Wednesday, July 31, 2013

What I'm Into - July 2013

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

Want a little glimpse into my life? :)

Books I Read:
To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer: I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did The Short-Straw Bride, but it was still a good read. I'll probably try another book by her in the next month or so.

A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist: This is another author that GoodReads suggested, so I decided to give her a try. I really enjoyed this book about a mail order bride who goes out west to logging country in Washington...only she doesn't know she is a mail-order bride. She thinks she's been hired to be a cook. It was cute! A light fluffy read that was a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.

Beguiled by Deanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand: So since I liked A Bride in the Bargain, I decided to read another book by her. I didn't realize this one had a co-author until I started reading it. Bertrand is actually a mystery writer, so it was a mash-up of romance and mystery. While I didn't like this book as much as the other one I read, I still found it entertaining. It's about a professional dog walker who gets accused of robbing the houses of the people she works for.

Books in the Queue:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Shopaholic and Sister (book 4) by Sophie Kinsella: Can't get enough of Becky's antics!

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa Terkeurst

Can't Miss Television:
How I Met Your Mother: Uh...how have I gone so long without seeing this show? We found it on Netflix and started watching it. It's absolutely hilarious! Plus, I'm a big fan of the 22 minute length (30 minute show without the commercials). I can stay awake through it. *wink*

Movies I've Watched:
Paperman: Another Netflix find. Weird. Super weird. My life would have still been complete without this one. Surely that isn't the only movie I've watched this month....eh, maybe it is.

The Sweetest Thing: I just remembered that I did watch another movie. This one is a chick flick with guy humor. In other words, it's funny, but very raunchy. It does, however, have an all star cast. I wasn't expecting Jason Bateman to show up on screen because he didn't get front billing, so that was a fun surprise! Maybe this was filmed before Arrested Development? Anyhow, I wouldn't go out of my way to watch this one either.

Music I've Listened to:
Country Radio: Lots of driving back and forth to the Fireworks Tent. Country radio was on when I got in the car, and it was still on a week later when we we finished up at the tent. Catchy music! Although "tragic" seems to be the general theme of that genre...

Yummy in My Tummy:
Mini Doughnuts: So Sean and I have a thing for mini doughnuts. You know, the small chocolate and powdered sugar covered doughnuts that are highly processed and probably contribute to all sorts of health problems? Yeah, we love those things! I think our infatuation with them began when we went to a marriage conference, and the hotel had an enormous plate of mini doughnuts. They didn't have any other breakfast offerings or a restaurant onsite, but they were VERY proud of their mini doughnut selection and repeatedly mentioned it to us. So now we love them partly because we thought that was funny, and partly because they are delicious.

Did I just link to Mini Doughnuts on Amazon? Why, yes. Yes, I did. I don't think you can ever have too many mini doughnuts in your life. And now I want a mini doughnut...or six...

Happiness is:
My Sunday School Class: This summer, our church offered a Men's Class and a Women's Class during the Sunday School hour. They normally don't offer gender specific classes, but thought they would give it a try over summer to give some teachers a break. I absolutely love the women's class! Cheryl, who used to come over and help me with the kids, teaches it. She is a nurse and is covering all sorts of topics that are specific to women, including, depression, self-exams, setting boundaries, life balance, sex, etc. all from a biblical point of view. It's so practical and refreshing! So often, the church as a whole ignores uncomfortable subjects like depression and sex and leaves women (and men) to fend for themselves. I love getting all of this from a Christian perspective, without judgement and with lots of opportunities to ask questions in a safe environment. I know the young women in our church are grateful the older women are willing to get a little bit uncomfortable to pass on the wisdom they've picked up over the years. I think if more churches were willing to talk about this type of thing, everyone would be a lot better off. Long story short, I think I'm going to cry when this class is over. It's the best one I've ever been too!

What I'm Looking Forward to in August:
The Go Blog Social Blogging Conference: I'm really excited about this conference! It's right here in Kansas City and runs Thursday evening through Saturday evening. It's my first time going to one of these so I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of mingling with so many people for so long (yeah, I'm a total introvert), but I think it will be a wonderful opportunity to network and learn some new blogging skills!

Continuing to work on our Summer Bucket List! How long can we keep working on this list before it turns into a Fall Bucket List?

I'm linking up with What I'm Into at HopefulLeigh.
This post contains affiliate links. I get a small commission when you buy something through the link. Thank you for supporting my blog and family this way! For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

13 comments:

  1. How I Met Your Mother - SO MUCH YES. Best show ever, hands down. Haaaave you met Ted?

    I remember enjoying several of Deeanne Gist's historical novels! It's been years since I've read one though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find myself laughing throughout the day at a silly line from that show. It's really pretty witty!

      I'm hoping to fit in another Gist novel this month, but I guess we will see how far I get!

      Delete
  2. Totally off the subject, but I signed up for a Goodie box from your previous post. Got my first one! I also signed up for the kid version, I think they said that one would come in August. It was so fun to get that first box! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you are enjoying it! Did I miss the kid version?! I didn't see that one! Do you have a link?

      Delete
  3. I've watched a few episodes of How I met your mother and they were funny. Are those books romance novels? I'm looking for some new books to read. A bride in the bargain sounds like a good book. I'm heading to Amazon now to check them out for my kindle. Thanks for sharing your list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they are Christian romance novels. I haven't really read romance novels in the past, so this is a new genre for me. I think they are fun!

      Let me know what you think of "A Bride in the Bargain!"

      Delete
  4. I loved the Short Straw Bride. I've re-read it a couple of times even though I know the outcome. I'll have to try A Bride in the Bargain since it looks like we have similar taste in books

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so attached to the characters in "The Short Straw Bride" by the end of it. The author did a fabulous job telling the story!

      Hmm...since we have similar tastes in books, I'd love to hear your recommendations!

      Delete
  5. O man I watched Paperman too unfortunately and you're right it was horrible!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm always bummed when I watch a less than stellar movie, since I can't get those hours of my life back. Bummer. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

      Delete
  6. I tore through Gone Girl earlier this year. WHOA. You'll need to talk to someone once you're done- and probably while you're in the middle of it, too. I've always been more of a whole doughnut kind of girl but now Loco Donuts (mini-donut food truck!) is here and I'll never again be the same. Soooooo good.

    Thanks for linking up with What I'm Into!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just finished Gone Girl last night. It definitely ramps up there from the middle to the end. Sheesh! But I've got to say, those are some seriously messed up characters, with a very engaging story.

      Hey, when it comes to doughnuts, I'll take the big or small ones. They are my guilty pleasure to the extreme!

      Delete
  7. I just finished "To Win Her Heart" and I liked it a lot! I think it might be my favorite so far. My sister got it for me for my birthday as a Nook book. Now I have "Head in the Clouds" from the library that I'm going to try. Thanks for helping me discover a new author! :) Every time I read one of these books, I think "I could totally write a book like this!" Maybe someday... ;)

    ReplyDelete

We would love to hear what you think! Please know that all comments are on a slight delay as we approve them on our end. Thanks for commenting!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...