What I’m Into – Fall 2015
It’s been a few months since I linked up with the lovely Leigh Kramer’s What I’m Into monthly posts. I can’t pull it together to share all my things with you every month, but here are a few of my favorites from the past few:
Favorite Instagram
Ace’s legwarmers for the win! Why are baby thigh rolls so extremely wonderful?
Favorite Post
To the new parents of a child with special needs.
TV
Still watching West Wing on Netflix. I’ve made it Season 6, and though I’m committed till the end, I’m beginning to believe the people who say it all went downhill in Season 5. Will I make it to the end? I just don’t know. I keep holding out hope.
Also, I’m faithfully watching Nashville, even though it is REDONKULOUS as always, but getting more ridiculous this season. I mean, that fall off the building last week? Who out there actually laughed out loud? And then felt terrible about it? (Hand raised.)
BEST NEW SHOW: Y’all, I’m loving CrazyExGirlfriend. It has the same kind of joy and fun and whimsy that I loved in Ed and Pushing Daisies. (Both shows that were taken away from us and it was not fair.) This is a show for all of you lovers of sweet story lines and amazing musical numbers that I can’t even explain because I get too giddy talking about it.
And, that’s it, folks. I am only watching three shows right now. I’m telling you, this three kid thing is taking up a lot of my time.
Movies
Last month I finally saw Interstellar and I loved it. I’m still thinking about it. Chris and I also forced ourselves to stay awake long enough to watch a movie after trick-or-treating Saturday night. We rented Spy, which I thought was hysterical. My husband was only semi-convinced. But I think everything Melissa McCarthy does is amazing. (It’s my deep-rooted Gilmore Girls love that gives Sookie and unfair advantage in anything.)
[Wait. TIME OUT. Did I mention how excited I am about the Gilmore Girls reboot? Dreams are coming true. Rainbows are exploding.]
So I think I’ve only watched two movies in the last five months. So sorry for my lameness. I really do try.
Listening
August has been listening to Harry Potter on cd from the library. Which means so have I. (I love that he’s getting old enough to love some of the books I love! He keeps telling me things about HP and I’ll respond with the correct terminology, or knowing what a Nimbus 2000 is and he’s like, “How do you know this stuff, mom?” He still doesn’t believe that I actually loved these books first.)
Brooksie still loves listening to Magic Treehouse books on cd from the library and he’s finally branching out to the Boxcar Kids audio books as well. Audio books have been changing our lives in this house. Listening to books makes weekend rest times actually doable. And it makes picking up their room / doing chores bearable as well. And I love that they’re getting obsessed with stories.
Music: Not a lot to report on the music front. (Since all my listening time seems to be spent with children who are listening to books.) But several weeks ago the band at our church performed “Brother” from The Brilliance and it blew my mind. Since then I’ve had The Brilliance’s new album on repeat. So good.
Also, I’m so excited for Rain for Root’s new children’s album for Advent. I preordered mine and it releases in a few days. If you haven’t heard their music yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Books I Read
Sarah Bessey’s new book Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith is a beautiful book about the challenge and beauty and hope of going through a faith-deconstruction. Here’s what I said about it in my endorsement:
“Sarah Bessey writes with the fire of a preacher and the soul of a mother, critical thought without cynicism. This book is for all of us wonderers who long for Jesus and distrust easy answers. Sarah is a brave and faithful guide as we all learn to live the questions.”
I also just finished Seth Haines’ debut book Coming Clean, about his first ninety days of sobriety. This isn’t just a book about alcoholism, but about pain, and whatever it is we use to numb it. I found this book gorgeously written and thought provoking. So much I’m still chewing on.
Last month I finally read Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On Love and Life from Dear Sugar. I love all things Cheryl Strayed writes. Her prose is so sharp and compassionate and reading her makes me want to be a better writer. I may not agree with all her counsel in this collection, but she always makes me think.
Talk about things that make me what to be a better writer: Last month I also read The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr’s new book. Fifteen years ago I fell in love with Mary Karr’s poetry and she’s the reason I went to Syracuse. Reading this book was like reliving one of her classes. I felt a fresh longing to read great writers and make space for the kind of writing life I want to have. This is a book that will be reread and dog-eared, and I will come back to all those underlined words.
On the nightstand:
This year I’m a mentor through the amazing fellowship program at the Trinity Forum Academy. My mentee and I are working through some classic spiritual practices together. This month’s practice is Lectio Divina and I’m coming back to M. Basil Pennington’s book on the subject.
I’m part-way through Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak. I’m also partially into Friends for the Journeyfrom Madeleine L’Engle and Luci Shaw, two writers I love. I’m not sure about this one so far, but I’m really interested in the idea of a book composed of letters between two people, so I’m hoping I’ll end up liking it.
One of my goals for this new school year (which I guess isn’t so new anymore) is to make poetry more of a priority in my life: both the writing and the reading. I currently have two books of poetry that I’m working my way through. I’m very excited about Dave Harrity’s new book of poems, These Intricacies. Dave’s previous book Making Manifest is a combination of devotional meditations and writing exercises. I’m also reading Tania Runyan’s book of poems, Second Sky. Runyan’s poetry is influenced by her faith and I’m really drawn to the way she’s working with Paul’s New Testament passages in some of her poems.
Oh, and did I mention Christmas is coming???
I’m trying to get our thankful tree up in my house, so we can continue our tradition of practicing gratitude in November. I’m only 6 days late, you guys. (Also I’m terribly uncrafty, so mine is not this cute.)
And then it’s ADVENT. Woot Woot! In addition to the Rain for Roots children’s Advent album, I’m also super excited about these beautiful Advent and 12 Days of Christmas Devotional calendars, featuring meditations written by my friend Cara Strickland. I just ordered mine yesterday.
Also, if your church is looking for any poetry to use in worship throughout Advent, here’s a collection of poems I wrote for a church several years ago. They’re available at By/For.org.
What, dear readers, are you into these days? Leave a note in the comments!