Everyday Reading

It Doesn't Take Much

2012-02-10T05:46:00.013-06:00

. . . to make me happy.

Just little hand tracings that magically appear every time Ella sees me with a pen and paper.

(By the way, the reason I was writing a list of all our DVDs is that when we moved from Boston, we chucked all our DVD cases and stuck the DVDs in a single large CD holder. And then when our neighbor wanted to borrow a movie last week, we didn't want it to get scratched, so we just gave him the whole case.

And of course that was the night their apartment was broken into (while he was asleep in the other room! Happily, his wife and baby were out of town) and the thieves nabbed our DVD collection along with their TV, DVD player, Xbox, and computer. So part of the insurance hassle for them was getting us to list all our DVDs that were in the case so we can be reimbursed. It's exciting times around these parts).

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

2012-02-09T11:51:00.005-06:00

You know how, when you love a book (or a person or a restaurant or an item of clothing), you can overlook flaws? You think, "Oh, I didn't even notice that the writing was terrible/she bites her nails/the restaurant never has cold water because everything else is so great!"

And in the opposite way, when something irritates you, you are very quick to notice even more flaws. "I knew I didn't like this restaurant. Not only is the food terrible, but the parking stinks and the waiter is rude."

The Weird Sisters, sadly, irritated me enough from the beginning that I found myself just looking for things to be bothered by (and, as is almost always the case when you're looking for flaws, they are to be found). I didn't like the first person group point of view ("We were too easy on her, yes. . . "), I have deep distaste for books where affairs are a large part of the storyline, and I found all three sisters unlikeable. I found all the Shakespeare references to be a little pretentious. Sometimes, I'm just a big grumpus (as we call them in our house).

The story is about three sisters (all named for Shakespeare women by their Shakespeare-obsessed professor father), all grown and now drawn back to their childhood home, ostensibly because of their mother's recent cancer diagnosis, but really because they're all freaking messes.

Rose is engaged but can't stand the thought of leaving her hometown, even though the opportunities for work for both her and the fiance are small, Bianca has fled the tiny college town for NYC which was all well and good until she started embezzling money from the small law office she works at and now has no references, no money, and also an enormous debt to settle (why they didn't have her arrested is beyond me). And Cordelia has spent her life flitting from place to place, living on the road, and now is pregnant (and she's not hundred percent sure, even, who the father is). Also, she has no money, no real skills, and no college degree.

In the book's defense, there was some clever writing, pages where I turned down the corners to mark a line that struck my fancy (like when Bianca is talking to the new pastor of the local church who assigns her ten Hail Marys as a joke and she reminds him that he isn't Catholic. "'Excellent point,' he said. 'I'll have to look it up in my Catholic to Episcopalian penance converter,'" or when Rose's fiance asks her what her life would have been like if she hadn't been the oldest sister and thus always the one in charge and she responds, "I'd probably have a less intense antacid habit.")

So, it's not the worst book I've ever read. In fact, by the end, I felt like it had redeemed itself a little. I mean, not enough to recommend, but enough to not make me wish to throw the book across the room in disgust.

Also, Merrick and Landen? I'm really glad we aren't these kind of insane sisters (at least I don't think we are).

I read this book for the BlogHer Book Club and you can read other reviews and discussions at BlogHer. I am paid for my participation in the BlogHer Book Club, but I choose which books to read and my reviews are strictly my own opinions. If I think a book is terrible, I'll say so. If I rave about a book, it's because it's one I'd give to Kayla or my mom.

Vegetarian Recipe #11: Almond, Wild Rice, and Vegetable Soup

2012-02-09T05:43:00.000-06:00

My brother-in-law (Merrick's husband) loves soup. Merrick has told me several times that he could eat soup or stew every single night for dinner and be happy.

Bart and I are not those kind of people. I like soup, but I don't just LOVE soup. It has to be a really great soup for me to love it. Also, I almost never want a broth-y soup, unless I'm at a Thai restaurant.

This soup, though, we love. Bart had this for lunch the day after I made it and he said, "I could eat the rest of this right now. But I'll restrain myself." I'm glad about that because there was easily 4 cups of soup left.

