Pretty Books

These little pretties have added themselves to my wish list. Have you seen them yet? They are clothbound classics being offered by Penguin. A total of 8.

I especially like these:

They can be found at Amazon, Anthropology, and possibly Urban Outfitters. They will set you back about $20.

Deep Reading

There was a very interesting article in Thursday's New York Times by Michelle Slatalla. The basic premise of the article was that modern technology has reduced her reading habits to Web sites, blogs, emails, Tweets, and the occasional newspaper or magazine article and that all this reading has left her feeling "mentally flabby." Basically, she claimed, all this modern technology has shortened her attention span to such a point that she spent 30 minutes attempting to read Doctorow's "Homer and Langley" only to get through the first sentence or so having been distracted by the possibility of email and text messages.

To help her through this crisis she turned to reading expert Dr. Maryanne Wolf who explained that deep reading actually involves creating new ways in which your brain uses circuits initially intended for things like oral language and vision--or in other words, reading is not something that our brains are naturally designed to do. To become a reader (or a deep reader as put forward by Slatalla and Wolf--which I am desperately trying not to read as a pretentious reader) one must work at and practise the art--something that one must force oneself into doing until it becomes enjoyable.

Wolf then goes on to suggest that Slatalla try reading "Gilead" as an "easy re-entry" into the world of deep books. This is where I had to stop and stare and then re-read the paragraph to make sure I had read this correctly. Gilead an easy read? No. Gilead a really well written book that I only really loved once I had completed it--you need to finish this book to fully understand the book and how/why it all fits together. Yes.

True the book was being suggested as a deep read--deep read defined as "the kind that you engage in when you get lost in the syntax and imagery and the long, convoluted sentences of a really meaty book"--so I suppose that perhaps changes the rules a little bit in relation to how truly entertaining or page-turning the book itself is during the actual reading. Still, I've got to believe there are meaty books out there that would be an easier introduction or re-introduction into the world of deep books--also I believe that there are books out their that are meaty and convoluted and still easy/entertaining to read and this sometimes makes me look at books like "Gilead" as pretentious books that are only read in order to be able to casually title drop at cocktail parties (did I mention that I have read "Gilead").

And really, I must stop here and argue that a book needn't be convoluted in order to have depth. In fact, this is one of my main complaints against people who look down on me for being an adult who reads young adult literature. To merely assume that since a book is written for teenagers that it doesn't tackle real issues in a mature and, yes, deep manner is simply foolish.

I've wondered over the weekend at the idea of reintroducing someone into the world of reading books by suggesting "Gilead"--and it truth I've further wondered at it being suggested to Slatalla in light of her difficulty in reading "Homer and Langley" as they appear to be similar in style. It is one thing, I think, to suggest that book to a person who wants to take their reading to a higher level. It is, however, an entirely different thing to suggest it to a person, who like Slatalla, has lost the ability to maintain her attention on anything over 3 pages in length. Wouldn't it be wiser to suggest a book (even a simplistic book) that will easily capture the reader and then once they have finished that book congratulate them and then suggest something like "Gilead" that will stretch and strengthen their reading stamina?

In conclusion, I'll just say that I do enjoy a deep book (and not only for the title-dropping possibilities). There is something very satisfying in reading something complicated. It makes one feel smart and smartens one as well.

What book, if not "Gilead," would I suggest? Good question. Maybe "The Count of Monte Cristo" or "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" for starters and then maybe "Atonement" or "The Road" for a little bit deeper reading. Then, of course, by all means move on and read "Gilead."

What are your suggestions?

Easy Chanukah Dougnuts

Here is an easy, easy recipe for those of you who may be doing a little Chanukah night tonight:

Easy Chanukah Doughnuts

2 1/2 Cups Flour

1 T Baking Powder

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Plain Yogurt (I'd like to try vanilla yogurt sometime)

2 T Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

Cooking Oil

Confectioner's Sugar

Mix flour and baking powder with eggs. Add yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Heat oil in deep pot (about 350 degrees F). Drop by spoonful into hot oil and cook until brown. Serve sprinkled with confectioners sugar and/or jam.

I did all the mixing by hand and it came together really nicely and really fast.

