Christmas Eve 2015

I love Christmas and really the whole season, but I'll admit it's a little tough for me to get in the spirit this year. But I'm drinking hot chocolate, watching Christmas movies (might watch The Sound of Music, too, which feels like a Christmas movie to me), reading good Christmas stories online, and loving all the decorations and lights. Later tonight I'll probably put down Pride and Prejudice and cuddle up with a Harry Potter book instead. Here's hoping your Christmas Eve is lovely. 

Some links:

Of course! The Santa tracker right here. The story behind it makes me cry tears of joy.  

Liz showed me this article about A Christmas Carol and the secular celebration of Christmas. While I don't agree with all of it, it's super interesting. (And I don't have a problem with non Christians celebrating a secular version of Christmas.) 

If you're looking for movies to watch tonight, here's a fairly decent list of Christmas movies on Netflix. 

Iceland has a tradition where people give books to one another on Christmas Eve - and then spend the night reading. I think that's an excellent idea. 

This article about the history of Christmas on Ellis Island was really interesting. 

What does your favorite Christmas cartoon say about you? 

If you're alone on Christmas, here are some (fun, but not religious) ways to spend it! 

Here's a beautiful and realistic post about depression during this season.

And of course, here's the birth of Jesus Christ. The older I get, the more miraculous it feels.

xoxo

Charlotte  

Books I Read in 2015

Oh yeah, baby. This was the first year I've read more than 30 books and I'm feeling like a bad ass bitch queen. Obviously. 

I really would like to get to a point where I'm reading around 45 books a year. That sounds like a lot, but I think it's doable if I prioritize reading. I didn't spend a ton of time reading this year and I managed to read 34 (and counting!) books, so I'm setting my hopes sky high. More on my 2016 reading goals later. For now, here's a list of the books I finished this year (if I wrote a review I'll link to it): 

1. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

2. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

3. God is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (re-read, and I read this twice, actually)

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

7. An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

8. Awaken the Spirit Within by Rebecca Rosen

9. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

10. Seizing Your Divine Moment by Erwin Raphael McManus

11. Everything Happens Today by Jesse Browner 

12. Bossypants by Tina Fey

13. Walking With the Comrades by Arundhati Roy

14. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (re-read)

15. Tales of Beedle and the Bard by J.K. Rowling

16. 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut 

17. The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home by Nancy Warren

18. How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting by Susan Rabin

19. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

20. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

21. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

22. One More Thing by B.J. Novak

23. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins 

24. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins

25. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

26. Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins

27. Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

28. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

29. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (re-read)

30. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

31. The Quest by Nelson DeMille 

32. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 

33. 2AM at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino

34. The Martian by Andy Weir

and I'm in the middle of Pride and Prejudice. When I finish that, I hope to finish The Great Divorce.

So for me, it was a pretty good year for books. Here's hoping I can reach 40 in 2016!

__

Charlotte  

Christmas Link Love

Flat Thomas - a school project for my little brother that essentially required work from me, not him. ;)

Way back when I hashed out some grand plans for this blog. I was going to do a Christmas gift guide, some Christmas related thoughts, a Christmas recipe.., well, I already talked about dropping the ball. Luckily, this is the internet and approximately one million other bloggers have done similar things. So enjoy this post filled with Christmas stories and ideas. Maybe I'll manage to get something up of my own, maybe not.

This is my current jam. It's what I put on every time I get into my car these days. Especially hopeful with all the horrible things going on right now. 

Speaking of horrible things, if the Savior was born today, how would we treat him? I liked both of these images: Bansky's Christmas card, where Mary and Joseph are unable to get to Bethlehem due to a massive wall blocking their route and Jose y Maria by Everett Patterson.  

This is old but I love it so much. It talks about the myth of Santa, and how that magic shouldn't be "ruined" once we learn Santa isn't real. The magic should last. (Think about how much you love the fantasy of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc.) 

This couple had a perfect winter wonderland wedding when it started to snow - in England! 

If you're in the mood for crying, here's a video of children choosing to get a gift for their parents instead of getting their own dream gifts.  

I really enjoyed this post about the tradition of putting candles in windows during Christmastime. While the Irish were being invaded and persecuted, it became damn near impossible to practice Catholicism. "With this in mind, we find the use of candles in the windows. During Christmas, every faithful Irish Catholic family hoped to have a priest visit their home so that they could receive the sacraments and in return offer him hospitality. So they would leave their doors unlocked and place candles in the windows to signal a priest that he was welcome and would be safe. Sometimes, a single candle would appear in several windows, or three candles in one window, one each representing Jesus, Mary and Joseph." Love Catholicism + love rebellion. 

