She Likes Purple

Me, Elsewhere

Phew, catching up this week has been intense.

Anyway, in case you care what I've been up to around the internet lately, here are some (fine, a lot of) links for you:

- I have a new post over at the North Hills Hospital blog that I write for once a month: When Your Toddler is a Picky Eater. (Also, this is a great post on Picking the Perfect Pediatrician, over at the same site).

- I'm now writing a few travel-related posts for a few different sites that have branched off of vacations.com. I'm enjoying travel writing a lot, mostly beacuse it's a passion of mine that's always felt a little out of place here. (Although, fyi, I have sort of organized some travel and tips into a cool new feature on this site that I've been meaning to tell you about: What To Do In...)

Anyway, my travel posts this week:

Dine at Nine Fine Irishmen on Your Next Vegas Vacation (best meal of my life)

Consider The Standard Hotel When You Visit Miami (candelight yoga!)

Pack Your Hiking Shoes When Traveling to St. John (tips from my four-year-old-but-still-lovely honeymoon!)

Get off the Las Vegas Strip and Explore the Valley of Fire (one of the most beautiful places in/around Vegas, swear it)

A Cupcake Tour of NYC! (My top pick is Butter Lane, but try 'em all, I won't judge)

- Oh, I'm helping Cherie with her company's social media and editorial content from time to time, so would you do me a great, big favor and "like" her company on Facebook and follow @csquaredassc on Twitter (and then hire her to whip up a fantastic blog/site design for you!)

- I really, really, really want this print.

- Where I wax poetic about Google Calendar (that's actually possible, who knew!?)

- I like organized activities, this might not surprise you if you actually had access to my aforementioned Google Calendar, but I do think if you want to see your friends more, you should organize a club. (Book, wine, whatever!)

- Speaking of organizing, I want to throw a block party and asked for advice on how to do just that. So far, since then, I've read the comments a few times and ... that's it. I'm crippled by the law and anxiety.

- I asked for Droid photo apps since I don't have an iPhone and can't use Instagram and this makes me uber-sad.

- Over at Food Lush I asked for you to share the best steak you've ever had, inspired by D Magazine's list of Dallas' 20 Best Steakhouses. 

- I made dark chocolate and orange scones and they were DELICIOUS.

- Mike is obssessed with a new burger joint (well, new to us).

- A few weeks ago I had a Baking Party at my house (right before Kyle got a killer fever and puked all over the couch!) and made these AMAZING strawberry and mascarpone-filled cupcakes. You should make them too and then eat four in one sitting so we can be twins.

- What's your favorite dish with saffron?

- I write often enough for my work blog, too, and you should definitely add it to your feed readers, but, more specifically, do you like Friday Night Lights? Because if you do, pleeeeeeeease join us while we live-tweet the final season every Friday night (just follow @smartpopbooks and tune in to Twitter during 8 p.m. EST for the fun). We aren't spoilerific, we promise, and we talk a lot about Tim Riggins and Texas and, that's fun, right? Join us, would you!?

PHEW, that's a lot of links. Round of applause for you for making it to the end!

Post of the Day Revisit

One of my very favorite things of all time is my Post of the Day feature, the one that collects dust over in my sidebar. Post of the Day is usually more like Post of the Last Six Months. I always swear I'm going to be better and put up posts more often to spotlight talented, awesome writers, but I either read posts on my phone and forget to save the link somehow or I just forget in general.

I really am going to try to be better. I love sharing great internet gems with you, and I love looking back at what I loved years ago and I really love re-reading these posts from time to time and crying or laughing or just being moved all over again.

(Archives here!)

So, a few posts I've flagged lately:

1. Lemon Gloria's "Mind your own uterus"

2. Sweet Juniper's "Nostalgia, another name for Europe"

(Must share this paragraph:

This is what I find most interesting about nostalgia; not just the cunning gloss of hindsight, but the actual act of returning to a place. For all the value of going somewhere you have never been, I also find value in being reminded of who you were once and and how far you've come. Without this type of nostalgia, you can lose perspective on how much you've grown, or changed. Of course places change, always, and yet they don't change it all. And maybe too you've changed less than you think. Your wife still yawns in art museums. You still hold her hand along the Ringstrasse, even if your other one is already taken.)

