What I'm Into

[That photo is actually from April. :D I guess I'm into posting old photos.]
My friend Brenda does this (I guess a lot of bloggers do), and I always think, hey I should do that! But I don't, aside from some interests/updates posts that might mention things I'm into. So here goes my first official "What I'm Into" post.

General Highlights
June was a pretty good month, beginning with my niece's visit, which included trips to Silver Falls, Tillamook and the coast. My department went on a one-day work retreat to Lake Suttle. I spent the next couple of weekends chilling to make up for all that excitement (I'm weak!). I reconnected with an old friend, celebrated my friend Deborah's birthday at a BBQ, and did a lot of other little things that'll be covered in the following topics.

Read and Reading
I've had some bad luck with books lately, and have started a few only to quit on them. But I did enjoy the few books I finished in June...


Where We Belong by Emily Giffin: I've enjoyed several Giffin books even though I don't always like her character's choices. I loved this story!

A Place to Belong by Lauraine Snelling: The final book in a series I had read and enjoyed. And I didn't mean to have a "belong" theme in my reading this month. And yes, that book cover embarrasses me.

Hypothetical Future Baby: An Unsentimental Adoption Memoir by Claudia Chapman: I loved this! It's by a blogger I follow who adopted from Ethiopia. Definitely check out her blog and/or the book.

I'm currently working on several books, as usual, and who knows which ones I'll actually finish. I need to get to the library where I have more audiobooks waiting to rescue me from the ones I'm not enjoying.

TV/Movies
When my niece visited, we went to see The Fault in Our Stars, per her request. I'm not really into super sad movies--and it was--but this was well done and I'm glad we got to go. If you go see it, bring more Kleenex than you think you'll need.


Meanwhile, on Netflix I've been watching Once Upon a Time. I couldn't get into it the first time I tried, but I gave it another chance and have been enjoying it in the evenings. It's not the greatest ever, but it's interesting enough to keep me company while I play phone games or have dinner. Plus it's a family kind of show--fairly clean and includes all sorts of fairytale characters.

And since I don't think I've mentioned it here before, Parks and Recreation has become my new comfort show that I watch on repeat when I'm lonely, need a little cheering up or just want some guaranteed entertainment. IT'S SO FUNNY.

Music
I took a little trip down memory lane recently and dug up some old songs that I loved in my teens. I was always big into R&B and especially loved ballads back then, like Force MD's Tender Love and The Deele's Two Occasions. But in newer (to me) music, my aforementioned friend I reconnected with introduced me to Marc Cohn, and I particularly like Strangers in a Car.

Cooking/Eating
I think the best thing I ate this month was some carrot cake at Deborah's birthday BBQ. Wow, that was good! As for cooking this month:

• I made my own version of these Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites - They were good and froze well.
• I made a version of this Green Chile Mock Enchilada Casserole using ground turkey and it was fantastic.
• My niece and I made these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter bars that are always awesome and addictive.

Purchases
I did a lot of shopping/spending this month (too much!) and a couple of my favorite purchases were:

Bath & Body Works Beautiful Day lotion - It smells so good! I want to get some more products in this scent.

LED Twinkle Star Tap Light - A silly impulse buy from Walmart that I've ended up loving, because apparently I'm 8 years old. It was like $3.something and I find it cute and comforting to turn it on when I go to bed. It shuts off automatically after 30 minutes.

Games

Candy Crush - Big news--I finished Candy Crush! Well, all of the levels they have created so far (590). I will probably go back and replay some levels or even start it again, because it's so fun.

Sumoku - My friend Dan sent me this game since I loved it so much when he first showed me how to play. It's really fun and good for all ages. I think it would be especially great for helping with basic math skills for kids.

Catch Phrase - Since Jimmy Fallon plays Catch Phrase on his show, Dan was craving to play and ended up purchasing the game, which we've played over the phone several times. I also downloaded a few apps for Taboo and Catch Phrase on my phone.

Work
Summer brings on a different atmosphere at work, as well as lots of building changes while the weather's nice. At my department retreat, I found out my office is moving to another building, so in August things are going to change a lot. I will go from sharing an office with one coworker to sharing with my entire department (we'll have cubicle walls). It should be interesting.

Other than that, my design projects are mainly for fall events, but I actually have a few projects for Christmas and Thanksgiving cards already! So I've been perusing lots of Christmas stock vectors and it feels a little wrong.

I also took on a freelance design project for a church invite card. It's good to get a little side work.

Miscellaneous

• The temps have been great for sleeping and not needing fans or a heater. My electric bill should be good!
• Timehop - This is an app you can download and it'll report to you what you tweeted, instagrammed and photographed on this date in years past. I find I look forward to reviewing my Timehop each day now, and I've been way more into Twitter knowing I'll get to revisit my tweets in a year.
• The other day I got to see a mom deer and her three tiny babies! The pictures I got were horrendous and not worth sharing here, but you should've seen these adorable fawns. After nursing on their mom for a bit, they hopped around like little grasshoppers. They were the tiniest deer I've ever seen.

And now I think I'm supposed to post this:

Feel free to share anything you were into in June!

