Things that make me feel unreasonably accomplished. A list.

• When I successfully hand- or machine-wash an article of clothing labeled Dry Clean Only, saving on present and future dry-cleaning bills.
• When I schedule a haircut, dental appointment or other nagging, grown-up life admin item.
• When I return all my library books on time.
• When I keep a plant alive through the winter.
• When I put together an outfit of which my fashionista sister and mother would be proud. (This often involves at least one piece of clothing or jewelry given to me by one of them.)
• When I have a successful phone conversation with someone I don’t know. (There are few things I dread more. Sometimes I actually pray for people not to answer the phone.)
• When I pull off a new, complicated recipe or knitting pattern.
• When I finish a difficult book.
• When I send off a well-written book review. (Extra points if it’s a review of a difficult book.)
• When I successfully navigate a new city, particularly if I do it by instinct.
• When I buy a gift for someone and they love it.

What makes you feel absurdly, disproportionately, proudly accomplished?

Read Full Post »

What’s On Your…

Ali Edwards and Lindsey of A Design So Vast both posted their versions of this list recently, and I decided to post my own. I always love these glimpses into other people’s everyday lives. Feel free to play along on your blog, or in the comments. (Above: what’s on my coffee table.)

Here’s what’s on my…

VANITY | I don’t have a vanity. But on the top of my dresser (which serves a similar purpose) are my CD alarm clock, two bottles of perfume, a bracelet with a red double-decker bus charm, my watch (when I’m not wearing it), and assorted earrings in a heart-shaped pottery dish (a gift from my friend Abi).

PERENNIAL TO DO LIST | Mop the kitchen floor; do the laundry and dishes; purge my closet; write more.

REFRIGERATOR SHELVES | Asparagus, milk, leftovers, butter, assorted yogurts, spinach, several kinds of cheese. (In the pantry: cereal, chips + salsa, Girl Scout cookies, baking ingredients.)

ITINERARY | A trip out to the Berkshires (western Mass.) soon, to celebrate my husband’s birthday. A folk concert in early June. Thinking about how to celebrate our fifth (!) wedding anniversary at the end of June.

FANTASY ITINERARY | Oxford. Always Oxford. Also Paris, Italy, NYC, Hawaii, and time with my family in West Texas.

PLAYLIST | I don’t listen to music at work these days (I work in an open-plan office). But at home while we cook dinner, it’s Kate Rusby, Grace Pettis, Frank Sinatra and various jazz compilations (including a five-CD one bought long ago on Portobello Road). And on Sundays there is a lot of a cappella singing.

NIGHTSTAND | Vanilla sugar hand lotion from Bath & Body Works, Burt’s Bees lemon cuticle salve and honey lip balm, a lamp with a red base, a constantly rotating stack of books. 

WORKOUT PLAN | Guilt, mostly, for not getting more exercise. Contemplating a return to yoga, or an attempt at running.

IPHONE | I don’t have one, though I admit my seven-year-old flip phone will need to be replaced before long. Still can’t decide if I want a smartphone or not.

TOP 5 LIST | Time with my husband; good books; singing with friends on Sunday nights; my nephew’s smile; the change of seasons in the Boston area.

BUCKET LIST | Go back to many wonderful places I have loved; visit many more new places; write a book; raise a family; be brave.

MIND | The mixture of grief and hope so prevalent in Boston right now. Where to find cute, comfortable shoes for spring. Birthday gifts for my husband and nephew. Juggling multiple freelance assignments (a happy problem). Starting my balcony herb garden. Lots of life admin items.

BLOGROLL | The Wednesday Chef; Micha Boyett; Modern Mrs. Darcy; Pink of Perfection. (And so many more!)

WALLS OF YOUR FAVORITE ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE | A photo of my husband and me printed on canvas; a photo montage of my time in Oxford; three red maple leaves pressed under glass; a small landscape painting bought in Spain. A red shelf with a few treasured books on it.