This post was sort of fun! It's a style guide for holiday dresses. I was particularly fond of some of the dresses in the girly girl and old Hollywood sections. 

Did you see the Christmas picture that's gone viral? It's a family photo where the mom and two daughters are tied up with Christmas lights and have bright green tape over their mouths while the dad and son are standing behind them, dad with a sign that says "Peace on Earth" and the little boy with his thumbs up. It's problematic for a few reasons.  I think the suggestion that it perpetuates violence against women is a slight exaggeration, though I understand where that's coming from, and tying them up was unnecessary. But really, the picture is problematic. It has potential to be funny - I'd see humor in it if the children were all tied up with lights and the parents were both standing behind them with the sign and thumbs up. I'd see humor if the parents had the lights wrapped around them with the kids standing victoriously around them. But the choice to silence the female members of the family missed the mark. Even though it's a joke, it reinforces the idea that women talk too much and are annoying, that they should just shut up. That's not a good message for the boy or for the girls. I've worked with kids and I do think there are some differences between boys and girls (though it's a spectrum, not a binary, and kids are gonna fall where they're gonna fall). The little girls tended to be more talkative than the little boys. So when, even as a joke, society tells them their speech is a problem or an annoyance, it's going to affect their views of themselves, regardless of whether it's conscious or not. Do I think this father or these parents are some awful people? No, absolutely not. I do think they're misguided, though. 

I think it's a tad corny, but here's a list of some meaningful gifts you can give to yourself. (I'm reminded of this post, which lists 26 things we should all do for ourselves once a year. Some good ideas on there.) 

Love, love, love this list of practical gifts for grown ass women. Ha. So many of these things are cute and fun but also terribly useful. 

These monks have taken a vow of silence, but that doesn't stop them from singing about God.

I don't know if this makes me really cool or really lame, but I am absolutely digging this holiday skirt.

Have you read Design Mom at all? I actually love the sight, she has terrific ideas. This hot chocolate bar sounds like a ton of fun, and I liked her ideas for personalized gifts, as well. (And since we're talking about Design Mom anyway, let me bombard with some more of her stuff: this DIY stamped wrapping paper and these swoon-worthy brown packages tied up with string!)

Here's a list of books to gift all different kinds of people. 

Speaking of books, I reviewed two Christmas-y books! Here's my review of A Christmas Carol (which I've linked to before so now I'm verging on obnoxious), and yesterday I reviewed 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas - it's not about Christmas, but it takes place on the eve of Christmas eve, and it snows so sometimes it feels like Christmas.

And in case babies are on the mind, here's a list of Christmas baby names. (A lot of ideas on there that I haven't heard before - especially for babies born during the last days of Advent.)

In case you love Christmas movies but can't watch ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas... here's a list of Christmas movies on Netflix.

I honestly can't narrow down the number of posts I'd like to share from Meg at His Pierced Hands, so I'm just going to link to her page. She's been sharing some great posts on Advent, refugees, Christmas. Everything! And check out her FB page, too, as she shares stuff from her archives over there.

I think that's all I've got for now! I'm going to hold off on regular link love posts until the new year (either January 2 or January 9 depending on how I feel) but I'm sure I'll stumble on a few more Christmas links to share, so I'll post those. 

Now, go watch Elf. 

__

Charlotte   

On Being Fat

I was talking to my bud Liz a few days ago about how I find certain things annoying. Specifically, I roll my eyes at some of the fat-positive articles out there that will do anything possible to avoid using the word "fat." I saw one this morning that said something like, "here are pictures of individuals with double chins." 

That is true. I am an individual with a double chin. But wow, what a cumbersome title. I get that some people (and I guess let's specifically talk about women because 1. I can talk about that from experience and 2. most articles I see are aimed at women, since most people don't care if men are fat or not) don't like being called "fat" and/or don't like it used as an adjective. Fine. (Although, that might risk maintaining "fat" as a dirty word.) Then title your article "Pictures of all kinds of people!" or "You can have a double chin and still look hot as hell!" 

Rantity rant rant but this got me thinking... I have no clue how to talk about being fat. I know how I feel about it, but talking about it can be a bit like walking on eggshells. Some skinny people really are not fond of hearing about it. Some of them equate fat positivity with skinny shaming, some think that being fat is an unhealthy and therefore irresponsible way of living. Some fat people don't like talking about it for other reasons; Some of us agree with the healthy lifestyle thing, some of us don't. Some of us are uncomfortable talking about weight, some of us aren't. And so on. So I'm just gonna talk about a few of the complexities and dilemmas that go on in *my* head. Maybe you can relate, maybe not. 

