What I'm Into Lately, December edition

our  family
Christmas Eve service, 2013

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From the book pile

to see the book pile from 2011, click here / from 2012, click here

42  Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey (Random House, LLC, 2013. 304 pages) 

Enlightening, fun, scannable read.  Brian and I took turn reading to each other the daily rituals of various artists who caught our attention.

Here's an excerpt from a fun review by Oliver Burkeman at The Guardian:  

"This was all in an effort to adopt the rituals of some great artists and thinkers: the rising-at-dawn bit came from Ernest Hemingway, who was up at around 5.30am, even if he'd been drinking the night before; the strong coffee was borrowed from Beethoven, who personally counted out the 60 beans his morning cup required. Benjamin Franklin swore by "air baths", which was his term for sitting around naked in the morning, whatever the weather. And the midday cocktail was a favourite of VS Pritchett (among many others). I couldn't try every trick I discovered in a new book, Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration And Get To Work; oddly, my girlfriend was unwilling to play the role ofFreud's wife, who put toothpaste on his toothbrush each day to save him time. Still, I learned a lot. For example: did you know that lunchtime martinis aren't conducive to productivity?"

43 The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster, 2009. 128 pages) 

For a few years now I've been reading up on this saint each December.  His story is beautiful.  If even a few of the accounts of his ministry are true, he is a model for all of us to follow.  I'm especially touched by the account of him using gold coins from the inheritance his parents left him when they died young (leaving him an orphan) to rescue 3 unmarried daughters of a poor man.  Their father could not give them a dowry and, in that day and custom, this meant no man would marry them, forcing them to look for work that would keep them alive.  Oftentimes, this sort of work meant harsh conditions -- even prostitution.  Secretly, over time, Nicholas dropped coins through their open window during the dark of night.  Three different nights for each daughter.  Legend tells us the coins fell into socks or stockings being hung to dry.  The women were able to marry and care for their father and families.  This, of course, explains the custom of hanging stockings -- only with a much more profound outcome than warm-hearted Christmas traditions.

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Movies & TV 

Call the Midwife Holiday Special

It'd take a pretty amazing episode to better -- match, even -- last year's Christmas episode of this wonderful series.  Still, it was good to visit again with the nuns and nurses of Nonnatus house and the burgeoning families of Poplar in 1950's London's East End.

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In my ears 

The Sounding Joy: Christmas Songs In & Out of the Ruth Crawford Seeger songbook

I couldn't stop listening to this album all during Advent.

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In the kitchen

mulled cider on the grill

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Random thing making me happy 

Being home for a white Christmas in New York this year.

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On the Blog (Get This Sacramental Life delivered by email.) 

Top 5 posts in December

5.  7 quick takes: San Antonio Riverwalk, Buy More Art, winter solstice in Austin and more!

4. 12 Ways to Savor the 12 Days of Christmas

3.  Buy More Art [this Christmas]: Paul D. Smith's YA Novel "Jason & the Draconauts"

2.  Advent daybook, 1: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

--- December's top post ---

1.  Buy More Art [this Christmas]: Jason Harrod, Highliner & Christmas Hymns

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So, what about you? What's in your book pile? 

What art, film, song has captured your imagination? 

What are you pinning or cooking or planning? 

Share in the comments, won't you?

For more “What I’m Into” posts, head over to Leigh’s blog

What I'm Into Lately, November edition

an everyday vignette: Kendra's crochet project & Brian's Hebrew flashcards

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From the book pile

to see the book pile from 2011, click here / from 2012, click here

40 My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme (Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 2006. 302 pages, including 79 photographs) 

A delightful read.  I mean, really.  Julia Child is equal parts innocent and savvy dame.  Her relentless work to bring cooking confidence to the American masses while maintaining a sharp wit and romantic view of the world makes for enjoyable reading.

At times, my heart hurt for this woman who speaks plainly about her complicated relationship with her dad, the U.S. government and close friends alike.  Her memory of the world centers on two sturdy legs:  her husband Paul and delicious food.  Thus paragraphs that weave the sorrow of her husband's illness with the menu from one of the last parties they gave.  It was oeufs en gelee', roast leg of lamb, haricots panaches', and cheeses, in case you were wondering.