Enjoy!

Happy Chanukah

Tonight I'm making these super easy Latkas in honor of this Jewish holiday:

Potato Pancakes (Latkas)

4 medium potatoes
1 small onion
2 eggs
2 T. unflavored bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12/ cup oil

Peel the potatoes and grate them into a bowl. Pour off the extra liquid. Peel the onion and grate it into the bowl. Break the eggs into the bowl. Add the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix very well. heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat until it sizzles. Carefully drop the batter into the hot oil by tablespoonfuls. Flatten each pancake with a spatula. When the pancakes are golden brown, carefully turn them over with a spatula. Fry on the other side until brown and crisp. Put 3 or 4 paper towels on a plate. When the pancakes are done, use the spatula to remove them from the frying pan and place on the paper towels. The extra oil will drain into the towels. Serve with applesauce (in my opinion the only option) or sour cream.

Don't worry if you're not ready celebrate, you have 7 more nights of Chanukah!

The Letter J

My little sister (one of them anyway) has opened her very own Esty shop called The Letter J where she sells some pretty great headbands that I love (and am getting for Christmas).

My favorites of the available selection are these two hot little numbers:

Should you like either of these headbands (or, of course, any of the other headbands currently available in her shop), you are in extra special luck because she has consented to give my readers 20% off through Wednesday, December 16th. Plus, you will get free shipping within the US through Christmas.

To claim the 20% off you will need to check out, select your address, send a message to the seller (my sis) with the code:

Yankee Girl,

and then commit to buy. That is it. DO NOT PAY after you commit to buy. My sis will then send you an invoice (via email) with the discounted price.

(Email me if you have any questions or if you goof)

As a further bonus, my sister has offered a permanent discount of 10% for my readers. So after December 16th you can keep on using the Yankee Girl code for 10% off.

Thanks J.

The Hiding Place

I've just finished this (The Hiding Place by Sherrill, Sherrill, and ten Bloom) wonderful book and now have a deep love and respect for Corrie ten Bloom and her sister Betsie. Should you not know the story, Corrie ten Bloom organized a resistance movement in Haarlem, Netherlands that hid Jews. In 1944 she and many members of her family were arrested and eventually she and her sister Betsie were sent to a concentration camp in Germany. What is, perhaps, most remarkable is that not only did she never lose her faith in God, but she and her sister continually saw God's hand over all that was happening, gave thanks in all things, and loved and forgave their captors--and this love was not given years later but in the actually moments that they were being mistreated. They are my heroes. What a would we might live in if we could all truly see that we are ALL children of a Heavenly Father who loves each and every one of us--and that we must also love and forgive each other.

I'm not at all sure how it is possible that I have not read this book given that a) I love books about the WWII era, b) I have a librarian as a Mother who has read this book, and c) I have actually been to the ten Bloom home.

Now, having finally gotten around to reading this fabulous book, I am dying to go back. It was only about 4 years ago that I was there so I still remember it quite well, but still I think I would now have a greater appreciation for the home and what took place there. For example, when you arrive for a tour you simply walk past the front door (still located in the alley) and read the clock sign that indicates when the next tour will be (tours are free). Once you know the time of the tour you can wonder around the area (maybe stop in the nearby St Bavo Church where Mozart and Handel both played the organ and hear the organ being played like we did) or visit the ten Bloom watch shop that is still in operation (although no longer owned by the ten Bloom family) as a real watch shop not a tourist attraction--so you should also only visit it if you intend to buy something. When the time of the tour approaches you return to the door and simply wait outside until someone opens the door and invites you in (there wasn't even a line). Had I had any wits about me I might have spent a moment wondering what it must have been like to be Jewish in 1943 and standing outside that door waiting for someone to invite me in while not being at all sure what my future would hold.

Oh, it just kills me that I didn't know/think about this and all the other things that now I know. It has made me long to return to the Netherlands.

Here is a picture of the little sliding door at the bottom of the closet that accessed the hidden room.

