What I'm Into (October)

Linking up with Leigh today to share what I'm into

October has been a month of adjustment. Brock started work and it has been crazy for both of us. We've had to learn to manage our respective schedules and make time for each other. I know we will end up being fine but there is always the pain of that adjustment that takes longer than I want it to (I wrote a bit about it here).

Of course, there was also Halloween this month. James had a little turtle costume and he wore it to Brock's work for their office party and then again yesterday for trick or treating in my hometown. It was seriously so cute, although now I wish I had just walked around with him and not actually gotten candy. I don't want him eating it (he did have a Tootsie Roll this morning when I wasn't paying attention) and I don't want to be eating it, so now we're stuck with a bucketful of candy around the house. Sigh.

Here is a brief sampling of what I've been into this month:

Reading:

I'm recently finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I started it on audiobook about a month ago but couldn't finish it before it expired on Overdrive. It was so intriguing that I grabbed the book when I was at the library and really enjoyed it. It was a little bit of science fiction without being science fiction-y, which I didn't know I would really like.

I also finished Liar Temptress Soldier Spy which was such an interesting look at four women (two for the Union, two for the Confederates) involved in the Civil War. It felt like fiction as I was reading and I still can't believe that the stories are true! It was so good.

Cooking:
Last night I made some delicious chicken enchilada soup from Gimme Some Oven. It's different than others I've made before because it has corn flour in it and tons of cheese (maybe the fact that I actually shredded my own this time instead of using the pre-packaged stuff helped the cheesy factor). Brock and I ate it with tortilla chips and it was so good. 

Tomorrow I'm planning on making a slow cooker recipe and am going to make the wonderful jalapeno popper chili from Everyday Reading. I only use one jalapeno so it's not spicy at all. I've made it a bunch of times before and it always turns out great, plus there are tons of leftovers.

Miscellaneous:

There are two things that have improved my life this month. First, slippers. I have an undiagnosed circulation problem- actually, let's consider it self-diagnosed. Essentially, my feet are always cold, often painfully so. During Chicago winters I had to wear two pairs of socks with slippers (a very sexy look, let me tell you), and sometimes my feet would ache so bad that I would stand in the bathtub and let the hot water run over them until the ache mostly subsided.

I assumed that when I moved to California a lot of my problems would go away, since it doesn't get cold here. But for whatever reason- our apartment is south facing, or it's super shady- my feet have been cold nonstop. So, about two weeks ago, I was at Target and decided the time had come to do something about my feet. I bought some moccasin slippers, and put them on the minute I walked through our door. They're a lot cuter than my old slippers and have rarely left my feet since. They really have radically changed my life for the better. I wish I were exaggerating but I'm not.

Next, eye drops. My eyes have been so dry lately and sometimes when I close them it feels like they're going to burn through my eyelids. I bought $4 eyedrops when I was grocery shopping and have been using them almost daily. The relief is amazing. Both of these things remind me that taking care of the little things in life (dry eyes, cold feet) can really help me feel better all around.

What have you been into this month?