This is one of my favorite winter meals.

Almond, Wild Rice, and Vegetable Soup
(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Serves 4

1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked
1 cup water

4 T butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 cups fresh mushrooms (white or brown), sliced
1/2 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 cup half-and-half

In a saucepan, combine wild rice and water. Bring to a boil, stir once, and cover. Reduce heat to low and let cook about 35 minutes (I usually start this before I chop any vegetables).

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until celery and carrots are no longer crunchy (I loathe crunchy carrots and celery in my soup). Add the corn and mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes more.

Add flour and stir well, until vegetables are well coated. Pour in the vegetable broth, stirring until everything is well-combined and there are no lumps of flour. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. It should thicken up slightly.

Add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, ground black pepper and almonds. If you're using homemade or low-sodium broth, you may want to add more salt (mine always needs another tsp at least).

Pour in the half-and-half. Let the soup gently simmer for at least 10 minutes and as long as 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until quite thick.

Serve hot. Preferably with biscuits.

Three Things I Wore Recently

2012-02-08T05:12:00.022-06:00

I am so much happier with the way I'm dressing this year. My goal to spend less time getting dressed and just be done with it for the day has really helped me out. But I do know that it's WAY easier to get dressed in the winter when it's not 105 degrees outside. Get back to me in July and see what I think then.

Left to Right:

1) Dress: Target, Leggings, Walmart, Shoes: Borrowed from Landen, Necklace: Gift from parents

2) Shirt: altered, Sweater: Old Navy, Jeans: Target, Flats: Kohls, Necklace: Paris from Landen

3) Top: Borrowed from Landen, Sweater: Borrowed from Landen, Dress: LOFT, Tights: Target, Boots: Ross

Also, this whole exercise has taught me that I am a boring hair person. Every single picture of me has my hair looking almost exactly the same. If I'm feeling very vibrant, I pull my bangs back with a bobby pin (I'm shocked that no one has asked me all about my hair care routine).

And I just can't make myself care. Pinterest is full of great idea of how to do your hair and my Google Reader is constantly abuzz with things like the sock bun. But I keep brushing my hair, curling it in about two minutes, and then I'm done.

I use no hair products, I wash my hair every three days with inexpensive shampoo and conditioner, and I get it cut about every four months. I am boring.

BlogHer is doing this "How To Find That Perfect Hairstyle" thing as part of the Life Well Lived Project and I think I am probably the target audience. Except I can't be bothered to try anything new. I am boring and lazy.

A Valentine's Day Banner

2012-02-07T05:00:00.001-06:00

I have Christmas Card angst. And I can't imagine that I'm alone.

It pains me to toss pictures of people I love (pictures they've spent money to send to me) in the ~~recycling bin~~ trash can.

But, I also am not really interested in keeping stacks of dusty cards for years. My clutter-phobic self can't quite allow it.

This year, though, I stumbled on a solution that has brought me a tremendous amount of satisfaction.

I put the cards on top of the fridge after Christmas, where I couldn't see them and they weren't in the way.

And then, last weekend, when Ella and I were home with a long afternoon before us, we made a Valentine's banner.

I loved this project because it spotlighted many friends and family that I love, it used up materials I already had, most of which were already full of cheerful patterns and on nice paper, and it made our house feel festive and happy.

Behold: My Valentine's Day Banner.

This was an easy little project. I printed out a heart template (because the colors and designs of the cards were so varied, I chose to go with a single pattern. But I think it'd look fun too with multiple heart shapes). I traced the heart onto the cards, and then cut them out.

I used a couple of wedding announcements in addition to the Christmas cards and on some cards I cut out two hearts if space allowed, which resulted in a total of 40 hearts. In some cases, I just had to let some people's heads get cut off because of the placement on the card. I hope my nephew forgives me for only including part of his lower right cheek in his family's card.

After they were all cut out, I laid them out in a double row so that I was happy with the arrangement of colors and designs (I wasn't very picky, but I didn't want it to be ten non-photos in a row at one end). (You can also see how many toys and books were required to keep Ella happy near the end of this project when she got tired of sorting leftover paper from hearts).

