Showing posts with label Kristin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristin. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Fashion Friday May 2
1. Everyone needs a good hat for the beach, garden and just for fun. Target has this hat in stores that is so great.
2. Cigarette pants are making a comeback and I'm excited. The Gap has these amazing red pants that I "need" to snatch up!
3. Although white clothes often get dirty quickly, I am in love with this dress from Forever 21. The cutout is what totally makes it. Potential bridal shower dress?
4. Functional, fashionable and small handbags are hard to come by. At least for me. Macy's has this beautiful bag on sale that I might just purchase. It's definitely work-appropriate and I love the color combination.
5. These Oxfords from DSW need to find their way into my closet. I love shoes that I can wear at work and in "every day" life. I lean toward feminine dresses and androgynous button-up, trouser and shoe looks. I feel like these shoes would work in both realms.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Currently... (May addition)
Demi is
loving: the changing weather. Hellllooo long walks.
eating: Chipotle, forever craving those salad bowls.
enjoying: This blog! Especially how it keeps me inspired to write and take pictures every day.
wearing: Toms (size 3 in kids, thank you) I'm late to the game but totally in love.
finishing: up my last semester at Quincy College.
watching: Bob's Burgers and realizing I'm a perfect mix of Linda and Tina. uuuuhhhhh.
laughing: with my husband on the daily, usually right before we fall asleep.
reading: A Long Way Down with Kristin. Super slow read.
tending: a new garden bed.
looking: forward to baby plants at the end of May.
working: towards a house by working too many jobs! The total is now at 3 jobs while also going to school full-time.
sewing: a watercolor dress.
planning: A summer of fun before school in the fall brings me back to reality.
feeling: much better from my unfortunate skiing accident. Almost 100%!
trying: to eat less candy. Thanks, Easter.
listening: Lana del Ray. I can never get enough and I can't explain why.
going: to look at houses and feeling like the perfect house is harder to find than I thought.
becoming: super busy! Working everyday to get us closer to buying a house. It will all pay off in the end. It will all pay off in the end.
celebrating: my ability to shoot on manual mode with my dslr and feeling confident on how to change the settings.
trying: to eat less candy. Thanks Easter.
Jenn is
loving: THE SUN!! Oh, how I missed you!
eating: All the strawberries!
finishing: Some blog updates.
watching: my lab frolicking across the yard.
laughing: at the hilarious "ultrasound photo" attached to this facebook ad:
reading: The Goldfinch.
tending: My baby fruit plants. Two of my strawberry plants grew flowers overnight <3.
wearing: More like *rocking* maternity leggings and a fleece.
listening: N'sync mix on youtube. Not ashamed.
working: growing babies is hard work :)
sewing: A Tula Pink quilt, Crafty's April Mystery Quilt. I've gotten so far as to lay out my fabrics.. more updates on that later.
planning: A trip to Anchorage next week.
feeling: Fantastic! I've had two full nights' sleep and haven't thrown up in almost 3 days!
Trying: To concentrate. Not working.
Kristin is
loving: these cooler temps. Slightly windy, but warm with sunshine.
eating: a kale and sweet potato combo at least once a week.
watching: Lost with S. We’re marathoning all the seasons.
laughing: at myself for spelling “birthday” as “birtday” on Sean’s celebratory banner.
reading: “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby. Very, very slowwwwly.
tending: to the plant seedings Kali is sneakily snacking on in the middle of the night. Bye, basil.
listening: to Alkaline Trio, muffled, as S works out in the basement to it every other day.
working: on a front yard flower garden and a bee-friendly wildflower garden.
feeling: excited about spring and summer.
wearing: shirts over dresses.
trying: Gelato and loving it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Oatmeal made interesting
Yep. Cocoa powder. For baking.
Looking for a few ways to jazz up your breakfast? Grab some cocoa powder, cinnamon/sugar, blueberries, jam, or peanut butter.
