Linking up with Leigh Kramer to share what I’ve been into lately.
We’ve covered a lot of ground in June. We celebrated our fourteenth (!!) anniversary and a seventh birthday, got (kind of) settled into our new house, and attended two dozen (or more?) Little League games.
Will was out of town early this month (at the same time as our regular babysitter, alas), and I am hoping now that he’s home and most of the boxes are unpacked we can get back to normal crazy instead of totally bonkers.
Let’s start with books, if only because I’ve been reading to stay sane.
What I’m reading
I’ve been making steady progress on my summer reading. From my own summer reading list, I’ve completed Dear Mr. Knightley, Everyone is Beautiful, Delicious!, and I’m currently reading I Wear the Black Hat.
From my summer syllabus, I’ve completed Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me, and am currently reading Alone Together and Maphead.
I’ve also read a few books that never made it on to the list, including Landline, Lizzy and Jane, and the Veronica Mars novel The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. (More on the Veronica Mars book coming soon. It’s $2.99 for Kindle right now—grab it while it’s on sale! I hope you grabbed it when I shared the $3 deal on facebook last night, because it’s back up to $8 now. Bummer. )
Kitchen concoctions
I finally replaced my kaput blender with this model I stumbled upon at Costco. It had terrific reviews, with many reviewers even deeming it an acceptable Vitamix substitute, so I was a little surprised at how much it struggled to chop ice for these limonadas de coco (which were still delicious, despite my blender woes).
I’m thinking about swapping it in for an actual Vitamix, because I’m not into struggling with my kitchen equipment (plus, a 7-year warranty). I’d love to hear recommendations and your spendy blender pros and cons in comments.
Worth watching
I’m caught up on Emma Approved. And we had a major rite of passage at my house yesterday: we watched Star Wars with the kids for the first time. (And when I say “with the kids” I mean “except for the one who ran away terrified.”)
Besides that, I haven’t seen a movie or binge-watched a series in months. I’m overdue for a movie night: what are some good ones I should add to my list?
On the blog
The most controversial post I’ve written all year. It’s about cardigans, of course.
Slate, you are drunk. Adults should be reading YA.
The budget summer reading guide.
I’m not waiting for the next house.
40 favorite audiobooks for kids.
Best of the web
17 bookstores that will literally change your life.
Why introverts make great leaders.
What’s lost as handwriting fades.
The helpful guide to a clutter-free kitchen counter.
The secret to lasting relationships.
Pinning
Mix and match outfits from Target.
They should really warn you about adulthood.
Everything you need to know about a person.
Love this dress.
Love this one even more.
Card catalogs in a home office.
Follow me on Pinterest here.
What were you into in June?
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47 comments
Check out reconditioned vitamix blenders on their website. They are cheaper and have the same warranty. It comes with a new carafe and I could not tell that it was not brand new. I’ve had it for a few years now and couldn’t live without it. I never could have afforded it otherwise. Hope that helps!
Yes it does! Delighted to hear the warranty still applies—that’s one of the big reasons I’m interested.
Loved the link to the bookstores! I have been to the one in Fayetteville, and it is pretty great. Whenever we travel, I HAVE to visit the local bookstores – it’s like an addiction, I can’t stay away! For movies, my recent favorite is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – quirky story line, gorgeous setting, and a soundtrack that is now playing on repeat while I blog.
YES to visiting the local bookstores! Thanks for the tip on Walter Mitty. Adding it to the list! (And definitely checking out the soundtrack; since that doesn’t require two hours of screen time I can get to it sooner. 🙂 )
Guacamole, scent mixing candles that really smell like the beach (help please!), out with brown paint finding the perfect gray for my walls (daydream but a good one) reading about the battle of Gettysburg from the research list in the back of a James McPherson book, spending play dates with lifelong friends, throwing playhouse balls in the pool, trying to make the powder they use at color runs and giant beach balls and giant tarps for backyard slip and slides.
Are you mixing candles yourself? I would love to know how to do this!