LIQUOR SHELF | Don’t have one. I’m not much of a drinker, though I enjoy a glass of sangria or white wine once in a while.

LAST CREDIT CARD STATEMENT | Stitch Fix; Brookline Booksmith; Darwin’s; the pharmacy; the grocery store.

SCREENSAVER | Don’t have one – though my work computer background is a joyful, colorful burst of tulips.

TV EVERY NIGHT | We only turn on the TV on Mondays to watch Castle, or to dip into Friends (my very favorite) on DVD.

What’s on your…?

Read Full Post »

29 things before I turn 30, update #2

Every year I make a list of things to do before my next birthday, from the fun to the profound, and post periodic updates. Items completed are crossed off; items begun are starred.*

1. Go back to Europe. Specifically Oxford (where I used to live).
2. Read or donate at least half the books I own that I’ve not yet read.* (Working on it, though the stacks grow constantly.)
3. Go back to the Glen Workshop.* (Signed up and making plans.)
4. Visit my loved ones in Abilene. (Loved being there over Christmas.)
5. Finish a draft of that memoir I keep talking about.
6. Pay off my student loans.* (Nearly there…)
7. Go apple picking for the third time. (It was glorious.)
8. Visit a place I’ve never been. (Newport, RI)
9. Read 10 new-to-me classics of any genre.* So far, I’ve read seven.
10. Participate in a cooking challenge with fellow Shelf Awareness reviewers. (Read all about it!)
11. Visit New York in the fall. (A weekend full of wonder.)
12. Cuddle that sweet nephew of mine a lot.* (Made a good start over Christmas, and planning to go back in March.)
13. Conquer the snooze button.*
14. Knit a few beautiful things.*
15. Go to the dentist.
16. Visit Canada, as we’re only a few hours away. (Making plans.)
17. Reach out to two friends every week.* (Continuing to do this.)
18. Reread the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. See my post about these books.
19. Take a vacation with friends.
20. Try 2 or more new recipes a month.*
21. Develop a steady, focused routine for my workdays: less frantic multitasking.*
22. Reimagine our cluttered guest room.* Lots of filing and clearing out over New Year’s.
23. Invest in sturdy, chic black flats.
24. Eat at the food truck on the Common. Love their breakfast granola, apple cider and rosemary fries.
25. Get a pedicure.
26. Invite friends over at least once a month.* Most recently, for four birthdays.
27. Write half a dozen more essays.* (See my second piece at Art House America.)
28. Order myself a new “brave” necklace.
29. Savor the last year of my twenties.*

What lists are you working on lately?

Read Full Post »