Then I taped twine to the back of each heart. I did the twine about 3/4 of the way up and also taped them horizontally so that they wouldn't spin on the twine too much (I originally did it vertically and they were spinning all over the place). Also, I left about 6 inches of extra twine on each end.

And then I wrapped the twine around some tacks, and tacked both strands on the wall. I used a little bit of photo tack under about six photos to keep it laying flat against the wall. I trimmed off the extra twine so it wasn't distracting and voila!

Virtually free holiday decoration! And then, after Valentine's, I think I'll have no problem tossing the whole thing in the trash.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

2012-02-06T06:00:00.003-06:00

Kayla and I might have had a little too much fun with our $5 Gift Guide in December. It was nice of Valentine's Day to show up so that we could have an excuse to make another one.

Also, this time we did 10 things each, rather than 30. Perhaps we are more lazy in February than we are in December. So be it.

1. Farmer's Egg Crate - I love this egg crate and have for years. Because I am a food nerd, I'd love to use this for actual eggs in my fridge. But I'd also love to use it in my bathroom to keep my earrings and bracelets in. And because it comes in blue and white, I clearly need one of each. ($14)

2) Knife - In my perfect dream kitchen, I would own one large chef knife (currently I own none) and then ten of these knives. I love them so so much. They are mega-sharp, easy to handle, dishwasher safe, inexpensive, and just fabulous. I use them for EVERYTHING - vegetables, fruit, chicken, cheese. I love Bart's parents for introducing us to these. ($7.65)

3) The Magic Room - If you're looking for something that's romantic, but not cheesy, this is a book I highly recommend. It's about weddings and marriage and family relationships and, oh, it just gave me the warm fuzzies without making me want to throw up. ($17.38)

4) Necklace - My mom bought me a necklace very similar to this one (the beads on mine are round, not square) and I love it. The colors make me happy, it matches with everything, and it just perks up any dull outfit. ($19.99)

5) Amano Chocolate - Look, this is expensive chocolate. And I love it anyway. My in-laws sent me two bars for my birthday two years ago, and it was fantastic. They lasted for weeks. ($7.00 a bar)

6) Spot It - This is a great little game. It's fun to play with kids, but we've played it many times with just adults too. There is basically no learning curve, there are several ways to play the game, and you can play it with two or ten people. It's a perfect game. ($11.89)

7) Fondue Pot - I have an electric fondue pot and it's nice for large groups, but even then, we end up with WAY more than we really need and the plug isn't long enough to reach an outlet. I love this little one with enough for just a few people and you won't spend the whole time fiddling with the temperature dial. Plus it is DARLING. ($14.95).

8) Perfume - I'd really like to go spend an hour or two at a department store or a cosmetics store like Ulta or Sephora and pick out my own perfume with my husband. Then I can see how they actually smell on ME before I buy one.

9) All Out Of Notepad - My mom bought me one of these long ago and they are so fun. I don't enjoy having lots of things on my fridge, but this is just a happy color, the magnet is super strong, and it's so convenient to just check things off each week as you run out. Useful AND pretty - my favorite combination. ($6.50)

10) Flowers - They are classics for a reason. Most women I know just really like flowers. And you don't have to spend a fortune. I like a $3.99 bouquet from the grocery store as much as I like two dozen roses (more, in fact, because the price of roses on Valentine's Day makes me a little ill).

Be sure to check out Kayla's picks too.

Winter Challenge: Something that Scares You

2012-02-03T10:20:00.000-06:00

Something scary? This was a no-brainer.

I wore my glasses. Eek.

I wear them frequently at night, but almost never ever out in public. At least yesterday was a really nice overcast day where I wasn't missing my sunglasses.

Also, it is really difficult to take a picture of glasses without getting mega-glare.

Shirt: Modbod, Sweater: Anthropologie,

Skirt: Swapped, Tights: Target, Shoes: Payless

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

It Doesn't Take Much

2012-02-03T06:10:00.001-06:00

. . . to make me happy.

Just successfully using an enormous bowl of collard greens from the CSA (and then actually finishing the meal I made with them).

