A Tuesday list...

1. I've been checking out the band Johnnyswim this week. They are on tour right now with Needtobreathe, and in what's becoming an early-autumn tradition, we've got tickets to their Houston show at the end of September. I'm not real familiar with Johnnyswim yet, but it's always nice to be acquainted with a band when you go see them in concert. Well....I've only listened to one album plus their collaboration EP with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, but can I just say....I. Am. Hooked. Check out this song to get a taste: Let it Matter

2. I've got some shows and movies to catch up on soon: Anne with an E (I'm cautiously optimistic  after the first season, but they'll need to do a little character damage control with Matthew if I'm going to really enjoy it) To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (a friend said she cried buckets while watching this one, so I'll need to be ready). Funny -- all three of these are based on or adapted from books.

3. The kids enjoyed their first camping trip last week, although they were definitely done after the two days. Heat, humidity, and a couple of very late (for them) nights and early (up with the sun!) mornings wore them out. Me too. It was fun though, and I made sure to take notes for future family camping adventures. Such as: 1. the hammock is a must 2. munchkin-friendly card games are perfect for a little bit of down time 3. bring all the snacks 4. if there's room for bikes, bring 'em.

4. It's the time of summer when I'm itching to get back in the yard and do some work and damage control, but also it's miserably hot. The problem I always run into is that our mid-July trip to camp and after-camp recovery tends to derail what I got started in the late spring/early summer. Plants get puny and wilted...weeds start to take over. We keep the lawn mowed, but that's about it. At this point, I need to either suck it up (and do some yard work in the early morning or early evening when it's slightly cooler), or be content to wait until the hot weather breaks in a few (several) weeks.