Random Friday

1. Downton Abbey.

      After hearing so much about the television series Downton Abbey, I finally decided to check it out last weekend when I was sick. It is my new favorite show and I am busily trying to catch up on the first two seasons before season three begins in January in the U.S. The show begins in the years leading up to World War I with the drama centering on the wealthy Crawley family of the estate Downton Abbey and their servants. If you are a fan of period drama or of Pride and Prejudice, then chances are you will love it too. I love all the characters and the forbidden romances, and the great writing (particularly the biting one-liners of the Dowager Countess, played by Maggie Smith.) If you're interested in trying out this series, Netflix Streaming has the first season online and you can rent both seasons through their mail system, Hulu Plus has both seasons online, and you might even be able to find them at your local library. The third season (which is already underway in England) begins on PBS on January 6.      

2. What I'm reading now.

      I am currently reading "Broken Harbor" by Tana French. Here's the synopsis from Amazon: "On one of the half-built, half-abandoned luxury developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Detective Mick Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it's going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can't be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the walls. The files erased from their computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks. And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher as well. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she's resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children."
     I first started reading Tana French with her first novel "In the Woods" several years ago. I also loved her second book "The Likeness." This is her fourth novel and her signature blend of police procedural and psychological thriller is really fascinating to read. I have never been able to guess the ending of one of her books before I read it. She is a writer that truly surprises me every time.        

3. 31 Days of Loving Your Husband

      I finished my 31 Day challenge, but I haven't had the time to blog about it. It was definitely a challenge toward the end when I started having trouble coming up with something to do for every day. But rest assured, I figured it out and I think Tim had a really great month. A few of the things that I did in the last week were preordering him Halo 4, renting him a "man" movie full of explosions and guns instead of another romantic comedy, and putting away his clean laundry instead of just folding it and waiting for him to put it away. The whole experience has been really fun and I have seen improvement in the way that Tim and I both take time for one another even when we're busy. 

4. 45 Days...

     Not to stress you out, but there are only 45 days until Christmas. I have been starting to buy presents for our family to spread out the spending over a longer period of time and scouring the Internet for deals. I have already bought gifts for my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, and one of my sisters-in-law. And a couple for Owen. Hopefully this weekend, I can sit down with Tim and brainstorm some ideas for our own Christmas wishlists and also come up with some ideas for the rest of the people in our family. 

5. Coffee Lovers Cravebox

      Drawings for the limited edition Coffee Lovers Cravebox are now open. I signed up in hopes of winning one for my coffee-loving husband. You have to fill out a survey when you sign up and it gives you a few hints as to what is in the box. I think it will come with coffee (of course), flavored syrup, cereal, and maybe some other type of coffee related snack like biscotti or something. Cravebox has two other boxes currently open if you're interested: the holiday spruce-up box of cleaning supplies and the Ultimate Thanksgiving box. You can click here to check them out.