Twosday XXXV: Looking Ahead

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Cookbooks I’m hoping to add to my shelf soon:
1. Healthy Eating One-Pot Cookbook: 101 Effortless Meals for Your Instant Pot, Sheet Pan, Skillet and Dutch Oven by Lauren Keating (a blogger friend of mine!)
2. The Essential Vegetable Cookbook: Simple and Satisfying Ways to Eat More Veggies by Sammi Haber Brondo

Upcoming concerts I’m looking forward to attending:
1. Reba, the country music legend, at Tanglewood on Labor Day weekend. Every summer there’s an artist (or two) that I can’t believe is going to be in the Berkshires. This summer it’s Reba. I’m so excited for the opportunity to see her live!
2. Nine Days, the 90s band known for “Story of a Girl”, at Drury High School in May. I remember posting Nine Days lyrics as AIM away messages many, many moons ago. The show is going to be a very fun walk down memory lane.

Activities I’m engaging in for no reason beyond my own entertainment:
1. Learning pottery making from an art teacher friend of mine. She’s teaching a small group of us how to make slab and coil pottery projects. Beyond cooking, I don’t often make things, so this has been a really relaxing and creative way to spend some of my time. We’re only 2 classes in and I have so many ideas I want to try.
2. Attending as many WordXWord events as possible. WordXWord is a really awesome spoken word poetry organization that puts on monthly events in Pittsfield. I am not a poet at all, but I could listen to spoken word all day. Now that the weather is nicer, I’m looking to catch as many events as I can. (Local friends, let me know if you want to come to any!)

Two home purchases I’m hoping to make sooner rather than later:
1. A hall tree – our house doesn’t have a “mud room” or much of an entry way. We also don’t have a coat closet. For years, I’ve been trying to determine a good solution for our collection of shoes and coats and I recently stumbled on the idea of a hall tree. Now it’s just a matter of finding the money and choosing the right one.
2. An alarm clock – For months, I’ve been trying to convince myself to leave my cell phone outside of the bedroom. If I can find an alarm clock I like, that idea may become a reality. Let me know if you have one you love!

Meals I’ve recently made that I’d highly recommend:
1. Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala from Tasty Kitchen
2. Crispy Roasted Potato Wedges with Squash, Lentils and Goat Cheese from How Sweet Eats

Activities planned for when my sister and my 3 year old nephew visit in a couple weeks:
1. Decorating Easter eggs (my toddler’s first time!) and something I haven’t done in years. I think everyone involved with really enjoy it – plus there are so many interesting dying kits available now.
2. Visiting the animals at Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton (also a first, for all of us!). I mentioned the possibility of going to a farm during their visit, and now my nephew is obsessed with the idea. It looks like Holiday Brook Farm will be just what a couple toddlers need.