In 2012 I have…

• survived my second (thankfully milder than the first) Boston winter.
• admitted that, to survive my third such winter, a light box and Vitamin D pills will be helpful tools.
• read nearly 300 books – a personal record. (Yes, I am fast. No, I don’t “speed read.” Yes, I spend a LOT of time reading.)
• lost a grandmother and a cousin, and grieved.
• flown to Texas three times to visit my family.
• become an aunt twice over, to Ryder and then to Annalynn.
• taken J to D.C., shown him the monuments and museums I love, and discovered some new places there with him.
• spent two wonderful long weekends (one frigid, one fall-ish) in New York City.
• drunk SO many cups of tea.
• taken countless lunchtime walks.
• filled up six and a half journals.
• overslept a LOT of mornings.
• had my soul fed, my heart uplifted and my intellect challenged at the Glen Workshop.
• gained about 10 pounds. (Which I’d like to lose in 2013.)
• attended my 10th high school reunion, and marveled at the ways my classmates and I have grown into ourselves since 2002.
• kept up a pen-and-paper correspondence with the lovely Jaclyn (who also hosted us in D.C.).
• driven to the wilds of Maine for a super-fun wedding.
• kept showing up for my day job, even when I did not feel like it.
• continued to work as a freelance for my beloved alma mater.
• taken on extra responsibilities at church.
• realized why church work is sometimes thankless and sometimes deeply rewarding.
• missed my family, and faraway friends, deeply.
• welcomed my sweet college roomie and her husband for a visit to Boston.
• paid down a LARGE percentage of the balance on my student loans.
• written 170-ish blog posts (and hit the milestone of 1,000 posts).
• tweeted probably more than was strictly necessary. (But it’s so much fun.)
• joined a networking group for bookish folks.
• celebrated my third Turkeypalooza.
• knitted 6 hats (4 adult, 2 baby), 4 baby sweaters, 2 pairs of booties, 2 cowls, 3 mini sweaters, 1 pair of leg warmers, 1 sunglasses case, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves, and 42 wee hats for smoothie bottles.
• fallen head over heels for Lark Rise to Candleford, finished watching Mary Tyler Moore, and continued my love affair with Castle.
• reviewed more than 40 books for Shelf Awareness.
• met a dozen or more online friends in person.
• become part of a book club.
• visited Vermont, Newport (R.I.) and western MA.
• found a question I keep asking over and over.
• celebrated my fourth wedding anniversary.
• relished a rain-soaked, hilarious, memorable 4th of July.
• soaked up all I could of the London Olympics.
• reflected on two years in Boston.
• struggled at times to make this life fit.
• talked about the future with J.
• fallen in love with a slew of new-to-me detectives, including Mary Russell, Tommy & Tuppence, Sarah Kelling, Chet and Bernie, Bess Crawford, and the Spellmans. (This has been a year for mysteries.)
• seen both The Lion King and The Fantasticks on Broadway.
• spent many Tuesday evenings sipping tea with girlfriends.
• wondered what is next.

I wrote a post like this last year, and it was so thought-provoking I decided to do it again. It’s amazing to look back over a year and see what’s happened, and what I have made happen.

What have you done, experienced, read, accomplished in 2012?

Read Full Post »

My Favorite Books of 2012

I devour the “best of” book lists that abound this time of year, the critics and the reviewers and the book bloggers all gushing about books that blew them away, lavishing praise instead of cynicism and pleading, “Read this!”

It’s tough to winnow my favorites from the nearly 300 (!) books I read this year, but I did want to share the brightest gems with you. Not all these books were published in 2012, but I read them all (except Best Reread) for the first time in 2012.

Best Crime-Solving Couples: Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell, with their brilliant repartee, deductive genius and deep love for one another. And Agatha Christie’s duo Tommy and Tuppence, who are witty and sparkling and also rather good at solving mysteries.

Best Relatively Unknown Historical Novel: The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, with its brave protagonist Sira Quiroga, seamstress and spy in Morocco during the Spanish Civil War and the lead-up to World War II. Plenty of action, lush description, love and heartbreak and political tension. But it hasn’t been as widely hailed as I’d hoped. (Read it!)

Best Return to a Favorite Fictional Place: Joanne Harris took us back to the French village of Lansquenet (of Chocolat fame) in Peaches for Father Francis, and I loved every minute.

Best Reread: The Harry Potter series. It is almost impossible to overstate my love for these books. So I will simply beg you: Read them, if you haven’t already.

Most Delicious Memoir: My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss. A charming, yummy tale of Berlin and New York and Boston, of family and broken hearts and finding your way home again. (And cooking.) Made me want to be her best friend.

Most Haunting Contemporary Novel: The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier. I read this book in June, and I am still thinking about Elizabeth and her friend Kate, who inherits Elizabeth’s journals after her death and starts to wonder how well she really knew her friend. Powerful and thought-provoking.

Best Book on Faith: An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. It has left me trying to determine, again and again, what is saving my life right now. (If the answer is “I don’t know,” I know I need to pay more attention.)

Best Poetry Collection: Thirst, by Mary Oliver. As I was reading this, I read most of the poems at least twice. “Messenger” has been resonating in my head for weeks.

