Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

favorite things

First Friday Five {December}

It’s that time again. On the first Friday of each month, I share with you five things I’m loving or obsessing about. Here’s the December edition!

december-five

  1. Local coffee shops. I spent a lot of time writing in November and on a few Wednesdays, a friend and I tried a couple of new-to-us coffee shops. Here’s something fun about the area in which I live: We are not overrun with Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Yes, we have some of those, but there’s a greater number of local coffee shops, and I have yet to find one I don’t like at all. This one to the right is a new favorite with a mint mocha to die for. wp-1480611504952.jpg
  2. The Duolingo app. As I continue working with refugees, I’ve wanted to improve my language skills but right now, I speak fluent English and that’s it. My husband told me about this app, and now we’re dueling on Duolingo, him with Spanish and me with French. I love the refresher and the chance to learn a new language at my fingertips.
  3. Not having Facebook on my phone. After Election Day, I couldn’t handle social media, or not well. So, I took the Facebook app off of my phone and seriously, I’m a different person. It’s not that I want to avoid news or totally check out from other people’s lives, but now I have to sit down with my computer and open Facebook, and I’m less likely to use it as a distraction because it’s not so accessible. Sure, I’m missing things that people post, but I’m also forced to connect with people more intentionally and *gasp* face-to-face.
  4. Cupcake Wars. The kids and I are working our way through a Cupcake Wars collection on Netflix, and even though I don’t bake much anymore, I still love to see the creativity that goes in to these cupcakes and the themes. Downside, my son drew me a picture of what he wants his birthday cake to look like, and he wants to help!
  5. The Moth Radio Hour. While I waited in the parking lot for my husband to get off work one night, I turned on NPR and discovered this gem of a show that also is a podcast. Real people tell true stories in front of a live audience, and it does not seem to matter what they are talking about, but I am interested. It’s a good tool for learning storytelling, too. I’m noticing the details people include in their stories and how that enriches the whole thing. Can’t stop listening. Warning: Many of the stories are gritty and have content that isn’t suitable for children.

What are you raving about these days?

First Friday Five {October}

A while back, I was publishing posts on Fridays listing five of something. (You can read some of those here, if you’re interested.)

I miss that, a little bit, so I’m bringing it back. Sort of. I can’t commit to it weekly, so let’s try it monthly. On the first Friday of every month (okay, most months), I’ll list five things I’m loving at the moment. It might be books or music or TV or food or I don’t know. At the very least, you’ll get to know all my quirks!

Here we go, then.

first-friday-five-oct

  1. Jane the Virgin. Right away, I’ll just let you see my guilty pleasure Netflix show. It’s based on a telenovela, and it is hilarious. I’m almost embarrassed by how much I love this show (and even more embarrassed to tell you how quickly I watched season 2 once the kids went back to school.) Jane, the lead character, is a writer, and the show is one of the best examples of cliffhangers from one episode to the next that I’ve seen. I’m debating whether to watch season 3 in real time.
  2. The Enneagram. The what? I know. Say it with me: Any-a-gram. It’s a personality inventory, I guess is the best way to describe it. Like the Myers-Briggs only not at all. The Enneagram evaluates personalities on a number system, 1-9, but it’s so much more than that. I read a book about it earlier this year and kind of forgot about it, then one of my favorite authors co-wrote a book about it and launched a podcast, and now I can’t stop talking about it. Knowing my number and how I act or react in certain situations, as well as how I am at my worst and best, has been freeing. Any other Enneagram fans out there?
  3. Related, podcasts. I had no interest in podcasts until recently. I’m more of a visual, hands-on learner than an auditory learner, so I resist things like audio books and podcasts. But I’ve found that podcasts are basically like listening to talk radio on specific subjects, and I am now a changed woman. I have several favorites: The Road Back to You, Revisionist History and The Liturgists top my list. Two new discoveries: The New Activist and Scribble & Jam.
  4. Roasting food. The worst part about summer is not being able to use my oven when it’s so dang hot outside. (No central air in our house.) Roasting vegetables is the easiest way to get so much flavor out of all that garden goodness. And I practically swoon with giddiness when I take the opportunity to roast a whole chicken. It’s proof of my ability to behave domestically. Potatoes, vegetables, meat. Almost nothing is safe from the roasting.
  5. Older comedic actors. Ted Danson in The Good Place and Lily Tomlin in Grace and Frankie are reminding me of the comedy gold standard they have achieved in their careers. I don’t mind today’s crowd of comedic geniuses but these gray-haired actors I’ve been watching for what seems like my whole life are gems not to be forgotten.