Month: November 2021

Friday Five Things 11/19

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“Live, and be happy, and make others so.” – Mary Shelley

Have you been able to get into the holiday spirit yet this year? I sure have! After really struggling to feel jolly last year at this time, I’m in full blown holiday mode! Honestly, if it wasn’t for Tyler being home, I think I’d be watching Christmas movies already by now. But I’m respectfully refraining until after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I’ve still found plenty to be happy about this week!

  1. New movies starring Dwayne Johnson. In the past week I watched The Jungle Cruise on Disney+ and Red Notice on Netflix. Both are basically live action cartoons (Red Notice is more for just adults due to some strong language and lots of guns). Both movies have over the top action and fight scenes with plots that really ask you to suspend belief at times. But I’d recommend either one if you are looking for a movie that is just pure entertainment and isn’t going to really ask too much of you as a viewer. I call them action/distraction movies because they are designed for you to take your mind off the real world and just sit back and enjoy. (Also, I recently rewatched San Andreas while folding laundry and it also falls into the action/distraction movie category.)
  2. Christmas decorations. I received an amaryllis bulb from my mom this week which feels like an unofficial kickoff to the Christmas season. I feel like I need to decorate my house for the season! Since we are traveling a bit next week, my plan is to put up some holiday decor before we leave so the house is nice and festive when we get home. Then I’ll finish up with all the outside stuff. And I think I’m going to get a tiny little real tree this year, I just have to figure out exactly where it will be completely out of reach of the cats!
  3. Lessons from the Lazy Genius. I listened to a book called The Lazy Genius Way last summer and I think I gave it a lukewarm review. The truth is, I’m still thinking about things that were discussed in that book on a regular basis. The idea of the Lazy Genius Way is to, in a nutshell, stop making things so hard for ourselves! The two of her twelve principles that I’ve been thinking a lot about recently are “Name what matters” and “Decide once”. The idea behind naming what matters is to not get caught up in all the things that we “should be doing” and I think this is especially important during the holidays. So as I’m looking at spending a lot of time with family in settings that will take me out of my normal habits, I am naming what matters to me in terms of things that will keep me sane, but also not trying to do my full daily routine on top of spending time with people. Things like meditation and journaling will matter, but spending time writing every day while we’re with family will not. As for decided once…in the stretch between mid-November and Christmas, I not only have to buy gifts for parents, siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews. I also have six family birthdays to shop for. It’s enough to drive me batty if I let it. But thanks to the Lazy Genius, earlier this year I decided once that everyone gets something from a certain category for their birthdays. Which helps take the stress of gift shopping down to a reasonable level, but since it’s in a category, I can also have some wiggle room on personalizing the gifts. Win/win if you ask me!
  4. Budgeting! I know I’ve mentioned budgeting on here before, but it is such a lifesaver and joy giver this time of year. Because I’ve been putting money every month into my Travel and Gifts categories, I don’t stress about the added expenses that come with the season. The money is already earmarked for the jobs and I just have to spend it. Now that being said, the online budget tool I’ve always recommended is going up in price next year and I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with it specifically. But the concept is basically a version of the old-school envelope budgeting where you take cash and divide it into envelopes labeled with specific expenses. The idea is that you only spend the money available in that envelope or budget on that category rather than looking at your account balance to see how much you have available. It’s probably explained a little better here.
  5. Thanksgiving with family. As referenced above, we will be spending Thanksgiving with my husband’s family and I’m excited to see everyone and just be along for the ride, rather than trying to plan everything myself. Last Thanksgiving it was just Tyler and I up in the mountains, which was lovely and relaxing, but I think we are both looking forward to the hustle and bustle of a big family celebration.

Friday Five Things 11/12

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“In most things success depends on knowing long it takes to succeed.” – Montesquieu

These days I have to remind myself that I’m playing the long game in many parts of my life. Writing a novel does not happen overnight. It doesn’t even happen in a year in my case. But I just keep chipping away at it and reminding myself that success will come! And this week I’ve found joy in a few things finally coming to fruition after a long waiting period, so it’s a good reminder that time does actually pass and the seeds we sow do grow roots. Quite literally in some cases!