Also, you should come borrow my paint samples. I just rolled four different colors on my family room walls trying to find the right shade—the light didn’t affect the colors like I expected them to so I kept trying again. (The final winner: Ben Moore’s Stonington Gray.)
I loved the picture you shared on facebook. Looked like you guys were having so much fun. 🙂
Look at the Ninja blender – does everything a vitamix can at a lot lower price.
Love our Ninja from Costco!
I’ve heard the Ninja is great, but I don’t know anyone who actually has one! What do you use it for?
my kids and hubs use the single serve for milkshakes. very easy cleanup!
had the kitchen aid for almost 20 years before this. this is so much easier.
Do you have one? I’ve heard great things secondhand, but I don’t know anyone who actually has one and would love to hear some firsthand feedback!
I love ours. The salesman at bed bath & beyond convinced me to try the ninja and said if I wasn’t happy, I could return it. It handles ice perfectly and makes amazing smoothies (which we make every day). I think I spent only $140 on it which is a considerable savings from a vitamix.
Yep, that’s a big difference. What do you use yours for?
(Also, I adore stores that tell you to just try it and bring it back if you don’t love it. That gives me so much more confidence in plunking down the cash, especially for a big-ticket item. A $140 blender counts. 🙂 )
I have an old Vitamix and it is a pain for smoothies (which is mostly what we used it for). I picked up a cheap Hamilton Beach single serving blender and it’s perfect. I still do haul the Vitamix out for big jobs.
Good to know. (If I’m usually making smoothies for four, would it still be a pain?)
Mine is really old (20+ years and has straight stainless steel sides) and we always had chunks of frozen strawberries and bananas. I know that they have redesigned the container so it makes more of a vortex, but I have no experience with it.
I do use it to chop meat!
20+ years! I’m impressed. 🙂
I have a new Vitamix and we LOVE it for smoothies. It makes the best ones we have ever had and the cleanup is easy. Maybe an improvement with the new ones? Plus, the tamper is a great feature.
Vitamixes are on sale at HauteLook this week- $599 down to $349.
Thanks for the tip!
I read a book yesterday that is right up your alley. Creative You by Goldstein and Kroeger. It’s about how your MB personality type affects your creativity and how to take advantage of your strengths, etc. It was really fascinating and had a lot to think about. I can’t remember how I heard about this book, so if it was from you, then thanks for the recommendation, lol! Also, I just wanted to say I read a few books from the summer reading guide and loved them both, the Rosie Project and Someday, Someday, Maybe.
Creative You does sound right up my alley! I just requested it from my library. Thanks for the rec. You didn’t hear about it from me, but I’m glad you shared it. 🙂
And I’m so glad you enjoyed those books!
Thanks for that suggestion, Jen: I’ve just put a library hold on it, too. Enjoying all your links as well, Anne — lots of good stuff!
I’ll always recommend the movie Standing Up when I get the chance. It’s on Netflix right now if you have it, or you can rent it on Amazon. I’m a sucker for anything coming-of-age. And bonus, it’s an adaptation of the book The Goats. You’ll love it!
Aww, sorry one of yours was traumatized by Star Wars! I’ve never sat down and watched any of the movies straight through–all my men (big, medium and small) are glued to the screen while it’s on, but I watch with one eye, while reading a book. DH took me to one of the new movies in hs–so I guess I have seen one straight through–although I don’t really care to think about how long ago that was. The boys are getting their SW fix now with SW legos and backyard light saber battle re-enactments.
Finished the VM novel last night (thank you for the $3 tip!!!) I enjoyed it but I had a hard time actually reading it as Veronica Mars and not some random detective lady. It was like we were too much in her head and that kind of ruined some of VM’s sassy mystique. Not that her feelings weren’t authentic, it just felt weird and different from TV Veronica. Still, fun for a fan of the show. I’d read another, so I guess I’m a groupie. 😉
I’d totally watch a movie version. 🙂 (And I’d read another, too!)
