infuriating. I don't have anything against cats, generally speaking, but these like to poop all over our backyard, pee on our grill cover, and this morning they'd dragged a plastic baggie full of chicken bones into our backyard from who knows where. HOW CAN I MAKE THEM GO AWAY!?  (without trying to catch them myself. I'm pretty allergic to cats these days)

5. The kids have recently started to get into playing board games and card games just a little -- Hi-ho Cherry-o is a big hit, Go Fish, and a new one called Hoot, Owl, Hoot. Some days they're more in the mood to follow the rules than others, but I don't push it too hard. I love playing board games, so I'm just trying to do all I can to encourage their interest and make it fun.

6. Anyone else planning on having soccer games on all weekend?

Happy Friday! 

A Friday list...

1. I fully intended to write a blog post on Wednesday, but this week has been fairly exhausting, starting on Sunday with a trip to the ER and overnight stay in the ICU for the littlest munchkin. Everyone is doing good now, but it's definitely taken us until yesterday to get back into the swing of things. We're still adjusting to new medication routines, but I don't feel quite as overwhelmed as I did on Monday.

2. In other news...it's full-on summer weather here, which means two things: hot and humid. It also means I need to get better about getting in most of our outside play time before lunch.

3. I recently watched the show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Netflix, and had an interesting thought while describing it to someone: I told them that it was a really well-written, funny show with a fantastic setting, great costumes, skilled actors, and interesting relationships. Then I said "it does have a lot of language." Later, that phrase struck me as a really funny idiom that at first glance doesn't seem like an idiom. What I meant -- and what many people would understand me to mean -- is that it has a lot of crude/foul/vulgar/off color language, what others might refer to as "bad words." I thought about how in reality the phrase "it has a lot of language" is missing a key word to be perfectly clear. To someone unfamiliar with that idiom it probably sounds like I meant it physically has a lot of words (it does, actually. It's very wordy, but delightfully so). Or did I mean it has a lot of flowery language, silly language, pretentious language, basic language, multiple languages. The wordsmith in me has recommitted to being a little more clear in my communication from now on.

4. I'm knee deep in a re-read of the Anne of Green Gables series (currently on Anne's House of Dreams). I started out reading the first one as a read-along with some friends, and when I got to the end just couldn't quit Prince Edward Isle! I have a middle grade book to read and review next, and I picked up a couple of books from the library, so we'll see what lands next.

5. I'm on a musical soundtrack kick lately. With the right musical, I get a nice cheerful, upbeat, sunny-day listening. Currently on heavy rotation: The Sound of Music, Wicked (always), and The Greatest Showman (even though I haven't seen the movie yet)

What are you listening to? Watching? Reading?