What I’m Loving Lately – August 2019

Man, it’s been a minute since I did a ‘loving lately’ post! All through 2018 I was consistent, posting one each month, but I decided to take a step back and do them less frequently this year since I’ve had more than usual on my plate. The last one was in April and a lot has happened since then, to be sure. But I have a lot of things that I’m loving right now so it seemed like a good time to put them out there and see hear what all of you are loving right now too!

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Air Condition

At the beginning of August we had the unfortunate experience of having our AC unit give up the ghost. If you have ever been in TN in August you know that this is no laughing matter, and in fact there were even unusually high heat warnings in effect that week. We made it though (barely), the unit has since been replaced, and I solemnly swear I will never take air condition for granted again.

Puppies!

Our dog had puppies, eight of them. They are the cutest, fattest, clumsiest little dudes in the world, which is a good thing since we’ve had to assist with feedings and pretty much feel like we have a newborn again. Right now they are four weeks old, which is the ideal age for canine cuteness. They are looking for forever homes at the end of September, so if you think you need a coondog pup send me an email for more details!

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The hubs started a blog

I am no longer the only blogger in my household. The mister took the leap and started a blog centered around a topic that he is passionate and knowledgeable about, and I’m a little jealous because his first website looks about ten times better than my first website did. You can check out his thoughts on personal finance topics such as budgeting, saving, boosting your income, insurance, investing, and more at The Money Marksman! Do you suppose he would let me write a guest post for him? I’m pretty good at manipulating a book budget.

School = structure

I’m super glad that school is back in session, but not because I was tired of my kids. It’s because I love and crave the structure that school and organized activities impose. Even though we are always super busy, having things laid out in a fairly predictable schedule relieves a lot of mental strain for me and makes things run more smoothly overall. Can anyone else relate to this or am I just a schedule-loving weirdo? It’s ok either way, I’d just like to know.

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Stand-out Audiobooks

One of the (only) perks about being up at night with puppies is that I have listened to waaaay more than my average number of audiobooks this month. Three of them have been stand outs that I will definitely be recommending:

• Sleeping Giants – this one has so many different voice actors, it’s like watching a movie with your eyes closed. The story is riveting, the format of the writing is unusual and lends itself to an audio recording, and it’s just really well done overall.
• Station Eleven – I mentioned in my last books in progress post that this book was not what I expected it to be, but in a good way. I could not stop listening and invented many reasons to keep my earbuds in.
• The Lady and the Lionheart – this was an average listening experience as far as the narrators go, but the story is so beautiful and unlike anything I’ve come across before. It’s historical fiction about a nurse who falls in love with a circus performer – are you intrigued? This author is favorite of mine for her unique characters and beautiful, redemptive stories.

Revisionist History podcast

Also in my earbuds as of just the last week or two is a podcast by Malcolm Gladwell called Revisionist History. It is absolutely fascinating to me how he can take the most mundane topics and turn them into a riveting educational experience, just as he does with his books. I started with an episode in season two about McDonald’s french fries and I was instantly hooked.

What about you, what are you loving right now? Let me know in the comments or on social media!