Gracious. What can I say about June? May 31st we flew from Entebbe, Uganda to Bujumbura, Burundi. 5 days later I left Burundi, ostensibly for home, only to get passport stamps in Kenya and England due to flight delays. It's good to be back in Nashville, though much less eventful.
Read and Reading:
Masterfully written memoir by renowned food critic Ruth Reichl, Tender at the Bone details her chaotic childhood compliments of her undiagnosed bipolar mother, work-prone father, and a revolving door of help. It's her mother's penchant for serving spoiled food that ultimately propels Reichl into the kitchen. She grows up to have a rather bohemian lifestyle, even living on a commune for some time. Reichl's unpredictable relationship with her mother is at the heart of each story and its resolution is full of redemption. I'm looking forward to reading the follow up, Comfort Me With Apples.
Homemade with Love (Perillo) is my new cookbook crush. It's filled with easy, from scratch recipes for everything from condiments to yogurt to all-purpose baking mixes. Perfect for anyone who's ready to get back to the basics and stay far from GMOs.
Beautifully written story- using first person plural, no less- The Weird Sisters (Brown) is about three sisters that asks questions of identity. How do we become who we are? Does our family decide, does birth order have a role, can people change? Shakespeare quotes abound (the father is an expert on the bard) and each sister is allowed to fail and soar in her own way, while grappling with their small hometown, their mother's cancer diagnosis, and their own sense of who they are.
I've read Momastery sporadically the last year or so. Glennon is a phenomenal writer and I loved the collection of essays in Carry On, Warrior. While she writes about parenting at times, her insights offer rich truth in all areas of life.
You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads.
Currently reading: Eat With Joy (Stone), O Me of Little Faith (Boyett), A Year of Biblical Womanhood (Evans), Life After Art (Appling), Walking on Water (L'Engle), When Helping Hurts (Corbett and Fikkert).
(I read 11 books this month.)
TV:
Must-see TV: So You Think You Can Dance, Real Housewives of Orange County (and New Jersey. I can't help it.)
I haven't found anyone near by with Netflix so I can watch Arrested Development. Given the mixed reviews, I haven't tried too hard to track it down either. But I will watch soon, one way or another.
Just finished season 2 of Big Love. All The Thoughts and Feelings.
Movies:
Movies I Watched on the Plane that I Recommend: Promised Land, Jack the Giant Slayer, Hope Springs
Movies I Watched on the Plane I Liked in Spite of Myself: Beautiful Creatures, Skyfall
Movie I Watched on the Plane That Was Even Worse Than I Thought It Would Be: The Guilt Trip
Music:
I've long been a fan of 30 Seconds to Mars and their new album is no exception. Love Lust Faith + Dreams is an evolution of their sound. The powerful vocals and thought-provoking lyrics ensure I'll be coming back to this album for some time to come. Plusalso: Jared Leto. Is there nothing he can't do?
Things I Love:
- (technically happened in May but whatevs) Seeing my grammar school friend Kim in Entebbe! So wild to meet up on the other side of the world.
- Dancing at the well in Bubanza
- Henna parties with kindred spirits
- Faux laughing
- Fresh avocados and pineapples and bananas, oh my! Want moar now.
- Drinking English Breakfast tea in England- a silver lining in all the travel delays and unexpected stops
Photo via Abby
- Hanging out with Robin Dance and Abby Barnhart- love when my people come to visit!
- The Sherwood Collection from Popbasic. I want that t-shirt in every color and the skirt is such a bright bunch of fun.
- The start of CSA season. So happy to be getting my half share from Delvin Farms again! Also relieved that the West Nashville Farmers Market drama produced a new farmers market: West End Farmers Market at Vine Street. Tons of vendors! I even saw a mini doughnut food truck there last weekend.
- My Imaginary Well-Dressed Toddler Daughter
- Skype dates with Tanya Marlow and Antonia Terrazas
- Anchorman 2 trailer. December 20, y'all.
My sleep mask from BibBon. It's a thing of beauty. I don't wear it every night but I like knowing I can. It saved my sleeping life whilst in Uganda and Burundi.
- Introducing people to Mug Brownies
- Shiner Ruby Redbird
- Travis Wall's choregraphing skills on SYTYCD- the blindfold routine? AMAZING.
- Hangouts, especially when Allison thinks I look like Tina Fey. I've already thanked my eyeglasses for garnering me the compliment.
- Making plans for summer trips: going home for our family reunion, seeing a friend in Louisville, and going to Atlanta for the first time
- Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup!!! They've won twice since I moved to Nashville. Coincidence? I think not.
- Meeting Glennon Melton at her book signing. She hugged everyone in line! She also asked Amanda and me to write down our blog addresses and we gave her our cards and died of the awesomeness.
On The Blog:
I wrote about sisterhood, henna parties, and snuck in the fact that I've started seeing a counselor again. It's wild how many of us struggle with our sense of worth and beauty.
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What have you been into this month?
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