3. Ramble Ramble's "In My Head, In My Heart"

4. Bird on the Street's "All I Ask"

Spring in Chicago Is An Awful Lot Like Summer in San Francisco

But, forget about all the freezing rain and whipping winds that welcomed us in Chicago. We've already forgiven Chicago for the, uh, less than beautiful weather because Chicago specializes in pizza, and, wouldn't you know, so do I.

A much more comprehensive and photo-filled recap to come but, for now, you should know the pizza was delicious.

(And the company sweet and the trip oh-so fun.)

Cherie's Too-Quick Visit and Small-Town Sushi

Cherie came to town for what felt like five minutes. I had to work (and so did she) so we really only had two nights to hang out. Two nights is not enough nights but we made the best of it. Both nights we walked from my house to my (small) town's Main Street and ate dinner.

This is us walking. You know, in case you couldn't visualize that yourself.

The first night, we had delicious pizza at Brix. The second ... sushi.

I know what you're thinking, "Why yes, small-town Texas is totally known for its delicious sushi!" Or maybe you're not thinking that at all. Hard to tell. Cherie was feeling brave, though, so sushi it was!

We were basically the only ones in the restaurant all night. That was the first sign.

Then, it took an hour to get our food. (Second sign.)

We had a sake bomb while we waited.

(I used to love these in college and having my college friend in town inspired me. I forgot you are supposed to chug them, though, so Cherie and I became the first people in the history of the world to order sake bombs and then sip them for the next half hour. Mom version of sake bombs!)

The third sign was our waiter, our crazy crazy waiter who's shirt read:

 

Clearly the dress code for this restaurant falls under the headline KLASSY.

So, the food and service was not top-notch.

But the company was.

(We convinced Kristie to tag along with us.)

Cherie's gone again, damn distance and geography. I hope to see her again soon. Until then, I'll go pout for a little while and then remind myself it's just a good thing I have these kinds of friends at all. Even if they live all the way over in TOO-FAR-FROM-ME-VILLE.

Fake Easter

We celebrated Easter (early) this past weekend. We did it low-key with a backyard plastic egg hunt and a quick and easy brunch with my mom and Mike's parents. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, the company warm and fuzzy, and my son's mind properly blown by all those eggs being his. When he realized there was stuff inside them? Forget it. Easter took first place of all days.

We snapped a couple family photos since we have so few.

This is the winner.

But the outtake is more accurate.

The rest of the fake Easter celebration pictures are here.

It was a happy and sunny day. I'm glad it was mine.

(Didn't hurt that we had mimosas in the fancy champagne glasses.)

Home Sweet Home: The Problem Room

Hey, remember when ages ago I mentioned kicking off a HELP ME WITH MY HOUSE series? No? Well, no fear, because the series starts today so you have missed nothing.

Basically, I have this great house I love that is .... shamefully decorated. I have neither the money nor the talent to do anything near its potential but I believe you can help me. You can suggest inexpensive tips and tricks to fulfill the house's maximum potential.

We're going to start with the room I want to love and think I could love but .... just don't. It's the Problem Room, the room with un-met potential and therefore NOTHING IN IT.

Let me show it to you.

This is the view from the bathroom, looking down the hall, peeking at the "middle" room. You can see our stairs and the cabinet in this hall, the cabinet I'd like to move elsewhere but would like to replace with something about the same size. I'd like to put something under those stairs, a bench or a chest or something.

Another view, a few steps down the hall.

Here's the space I want to fill with a bistro table, or a small pedestal table. We rarely use those doors, which feels like a tragedy but that's not to say we don't use the porch that's on the other side of those doors, just that we go out the front door and walk around the yard or use the back door more often, so I feel like blocking the doors would be okay, especially after living in this house for nearly two years and knowing how we use the space. We'd move the folded-up table that's in the space now in order to replace it with a better table for our needs, of couse.

But, what table (or any table)? We're at a major loss.

(Look there's my wall map!)

The view from our kitchen, just a different angle of the same space I'm puzzled by.