41 Wide Sargasso Sea: A Novel by Jean Rhys (W.W. Norton & Company, re-issue 1992. 192 pages) 

Our book club selected this title for November.  My only hesitation was that the story is a prequel, written more than 100 years after it's sequel, one of my all-time favorite stories, Jane Eyre. While I wouldn't put Rhys's imagined backstory for the Jamaican madwoman locked in the attic of Mr. Rochester's British manor house.  As you might expect for any backstory for a madwoman, the story is sad.  It's also really well-written.  Through her choice of language, setting and dialogue the author pulls us into a sort of dream world from the very first word to the last.  Well, sometimes dream and sometimes nightmare.  And, yet, somehow still worth the read.

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Movies & TV 

Much Ado About Nothing

"Have you seen this yet?" My sister asked on my Facebook wall.  Not only had I not seen it, I hadn't even heard about it.  I'm a Joss Whedon fan in theory, but haven't actually watched many of his projects.  "Watch the special features first.  You'll love the movie for sure, after you hear how it was made."  My sister knows me well.  Even better, she flew to Austin to spend a week with me and we got to watch it together.  Half way through trying to watch the black-and-white film with a house full of people, keeping the volume low so as not to wake the baby, we hit pause.  I didn't love it yet.  Then we watched special features and I was in all the way.  I won't spoil it for you.  Watch for yourself.

p.s., I can't stop listening to this song Whedon co-wrote for the film.  

Stories We Tell

This film I'd heard about, but forgotten until our friend Peter reminded us.  Brian and I watched it on a Friday night when we're often too tired to stay engaged.  We both sat up straight through the entire thing and couldn't stop talking about it afterwards.  You don't even have to be a documentary fan to enjoy this (although, both of us are).  Sarah Polley manages to pull in the best of both worlds -- documentary and fictional filmmaking -- to captivate viewers.  Granted, her family cooperates with the storytelling on a heartwarming level -- much to their own discomfort, at times.  The story is dramatic, yes.  The family full of actors, writers and filmmakers, so that helps.  But if you engage with the story, you'll find yourself thinking about your own family story.  How your family and friends would tell it.  Why that would even matter.  

Jeffrey Overstreet writes a brief, but great review here.  (Coincidentally, the same post contains his review for Much Ado About Nothing)

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In my ears 

I'm a fan of this group, Ordinary Time.  I think they make good music around strong lyrics from times past.  Their new album, Joy Brand New is no exception.  I love their harmonies, their emotional range and unique instrumentation.  I've been playing on repeat all month.

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In the kitchen

Kale and Quinoa Soup via 
Vegetable broth from scraps via 

Gingersnap crust pumpkin pie via 

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Random thing making me happy 

this vintage-y recliner we found on Craigslist

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On the Blog (Get This Sacramental Life delivered by email.) 

Top 5 posts in November

5.  7 quick takes: serendipity, a Susanna Childress poem, celebration kickoff and more!

4. What I've Been Into Lately, October 

3.  7 quick takes: All Saints Day and Saint Trey + happy things that happened before we were sad

2.  7 quick takes: much joy during times of much sorrow

--- November's top post ---

1.  Parenting Unrehearsed (8): Why we send our kids to a [broken] public school

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So, what about you? What's in your book pile? 

What art, film, song has captured your imagination? 

What are you pinning or cooking or planning? 

Share in the comments, won't you?

For more “What I’m Into” posts, head over to Leigh’s blog

What I'm Into Lately, August 2013

pumpkin chip cookies on the first day of school

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From the book pile

to see the book pile from 2011, click here / from 2012, click here

24  Going on Faith: writing as a spiritual quest, edited and with an introduction by William Zinsser (Marlowe & Company, NY; 1999) 183 pages plus and extended bibliography) 

Coincidentally, I began reading this book during my autumn visit to my parent's home.  My mom let me borrow it but I never got around to actually reading it until August.  I didn't even make the connection between On Writing Well from July's book list and Zinsser as the editor of this compilation until I picked the book up again on vacation. 

While I found several of the contributing authors a bit "mushy" in their written spirituality, overall this was an encouraging book for those of us wishing to write from the perspective of our faith.  

25  Writing Places: the life journey of a writer and teacher, by William Zinsser (Harper Perennial, 2010) 208 pages 

What can I say?  William Zinsser is the sort of author I want to read broadly.  This book turned out to be more memoir than instructional, but still enjoyable.

26  September, by Rosamunde Pilcher (St. Martin's Press; 1991) 613 pages 

Pure vacation reading and well worth it. (another book I borrowed from my mom -- thanks, Mom!)