  

I think it takes about two decades, but at some point we mature enough to realize that every person is beautiful. The problem is that an unbelievable amount of people will tell fat people, and fat women especially, that they shouldn't feel good about themselves or confident or beautiful until they're a "healthy" weight. 

Oh man, that pisses me off like nothing else. 

For starters, it's just not true. Every person is born with beauty that can't be measured on a BMI chart. 

On top of that, I've never met a single person who is motivated by self-hate. I got fat when I got depressed. Not necessarily because I was feeling badly about myself - it's just that my depression doesn't kid around with that "loss of interest" thing. I stopped doing anything. I went from playing sports, enjoying hiking and walks, plus being socially active to doing nothing. Looking back, it makes me really sad. I feel like in some ways I missed out on literal years of my life. But yes. I got fat and that's when I started to feel bad about the way I looked. (To clarify, I thought I was fat before this time. I was around 160-180 when active, and I thought I was a whale. Now I look at pictures and I think I was a good size. But before the depression and the 100 extra pounds, thinking I was fat didn't change how I acted. I didn't hesitate to play a game of basketball or to put on nice clothes.) I'm completely certain that when I started to think I was completely hideous, it became almost impossible for me to try to lose weight. 

Feeling like you are beautiful (or at least that there is something attractive about you, more on that in a sec) makes a world of difference. It's easier to motivate yourself when you have a little confidence. In my case, I lost exactly zero pounds when I was at my worst. I used to walk around in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, which is fine if you want to be walking around in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. It's problematic if you let that become your uniform for no reason other than you think it hides your fat. Hell, I used to put basically no effort into getting dressed simply because I thought it was useless, that it was flat out impossible for me to look nice at that weight. I didn't even give thought to my face or hair. I used to just throw that shit up in a bun and go. Skin care? Lotion? Nope. Wasn't worth it, there wasn't a point - I was fat and therefore could not look nice. I wasn't going to waste time trying.

You can see where I'm going with this. People should feel confident regardless of how they look. Heavy people should feel confident whether or not they're trying to lose weight - and it's damn near impossible to start losing weight if you're filled with self-loathing.

People who tell fat women they shouldn't feel beautiful or confident until they're a "healthy" weight are misguided at best and monsters at worst. Don't be one of those people.

"Feeling beautiful" is easier said than done, though. I am not some shiny, shimmering well of confidence and kind of pathetically?, I usually have to fake confidence to have any semblance of real confidence. When I finally realized that confidence was probably necessary for, you know, everything, I started to look for little things about myself that I thought were attractive. I know myself and I know that becoming confident will probably take literal decades, but I also know I can trick myself into anything, include a better state of mind. Finding and focusing on something attractive meant I could slowly lean myself into confidence and then into lifestyle changes.

But I was (and still often am) a cesspool of self-doubt. Originally, I couldn't find anything good to focus on. I know. But luckily I have friends who don't fuck around and they helped in that department. Ha, this cracks me up: one of my friends even sends me this song from time to time, usually with a smiley face.

I guess she wants to remind me that just because *society* doesn't put big asses on a pedestal doesn't mean we shouldn't.

Which is another point: I've had to just change how I look at certain things. I used to want to look sleek and elegant and basically like Kate Middleton. In reality I'm a frizzified ginger with a body that is... not like Kate Middleton's. Instead of holding a lifelong funeral for my dream look, I've had to instead embrace having uncontrollable, huge red hair and an ass that doesn't quit, as it were.

It's been freeing. I let my hair do its thing (usually). I get a lot of compliments on it, which is cool. Remember the part where I said I have trouble with confidence and I have to fake it? Well, it might not be ideal (because it should probably come from within), but some of my confidence comes from other people, from knowing I look alright. And it's a sort of domino effect from there (or snowball effect?! One of those.). Start feeling better about myself, start treating myself better, start wearing clothes that actually fit (bye, sweatshirt!), realize I can look attractive. You get it. And once all that happened, it became easier to lose weight. Not everyone wants to lose weight, but I definitely did/do, so it was a welcome change.

I guess my point is that confidence is important. And luckily, it's possible to learn to be confident even if you've grown up without much sense of self-worth.

But there's another sort of difficult topic that comes up whenever we talk about weight: health.

I'm not going to pretend I don't get especially annoyed when very thin people subtly berate fat people by throwing the word "health" into the mix. "I'm so glad she loves her body as is but doesn't she worry about health?!" I've seen that comment so many times on various social media posts or stories. If you're honestly concerned about a friend's weight affecting her health, that's one thing. You hopefully know how to talk to your friends and know what boundaries may or may not exist. I have two friends who I know have worried about my health in the past, specifically because of my weight. To me at least, that's different from commenting on a stranger's picture. It doesn't offend me, and since it's a conversation with friends, everything is explained.

