What I'm into, November 2013 edition

November, what a month! My baby girl is ONE. One, people. She has brought our family so much joy. What a treasure.

Here's what I'm into this month, all categorised for those of you who are even remotely interested in how I spend my time:

Books

• The Harry Potter Series, again. I am such a Potter nut. I love it. Whenever I just want to enjoy reading for the sake of reading, I end up back here. This latest bought started when I picked up the Chamber Of Secrets at a secondhand shop. Then I got Order of the Phoenix at the library book sale. And on it goes.  Don't knock it till you've tried it.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I got this one out of the library upon the recommendation of Jen Hatmaker in Seven, and Shauna Niequist in Bread and Wine. It is great, but I was overly optimistic that I could get through a book like this. I will be getting it out to finish when on summer holiday next month.
• Interupted by Jen Hatmaker. Enjoying, not yet finished. 
• Reading Bread and Wine again on Kindle (By Shauna Niequist). I read this one in the flesh (Paper?!) when I bought it for a friend in April, so I am reading it now in a weird order, finding the bits I liked and the recipes I wanted to try. Roasted broccolli OH MY how you have changed my life. 
• I started and finished Nice girls don't change the world by Lynne Hybels in the space of about a half hour. It's a small book, it's a life-changing book. I was leant it years ago by people who said "This reminds me of you". I felt exhausted at the thought of it. I thought the book would be telling me to stop being nice and start being domineering and bossy and forthright and to go out there and do Important Things. Turns out, most of the book is spent talking about being less busy doing all the things you think a "Nice" christian woman should do. I should have read this years ago. (There's that should word). If I had taken the messages to heart I could have saved myself a lot of stress. Anyway. I'm glad I read it and I will read it again and copy out passages. 
• I started, optimisticly, A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. I'm reading this one as it's one Sarah Bessey recommends. Sounds good so far and I'm hoping I can stick with it.

Movies & TV

Images via Caitlyn Murphy on Pinterest

• Doctor Who - finally got my next disc - we are at the start of season 3. Poor Doctor, without Rose. *Sob* And can we STOP for a moment and talk about the 50th anniversary special?!?!? Seriously, on a superficial level - I want Rose's hair. On a non-superficial level, how dare my children all decide to cry and not sleep on this most auspicious night. I watched this in spurts - missed the start, watched the bits with the machine that goes DING, missed some more, caught Rose in the shed, missed the stuff with the bomb, saw the end. Then watched it through from the beginning recorded. There just aren't any words for how much I loved it. LOVED it.

• New Girl on DVD, sometimes I love it and feel so happy when I watch it, sometimes I just feel like I want it to end. At the moment I'm in the just-want-it-to-end state. In fact, I returned my last DVD without finishing it because I was so Meh. Some other time I'll be in the right space for it. 
• Les Miserables. Another finally moment, I missed this at the movies because of a new baby. I just adored it. I listened to the cassette tape as a child and teenager over and over religiously. I had never see the stage show. So it was amazing to see the songs and the storyline come to life in such a beautiful and heart-wrenching fashion. 
• I would also like to make an unashamed kids+TV plug for Tiki Tour, on every morning at 6.30am. They are currently touring our country, which is so cool, as I am learning all sorts of fascinating things about small towns in the south island! I'm very keen on visiting Oamuru now. Steampunk capital of New Zealand. 

Magazines and publications

• If you have someone in your family or a friend who is into IT or web design, apps and suchlike - I highly recommend Offfscreen magazine. They ship around the world and it is a beautiful publication. Incredibly inspiring and interesting for those who are all technical-like. (Not me, clearly, but my husband).
• Sweet Paul magazine. I adore this magazine. Cooking and crafting and beautiful things. It is really easy to read online and even prints out beautifully. The best thing is the current Christmas Kids issue, available as an iPad version or as a PDF. So many amazing things. SO MANY. Get it! Print it out! You'll treasure it forever. (And for anyone obsessed with miniature things, like myself, check out the adorable feature below). 
  
• Flow magazine and 101 Woonideeen from the Netherlands. My lucky lucky in-laws have been overseas trotting around Europe. They are forgiven for having such a good time because they send me magazines I ask them to find. Flow magazine has an International version too, in English, but they sent me the Dutch version, which I love. (I already have the international versions). And 101 Woonideeen is the most brilliant interiors magazine. I just love the Dutch and Scandinavian style. So many cool ideas. Again, not in English, but google translate to the rescue if you ever want to know what the words say. The pictures more than make up for it. 
  
  
  

Crafting & Making

• New category to share the creative things I've been into each month. Excited much! I've been making ornaments from Mollie Makes magazine - the year before last's Christmas edition! They're cute. I want to design and make my own one year so thought trying out other peoples patterns would be a good way to learn.
• I made these car seat pillows for my kids when we went on a road trip recently. They were good but Mister 3 was grumpy, pillow or no pillow. They took a lot of time and the pattern, which I was a good honest person and paid for from etsy, just wasn't as easy to find as I'd hope for $8 US. It needed photos and clearer steps. But I'm glad I tried it.
• I've started the Modern Patchwork Ecourse from Rachel at Smile and Wave. I made the Stars in your Eyes pillow. I mucked up piecing it together which is annoying - got one bit upside down. But it still looks ok and as it's just for my home I'm living with it. I figure that the first time I do something, I'm learning, so mistakes are okay. 
• Trying to finish off a cross stitch from Wee Little Stitches on Etsy. They are great, easy to follow, simple - but it just all takes time. I've been working on this one since March. I've just not sat down and put serious hours into it like it needs. Aiming to get it done by Christmas but would like it done before so I can choose some more for gifts. 