27 Here and Now: living in the Spirit, by Henri Nouwen (Crossroad Publishing Company, 2006) 232 pages 

I've found it to be a good practice to return to Nouwen on a regular basis.  His insights into knowing the heart of Christ in our everyday lives are equally humble and profound.  I picked up this title as recommended companion reading for the spiritual practice of gratitude. 

This is a title I want to own; in the meantime, I'm really glad our library had a copy for me to borrow.

28 A Good Place to Live: America's last migration, by Terry Pindell (Owlet, 1997) 432 pages 

I loved this book.  Ever since reading Sidewalks in the Kingdom in July I've been checking out books the author cited.  I think our move to a city from a village not only as a family but also ministry leaders has piqued my interest in urban planning and design.  

In my dream life, I'd get to drive around the country like Terry Pindell spending a few weeks in each of America's favorite small cities, learning the culture, enjoying the natural beauties and amenities, interviewing the key figures and joining in the traditions and festivities.

Also, it was fun to read about Ithaca, New York in the book.  Ithaca is 45 minutes from our hometown and our favorite vacation spot in New York.   

This book is a bit dated (1997) and I'm hoping to discover an updated version.

In August, I enjoyed browsing through the following books:

• Streets for People: A Primer for Americans by Bernard Rudofsky

• The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William Whyte

• The Great Good Place: Cafes', Coffeeshops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community by Ray Oldenburg

right click to save image as my gift to you this month

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Movies & TV 

The Way, Way Back : I honestly can not remember the last time at cried in a movie theater.  Maybe it was something about the time of day or time of the month or time in my life, but I -- quite literally -- bawled my eyes out during The Way, Way Back.  Well written, well directed, well acted, well done.  Just enough grace mixed into the dysfunction to give us hope that family love can surpass family strife.  

Trouble the Water : We watched this a few years ago, but my daughter needed to watch it for a school project.  It was good to watch again -- to remember the stories of Katrina.  If you haven't seen this documentary yet, put it in your queue.  It's a story worth remembering.

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Music

The One That Got Away - The Civil Wars: If the motto is true that artists should channel life's drama into their art, then the reported feud between Joy Williams and John Paul White bred some sort of dark beauty.  Still, I wish they'd be able to reconcile AND make good music at the same time.

Paradise Valley - John Mayer: He lost me there for a little while, but since his last album I've been listening to Mayer's music again.  I like the new songs -- it's good music for listening at the office -- but I'm pretty sure Born and Raised will still be my favorite.

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Art I'm Loving (Follow me on Pinterest here.)

My friend Andy Palmer made this wardrobe.  His eye for beautiful raw material mixed with his whimsical sense of design makes him one of my favorites. 

The Arts and Craftsman on Facebook, on Pinterest, on the web

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In the kitchen

Just a simple recipe from the menu planning site we use, emeals:

Pan-Seared Tilapia with a mushroom and leek saute

• Salt and pepper fillets and cook in olive oil for about 8 minutes (turning once)
• Heat olive oil in a pan, saute leeks for about 8 minutes
• Add sliced mushrooms and four garlic cloves (minced)
• Saute until everything is tender
• Add a handful of fresh basil (about 1/2 cup, cut) to the mushroom and leeks, heat through

This is a paleo dish but we add rice.  Also, the original recipe calls for halibut, but tilapia is easier on our budget. Either way it's delicious and simple.

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Random thing making me happy

This piece of coral Brian and I purchased at an estate sale in our neighborhood last weekend.  We went on Saturday morning and everything was already marked at 50% off.  I wrote about my love for thrift shopping here:  Oh, Lord you have searched me and known my love for thrift stores

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On the Blog (Get This Sacramental Life delivered by email.) 

Top 5 posts in August

5.  Call me Roz, little libraries, good links, chandelier trees and more!

4.  What I'd Like My Son to Say to Me On His 22nd Birthday

3.  What I Did on Summer Vacation: a video diary

2.  Back to school, letting go, and the new Tom Hanks movie trailer that stars my son's girlfriend!

--- August's top post ---

1.  Upon Two Years in Austin

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So, what about you? What's in your book pile? 

What art, film, song has captured your imagination? 

What are you pinning or cooking or planning? 

Share in the comments, won't you?

For more “What I’m Into” posts, head over to Leigh’s blog