And the view of the hall from the double doors.

I'm giving you as many views as humanly possible. All angles! Nothing's too good for you!

My main questions for you:

1. Would you put a small table in the space as I'd prefer? Or....no? I'd really love for you to say yes and to give me options of a(n inexpensive) table that might work, but I'd also love for you to answer like a professional would. Meaning, be honest.

2. What ELSE would you put in this space? I think this area could have major, adorable potential, I just don't know what that is. It's problematic, and not obvious, but I know there's something there.

HGTV, ARE YOU READING? Oh, how I wish you were.

Big thanks in advance, though, for all your input and help. I'll thank you in person in the form of champagne and cupcakes if you ever come visit!

Oh, Fine, Some Book Reviews

There were a few questions on my last post about the books I've read in Book Club, so here's a little recap of each.

The Giver

I really enjoyed this book, not only because it was SUPER SHORT but it also made for really great discussion for our first meet-up. We had so many questions, and the ending really got us talking. **SPOILERS AHEAD** I thought the boy died at the end, and I even thought this was a no-brainer, totally obvious conclusion, but the group was pretty split on this and apparently many people aren't quite so cynical and EVERYONE DIES! like me.

Room

I'm going to become unpopular. I didn't love this, not really at all. I wasn't engaged with the story, oh, ever, and it's not that I found it disturbing or emotional, I just found it a brave/interesting idea executed without much heart. (I know, I feel kind of heartless myself saying that!) I didn't really love any character -- and while I suspect that was actually intentional -- it just never grabbed me.

I also had some issues with the plot and then how the story climax went down but it did make for interesting conversation, so that was a perk.

The Book Thief

Now, let's get the bad out of the way first: THIS BOOK IS 550 PAGES LONG. That's too long. I'm sorry, I don't care how brilliant a book is, 550 pages is too long. (Thank goodness for a long flight to Seattle to force me through the first 300 pages.)

Once I got through those first 300 pages, though, I fell in love with the book and there were parts in the last section that read like poetry to me. It ended beautifully, I thought, and I sobbed my way through those final sections.

But without Book Club or that long flight, I would have put this book down, I know it. I just can't tell any busy person to push through 300 pages to get to the good stuff, but if you feel like making the choice yourself, I think you'll be happy you did.

***

If you like this kind of thing, maybe I'll write mini-reviews for all our Book Club books. We'll see!

My Advice to You: Start A Book Club

Kyle is sick again.

(Sick toddlers don't need pants!)

It sucks as much ass you'd imagine.

But, we're not dwelling on that. (At least not here, you can bet your sweet selves I'm dwelling on that in my living room and to my husband and in my head.) We're going to instead talk about the silver lining that was my book club while Kyle was sick because my book club is just so awesome.

I know, Book Club by itself sounds not-so awesome. Much less awesome than, say, Wine Club or Gossip Girl Club or Nap Club.

(OMG, HOW AWESOME WOULD NAP CLUB BE?)

But, my Book Club kind of kicks serious ass.

(I don't actually think it should be capitalized but I insist that it will be because it is the first and only Book Club of its kind.)

See, a few months back, inspired by Book Lushes, Kristie, Natalie, and I organized a little in-person book club. I don't think any of us were particularly optimistic about how it would turn out. I think we imagined the three of us would get together for dinner once a month and maybe say a few words on the book we decided to read. I thought my words would most often be: didn't read it.

But, Book Club has turned into this incredible girl's gathering of laughter and intelligent conversation and meeting new friends while appreciating old friends and also there's usually good eating, which is what every club -- book, napping, WHATEVER -- should include, am I right?

In January we read The Giver. In Feburary, Room. And in March, The Book Thief. (April is The Help.)

I keep thinking I'll write a post per book, a mini-review, but I also keep thinking I'll win the lottery. Meaning, my thoughts are .... cute.

So, I'll just say that I love my Book Club not just because it inspires me to read more and ask better questions about what I'm reading but because I feel I'm part of a group of smart women celebrating our own time and friendship and good pastries, too. I swear I leave that group each month thinking, OMG I LOVE BOOK CLUB.