Winter Challenge: Open to Interpretation

2012-02-02T05:02:00.015-06:00

Today's challenge was to interpret this outfit:

And here you go:

Sweater: Old Navy (from a swap), Necklace: from clothing swap
Jeans: Target, Shoes: Kohl's

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

Winter Challenge: Coat

2012-02-01T08:45:00.002-06:00

Look, by yesterday afternoon, it was 70 degrees. So it's not really coat weather here. I'm sliding by with a blazer that I wore in the morning while it was still somewhat chilly (you know, 55 degrees).

Sweater: Banana Republic, Blazer: H&M, Necklace: Paris

Pants: Forever 21, Shoes: Borrowed from Landen

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

Winter Challenge: Bright Colors

2012-01-31T12:32:00.005-06:00

My hair is eating my head in this picture.

Also, this was a day for closet orphans - the shirt is one Ralphie gave me ages ago and I've never worn, this necklace I bought at Claire's YEARS ago for fifty cents and have worn all of twice, and this sweater I bought a few months ago and have struggled to make work (from the photos on the website, I was sure I was ordering a YELLOW sweater. Clearly, it wasn't yellow).

But, surprisingly, I'm pretty happy with this outfit. Maybe some orphans deserve to be adopted.

Shirt: Gap (from Ralphie), Sweater: Downeast Basics,

Jeans: American Eagle, Necklace: Claire's, Shoes: Target

(sometimes you can find a current Target promotional code for shoes)

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

January Favorites

2012-01-31T06:45:00.003-06:00

Downton Abbey. Y'all are watching this, right? I way missed the boat on the first season and now I'm wondering why no one shook me and said "hey, you're missing some freaking fantastic television here, you idiot." Watching it with Bart is a highlight of my week. Will pretty much die when this season is over.
The LibroVoce social. My book club had an evening where all the husbands were invited along and we had a really fantastic evening, with plenty of food and lots of great discussion. It was fun for me to have Bart meet all these women I admire.
How pretty my hot cocoa cookies were. I didn't actually love how they tasted (too much marshmallow), but I loved how they looked.
Chop, Chop Magazine. This is a quarterly magazine about cooking healthy food with and for kids. My lovely friend Meghan gave me several issues of it and I have loved reading through them. Don't you need friends who introduce you to new and interesting things?
These new favorite lemon squares (not so tart, really easy, and a nice texture). If you aren't reading A Hint of Honey, you ought to be. It's one of my favorite food blogs.
Red suede wedges. I bought these about a month ago and now I cannot imagine how I used to get dressed.
When I was making cookies on the table while Ella sat next to me and she kept trying to grab the cookie dough off the pan. I said, "Stop that! Don't touch those. Take your hand away." So she promptly pulled her hand into her lap and leaned her head down to get the cookie dough with her mouth.
A great little date night with Bart downtown that included an amazing bowl of butternut squash soup. Also a brownie with Amy's ice cream. Hard to beat. Bless Landen and Adam for babysitting.
An Amano chocolate bar. This was in the stockings on Christmas morning at Bart's parents and I made it last the entire month (it helped to not share with Bart).
Ella's new habit of sitting in the fridge and drinking her juice anytime I open the fridge.
New couch pillows from my mom. A nice (and needed) splash of color in our living room.

Winter Challenge: Decade or Region

2012-01-30T09:06:00.002-06:00

The bangs, they need a trim. Expect me to get on that in approximately three months. I am very bad at getting these kinds of things taken care of.

I realized when I was getting dressed for this challenge that I have quite a lot of clothing from around the world, because my lovely mother keeps traveling and then instead of bringing home huge, hideous t-shirts that I would never wear, but probably use to clean my toilet, she brings home awesome items of clothing that I very much enjoy wearing.

This scarf was from a service trip she took with my dad and younger brother to Honduras a couple of years ago.

Dressed and done.

Shirt: Old Navy, Scarf: Honduras, Skirt: Downeast Basics

Tights: Kohl's, Shoes: Payless

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

Blueberry Banana Muffins, or, The Muffins I've Made 100 Times

2012-01-30T06:51:00.000-06:00

I think there is no recipe that I have made more often than this one. I keep these muffins in the freezer and Bart takes one for breakfast every weekday, and has since early in 2009.