I mix one part cocoa powder to two parts cinnamon/sugar mix. (We make our cinnamon/sugar mix and keep it in a shaker). So whether you use a teaspoon or a tablespoon, just make sure you add more sugar than cocoa powder. Otherwise your oatmeal will taste like bitter chocolate. And that's just sad.
With your uncooked oatmeal in a bowl, sprinkle in cocoa powder and cinnamon/sugar. Mix it around to evenly coat your oats. Then add blueberries. Or strawberries/apples/bananas. Whatever you have frozen in your freezer or on hand in your fruit bowl. Add water, mix and microwave. Voila! The best tasting oatmeal you'll have.
When I ran out of frozen blueberries recently, I improvised with a spoonful of raspberry jam. Oh boy. Delicious! And you don't need to add sugar to that since the jam is already sweet.
S uses a spoonful or two of peanut butter when he makes oatmeal. He adds cinnamon but no sugar. When he uses cocoa powder, he won't add fruit because he doesn't like chocolate-y fruit. What??
So really, the customization is up to you. Never again will oatmeal be boring.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Seeds!
Anyway! I DO love growing vegetables on my own. And it's really not that hard. You just need soil, sunlight and patience. Heavy on the patience.
Every February, my fiance, Sean, and I get the itch for spring. So we head to our local nursery to browse the gardening gadgets and seed packets. Usually by the end of the month, we pick up packets. And I have to convince S not to plant the seeds right away because we just can't wait for spring.
This year, we've got a game plan and a new garden location - the front yard. If you're looking to sow some seeds, you've still got some time. Here's what we're going to do!
Sow your seeds a week before your estimated last frost. Or if you're impatient like us, sow them earlier and hope you don't get a random snowfall on April 16. Because that happened. These guys won't go into the ground for a while.
We've got sugar snap peas, basil, all sorts of heirloom and regular tomaotoes, dill, rosemary, peppers, hot peppers, garlic and probaly others that I'm forgetting. We chose what we usually would buy from the grocery store or farmer's market.
Next you need containers. I saved a bunch of yogurt cups (they're food grade plastic) and had leftover seed starter pots. And then, seed starter and soil. Good soil. (We found organic).
Make sure you have a window that gets the majority of the day's sun to place your seed pots into. S bought a greenhouse ($20 at Ocean State. Score!) and I have various tables and stands we place bigger pots on. We weighted the greenhouse because Kal (can you see her in the top right photo?) is curious. And likes to sometimes see if she can squeeze under the bottom plastic.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Book Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Strayed)
Hello all!
The pen pals just finished reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and here are our reviews!
Does the story interest you?
Demi: I had heard of this book when it first came out but didn't get around to reading until Kristin mentioned she just finished it. Bren and I had just started hiking on the weekends so I was intrigued.
Kristin: Yes! Initially I picked up a copy because my friend Amy had hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia all the way to Maine a few years ago - by herself. And I wanted to read another perspective.
Jenn: Absolutely! I love non-fiction first-hand accounts of awesome adventures. I read Into Thin Air (Krakauer) a few years ago and couldn’t put it down- this story felt the same way.
Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to "get into it"?
D: I was engaged in the prologue! She really captures your attention right away and keeps it throughout the entire book
K: Completely engaged from the get-go. Having lost my own mother just a year ago, I really connected to Cheryl’s deep loss of her mother and the tumultuous feelings she experiences.
J: I felt engaged throughout the entire story. I liked how the author jumps between past and present to build the story and engage readers with an honest account of who she was, who she became, and the transition in between. There is a lot in there that most people could relate to.
How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?
D: I was impressed at her strength, grossed out at her toenails falling off and inspired to see the PCT- not to hike it but to see some of the places she visited.
K: I felt like I knew Cheryl, and like I was her at certain points. Although, I wouldn’t have had a saucy one-night-stand with a stranger on a beach and I really can’t fathom filtering pond water to drink. Instead of sad or amused, I just felt connected to her.