Everyday

I haven't intentionally taken a blogging break, but after my 7-day posting spree, I guess I got a little burnt out. (Burned out?) I'm still not in much of a blogging mood, but I might as well ease back in with a little update on the shallower parts of life.

Lately, I've become a TV addict. I don't actually have any traditional TV service, but Netflix is serving me well. Watching something during meals has stretched into watching several somethings in the evening and on weekends. When I first started watching Drop Dead Diva, I was only semi-into it and felt like it could be improved. Now, more than 4 seasons in, I'm wishing I could be roommates with the characters. I will definitely miss it when it's over. The show is a little like Ally McBeal and Legally Blonde combined. It has its flaws, but I've grown attached to it. You might want to check it out (as long as you aren't a lawyer or work in that field--the inaccuracies would probably drive you crazy).

I've also just started watching Revenge. It's not my usual style, but I'm intrigued, and it's set in the Hamptons with lovely scenery.

What are you watching? As always, I welcome Netflix recommendations.


[My old couch - farewell!]

[Greetings, new couch!]
As 99% of you already know, I bought a new couch! I've never had a new one, and mine has needed replacing for quite awhile now. I kept putting it off, but came across a good deal with free delivery and went for it (after visiting it three times before deciding :P). My old one has served me well, and has been in my family for more than twenty years. I was getting tired of adjusting the cushions and falling through gaps, though. Plus, the look of it is outdated (though it was the coolest back when my parents bought it). My new couch is a more neutral shade of chocolate brown, and the best part? Recliners on each end! Being a couch potato is sooo much easier now!

I should note that the whole couch process went very smoothly and I'm so thankful. Part of the reason I never replaced mine was because I didn't want to deal with the logistics. But between free delivery from the store and free pickup (for my old one) from Union Gospel Mission, it all worked out. Both sets of couch movers were very nice and cheerful despite having to maneuver a couch around tight corners and on stairs.

Recently, I tried a couple of new recipes. One was my own version of Chicken Piccata. I combined some different ideas and ingredients to create a delicious and untraditional version of the dish. The chicken was AWESOME. I brined it first, which I hadn't done before, and I think that worked with other factors to get a very tender and flavorful end result. I prepared a lemon cream caper sauce and the chicken was served over mashed potatoes. Whenever I've ordered Chicken Piccata at The Cheesecake Factory I've had them sub the pasta for potatoes, and I think it works very well with the dish.

I was also able to make use of some of the large, sweet blackberries around my neighborhood. I still have some in the freezer from last year, so this time I decided to make something with the freshly-picked berries right away instead of putting it off. After a little looking, I decided on this cobbler recipe that had good reviews and basic ingredients. It was very easy, and the end result was delicious--not only when fresh out of the oven with ice cream, but room temperature by itself.

My reading life has been a little rocky. I have started several books that I didn't enjoy enough to finish, and finished a couple that were just okay. However, I just picked up five new audiobooks from the library yesterday, so I'm excited to dive into them after I finish my current one. I'll never finish all five before they're due, but hopefully I can renew some, and I'm betting one or two aren't worth listening to anyway. Still, I feel like road tripping just to have lots of book time!


This was the sunrise the other day. Kind of nice.

Happy anniversary to my parents on Thursday! :) 43 years. They won't see this since they're camping, but maybe when they get back.

This weekend I'm headed to the state fair, so I may have some photos to post later. Bye!

Books and Netflix

Happy August! This is the first day where I'm not really sure what to post. I had thought about posting my book list from July, but it's a little embarrassing. For instance, I reread Twilight. So how about my in-progress books, instead?

What I'm reading:
Currently I have audio of The Winter Sea (Susanna Kearsley) going in my car, Must Love Dogs (Claire Cook) on my phone (for walks), and an actual paperback* of The Sleeping Beauty Proposal (Sarah Strohmeyer) sitting near my bed. I've only just started the last two and don't have much to say. As for The Winter Sea, I have slightly mixed feelings so far. The writing is good, but some of the content is not really my thing (Scottish history and politics). I suppose I am enjoying it overall, though. I'd be interested in reading something else by her.

And while we're on the subject of leisurely entertainment:

What I'm watching:
I can't remember if I mentioned watching Arrested Development (a TV show, if you don't know). I really enjoyed the first three seasons--I literally LOLed at various points--but the bonus fourth season on Netflix was NOT great. In fact, I still haven't finished it, and I've only trudged through the episodes I have because I was just looking for something to turn on briefly during meals, and didn't know what else to watch.

Then I decided to give New Girl a try, and enjoyed the first season that's on Netflix. I wish Netflix would get all of the seasons of shows, but what do I expect for $8/month?

As for movies, last night I finished watching the Katy Perry movie/documentary, Part of Me. It was good. I am not crazy about Katy Perry for various reasons, but I definitely gained more understanding and appreciation for her after watching.

I'd love to hear any Netflix recommendations you have, or even non-Netflix. What are you watching?

August
August is a little bland for me. I haven't had a lot of wondrous things happen in this month, and it's at the point where I'm mourning the end of summer and not wanting to rush fall. I'd be happy for this August to prove me wrong this year and be awesome. Here's to a new trend: Awegust! ;) *clink*

*I know! Not audio or Kindle? There was no audio and the Kindle version was more than I wanted to spend.