My 21-year-old self just rolled her eyes, took a tequila shot, and flipped me off behind my back.

***

Also, it wasn't just Book Club that provided me solace during Fever Watch April 2011. There was also a girl's night prior to Book Club night (these lovely ladies are all in Book Club, fyi) and a baking night with a friend, too. In fact for a weekend that was FILLED with Fever Worry, I did an awful lot of socializing. (Don't feel too badly for Mike, I did an awful lot of Waking Mid-Night and he, god love that man, did not.)

Me, Elsewhere

Lately, elsewhere, I've talked about:

1. I own cowboy boots but WHAT to wear with them? Help a (challenged) Texan out?

2. I really want this clock, and this blouse. (Apparently I'm a wanter lately.)

3. Here are just a couple of my running essentials: cheap clothes, expensive shoes, and good music.

4. A reader asked what to pack/wear in Vegas, and I was happy to oblige.

5. My friend put together this toddler-approved, colorful snack. (Kyle needs her as a mom!)

6. I was drooling over these appetizer plates from Crate & Barrel and then A'Dell BLEW ME AWAY and sent them to me. I have good friends.

7. I asked for blender help, too, since it took me like AN HOUR to blend a salsa recently.

8. My new favorite cookbook! (I made these turkey meatloaf burgers just last night, and they were tasty tasty tasty.) I'm Rachael Ray's biggest fan. This makes you like me less, doesn't it?

Two Year(s and Two Month) Stats

Before I jetted to Seattle last week, I jetted across town to Kyle's two-year well check. Even if he turned two, two months ago.

(To my defense we had an appointment the week of his birthday and then ... forgot about it. Okay, yeah, that's not much of a defense.)

Moving on!

28 lbs (44%, which is a big jump from his usual 15-25% range. I give full credit to his recent discovery that M&Ms are delicious)

33 inches (16%, shorty)

All around perfect.

(Even if he went to bed tonight without story time because of behavior that can only be described as OH HELL NO CHILD.)

I Made a Lot of Memories in 36 Hours

I feel very lucky to have been treated to a trip to Seattle by Nintendo and Brand About Town this past weekend, to test out the newly released 3DS, and I felt even luckier that not once did either company make me feel anything but welcomed and appreciated. There was never mention of what I'd write about upon returning home, or what I'd tweet about, and that made me want to write and tweet all the more, so much so that I wrote nothing HA HA HA (ha?), hoping the perfect post would just materialize in front of me.

It did not.

You get this instead.

I'm not necessarily used to being treated like a superstar by a company and not in an annoying BUY BUY BUY FROM US! kind of way, but in a genuinely welcoming, "we're glad to have you! tell us more about you!" kind of way. I'm not a celebrity, not even of the internet variety, but I sure felt special this weekend and even if I never play with another Nintendo game again (I probably will, I HAVE A 12-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND and the 3DS is awesome, especially the Car Racing Game, which definitely has a more official name than that BUT I CANNOT REMEMBER IT, DON'T HATE ME NINTENDO), I will still always smile when I think of this company, and I truly believe they're doing something very, very right.

Thankfully I wasn't in Seattle alone, not because being alone in Seattle sounds all that awful, but because being in Seattle WITH AWESOME INTERNET FRIENDS I NEVER GET TO SEE sounds way better.

Now, I don't know how else to do this, so I'm just going to do it:

Awesome People I Saw In Seattle (And Why You Should Track Them Down in a City Near You*)

1. Rhiannon. Oh thank god for Rhiannon. I ran into her on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and I was in a very frenzied, airplane-smelly state, and I was nervous and stuttery and I'm just so glad someone I had met before was there to offer me a seat and some conversation. (We then went on to be in the same breakout group at Nintendo and then sat right next to each other at dinner Saturday night at Dahlia Lounge. FATE!)

2. Metalia. You probably think this lady is adorable and hilarious and just so damn cool, but let me burst your bubble: SHE HATES ANIMALS. Fine, I am liberally using the word hate, but at dinner Saturday, when I acted STUNNED at the confession that Metalia didn't particularly care for animals, she said, "What, I go to the zoo!" And I laughed so hard, I almost spit out the free wine and that would have been just a ridiculous tragedy. 

