August List

August 18, 2010

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!
Tisra said...

Diva cup- I've always wanted to try it, too, but haven't because of cost and non-return status... what if I hate it? I guess I should have been asking, "What if I love it?"

The beads. Check out 147millionorphans.com They sell beads from Uganda, too, and work with Amazima ministries- you MUST check out the blog of Katie (kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com) who runs the ministry there. Wow. 22 years old, moved to Uganda and has adopted 14 kids, runs a feeding program, and helps the women in a local village make the magazine beads to support their family!

I've never seen the Godfather movies, either. Worth seeing even if you're not living in Italy? :-)

Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish said...

Tisra,
Think of it this way...no more money wasted on tampons/pads. It does take a little adjustment but I really do love it and wish I had started using it when my friend first suggested it.

Headed off to check out the website and blog you mentioned. Pretty impressive. Hope you guys have had a good summer. Also, headed off to catch up on your blog!

House Mother said...

This is a wonderful list...no wonder I love your blog.

We are settling into a new routine after our move and just last night I had the rare and wonderful thought "I don't feel overwhelmed...maybe I could try/start/read/explore something new." So, thanks again for the list and inspiration to try something different, recommended by a friend.

As for libraries...I just LOVE libraries, near and far...

http://familyhiatus.typepad.com/weblog/2010/04/i-love-libraries.html

Anonymous said...

DivaCup....hmmmm...will have to think on that one.

We used to make beads from christmas wrapping paper. Loved it. Kids love doing it too. Pretty easy.

Love Amazina as Tisra commented.

Thanks for sharing.

Jan

LindyLouMac said...

That is very interesting about the audio books.

likeschocolate said...

I have to admit the diva cup sounds kind of gross, but at the same time a good thing. I guess the whole subject is just gross. I have never heard of it, but I have suffered for the last couple of years since I had my last child. My flow increased, and tampon changed their tampons, so even not the super doesn't really do it's job. I have resorted to pads which are just so dang uncomfortable. I just might have to try this. It definately sounds much better that the washable and eco friendly pads now out on the market.

katy said...

Love your list (as usual.) Questions:
1) How do you get Pandora in Italy? I just learned about it while we were in Seattle, only to discover here in Lux we can't use it.
2) I just read an article in Sunset about how to make your own succulent wall. Thanks to the enormous stack of magazines I read in Seattle. Love how it looks.
http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/diy-vertical-succulent-garden-project-00400000063442/

3) I LOVE the Godfather movies (except #3) ENJOY!!

Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish said...

Katy! That Sunset article is great. Now I am itching to give it a try. Wouldn't that be such a cool addition to a patio wall? I'll try to e-mail you some Pandora tips soon. We initially had some issues getting it in Italy but my husband worked out the kinks. We LOVE Pandora!

Martha said...

Thank you thank you thank you for the note about audio books. I was able to download something today from my old library. I never thought of it either. We miss our library so much. This will help alot.

Mom said...

When I read your list and saw "Diva Cups" it took me back to the early 70's when I used a similar product called Tassaway. I loved it, but shortly after I started using them the company went bankrupt. I'm glad for you to see they are available again because I thought they were the best solution ever invented.

Cami said...

Ok, I love that you added the Diva cup. I'd love to try it, but I couldn't use the Nuva Ring because it kept falling out (my doctor said she's never heard of that before), and I'm afraid this will be the same. Ruined--that's what I am. :(

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