I've made some changes over the last three years to make these slightly more healthy and also so that I can make them in the KitchenAid without any extra dishes.

Banana-Blueberry Muffins
(adapted from Everyday Food)

makes 1 dozen muffins

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup oats blended in blender or food processor until more like flour (or wheat germ)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl with beaters), beat butter, yogurt and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour flour on top of the sugar mixture, then sprinkle on the oats, baking soda, and salt (you want to make sure you don't get a big pocket of baking soda in your cooked muffin, which is one of those things that makes me gag). Mix for just a few seconds.

Dump your bananas on top (no need to mash them before hand unless they aren't very ripe) and pour in the milk and vanilla. Mix just until combined.

Toss in the blueberries, turn your machine on for another couple of seconds to evenly distribute them and, voila! Ready to bake.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for 28 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan.

Winter Challenge: Pattern Mixing

2012-01-27T09:27:00.000-06:00

Fridays make me happy. Especially Fridays where Landen has offered to babysit and we're going out to dinner. Hooray!

Also playgroup at the park. Hello, I am a mom. But a mom wearing a leopard-print belt.

Shirt: Old Navy, Sweater: H&M, Belt: Forever 21

Jeans: Target, Boots: JC Penny

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

It Doesn't Take Much

2012-01-27T06:33:00.006-06:00

. . . to make me happy.

Just a little daughter that enjoys Pinterest as much as I do.

Winter Challenge: Channel Someone

2012-01-26T07:20:00.001-06:00

Today's challenge is to channel someone. Kayla said it could be anyone, whether or not they are famous, and I almost immediately settled on my dear friend Bethany.

She's a blog friend turned real friend (we overlapped in Boston by about six months) and I am awe of her in practically every way. She is truly one of the kindest people I know, she and her husband are the most darling couple you could know, she kept inviting me over for dinner when Bart was out of town, and she, Casey, and Noah were always ready to join Bart and me on some Boston adventure (now that I have a child, I am amazed by how good they were at taking him around with them). She takes the most beauitful photographs.

Oh, and she has amazing style. She lent me a ton of clothing when I was pregnant and it was sad how much better her PREGNANCY clothes were than my regular clothing. Every time I saw her in real life and now (because we live far apart) when I see her on her blog, I think "I need her to get me dressed. And also buy all my clothing."

Which is why, when I saw this shirt at Forever 21, I bought it. Because it looked like something Bethany would wear.

When I think of Bethany's style, I think stripes, plaid, small prints, drape-y sweaters, and pink, pink, pink. And she also always dresses in a way that makes you think she just threw things on and just happens to look fabulous, not that she spent a ton of time making herself so lovely. She dresses like a real person, like a mom who snuggles her cute babies (including her 10 week-premie daughter) on the couch, and a friend who laughs at your not very funny jokes.

I love Bethany.

Shirt: Forever 21, Sweater: Forever 21, Jeans: Target
Shoes: Fossil, Earrings: Forever 21

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

2012-01-26T06:03:00.002-06:00

Two years after the fact, I still consider The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had one of my favorite books. So when The Lions of Little Rock arrived - a second book by Kristin Levine - I read it almost immediately.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had is set in a general period of race conflict in the American South, where The Lions of Little Rock deals with a specific historical event.

I was familiar, of course, with the story of the Little Rock Nine - the nine black children who integrate in the high schools of Little Rock Arkansas and the public (and the Governor, who had the state National Guard on his side) was so deeply opposed to it that President Eisenhower has to send in federal troops to get the students into school.

What I didn't know anything about was "The Lost Year" which took place the following school year when the Governor, furious still at being overridden by the President and determined not to let black and white students attend schools together, closed all the public high schools for the entire year.

And this is where The Lions of Little Rock takes place. Marlee is extremely shy - so much so that she really never speaks at school at all - and she's nervous about a new year of junior high. On the eve of school's beginning, though, the Governor announces that all the high schools will be closed. Both of Marlee's parents are high school teachers and they must attend, even though there won't be any students. Marlee's school isn't affected, since the state hasn't yet integrated junior highs and thus there are no black children to keep out.

