Show Us Your Books - April 2020

SUYB, Quarantine edition -- after a kind of slow start to the year, especially compared to last year, I think my reading mojo is coming back.  The first part of this quarantine I could not focus on anything, and I'm still reading slower than usual but, still reading.





Untamed by Glennon Doyle -- Definitely my favorite book of the year so far, probably in my top 5 favorite books ever. Ever ever.  As soon as I finished it I order a copy for my mom.  As with most things, different pieces will resonant more closely to some people than others, but there are just so many stunning, universal truths to be found in this book. I cannot wait to read it again.
Hard copy from a local, independently-owned, women-run bookseller (literally days before they closed until the COVID closures are over).

                                   

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett  -- This one was just okay for me.  I started it in a Barnes & Noble one day and it did seem interesting in the beginning so I was excited to read it, even after my mom told me she didn't enjoy it that much.  She was right, it was just okay.  It definitely took me a while to get through, I wasn't rushing to get back to it.  The characters were okay... maybe it was a tough follow after Untamed, even though they're two separate categories with fiction and non-fiction, I was a little like, what's the point of this?  Sometimes the point is just to get lost in the world, but this just didn't take me there.

Library e-book

Know My Name by Chanel Miller -- Should be required reading, female or male, not sure what else to say about it.
Library e-book

Also if you're not following her on Instagram, you're missing out on delightful gems like this.







The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy -- This came recommended from a podcast I've been enjoying (A Beautiful Mess podcast, they did a whole episode on self-help books), and this is the first one from their recommended list that I read.  It comes with lots of resources and sheets you can download, which is helpful.  I might report back later once I've actually implemented some of the tips and give an update on how it's going.  Also, if you get the kindle edition, ignore the reviews about how you can't read the charts or graphics, that was from an old edition and that has since been fixed, I could read everything fine.  
Kindle purchase



The Institute by Stephen King --  It's been a while since I read any Stephen King (maybe Mr. Mercedes was the last one, a few years ago?), and I enjoyed this.  I thought the concept was fascinating and, as usual, amazing storytelling.  If you like King you'd probably like this.  References to some of his other books which made me chuckle.  Not my favorite book of the year but a solid 4 stars. 

Library e-book

Open Book by Jessica Simpson -- Not the kind of book I'd normally read (celebrity memoir/auto-biography), but it came recommended and I can't remember exactly from where. Maybe the Popcast?  Like a lot of people thought that read this, there is way more to her than what you (I) thought.  She went through some rough stuff.  And she spills allll the tea and then some.  Great read. 

Library e-book

Weekend 4/25 & things

Friday I woke up early to take Bob in to work since he's on call all weekend.  We stopped at the City Market and he went in to get the R.O. water refills we can't get at our co-op, and some other food for me to have this weekend.  Back home by 9:00-ish, fed Wrigley, took a shower, hooked up the Switch to charge, measured the garden bed for Bob (where the people before us had a playhouse), so Bob could start ordering wood.  

Big plans to do not much today.  It's sunny and supposed to be close to 60, so probably open the windows, finish The Institute and start another book.  TBD.   Found a huge stack of TBR when I was unpacking.  Also got "Open Book" in from hold on library.  (follow-up, did finish The Institute, did start Open Book). 

Saturday afternoon we drove down to the wildlife viewing area, walked around a little bit and enjoyed the sun.  There were a ton of people out driving around, I think because the weather was so nice, and lots of people on motorcycles.  When we got back I opened the windows for a little bit, it was the first time since we moved in and it was delightful.

The sunset was nothing short of spectacular.

Sunday morning walked Wrigley a couple of times since it was supposed to rain.  It wound up not raining until the evening, but we got a couple walks in the nonetheless. 

          

Saturday night I made CYL Chicken from the Lazy Genius, vegetables were roasted but not completely burned like I sometimes enjoy them.  Just enough burned to get some really good flavor though.  Did some work stuff, made this spread from the Pioneer Woman, and watched a few episodes of The Crown.  I think I have started this show 2 or 3 times and never made it much past her coronation. Maybe this time it will stick?  Also re: recipe... I saw the original on an IG story she posted.  It called for salted butter and 1 t. salt.  This recipe doesn't specify the butter and used 1/2 t. salt.  I wound up using unsalted butter which is what we always have, and 1 t. salt.  I think 3/4 t. salt is probably a nice happy medium.  I didn't really have anything to put on top after, so I put some sea salt on part of it before it cooled, and left the other half plain.  In bed by 10 and fell asleep before I barely got a chance to read anything.

Monday picked Bob up at 7, back home by 8:30, fed Wrigley, showered and started working. Bob worked on sorting stuff out in the basement and getting things set up so we can start seeds growing.  Still haven't heard about the chicks... the warmer plate did come today, but not sure if we'll get chicks this year? TBD.

Bob went to the store Monday morning to get a few more things for the week.  Leftovers for lunch and pizza for dinner.  We've been using this recipe and it's pretty foolproof.  We have a cast iron stone that we bake it on, and have found it works best pre-heating the cast iron with the stove, rolling out the dough, transferring it to the hot pan, and then quickly building the pizza directly on the pan.  We've found if we build it first and then transfer, it's too weighed down with all the ingredients and hard to smoothly transfer, even with flour or cornmeal underneath.  We also tried building it without pre-heating the pan first, but the crust isn't nearly as crispy that way.  We've found this to be the best combination.   

