On Deck

[source]

Things are a little quiet today. Like literally. I took Sawyer to daycare for a few hours so I could run errands and sit at Starbucks alone for an hour to read. Now, he's exhausted from playing with his buddies and down for the count. I can actually hear birds chirping outside right now. But, things are coming up! Good things! Here's some things I have on deck for the next little while:

Baking and Making

... The Pioneer Woman's Lemon Bars. We have some very ripe lemons barely clinging to their branches in the backyard right now.

... Sally's Peanut Butter M&Ms Truffles. Holy crap.

... a version of this Ranch Cheese Bread. 

Reading

... The New York Times summer fiction edition. I haven't started because I don't want it to be over. 

.... The Harder They Fall by TC Boyle

... The Secret History by Donna Tartt 

Buying

... more Duplos for Sawyer. And me. Mostly me.

... some sort of reclining chair of flotation device for the backyard/pool. I'm too old to lay out on the concrete and read. 

... a few of the prints I posted the other day. 

Reducing

... my time spent on Instagram and Facebook. I'll never cut it out, nor do I want to, but I feel like I simply could go on less and still get the gist. Plus, there's been an epidemic of passive aggressiveness lately that grates on me. 

... my Diet Coke (and diet soda in general) intake. I'll never eliminate it, either, but I'm drinking more water. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm drinking more iced coffee. 

... my household water consumption. Do your part, Californians. 

Posting*

... my take on several restaurant/chef memoirs I've been reading lately. I'm on the last one that I ordered right now and am resisting the urge to pick up more. I do miss fiction, though, since it's been nearly a month since I've picked up a novel.

... some thoughts on navigating the sometimes-complicated world of adult friendship.

... how Marie Kando's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, rocked my world. Or didn't. 

Going

.... to our local semi-famous day spa, Glen Ivy, next Monday. A massage, time in the sun, maybe an adult beverage? Sign my the heck up! Even better is that it will be with my mom, for her birthday. 

... to visit a friend to hang out with our kiddos in a few days. 

... to meet with our refinancing lady again this upcoming weekend. She projected some major monthly savings if we can get things moving asap, so I'm cautiously optimistic. 

Writing

... letters of recommendation for my students. I have close to sixty to do, so I'm excited to start... so that I can finish!

... more of the project I'm working on. I've resisted planning it out, but I'm at the point where I need some organization, so I will.

... some thank you notes. I have been really good about sending them out to people on Sawyer's behalf, and I owe a person or two cards for his belated birthday gifts. 

Watching

... Newsroom. We just watched the the first episode last night and are hooked.

... TED Talks. They're so short yet I still need to start burning through my playlist.

... The newest seasons of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. 

Anything coming up in you world?

*maybe