I’m wearing jeans today. It’s been a minute since I’ve worn real pants. But they looked cute and I bought them. So here we are. I forgot how little the pockets are.
This has been a high-anxiety week. No specific reason (other than the usual living-in-this-world). I did have a checkup at the doctor (everything’s good), so maybe that’s it.
Anyway, today’s list focuses on little pockets of joy I love from the week. Enjoy!
How did Dorie Greenspan know that what the world needs now is to hear her wax poetical about pastry? [P.S. Dorie Greenspan always gushes about pastry.] [P.P.S. The world always needs it.]
My tomato plants are thriving with all the moisture we’ve been getting, but they look a little lonely. Time to plant some friends!
Next week is National Library Week! The theme this year is Find Your Joy, and I’m pretty sure my joy is at the library. I’ll have to make sure to block out some time to do some meandering and browsing.
How are you doing? Hope you find some joy this weekend.
What a year this week has been. I haven’t been this happy to see Friday in a minute. And I get to leave early to attend a program at the library this afternoon, so that’s exciting.
Here are some things I enjoyed reading this week:
I’m excited to add a life audit from The Good Trade to my goal review process. I’ve decided to incorporate little transition spaces into the year. Advent, for example, begins the church year during the same season the calendar year is finishing. Sounds like a built-in transition space to me. This will also help move my goal-setting into January, which I’ve been considering for the past couple of years. I could really use a soft launch for new/updated goals rather than a sprint in the middle of winter when all I’m supposed to be doing is cuddling up with books and tea. I think I’ll try that out next time and see how it goes.
I am emerging from my meal planning funk. I’ve cooked a couple of old favorites recently, and I’m trying out some salad recipes that go beyond just greens and dressing. Natalie Gale (via The Good Trade) must have known I was struggling. I am more excited about this list of 99 healthy recipes (divided by dietary lifestyle) than I have been about figuring out what to make for dinner in a long time.
This list is very Good Trade heavy this week, and I’m not even sorry. Here’s some good stuff on the importance of cultivating soft skills, especially with AI becoming more prevalent. I especially like the reminder that these are not just things you have or don’t have – they can be learned! As a former communication instructor, I assure you that most people do have to learn these skills. Even those who have natural talent at influence or resilience or conflict management still have to train and practice that talent to get the most out of it. This reminder also helps me be more hopeful about my future, as teaching adjunct may be something I go back to when I retire from full-time work.
An otherwise terrifying week has been made a little kinder – a little more “oh yeah, that’s the point of living” – by the Artemis II crew. This is what happens when people who actually know and love the moon go up to see what more we can learn about it. We get a love story. I love that they carried the flag designated for the Apollo 18 mission. I love that they named a crater after a loved one. Before this week, I didn’t know that craters were formed when the moon protected us from space junk. I am happy to know that now. Wishing the crew a safe return home today. Go outside and say hello to Carroll tonight.
Happy Friday, friends. We did it. Despite being absolutely covered in pollen every time I step outside, I have made it through the week. Claritin is my friend.
I’m a big fan of these five things this week:
This is the deep dive into bar soap that I didn’t know I needed, and I am here for it. Bar soap for life. I mean, not Irish Spring, as I’m allergic. But you can pry my locally crafted soaps and my Dr. Bronner’s peppermint away from my cold, dead hands.
HARRY STYLES TALKING TO HARUKI MURAKAMI ABOUT RUNNING! “One of the most important things for a human being is to embrace the contradiction.” I feel better about life in general just having read Murakami saying, “What is this chaos in me?” Same, Murakami.
Today, we are celebrating International Waffle Day (Observed) in the office because we had another lunch to attend on Wednesday, when it was actually International Waffle Day. Of course, I brought my waffle iron to work. While Mark Bittman’s quick and easy waffles are my favorite go-tos, I make a mess when I mix them up. I needed something more portable, so I adjusted to a mix I could just shake and pour. I tested it last night, and it was fine. Meh. It was waffles from a mix. It will work. I have cranberries and thyme to add to it, so that will spruce it up a bit. At any rate, yay waffles for lunch!
I’m going to make this dish this weekend. Baharan brought it to cookbook club, and I can’t stop thinking about it. So simple. So delicious. So easy to make, even on busy days.