I’ve been into space exploration recently thanks to my young son’s interest in the topic. I found a random documentary on Netflix to check out, and it ended up being really good. It’s called When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions. I loved it. He loved it. I’m fascinated.
Sounds up my boys’ alley: thanks for sharing!
I just read on another blog about her comparison between a Vitamix and a Blendtec http://wellnessmama.com/18039/blendtec-review/. I know that the Blendtec wasn’t on your radar, but it kind of made me wish I had one instead of the Vitamix. I have heard that the Ninja is also good, but I haven’t seen a review of that compared to a Vitamix.
I’ve heard good things about the Blendtec. I love Katie’s blog; thanks for sharing her review!
Glad you enjoyed The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. I’m looking forward to book #2 (and movie #2, for that matter!)
Yes, so much! How long till book #2?? (And there HAS TO BE a movie #2, right? Picture Joe Fox, shaking the rails at the café…)
I love big books and I cannot lie haha! Hoping your husband arrives safely and soon!
limonadas de coco …I just tried those last week (and apparently need to start investing heavily in coconut milk – YUM). I look forward to coming back and checking out your many links!
I love reading YA and I think that I always will. Besides, technically all the Harry Potter books are YA and nothing is going to get me to stop rereading them.
So much going on this month! I just finished a Master’s degree last December and am finally in the mood to read for fun again! I am so tempted to go into a book store and drop some major money on pretty new books, but I think my shopping trip will be the kind with a card with just a barcode and pending late fees. 🙂
Such a pleasure to read your blog this month!
Congrats on the degree! And enjoy your library shopping trip—those are plenty of fun, too. 🙂
Samuel and I have been binge-watching Doctor Who on Netflix for the last couple of months. We are trying to finish the 7 (newer) seasons before season 8 starts on BBC in August. He is REALLY into this series, and I like it, too. But it would definitely not be for all your kids, especially the one who ran away from Star Wars 😉 I am on the hunt for a good movie to rent from Redbox (It is so hard for me to justify paying for theater tickets when other movie goers think a movie theater is their own personal home theater and act accordingly).
Forget the paying for movie tickets—I just want to skip the drive time, wear my pajama pants, and eat a big bowl of ice cream that didn’t cost $16 while watching it. 🙂 (Seriously. We had a family member in the business for a over a decade who always got us free tickets, and we still never went to movies!)
The only Redbox movie I can personally vouch for is About Time, if it’s even still there! It’s been out a while. We loved it. I want to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and (I think) Saving Mr. Banks, but that’s all I have for now. Let me know if you see anything good!
Ooo, a Vitamix has been on my kitchen lust list for some time, but I’m holding off until we move into a larger place — I’m really tight on space in my current digs. Like you, I just haven’t been able to find a blender that can handle ice. Which I need. For my margarita addiction. And maybe the odd smoothie for my kids:)
Also, thanks to the clutter-free kitchen link, I’m moving my kettle into cabinet rather than keeping it on the counter. Why didn’t I think of that earlier???
Thanks for the read about handwriting. Fascinating.
We recently purchased a Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor that we’re really pleased with. The Amazon reviews are mixed, but I totally vouch for ours. It’s been a good buy (and a lot less pricey than a Vitamix).
Big fan of the Vitamix. Got it last year and loved it from the start. It’s used at least three times a week or more at our place. And if you’re making smoothies for lots of people, you’ll definitely want to go with this one. It’s a powerful beast!
My mom bought me a Vitamix for my birthday/our anniversary last year. It has been SO NICE to have a blender that actually chops ice and blends and stuff. I make smoothies all the time now, and freeze them into popsicles for the kids. My last blender said “smootie” instead of smoothie and came from the Dollar General, if that tells you anything about the money I usually spend on myself. The Vitamix has been a major treat.
What I’ve been into: THE BEACH, specially Tybee Island and Savannah. We totally fell in love while we were there. Homemade popsicles, water play, reading tons of novels, maxi dresses, making old family favorite recipes.
I read Maphead last year and was surprised how interesting I found it!