Things I’m Digging: Spring 2014

I’ve had a list of things I want to blog about for a couple weeks, so I’m going to knock all of them out in one big list-style post today. Ready? Let’s do this:

1. Bullet Journaling

I am completely addicted to this new way of keeping a to-do list/planner/journal: the Bullet Journal. I’ve kept a to-do list for years and when I was working in an office full-time I was a devoted user of my Franklin-Covey planner but I’ve never found a system that’s perfect for me. This one has everything I’m looking for all in one place: compact, simple to use, paper-based and it combines lists, note-taking and a calendar all in the same book. I’ve haven’t been using it long — just a couple of weeks — but it’s made a huge difference in how much I’m getting done every day. I’ve been knocking out all sorts of little things that keep slipping my mind as well as keeping track of all the parts of some bigger projects. I’ve also started a new habit of reviewing my planner at night before I go to bed, taking a few notes on the day and beginning a list of things I want to knock out the next day.

You can learn more about the system here:

2. Perler Beads

I picked up a big bucket of Pyssla Beads when I was at IKEA last week, thinking it might be something the kids would enjoy. Dang! I have never been so right about something in my entire life.  I pulled them out last weekend when Wyatt was complaining profusely about being bored (and about us kicking him off the computer). At first he wasn’t that interested, but when I printed out a few easy patterns for making Minecraft tools he was willing to give it a try.

I have never seen a kid get so into a craft so quickly! He was in love before we even finished putting the first pick axe together.

Since then he’s moved on to more complicated patterns — Pokemon characters are particular favorites — and he’s been choosing them instead of screen time after his homework is done most days. (This is huge, people!) I try to sit down and make my own stuff with him when I can and I’m happy to say I’m amassing quite the collection of obnoxiously bright coasters.  We’ve been finding lots of cool patterns at Kandi Patterns.

3. Lemon-Ginger Sundaes

I’ve been sick on and off since the beginning of February (nope! I’m not exaggerating!) and one symptom that’s persisted is a bad cough and the sore throat that goes with it. Basically, this means there is not enough ice cream in the world to soothe my throat, but I’m trying to get to it all nevertheless. My new favorite way to eat it is an idea I found in my Jan/Feb Cooking Light magazine — lemon-ginger sundaes. It’s more of an idea than a recipe: top a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt with a dollop of lemon curd and a crushed gingersnap. I don’t have a photo because I eat these too fast.

4. Books

While I’ve been sick, I’ve been reading a ton. I’ve been catching up on my magazines but reading lots of books, too. Here are some of the books I’ve been enjoying:

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion — I breezed through this romantic comedy novel about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome falling in love. (Technically the author never directly states that he has Asperger’s, but it’s strongly implied.) I’m not sure if it’s an accurate representation of the way a person with Asperger’s thinks, but taken at face value, Don is an interesting character and I was rooting for him the whole time.  (The Kindle version of this book is only $1.99 right now!)
Sycamore Row by John Grisham — It’s not like you need me to tell you about a John Grisham book. Either you like John Grisham and you read his books or you don’t. I’m one of the likers so I read almost all of his lawyer books eventually and this is his most recent one. This book is about a contested will and it should be pretty boring, honestly. It gets into a lot of details about wills. Tons of them. There are so many details about wills, that you’ll feel like you could open up a law practice specializing in estate planning law when you’re done reading the book. But Grisham is such a good writer that it’s still a good book.
Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman — I watched the Netflix TV series based on this book last year and I really liked it. I’d heard the book is better and treats the subject more seriously and so far I’m finding that to be true. It follows the author through the year she spent in a women’s prison for transporting drug money. It’s an interesting read to me because Piper is a lot like me in many ways (aside from the years she spent shacked up with a drug dealer) and it’s really easy for me to put myself in her place. I just started the book yesterday and I’m already about a third of the way through, because I find it so fascinating.
I Heart My Little A-Holes by Karen Alpert — I received an advanced copy of this book for review and it’s totally cracking me up. Again, I haven’t finished it yet, but I pick it up and read a couple chunks when Orange is the New Black is stressing me out too much. (Am I the only person who does that?) The book is written by Karen Alpert the author of the Baby Sideburns blog and it’s a series of short, hilarious essays about parenting young kids. You can probably guess from the title that this isn’t for people who don’t like swearing or honesty, but I like both of those things.

5. Cute Shoes

Earlier this month, I got these cute shoes for a trip Zach and I are taking to Italy (!!) next month. I am not normally a heels girl, but the place we are staying has a “resort elegant” dress code for evening events so I needed something a little nicer than the clogs I wear whenever I am forced to leave the house. Aren’t they awesome?

What fabulous thing have you been into lately? Share down below in the comments!