I have many favorite authors. My authors page on my working TBR rivals my series page as the longest. However, I don’t know that there’s even a single author about whom I can say I’ve read all their works. I mean, I wanna. I have the drive to do so. I will read something I love and immediately devour three or four other books that person has written. I will drop everything I’m doing to read the newest Fredrik Backman (or at least make sure it gets on one of my book clubs’ lists). And I am (slowly) working through Isabel Allende’s work in order of publication. But I do not yet have a completist author of my own, and I WANT ONE. I am looking forward to this series.
Ash Wednesday is NEXT WEEK. What in the world. Anyway, I have practiced Lent for many years and in several ways. I like the way this post breaks it down into four intentions to pursue.
And finally, I’m gonna make Joy the Baker’s one-pot French onion pasta tomorrow. I’ve got a fairly busy weekend, and this little dish is going to help me slow down a little and remind me that it is, in fact, my day off, regardless of what my activities may suggest.
My first full week in office in my advisor position! The first week had Monday as a holiday, and the second week was mostly working from home due to the winter storm that swept through this area. It’s been a long week, but it’s been good. I haven’t quite outfitted my office yet, so I’m going to do some more decorating next week.
I’m looking forward to going out with some friends tonight and I have a few events this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll also have some time to read, clean, and generally decompress as well.
Some links for the week:
This opinion from US District Judge Fred Biery on the release of Liam Arias and his father Adrian is a good read. “‘We the People’ are hearing echoes of that history,” is the type of statement that once inspired me to consider the law and eventually judgeship as a career path. As much as I would probably loathe being a judge most of the time, I would enjoy writing things like this.
How to make soup and also write a novel. I’m going to add this wisdom to my Fall Curriculum (spoiler – my goal will be to revamp my writing practice and finish a manuscript).
Troubles in Minneapolis persist, and friends of a friend have a good resource on the ground if you are looking for a place to donate. The Helping Hand Fund through Our Savior’s Lutheran Church supports their neighbors in need, and you can donate generally or designate your donation as “immigrant support” if you want to specify where you’d like it to go.
I hope you get time and space to decompress this weekend!
The coziest (and the best) way to ring in the new year? Snacks, wine, comfort of my own home.
I love the Montana Happy newsletter. It’s always full of cozy crafts, recipes, and tips. It’s a much-needed shelter in the storm of the world. In exploring cozy as a theme this year, I am working my way through this list of prompts.
Hygge prompt #1 – What advice would you give your younger self with your current knowledge if given a time machine? What changes would you make?
Not that my younger self would have listened…but here goes.
That interdisciplinary major you’re considering during grad school (the one that would give you a foot in the door to library science)? DO IT. You can still teach public speaking and work night desk and be an assignment coordinator. These will be the jobs that give you the best stories and where you will meet some of your favorite people. But it would also be nice to have some sweet librarian training in your back pocket when you’re ready to branch out.
Don’t stop dancing and running. It’s hard to get that momentum back after you lose it, and you will miss it when it’s gone.
Ditto re: playing piano and French horn.
Don’t sell your French horn. Maybe stick with a digital piano/full-sized keyboard instead of the upright grand, though. That was…a lot.
The pavement on Fry Street is dangerously uneven. Tread cautiously. Your left knee, in particular, will thank you. Also, maybe don’t drink the WHOLE beer tower. Just a thought.
In fact, go ahead and slow down on the drinking in general. One or two glasses of wine at a time is fine, and it is definitely less expensive. If you need to be buzzed to feel comfortable at a place, just leave the place. You could be home and reading.
We still love home and reading.
You don’t want to live in the downstairs apartment. Having upstairs neighbors is THE WORST.
Look closely for bug problems before you move in. No apartment is cute enough to be worth the hassle of getting rid of an infestation.
Those things that you keep seeing ads for that you think you’d really enjoy having? You won’t. Just keep scrolling. I guarantee there’s a cute cat video coming up, and it’s free.
The cancer diagnosis isn’t the end of the world. You survive, and your friends really come through for you. Go ahead and push for the reconstructive surgery while they have you on the table, though.
When the church you love dissolves, don’t rush into replacing it. Save yourself some religious trauma and take a real break. But keep that weird little liturgical one you visited in the back of your mind. You’re going to love them someday.
I know loneliness sucks. And it will suck for a long time, especially when it seems like everyone around you is pairing off, so buckle up. But don’t waste so much time wanting a partner. Your life is already rich with love, and you will absolutely adore living alone. Once you get there, you will realize that it would take a truly exceptional connection to merit giving that up. Hold out for it.
When you feel like you have to choose between loving others well and wanting to hold them to your own moral code (which, despite everything you’ve been taught, they are not – in any way – obligated to adhere to), choose love. Every time. Your moral code will change as you learn and grow, and you will regret the harm that you did before you knew better. But you will never regret loving extravagantly.