Marlee's school year, though, starts out quite well. A new girl, Liz, is assigned to be her partner on a big project, and Liz is everything Marlee is not - confident, outgoing, and talkative. The two really hit it off and Liz starts to help Marlee overcome her shyness.

But then, to Marlee's horror, Liz doesn't show up to school one day and rumors start circulating that it's because Liz is actually black, trying to pass as a white girl.

Fighting back her natural inclinations to just be quiet and not make waves, Marlee seeks Liz out and they carefully try to maintain their friendship, despite the danger to both of them if the wrong people discover what they're doing.

And it's not as if her friendship with Liz is the only thing Marlee has to worry about - her parents are arguing more and more about the segregation issue (her father thinks the Governor is being ridiculous and that the schools should integrate, her mother worries that everyone will think her husband is a communist and that it's just better to keep the races separate), her older sister - one of the few people she can talk to - has been shipped off to live with their grandmother so she can attend school while the Little Rock schools sit empty, and JT, the boy she's liked for ages, is using her to do his homework for him (not to mention that his older brother is always trying to catch her hanging out with Liz).

This book does a brilliant job weaving in the larger back-story of 1958 with the personal struggles of Marlee (who is as likeable a heroine as I've read in a long while).

It's fascinating to see how some people find any reason to act horribly (if race is the issue of the moment, these people will turn on anyone at all outside the mainstream opinion), and others are willing to stand up to awful things in order to fight for what they believe. It's inspiring to see how individuals really can make a difference, and, of course, I always love learning more about a period of history that was previously a blank in my mind.

As Levine mentions in the author's note, this was a year that made the realities of the civil rights movement real to nearly everyone in Little Rock. It was no longer a news story they heard here and there, something they could ignore. Now teenagers all over the city were sitting home and that's pretty hard to overlook. People start having to take a side, and that's not always pretty. This book beautifully illustrates how such events shape a community and how individuals deal with such upheaval in their lives.

I hope Kristin Levine keeps writing - I'll read everything she publishes.

Advance copy received from publisher

And the Winners Are

2012-01-25T06:58:00.001-06:00

Y'all know that I am a complete nerd about book awards and so it was rather heartbreaking to leave Dallas before the big youth media awards were announced.

Still, I made Ella sit at the computer with me first thing Monday morning and watch the webcast with me (she was not as enthusiastic as she might have been. . . ).

There are many many awards given and some of them I just really can't get myself to be excited about. But the big categories? I feel sick with anticipation about. And because I KNOW you want to know what won and what I think about the winners, let me share with you WAY too many thoughts (for instance, did you notice that each of the four Caldecott winners are written and illustrated by one person, rather than a separate writer and illustrator?)

Caldecott:
2012 Winner:
A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka - I checked this one out months ago and read it to Ella. It was cute, but not one that I just absolutely loved.

2012 Honors:
Blackout illustrated and written by John Rocco - I've heard a lot about this one, but not actually read it myself. Time to remedy that.
Grandpa Green illustrated and written by Lane Smith - I picked up an early copy of this at TLA in the spring and thought it was sweet. I didn't absolutely adore it, but since then I've heard so much buzz about it, that I wasn't really shocked when it got an honor.
Me . . . Jane illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell - I adore this book. I'm so happy, but not a bit surprised, to see it get a Caldecott sticker.

Newbery:
2012 Winner:
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos - I listened to this a couple of months ago and I enjoyed it, but it was no match for Okay for Now in my book. And, as you might have guessed, that was the book I was holding out for.

2012 Honors:
Breaking Stalin’s Nose written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin - I've never even heard of this, but I am really excited about reading it. Doesn't it just have a GREAT title?
Inside Out & Back Again written by Thanhha Lai - I meant to read this one back when it was nominated for a National Book Award (and then went on to win), but I did not. At least now, when I finally do get around to it, I can check it off TWO lists in my mega-nerdy spreadsheet.

