What I Am Into - May 2013

What I Am Into :: MAY 2013

I don't know what it was about May, but it seemed to drag on and on and on. In my mind, it's been May FOR.EV.ER. This has not been helped by far too many dreary rainy days. Bring on the sunshine, June. In the meantime, here's what I've been into this past month.

On My Nightstand:

Apparently this was the month of Sci-Fi. I re-read Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, which I love for somehow managing to be both intriguing and mindless. Perfect. Then I moved on to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. It was my first time reading it and wow, intense. Completely absorbing and fascinating. Five stars, all that good stuff.

Now I'm moving onto something a little more standard for me, Ami McKay's The Virgin Cure. I've loved her since reading The Birth House front-to-back without putting it down, so I have high hopes for this one as well.

On the screen:

I finally heard enough about Call the Midwife to convince me that I Had To Watch It. And it's true, I did. I fell head-over-heels in love with the show after only one episode. I adore it for being both tender and raw, sweet and witty, hopeful and realistic. Beautiful. I watched the season finale of season two last night; I'm not sure what to do with myself now. Probably watch it again, because yes, of course.

In My Kitchen:

Our Friday nights have for many months now consisted of a mad dash through dinner, a frantic "we're going to be late again" drive through the city, a lively discussion with our small group (the last remaining piece of our now-dissolved church plant), and finally a relaxing London Fog latte from a fun little coffee shop before heading back home to do the whole bedtime routine. As much as we loved our Bible study, it was the London Fogs that we really waited for each week. (Just kidding.) (Mostly.)

Now our friends have moved and Friday night Bible study is no more. Which means that Friday night London Fogs are no more. The horror!

(That's right, Paul and Julie, I'm talking about you. You see what you've done? Honestly, guys, I don't know where your priorities are.)

So when it's Friday night and you and your husband are both craving London Fogs and driving to that cute little cafe seems a bit excessive just to indulge in a latte, you do what you have to: comb teh Internetz for an acceptable homemade replacement.

Guys. I FOUND ONE.

Which means that every day this week, I have been making myself a London Fog (also known as an Earl Grey Latte) using this recipe, which I love for its all-inclusiveness. The recipe for the vanilla syrup, instructions for an easy microwaved foamed milk, and of course directions for the latte itself are all right there on one page. Easy-peasy; I love it.

It took me a few tries to get the milk to really foam up nicely, but I've now perfected it. I heat the milk in the jar for one minute, put the lid on and shake it like mad, then take off the lid and pop it back in the microwave for another 45 seconds. Warm foamy delicious milk, every time.

In My Ears:

The boy received a shiny red ukulele from one of his many aunties this month, so that's been in my ears. Fortunately, it is actually quite pleasant to listen to. So thank you, Auntie Katie, for choosing a ukulele and not, say, a recorder. My ears are grateful.

What I'm Looking Forward to in June:

We're taking the kids on a much-anticipated trip to Mt. St. Helens this weekend. (Talk about starting the month off with a bang...okay, okay, that was bad.) The boys have a slightly morbid obsession with this volcano, including watching documentaries to go along with the library books they've read on the subject.

As if the mountain alone wasn't enough, we get to meet up with our friends who moved to Oregon last month! The kids are excited about seeing their little friend again, and the husband and I are looking forward to catching up with our former pastor and his wife.

I'm also excited about the prospect of sunshine this month! Rain, rain, go away...

Finally, huge changes are coming as the husband (finally! finally!) graduates, taking his shiny new Electrical Engineering degree with him to his new job! I feel like I can let out the breath I didn't realize I've been holding. He has a job. We're going to have a steady income for the first time in...many years. *sigh of relief* Of course, all of that money will be going straight to paying off those student loans as fast as we can manage it, but still. Steady income. A job!

Well, friends, that is What I've Been Into this past month. What about you?

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