The problem is when folks (men and other women alike) feel the need to comment on other people, especially people they don't know. "She should worry about her health" is, most often, a thinly veiled fat-shaming comment. The way I know this is that I've never seen anyone post a comment on a picture of a bikini clad and extremely tanned thin women lamenting the apparent excessive exposure to sun. I've read oodles of lighthearted posts that glorify drinking loads of alcohol - I've not seen comments from a concerned citizenry outlining the health risks of alcohol. But as soon as there's a post that features a heavy woman looking damn fine, suddenly everyone is a doctor. It isn't a general concern for others if the only time it appears is in the presence of a fat person. 

And though it's beside the point, being "heavy" doesn't necessarily mean a person is unhealthy. I've been losing weight, but I'm still obese. And just a few weeks ago I was still technically morbidly obese. And guess what?! My cholesterol is just dandy! My joints aren't buckling under my weight! Blood sugar is A-OK. If you read this blog even semi-regularly, you know I have health issues. Not one of them has been caused by weight. Being fat doesn't mean you're ignoring your health, and I really wish people would stop acting like it. 

That said, is there any truth to it? Does being overweight make you unhealthy? I think it's clear that it's risky. I'm not unhealthy right now because of my weight. I have plenty of perfectly healthy overweight friends. But it does increase chances of developing certain diseases. It can also make things like childbearing a little riskier than it would be otherwise. And if you have an existing health issue unrelated to weight, being overweight can make your symptoms worse. To me, that's a sort of grey area; It's not unhealthy, but it's something to consider.

And on that, everyone is going to be different. Some people won't mind increased risks. (You remember the study that just caused a widespread sadness? The one that said bacon is a sort of carcinogen or whatever? Yeah. I don't doubt it, but I don't care, either. To be fully honest, I care about my life and I hope to live long but I also hope to live fully and bacon is terrific. That's a risk or a trade off that I'm fine taking, as are many other people.) Other people will look at the risks caused by obesity and try and maintain a "healthy" weight. Either choice is cool.

When I got serious about losing weight and I started to actually follow through, I laid out some rules for myself. I'd never use food as a punishment. I wouldn't ever entirely swear off a delicious type of food just because of the calorie count. If I want to, I will eat a sweet snack or dessert. I won't put food or food choices above experiences or people. I will enjoy eating and I will enjoy food.

When I think back to some of my favorite moments over the last few years, many of them involve food. Sunday nights watching Once Upon a Time over a delicious home cooked meal. Pizza and wings for football games. Going to Barnes and Noble with Liz after pigging out on mall food. I value those things more than I value being a size 10. It's hard for me to respect people who insist that other people make diet changes that don't fall into their value system.

My own rules are to not over indulge (if I'm full, I won't keep eating just because I love the taste), to not drink soda for every meal, to try very hard not to eat when I'm bored, to be physically active, and to eat a variety of foods. Ultimately my hope was that these rules would lead to a well rounded and healthy life, and I feel like I'm absolutely getting there.

For a little while, I'd feel bad for wanting to lose weight, or at least for talking about it publicly. I almost felt as though I was insulting people who are perfectly content being overweight. (I think this is part of why I have trouble talking about weight.) Then one day it hit me that, you know, not everything is about me. Just because I want something doesn't mean other people want the same thing, and more importantly (because I think it's what was driving the guilt), it doesn't mean anyone is wrong for not wanting to lose weight.

That said, it's a sensitive topic to talk about. There are a million reasons to want to lose weight. There are a million reasons to not worry about losing weight.

My own experience is the former. Now, if I had to change one thing about myself, or magically bestow one quality, it would have nothing to do with weight. Being thin is not my number one goal in life. But I like how I look much better when I'm not as overweight as I am now. My face is totally different than it used to be, and I'm not wildly fond of it. I also don't like certain physical aspects (like, I can feel my double chin and it just feels in the way. no thanks!). And those health risks? I don't want to take them. I figure I've spent more time in doctors offices and being poked by needles than I could ever have wanted, and I'd like to NOT have as many health issues when I'm older. Maybe I'll still have some of the medical problems I have now, maybe I won't. But I don't want to risk adding to that list. I've also started to value my body more, and I want to take care of it - that doesn't mean maintaining a certain weight, but it did mean I had to stop eating fast food every single day, which has helped take a few of the pounds off.

