Seven Quick Takes vol. 136

Happy Friday! My first quick takes of 2016, let it be known! Hop over to Kelly's for the better ones...

{one}

I feel like I should be writing a little update because I haven't really updated for a while around here. Don't worry -- there's nothing too exciting. I honestly don't think I've ever had an "exciting" January. And that's ok. I feel like I can now acknowledge that January is just that guy at the party you don't like very much, but you'll try and be Christian and not hate him from a distance. Just tolerate his existence....if I have to.....I guess.

{two}

We've been trying to battle cabin fever around here and it really is something you have to intentionally try to work against. I'm just kinda dying for several minutes where I don't have to deal with children in my day. It's just a really hard aspect of homeschooling. Especially in winter. Especially when you live in the middle of nowhere. The kid's can't play outside for much longer than 20 minutes (it's warmer today, thank goodness!), I don't really want to go to the work of bundling everyone up, driving 30 minutes to go to the library for 15, then driving 30 minutes back everyday, and there's just no where else to go nearby. We usually make it as far as my parents every afternoon just to get out of the house, which gets us by, but still... So I get by on getting to town to run errands, appointments, library once during the week, and try to schedule stuff for one day during the weekend, and force myself to go outside even when it feels terrible. 

{three}

We've been back at school for a couple weeks and I think we're back in the groove from winter vacation. Winter always feels like it inches by, but I really think we get the majority of schoolwork done in these quieter months where we just plough little by littler through our work. I'm just trying to look at the positive aspects of consistency, here!

{four}

I've been asked for food 4 times since sitting down 15 minutes ago to write this post. Children!

{five}

Let's hear it for the hats!

(PHOTO: NICK BRIGGS/CARNIVAL FILM & TELEVISION LIMITED 2015 FOR MASTERPIECE)

What have you been watching lately? 

I've made it through all of The Good Wife and am currently binging my way through season six because it was just released on Canadian Netflix! It's been engrossing even though I regularly feel like punching Alicia.

I've been enjoying dark Sunday nights with Downton. I feel like this season has been good but maybe moving a little slow. I'm expecting deaths and dramatics for this last epic season - so now that Tom's back things better pick up. And for the love, I'm so glad Edith finally figured out that she could actually be the editor and she should stop listening to horrible people yell at her. But, that has been her entire life experience vis a vis Mary.

We watched Antman last weekend, and since I'm a complete and total sucker for Paul Rudd I thought it was probably the best Marvel movie of 2015. Which isn't saying much, yet at the same time it was fairly clever and funny without taking itself so painfully seriously like The Avengers. I honestly can't believe my husband still wants to watch these things, but then again I'm still watching The Good Wife and Downton after 6 years!

Also - watched the first part of War and Peace and it's stunning and beautiful. It feels a little impersonal somehow though. Maybe because it jumps around so much that I don't feel completely invested in the characters? That's how the book goes too though so I shouldn't complain. I love the epic scale, the production, the castles. Ah, Russia.

{six}

We've got a new podcast episode out this week! We talked to the lovely Ann Marie Heasley all about decluttering, making your home beautiful, but at the same time accepting the messes. So far we've loved hearing that it's helped get people in the mood to declutter! I'm thinking about doing 40 Bags in 40 Days this year because I know there are a lot of areas of my house that I'm ignoring and letting the detritus of life build up in. 

{seven}

I thought I had a lot of clever things to talk about today and now I'm coming up with nothing but I hope your weekend is exciting and not full of blizzards. Is that the best we can hope for a January weekend? Maybe so. I'm going to look for another sweater and some warmer socks now. 

---

follow along:

facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest