What I’m Loving Right Now

Hi all! Me again. You’re probably thinking “is this her fourth day of posting on Red Shutters—the fourth day in a row?”

what I'm loving right nowYes, it is! It’s November or NaBloPoMo, the National Blog Posting Month, when bloggers commit to posting each day during the thirty days of the month. This is my second NaBloPoMo, and if it’s anything like last year’s go around, it’ll be challenging, and I will be thrilled come December 1.

Are you, too, surprised it’s November already? This year has been one I would very much like to re-do—let’s start 2015 all over again, friends!—but that’s not going to happen, alas. Instead, I’m trying to take mental snapshots of moments, trying to pause to appreciate what’s around me. To that end, the other night, the first night of November, I was in the car, driving home from an appointment, and was struck by how sinisterly dark it was. It was just 5 PM but night had taken over. Autumn has that power, doesn’t it? It has that power to so profoundly change the way we connect to our environment—perhaps it’s the darkness, or that lost hour to Daylight Savings Time. Autumn always makes me to slow down, to cuddle up, to redefine the parameters of my day-to-day life.

As we start off this new month, here are a few things I’m loving right now:

—  I like to have a TV show playing on my laptop while I clean up the kitchen after dinner and make school lunches. It helps the chores seem less dull. My latest must-watch is Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, a TV show from Australia that takes place in the 1920s and features a “lady detective” with the perfect flapper bob and to-die-for wardrobe. She’s a feminist, the storylines touch on a number of modern-day issues, and the supporting characters are funny and warm. There’s the expected will-they-won’t-they with her local police inspector, of course, but that relationship is secondary to our heroine’s smarts and curiosity. And, my, is this show addictive. I’m working on my Australian accent while the credits roll! You can find Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries on Netflix.

—  Everybody loves babies, yes? Even POTUS.

— I recently finished reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, and it is fantastic. I’m late to the Kate Atkinson bandwagon, and encourage you to jump aboard if you’ve also been remiss in appreciating her talents. The premise of this novel is simple yet profound: what if you could live your life over and over, each time recalling what you learned in the previous life? Would you make different choices? What, if anything, would you change? I’m now about to start the sequel, A God in Ruins (hurrah for sequels).

— A friend came for tea last week and brought me the Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake from My Grandma’s of New England. It was almost as good as my mom’s, and I expect I’ll give to everyone for the holidays. Delicious.

— The Switch Witch LINK may have disappeared with my daughter’s Halloween candy, but what she left behind was so, so much better: Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future!, written by Kate Schatz and illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. This kid’s book features women heroes and leaders, some well known, others not as much. Both of my kids have loved learning about Flo-Jo, Sonia Sotomayor, and Temple Grandin, among many other women who have changed our world.

— I adore the Bloggess all the time but especially this post.

— One of my friends—a lovely lady with a lot of smart things to say—has been working hard on her blog, Genghis Mom, where she writes about parenting and the low-down on healthy eating. Check her out!

I hope November brings you peace and lights to shine up the dark sky.

Untitled design (4)

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; learn more here