What I Am Into - July 2013

What I Am Into :: JULY 2013

Oh July. I want to kiss you and hug you and never let you go. Thanks for being awesome, July.

On My Nightstand:

My lovely parents-in-law gave the husband and I Kobo Touch eReaders for our birthdays. (Yes, birthday. I'm 30 now. Let's just pretend that didn't happen, mkay?) So then came the Big Question: What would be the first book to grace my lovely new eReader?

I mean, my love affair with books began when I was just a wee little girl. I lived my childhood in other worlds thanks to my precious books. My dad would crack jokes about how he could drop a bomb next to my head and I wouldn't even notice, so ever-engrossed in a book was I. I worked in a library for seven years and have never loved a job more. So. Like I said. Big Question.

I feel like the answer to that question deserves a drumroll.

*druuuuuuuuumroll!*

And congratulations to Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt!

Sure, it's a young adult book. It's also one of the best books I have ever read. It was one of my teenage self's favourites and one of the few books that I have read over and over. It was simply wonderful to immerse myself in that story again this month, and it was no surprise to me when the second in the series, Dicey's Song, soon became the second book on my eReader. I quickly finished that one as well and, for the sake of my bank account, am trying to hold off on purchasing the rest of the series for a little while.

I also enjoyed reading through Wild Goslings: Engaging with kids in the mysteries of God by Brandy Walker. It was full of hope and truth and authenticity and I loved it. I especially love that I'm seeing more of this sort of thing, this willingness to invite children to truly experience God rather than simply be spoon-fed moral lessons from a variety of Bible stories, unnaturally and unhelpfully separated from any cohesive and holistic overarching Story. But that's another soapbox for another time.

On the screen:

We discovered BBC's Sherlock Holmes series this month and are eagerly catching up on past episodes of that. It is so nice to have something witty and interesting to watch in the evenings, while our other favourite shows are taking a break for the summer. Of course, with only six episodes to watch, it won't keep us occupied for long, but it's thoroughly satisfying while it lasts.

In My Kitchen:

Boring boring boring. Lots of hamburgers and salmon burgers and sausages on the grill. I'm feeling thoroughly uninspired. If you have a favourite summer dish you want to share in the comments, my fried brain will thank you profusely.

In My Ears:

The boy made his very first mixed CD last fall. Well, he's gone and made another one, and it amuses me every bit as much as the first one. I must admit, that shift between track 4 (The Beatles' Twist and Shout) and Track 5 (Wee Sing's Triceratops) is rather jarring, but aside from that, it's quite fun to listen to. (The husband disagrees, however; there's entirely too much Christmas music included for his liking.)

What I'm Looking Forward to in August:

Half of our month will be spent travelling. We'll drive nearly 900 km to visit my in-laws for several days, drive back home, and then the kids and I will head out three days later on a 2300 km drive to surprise my mother with a short visit for her birthday. We'll take our time driving those same 2300 km back home, though, stopping to spend some time in Drumheller on the way. Known as the "dinosaur capital of the world", it's unsurprising that it's one of the boys' favourite places to visit. And all those beautiful mountains we get to drive through? They make the drive worth it all on their own.

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

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