August List

A very random list of things that have been making me happy this summer. It also happens to be a list of things that friends have recommended, but for some silly reason it took me awhile to try them. So here is my August list:

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad: This is the perfect summer meal! The only thing I do differently is toss in some fresh tomatoes from our garden and sometimes I leave out the shrimp. It's always very tasty. Thanks to Leslie for the suggestion and thanks to Ina for yet another favorite recipe.

Sufijan Stevens: Discovered via Pandora and a friend who happens to be his friend (thanks Aja). Love his stuff, especially the fifty states project. If you are in the States, check out his fall tour schedule. Here's a sample.

The Shark Steam Mop: With the fun of summer comes muddy feet, watermelon juice, and lots of sticky, dirty tile floors. I actually bought this steamer before we moved to Sicily based upon suggestions I got here, but for some reason I never pulled it out of the box until this summer when I started needing to clean the floors on a near daily basis. I love it, love it, love it. Never thought I'd be singing the praises of a mop, but I am. No chemicals, easy, quick, and works like a charm.

Free Audio Books: Why did it take me a year to figure this out?!!!! Attention all ex-pats or those preparing to move overseas: keep your library status in the States active! Thanks to my friend/favorite school librarian's suggestion (thank you, Margaret), I learned that we were able to check out audio books from our library back in Florida. I can't tell you how excited we have all been about this. With a few easy clicks, we are able to select audio books from the on-line catalogue, check them out, and load them on to our i-pod. Favorite free listens this summer include Roald Dahl reading his work, The Ramona series, Paddington Bear, and The Fudge Series.

Diva Cup: Ok, if you are squeamish or if you are one of my uncles, skip this entry on the list. My friend, Angi, has been trying to get me to use one of these for years. To be honest, it just sounded too gross and messy. Well, I finally made the leap and I wish I had done it sooner. I am now an official convert. I won't go into any more details here, but if you are interested, e-mail me and I'll tell you more.

Succulent Wall: My love of succulents continues to grow. While searching for some info on a new plant addition to the my garden, I stumbled upon Flora Grubb's lovely site (isn't that a great name....she was destined to be a gardener!) and her stunning wall planter. Now I am dreaming about how to build my own Sicilian version.

The Godfather: Can you believe we moved to Sicily without ever having watched The Godfather series? Well, it's true. And now that we are finally watching it, I can't stop commenting on how it really does look like Sicily.

Bagala Beads: I love these beads. I bought a necklace and a bracelet at two different museum shops when we were in London. I love the bright colors, the re-use of magazines, and the idea of supporting women. I am also tempted to try making some myself. Seems like the kind of project you could easily do while watching a movie.

Swagger Wagon: A friend (thanks, Megan) just e-mailed this to me and I had to add it to the list. Who says mini-vans aren't hip? Enjoy!