Best Catnip for Anglophiles: Mrs Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, a wise, charming and often funny tale of Queen Elizabeth going on a quite unusual journey.

Best Peek Into Someone Else’s Letters: The wise, keenly observant and often self-deprecating letters of E.B. White.

Best Biography of a Strong-Willed Woman: Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. Julia was larger than life, literally and figuratively, and Spitz’s portrait of her is fascinating.

Best Classic I Can’t Believe I Never Read Before: Emma by Jane Austen. I’d seen the film, but it pales in comparison to the wit and brilliance of the novel. I wasn’t sure I would like Emma herself, but I ended up loving her.

Best Book My Husband Stole Before I Even Read It: After Mandela by Douglas Foster. A multi-layered, absorbing, often unsettling look at post-apartheid life in South Africa.

Coziest Fictional Village: Fairacre. (I discovered Miss Read long ago, but I read 16 of her Fairacre books this year. Obsessed? Maybe a little.)

Best Book Written for Teenagers: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, which made me laugh and cry and remember how difficult and wonderful life can be when you’re 14.

Craziest Fictional Family: Undoubtedly the Spellmans, Lisa Lutz’s family of private eyes who spend most of their spare time (and some of their on-the-job time) spying on each other.

Your turn. What are your favorite books from this year?

(I’m signing off for the next week to spend some time with my family. Merry Christmas!)

Read Full Post »

29 things before I turn 30, update #1

Every year I make a list of things to do before my next birthday, from the fun to the profound. Items completed are crossed off; items begun are starred.*

1. Go back to Europe. Specifically, Oxford (where I used to live).
2. Read or donate at least half the books I own that I’ve not yet read.* (I’ve donated at least a dozen and read about 15.)
3. Go back to the Glen Workshop.* (Signed up and making plans.)
4. Visit my loved ones in Abilene.* (Making plans.)
5. Finish a draft of that memoir I keep talking about.
6. Pay off my student loans.* (Chipping away at ‘em.)
7. Go apple picking for the third time. (It was glorious.)
8. Visit a place I’ve never been. (Newport, RI)
9. Read 10 new-to-me classics of any genre.* So far: O Pioneers, You Come Too (poetry by Robert Frost), Emma, The Hound of the Baskervilles
10. Participate in my first cooking challenge with fellow Shelf Awareness reviewers. (Read all about it!)
11. Visit New York in the fall. It makes me want to buy school supplies… (A weekend full of wonder.)
12. Cuddle that sweet nephew of mine a lot.
13. Conquer the snooze button.
14. Knit a few beautiful things.*
15. Go to the dentist.
16. Visit Canada (we’re only a few hours away).
17. Reach out to two friends every week.* (I’ve made a good beginning.)
18. Reread the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. See my post about these lovely books.
19. Take a vacation with friends.
20. Try 2 or more new recipes a month. *So far: a new ravioli recipe, Peruvian roasted chicken, butternut squash quesadillas, black bean-jalapeno soup, cranberry-walnut cake, roasted honey-glazed carrots, mustard-garlic chicken…
21. Develop a steady, focused routine for my workdays: less frantic multitasking.
22. Reimagine our cluttered guest room.
23. Invest in sturdy, chic black flats.
24. Eat at the food truck on the Common. Love their breakfast granola, apple cider and rosemary fries.
25. Get a pedicure. (I hardly ever do this.)
26. Invite friends over at least once a month.*
27. Write half a dozen more essays, a la my recent Art House America piece.* (Working on it. Look for another one soon.)
28. Order myself a new “brave” necklace. (See above.)
29. Savor the last year of my twenties.*

What lists are you working on lately?

Read Full Post »

Right now: Fall 2012

Lately, I’ve been remembering Marie Howe’s gorgeous poem, “What the Living Do.” It begins with a clogged kitchen sink: not a romantic image, but familiar, ordinary. “This is the everyday we spoke of,” she writes. And then:

[...] We want the spring to come and the winter to pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss — we want more and more and then more of it.