  1. Roots growing on propagating plants. Several weeks ago I had a list item about how I took cuttings from several of my plants in hopes of propagating them. Most of those failed, which happens. But one in particular was a cutting from my big dieffenbachia that I really didn’t have much hope for. But it kept not dying, so I kept changing its water every few days and letting it sit. And finally, just this last weekend I noticed a little baby root!!! I got so excited that I went and took a new round of cuttings from plants. The great thing about a little success is that it can spark a new round of attempts.
  2. Meditation practice. A few months ago I started setting a weekly goal of meditating a couple times a week for just one or two minutes at a time. I’m happy to report that I’m now clocking four or five minutes almost every day! For someone who has a very overactive internal monologue, even just a few minutes of quieting my mind feels like a huge win.
  3. This Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe. Soup season is officially upon us and I’ll be adding this one to my weekly meal plan in heavy rotation. If you’ve ever had the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, that’s what this recipe is inspired by. I make it with turkey sausage and I usually add twice as much kale as the recipe calls for to really pack in the greens. I also find if you are short on time and/or garlic, a couple shakes of garlic powder can replace the minced garlic without much impact on the overall flavor. This week I made a loaf of no knead bread (I used this recipe) in my Dutch oven to serve with it and it was a perfect hearty meal.
  4. Covid vaccines for kiddos. I don’t have kids, but I have celebrated this week with my friends and family who have been waiting and waiting for the covid vaccine to be available for their school-aged kids. Several have already gotten their first shot and I know their parents are starting to breathe a little easier knowing their kids will have that additional layer of protection while they’re at school, sports, camp, and the myriad other things that keep them busy.
  5. The coziest new blanket. We are a blanket family at my house. I can usually be found snuggled under a blanket on the couch pretty much year round. Which means our blankets get a lot of love and use. We have a few that are finally ready to be retired, so when I saw this Pendleton sherpa blanket at my local Sierra, I snatched it up so quickly (not the exact colors, but very similar). I know they’ve had them at Costco from time to time as well and I HIGHLY recommend getting it if you are a snuggly blanket person. Funny though, one of the cats absolutely loves it and the other can’t stand touching the ultra softness!

Friday Five Things 11/5

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Hi Friends! Hope everyone is doing well. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media about seasonal depression and I, myself, have been feeling somewhat affected by the shorter days, especially because we’ve had several days in a row of overcast weather here. Luckily the sun and blue skies are back for a bit and I’m slowly but surely remembering my winter coping mechanisms! If you are feeling down please remember that it’s okay to ask for help. And it’s okay to make changes to your routine to make things feel easier and little more gentle on the soul. And as always, remember to look for joy in the small and hidden places.

  1. Reading happy books. I just posted my October Book Report and I mentioned that the ending of one of the books didn’t sit well with me and that I think it’s more about my mental state than the actual writing. In that same vein I’m in the middle of a beautifully written book that is set during the Great Depression and it’s, well, depressing. I’m close to finishing so I’m going to push through, but I wish I had landed on this book at a different time of year. So once this is done…I’m going to lean in to Christmas-themed fluff novels and silly fantasy books and funny memoirs for a bit. Reading really can affect our mood and mental state, so why not adjust our reading lists to what we need in a given season.
  2. The Morning Show. I just started watching season 2 of The Morning Show and once again I’m hooked! If you got an Apple TV+ subscription to watch Ted Lasso and are now wondering what to watch next…add this to your list. It is just so well made and really sucks you in.
  3. Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salts. This time of year I start to add baths into my routine more regularly. I get really sensitive and itchy skin with the dry winter air in my climate and a lot of bubble baths or bath bombs just made it worse. However! Dr. Teal’s salts are both affordable and kind to my skin. I really like their blends that have oils in them for a little added moisturizing effect (Hemp Seed Oil, Shea Butter & Almond Oil, and Coconut Oil). If you are a bath person and also don’t want to spend a million dollars on tiny jars of fancy bath soaks…this might be your jam.
  4. Speakerphone. I have always been uncomfortable talking on the phone. Even when I was at that age when girls are constantly on the phone…it always gave me a bit of anxiety. When I started working in an office setting and had to be on the phone for many many hours in a day I would really have to hype myself up for each phone call. Then I discovered that using the hands free headsets seemed to help, especially if I got up and paced around my cubicle. Now that I’m not in an office and I spend most of the day at home by myself I have really been leaning into speakerphone. Guys, I can’t explain it but when I needed to call the dentist this morning I started getting that queasy stomach feeling until I remembered that I could use speakerphone and it suddenly made it seem really easy and accessible. So if you are like me and have phone anxiety, try using speakerphone to see if it helps! And also, if there’s a task that is difficult for you but a slight modification makes it seem a lot easier, lean into it! Don’t feel like you have to do it a certain way just because it seems like the “wrong way” to do it. Using speakerphone for simple calls on my cell phone when I’m home alone might not be what most people do…but it just makes things better for me so why not do it?
  5. This recipe for stuffed acorn squash. I was craving squash this week and came across this recipe during a search for stuffed squash. SO GOOD. Instead of dry white rice I used one of these packets of brown rice and quinoa that I had in my pantry. Since the rice didn’t need to cook in the pan, I reduced the chicken broth to about a quarter cup just to bring everything together. Otherwise I followed the recipe. Although next time I think I’d make two changes. 1) toast up some walnuts in the pan and add them to the stuffing at the end for a little texture and protein, and 2) add parmesan cheese into the rice mixture in addition to the topping. I usually do that when recipes call for just putting cheese on top because I like to have a bit of the flavor in every bite, but I jut forgot this time. Anyway, if you like acorn squash and mushrooms, you should definitely make this. It’s very filling and stands alone as a main dish.

