Today I’m joining Leigh Kramer’s “What I’m Into” link. 
My husband came in an hour ago and said, “Babers, I’m on with the kids; go write at Starbucks for while”. I really, really love that man. It’s been cra-zy in my house this break, it’s probably always this loud and unsettling when my three kids are home for holiday break. By day seven, they’re bashing into each other in our tiny apartment with nothing but time and opportunity to run amuck. I should be used to it, but today, I felt bone weary and over it! I’ve heard “MOOOOOOM” from angry children ad nausem, they were racing each other across the hardwood floors in their new scooters, and my son was glued to his new inactivated iPhone (he’s using it as an iPod until he’s earned a phone line). Speaking of Christmas gifts, this month I was totally into Craigslist for my Christmas shopping. I bought my daughter the American Girl doll she wanted for $80:
and a DS for $40 (that he dropped and broke the hinge on the day after Christmas. At least I was only out $40, not the hundreds a new system would have cost). I’m into texting my son. Today I reminded him to take out the trash via text and get this…it was out within 10 minutes. Amazing. Here’s proof of my son’s budding iPhone addiction when he thought I lost his phone. We take it from him at bedtime and the night before last , I forgot where I put it before I went to bed. When he asked for it yesterday morning, for a moment, I thought I lost his phone: 
To offset the loud kiddos, I’ve been listening to good music on Spotify. Lately I’m into the The Brilliance. Everything I’ve listened to has been amazing and so inspiring. I tweeted this about their advent album. 
So good…so good. I’m listening to Cavetime: A Worship Album now. Even though it’s based on a book “for men” I’m enjoying it, and it’s helping understand my husband’s struggles a bit. Plus, the album is beautifully written. Speaking of Gungor (btw, The Brilliance is collective of Michael Gungor and his brother, David) I read “The Crowd, the Critic, and the Muse” and loved it. Well, more accurately, I listened to the audiobook and if there’s ever a book that should be listened to over read, it’s that one. Michael Gungor narrates it, so you hear his true intent behind ever word. As a musician, he plays with sound and creates a stories with melodies—this is evident in the audiobook. Music segue ways from one chapter to another, a fake girl band sings absolutely horrible lyrics to illustrate the superficiality of some of the most popular top 40 songs, and there’s a superhero theme for “Super Gungor” (you have to listen to the book to get that). It was one of the best uses of my Audible credits.
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to go to the movies Christmas Day in our Pajamas. The movie theater near our home had tickets on sale for $4.75 on Christmas Eve so we went in our PJs after candlelight service. Before heading out, my husband surprised me with these beauties called, “punjammies’ from the International Princess Project: 
They are so comfortable and do you see the trim at the bottom? It’s called, a “baranasi border”! They’re so exotic and incredibly well made, I feel like I’m tapping into my inner Princess Jasmine when I wear them! Truth. I love the company and their mission to “create pathways to freedom for women escaping the ravages of sex slavery to achieve lives of hope and dignity.” Right now, there is an After Christmas sale, so you should definitely buy yourself some Disney Princess unleashing Punjammies. 
We saw the newest Disney Princesses, Anna and Elsa in “Frozen”. Amazing. Seriously, their story of sisterhood, identity, love, and forgiveness made me want to stand up and shout, “yes, Lawd!” during the credits. But, I didn’t. My texting tween was so embarrassed to even be there with his PJ clad family —I figured his mama in Princess Jasmine-esque PJs jumping up and doing a Jesus dance in the aisle would for sure scar the boy. But inside, I was all “halleluljer!”. The animation is simply gorgeous and the music…wow…the music. I mean, for starters, we’ve got Idina Menzel singing the girl- power ballad, “Let It Go”: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk&w=560&h=315]
See what I mean? Aren’t you a little into “Frozen” now too? True story: I’ve listened to soundtrack at least ten times since Christmas Eve.
After I wrote, “We Are Pierced Women”, this funky little bump appeared next to my nose piercing. I tried really hard to keep it clean and leave it alone, but it kept growing and growing and growing. It felt like my acne crisis of 1994 all over again. All I needed was some Boyz II Men and a flannel shirt to round out the embarrassment. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I found any reason to cover my face, ‘Oh look it’s chilly, let me pull my scarf up over my bumpy nose’, and I often slept with a band-aid so as to not freak the hubs out with the ever growing, ever scary notorious nose piercing bump. I went back to my piercer, Sexy-Chic, or as normal people call him, “Kamal” and oh my sweet Jesus, there is nothing like instigating the ire of a metro-sexual. Sexy-Chic with his perfect skinny jeans, artistically torn tee, and perfect eyeliner was not happy with me. Apparently, I committed a piercing faux pas earlier that month when I went for my two week check up to another piercer in his shop. When he noticed my bump, I let him change out my jewelry.
“Why did you let him do that!?!” Sexy-Chic demanded.
“Umm…ummm…well…” I stammered. You don’t argue with a perfectly coiffed man with latex gloves and a needle.
“Here. I will take your stud out. Come back when the bump is gone and I’ll replace it. Two weeks. I want you back here in two week and please…please…do not let anyone else touch your nose, m’kay?” He said simultaneously sassy and stern.
I wanted to crawl under the table or at the very lease fall prostrate before this trendy man and say, “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy to have your needle of perfection pierce my nose!”I didn’t. I nodded, took his card, and skulked to my car.
It healed eventually (sans stud) and I went back to Sexy-Chic: lord of piercing and eyeliner to get my nose re-pierced. And guess what? Two weeks later I had another bump. Refusing to go back through another teen angst walk down memory lane and unwilling to face Sexy-Chic again, I tried everything to make it go away with home remedies. I soaked the bump in saltwater—nothing—just a perpetual salty taste in my mouth. I treated the area around my bump with Emu oil and the best I got my a really shinny schnoz. Then I read somewhere to try chamomile tea. And boom. It’s nearly gone and all you see is my lovely, sparkly stud. I wish I could go back to Sexy-Chic to prove that I can be a responsible pierced woman, but I’m too afraid and quite frankly—I need to get my eyeliner skills on lock before I step back into that shop. You know…to even the playing field. So I’m totally into the medical use of chamomile tea. 
And finally, I’m into my French press given to me a while ago from a friend moving back to LA. Ok here’s the deal: I know several people with a French press and I’ve always thought of it as a bit pretentious. I mean really, what’s the deal with throwing “French” before a word and all of a sudden it’s de rigueur. French toast, French fries, French tips, and now French press? Really. Really? So, on Christmas Day after my kids and I delivered our pancakes to families stuck in town for the holiday, a friend invited us in for an impromptu play-date and a cup of coffee. She made me a cup of French pressed coffee and oh. My. Gosh. What brown bitter sludge have I been drinking this whole time? I thought it was the coffee itself, but she told me it was simple, standard Trader Joe’s holiday roast. ‘What?!? I had some of that at home. I made it in my drip coffee every morning? Why didn’t it taste rich and bold like the cup from the French press?’ I thought. I did my research and found that when you brew coffee using a filter all of the wonderful oils and sediment that occur naturally in coffee beans is filtered out. When you use a french press, the only thing you don”t drink is the ground coffee- everything else is included in your cup and it allows you to fully appreciate all that coffee has to offer. So I’m totally into my French press and my Starbucks clearance coconut mug.
It has been a wonderful way to start the day. For another wonderful way to start the day, check back here on January 1. I’m beginning my series based on my word365, “taste”, “31 breakfasts with Jesus”. For the 31 days of January, I’m going to start my day with breakfast, (because I never eat it and I’ve heard somewhere it’s the most important meal of the day) and meditating on a phrase or truth from the Gospels about Jesus. I’ll include a picture of my breakfast for accountability, the recipe for your own breakfasting pleasure, and a quick five-minute reflection on the day’s meditation for…I guess…holiness cred.
So what have you been into this December? I want to hear over on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments section. If you want to follow with me, like ever, but especially in January over 31 days of breakfasts and good words from Jesus, then enter your email to follow the blog in the field at the top right. Happy New Year Lovelies, 
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