J: Inspired. When I returned the book, the librarian asked me if it was a good read and I told her it was great, that it made me want to go on a hiking journey. She smiled and said the greatest books inspire us in that way.
Did the main characters change by the end of the book? Do they stay the same?
D: Cheryl was the only main character and to say she changed was an understatement! She was transformed at a time when she really needed it.
K: I agree with Demi. Cheryl was completely transformed by the end, literally and physically.
J: I think that pieces of old-Cheryl will always shine through, you can see it in her writing and the way she acknowledges the mistakes of her past, but it’s clear that she had grown tremendously. I got a kick out of the name she chose for herself, post-divorce. And yeah, I was totally jealous of her post-hike toned body!
Has this novel changed you—learned something new or broadened your perspective?
D: This novel has made me think about how much of our lives we live in our head. It has made me realize that I would never be able to do what she did. I also think about how much I love a hot shower on a daily basis and am grateful I have it.
K: I was able to realize that deep loss affects others in the same way it has affected me. I’m not the only person who would curl up at her mother’s gravestone and essentially throw a temper tantrum of grief. Reading of her experiences with rationing food, fending off creepy men in the middle of the woods and truly living off the land at some points made me realize that I definitely could not follow in Cheryl’s footsteps. I consider myself a tough person, but I couldn’t stand to be as alone as she was.
J: I think what’s most inspiring about this story is the realization that if Cheryl Strayed, this mess of a woman with zero experience hiking, can accomplish this amazing feat, I could too. Hiking the PCT has never been on my bucket list, but hiking part of the Appalachian is. The longest hike I’ve ever done was two days, and that was incredibly hard! I was so sore the day after that I literally could not walk. She must have felt this x100, and yet she carried on because, really, why not? That’s a perspective anyone could take with them in a lot of different situations.
What passages strike you as insightful, amusing, funny, or profound?
D: I loved the "trail angels" I would love to do that one summer, maybe when I retire. I also loved the nicknames the hikers were given
K: There’s a passage where Cheryl describes how her mother’s ashes weren’t what she expected, how she can see dark char burns and pale grey pebbles. I, too, was dumbfounded when I peered at my own mother’s ashes this past summer. I plan to turn them into beads to wear on a necklace. Cheryl describes what is written on the box containing the ashes:
“It said her name and the dates of her birth and death and the sentence she’d spoken to us again and again as
she got sicker and died: I’m with you always.”
I gasped when I read that because my own mother did the same thing, but throughout her whole life. I literally have, stuck to my computer, a note from her that reads the same: “I’m with you always. Love, Mom.” I lost it when I got to that passage because I felt like there was a reason I was reading this book and perhaps my own Mum was reminding me she’s still there.
But then Cheryl continues: “I felt like she was with me always, metaphorically at least. And in a way that was literal too. When we’d finally … spread her ashes into the dirt, I hadn’t spread them all. I’d kept a few of the largest chunks in my hands. I’d stood for a long while, not ready to release them to the earth. I didn’t release them. I never ever would. I put her burnt bones in my mouth and swallowed them whole.”
This act of swallowing her mother’s ashes just struck me as so poignant and beautiful. I understood exactly her reasoning for doing that. And I honestly thought to myself, “I can’t believe YOU didn’t think of doing something like that, Kristin!”
J: I must have re-read, “I put her burnt bones in my mouth and swallowed them whole” 3 times. Initially, I could not figure out if this was literal and was in complete disbelief that it absolutely was.
Were you surprised by the plot's complications? Or did you find it predictable, even formulaic?
D: I was anticipating the worst but was surprised that she was never in a truly dangerous situation she couldn't get out of. I think a lot of the danger was mental and she overcame some grueling conditions.
K: I wasn’t surprised by any plot complications, just because everything Cheryl encountered was completely unexpected. You couldn’t predict what she would next encounter.