This has turned into an epic rambling. I don't even remember my original point. But I do know that we should probably get rid of shame when we talk about weight.
__
Charlotte 

Things Lately

And the award for Most Neglectful Blogger goes to.... 

I haven't written my normal weekly posts in a couple of weeks and I completely failed to write my monthly post, as well. Fail! Things have been more hectic than usual. Car accidents, tons of doctor appointments, and physical therapy that sometimes leaves me in hella pain are to blame. But I'm trying to get back to regular blogging... slowly. Very slowly. My neck, shoulder, and collarbone are not so hot lately, and it's made things surprisingly frustrating. Nothing catastrophic, but certain days are better than others and let's just say I've never realized how important not injuring your collarbone is - doing my hair, pushing a shopping cart, reaching for clothes in my closet, and sometimes even reading (holding up a book) and typing on the computer have all become pain-inducing activities. (Also, insurance companies are the worst and it looks like I might need to get a lawyer. Not happy about that.) 

Random pic of that time someone
suggested I "just try and blow dry it straight!"
lol k.

It's been pretty busy here, with my appointments plus the appointments for my grandparents, and my grandma recovering from her time in the ICU. Plus - Christmas. It seems I am the designated shopper and gift wrapper over here, and there are over nine people to wrap for (including Santa gifts) so that adds up and I'm at the point where "I never want to wrap another gift, ever!" The blog isn't the only thing I've dropped the ball on, either. I haven't sent out Christmas cards yet (= I haven't even purchased Christmas cards yet, and I'm honestly considering just sending out a jolly ol' "Merry Christmas" text day-of instead...). I bought and wrapped gifts and have yet to send them out. I'm just the picture of organization these days. I'm trying to chill and not worry about things. It's been a rough couple of months and no one is going to be upset about receiving their gifts a few days late. *I'm* the only one who will care, and I need to just get over it. 

I'm also struggling to stay semi-optimistic about el futuro. My plan was to go back to New York in January, and I'm having second thoughts. Even with a job that pays 30k, paying rent would be really hard in New York. I could do it easy peasy if I was splitting rent with a roommate but it'd be very tight living on my own. So now I'm considering staying in NC for a little while longer, but not staying with family. Rent is cheaper here and so are most utilities and other expenses. Gas is usually at least 25 cents cheaper, my car insurance is half of what it is in New York, etc. I'd much rather be in Albany, but if that's not possible.... let's just say there's been a lot of stressing, pacing, and number crunching. We'll see. (I also think it'd be almost impossible to manage school in NY because living alone would necessitate long work hours.) Trying to make a life is hard. 

I've haven't been completely behind, though. I've started prioritizing reading again. I finally, finally, FINALLY read A Christmas Carol. I've been procrastinating on that for literal years. I've also been reading another Blogging for Books pick, 2am at The Cat's Pajamas, which is turning out to be better than I expected. And I've got a hot little line up for the rest of the month: Pride and Prejudice (started, not finished) and The Great Divorce (started, not finished). Oh and speaking of books and Christmas, I highly encourage everyone to hop on over to Filthy Casket and check out our new Christmas header. I think I like it better than our normal one. Liz and I also have some fun posts lined up (think "best of" and "worst of" lists) so stay tuned, I'm sure I'll link to them at some point. 

Speaking of links... I mentioned that I've skipped those link posts a couple of times. My not-so-efficient method is sending links to myself on Facebook and then cutting and pasting when I finally do write those posts. Which means... I now have three weeks' worth of links sitting in my inbox. Holla. So I'm going to just forget about most of them. There are some good ones I'd like to share, though. Most importantly, the trailer for Fantastic Beasts!! It's out!! I'm absolutely dying of excitement and awe. There's also this funny testament of friendship: Tina Fey hid Amy Poehler from Donald Trump so she wouldn't have to talk to him.

Also, can we talk about the perfect dress Amy Poehler wore the other night? Swooooon.

Some more:

Liz wrote this review of The Instant Happy Journal. If you order it soon it could make a nice gift!

Aaron Rodgers' game winning Hail Mary pass may or may not have made me cry tears of joy for the Packers. 

Remember how I was just talking about making life plans? Part of that is money. (lol lack thereof)

The earth is pretty terrific. I liked this picture.

I love so many of these living rooms!! I'm not fond of the minimal look. Cozy is the way to be.

This blogger wrote about her experience as a girl. It's a string of violence, and it's an important read.

So Trump justified his position on Muslims in America by citing FDR's use of internment camps. Well, FDR's granddaughter had a bit to say about that.

This blogger lost her daughter almost a year ago. Here she writes about grieving during Advent.      

We already knew this but now they've put studies to it: All politicians are liars.

Literary baby names! A post that includes all my favorite things: books, babies, and names. (Although some of those are stretches.)

Sometimes I picture my imaginary perfect apartment with my imaginary perfect office and these days that office is home to this framed Harry Potter poster.

And finally, I couldn't help but laugh at these "horoscopes from a bitter astrologist."

Think that's it for this post.  ;)  

__

Charlotte 

A Little DIY Shirt

My little cousin finally read the Harry Potter series this year! So exciting! Everyone ought to read HP. (No pressure, Liz.*) 

Anyway! She asked for the series for Christmas, and while I'm in no position to drop $70, I did get her the first book and my grandparents got her the second one. Her birthday is just a couple of weeks after Christmas, so she's well on her way. I also thought she'd like something similar to the shirt in this pin that I see all the time, so I grabbed a grey (gray?) t-shirt and got to work. While *I* would prefer the original sweatshirt, she's almost 16 and sort of into a..... different look than I am. I know she makes and wears shirts with fabric paint, so I figured it'd be a safe bet to use that. It's just a shirt for futzing around.  

At first I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be a Harry Potter-specific shirt, so I decided on a subtle nod via lightning bolt. ;) 

Then stuff got cray cray and I got real tired real quick of cutting strips into the back of the shirt and tying them with the proper corresponding strips. UGH UGH UGH. I kept silently reminding myself that patience is a virtue because while this:

is by no means difficult, it is very annoying after the first five knots. 

I think the look of the shirt is kinda cool, though I'd make a few changes if it was for myself. I'd either cut the excess strips down really close to the knots to lose some of the fringe look or I'd just not cut the shirt in half in the first place, making the knots unnecessary. (As in, I'd fold that part of the shirt and just make slices, so there'd still be a semi-open back like that, minus the knots and extra strips. If that makes sense? It's what I did on the sleeves, which you can see in that nifty collage when you scroll down.) The process I used brought the shirt down a size or two, another thing that wouldn't be an issue if the knots weren't used. Bringing the shirt in with those knots meant it pulled at the collar big time. Not comfy! I tried it on myself to get a feel for it a million times to make sure it still felt, looked, and functioned as a shirt. I ended up cutting the collar off completely. If it were mine, I'd make the neckline plunge a little, but she's 15. She's also a tad... smaller on top than I am, so I wasn't going to take risks with that.

I actually specialize in taking pictures of myself. Also I would have picked a different background if I knew I'd blog this, sigh.

Over all, I really dig this shirt. I think she'll like it when she sees it. I think I'm going to make one for myself and stick to just cutting slits in the back instead of tying the knots because I usually prefer clean cut stuff. I may or may not be thinking of a million shirts to make - plain t-shirt with slits in the back! Plain long sleeve semi-fitted shirt with slits in the back! T-shirt with "The Book Was Better" in varsity iron on letters with slits in the back!

Only time will tell.

__

Charlotte

*jk, Liz. Peer pressure, peer pressure!

Spinach, Sausage, and Potato Soup Recipe

Scroll down past the pictures to get the recipe without having to endure my ramblings. :)

Lately I've been trying to eat things other than Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers from Wendy's and Meximelts from Taco Bell; luckily, recipes like this one make it pretty easy.

I came across this recipe over at Damn Delicious (love so many recipes over there!) and knew I had to try it, but I also knew I'd have to change it. I don't do spicy too well. No pepper flakes over here. So I made a few alterations - regular ol' sausage instead of spicy, no red pepper flakes, you know. Made it boring. Except... 

Except.  

I hastily read the ingredients and it turned out I doubled some of the herbs. I don't know what the soup would taste like if I hadn't, well, screwed up. But I imagine there's a good chance it would have tasted fairly bland. I was removing half the flavor. But it worked out because the mistake basically gave us a whole new recipe. I've made it a couple of times now, and there's no going back! I purposely continue to double the herbs because it's just so delicious that way. 

We also changed up some of the other little details from the inspiration recipe. Instead of cooking the sausage for 3-5 minutes, I let it cook for around 10 minutes (my uncle insisted on this the first time I made it, because the sausage will become a lighter color when we add the broth, and he doesn't like that... it kind of makes it look like the sausage isn't cooked, even though it totally is). I'm not sure if it's because I used a different kind of pot than the original recipe, but every step took a little longer than originally called for - not complaining, it's still incredibly easy and relatively quick. Just something to make note of. I'd watch it the first time I cook it to get a feel for how long things need to cook in whichever pot you might be using. 

