Monthly C.U.R.A.T.E. #6
Reading and watching too many things at once!!!
C. Cooking
Last week, I was dreading the weekly grocery shop and decided to outsource some of the task. Caroline Chambers, author of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, has some meal plans on her website, which include a full grocery list and recipes for a 5-6 days. I tried Good Mood Food V.1, and I was so delighted! I had a bit of sticker shock at the grocery bill initially, but I think we ended up spending less on food overall because we ate fewer lunches out, and it made more than 10 large meals for two people. Everything we ate was delicious, and some of it wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but the dinner recipes converted into delicious lunches, which was one of the most helpful parts for me, as someone averse to leftovers. If I don’t find myself wanting to repeat the meal plan in full, I could see us repeating specific dinner to lunch combos.
U. Using
This is perhaps not revolutionary, but I am using the public library these days, and I couldn’t be happier about it! The library is great! You never know who you’ll run into or what random, niche topic will spark your interest. Also, it’s saving me so much money (about $50 on my last trip alone!). My favorite way to do it is just to place holds that I will pick up on my way home from work. Last Thursday, though, I spent half an hour aimlessly browsing before picking up my hefty stack of holds, and it was so lovely.
If you’re not already using Libby, what are you even doing! Any resident in the state of Texas can get a Houston Public Library card online, and then you will have access to audiobooks and ebooks on Libby. You may have to wait longer for holds to be available, but their selection is pretty good!
R. Reading
On the topic of what I am reading, the answer is too many things! I am strictly a one book at a time kind of person, and between the audiobooks and other things I’ve picked up I currently have 4-5 going!!! That is wildly too many. I’m most excited about My Friends by Frederick Backman. I’m listening to The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck on Libby, and I think I will have more thoughts soon. I’m waiting on my next Emma M. Lion book to come in, and I just know I’ll be ravenously devouring those for the foreseeable. Thank God we live in a world with books!
A. Art
Okay, if you’ve been following along on my Substack notes, you’ll see that I started a 100-day art challenge on my birthday. I have since… stopped the challenge. Now, I am pretty good at seeing things through when I really want to (ahem, The Artist’s Way), but in this case, the structure of the challenge wasn’t actually getting me any closer to the creative goals I have. I am wanting to get better at oil painting and to explore that medium and find my style a bit more. The parameters that I set for myself were just to spend at least 10 minutes each day on something creative. And I did do that for about two weeks straight, but I wasn’t reaching for oil paint every day. I was painting in watercolor, doodling, or junk journaling because it was quicker and easier to set up and clean up. While those creative moments were useful in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t what I set out to do really, and it felt very obligatory. If you read this post, you know that I’m specifically not looking for an increase in obligations right now, so I’m giving myself permission to just… stop. I’d rather oil paint a couple times a week than feel the need to add something to my routine that’s not helping. Anyway, before I abandoned it, here are some of the things I painted!
T. TV & Movies
This weekend, I spent more time on the couch than I have in the past six months combined. I wasn’t sick, really, but I was deep down to my bones in need of time to just watch and lounge and rest. I watched three movies and the better part of a series, and I have opinions.
I binged How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (Netflix) and it was cute and fun, but not remarkable. It was very slow to start, for one thing. Also, it seemed really predictable at first and then there were a couple of twists, but in the end it was kind of what I had predicted. I did love Dara’s character a lot. If you liked Bad Sisters or Derry Girls, this is similar, but just rewatch those. If you liked Pretty Little Liars and you enjoy Irish humor, you might like this! Not a glowing review, I realize, but it’s having some staying power with me.
On to the movies… Parker and I watched If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (HBO) and Blue Moon (Netflix), and then we needed a palette cleanse so we watched Obvious Child (Netflix) for the first time! Obvious Child was my favorite of the three. Here are the Letterboxd reviews for each that made me lol the most and/or captured my opinions:
If that doesn’t make you want to watch those movies, I don’t know what will.
Okay, I saved the best for last Parker and I are watching Rooster on HBO, and we’re actually keeping up with it as it comes out, which is how you know it’s good. Steve Carrell is the father of a college professor (played by Charlie Clive) whose life is falling apart a little bit. As a beach-read writer, he becomes writer in residence at her prestigious college and is trying to figure out how to navigate that world without any college education of his own. The episodes are hardly 30 minutes, and it feels like a true sit com again! If Project Hail Mary is the return of the blockbuster, Rooster is the return of the 30-minute comedy. Each episode has a little bit of a conundrum that does propel the overall plot forward, but you also get these truly heartfelt moments of Steve Carrell trying to figure things out. It’s just so good. Everyone watch so it will come back for season 2!!!
E. Excited for
The bluebonnets are blooming, and I am excited for spring in Texas!