J: There were a few times where I worried for her safety and wellbeing, but most of it just felt realistic to her journey. It was always in the back of my mind that obviously she made it, as she wrote the book!
What foods or beverages did you spill on the book during the course of reading it?
D: I think I may have left some cookie crumbs in the binding.
K: Tears.
J: Ditto tears! But mine were happy tears on the very last few pages.
Any part of the book make you stop and think about the people in book club reading it- did something remind you of them or it was disturbing or risqué and made you wonder how they reacted to it?
D: Was anyone else expecting something way worse to happen? Every time someone picked her up I thought "this is it, she's getting abducted"
K: I wondered how other readers would react to Cheryl swallowing the ashes. It touched me so deeply because of losing my own mother. But to someone who hasn’t experienced a loss like Chery’s, I wondered if they thought that was gross/weird.
J: I actually thought about Kristin throughout a lot of this book, especially during the pages involving her relationship with her mother and saying goodbye.
Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
D: I thought the end was satisfying, she survived and was changed for the better in the process. I can't wait to see the movie and see what they take and what they leave out.
K: Yes! Definitely satisfying. I am so glad she made it out alive and didin’t have horrible things happen to her. I was definitely worried for her when she encountered strange people. I would have liked Doug to live, though!
J: Loved the ending. It rounded it a great story, she takes you from the dark place she started at and brings you to a brighter future.
If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Does this book inspire you to read others by the same author?
D: "Would you hike it again knowing what you know now?" "Do you still have Monster?"
K: Did you accomplish what you mentally set out to do? Is Cheryl at the end of the book the Cheryl you hoped to become?
J: I really wonder about her ex husband and if they have maintained a friendly relationship all this time.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Pleased to meet you!
My name is Kristin and I am addicted to pens and paper.
The glove box in my car contains two reporter notebooks and various packs of Post-its. I’ve turned the car’s center console, built to hold a cup, into a pen holder. And I’ve got two desk drawers at home dedicated to cards, stationary, stickers and ephemera.
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I like to write.
While the advent of the internet and email certainly makes corresponding with my closest pals faster and quicker, there’s just something about holding an actual letter in my hand. It makes the connection with my friends more real. You can probably guess that I prefer to read physical copies of books than their e-versions, can’t you?
Back in college, my Mum used to create cards and send them to me so I would have something to open and remind me of home. And when I moved into my first apartment, she was the first person to send me snail mail.
At the same I was acquiring my new address, Jenn was moving to Guam with her Coast Guard husband on their first tour. Demi was also settling in nicely with her fiance. Pen Pal Productions began then, I suppose, when we made the decision to stay in contact through snail mail rather than Facebook.
I mean, who doesn’t love getting fun things in the mail? Pen pal letters and cards somehow make the appearance of bills in the box a bit easier to accept.
For more than three years, the three of us have passed letters back and forth. Jenn sends a letter to Demi, who replies to Jenn and writes her own updates, and then mails Jenn’s letter and her own to me! I reply to both of them, add my own updates, put Jenn’s letter aside and mail to Jenn mine and Demi’s replies. And the cycle continues!
Professionally, I am a reporter for and editor-in-chief of two weekly newspapers. Like I said, I like to write. And I do it - a lot. Writing cards to friends and keeping up with the pen pals is such a nice 180 from the writing I do during the day. It’s a great way to wind down.
Recently, my boyfriend of nine years, Sean, asked me to marry him and I said “YES!” So all of my free time is devoted to DIY-ing a 2015 wedding. My fiance (Oooh, first time writing that!) and I are new homeowners who are obsessed with gardening, staying active and our fur baby Kali - a sassy Siberian cat. I’ve got an affliction for anything vintage and a knack for crafty things. When I’m not sleuthing on assignment, I’m treasure hunting through antique shops, fiddling with photographs and keeping a positive attitude about life!
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