3. Sam. Sam's intimidatingly hilarious while also being so kind, and I think that might be the most perfect combination of traits a person can have.

4. Yvonne. I had met Yvonne, briefly, at BlogHer '10 and she was very gracious and friendly, and I liked her a lot, but this time, we shared dinner together and she told our table this story, and I have NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD IN ALL MY LIFE. She's good people.

5. Emily. Elizabeth said something about Emily that is just SO TRUE: she tells the best stories. You just want to listen to her, she's so charismatic and engaging and hilarious and I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with her. October! The Blathering!

{Photo courtesy of Amy}

6. Maggie. The first time I met Maggie, back at The Blathering, First Year, she walked into Elizabeth's house and kind of intimidated me. She's just so pretty and so graceful, which sounds weird and a little creepy (sorry, Maggie!), but she just carries herself in such a way I can not relate to. Me = AWKWARD. MAGGIE = LOVELY. I think (have always thought), though, that Maggie and I would be great friends if we lived near one another. I think we have a lot in common. I think we'd have a lot to talk about. I think we'd throw a lot of parties together. I look forward to something bringing us together in the future to give us a glimpse of that.

7. Leah. I realized after dinner with Leah Thursday night that I had asked her for a bite of her dinner and a bite of her dessert. First, this is Something That I Regularly Do, you should know. My in-laws have nick-named me, "One Bite Jennie," which sounds like kind of the lamest nickname a person can get from their in-laws, but it's better than Naked Jennie, which WAS AN ACTUAL NICKNAME FOR MANY YEARS. Anyway, I realized after dinner that I had done this because I felt at ease around Leah and I don't know if she'll view that as a compliment (MY HUSBAND SURE DOESN'T WHEN I EAT HALF HIS DINNER) but it is a compliment, it really is.

{Photo courtesy of Leah}

(I absolutely love this photo because 1) Emily is missing although she was in the elevator and I think that was because of a leg cramp? Em? and 2) this was the best of Leah's bunch, meaning we are not to be trusted to pose for a photo EVER, OMG.)

9. Amy. I want to bottle Amy's personality and pass it around to people. If you ever get the chance to meet Amy, let me prepare you: she is so full of joy, it's infectious. She will charm you. She will make you laugh. You will love her. (I love her.)

{Photo courtesy of Amy}

10. TOO BRIEFLY Kerri and Jen. These ladies looked FANTASTIC but I saw them too briefly, in passing. Jen and I will make up for that next month at our Nerdy Book Gathering (BEA), but Kerri, COME TO TEXAS.

11. Erin. I had emailed with Erin (and am now properly following her everywhere I can) but she's so adorable, there are no words. Adorable! Follow her! I want to hang out again with her soon.

12. Katie. One of my very first blog friends and definitely the sender of my very first blog present and also one of my BlogHer '08 roommates, and I wasn't sure I'd get to see her this trip, but I DID, and I was so happy. Katie oozes class and I love every minute I spend with her, even if years spearate those minutes. I mean that. I adore her.

{Photo courtesy of Katie}

13. Elizabeth. Oh, Elizabeth. I truly believe that I will be friends with her for as long as I live. I believe we'll find a way to see each other every couple years, we'll care about each other's kids forever, and we'll always laugh about how lucky we are to have married such normal, nice men while we reside firmly in Crazy Town and HA HA THOSE SUCKERS MARRIED US, and I genuinely believe there's nothing I could say to Elizabeth that wouldn't make her say in return 1) well, you're nuts and 2) but I love you, still.

{Photo courtesy of Amy**}

The One I Did Not Get To See

1. Jonna. NINTENDO, appoint her a Brand Ambassador. Or see something so special within me that you'll allow me to add the stipulation that I never travel without her to all future Brand Events. Jonna's my person. No matter how much fun I'm having, I'll always wish she was there.

***

*In a very fun, "hi, I like you!" kind of way, which I feel the need to specify because the internet has acted particularly BATSHIT in 2011

**I could never be a professional blogger because I forget my CAMERA when I go to blog events. What the hell is wrong with me?