Anyway, I love this soup. It's hearty and super flavorful. When I first made it there were over ten people at the house and every one of them liked it. That's saying something when you factor in a very picky eight year old. Also, I won't lie... most of my family has never been big on vegetables. We mostly stick to canned vegetables. (I'm trying to change this for myself, and have been trying all sorts of new recipes centered on veggies I'm not necessarily used to.) So it's a little Christmas miracle that everyone ate this soup without complaint - spinach does not usually go over well with them. 

This soup is perfect for winter, but let's not pretend I wouldn't eat it up in the summer months, too. 

This recipe makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound mild Italian sausage, no casing (roughly - I've used under a pound without a problem)

1 yellow onion

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1-1.5 teaspoon dried oregano* 

1-1.5 teaspoon dried basil*

1 bay leaf

3-4 cups baby spinach (I usually throw in 3 handfuls) 

1 pound red potatoes (again, roughly. We had a 5lb bag of red potatoes, so I used a fifth of them - between three and four decent sized potatoes) 

5-6 cups chicken broth 

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional, but I say go for it, the color is nice)

salt and pepper (optional)

*I could not find our teaspoons for measuring, so I used a regular teaspoon. Ya know, silverware. It shakes out to be about 1.5 teaspoons, maybe even 2. You do you. 

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add sausage, medium-high heat. Cook about 10 minutes (or less, if you don't mind it looking pink when you add broth later).

2. While sausage is cooking, mince garlic, dice potatoes, and weep as you dice that onion up, too.

3. Drain excess fat (I've been putting 4-5 paper towels on a plate, pouring the sausage onto it, letting the oil seep into the towels and then putting it back in the pot. This way you can just throw out the paper towels instead of dealing with a bowl full of oil.)

4. Throw in the garlic, onion, basil, and oregano. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring fairly frequently. (Also, it is not the end of the world if you cook it longer than 5 minutes. The original recipe called for this step to take 2-3 minutes, but my onions weren't even close to translucent after 3 minutes. The first time you make it, just observe and see how long it takes with your particular stove and pot.)

5. Add salt and pepper - optional. Unless you're using sodium-free broth, it'll have salt in it anyway.

6. Add five cups of chicken broth and the bay leaf. Bring it to a nice boil.

7. Stir in potatoes and cook about 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. 

8. Add spinach and cook until it wilts, about 1 minute. (Totally optional - if you think the broth is getting a little low or you're not happy with the consistency, go ahead and throw that extra chicken broth in now.)

9. Stir in heavy cream.

10. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, stir, and let cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

(We then remove the bay leaf so no one has to eat it.)

Serve and enjoy! And let me know what you think. 

(Again, this is adapted from this recipe right here.)

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Charlotte

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Some of My Favorite Books

Sorry about the hiatus. I know I said in my last post that I'd be posting more regularly... but then there were car accident injuries and grandparents in ICU and family staying at the house and well, not much time for blogging, unfortunately. Fingers crossed that things really will be calmer now!

Liz and I were recently talking about books, as we are wont to do. We were thinking about how different the sound of "fifteen books" and the feel of "fifteen books" are - as in, 15 books doesn't sound like all that much! But when you're reading book after book, 15 books a year feels like a lot, especially when it's on top of work and school and other life things. (Same with donuts. No, just kidding, not the same.)

Anyway, this got me reflecting a bit on my own reading goals. This year I set out to read more than I normally do, and I think I was pretty successful! I've read over 30 books and we've still got a month to go! I won't lie, I really want to get to a point where I'm reading between 40 and 50 books a year. And I think now would be a good time to develop the reading habits necessary to do so. I usually lay in bed early in the morning and late at night, very tired but unable to fall asleep. If I spent even some of that time reading, I could probably double the number of books I read. Late last night I glanced at the list of books I've read this year (I'll share it here as we near January), and thought it'd be fun to make a list of all of my favorite books, whether I've read them this year or not. 

1. The entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling 

Of course. I think it's high time I write a post on all the reasons I love HP so, so much, so I won't go too deep into that now. But some main reasons: Rowling does a wonderful job of creating a good vs evil story, and her view of evilness as something that is built, not born, is something I dig. Her themes of love, friendship, and sacrifice are damn near tangible, and her characters are wonderful. There is so much to love about HP. 

2. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

Some of the best writing I've encountered, ever. A lot of today's writers create terrific stories, but don't fuss over the writing itself. Mathis is not one of those writers. It was a pleasure to read something by an author who hasn't forgotten about literary tools like imagery and voice. The story itself is a beautiful but sad one, about a woman raising her children - and those children as adults - in a world that puts you down if you're black and if you're poor. Not only was it a good read, but it's an important one, as well.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Well, I love everything I've read by Tolkien so far. (I've been thinking I'd like to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy again!) But The Hobbit especially sticks with me, and I'm very fond of it. I remember having the most amazing dreams every night while I was reading it, haha. Like all of his work, the themes are terrific, but it was just so fun and exciting, too. I've gotten more into fantasy and adventure as I've gotten older, and I think Tolkien might have something to do with it. 