Here is a picture of my sweet mom standing in front of the hidden room. Part of the wall has been taken down to allow easier access and viewing of what the room was like. A few people from each tour are even allowed to stand in the room (room a loosely defined term as I think it was only 30 inches wide). I was lucky enough to be able to do that but somehow we don't have a picture of it.


Here is that church you can visit. It is just around the corner from the ten Bloom house--the organ is amazing.


The is not related to the ten Bloom's but I cannot think of the Netherlands without thinking about their pancakes (crepes). And yes I did order pancakes at nearly every meal I ate in that country--chocolate, bananas, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. The whipped cream was especially wonderful--richest most wonderful thing I have ever eaten. This particular pancake can be had just up the street from the Anne Frank museum.


And the bikes of Amsterdam were a continual amazement to me. Here is one of their parking garages.

Red Hot Lips

The Fly Lady recommends beginning each day by "getting dressed to lace up shoes." Roughly this means that each day should begin with a shower, getting fully dressed, doing your make up and hair, and then finally putting on your shoes. Of course she doesn't simply recommend any type of shoe; she recommends lace up shoes. The entire point of all this is that you will feel better about yourself if you do these things at the beginning of each day, feeling better about yourself will help you to be more productive, and doing these things will prepare you for whatever your day has in store for you. I like and agree with this idea completely.

I, however, own only 2 pairs of lace up shoes (tennis shoes and biking shoes) and neither of these shoes are terribly appropriate for the majority of what I wear day in and day out. Therefore I have pretty much opted out of the getting dressed to lace up shoes and replaced it with getting dressed to red hot lips. It is pretty much the same idea only I finish myself off with some red hot lips.

Red hot lips, though, have been a fairly new thing to me and have definitely taken some getting used to. However, as several 9 year old girls at church make regular comments to me about how nice my lipstick is (and if a 9 year old girl doesn't know what is fashionable, who does, right?), I believe it is something I will stick with.

Of course, in addition to learning to re-recognize myself in the mirror with my red hot lips I have found myself wondering about lipstick etiquette. Namely, is it okay to reapply lipstick in public?

A quick google search reveals that there is a bit of a continental divide on the issue. Apparently it is just fine to reapply lipstick in public in Europe. However, it would seem that there are some limitations to when it is appropriate to reapply lipstick in public in the US. For instance, if you are at a very nice restaurant or at a business lunch/dinner you should never reapply your lipstick in public. If, though, you are at just a nice restaurant with friends or family you may quickly reapply lipstick but never lip liner. (I found nothing on what is appropriate at McDonald's) However, there seems also to be an American line of reasoning that says if you can see a bathroom from where you are sitting you should use it to reapply your lipstick.

I am personally leaning toward the basic American standard here, but I would love hear/learn from your wisdom on this issue.

We Get England!

66 to 1 that the US wins the World Cup.

I like those odds.

England v. USA should be some kind of fun.

My Favorite: Movies (Romantic Comedy Category)

I finally got around to seeing this truly excellent film. If you haven't seen it you really must. (And for you girls who don't care too much for sports, this film has a very soft touch--nearly a chick flick) Sitting in the theater got me thinking about other great films I've seen and how I would possibly go about ranking them and coming up with a favorite 5. I pretty much decided that is an impossible task. But in the spirit of trying I've come up with a list of my favorite Romantic Comedies (Other categories to come):

5. You've Got Mail
4. One Fine Day
3. While You Were Sleeping
2. Return to Me I love the attention to the little details in this movie.
1. It Happened One Night Perhaps my all-time favorite movie.

What are your top 5?

Christmas Plans: Books

Thanks to a couple of sick days spent in bed, I've already read through nearly all of these books and it is definitely helping keep me in the Christmas mood.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg--fantastic Southern Lit

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien--letters from Santa to the children of Tolkien; provides excellent inspiration for a new tradition (at least new to me)

The Hired Man's Christmas by George Givens--lovely true story and very short

Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke--you've probably seen the movie in Sunday School and the book is equally as nice (another short one)

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou--best thing I've read this Christmas

A Christmas Treasury by Sam Elder--forgettable collection of Christmas experiences and traditions

One Christmas by Truman Capote--nice

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote--very nice

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris--an irreverent look at Christmas today (short stories). Love it! Except skip the second story as is not at all nice.

