Sara Levine

2018: My Year in Books - Part I: The Books

2019-01-08T20:45:00.002-05:00

2018 was another INCREDIBLE year of books! With a baby on the way (I was due in February with my son) and the regular busy-ness of everything else in life with my husband, daughter and pup, I made the crazy goal of reading 100 books over the course of the year!
There were times when I thought that 100 was far too many, and others where I thought I could make 125 or more, but at the end of the year, it turned out that it was a perfect number, and I read exactly 100 books!

In added craziness, I tried to focus on reading as much of my own shelves as possible and banned myself from buying any books for the year! The only books that I bought were a few I ordered through Audible because I could only put my membership on hold for 6 months and then needed to use up some credits. Otherwise, the only physical books that I acquired were gifts and so I am very happy to say that my to-be-read (TBR) shelf barely grew for the first time ever!
I'm breaking this year's post into two parts, this one - on the books, and a second one that will be focused on a breakdown of those books - genre, which ones were my shelves vs library, female authors, poc authors, pages read, etc!
And so, without further babbling, here are the books that I read in 2018, in the order that I read them, and the months in which they were finished! My favorites are in hot pink, and any I listened to on Audio have an "(A)" next to the title!
January
1. Castle of Water丨Dane Huckelbridge 2. Ajax Penumbra 1969丨Robin Sloan 3. They Cage the Animals at Night丨Michael Jennings Burch 4. Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History丨Katy Tur (A) 5. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town丨Jon Krakauer 6. You丨Caroline Kepnes 7. One of Us is Lying丨Karen McManus 8. When We Were Worthy丨Marybeth Mayhew Whalen 9. This is How It Always Is丨Laurie Frankel 10. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century丨Timothy Snyder
February
11. Sing, Unburied, Sing丨Jesmyn Ward 12. All-American Boys丨Jason Reynolds 13. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose丨Joe Biden (A) 14. Behold the Dreamers丨Imbolo Mbue 15. The Fall of Rome丨Martha Southgate
March
16. The Selection丨Kiera Cass 17. The Versions of Us丨Laura Barnett 18. The Elite丨Kiera Cass 19. The One丨Kiera Cass 20. At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe丨Tsh Oxenreider 21. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things丨Bryn Greenwood 22. The Heir丨Kiera Cass 23. The Crown丨Kiera Cass 24. The Smart One 丨Jennifer Close 25. Salt to the Sea丨Ruta Sepetys 26. The Futures丨Anna Pitoniak 27. The Weight of Blood丨Laura McHugh 28. Straight Talking丨Jane Green 29. Gold Fame Citrus丨Claire Vaye Watkins
April
30. Behind Her Eyes丨Sarah Pinborough 31. Seven Days of Us丨Francesca Hornak 32. The Circle丨Dave Eggers 33. Outlander丨Diane Gabaldon 34. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood丨Trevor Noah (A) 35. The Nightingale丨Kristin Hannah 36. After I Do丨Taylor Jenkins Reid 37. Lily and the Octopus丨Steven Rowley 38. The Underground Railroad丨Colson Whitehead 39. The Sweet Life in Paris: A Recipe for Living in the World's Most Delicious City丨David Lebovitz 40. In a Dark, Dark Wood丨Ruth Ware
May
41. French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered Ten Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters丨Karen Le Billon 42. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter丨Erika L. Sanchez 43. Britt-Marie Was Here丨Frederik Backman 44. The Mothers丨Brit Bennett 45. Nevertheless丨Alec Baldwin (A) 46. The Good Daughter丨Karin Slaughter 47. The Problem with Forever丨Jennifer L. Armentrout 48. Columbine丨Dave Cullen 49. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone丨Brene Brown (A)
June
50. How to Walk Away丨Katharine Center 51. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir丨Patrisse Khan-Cullors 52. Since We Fell丨Dennis Lehane 53. Educated丨Tara Westover (A) 54. Fierce Kingdom丨Gin Phillips 55. Love, Hate & Other Filters丨Samira Ahmed 56. Revolution is Not a Dinner Party丨Ying Chang Compestine 57. This is Where it Ends丨Marieke Nijkamp 58. The Castaways丨Elin Hilderbrand 59. The Storyteller丨Jodi Picoult
July
60. The Last Mrs. Parrish丨Liv Constantine 61. Neverwhere丨Neil Gaiman 62. Sourdough丨Robin Sloan 63. Delirium丨Lauren Oliver 64. Pandemonium丨Lauren Oliver 65. Requiem丨Lauren Oliver 66. The Book of Essie丨Meghan MacLean Weir 67. Beartown丨Frederik Backman 68. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be丨Rachel Hollis (A) 69. Just One Day丨Gayle Forman
August
70. The Virgin Suicides丨Jeffrey Eugenides 71. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win丨Jo Piazza 72. All We Ever Wanted丨Emily Giffin 73. Bury This丨Andrea Portes
September
74. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania丨Erik Larson (A) 75. Who Do You Love丨Jennifer Weiner
October
76. No One is Here Except All of Us丨Ramona Ausubel 77. Homeless Bird丨Gloria Whelan 78. Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body丨Kate Hudson (A) 79. The Lying Game丨Ruth Ware 80. The Silkworm丨Robert Galbraith
November
81. So You Want to Talk About Race丨Ijeoma Oluo (A) 82. Turtles All the Way Down丨John Green 83. Luckiest Girl Alive丨Jessica Knoll 84. The Sunshine When She's Gone丨Thea Goodman 85. Family Pictures丨Jane Green 86. Becoming丨Michelle Obama (A) 87. In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It丨Lauren Graham (A)
December
88. What I Saw and How I Lied丨Judy Blundell (A) 89. Unaccustomed Earth丨Jhumpa Lahiri (A) 90. The Walking Dead, Compendium 2丨Robert Kirkman 91. The Reluctant Fundamentalist丨Mohsin Hamid 92. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City丨Matthew Desmond (A) 93. The Perfect Stranger丨Megan Miranda 94. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret to Transform Your Life Before 8 AM丨Hal Elrod 95. From the Corner of the Oval丨Beck Dorey-Stein (A) 96. Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love and Baking Biscuits丨Reese Witherspoon 97. The Magnolia Story丨Chip and Joanna Gaines (A) 98. Still Life丨Louise Penny 99. Dinner: The Playbook丨Jenny Rosenstrach 100. Labor Day丨Joyce Maynard
Ah! So many incredible, wonderful books this year!! At 100 books, that's an average of 8+ books a month throughout the year!
Those listed as hot pink above were my five star reads - books that absolutely blew my mind, changed my thinking or wildly affirmed it, and have stayed with me all year long. BUT! That doesn't mean that there are others that I didn't enjoy! Those not highlighted in pink above, but that I really liked a lot (4 star reads!) were: Ajax Penumbra 1969, One of Us is Lying, When We Were Worthy, All-American Boys, The Versions of Us, At Home in the World, The Circle, After I Do, The Underground Railroad, When They Call You a Terrorist, Fierce Kingdom, Love Hate & Other Filters, This is Where It Ends, The Storyteller, Sourdough, The Book of Essie, Girl Wash Your Face, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, All We Ever Wanted, Dead Wake, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Evicted.
My goal for next year is set at 80 books. While I think I may surpass it, I do know that maternity leave allowed me more time than usual to read and I focused on that when I set my 2019 goal. I also set my Read Your Shelves (RYS) goal at 50 - and while I'm no longer banning myself from buying books, this year of no buying really made me think long and hard about the books I do want to own and I think my days of mindless book buying are over! So I'm looking forward to borrowing from the library and diving further into the stack below my nightstand - there are still quite a few there to read! Do you have tons of books in your shelves too? Focusing on reading them instead of buying more this year?
What were your favorite books this year? Did you set a reading goal or do you just see where your literary adventures take you? Are there must reads on your list for 2019? I'd love to hear from you!!

2017: My Year in Books

2017-12-31T17:08:00.003-05:00

2017 was an incredible year in books for me! I soaked up so many wonderful titles - finding time to read in all formats (paper, Kindle and audio!) and fell in love with tons of incredible characters! After reading only 55 in 2016 - and not reaching my goal of 75 - I decided to reduce my goal for 2017 to only 60 books - and I surpassed that by 19 books!

Here are the books that I read in 2017, in the order that I read them. My favorites are in hot pink, and any books I listened to have an "(A)" next to them.
1. Truly Madly Guilty | Liane Moriarty 2. The Nest | Cynthia Sweeney 3. Dark Matter | Blake Crouch 4. Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything in Between | Lauren Graham (A) 5. Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi 6. Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult 7. Mosquitoland | David Arnold 8. Girl in Translation | Jean Kwok 9. The Bronte Plot | Katherine Reay 10. Friday Night Lights | H.G. Bissinger 11. Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen (A) 12. Start | Jon Acuff (A) 13. The Woman in Cabin 10 | Ruth Ware (A) 14. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl | Issa Rae 15. We Should All Be Feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (A) 16. 50 Ways to Yay | Alexi Panos (A) 17. Always and Forever, Lara Jean | Jenny Han 18. Commonwealth | Ann Patchett 19. Today Will Be Different | Maria Semple 20. Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love and Work | Jennifer Weiner (A) 21. Rich People Problems | Kevin Kwan 22. Tell Me Three Things | Julie Buxbaum 23. The First Husband | Laura Dave 24. Crimes Against a Book Club | Kathy Cooperman 25. Small Admissions | Amy Poeppel 26. The Stars Are Fire | Anita Shreve 27. The Light We Lost | Jill Santopolo 28. The People We Hate at the Wedding | Grant Ginder 29. Dreamland Burning | Jennifer Latham 30. The Rules Do Not Apply | Ariel Levy 31. I Was Here | Gayle Forman 32. Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris 33. The Sunshine Sisters | Jane Green 34. The Couple Next Door | Shari Lapena 35. The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas 36. A Long Walk to Water | Linda Sue Park 37. The Sun is Also a Star | Nicola Yoon 38. The Good Widow | Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke 39. Into the Water | Paula Hawkins 40. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage | Ann Patchett (A) 41. Woman No. 17 | Edan Lepucki 42. Peace Like a River | Leif Enger 43. Leave Me | Gayle Forman 44. Impossible Fortress | Jason Rekulak 45. Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Roadtrips and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations | Ron Fournier 46. When She Woke | Hillary Jordan 47. 84, Charring Cross Road | Helene Hanff 48. Hillbilly Elegy | J.D. Vance 49. Underground Airlines | Ben H. Winters 50. Before the Fall | Noah Hawley 51. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House | Alyssa Mastromanaco (A) 52. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions | Gloria Steinem 53. Bound | Donna Jo Napoli 54. A Man Called Ove | Frederik Backman 55. Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard 56. The Mountain Between Us | Charles Martin 57. The Guest Room | Chris Bohjalian 58. Faithful | Alice Hoffman 59. The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood 60. What Happened | Hillary Clinton (A) 61. When Dimple Met Rishi | Sandhya Menon 62. Paris For One and Other Stories | Jojo Moyes 63. I'll Give You the Sun | Jandy Nelson 64. Stay With Me | Ayobami Adebayo 65. Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks | Annie Spence 66. Young Jane Young | Gabrielle Zevin 67. My (not so) Perfect Life | Sophie Kinsella 68. The Dry | Jane Harper 69. The Wangs v The World | Jade Chang 70. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen | Lucy Knisley 71. What to Say Next | Julie Buxbaum 72. Very Good Lives | J.K. Rowling 73. When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalamanthi 74. Every Last Lie | Mary Kubica 75. The Vegas Diaries | Holly Madison (A) 76. Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates 77. The Two-Family House | Lynda Cohen Loigman 78. The Atlas of Love | Laurie Frankel 79. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman
Oh my gosh! A seriously fantastic year in books!! And I read the strong majority of them from June through December - 60 of them in fact! That's an average of 8.57 books per month after June 1! Not highlighted in hot pink above, but ones that I really, really enjoyed this year include ... Dark Matter, Always and Forever Lara Jean, Tell Me Three Things, The Stars Are Fire, The Light We Lost, Behind Closed Doors, The Sunshine Sisters, The Couple Next Door, 84 Charing Cross Road, Before the Fall, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?, The Mountain Between Us, The Dry, When Breath Becomes Air, The Two-Family House, The Atlas of Love and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
My goal for next year is a bit higher, and I am setting it back up at 100 books - 21 more than I read this year. It will mean that I need to read more books in the first 5 months of the year, and then keep on pace with this year for the last 7 months. But, the goal is not for just 100 books - it is for 100 books out of my TBR pile - both physical and on my Kindle/Audible account. I am focusing on not buying any new books until I've made it through the GIANT stack underneath my nightstand (with about 100 books in it). Anyone else reading their shelves this year? I'd love to hear how it goes for you!
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can connect with me on Goodreads (just search for Sara Levine)! Did you reach your reading goals this year? What were your favorites in 2017? I'd love to hear about them!!

Breastfeeding Isn't Best For Me, and That's Okay

2017-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I had lunch with a fellow new mom in early December. We both brought our little ones to lunch with us, and we both brought pumped breast milk with us to feed our children. While Claire didn't wake up hungry, my friend's son did, and while he was eating, we started talking about breastfeeding. Initially, my friend didn't really say very much other than that planned to continue to breastfeed as long as possible. Then, she asked me how I felt about breastfeeding.
"I hate it," I said.
"Oh, you do? Oh gosh, I hate it too. But I feel like you can't say that to anyone," she responded.
Here we were, two friends enjoying lunch out with our new babies, and mom-shaming was looming over us. Every time I turn around, I feel like there's something new to be mom-shamed about, but I feel like there is no issue that brings the judgment as quickly as the issue of breastfeeding.
When I was pregnant, and the subject came up, it was never a question. Of course I would breastfeed. And I'd do it for at least a year. Maybe longer, but definitely not any less. Breastfeeding was going to be wonderful and beautiful and of course, there were all those other benefits - weight loss, less sickness for my child, and one day a higher IQ!, just to name a few. And with breastfeeding, my child and I would bond in a way that we wouldn't if I didn't breastfeed.
I talked to other pregnant women about breastfeeding and every time it came up, we talked about how we would obviously be breastfeeding. I had a conversation with my best friend in July after she had her son about how we couldn't imagine telling a nurse at the hospital that you wanted to formula feed because the hospital staff was so aggressive about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding seemed so inevitable that it was impossible to imagine that I wouldn't embrace it. But, as it turned out, I didn't.
On November 1st, shortly after my precious daughter had been laid on my chest for the first time, the nurse asked if I was ready to start breastfeeding. I said yes, but before she helped me position Claire for her first time, she handed me a nipple shield. A nipple shield is a short plastic cover for your nipple that is supposed to be help the baby latch and help extract your nipple, and - bonus! - keep it from getting blistered or chapped as the baby eats. I took it without a second thought and Claire latched right on and it didn't hurt - at all! I had heard a lot of stories about it being painful and so I was so relieved to not be feeling pain. I met with a lactation consultant twice while I was in the hospital and she showed me different positions to use and was generally helpful. We left the hospital feeling optimistic about our breastfeeding journey.
The next day, at our first pediatrician visit, the doctor suggested that while I was waiting for my milk supply to come in, I should supplement with formula. I smiled and nodded politely and said I wanted to wait as long as possible before we turned to formula. When we left the appointment, I was almost in tears. My milk wasn't coming in? Was I failing as a mother when my daughter was only 4 days old? What if my milk never came in? Only a monster would turn to formula, right? I immediately texted a very pro-breastfeeding friend, who connected me to an incredible group of pro-breastfeeding women on Facebook. They encouraged me to keep breastfeeding as much as possible and that my milk would come in and they were right! Just 2 days later, my milk came in and Claire started gaining weight right away.
The women in the Facebook group also suggested that I see an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) to work on latching so that we could wean off of the nipple shield. And so, with their help, I found an IBCLC in my area and she made a home visit the next day. She worked with me and Claire for almost two hours and told me to keep working on it and that over time, Claire would eventually latch on without the shield. Except that she didn't. No matter how hard we tried, Claire wouldn't latch without the shield and would scream and cry if I tried to force her to do so. Occasionally, I could get her to latch for a few moments, but it was a struggle and honestly, the shield was just easier to use, so I kept using it.
The day after my visit with the IBCLC, I started feeling like I had the flu. I took my temperature and discovered it was at 101.3 and only got higher every subsequent time that I took it. I didn't know what was wrong and I panicked and became hysterical. I called my doctor's office in tears and they had me go to the hospital to be checked out. Josh and I rushed to the hospital with Claire at our side (I was breastfeeding and not yet pumping) to find out that I had mastitis. I was given a very strong antibiotic and told that I would be just fine. I went home, only a little worse for the wear, started the antibiotic and was feeling better within 24 hours.
So, I kept nursing, but slowly started to dread it. Yes, I loved the connection I was able to have with Claire, but I didn't feel good about myself while I was breastfeeding. I felt self-conscious about my body and the idea of breastfeeding in public was out of the question with the nipple shield and my desire for modesty.
Slowly, I started finding that other people hated it too. In fact, a lot of other people hated it too. Some girlfriends of mine brought their sons over one afternoon and both of them were using formula and both said that they'd hated breastfeeding. Another close friend has just switched to formula as she prepares to go back to work, not wanting to spend her days at work pumping. With the support of these non-breastfeeding fans and - importantly - my husband and my daughter's doctor, I decided that I would continue to breastfeed but slowly wean so that not only would I not get mastitis again, and so that Claire would get to use to the change gradually. At one time I had been ready to take on the challenge of pumping at work, but was dreading having to pump in the classroom and finding time in my teaching schedule to pump. I started to slowly wean, and I, to no one's surprise, got mastitis again.
This time, I was prepared. I called my doctor and immediately got another prescription written and returned to nursing and pumping in spite of the pain. At that point, I decided that when it was time to officially wean, I would do it cold turkey. That way, if I got mastitis again, it would be once, and I would deal with it as best as I could. I went for my postpartum checkup a few days later and my OB/GYN said that that stopping by going cold turkey was a good idea and so I set about with a plan in motion. I would slowly replace all feeding with pumped breastmilk and 2 formula feedings except for the middle of the night feeding. Then, when I was ready, I would just stop pumping.
And one week ago, on January 1, I did just that. I stopped pumping. I woke up Sunday morning and never had time to pump and then that night I decided to skip pumping just to see how it would go and it went well. I did start taking Lecithin a couple of days before I stopped in preparation for stopping pumping (it is suggested that Lecithin helps to prevent clogged ducts) and I have had absolutely no issues in the last few days. I have not yet replaced her middle of the night feeding with a bottle and as long as my milk doesn't dry up, I will continue to nurse her as long as she is waking up to feed in the middle of the night.
I've talked with a lot of people about this. Josh and I talked about it and we were both on board with switching to formula. While it was ultimately my decision, it was important to me to have Josh's support. We also have the support of our pediatrician with whom I discussed that I wanted to stop breastfeeding at our 1 month appointment. He said that he understands that breastfeeding isn't for everyone and that it is most important that we are feeding our daughter. "Yes," he said, "fed is best."
But, we haven't been met with support from everyone - namely, other moms who breastfeed. At a play date for the new moms group I joined, I had an interesting conversation with a mom who is adamant that more women should be given nipple shields because it causes less pain and she thinks it would encourage women to breastfeed for longer amounts of time. The women at the moms group were lovely, but most of them were adamant breastfeeders and seemed a little in awe that I didn't love it. When I went for my postpartum appointment with my OB/GYN, she also judged my decision to stop. She asked why, and when I told her that I didn't like it, was uncomfortable with it, and didn't want to pump at work, she ignored these reasons and asked if I thought I could stretch the breastfeeding to three months at least. When I said that that was really not an option (I will return to work at 11 weeks postpartum), she coldly said okay and dropped the subject. It definitely got a little awkward, as it has with other pro-breastfeeding moms, but at the end of the day, these women are not me and they are not in charge of feeding my daughter.
Last week, Josh sent me this article from the Washington Post and as I read it, and the studies and articles it mentioned, the tears streamed down my face. I had just made a few notes, that would be the beginning of this blog post, on the subject and it was such a relief to read similar stories from other women. So much of what was in the Washington Post article and the Atlantic Monthly article mentioned in it (linked below) hit close to home. And, the Post article shared some fantastic studies and other articles, one a groundbreaking sibling study from May 2014, another a study about asthma and breastfeeding, this amazingly hilarious Jezebel article, and an Atlantic article that I think everyone - those who breastfeed for years and those who never plan to do it - should read. Many of the studies that have been done are flawed and there is a large amount of research that supports women who want to formula feed their children. These studies demonstrate that there are benefits to both breastfeeding and formula feeding, and that no mother should be made to feel poorly about the way in which she chooses to feed her children if they are healthy and thriving.
When we have another child, I hope to breastfeed for the first couple of months and then stop. But I will be prepared for the possibility that I might not want to nurse for that long, or that I might want to nurse for longer. With our next child, I won't beat myself up over whatever decision that I make because I will be more educated, regardless of the decision that I make. I will be ready to back up my decision if questioned about it (not that I should be, but I know that I will be) and I will be sure that our decision is the best that we can make. For now, I am confident that this is the right decision for us. For me, for Claire, for our family. And that's okay.

2 Month Baby Favorites

2017-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

On January 1, Claire turned 2 months old! We've been taking monthly pictures and this is our 2 month photo with Claire and her blocks!

It is incredible to see how much she's grown in the past two months! She's gained almost 5 pounds and is on track to be double her birth weight by her 3 month birthday - and will probably more than double her weight by then!
Claire is a chubby-cheeked little firecracker who has a huge personality. She loves to smile and giggle and coos in "conversation" with us every chance she gets. She's only waking up once a night (most of the time) and has already switched to the bigger bottles because the 4 oz ones are too little. She is grabbing things and holding her head up so well - and loves showing off her head control.
We're starting to figure out more of her likes and dislikes as she gets older and it has become very clear that she has some favorites things!

Fisher Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat // Her number one favorite thing right now is her seat - the Fisher Price Sit Me Up Seat! A baby needs to be able to hold up his or her head in order to be able to use it, but once they can - this seat is everything! Claire likes being able to sit up and watch what we're doing without being reclined and at all and this is perfect for that. She isn't a huge fan of being awake in her rock and play and hates the Mommaroo, but loves this seat!
Shiloh Mobile // For the holidays, Claire asked for a mobile to go above her bed and her Gran bought her this amazing Shiloh mobile. The characters are so cute and Claire loves to look at them. It plays music, rotates, and shuts off on its own after 30 minutes so it doesn't waste battery power or accidentally wake your little one up. We have the pink airplane one, but they make a huge variety!
Activity & Play Mats // Our living room has been taken over by play mats! Our two favorites are the Guess How Much I Love You Activity Mat, and the Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Gym. Claire likes the interactive nature of kicking the piano and hearing the music that the Kick and Play gives her. And our favorite part of the Guess How Much I Love You Mat is that there are multiple interactive pieces. Claire's current favorite is the turning mobile in the middle with the mirror and song.
Sleep 'n Plays // Right now, Claire basically lives in sleep and plays - aka "onesies" - from Carters! I may need an intervention to stop me from buying more of these - but I can't help myself sometimes because they are just too cute! Now, Claire sleeps and plays in them, but as time goes on, we'll use them more as footie pajamas and I'm sure will continue to be just too cute! They make them with buttons, which are good for quick peeks to see if a wet diaper needs to be changed, but we much prefer the zippers for the ease of getting them on and off.
Very Hungry Caterpillar // The newest addition to Claire's ever growing collection of toys, her cousins gave her the Very Hungry Caterpillar toy over the holidays and she loves it! It plays music, rattles, has different textures AND a bunch of different patterns - a 2 month old's dream! She has started to pull at it on her own, but still mostly loves when mom and dad make it sing to her.
MAM Pacifiers // We said we would never give her a pacifier, and then we discovered how much she likes them and how quickly she calms down with one! We're hoping it doesn't become a habit that is too hard to break, and for now, these I Love Mommy and I Love Daddy pacifiers are her favorites. They are easy for her to use and if the dog eats one (which has happened already!) they aren't too expensive to replace!
Avent Natural Bottle // The Avent Natural have quickly become our favorite bottles! The nipple is designed to prevent colic and gassiness and Claire can be a little fussy at night. Using these bottles has definitely helped her to be a little bit less gassy than when we use other, less air flowing friendly, ones. We are still using the slowest flow (size 1) nipple, but have upgraded to these 9 oz bottles to accomodate her growing appetite!
We love these products so much and cannot imagine life without them right now! I wasn't paid to share any of these products, we just love them so much that I wanted to share them with you. I am using Amazon Affiliate Links, so if you buy any of the items above, you can support Sara Levine Blog by purchasing the product through these links!

Book List 2016

2017-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

2016 was not my best year for reading. Even though I enjoyed pregnancy, my body definitely felt the effects and often I went to bed early - either not reading at all, or falling asleep after only reading a page or two of a book. Because of this, and the arrival of a certain beautiful baby girl, my goal to read 75 books was not met. However, I did read 55 books and I'm happy that I did that!

Here are the books that I read in 2016, in the order that I read them. My favorites are in hot pink, and the few books that I listened to on Audible are marked with an "(A)" next to them.
1. All Fall Down | Jennifer Weiner 2. Dept. of Speculation | Jenny Offill 3. China Rich Girlfriend | Kevin Kwan 4. Uglies | Scott Westerfield 5. Paddle Your Own Canoe | Nick Offerman (A) 6. Pretties | Scott Westerfield 7. Dear Mr. Knightley | Katherine Reay 8. Everything, Everything | Nicola Yoon 9. Cry, the Beloved Country | Alan Paton 10. Openly Straight | Bill Konigsberg 11. Specials | Scott Westerfield 12. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik 13. The Ice Twins | S.K. Tremayne (A) 14. Did I Mention that I Love You? | Estelle Maskame 15. Did I Mention that I Need You? | Estelle Maskame 16. Rats Saw God | Rob Thomas 17. Expecting Better | Emily Oster 18. Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 19. Her | Harriet Lane 20. Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage | Molly Wizenberg 21. Pretty Baby | Mary Kubica (A) 22. In The Woods | Tana French 23. The Hypnotist's Love Story | Liane Moriarty 24. Kindred Spirits | Rainbow Rowell 25. Dumplin' | Julie Murphy 26. The Summer I Learned to Dive | Shannon McCrimmon 27. Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun & Be Your Own Person | Shonda Rhimes (A) 28. Pretty Girls | Karin Slaughter 29. Big Magic | Elizabeth Gilbert 30. Every Last Word | Tamara Ireland Stone 31. Why Don't Students Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What it Means for the Classroom | Daniel Willingham 32. The Rent Collector | Camron Wright 33. When the Moon is Low | Nadia Hashimi 34. Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher 35. Did I Mention I Miss You? | Estelle Maskame 36. In the Unlikely Event | Judy Blume 37. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You | Peter Cameron 38. News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez 39. Not My Father's Son | Alan Cumming (A) 40. The Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George 41. Eight Hundred Grapes | Laura Dave 42. A Separate Peace | John Knowles 43. My Name is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout 44. The House on Mango Street | Sandra Cisneros 45. Bad Feminist | Roxanne Gay 46. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend | Katarina Bivald 47. Rich and Pretty | Rumaan Alam 48. Every Exquisite Thing | Matthew Quick 49. 12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old | Suzy Giordano 50. Love, Loss & What We Ate | Padma Lakshmi 51. If I Was Your Girl | Meredith Russo 52. Goodnight Moon | Margaret Wise Brown (And countless other children's books...) 53. Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of an Underground Resistance in Afghanistan | Jenny Nordberg 54. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things | Jenny Lawson 55. The Sisters Rosensweig | Wendy Wasserstein
For one of the first years in awhile, I really didn't read more than a few books that I absolutely loved. I definitely branched out in my reading this year as I tried to complete the Read Harder Challenge (check out the 2016 challenge and the new 2017 challenge) but I found myself trying to read books that fit the challenge requirements so much that I forced myself to finish books I didn't enjoy. Because of this, I took forever to read some books that I didn't really enjoy, and missed out on reading books I might have loved. I am glad I read some new genres, and more nonfiction than I would have in the past, but this year I'm just going to focus on making it through the pile of books next to my bed. (Yes, it still exists.)
I did read some books that I enjoyed, but didn't love enough to highlight above, and those would include Rich and Pretty (#47), In The Unlikely Event (#36), The Rent Collector (#32), and Every Last Word (#30). I also did really enjoy two YA series this year - the Pretties Series by Scott Westerfield and the Did I Mention... Series by Estelle Maskame. I would recommend all of these titles if you're looking for something new to read and have already read the others I've mentioned.
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can follow along with me on Goodreads (just search for Sara Levine)! Did you meet your reading goals in 2016? What were your favorite books of the year? I'd love to see your recommendations!

Looking Back on 2016

2016-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

2016 was a magical year. Yes, it was a hard year for so many reasons, but personally? It was magic.

Photo by the incredible Jill Tracey at Maggie Jill Photography in Stoughton, MA

Last year, the word that I focused on throughout the year was creative. Instead of using it as an adjective though, I used it as a verb - create. This year, I created. I created life, I created a healthy space, I created adventure. I created, and I loved every moment of it.
A year ago, Josh and I just finished 10 months of trying (but not succeeding) to get pregnant and had gone through testing to find out that there was no medical reason for us to not be pregnant. We were experiencing "unexplained infertility." And so, we went into 2016 with the hope that this would change and with the help of a little modern medicine, a month later Josh and I found out that we were pregnant! We had created life.
And honestly, I loved being pregnant. There were about 8 rocky weeks in the 2nd and 3rd months where the wrongly named morning sickness took over my life (seriously - who named it that? the nausea lasts allll day!) and one really terrible overnight train ride, but after that, I felt great. And I stayed feeling that way except for about 2 weeks in mid-October when my feet swelled and I had to buy shoes 2 sizes bigger just to make it through the day.
I also didn't let pregnancy stop me from doing fun things - and in spite of the insane summer heat - I actually really liked my summer pregnancy uniform of maternity shorts and stretchy Target tank tops. And the summer was wonderful! Josh and I took a second anniversary / babymoon trip to California and drove down the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles - a trip that we'd been planning since our first road trip 6 years before. Even though it was a little tough watching Josh enjoy tartare and oysters (my favorites!), the trip was amazing. We toured fun new places and got to enjoy each other's company before officially becoming parents.