Printz:
2012 Winner:
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - I have had this sitting, unopened in my library bin for many weeks now. Of course, now that it won both the Printz AND the Morris award, I will need to finish it quickly, as there is no way it'll be available for renewal.

2012 Honors:
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey - Never even heard of it. Embarrassing.
The Returning by Christine Hinwood - Also never heard of it. Double embarrassment.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - I've had a copy of this since BEA, but I've been holding out for an audio version. And now that the audio version got an Odyssey nod, I feel especially justified in doing so.
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and art by Maira Kalman - This was one of the first books I read after BEA and I thought it was quite remarkable. It's not quite clean enough for me to recommend it across the board, but I personally found it really engaging.

So? What did YOU think about the winners? Read any of them? Wish something else had won? Make me feel like less of a nerd here!

Winter Challenge: Embrace a Trend

2012-01-25T05:11:00.001-06:00

I didn't realize what a luxury it was to have the last challenge during the summer where the sun never stopped shining in Austin. It was PLENTY bright enough inside to take decent pictures.

These last couple of overcast days, however, have made my life hard (yes, whine, whine).

Today's theme is Embrace a Trend and it seemed like the perfect occasion to wear my new leopard print flats (I saw them on Uber Chic for Cheap's Babble post and about ten minutes later had my order completed).

Also, they feel like slippers on the inside (fuzzy!)

Sweater: Old Navy, Jeans: Target,

Scarf: tiny store in London, Shoes: Kohl's

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

Goodwill Rescue

2012-01-24T06:34:00.002-06:00

As part of my "Live Vibrantly" goal for this year, I'm trying not to dress like such a complete boring person (the downside of this for Kayla is that I seem insistent on sending her lousy phone pictures of practically everything I wear. Count yourself lucky that I do not have your phone number).

I was sorting through my clothes a couple of weeks ago in preparation for an upcoming clothing swap, when I saw something I'd previously tossed in the Goodwill pile - this white t-shirt that Ralphie had passed along to me a year ago. It fit pretty well, but it was rather boring and also it was starting to pill a little bit in the front.

I've done a few shirt-saves in the past year

but I hadn't even considered trying to resurrect this one, until I saw a really darling mom at the library with a shirt I love, love, loved and I thought, "I could make that happen."

And I did:

This was an incredibly easy little project. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 2 spools of trim (each one was 6 ft long and $5, but marked 50% off). I chose one with a scalloped edge and one that was straight on each edge, just for a little variety.

This particular shirt is double-layered in the front (the pilling I mentioned earlier was BETWEEN the two layers), so it made it a little trickier to keep both layers completely flat while sewing - this would have been even more easy with a regular single-fabric shirt.

I pinned the trim on (just eyeballing that they were even) and cut them with about an inch or so of extra on each side.

I sewed the strips on by machine, using invisible thread on the top (I bought this at Walmart for a buck a while ago for some other project that is now far from my mind) and white thread on the back. I highly recommend the invisible thread. On the straight trim, I sewed the top and bottom edges. On the scalloped trim, I only sewed along the straight edge. For all of these seams, I used a small zig-zag stitch.

Once I'd sewed all of that, I carefully trimmed the edges to match up as closely as possible with the side seams. And then I sewed them right along the side seam. I did a separate seam for each piece of trim, so that you wouldn't see stitches on the shirt, but if you don't care about that, you could simply do one long seam up each side.

And then I snipped off the six bazillion threads leftover. This probably took longer and was more boring than the rest of the project combined.

I used about 11.5 feet of trim for this shirt, so if your shirt is a little bigger or smaller or if you'd like to do more or fewer strips or add some to the sleeves, you'll want to adjust accordingly. Also, keep in mind that your shirt won't stretch on the front side much after you add the trim, unless your trim is also stretchy (mine was absolutely not stretchy at all).

Anyway, I'm pretty ridiculously pleased with how it turned out. I am one shirt closer to living less boringly (don't tell me how far I have to go).

Winter Challenge: Monochrome

2012-01-24T04:46:00.004-06:00

Apologies for the heavy posting this week. Blame Kayla (I've found it to be excellent recourse for all my blaming needs).