Love extravagantly.
Love yourself. To quote Tova Goodman’s six-word memoir, “Little me would’ve liked big me.”
This was my first week back at work after the break, and it really acted like it. As expected, the ambition of well-rested, cozy, mostly-feral Suzanne has cooled, so I’m trying to find my bearings with all the resolutions I made.
Also, the world is spiraling (and our country bears more than our fair share of blame for that, especially right now. Just…what are we doing. And CAN WE NOT?). ICE needs to stay in their lane (and by “stay in their lane” I do mean “be dismantled”) and held accountable for literally everything they do.
I would not be the least bit surprised if we discovered dragons were real this year. The big, fire-breathing kind – not the small, cute ones we already know about. Given the propensity of people with more money than sense to poke around in the depths of the ocean and other places we would do well to leave alone, it’s a distinct possibility.
Nevertheless, I have managed to find some nice things to share with you. I have a couple of recipes that I tried this week, and some cozy items that might give you a brief respite from *gestures broadly*
So enjoy!
Matthew Bounds’s White Chicken Chili – I’ve never made a recipe of his that I didn’t like, and this is no exception. Most white chicken chili uses heavy cream, but this one thickens with instant potatoes (I used the garlic ones), which makes it the clear frontrunner for me. Anything I can eat without taking a Lactaid (and bonus if it includes potatoes in any form) is superior in my book.
Dan Whalen’s Deviled Pickles – Deviled eggs are not my favorite. Part of my aversion is due to the use of mayonnaise, but mostly I am not a fan of the texture and smell of boiled eggs. Deviled pickles, however? All the delicious things about a deviled egg with none of the things that tend to give me the ick. I used whipped cream cheese and used a plant-based (ergo, non-eggy) mayo in this recipe, leaving the filling mostly just cheese and happiness. I 100% ate the leftover filling with chips. Delightful.
I like these cozy prompts from Montana Happy’s hygge list and will likely turn some of them into posts this year. I’ve already started with the advice to my younger self and my dream house. Stay tuned.
At some point this weekend, I’m going to take down the Christmas tree. Epiphany has arrived. It’s time. Also, I have plans for that corner, and the tree is in the way. But it always makes me a little sad to put it back in storage. As luck would have it, Modern Mrs. Darcy’s “Links I Love” featured this gem from the Nester on making the seasonal transition less gloomy. I think I can conjure up some things with my excess of twinkle lights and jars around the succulents that have come indoors for the winter (assuming winter ever manages to actually get here). Maybe I’ll incorporate them into the plans for that corner.
While one of my favorite local indie bookshops is closing, did you know that over 30 either opened in the past year or will open soon in Texas? That’s good news!
I hope you have a good weekend. I hope you get a much-needed hangout with friends or take a much-needed break from hanging out with people, whatever the case may be. Good wishes for you and yours.
A month or two ago, I was discussing things we like to cook with a couple of coworkers, and I told them, “One of my goals this year was to try 50 new recipes.” But the more I thought about it, the more I second-guessed myself. Was that the goal?
So I just looked it up. And it turns out that my goal was just to cook myself at least 50 meals. Not new ones – just actually cook 50 times instead of grabbing drive-through or having a bowl of cereal while the groceries in the produce drawer went bad.
And I did it!
It seems like most of the year, I really did think trying new recipes was the task at hand. But whether I cooked new things, tried a new spin on an old thing, or just relished a tried-and-true favorite, I am happy to have made myself 50 home-cooked meals. It feels good to be back in the kitchen again on a regular basis.
I even color-coded them (who is surprised? No one) on the spreadsheet to indicate whether I thought they were…
Great!
Good
Meh
Awful
I had mostly good ratings, which makes sense. I know what I like, and I pick it on purpose. I’m excited that I had so many great ratings. I also have about twice as many recipes in other columns that I want to try, so this experiment just keeps on giving.
Some of my favorites:
Sundried tomato alfredo on pasta with spinach and steak (pictured above) – I am going to say something controversial. Alfredo is not my favorite. I know – it seems like it would be. Cream sauce? Delicious. Cheese? Literally the best food. But almost every time I have alfredo, I am disappointed. Not this time. Turns out, I just need to dress it up a bit. This sauce came out kinda like those “marry me” sauces (i.e., marry me chicken, or the vegetarian version, marry me chickpeas), which 100% live up to the hype. Everything else fell right into place after that.
Ramen stir fry or buttered cabbage and noodles – I’m combining these two because they’re the same basic concept. Forget ramen as a soup. It’s now forever a stir fry ingredient to me. This kicks fried rice’s ass. Stir fry some veggies (in oil or if it’s cabbage, replace half the oil with butter – you won’t be sorry). Garlic, onion, ginger, etc. Soy sauce or your favorite stir-fry sauce. Then toss the cooked noodles in at the last minute and you’re done.
Cranberry waffles – make basic waffles and throw dried cranberries (or blueberries…cherries would be nice, too) in the batter. Happy.
Matthew Bound’s shortcut chicken and dumplings – almost as good as my low-and-slow ones. And it really only takes 30 minutes.
Orzotto (or any of my pasta skillet meals, but with orzo) – make it just like risotto but with orzo. Amazing.
The easiest tomato soup – I have long struggled to find a creamy tomato soup recipe that I not only loved but didn’t make me want to lie down afterward on account-a the immense amount of dairy in it. Well, here it is. A can of diced tomatoes, a bucket of cottage cheese, onion soup packet, oregano, thyme, basil, and as much water as you need to make it the consistency you want. All of these ingredients were measured with love (i.e., to taste/preference). I used my immersion blender to smooth it out, but I think it would have worked better in the big blender/bullet. Next time. And there will definitely be a next time.
Swamp potatoes – gross name, delicious meal. And super easy. I made mine in the crockpot but it would be just as easy (and maybe better if you crisped up the sausage a bit) on the stove. It smelled so good that one of my staff members followed me to my office to demand to know how to make it when I took the leftovers to work. It tastes as good as it smells.
There were a lot of other good meals this year, but those were the ones I will be making on a regular basis from now on. I’m pretty happy I misunderstood my own goal for so long.
Did you discover new recipes you liked this year? Share, please!
One holiday week (almost) down, four to go. I can do this.
I love this perspective in these trying times. Times have been trying before, and they will be trying again. Community is how we make it through. And you know I love a book list. This piece has it all.
These are so freaking cute. If I get myself together, they may make an appearance at a holiday party. Or I may take fudge. Fudge is good (and also easy). Or this (but why is it called Jezebel sauce? Good and misunderstood? Bad, but also an understandable and totally acceptable course of action, given the full view of the circumstances? Has it been sacrificed to idols? Did someone die a gruesome death from eating it? I’m so curious.).
I’m looking at the reading challenges I want to attempt in the new year, and it’s really gonna be something. Buckle up – my reading life is fully reflecting my internal chaos, and there is no stopping it at this point. This is an interesting one that I’m considering – the Anti Brain Rot Reading Challenge. I really love the way this challenge is organized. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the idea of having a personal curriculum for each season where I double down on a particular topic. And there is a Discord community. This would be an especially good challenge for people who either want to establish a daily reading practice or intentionally read outside their personal experience zone, and who would like social support in doing so. You know what? I say I’m “considering” it, but I think we all know I’m in. I’m so in.
I love reading books that friends recommend. When I finish, it’s like an automatic mini-book club. This interview with Kate Mosesso on What Should I Read Next is lovely and charming. Bonus that I particularly like about this podcast – transcript and a book list.
A post no one ever wants to write, but Nadia Bolz-Weber does it beautifully. I’m so glad she’s OK.
I’m super psyched about next year’s theme word. I have a post planned about it for New Year’s Eve. But I can’t wait that long.
Spoiler – it’s “cozy.”
This isn’t really a new theme or value for me. I leaned pretty far into cozy the year I explored what it meant to be at home in the world. Quiet and cozy went hand in hand. It’s seeped pretty steadily into wonder this year.
And for the past 20 years, I’ve been working in housing, helping people find ways to feel as cozy as possible in their home away from home.
Throughout the year, I’m going to be looking at how I can make my spaces (physical, social, emotional, mental, etc.) cozier. I’ll also excavate some of the more negative aspects of the definition of cozy, particularly when it acts like a verb.
This month, I want to take the time to acknowledge and honor what I’m already doing. I’m not sure if this statement of my intentions will be the only post about it in December, or if I will find more to say. But in the spirit of Advent, I’m paying attention to how coziness is already having an impact on how I interact with the world.
The whimsy of the ever-present office bats who change hats with the season. Sharing baked goods with coworkers and friends. Making this soup just as soon as possible. My nightly tea ritual.
The many choices of ways to get warm should the need arise (it rarely does, but I’m so ready for it).
M. Suzanne Terry 