Driving down the California coast!

The end of the summer brought me back to work to set up my very own classroom! For the first time since beginning teaching, I do have a space all my own and I spent a lot of time at school before the year started getting it ready. Once I get back to school from maternity leave, I will do an official classroom tour, but suffice it to say, having my own classroom has been a game-changer. I only get to enjoy it for a couple of months before going on leave, but those 2 months were heavenly - and I cannot wait to enjoy it for years to come.

Updated photos and the official classroom tour coming soon!

Once the school year started, time flew by. I got back to into work and before I knew it, I was leaving on my maternity leave! My last day was Friday, October 28th and my due date was October 30th. I was convinced that she was going to be late and I would have most of the week - if not the whole week - to get things done, and I'd probably be a little bit bored on top of it all. But, wow, was I wrong! Monday morning I woke up, got ready to run errands, went to the bathroom and discovered that the labor process had begun. I called my doctor, who told me to monitor it for a bit, went to Target, and when I came back my water had officially broken and she told me to head to the hospital. The next morning at 10:23 am, Claire was born!

Our first family photo!!

Instantly, our lives felt full. And the last 8 weeks and 3 days have been an incredible adventure that I could never have imagined. Time seems to simultaneously have flown by and be moving at a snail's pace. Every day I wonder how she is only 8 weeks (really? it seems like we've lived through 8 years already!) and how she is already 8 weeks! Her presence is an unbelievable blessing and miracle and I love spending every single moment with her.
Unfortunately, a week after she was born, Josh and I watched in shock as the results of the election came in. We should have been, but we were not really prepared for what happened and having a newborn daughter made it that much harder to take in. But, I have taken in Hillary's message of hope and I know that there is work to be done and I have hope that not only will Josh and I continue to do it, but that our daughter will join in the fight for equality and freedom as well.
Today, Claire is just over 8 weeks and will be 2 months on Sunday the 1st. She is already holding her head up and giggling and laughing. We've had some struggles with reflux, but are working to get it under control and getting her to feel better. She is a bundle of joy and I want to snuggle her every single moment of the day!
2016 definitely threw some curveballs our way, and we are ready to see what 2017 has in store for us, but 2016 will always be one of my favorite years.

33 Weeks Pregnant {Bump Update}

2016-09-15T18:47:00.002-04:00

With only 7 weeks left to go until our due date, and some of the more exciting changes taking place over these next few weeks, I thought it would be fun to share a bi-weekly update on the blog! As of today, I’m 33 weeks and 1 day pregnant!

This week, Baby Girl is the size of a pineapple and weighs approximately 4 and a half pounds!

How I’m Feeling

So far, so good (mostly)! This pregnancy really has been kind to me and I really can't complain too much. Aside from some general nausea and exhaustion in the in the first trimester (for which my doctor prescribed Diclegis that worked wonders!), I've generally been feeling pretty good. The past week or so though, my top right stomach and ribs have started to hurt quite a lot - especially by the end of the school day. I spoke with my doctor about it, and she said that basically as the baby grows, my ribs are getting completely squished, causing the pain, and there really isn't very much I can do to make it better. I've been making it through the day, trying not to spend too much time sitting (because that puts more pressure on the ribs), and then getting home and enjoying laying/reclining on the couch for much needed relief!

Weight Gain

As of my doctor's appointment on Monday (September 12th), I've gained 20 pounds in total! So far I'm on track to gain the 25-35 recommended by my doctor at my original appointment with her in March!

Movement

Baby is moving so much! For awhile she was mostly moving at night, but now she moves all day long as well! I absolutely love feeling her kick and seeing my stomach move as she does! No matter what I'm doing, her movements put a smile on my face!

Cravings

Dairy! Milk, yogurt, and vanilla ice cream are my favorite things to eat! I also generally crave breakfast - pancakes, bagels, waffles - and enjoy a nice tall glass of milk (or 2 or 3!) with it!

Aversions

Nothing really making me turn away. Early on in pregnancy, I couldn't look at raw pork tenderloin or eat pork, but I've had it at restaurants once or twice and it doesn't seem to be bothering me anymore.

Best Moment This Week

The best moment this past week was starting to have more fun styling my bump! Now that I'm back to school, and I have a reason to wear more than basic shorts and a tank, I am having so much fun putting maternity outfits together (especially since I've bought more than I probably should have!). We also had our hospital tour this week and it was nice to get to walk through the hospital and get a better feel for what we'll be doing before we actually do it!

What I’m Looking Forward To

Heading to a bar mitzvah this weekend and looking forward to spending time with family! My friend Meg is going to come over to help me put baby shower favors together (my shower is the 24th!) and that should be a lot of fun!

Overall, I just cannot believe that there are less than 7 weeks left until my due date! Time is flying by!!

Life Update

2016-08-26T16:52:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week I hinted about some exciting life changes heading our way and I am so excited to share with you that Josh and I are expecting a little baby girl!

We could not be more excited to welcome this little lady into our lives and are excitedly getting ready to celebrate her arrival! We found out in late February that I was pregnant and shared the news with our family about a week later, and then slowly included more family and close friends over the following weeks and months. On Mother’s Day, we announced to the (social media) world that we have a baby on the way!

Since then, I’ve been happily growing and we’ve been happily preparing for her arrival. My first trimester had some general nausea, but no prolonged sickness or really horrible episodes, and since the second trimester started, I’ve been healthy and happy throughout the pregnancy. Josh and I traveled to California in late June/early July for a babymoon, and even though I’m not exactly at my pre-pregnancy energy levels (so clubbing in LA was a no go), we had a perfect babymoon vacation.

Now, I’m settling into my third trimester and although I’ve had a little bit of back/stomach pain, I’m still feeling wonderful. Pregnancy has been good to me and although I’ve been able to enjoy relaxing at home this summer, I am excited to get back to school in after Labor Day and be moving around a bit more and engaging with my colleagues and my students again.

It's hard to believe that there's only a couple of months left until our due date, and we cannot wait to meet our baby girl!

Welcome to Sara Levine!

2016-08-24T12:30:00.001-04:00

Wow. It’s finally here. FINALLY. I’ve been dreaming about updating this space for such a long time, and wavered for quite awhile on whether it was even worth it. But let me tell you… It definitely was!!

You will notice a couple of major changes have taken place here! For starters, the name of the blog has officially changed. Five years ago when I first started this blog, Forever and a Recipe seemed like such a perfect name. I wanted to primarily blog about home and food and Josh and I had just moved in together so I liked the play on the phrase “forever and a day” because it was fun and a little cheesy - just like us! But, fast forward five years, while I do still want to blog about house projects and food, it isn’t my primary interest anymore. There is so much more that I want to talk about and I feel like I had stuck myself in an impossible spot with the original name. And so, I changed it! The new blog is simply my name - Sara Levine - and that way I won’t feel stuck into any specific categories. You will automatically be sent to the new URL - saralevineblog.com - if you go to the old foreverandarecipe.com, and all of my posts have transferred over, so you can still find all of your favorite posts from Forever and a Recipe!

Along with the new blog title and URL, I have also done a complete redesign - courtesy of the fantastic Terintino Shop on Etsy. A simple, classic design that I am excited to enjoy for a long time to come! And it is a bit more streamlined for those of you looking for specific posts - whether it’s on something related to the home, the kitchen or the classroom, you can find it faster by going through the pages at the top.

Also, you will find that I’ve updated my social media as well! My Twitter and Instagram now both share the blog URL name as well - saralevineblog. You won’t have to do anything to follow these instead of the old ones, it will automatically update in your Twitter and Insta feeds. If you want to keep up with blog posts on Facebook, and you don’t already, you can follow the Facebook page at Sara Levine Blog to stay up to date with blog posts each week!

I am so excited about these changes and thrilled to share some exciting life changes with you in the upcoming weeks! I hope you like the new design as much as I do and that you're looking forward to a new season of blogging from me!

Progress > Perfection

2016-08-20T08:13:00.001-04:00

A lot of changes happening on the blog right now, and you will likely see a blog in transition over the past few and next few days as everything gets settled. Please excuse any issues and e-mail me if you have any questions!

2016 Reading Challenge

2016-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

A new year, a new reading challenge! This year, I'm challenging myself to read at least 75 books again! In 2015, I read 76 books - largely in part because I read so much during our marathon snowy winter and days off from school last year. I do know that it may take some extra work, but I think that I can achieve this challenge.

To make things a little bit more interesting, I am giving myself a bit of an extra challenge - to only read books that as of January 1, 2016 are on my Goodreads To Read list or sitting in the large pile next to my bed or already purchased on Audible (with exceptions for book club picks!). This list is comprised of over 226 books and so I will have lots to choose from! I am hoping to start with the basket and the (not so neat and organized) piles of books next to my bed, before moving on from those.

This is the list of the books pictured above...
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton Family Pictures by Jane Green Dead Wake by Erik Larson The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly Her by Harriet Lane The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Peace Like a River by Leif Enger The History of Venezuela by H. Michael Tarver and Julia C. Frederick The Country Under My Skin by Gioconda Belli Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution by Hugo Chavez and Marta Harnecker Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Native Son by Richard Wright Walking Dead Compendium 2 by Robert Kirkland Walking Dead Compendium 3 by Robert Kirkland The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz The New New Deal by Michael Grunwald We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas Z by Therese Anne Fowler Is There Tomorrow? by Caroline Leavitt The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Son by Lois Lowry The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kieran The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan The Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
And, finally, my already purchased books on Audible...

I am currently already reading All Fall Down, The People of the Book and The Notorious RBG and as soon as I'm done with them, I am excited to start reading A Little Life! I've heard incredible things about A Little Life and I am so excited to dive into it! I am also excited to finish listening to Paddle Your Own Canoe - which I will hopefully finish this week!
Have you read any of these books? What were your favorites? Are you taking on any reading challenges for 2016?

Closet Happenings

2016-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the things that we knew was going to be a bit of change for us when we moved into our house was the change in the amount of closet space that we had. Yes, we were gaining a large amount of general storage space, but we were used to a walk-in closet in our apartment that held all of our clothes. Our new master bedroom closet had one shelf and one bar and not a lot of room for the clothes of two people who own a lot of clothes.

We knew from the first moment we had our offer accepted on the house that this closet would be near the top of our to-update list. One night about 2 or 3 nights after we moved in - at the end of June - I decided to tackle this project.
I took a hammer and a crowbar and I pried out the shelf, support and bar. I was left with the wooden piece around the inside of the closet, and quite a few cracks in the walls.

I used paintable caulk, and sealed up all of the cracks and gaps in the corners of the wall, along the trim, and around the wooden piece.

Once the cracks were sealed up, I used an oil based primer to prime the entire inside of the closet - including the inside trim and the wooden piece around the inside where the shelf used to be. Then, I used Behr paint (color matched to Benjamin Moore's Simply White) and painted one coat in the closet - on the walls, trim and the ceiling.
Then, I purchased a ClosetMaid kit - the ClosetMaid Impressions 16 inch in Dark Cherry - and installed it into the closet. My aunt helped me build the shelves while she was here to help me paint, and then I finished installing them the weekend after she left. I also purchased an additional clothing rod so that we would have the stacked shelving in the middle of the closet and two rods on either side of the shelving. The rods on the right, and the bottom four shelves, are for me, and Josh has the left side and top four shelves of the closet.

In order to install it, I removed the closet doors - which were sliding doors that made it very difficult to get into the closet. As of today, we are awaiting new closet doors that we have hired a contractor to install for us. They will be french doors that allow us full access to the closet.
While we still have clothes that flow into other closets, this organizer has allowed us to maximize our use of space. We are definitely planning on adding these organizers in closets in our other rooms, and eventually into our front half closet as well.
It was an easy fix with a huge reward - a place to keep our clothes! - and we love that the organizer is sturdy and matches well with the style of the home.
Have you installed closet organizers into your closets? Rearranged your clothes storage space with a little bit of paint and some new storage units? I'd love to hear about how you managed your clothes storage!

Wallpaper is Not My Favorite

2016-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know that for some people, wallpaper is making a comeback. My mother just put up wallpaper in a number of rooms in her house - both in small (bathroom) and large (dining room and den) spaces - and she couldn't be happier with the result. And there is definitely something to be said for new wallpaper, but old wallpaper? That was a big red flag for us - and one we didn't even know existed when we first moved into the house!
When we first bought the house, the area behind the fireplace was covered with a light wood paneling. And once we pulled up the carpet, it became an even more glaring eyesore.

While we were pulling up the carpet, I actually took a sneak peek behind the paneling in a spot that we were able to pry off of the wall.

After removing the bottom fake wood trim, and the mantel, it was fairly easy to pull the paneling off of the wall and move it into the garage with the carpet.

But, what did we find behind the paneling? We found 50 year old wallpaper!!! Covered with glue!!!

Don't even try to tell me that 50 year old wallpaper covered with dried wood paneling glue isn't the sexiest thing you've ever seen in a house. We considered making it a design feature, but we had bigger plans for the wall. And so, in a wild fit of "this-wallpaper-goes-or-I-go" I ran out to Home Depot one afternoon and picked up the world's best wallpaper remover.

Seriously, I am not joking around. Do you need to remove wallpaper? This is your stuff. (They didn't pay me to say that, btw.) I used 2 bottles of this spray, the wallpaper cutting tool and a scraper. It took a little bit of elbow grease, but before I knew it (about 2 hours), the wallpaper was gone.
In fact, it was gone so quickly that I didn't take any pictures of the removal process. Then, I headed to the beach for a week and by the time I returned, the wall around the fireplace had undergone quite a change, so there were never any pictures taken without the wallpaper.
But, when I returned, I was greeted with an amazing sight - and the sneak peek that I will leave you with today - our built-in bookshelves!

Worth it to not have the wallpaper removal photos? I think so! Have you ever removed wallpaper? What method did you use? Are you a fan of the Chomp citrus spray too? I would have been lost without it!
I'll see you back on Friday to talk about Round 1 of painting in our new house!

Painting: Round One

2016-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

You've heard the expression that the cheapest way to transform a room is with paint and I'm here to tell you that this is 100% true. If you've never had the chance to experience it for yourself and you have a room you're looking to change, head to your nearest paint store and pick up a can (or two!) of paint.
When we first moved into the house, we knew that painting was in our future - and lots of it! We moved into the house knowing that we wanted to paint every single room and that at 8 rooms (counting the hallway as a room) it would take a little bit of time. Fortunately, shortly after we moved in, my wonderful Aunt Joan offered to head up to the Boston area for 3 and a 1/2 long days of painting.

This photo was taken after the first full day when we were still super cheery. Our spirits stayed up, but by the end of the third 16 hour day, we were a bit exhausted.
When Aunt Joan first got to Boston, the first thing we did was prep the area. First up, the dining room! Josh and I chose Gray Horse by Benjamin Moore. We actually never put the color up on the wall (which is typically a huge mistake) and the colors that you see tested are Horizon and Revere Pewter (both also by Benjamin Moore). We ruled out Revere Pewter right away, and Josh decided that he didn't like Horizon - it appeared very light in the living room. And so, only using the color palette, we decided on Gray Horse.
To prep the area, we covered the floor with rosin paper (that we had leftover from protecting the newly polyurethaned floors when we moved), bagged the light fixture, removed the shades and electrical covers, and speckled any holes.

After we had fully prepped the room, we started by painting the ceiling with a fresh coat of white ceiling paint! Aunt Joan was in charge of rolling, and I was in charge of cutting in around the edges.

While we were waiting for the ceiling to dry in the dining room, we moved into the living room where we prepped the room - covering everything that stayed with plastic - and began to paint the ceiling in there as well.

Then, as the ceiling was drying in the living room, we were able to move back and paint the dining room. We did wash the walls first and taped absolutely everything off to get clean lines. Two coats of paint later - again with Aunt Joan rolling and me cutting in - for the dining room and the living room, and things were looking a bit different!

We also used the same methods to paint the hallway - ceiling first then washing the walls then taping and then painting two coats.

And then, with less than 24 hours to go, we made a mad dash to paint our master bedroom. Originally an interesting shade of purple, Josh and I decided to go darker and to use the Benjamin Moore color Sparrow. We started again by painting the ceiling, then taping off the windows and trim and painting two coats of paint - with my Aunt rolling and me cutting in.

And so, with about an hour left to spare until my aunt needed to be at the train station to go back home, we finished the bedroom!
It was a whirlwind painting adventure but we got into an awesome rhythm that made it go quickly and smoothly. I have since painted three rooms on my own - my office, the kitchen and the bathroom - and I can, without hesitation, tell you that it is much faster with two people instead of just one.
Have you done any painting lately? Is there painting on the horizon for you in the new year? Do you prefer to paint solo or with a partner? I still just can't get over how much paint changes a room!

Book List 2015

2016-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned in the past, I keep a log of the books that I read throughout the year in a Google spreadsheet that I share with some wonderful friends. We share book recommendations and comment on what each other is reading throughout the year. Some years we read more, and some we read less, but we are a no-commitment book club filled with people who love to read and whose opinions we respect.
In 2015, I set my goal for the year at 75 books - a little bit higher than last year's goal of 65 - and I managed to not only reach it, but to exceed it! Here are the books that I read in 2015, in the order that I read them. My favorites are shown in hot pink and any book that I listened to on Audible has an (A) next to it to indicate that I did so.
1. One Plus One / Jojo Moyes 2. The Museum of Extraordinary Things / Alice Hoffman 3. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society / Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows 4. Us / David Nicholls 5. And the Dark Sacred Night / Julia Glass 6. The Patron Saint of Liars / Ann Patchett 7. Walking Dead, Compendium 1 / Robert Kirkman 8. The House Girl / Tara Conklin 9. In the Heart of the Sea / Nathaniel Philbrick 10. The Tao of Martha / Jen Lancaster 11. Murder on the Orient Express / Agatha Christie 12. The Year of Pleasures / Elizabeth Berg 13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before / Jenny Han 14. Before I Go To Sleep / S.J. Watson 15. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 / Stephen Puleo 16. Attachments / Rainbow Rowell 17. Flash Boys / Michael Lewis 18. Astonish Me / Maggie Shipstead 19. The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins (A) 20. Station Eleven / Emily St. John Mandel 21. Landline / Rainbow Rowell 22. Bringing Up Bebe / Pamela Druckerman 23. Yes, Please / Amy Poehler (A) 24. Love Life / Rob Lowe (A) 25. The Paying Guests / Sarah Waters 26. Leaving Time / Jodi Picoult 27. Three Wishes / Liane Moriarty 28. The Orphans of Race Point / Patry Francis 29. The Cuckoo's Calling / Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling 30. Love Letters to the Dead / Ava Dellaira 31. The Summer I Turned Pretty / Jenny Han 32. It's Not Summer Without You / Jenny Han 33. We'll Always Have Summer / Jenny Han 34. PS I Still Love You / Jenny Han 35. Everything I Never Told You / Celeste Ng 36. I Am Malala / Malala Yousefzai (A) 37. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena / Anthony Marra 38. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan / Lisa See 39. Someday, Someday Maybe / Lauren Graham 40. The Good Girl / Mary Kubica (A) 41. Modern Romance / Aziz Ansari (A) 42. The Martian / Andy Weir 43. Taft / Ann Patchett 44. Me, Earl & the Dying Girl / Jesse Andrews 45. The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction / Robert McMahon 46. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness / Susannah Cahalan (A) 47. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands / Chris Bohjalian 48. The Language of Flowers / Vanessa Diffenbaugh 49. Perfect Little Ladies / Abby Drake 50. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion / Frannie Flagg 51. The Cold War: A New History / John Lewis Gaddis 52. Medium Raw / Anthony Bourdain 53. The Winter People / Jennifer McMahon 54. Elizabeth is Missing / Emma Healey 55. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee (A) 56. Happiness for Beginners / Katherine Center 57. Go Set a Watchman / Harper Lee 58. The Sea of Tranquility / Katja Millay 59. Food: A Love Story / Jim Gaffigan (A) 60. Why Not Me? / Mindy Kaling (A) 61. All the Bright Places / Jennifer Niven 62. Fangirl / Rainbow Rowell 63. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children / Ransom Riggs 64. I Kill the Mockingbird / Paul Acampora 65. Down the Rabbit Hole / Holly Madison (A) 66. Going Off Script / Guiliana Rancic (A) 67. The Country of Ice Cream Star / Sandra Newman 68. The Royal We / Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan 69. The Pearl that Broke its Shell / Nadia Hashimi 70. Simon and the Homo Sapien's Agenda / Becky Albertalli 71. Truth and Beauty / Ann Patchett 72. Emmy & Oliver / Robin Benway 73. How to Start a Fire / Lisa Lutz 74. Unbecoming / Rebecca Sherm 75. Carol (or The Price of Salt) / Patricia Highsmith 76. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap / Wendy Welch
Keeping track of statistics? This year I read 14 memoirs, listened to 12 books on Audible, enjoyed 14 YA novels, made my way through 5 non-fiction works (excluding memoirs), disliked 7 books and either really liked or absolutely loved 20 of the 78 books that I read (the other 51 books I genuinely enjoyed, but neither hated nor loved).
And for some further breakdown, I read 8 books in January, 10 in February, 3 in March, 3 in April, 6 in May, 4 in June, 6 in July, 14 in August, 4 in September, 6 in October, 4 in November, and 8 in December.
Of my 10 absolute favorites (hot pink above), I still get ALL THE FEELS thinking about To All the Boys I Loved Before, The Orphans of Race Point and The Sea of Tranquility. And the favorites that surprised me the most (meaning that I didn't think these would be favorites) were Before I Go to Sleep (SERIOUSLY. THIS BOOK. IT IS A MUST READ.) and How to Start a Fire.
Overall, this was a wonderful year for reading, made possible in part by fitness challenges where I spent long hours on the treadmill, a record breaking snowy winter in Boston, listening to books on Audible, and genuinely finding and falling in love with some incredible characters.
Want to join along in my literary adventures? You can follow along with me on Goodreads! Did you meet your reading goals this year? What were your favorites of 2015? Please leave them in the comments - everyone loves a great recommendation!

Happy 2016! {One Little Word}

2016-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 2016!! Can you believe that just yesterday it was 2015? No, seriously, yesterday was literally 2015. But now, with the switch of a clock at midnight, we get a chance to start all over. A new day, a new year, a new... anything you want!
Last year, my word for 2015 was "move" - and wow, did I ever! First, Josh and I literally moved into our first house. We moved from the apartment that we had called home for 3 years (where we got engaged and got married) into our first house together. The physical move of stuff wasn't too difficult, but the moving of our lives to a (new-to-me) area has certainly been a bit of a change. Even for Josh, who grew up in the town that we moved to, has had to adjust to change with the move.
Second, I began to be more active! I got a Fitbit in December 2014 and now, 13 months later, I'm still going strong with it! I absolutely love my Fitbit and it truly almost never leaves my wrist. While I tend to move in and out of fitness bursts in waves, I have walked about 2,000 miles in the last year. Much of this is thanks to some fitness challenges at work - both individual and group - that have revved up my competitive spirit and gotten me to move more at work and at home. I wrote a review about my fitbit here, and it definitely still holds true. Many of my friends have Fitbits now and I just bought one for my stepmother for Hanukkah. And - fun fact! - the Fitbit app was the most downloaded app around Christmas time this year. Clearly, "move" made its way to a lot of people this year.
The first two ways that I used my one little word were the ones that I originally intended it to represent. As I talked about last year, it would represent our change in address and my desire to be more active. But, throughout the year, I found that it came to represent a third type of movement - moving forward in the day-to-day. I tried to use forward momentum from little successes to push myself to reach for more. I took on a new prep this year (and almost halfway through the year I am loving it) and began to advise another club (and it is - so far - a success!). Moving forward in my career and my life is helping me to realize and harness so much potential in my creative life - and has led me to my one little word for 2016: creative.
creative (krēˈādiv) adjective 1. relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work
This year, I want to push the limits of my creativity with work, home projects and everyday life. It is my hope that I will work to change the ordinary into the extraordinary - and enjoy every moment of making this year an even more incredible one than the last.
My wish for you is that 2016 will also be your best year yet; that you will cherish every moment for what it is - a moment of this beautiful thing that we call life. 2016 is a blank canvas for you to use - to create, to build, and most importantly, to begin. Welcome to 2016 and cheers to this new beginning!

Carpet, You've Gotta Go...

2015-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

We signed the papers and were officially homeowners by about 1:30 on a Friday afternoon in late June. By 4 o'clock on that same Friday afternoon, Josh, myself, and Josh's dad had started ripping up the carpet in the living room. By the next evening, all of the carpet in the living room, dining room and hallway had gone the way of the dumpster.
When we first looked at the house, the living room, dining room, and hallway looked like this...

The pictures are blurry (except for the one of the hallway that I took myself) because I took them from the online listing before we bought the house and they don't exactly hold up to zoom very well. But, at least they allow you to get a true idea of how the house looked when we first looked at it. We fell in love with it immediately and despite the slightly outdated feel, we believed that we could really make this home ours and that it was home.
Using a few very necessary tools - a large and a mini crowbar, heavy duty pliers, a razor, and a hammer - as well as some physical strength, we got the carpet itself pulled up in no time. And we took it from the above photos to a carpet free environment.
We started with the living room, slicing it into sections, then rolling up those sections and moving them to the garage. After getting the carpet, and underneath padding, out of the way, we set to work getting rid of the tack strip and staples on the edges of the room and down the middle.

After the living room, we moved on to the dining room. Again, first pulling up the carpet and the pad, and then working to remove the tack strip and the staples around the room and in the middle of it.

With every step of the carpet removal, we were more and more THRILLED to see the gorgeous hardwoods that had been preserved underneath the old carpet. If there's anything great about 50+ year old carpet that has been well kept in a well maintained home, it is the original floors below it that you can count on to be in great condition. Our last step was removing the carpet from the hallway and hallway stairs, and while I don't have any in progress photos - Josh's dad and I moved pretty quickly through the area - I do have some lovely carpet-free photos.

After ripping up the carpet, we did hire someone to come in and refinish the floors - and replace the wood by the front door. Did you notice the tile?

It matched the kitchen tile and it just really didn't go with the image that we had in mind for our finished living room.

Josh worked to pull all of the tile up, using a hammer and a crowbar, and yes, it was exactly as loud as you would imagine. I'm sure our neighbors loved us those first few days.

And of course, he ripped it all up only to find that underneath it was a piece of plywood that had been nailed very securely into the floor. Even if we had been able to pull up every single nail (which didn't seem very likely), the floor underneath it would have been a disaster. So, instead, we had the floor guys cut out that section and replace it with matched wood. The color difference is so slight that it isn't noticeable at all unless you are really looking for it and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
We somehow don't have any pictures of the house completely empty after the floors were finished, but this is not too long after we painted the living room (sneak peek of the color!) and you can clearly see how nice and shiny the floors turned out. And don't worry, the room doesn't look like this now!

And so, from carpet to no carpet, one last side by side comparison...

Makes quite a difference, doesn't it? Even before the refinishing! Have you ever ripped up carpet? Was it harder or easier than you thought it would be? For this low cost and minimal physical effort, we could not have been happier with the final outcome! Goodbye carpet, you won't be missed!

In the next post, I'll show you how that back paneling came down, and start talking about some of our ideas that we originally had for the space!

Hello?

2015-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you got lost in a spell of Adele this fall? No? Just me?
In all seriousness though, I really can't blame my lack of posting on Adele though. I can, however, blame it on a number of other things - including teaching a new class, taking on another club, taking a graduate class at Northeastern, and settling into new school year routines. But so many things have happened over the past six months and I am thrilled to have a little bit of time this break to update the blog and prep some posts for the new year!
We have made a ton of progress on our house - and had actually made some of that progress when I last posted. We have painted most of the house, added bookshelves to the living room, and re-did the entire den. There are still some more projects to undertake in those rooms and so they aren't 100% done, but they are looking significantly better than they did six months ago.
Overall, we have settled into being homeowners - complete with all of the strangeness that comes with saying those words. Over the next few weeks, I'm hoping to wrap up some end of the year items (book lists, one little word, and new year planning) and get you all caught up with the progress in the new house. In the meantime, I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and getting excited for all of the new and wonderful things heading your way in 2016!

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

The Giant To-Do List

2015-09-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

The post of this title does not even begin to cover the giant list of projects that we want to do to make this house our home. A few weeks ago, Josh and I set down one night and mapped out our room-by-room to do list. Before I start sharing completed and continuing projects with you, I wanted to share our giant to-do list so that you can get a sense of where we are coming from.
This is our current brain dump of everything that we currently want to do, but as with all things, this list is in no way set in concrete. We've already changed our minds on a number of things, a number of times, and are taking projects one step at a time. And so, with the warning that this is very long, here is our new house giant to-do list!
- The Basement (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Organize/create laundry nook
Complete storage set-up
Organize storage set-up
Replace curtain above dryer

- The Den (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Clear away clutter
Remove lace curtains
Set up couch
Set up entertainment space
Tear down wood paneling
Sheetrock and plaster walls
Sheetrock and plaster ceilings
Paint stairs
Runner down stairs
Create mudroom entry area
Fix/Replace door to the garage
Paint/Replace door to backyard

- The Garage (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Organize shelves
Organize paint
Sell hutch
Fix walls
Paint walls
Clean/Paint? floor

- The Kitchen (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Paint walls
Hang art
Make and hang curtain above sink
Create storage space (possible peninsula?)
Remove door to downstairs
Change hardware on cabinets
Paint trim
Install a built-in microwave over the stove to create more counter space

(Phase 2: Down the road, we're hoping to change the countertops and add cabinet and counter space, replace the tile, close the door to the deck, and switch out and upgrade appliances, as well as knock down the wall between the dining room and the kitchen.)

- The Dining Room (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Rip up carpet
Buy and hang new blinds
Buy/make and hang curtains
Create (find/buy) sideboard storage
Sell dining room set left by previous owners
Buy new dining room set
Replace chandelier
Hang art
Paint walls

(Phase 2: Down the road, we're hoping to replace the window with slider doors out to the deck.)

- The Living Room (1% Complete) -

To Do:

~~Rip up carpet~~
Take down paneling
Buy new couch
Buy rug
Buy coffee table
Add built-ins around the fireplace
Fill and organize/decorate built-ins
Buy new tv
Wall mount new tv
Create and hang gallery wall
Create entry zone
Buy entry rug
Buy small entry table or bench for next to closet
Organize coat closet
Hang new blinds
Buy/make and hang curtains
Paint trim
Paint walls

- The Hallway (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Rip up carpet
Paint walls
Paint trim
Hang art
Change doorknobs

- The Bathroom (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Paint walls
Paint trim and doors
Paint vanity
Replace mirror
Replace lights
Replace shower head
Replace blinds
Buy/make and hang curtain

- The Master Bedroom (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Paint walls
Paint trim
Install closet doors
Hang art
Bring mirror into room
Buy nightstand for Josh
Buy nightstand for Sara
Buy hamper
Add light to closet
Buy rug
Replace hardware on Hemnes
Replace blinds
Buy/make curtains

- The Spare Room (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Office set-up
Closet organization
Bring loveseat into room
Paint walls
Paint trim
Hang art
Replace blinds
Buy/make curtains

- The Guest Room (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Set up bed
Paint walls
Paint trim
Set up dresser and bedside table
Buy rug
Hang art
Replace blinds
Buy/make curtains

- Backyard (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Plant flowers in pots
Plant herbs on shed
Grow grass
Wash deck
Stain deck
Buy patio set

(Spring 2016: Garden!)

- Front Yard (0% Complete) -

To Do:

Change front light
Replace numbers
Replace door knocker
Replace door
Hang hose
Replace broken spigot handle
Replace shrubs and front plants

And that's the list! Some things have already been done throughout the house - all carpet was ripped up and the floors were all refinished, but I left the floor refinishing off of the list because there are no pictures of it happening. The list isn't 100% complete, but as the house is a work in progress, so is this list and nothing is set in stone. There's no real order to anything above, but we're hoping to just tackle things bit by bit as we set up our home!

New House Tour

2015-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's been 2 months and 19 days since we officially signed the papers and became homeowners! Hurray! We have long been dreaming of owning our own home - having a place to make our own and a home and yard to call our own. These photos were taken the day we moved in - some of them after the carpet demo had already started - but otherwise these pictures are as "original move-in condition" as we have outside of the listing pictures. The pictures of the living room are complete with some demo-sneak peeks!
It's a 3-bedroom, 1-bath tri-level split with an unfinished basement and a garage. It has a deck and fenced-in yard, and is the perfect home for us. This post is very photo-heavy, and we hope you love the space as much as we do!
View of the Front

Inside View from the Front Door

View of the Dining Room

View of Downstairs from the Fireplace

View of the Kitchen

View Up the Stairs/Hallway

View of the Master Bedroom (Left From Hall View)

View of Corner Bedroom (Straight Ahead from Hall View)

Guest Bedroom (Right from Hall View)

View from End of Hallway

Bathroom (Right from End of Hallway View Above)

View of the Den

View of the Basement

View of the Backyard (From Bathroom Window)

Wow! Like I said, so many photos! We love this house so much and are slowly, but surely, turning it into our home. On Friday, I'm going to do a list - Young House Love style - of all of the wonderful things we are doing / want to do to our home. There will definitely not be a dull moment as we work our way through projects!

Spring and Summer Book Report

2015-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

So, it seems to be book week here as I get back into the swing of things on the blog. As the summer comes to a close, and I get ever closer to reaching my reading goal for the year - only 4 months left! - I wanted to update on all the books I've read since February. (I finally re-capped those for you here.) After February (the month of snow days), reading slowed down for me a bit, but it has picked back up this summer and now I am more than on track to meet my reading goal of 75 books for the year - only 20 books left to go!

Since February, I have read a number of wonderful (and some not as wonderful) books...
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins / This was my first ever book on Audible and I enjoyed it! I didn't absolutely fall head over heels for this one, but I did think it was interesting. I figured out the ending before it happened though, so that ruined it for me a bit.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel / I absolutely loved the story here, and I would recommend it to pretty much anyone, but I was left wanting more. I felt like the story was a bit too unfinished and I would have liked more from the author. This bummed me out a bit because I did love the concept behind the plot.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell / I read this lightning fast at the end of March and didn't love it. My favorite parts were sub-plot things that Rowell didn't focus on as much as I would have liked. I'm reading Fangirl now, so the jury is still out, but so far, Eleanor & Park is really her only book I've loved.
Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman / This was, to me, the French version of Tiger Mom. Some interesting insights for sure and definitely interesting to see what motherhood looks like in France. (Spoiler: It is way different than motherhood in America.)
Yes Please by Amy Poehler / My second Audible! And I absolutely loved it! It was more focused on motherhood and self-reflection than I thought it would be going into it, but I liked Poehler's positive, yet realistic and introspective, outlook on life She is definitely more vulgar than I thought she'd be, but it worked with who she is and I liked it. I do need to add that I think that this may be a better book to listen to than to read. I have 2 friends who read it, and neither of them loved it. The Audible version, read by Amy, has guest readers and she ad libs a bit. I laughed out loud a number of times listening to her read.
Love Life by Rob Lowe / This is Rob Lowe's second book, and follow-up to Stories I Only Tell My Friends. I listened to this on Audible too and Rob Lowe's voice is soothing and wonderful to listen to. I really liked this one and appreciated Lowe's stories and advice for loving life and living it to the fullest.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult / Not my favorite Picoult, but the story was engaging and - BONUS! - not at all predictable. I did really enjoy it and was pleasantly surprised by it since the subject matter wasn't one I thought I would be interested in.
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty / Another one by an author I've binge read (i.e. Picoult and Rowell), and also not my favorite. It was a fun read, but it took me a little while to get into it. This one was a little too out there for me.
The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis / My absolute favorite so far this year, hands down. This was a beautiful and incredible story about love and friendship. The author brought the characters to life with such clarity and realism that I cried with them and for them, and laughed with them as they did. Beautifully written, well-crafted, and refreshing to read an author that stays so true to her characters.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith / I had this book on my Kindle for about 2 years, but didn't get around to reading it until May and then I couldn't put it down. It was a murder mystery that was well-crafted and cagely (yes, I made that word up) written. I have the 2nd one on my Audible shelf and am looking forward to reading the 3rd one - out this fall - as well.
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira / I read this as the QHS Book Club May book. It was breathtaking, tear inducing and freshly written. The story was about how a young girl recovers from a major tragedy and then navigates through the beginning of high school. The story shocked me, and grabbed me, and I cried through the end - and then some.
The Summer Series by Jenny Han / This series was good and super addicting, but I liked To All the Boys I've Loved Before much better. This series seemed to skim over too much and I wanted more detail than I got. The 3rd book had an info-filled epilogue though that I really appreciated.
PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han / The sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before. A good follow-up to the first book and one I enjoyed. I thought this one was a bit cheesier than the first, but I think that may be because I was a little over reading Han at that point (4 of her books in less than a week was a lot).
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng / I thought that this was good, and the writing was strong, but I just don't think that it was worth all the crazy hype. It was an interesting story, but it felt too choppy at certain points.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra / Definitely in my top 5 of 2015. This novel was beautiful, intense and captivating. It is really a must-read for every single person ever. I cannot say enough good things about this moving story and I wished that it did not have to come to an end.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See / I liked this, and appreciated all of the Chinese history woven into it, but I just didn't get hooked on it and didn't love it.
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham / This was a cute and fun read. I like Graham a lot and it was fun to read her first novel.
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica / Another Audible book! I really, really liked this. It was Kubica's first novel - which I didn't find out until after I finished it - and it was a thriller that I could not stop listening to. Suspenseful and full of twists, this one kept me constantly guessing. I highly recommend this one if you like thrillers.
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari / I listened to Aziz read this on Audible. It was good, but not great. Aziz provides a humorous and well-researched view of modern romance, and I appreciated that, but I wish he had written more of a memoir.
The Martian by Andy Weir / I liked this one, despite the crazy amounts of scientific jargon, but I was let down by the ending.
Taft by Ann Patchett / Another author I love to binge read! This is an earlier book for Patchett, and as in her other earlier novels, you can definitely see how she was honing her craft a bit in this one. But, the characters were engaging and I did read the entire book in one sitting since I couldn't put it down.
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews / I had low expectations for this one, but it was an easy read and enjoyable enough that I read it in one sitting. It was kind of lackluster and just didn't grab my attention.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan / This one surprised me and I really liked it. It was less memoir and more investigative journaling, but it was presented well and the story was definitely fascinating. I definitely recommend this one. As a side note, if you read this, you'll read a lot about something called a teratoma. DO NOT GOOGLE IT unless you have a seriously strong stomach. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian / This was definitely the summer of reading leftover books by authors whom I had binge read, but never finished all of their works. This story was intriguing - focused on the aftermath of a nuclear plant accident - and as always, Bohjalian's writing kept the reader engaged.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh / This was a well-woven story, and I cried, but I didn't love it as much as I think others have. It certainly made me think more about flowers though!
Perfect Little Ladies by Abby Drake / Given to me by my mom to as a breezy read. It was certainly breezy, but a little over the top for me.
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg / Recommended to me by a teacher friend of mine and this one did not disappoint! Interesting story with a lot of history about the WASPs in World War 2 throughout it. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon / This one was enjoyable, and a super fast read, but I was a little disappointed because I thought it was going to be more of a thriller than it was.
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain / This was okay, but Kitchen Confidential was much better. If you like cooking and are interested in the world of a chef, than you'll like this one.
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey / I picked this one up in Rhinebeck at Oblong Books (yay independent bookstores!!) on a staff recommendation. This story follows Maud, an elderly woman with alzheimers, as she searches for her missing friend Elizabeth. Maud is also remembering a long forgotten part of her life when her sister went missing when Maud was younger, and the two mysteries are woven together. It was confusing at parts - although I think that was, at times, the point - but a bit too confusing for me to really love it.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee / It was wonderful to end my summer reading on such a high note with TKAM. I had read this when I was 15, and really couldn't remember any of it. I am interested in reading Go Set a Watchman, and so decided that this deserved a re-read. And wow, am I glad I did. I listened to it as I worked around our house painting this last week of summer and really felt as though I was spending my summer with Jem and Scout. Lee's writing is truly beautiful and this is, without question, a classic. If it's been 15 years since you last read it, then you should re-read it too - I cannot recommend it enough.

Radio Silence {Playing Catch-Up}

2015-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

As usual, things got busy last year. Eventually I am hoping that I will figure out the trick to teaching and blogging regularly, but I certainly hadn't quite done so last year. After the never-ending Boston blizzards, we finally returned to school but only to be consumed by lots and lots of busy days.

In March, we went to Toronto for my cousin's wedding and then began house-hunting!

In April, I headed to DC with some of my awesome students (and we got a tour of the Capitol Building!) and we put in our third offer on a house!

After 6 weeks, about 20 or so houses, and 2 unaccepted offers, we finally put in an offer on a house - and it got accepted! After a great inspection, we signed and P&S and started preparing to move. Then, in June, about 7 weeks later, we did! We passed papers on June 19th and then moved in a week later - but not before ripping up carpet and getting our hands a little dirty!

School ended very late this year (June 29th!) and Josh and I have spent the summer settling into the new house - unpacking, painting, and turning it into our home. I spent some time in Virginia with my mom and took a trip to Fire Island with Nash to spend a week with my Dad and Stepmom. Nash has been very loved all summer and enjoying lots of time at the park, and the beach, and hanging out with me during the lazy summer days.

I finally got a new computer a few weeks ago and so I could finally upload pictures (my old computer was slowly but surely dying) and now I can share them with you! Life has slowed down enough to get back to blogging - before the year gets crazy again of course!
I'm hoping to get into a good Monday/Wednesday/Friday, blogging groove this fall - and I'm looking forward to sharing our house with all of you! Big things are certainly on the horizon for us - from house projects to big birthdays (we both turn 30 this fall!) to teaching a new class at school (seniors! eek!) - I am excited to live each moment and share so many of them here!
All of these pictures are from my Instagram account - @foreverandarecipe - where you can follow along with my life beyond the blog! Let's be insta-friends!

A Long Overdue Book Report

2015-08-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of February, I posted the books that I hoped to read in February, but when school finally picked up again after the snow, I never got around to posting a book report. I thought it was finally time to get around to writing it!

The original February Book List picture. I gave up on The Presidents Club, and didn't get to I Am Malala or The Paying Guests until later, and then read quite a few more in February, but they're all reviewed below!

The House Girl by Tara Conklin / I really enjoyed this one! The story follows a lawyer in Manhattan in the 2000s and a slave in Virginia in the mid-1800s. The back and forth story did not disappoint and I could not put this one down. Engaging and well-written, I was very happy to finally read this one that I had had on my Kindle for quite a long time.
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick / This non-fiction narrative about the tragedy of the whaleship Essex that inspired Moby Dick was interesting, but not my favorite. It was a powerful and momentous account of the story, certainly, but some of it was a bit dry for my taste. I am looking forward to seeing the movie this winter though.
The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster / After being a Goodreads Best Humor of 2013 nominee, this had been on my TBR list for well over a year and it was nice to finally get around to it. It was okay - laugh out loud funny in some parts and very sad in others - and generally well put together. I like Lancaster a lot, but now that she's looking for things to write about, her writing seems a bit forced. Bitter is the New Black was much better.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie / I read this because it was my high school book club's book of the month. I did not have high hopes for it and while I didn't hate it, the end seemed a bit too fantastical for my tastes.
The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg / I like Berg's writing and so when I found this on my daily Kindle deals, I decided to pick it up. It follows a widowed woman who moves to a small town in the midwest to start over. I sobbed through the first 40 pages while the woman's loss of her husband was explained in detail. It wasn't bad, but very depressing - despite the title.
To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han / ALL. THE. FEELS. I stayed up all night to finish this book and absolutely LOVED it. It is the story of a high school girl who writes 5 love letters but doesn't send them - until somehow they get mailed out. It was everything that high school is, and should be, and that we hope it would be - with just the right amount of cheesy romance thrown in. My favorite YA book in awhile!
Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson / Another book I loved! And, I don't say this lightly, but I think it was better than Gone Girl. It is a psychological thriller and, I think, even creepier than GG. It kept me turning page after page to find out what happens and it was wonderfully well-written. Seriously frightening and one I am not soon pushing out of my head.
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo / I had this one on my Kindle for a long time before this, but just couldn't get into it. My friend Meg kept telling me how much she loved it though, and so I dove in on a long plane ride. I ended up liking it and loved that it wasn't only about the molasses flood (which is fascinating), but also about the political and social climate in Boston and around the world from 1914 to 1925, and how the disaster played a role in all of it.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell / I loved Eleanor and Park, and I've been trying to fall in love with another Rowell novel ever since. This one came the closest yet, but still fell short of truly loving - I think because it was a bit predictable for me. Engaging, but just not my favorite.
Flash Boys by Michael Lewis / Normally, this type of book would not be something I'd add to my TBR list. But on recommendation from a friend, I picked it up. I loved the Big Short and hoped that this would be similar. Unfortunately, it wasn't and this book ended up being a huge miss for me. It was a bit confusing, a bit boring, and I realized that I really don't care at all (sorry Lewis) about high frequency trading.
Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead / This one was enjoyable, but I was expecting a bit more from the description on Amazon that made it seem much more like a thriller (which it is not). It was, however, a well-written novel about a family who's past, and present, is consume by ballet, and we see how they navigate through life around it.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai / I ended up listening to this on Audible and thought it was amazing! It was a bit slow to start, but the history Pakistan and the Taliban in the Swat Valley and surrounding areas was portrayed with clean attention to detail and provided a vivid picture of life for Malala and her family. Even knowing some details of her story, this book showed that there is so much more than what I knew, and made me weep for this that have had their lives torn apart by the Taliban. Archie Punjabi narrated this on Audible and her narration was wonderful. (Read in July.)
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters / This book was not what I thought it was going to be, but I really enjoyed it. I loved Waters' writing and I am excited to read more of her novels. Once I got into this one, I couldn't put it down, and read it all in one sitting. Historical fiction at its best! (Read in May.)
I started to read The Presidents Club but it didn't hook me and so I put it down. I have saved it for another time! Have you read any of these books? Which ones were your favorites? I'd love to hear about them!

On Girlfriends {Happy Galentine's Day!}

2015-02-13T11:03:00.001-05:00

About 2 years ago, Josh and I fell head first into the world of Leslie Knope and were subsequently introduced to Galentine's Day. The idea is simple - February 13th is another day of love, but this time for your girlfriends!

A gift I put together for my Galentine Meg using ABM's Marbled Clay Dish Tutorial!

I am so lucky to have a number of wonderful women in my life to trust, to love, and to laugh with. Some of these girlfriends live close and share the smaller day-to-day details. A walk at the park with the dogs or quiet lunches in a classroom allow for a constant share of both the big, and the small, things in life. I cherish each moment with these women who have become my lifelines in Massachusetts. My girlfriends from home and from college are scattered across the country, and it means the world to me that I've found women here to whom I can turn.
But that doesn't mean that I don't get homesick for my other friends from time to time (read: All. The. Time.). I crave the late night talks, sushi dates, neverending giggles and easy conversation that my best friends give me. Because some of them live far away, we rely on gchat or text messages to keep in touch on a more regular basis, but it's never enough and do often wish that we lived closer. But, since I can't move NYC, Denver, Boulder, Wichita and San Francisco to New England (at least not yet!) I will just have to survive on social media and cell phones to keep close.
And of course, on this beautiful Galentine's Day, I am sending so much love their way - to my girlfriends near and far - the best Galentines a girl could ask for!

Valentine's Croissants Two Ways

2015-02-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

Somehow, it is snowing again. I know that there's all sorts of science-y reasons why it's snowing, and that we're stuck in some sort of snow fall pattern from hell, but after almost 5 feet of snow in 2 weeks, I am legitimately staring out of my balcony window right now, jaw open, in shock that it's snowing. And how is it, you ask, that I'm home on a Wednesday morning at 9 am to be looking out my window? That's right - snow day #9! As if the snow now isn't bad enough, now school is officially going until June 30, so that's going to be fun.
But, to brighten up everyone's morning - yours and mine - I thought I'd share two of my favorite semi-homemade ways to enjoy breakfast on Valentine's Day. These two ways to make croissants are delicious and chocolatey and don't require too much work!

The chocolate drizzle ones are the easiest - and the ones you'll need to start with first if you're making both kinds. They are frozen croissants from Trader Joe's, and they need to be left out overnight to expand.

Take them out of the box before you go to bed the night before you want them, and when you wake up in the morning, voila! Ready to bake croissants!

Follow the directions on the box and bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes. When they come out of the oven, allow them to cool for about 5 minutes, and then drizzle them with hard-shell chocolate sauce.

The hard-shell won't actually form since the croissants are too hot, but I've found that the hard-shell syrup stays the best on the croissants.

While the TJ's croissants are baking, you can prep your other chocolate croissants! You'll need Pillsbury (or store brand) crescent rolls and chocolate chips.

Unroll the crescent rolls and arrange them on a plate. There are 8 in a package, but I can never seem to get 8 good looking rolls from one of these containers. I was happy with 5 this time around.

Then, add a small handful of chips - about 15-20 - to the middle of each crescent roll, and roll it up into a croissant.

When the TJ's croissants come out of the oven, use the same pan to place your chocolate-filled croissants onto. Arrange them a bit apart, as they will puff up during baking, and turn your oven up to 375. Wait 5 minutes, and then place the chocolate-filled croissants in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once they are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve immediately!

I topped the plate with extra chocolate chips and served both types of croissants with some coffee in our new initial mugs (tutorial coming soon!) on our newly stained lazy susan (tutorial also coming soon for this!) as a special snow day treat on Monday, and they would make a great semi-homemade Valentine's Day breakfast treat!

Are you getting ready for Valentine's Day? Looking forward to breakfast or dinner more? Or are you so buried under snow that the holiday is the last thing on your mind? I'd love to hear about your favorite Valentine's Day treat!