October Book Report

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“The days are getting shorter but the books are getting longer.” – Me

October was a big reading month! And I expect November to be the same. There’s something sweet and magical about curling up with a good book while the sun is setting earlier and earlier. It makes things seem not so dark. For bonus points, add a hot beverage and light a candle.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This book was pure 80s themed fluff and I loved it. We learn about the privileged but complicated lives of four grown children of a famous, but absent, father. Each sibling is struggling with something that they aren’t ready to share, but everything comes to a head at their annual party where things get pretty out of control. This would be a great vacation read, it’s pretty easy to read and the backdrop of the 80s makes for fun fashion references and celebrity name-dropping. Pick it up if you want something that won’t ask you to think too much. (Content warning: there are references to drugs, alcohol abuse, and death.)

The Last Things He Told Me by Laura Dave – I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The book follows a woman who is newly married when her husband’s company is raided by the FBI for fraud and he disappears. She is left to navigate the aftermath with his daughter with whom she doesn’t have a great relationship. He leaves her one message “Protect her” and that kicks off a journey that reveals shocking secrets. Now about my mixed feelings. This was a page-turner for me. And overall, I really liked it. But there were some parts of the ending that left me unsatisfied. I don’t think me saying this spoils anything, but if you like things where everything gets resolved and tied up with a bow…this book might not be for you. For me, I think it might depend on my mood. And right now with the days getting shorter and darker…I think I have less of a tolerance for books that aren’t literal works of art (see below) or complete serotonin bombs (see above!) So…I think I would have liked this book more if I had read it over the summer.

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans – Loved this beautifully written book. It’s a series of six short stories and a longer novella that explore the common theme of how race impacts interpersonal dynamics. Each story stands alone with sympathetic characters and not-so-sympathetic characters. Evans does an amazing job of telling the truth of the everyday Black experience in America in these little bite sized stories. The novella at the end of the book spends a little more time with a Black woman who works for the government making tiny historical corrections around Washington D.C. She gets called into the field to look into the truth of an historic claim in a small town in Wisconsin. In the process, she meets up with a former colleague and they uncover a mystery from the past that has a mixed reception with the towns citizens. Highly highly recommend.

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy – A therapist and his new wife leave the city for his small hometown. Things are going well for him until he suddenly disappears on a stormy night without a trace. The reader thinks they know what has happened, but more and more is revealed as the book goes on. I’ll be honest, I found the first third of the book a bit boring. I almost put it down without finishing but then I hit the first twist and BAM I was not expecting it at all. And it made me start reading it a lot closer but still BAM the second twist hit and I never saw it coming. The interesting thing about the twists in this book is that they say more about how you as the reader view things than they move the plot forward or change what is happening in the book. As a writer, I found this approach really interesting and engaging. However, overall the plot was kinda meh to me. So, if you’re looking for something to read while you are waiting for the book you really want to read, then this might be interesting to you. But I wouldn’t recommend that it go at the top of your list.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – I can’t remember where I saw this series recommended, but I put it only list to read when I finished the available Stormlight Archive books because I generally don’t like to read two series at the same time. Anyway, this is the first book of the series and they are very much in the Young Adult genre. Or rather…the New Adult genre which I just learned about and seems to be a subset of YA but trending towards people in their 20s. So, fairly more juvenile in terms of plot and characters than the Brandon Sanderson or N.K. Jemisin books I’ve recommended on here before. The storyline revolves around a human girl who was raised knowing that faeries were dangerous and used to keep humans as slaves until the humans rebelled and won their freedom. She and her family live close to the dividing line between the human world and the faerie world, but one fateful decision results in her being taken across the line to live with the faeries. From there the plot deals in a Beauty and the Beast type romance, a evil curse that is destroying the land, and a series of tasks to save the world. Guys, I’ll totally keep reading the series but I cannot in good faith recommend this to anyone over the age of 25.