Friday, April 10, 2015

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts #3


1. I have surprised even myself by how much I enjoy reading comics and graphic novels. I never thought they would be for me, but some of the ones I have tried so far have been seriously compelling and I am totally hooked. And I fly through those bad boys, so the library has been really great for exploring this new genre without breaking the bank -- or my book buying budget/resolutions for the year.

2. I've actually completed a bookish decorating project I've been meaning to do forever! And I'm halfway finished with another project for the baby's room -- just waiting on a few more supplies. I will share photos soon :)

3. Part of me really wants to dive into Drums of Autumn, the next Outlander book for my re-read of the series, but I think I need to take a little break and squeeze in some other books while waiting for our little one to decide it's time to arrive. It's less than two weeks 'til due date now, so it could still be a while or it could be any day now -- there's really no telling!

4. My plan to read ahead for the next two months of book club got thwarted with all the busy-ness of preparing for the baby. I did start the May book last night in the hope that reading it before the baby comes will mean I actually know what is going on when I attempt to attend the meeting after he's born (in what is likely to be a very sleep-deprived state!)

5. The frequency I need to do laundry because only a limited number of clothing items fit my pregnant self is kind of annoying. I really don't want to buy anything else with so little time left, but I guess this will be good practice for when the baby spits up, pees, etc. all over everything -- frequent laundry is just part of the deal I suppose. On the plus side, since starting to organize all the clothes, bedding, etc. we got at the shower, I've learned that you can fit a LOT of baby things in one load.

6. I really love these applesauce scones and these pumpkin scones. I like having a scone with my breakfast, so I usually skip any sort of topping or glaze and sub in whole wheat flour -- this totally does not work for dessert recipes, but I do it all the time for scones, muffins, and quick breads without any trouble.

7. Speaking of scones... my pastry blender is probably one of my favorite (and most used) kitchen gadgets. I usually only make pie once a year at Thanksgiving, but it's so helpful for making scones, biscuits, and the topping for crumb cakes.

8. Despite the fact that I keep talking about food, I can't say I've had any crazy cravings while pregnant. I make sure I am eating enough for me and the baby, but things are getting crowded in there! Having a tiny person squishing all my insides doesn't really make me want to go to town on snacks or sweets -- not that I don't have them at all, because I definitely do, but I haven't had the roaring appetite I had expected. Though I'm now pretty convinced that pregnancy and parenthood is all about the unexpected.

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8 comments:

  1. 1. I want to read the El Deafo graphic novel sometime in the near future! I am trying to branch out and read more graphic novels this year.
    2. I can't wait for pictures! :)
    3. I forgot how close it was!!!! I saw take a Outlander break and enjoy some others for a bit.
    4. Good luck!
    6. Those scones look delicious.
    8. My sister-in-law had on cravings either really but then I have a few family members and friends that had vicious cravings. lol I believe that parenthood being unexpected is probably 100% true.

    Loved catching up with you! <3

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    1. I finally read El Deafo! And I loved it! Thanks for the recommendation :)

      And I'm totally behind on the Outlander challenge now :( Fall seems like a good time to pick these chunksters back up though. So, I probably won't catch up to your timeline, but I think I'll make my way through the rest of them eventually :)

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  2. I'm a huge graphic novels fan too! Fables is by far my favorite but have yet to branch out a lot because my library doesn't actually seem to buy too many of them!
    Your talk of re-reading Outlander has me so jealous. My goal this year was to stay on top of my review books and I haven't had time to do much else! I'd love to re-read that series. Maybe I should stop requesting review books. lol
    Oh my. Those scones receipes sound delicious! Maybe I need to invest in a pastry blender... :)

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    1. I do a lot of requests for graphic novels through my library -- my usual branch doesn't always have what I'm looking for, but usually a copy can be found somewhere in the library system.

      Review book pressure is no fun! I couldn't keep up, so I pretty much gave up on the review books myself.

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  3. I haven't really attempted any graphic novels yet, but they seem to be growing in popularity. Any recommendations for where I should start?

    Applesauce scones sound delicious. I will definitely try those this summer when I actually have time to bake! :)

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    1. Gosh, this reply is so late! I highly recommend Saga, Locke & Key, Nimona, and El Deafo (that one is even a Newbury book!) -- I'd say those are my favorites so far.

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  4. I never had any weird cravings either. The biggest thing was that my usual cravings were suddenly much stronger. Given that I don't have much willpower to begin with, pregnancy just gave me an excuse to eat way more pizza and milkshakes than I should have.

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    1. Feels a bit like a distant memory now! I was just constantly surprised when I realized how individual pregnancies are -- so many things I thought would happen for sure based on EVERYONE else didn't and so many weird things I'd never heard of DID happen... go figure!

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I'd love to hear what you think :)