Christmas With Anne by L.M. Montgomery--just starting

Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson--seen the movie but haven't read the book yet.

I am saddened and embarrassed to report that my to-read Christmas book list is shorter than my to-watch Christmas movie list. Maybe you can help me out a little (but not too much because my overall to-read list has just recently fallen under 60 and I'd like to keep it that way)

How to Tie a Scarf

It is that fabulous, chilly time of year when I get to pull out my winter scarves. I love my winter scarves but, sadly, I can't tie a good scarf. All that has now changed thanks to some passed along tips from the fab Reachel at Cardigan Empire:

And my favorite:

I've been trying out several of the knots with different kinds of scarves and it has been really fun and interesting to see all the possibilities. And go check out Cardigan Empire today for some great tips on wearing stockings, leggings, and tights.

Christmas Plans: Movies

Every year I have such grand ideas about how I'm going to spend the entire month of December celebrating Christmas and then before I know it it is December 26th and I've hardly done a thing--except curse the Christmas crowds and the weather. This year will be different, though, as this year I am planning on planning.

The first round of planning: Christmas movies I want to see (at home--may later make a list of movies I want to see in the theater this Christmas Season). My mom, two sisters, and I sat down and composed this list of Christmas movies (Christmas movies being a loosely defined term):

Babes in Toyland (Does this one actually have anything to do with Christmas?)
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Christmas in Connecticut
A Christmas Story
The Cutting Edge
Elf
The Family Man
The Family Stone
Frosty the Snowman
The Holiday
Holiday Affair
Holiday Inn
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life
Just Friends (This one was debated--I haven't seen it)
Joyuex Noel
Love Actually (anyone happen to have an edited version?)

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (remember there are 3 year olds in this family)
Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street
A Muppet Family Christmas (Don't know yet if it will air on TV this year:( )
Once Upon a Christmas (Another debated one that I haven't seen)
The Polar Express
Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Serendipity
The Shop Around the Corner
'Twas the Night Before Christmas (perhaps my all-time favorite Christmas movie)
Sleepless in Seattle
Stepmom
While You Were Sleeping (always gets watched Christmas Eve with my family--not sure why that is)
White Christmas

Don't know if we will get around to watching all of them (it's a mighty lengthy list)--I've made a good start with my post-Thanksgiving movie marathon--but now that I have a list and something of a plan I should at least be able to get in the most important ones.

What did we forget?

A Wee Game of Numbers

0

The number of stores I intend on entering today

1

The number of new swear words my English Aunt taught me yesterday (I evened it up by teaching her a new Irish swear word)

2

The number of In-N-Out debates that broke out on Thanksgiving Day (In-N-Out just came to my city and I tried it for the very first time Wednesday night: The Shake was amazing, the burger was very nice, the fries verged on inedible)

3

The slices of pie I ate yesterday

4

The number of Christmas movies I watched yesterday (2 were Charlie Brown movies and were pretty short)

5

The approximate serving of yams I had yesterday (sadly there are no more leftovers)

Happy Thanksgiving

So this has been showing up on a few blogs in the past several days, but it is just so good that I didn't want to be left out.

Happy Turkey Day!

Less Is More

So I thought today might be a good day to get around to reporting back on my new clutter-free lifestyle. It is going to be a slow process--last week was nearly a complete bust and I haven't done a thing this week--but I do have a little progress to celebrate.

My basic philosophy going into this project is: Less is More. I am throwing out the idea that I can keep everything as long as it has a place in favor of getting rid of the junk and keeping only the truly important things that represent who I am (or at least trying to).

I began by tackling my bookcase which previously had been filled with books in the idea that a full bookcase made me look smart, cultured, and well read--and that it looked good (which is sometimes true but not for me right now). I gave away about 40 books (to my local library of course) keeping only the books I love or haven't read yet--this is very good as now when people check out my bookcase I don't have to explain away the existence of books I hated. I also cleaned out and organized every box that is on my bookcase so that I don't even have any hidden clutter or junk! It makes me feel very happy and clean and organized and at peace.


It has been a week and it still looks like this! Onward and upward, right?