But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a cherishing so deep

for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m speechless:
I am living. I remember you.

As I mulled these words, letting them remind me to pay more attention, to be more present in my own life, Ali Edwards issued an invitation in her brilliant weekly newsletter about creativity, for her readers to share posts documenting their “right now.” Not the highlights, necessarily, but the bits and bobs that make up “the everyday we spoke of.” The moments that compose our days.

I am growing to hate the question “How are you?”, since so often it only skims the surface, and the person on the receiving end is expected to reciprocate with a cheery “Good! How are you?” I much prefer the question “What is saving your life now?”, though it requires more time and energy than I sometimes have.

But this “right now” is a similar attempt to answer that question, to take a clear look at not only how I am, but what and where and who I am, at this season in my life.

Right now I am:

• drinking all my favorite autumn teas, including Boston (cranberry almond), vanilla, the aptly named Cranberry Autumn, and chai
• gathering early red leaves from the Common, and tucking them into envelopes to send to friends
• missing Shanna, who is building a new life in Atlanta but whose presence is much missed when we gather for church or a ladies’ coffee date
• spending a few minutes each morning and evening with E.B. White’s letters (a huge tome, but full of wit, wisdom and wonderful descriptions)
• savoring evenings cool enough for cardigans and tea, but still warm enough for cracked windows and bare feet
• reading Austen’s Emma for the first time, and delighting in the witty language and pitch-perfect characterization
• scribbling in my journal whenever I get the chance

• working on both my fall manifesto and 29 things before 30 list
• trying to get off the Internet by 10 pm so I can wind down and get more sleep
• knitting a red flapper-style hat worthy of Tuppence
• looking forward to book events at the Booksmith and the Harvard Book Store, and stacking up new novels to read
• visiting the farmer’s market for end-of-summer produce (tomatoes, zucchini, peaches, late raspberries)
• wearing leggings, a lot, and loving my new silver ballet flats
• enjoying the clear, golden light of September

• hitting the snooze button most mornings, and struggling to get out the door on time
• working to break that habit, as I know it will be harder to do when winter comes
• experimenting with new recipes, after falling into a cooking rut recently
• munching at least an apple a day, and planning to do more baking soon
• planning a trip to New York soon (Central Park, pastries in the Village, indie bookstores, and time with a dear friend and her new husband)
• reminding myself to be awake, to savor these moments, to lean into the middle of my time in this place, though it is often ordinary or confusing or uncertain

Where are you right now?

Read Full Post »

Fall Manifesto

• Pick apples, and then bake them into delicious desserts
• Drink cranberry tea and chai
• Send red leaves to friends
• Bake pumpkin bread
• Wear stripes
• Breathe in the cool, crisp air
• Make soup
• Dig into some classic books (fall feels like the perfect time for classics)
• Find a seasonal rhythm (see above)
• Write and write and write

What’s on your list for fall?

Read Full Post »

29 things to do before I turn 30

I turned 29 this weekend and it was utterly lovely: a dinner date with my husband, phone calls from my family, lots of birthday wishes on Facebook and in real life, and a little party with friends. Not to mention some lovely gifts.

In the spirit of the past several years, here’s my list of 29 things to do before I turn 30 (30!) next year:

1. Go back to Europe. Specifically, Oxford (where I used to live). I haven’t been back since 2009 and I am determined to make it happen.
2. Read or donate at least half the books I own that I’ve not yet read. (Current count is around 60.)
3. Go back to the Glen Workshop.
4. Visit my loved ones in Abilene.
5. Finish a draft of that memoir I keep talking about.
6. Pay off my student loans.
7. Go apple picking for the third time. (Next week!)
8. Visit a place I’ve never been (I try to do this every year).
9. Read 10 new-to-me classics (of any genre).
10. Participate in my first cooking challenge with fellow Shelf Awareness reviewers.
11. Visit New York in the fall. (It makes me want to buy school supplies…)
12. Cuddle that sweet nephew of mine a lot.
13. Conquer the snooze button.
14. Knit a few beautiful things.
15. Go to the dentist.
16. Visit Canada (we’re only a few hours away).
17. Reach out to two friends every week (I want to stay more connected to those I love).
18. Reread the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. (The next book comes out in October.)
19. Take a vacation with friends.
20. Try 2 or more new recipes a month (I loved doing this last year).
21. Develop a steady, focused routine for my workdays. (Less frantic multitasking.)
22. Reimagine our guest room (currently rather cluttered).
23. Invest in sturdy, chic black flats.
24. Eat at the food truck on the Common, just for fun.
25. Get a pedicure. (I hardly ever do this.)
26. Invite friends over at least once a month.
27. Write half a dozen more essays, a la my recent Art House America piece.
28. Order myself a new “brave” necklace. (I lost my pendant when the chain broke, and I miss it.)
29. Savor the last year of my twenties.

Read Full Post »

28 things before I turn 29: update #4

Last September, I made a list of things to do before my next birthday. I turn 29 in just over a month, so here’s a final progress report.

Tea, books and balcony gardens: always on my list.

Finished items are crossed off; items begun are starred*.

1. Try the Project Life system to document either my time in Oxford or our first year in Boston (No scrapbooking, but I did make a photobook of Oxford colleges.)
2. Go to New York to see Ben in The Lion King and visit friends (Fabulous weekend – and the show rocked!)
3. Plan a trip to Europe/Oxford
4. Hang out with my family in Texas (So. Much. Fun.)
5. Dig into some classics I’ve never read (so far, Murder on the Orient Express, Essays of E.B. White, Letters to a Young Poet, A Christmas Carol, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Great Gatsby, Northanger Abbey, The Writing Life, And Then There Were None)
6. Visit a place I’ve never been (Portland, ME; Marblehead, Amherst, Hingham, Newton, Newburyport, Northampton and South Hadley, MA; Bar Harbor, ME; Alexandria, VA)
7. Clean out my desk at home*
8. Visit my loves in Abilene (pure joy)
9. Go apple picking again (it was delectable)
10. Knit some swoon-worthy autumn accessories (Done.)
11. Buy a new pair of black high-heeled boots (Bought riding boots instead.)
12. Keep in better touch with far-away friends (stolen from Bethany’s list)*
13. Explore more of New England (see #6)
14. Try at least 2 new recipes a month (I’ve tried so many that I’m calling it done.)
15. Visit half a dozen area bookstores I haven’t been to yet (Done! Longfellow Books, Porter Square Books, Artists & Authors, Spirit of ’76 Bookstore, Amherst Books, the New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books…)
16. Go see The Civil Wars in concert with my Jeremiah (a lovely evening)
17. Take another writing course (I took Alchemy Daily with Jenna)
18. Take a financial management course with J (we learned a lot)
19. Put together new outfits from pieces I already own
20. Schedule a checkup (it’s been far too long)
21. Start or join a book club (Five meetings so far.)
22. Buy a sassy red handbag
23. Drive up to New Hampshire or Vermont to see the fall foliage (We drove to western Mass.)
24. Fill a new notebook with a super-secret writing project* (Lots of new files on my new computer.)
25. Get a Massachusetts driver’s license
26. Learn to pay attention to one thing at a time*
27. Send 28 handwritten letters* (Not keeping an exact count, but I’m nearly there.)
28. Go to a literary festival/conference/event (Boston Book Fest, many author readings, Newburyport Literary Festival, Glen Workshop East)

Overall, I’m pleased with my progress. Lots of travel, lots of reading and writing, some fashion triumphs, a new book club, some lovely experiences. That driver’s license needs to happen soon, and I am determined to get back to Oxford before I turn 30. And #26 – well, I’m always working on it.

Do you make lists like this? What’s on your life to-do list right now?

Read Full Post »