      

4. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

I won't pretend that this book belongs up there with the likes of Tolkien, as far as good literature goes. Sarah's Key is well written, for sure, but it isn't spectacular writing. The writing itself never left me breathless. That said, the story was one I couldn't put down. Part mystery, part historical fiction, part marital-strife, I can't really imagine anyone not liking this book. We learn the story of Sarah, a Jewish girl who lived during the Holocaust, as present-day journalist Julia unravels a mystery. It's gut-wrenching, to be sure, but there are glimpses of hope throughout, and Rosnay does a good job of dragging us in so that we just must keep reading. I've seen some folks say it's good, though not as good as The Book Thief. Having read both, I feel the opposite. The Book Thief was a very good book, but I thought it took a rather long time to really get going. Sarah's Key is the opposite. It's fast paced the entire length of the novel. It's been years since I've read it, and it still sticks with me as one of the better books I've read. 

     

5. Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

I will never, ever, ever stop singing Gretchen Rubin's praises. I've read a fair few self-help books and NONE, NOT ONE can compare to Rubin's books. There are books out there that offer words of inspiration, sure. That's nice, but warm quotes will only take you so far. And then there are books that are scarily apt at describing the sad state of my life and/or mood, but fail to give good advice for change. By far the best, and I mean absolute best, self-help book I've read is Rubin's Better Than Before (naturally, a close second is her previous book, The Happiness Project). Rubin digs into research and experimentation to provide actually helpful advice. Not only that, but she went so far as to develop a framework so that every person who reads it can see what kind of person they are, and then decide which bits of guidance and advice is best for them. It's amazing. Literally anyone can benefit from her books. It's like tailored advice. I'm planning to give it a re-read since there are some more habits I'm trying to change. I'd recommend it to anyone trying to grow or change or form habits.

6. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos 

Okay, so, the writing itself isn't exceptional, but it's a sweet, intriguing, fairly quick read, and everyone can enjoy one of those. It centers around a woman and her various relationships - romantic, familial, friendly. And a little kid "walks in" to her life, changing things up a bit. I won't lie, the ending pissed me off a bit (I remember feeling that the little girl in the story got gypped), but otherwise, I enjoyed the story. It was just a warm book that offered lots of sweet quotes, and it always comes to mind when I try and think of my favorite books. 

7. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

Ahhhhh! I just finished this book and it is just out of this world. I reviewed it over on Filthy Casket last night, so you can go check that out. It has everything a good book ought to: great narrative, suspense, terrific writing, and so much more. I rarely buy hardcover books (I like hardcover books, I just don't like the $10 extra dollars they cost...), but if you're looking for a good read, go make the splurge. It is worth every dime. It gave me chills more than once. I won't be surprised if kids are reading this book as part of their curriculum one day.

8. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

I read this in my high school social studies class and basically I bow down to those teachers who insisted we read this and all but ignoring the assigned textbook. It was the first book to really make me question everything we had learned about history, government, politics, and the economy up until that point. Instead of the happy, shiny, "'merica" we're all used to hearing about, Zinn gave us the true stories of our history. Totally eye-opening. Everyone should read this book.

9. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez 

I read this book a few years ago, and I still think of it often. It's the story of the Mirabal sisters, who fought against a dictatorship in the Dominican Republican. It tugged at the heartstrings, had me not wanting to put it down, and shed light on an important struggle. I'd recommend it to any of my political friends, especially those who devote themselves to fighting injustice and oppression. 

10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 

Ohhhh my gosh I cannot get enough of Christie's books. Of all that I've read, Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite (so far, anyway!). I felt like I was in a game of Clue the entire time. I couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop guessing what the end would be (I was wrong, every time. I have no idea how she does it.), and I couldn't help but love how vivid all the characters were. Christie spends little time describing her characters, yet I can see them so clearly. Hercule Poirot bouncing around is, like, my favorite thing. I also love the setting for Murder on the Orient Express. The short span of time and the enclosed space made it more interesting. I ate that book up. She's become one of my favorite authors, and this is my favorite book of hers.

I'm sure I'll read this tomorrow and remember a book I love that I didn't think of tonight. Oh well! For now, these are the books that really stick out to me as books that I've absolutely loved.

To reading!
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Charlotte