Today's challenge is monochrome dressing, and gray seemed appropriate (it's like Merrick and I are sisters) because it's super overcast today and there has been some crazy rain and hail.

My other sister and I went and got some free hot chocolates (Dear neighbors, please continue to throw out your free coupons without even glancing at them. I will continue to collect them and eat scads of free food). It would have been even more fun if Merrick had been there.

Dress: Downeast Basics, Shirt: Old Navy,

Scarf: H&M, Tights: Target Shoes: Payless

I have to say, when I saw this outfit in the pictures, I was less impressed by it than I was in real life. I hate it when that happens. Better luck tomorrow. . .

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog:

Dinner is Served: Crockpot Chicken Chili

2012-01-23T06:05:00.002-06:00

What I want from my crockpot is something I can throw in early in the morning and not think about again until it's time to eat.

Also, I want it to taste delicious. And I want it not to include a bunch of fake ingredients. And I don't want a lot of fussy steps at the beginning like precooking things or adding things half-way through. AND (I know, I ask a lot here. . .I'm kind of annoyed with me), I want it to cook all day long. It always bothered me when I was working full-time when recipes cooked for four hours. Who is starting a crockpot meal at two in the afternoon!? I need something that can cook all day without burning or going completely dry.

This is that meal. I make this any time I am taking a meal to someone because it is so delicious, it takes about five minutes to throw together and, bonus, it's inexpensive. Add some biscuits or muffins and, ta-da! Dinner is served.

Crockpot Chicken Chili
(slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breasts or thighs (frozen or fresh)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 pound dry white beans
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (2 14-ounce cans)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies (or two cans if you really like things spicy)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Rinse dried beans thoroughly and toss them in the crockpot. Add everything else except the sour cream and whipping cream. Stir a little bit and cook on low for 7-10 hours.

Shred the chicken a little bit with two forks (this should be super easy - the chicken will be falling apart by this point). Stir in the sour cream and then the cream. Let sit for another 15 minutes or so to warm through. Serve.

Two other options:

Quick-cooking method:Use 3 cans of beans instead of dry beans. Rinse beans thoroughly before adding to crockpot and decrease broth to 3 cups. Cook for about 4 hours.
Vegetarian version: Leave out the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth

ALA Midwinter

2012-01-22T11:57:00.000-06:00

Home again, home again, jiggity-jog.

I'm not sure Ella was really that sad I was gone, since Bart took her out to dinner one night and out for ice cream the other evening. They spent an hour swinging on the swings, and Bart bought her a few shirts.

I had a wonderful time in Dallas. The highlights were the preview breakfast at Little Brown (food! books! authors!) and the Scholastic author round up last night (Jordan Sonnenblick's reading of his new book, Curveball, was the best part for me).

And, of course, I came home with many books (hooray for having a car, rather than having to ship them home like I did after BEA). Here are the ones I'm most excited for:

I've been fortunate to go to several conferences in the last year - TLA in Austin, BEA in New York, and now Midwinter in Dallas. I don't know when I'll next be able to make a conference happen for me, but for now I'm just feeling happy that I was able to go to this one.

Winter Challenge: Layers

2012-01-21T20:21:00.003-06:00

You may remember that one of my goals this year was to spend less time getting dressed. Mega-fail today. I think half of my closet was on my bed today (the other half was in the laundry, as Monday is laundry day).

In some ways, I hate Monday because of the laundry issue, but in other ways, it's a nice chance to bring out clothing I don't wear as often.

Kayla's challenge for the day was "Layers" and I didn't want to be TOO obvious with this one.

I ended up wearing this maternity dress which I love the colors of and tucking it in to make it a little more tunic-y. Plus, a triple-wrap belt (layers!) and some new black ankle pants I bought at Forever 21 last weekend.

Sweater: Borrowed from Landen, Dress: Target Maternity,

Belt: Old Navy Pants: Forever 21, Shoes: Payless

Done and done.

Now to go put away all the clothes strewn around my bedroom.

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I'm participating in Kayla's Winter Challenge. Check it out on her blog: