what i'm into {august edition}

 I first read of this idea, "What I'm Into" for a blog post from Deanna's blog,  

Tea With Dee - and loved it! I believe the originator behind this idea is Leigh 

from Hopeful Leigh. What a great way to learn more about the person behind the blog,

 plus catch up a bit on what's been going on in their life for the month.

So even though it's not really the end of August, I figured the 26th was close enough.

Celebrations ~ We had two celebrations this month, but combined them into one party - Tim's going away to university and my birthday. You can read about the party here.

Around My Home ~ Always working on a project or two (or more)...I'm painting a nightstand; weeding through a ton of cut-out recipes and putting lots of them in the recyling bin; gathering household items and seldom-worn summer clothes to donate; last week made extra food and baked goodies to bring to Tim's new house yesterday (it was so good to see my "baby"!); masking off Tim's room so we can start priming the walls; working on a mini scrapbook for a friend's birthday; and maintaining all my outdoor plants and flowers, especially now that the heat and humidity have hit us hard.

Reading (Books, Magazines, Blogs) ~ Just finishing up the short novel, So Long, See You Tomorrow. You can follow me on Goodreads! I also have a stack of magazines I've been going through. I was almost to the end of the stack and picked up 5 more magazines at Savers today. I got all 5 of them for under $1. 

When I was in Barnes and Noble last week and was looking through magazines, I was drawn to these photos:

I love gallery walls, and this one is no exception...

 Always looking for ideas to decorate the inside of my fireplace in the warmer months...

I've always loved cottage decorating, but recently I'm finding myself drawn to 

mid-century modern. Love this collection of glassware...

If you're not familiar with the blog, Down to Earth - you should be. Rhonda is from Australia, lives "simple" and has a ton of great ideas and thoughts. She's even written and published a book! You can join in on the forums on her blog:

"You'll meet people from all over the world who are living simply, or trying to. There are discussions about baking bread, making soap, vegetable gardening, cooking, chickens, housework, home maintenance, crafts, paying off debt, budgeting and life in general. We're a supportive and helpful bunch and we'd like to meet you."

Watching (Movies, TV) ~ I have never been much of a movie or TV watcher, so nothing to report there. But after hearing about two new series on Netflix - House of Cards and Orange is the New Black - I decided to check them out. I couldn't get into House of Cards, but OITNB? Wow. The premise is a women's federal prison and the main character is sentenced to 15 months for carrying a suitcase full of drug money. The acting is fantastic and the characters amazing, terrifying, funny, and real. A heads-up: This is definitely an adults-only series. There's nudity, sex, and some foul language. Check out more details on this series from Wikipedia.

Food (Recipes, Groceries, Restaurants) ~ I made healthy, light dinners every night last week and now I'm kind of burnt out - of gumption AND ideas. Not to mention this entire week will be in the 90's, so I'm not turning on the oven nor do I want to be standing over the stove-top for too long. And when the weather is hot, I just don't feel like eating hot, heavy food, such as from a slow cooker. I'm fine with salads and things like an assortment of raw veggies, hummus, grapes and maybe some healthy-type crackers, but I feel like the husband needs a little more. So I'm still wracking my brains on this one for the week. Maybe we'll have BLT's one night and a breakfast dinner (scrambled eggs, toast, fruit) another night. There we go - two ideas down! When we were visiting Tim at his new place yesterday, we all went out to dinner at a pub-type restaurant. I had a chicken club wrap and only ate half, so the other half went with Brian today to work for his lunch.

Out & About ~ I seem to have a lot of that and usually write about it on my blog as it happens. One of my favorite days this month was thrifting with my mom and aunt. Another weekend day was spent moving Tim into his new place - and the next day, enjoying a hike in the State Park with Brian. On the 31st, me, my mom, and aunt are hoping to take a train ride into downtown Chicago to visit Millenium Park and go window shopping on The Magnificent Mile . Today, a friend took me to Savers with her.

Special Moments ~ Off the top of my head (I don't track these; maybe I should do so)...evening walks with Brian after dinner; catching up with a neighbor we haven't talked to in awhile; admiring another neighbor's beautiful front yard gardens; visiting Tim at his new place yesterday and seeing how well he was doing.

What have you been into this month...projects, outings, readings, blessings,

special moments, anything new you've discovered? I'd love to hear about it!