* I'm re-reading. I've been making my way through some of the books I read in high school and college with a wonderful new perspective on and appreciation for them. Right now I'm deeply immersed in The Great Gatsby. And I thought that book couldn't get any better when I was a naive ninth grader. Pshaw.
* I'm paring down my possessions (again). Since we moved two years ago, I've done three cycles of paring down the things we own. Each time I find more things that no longer seem important or simply haven't been used or appreciated since the previous pare-down. Newly inspired by a few courageous souls, beyond just clearing the easy clutter, I've been giving serious thought to why I keep some of the things that I do. And I'm trying to put to real use some of the things that I just can't seem to part with. Right now I'm attacking my cookbook collection, which has avoided scrutiny in all previous pare-downs since I really do love to cook. But I'm finally questioning why I keep so many books on the shelf when I gather the majority of our recipes online or from magazines and rarely make the same recipe more than once. Some of the books have barely been opened since they were added to the collection a decade ago. We're currently vegetarians as I work my way through Moosewood Low Fat Favorites, which has long housed three of my all-time favorite recipes but to which I never paid attention beyond them. Everything we've made so far has been fantastic (not surprising) and I feel like this book has truly earned a spot in my kitchen now. So many more books will be put to the test over the coming months. I'll never be a true minimalist (that's not the life for me, and that's fine), but my goal is to keep only those things that are truly useful, enoyable, beautiful, and/or meaningful in my home. We're really getting there.
* We've been a-travelin'. More trips are on the calendar for late summer and early fall. While the swimming pool has been too cold for more than tiny toe dips, Phee has been enjoying her own private jacuzzi tub on the sidelines.
* I've been crafting. My creative life has become far too digital these days, so I'm returning to my collage-loving roots and I'm working on a real baby book for Phee. I'm trying to avoid the mega-million-dollar-industry, sticker-aisle-at-Target, capital-S-Scrapbook style and have been challenging myself to work creatively with all of the scraps of paper, fabric, and ribbon, and antique flea market doo-dads collected over the years that have been sitting in boxes in my closet. Making a digital photo album would have been more in line with my current talents, but boy does it feel good to make something with your hands after they have been stuck on a keyboard and mouse to make a living all day long.
There have also been walks on hot days and time spent with friends over chamomile lemonade, cucumbers from the garden and baby milestones... this summer has been HOT and busy, but there have been many wonderful stolen moments that have kept me happily occupied.
I imagine once the busyness dies down and the weather turns cool and gray, this blog won't be still long enough to gather a fraction of the dust that's been accumulating this summer.
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