currently: once a year edition

i feel like i only do these types of posts once a year, but they are some of my favorites to write. i get in the habit of just posting our weekly recaps on here every monday, but sometimes when reading through old posts i am reminded of other kinds of posts i used to write and get inspired :)

so, right now i'm currently...

appreciating: the week i just got to spend with my mom. it's hard living half-way across the country from our families, but at least we get a long chunk of one-on-one time with them every few months. i'm also appreciating our new fall schedule around here. my life feels much more balanced now with dedicated time to do the work-household-parenting things. i'm still doing my book keeping job 5-7 hours a week and will likely be going up to 10-15 starting in november. 

looking forward to: my girls weekend coming up on friday! every fall my group of mom friends and i do a weekend away in the pnw. i always look forward to it so much. we have our criteria down now: somewhere under 2 hours away, a cozy house to drink/eat/relax, a hot tub, at least one nearby restaurant for a meal out over the weekend. we are pretty easy to please! this weekend we are going to anderson island, which is short ferry ride from steilacoom (near tacoma). none of us have been there before. it looks like heaven!

wearing: i put away all of my summer clothes (with the exception of some short sleeved shirts and tanks that i wear with cardigans). i never used to separate my clothes for different seasons (besides the obvious things like shorts). but i've found i really love taking out things that have summery colors/prints and storing them away for 9 months. it's always fun to pull them out again in the spring. the older i get, the more i am drawn to neutral colored clothing. so most of my clothes in the fall/winter are black, white, gray, cream, denim. i also love cognac brown shoes and purses because they look good with everything. i find it easier to choose an outfit each morning if i have more of a curated wardrobe to look at, instead of everything i own.

reading: i just finished reading "crazy rich asians" which came out a few years ago and was made into a movie last year. i actually saw the movie first, but i still like reading books after seeing the movie just to see what is different and to get more detail than the movie provides. the book i read before that was "summer of 69" by elin hilderbrand. i'm still working my way through her 22 books. i think i've read 16-17 of them. i have a goal to read 24 books this year and i've read 18 so far. 

  

watching: i always joke that i pretty much never watch any new movies or shows. i don't watch a ton of tv in general, so i'm usually skeptical about watching something new and would rather watch old favorites like the office, friends, etc. but i'm proud to say i have started watching some new shows recently. first is "call the midwife". i know this has been around for a long time, but i just started it a couple months ago (thanks to my mom) and i love it. i'm on season 4 of 8. i also recently started watching "workin moms" on netflix. it's is absolutely hilarious. and of course i can't wait to watch all my favorite christmas movies soon! ;)

eating: one of my goals with the kids back in school is to find some new recipes because i'm pretty tired of the 7-8 things we rotate almost every week. so far i haven't done this, but it's still my goal :) especially slow cooker recipes because they are so easy! tis the season for comfort food and baking. in case you are curious what we usually eat: homemade pizza, tacos, breakfast for dinner, grilled turkey burgers or chicken, asian meatballs, spaghetti, etc.