General Life Loveliness

 We have had some lovely times this spring, holidays with friends, a walk around the lake in baby season, and unexpected trips back up to our hometown. Meet Lola the lamb. I know. So precious.
My wee vegetable garden is thriving due to the act of planting Borage in it. Word to the wise - this plant grows, man. It's more than a metre tall and wide. But it's done great things for the rest of the plot. Does anyone need any silverbeet, by the way?

So enough from me, what are you into this month? I'm linking up with Leigh and the lovely people who know her. Check out everyone elses posts by clicking the button - you're sure to find some Christmas gift ideas!

xx Sarah

(I can't get the button to work, but link up with Leigh here)

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines: - See more at: http://www.leighkramer.com/#sthash.4jIie8L2.dpuf

What I'm into (July 2013 Edition)

July has been a weird month, full of lots of uncomfortable revelations about myself! But hey, that's a good thing I think. It is good to learn, to grow.
I enjoy sharing about books and other things that I love so thought I'd link up with Leigh's "What I'm into" quickly this month.

Books I finished

"Happier at Home" by Gretchen Rubin: I just finished this one a few days ago. I have got back into using the library as a way of attempting to limit my over-indulgent and unrealistic book-buying habit. So I had this one out twice as I didn't quite get through it the first time. I did enjoy it but probably not as much as her first, "The Happiness Project". It's definitely worth reading the first one and if you liked it, you'd want to read this one too.

"Grace for the Good Girl - letting go of the Try-hard life" by Emily P Freeman. This was amaaaaazzzzzing. It was sort of like she wrote it just for me. (She didn't, but I can pretend). So many revelations. So much wisdom. So much that has challenged and convicted me about my behaviour, and so much that has set me free. She has articulated things that I knew somewhere inside me but that hadn't cemented in my heart. If you grew up in a good Christian home, if you struggle with expectations and pressure, if you have anxiety and worry in your life, if you feel like you have to do-and-be-it-all, then I highly recommend this book.

Books I'm currently reading

"A french affair" and "Summer of Love" by Katie Fforde. She is my favourite chick-lit author. It's light, funny, romantic and easy to read. Both of these are library picks too. Escapism at it's best!

"Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking" by Susan Cain. I've been interested in reading this one for a while and I hope I can get through it before I need to return it. My stamina with non-fiction isn't particularly high. It is a good read and a fascinating subject. My beautiful 5 year old daughter is an introvert, and my hubs and I sway right on the line between introvert and extrovert and probably lean more towards introversion. I've gotten right into the whole Myers Briggs personality stuff recently and am looking forward to seeing what this book has to say.

"The Story of God, the Story of Us" by Sean Gladding. I bought this one a couple of years ago and am still really keen on reading it. I struggle with regular scripture reading, and I'm hoping this could help bring the bible back to life for me. It is the story of the bible, told chronilogically, from the point of view of the people who were there, living it. Well written and profound but requires concentration. 

On my TV

Doctor Who! Of course. I watched all of the most recent season (I loooovvveee Clara) and started from the beginning last year too. We just hit the end of season 2 and I cried, cried, CRIED during "Doomsday". Sob. Hanging out now for the 50th anniversary special, and then more tears during this years Christmas special when we say goodbye to the 11th Doctor. SOB again.

The Delicious Miss Dahl. This is a cooking show by Brit and ex-supermodel Sophie Dahl. I rented it out and it is beautiful, just beautiful. Hopefully we'll get it on TV here one day. I definitely recommend this along with her cooking books too. I made her Toffee Apple Crumble recently and yes, it is as good as it sounds.

The Great British Sewing Bee. A school mum recommended this one and I watched some episodes on YouTube. It's great. British programs have such normal people in them! Wonderful. This is a refreshing departure from Project Runway. If you like watching people sew and construct garments, but don't like the cattiness and all that, then check this one out.

The Big Bang Theory. Hubby and I love this one. We own series 1-5 and it's great watching them in order to figure out how things actually happened. I think TVNZ kept mucking up things for a while there, in any case we could never work out if something was a repeat or new. And Penny said "I LOVE YOU" to Leonard last night!!! Eek!!!

Music

Jill Phillips had some albums up on NoiseTrade last month and I got "In this Hour". I love "Nobody's got it all Together" and it was great to hear another of hers. The title track is poignant for my season of life "You can try, but happiness is found, right here in this house, in this room, in this hour".

Also loving Sons of Korah. My husband got given this for his birthday last year and it is beautiful, haunting, peaceful.

Film

I can't say that we ever watch many movies but we have seen a couple lately - Captain America, which was good fun and great to see a real excellent moral protagonist. Highly recommended for pre-teen/teenage boys actually. And Sound City, which is a project by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana. A great music film and worth watching even if you're not a rock music nut like my husband, I still really enjoyed it and there were so many incredibly profound musical moments.

Internet

I've been on a bit of a money/budgeting buzz this last month, and have enjoyed reading through the archives of And Then We Saved. Anna makes being frugal sound more fun than it is. Ha.

I just adore the Red Velvet girls and their blogs - A Beautiful Mess, Skunkboy Blog, and Smile & Wave.

Megan from SortaCrunchy blogged for 7 days in a row last week - no small feat with twin 6 month old boys! I loved reading so much from her, she is one of my faves.

And I love anything from Tina Francis - this one and this one were great treats.

Coming out of a couple of months of injuries and sickness, I'm hoping that August holds less stress and more fun times for our family. I tend to bunker down in August and start furiously indulging in retail therapy since we are stuck inside so much. But we have been having some lovely warm days for winter, my daughter has a new bike, so who knows - we may even go walking some days. I've been enjoying doing some painting and sewing too.

What about you? Anyone discovered anything exciting in July?

xx Sarah