Life In Five: 09

Resting: after the 3 Little BIrds Open House. It was a smashing success! We only planned to hold two sample music classes, but ended up holding an additional class to accommodate everyone who showed up. We got some great feedback, learned what NOT to do (give kids loud drums when you're trying to provide instruction) and met an editor from Red Tricycle who wrote a feature on us!

Watching: HBO's Enlightened. Have you seen this show? It's a drama-comedy about Amy, played by Laura Dern, a quirky, self-destructive do-gooder who has a mental breakdown at her soul-sucking corporate job and finds spiritual enlightenment after attending a wellness rehab retreat. The cast and writing is phenomenal and I found myself strangely identifying with Amy throughout the series. Sadly, they canceled the show after only two seasons, despite winning Golden Globe awards. If you have Amazon Instant Video (through Amazon Prime), you can watch the entire series for free!

Cooking: one-pot pastas. In particular, Joy The Baker's One-Pot French Onion Pasta. Sweet, savory, carby goodness. Why have I never tried this technique before? I even tested it out with veggie marinara and the results were just as delicious. Not only does cooking everything in one pot create a thicker, heartier sauce, but it dramatically cuts down on the number of dishes to wash!

Reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Finally! My book club will be reading it together and I just downloaded the Kindle version. I've heard so many wonderful things, on top of it winning a Pulitzer. But at the same time, there have been some not-so-good reviews about a depressing ending. I'm eager to form an opinion of my own. I'm sure I'll appreciate it either way, since the writing, as far as I can tell, is superb. Have you read it yet?

Practicing: (and perfecting) a song on the ukulele to be performed at another best friend's wedding at the end of September. For their first dance! Such an honor, right? I should keep it a surprise for now, but I promise to reveal the song and upload a recording or video of it after the wedding. It's a sweet one!

What have you been up to lately, my loves?


{Image by Christopher Bachmann}