Also hung the Tibetan prayer flags we have had... at least 5 years and never hung up.  Can't remember if we got them in Sante Fe or California.  Either way it's been way too long.  We finally found a good place outside, they'll get lots of movement with the wind there and are kind of in an entryway.  And there's a family of birds nesting up there above the firewood, so they can bless the birds too.

 

Sunday night... Bob watched Westworld, I worked on this and read. R+F zoom call at 8:00 to learn more about that. Currently not even 8:00 and ready for bed.  Goodnight, Monday.

Thursday thoughts and things

Chuck roast using this recipe -- added parsnips, potatoes (used russet since that's what we had), one giant sweet potato, carrots, diced garlic. Used 2 cups of beef broth called for (probably closer to 2 1/2 since I used way more vegetables than called for, by the time it was done I'd actually added the whole container, probably around 3 cups total).  Also mixed in some mushroom bouillion, maybe 1/2 - 1 T, into the beef broth before I poured it in.  Also added some additional salt, pepper and thyme over everything after it was in the slow cooker.  Cooking for a minimum of 8 hours. 

                                         




Walked Wrigley, 20 minutes in the morning and another 10-15 in the evening. The weather was infinitely better today, it was cold but the sun helped immensely. 

Started the first episode of the Innocence Files thanks to the rec from the Popcast and Jamie Golden.


Picked up Bob from work since it was a good excuse to get out of the house.


Made these rolls to go with the roast.  


Thursday night I was super irritable for seemingly no reason, which made me more irritable given there wasn't any specific reason I could identify for it.  Chalked it up to quarantine and monthly times and just letting myself feel it.  The roast was delicious, the rolls didn't rise like they normally do (also contributing to my irritation).  My hunch was that it was to do with the hard water we have now (well water), and a little googling proved that out.  Didn't stop me from eating and enjoying them though.  Will have to figure out the water situation for next time.

Random Wednesday thoughts...

Wednesday thoughts and some present and past-tense verbs from the past few days... 




-- Woke up to snow on the ground (not a lot, but still, it's almost the end of April). 


-- Tried to walk Wrigley this morning but between the cold AF temperature and the godforsaken wind, we only made it about 8 minutes.  Went out again closer to lunchtime and made it closer to 20 minutes, and did the hill behind the house.

-- Horrified at the people in Raleigh (among other places) protesting the stay-at-home orders, and very glad we don't live there anymore. 


-- Recommending this Change Your Life Chicken Shawarma from the Lazy Genius.  Also a huge fan of the CYL "regular" chicken which I've made a couple of times before and brought me to the realization that I basically love roasted vegetables charred almost beyond recognition.  Anyone else?  We did the Shawarma with the roasted option on the recipe page, threw some bell pepper chunks into the marinade right before we put it on the pan, and served it over some rice.  Winner winner chicken dinner.  We only marinated it for about an hour since it was kind of last-minute, but the flavor was delicious nonetheless. 

-- Needing to order a bunch of stuff for the house (a desk, desk chair, hooks, CURTAINS,  and a million other things), but I need to prioritize them in some kind of logical order.  





-- Learning that it's not advisable to plant anything here until after Memorial Day.  I am itching to put up hanging plants and brighten up the outside of the house, but it's still freezing too much.  Bob started digging and outlining where the raised garden beds will go, at least a few to get started this season, and the soil came last week.  It's a lot of work but at least we can do it in phases (and by "we" I mean mostly him :D ).



-- Watching season 3 of Westworld.  Losing interest.  Season 1 was good but it just lost me after that... it's mostly Bob watching and me doing other stuff.  Aaron Paul is always a nice addition, I'm just finding I really don't care what happens.  Just finished seasons 2 and 3 of Ozark and, while some dark shit, I enjoyed it a lot more.

-- Reading The Institute by Stephen King (speaking of some dark shit).  Started my SUYB April post yesterday so I won't have to do it at the last minute.

-- Sewing my Swoon Sixteen that I got as a kit on sale something like 5 years ago and I am just now starting.  I found the packing slip in the kit and it was 3 houses ago, one that we rented in Morrisville, NC.  Screwed up the first block (on the piecing), set it aside, started and finished a second block, now on to the third.  

-- Waiting for the chicks to come in that we ordered... and hoping it's a little delayed.  We thought it was next week, slacked off and didn't order the brooder plate (like a warming stand they huddle under to keep warm), so it won't be here until Monday or Tuesday next week.  They are supposed to come in the 22nd or 23rd and then we have 2 days to pick them up.  Bob is on call tonight and all this weekend, so hoping they don't come in until later so can figure all this out together. The last thing I need is 6 baby chicks dying on my watch.  I can keep them alive though, right? Right.

-- Loving the feature on the Overdrive app (where I get library ebooks from) that now allows you to postpone a held book.  So if a book comes in and you know you won't have time to read it right now, or 4 books come in all at once, which frequently happens, you can push them back to be delivered in 7 days, 14 days, I think maybe up to 60 days?  I'm sure I lost track of countless books I wanted to read because they came in, I couldn't read them right then, and then forgot all about them. 

-- Eating - Breakfast & Lunch was a small bowl of leftover chicken shawarma (will also have for dinner but will make more rice), garlic and parm pita chips, nature's bakery fig bar (wondering where they have been all my life), water and the never-ending cup of iced coffee. 

Exercise - walking Wrigley. We walked a total of about 40 minutes today, but with the wind it  felt like twice that long.  Does looking at weight sets on Amazon count?  

Peace out, Wednesday.

Edited to add: tonight's sunset, because after a cold, windy, gray day, sunset decided to show off and I was here for every minute of it.