Happy New Year!

I find the older I get the more I'm just like my mother. I see her sometimes when I look in the mirror. And just as quickly as she appears, she is gone again and I just can't put my finger on what it is. But there are other things, too, like my giant cookbook collection, the sagging shelves of books, my love of  No Peek Chicken, my regular use of Retin A, and the fact that I love to decorate for Christmas just as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over. But the one thing I love to do that my mother always did? Eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day. I remember eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day for, well, as long as I can remember. We didn't have many traditions, religious or otherwise, when I was young, but we lived in the "south" (Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia) so this was one of the few. Not part of the tradition? The preparation. I don't know exactly how she made them, but I've made them part of our new year's tradition since I've been married. This year, I fell back on one of my old favorites, Texas Caviar. It's certainly not as fancy as it sounds although it doesn't really sound very fancy at all (kind of like black gold) but it tastes like a million dollars and won't disappoint. Sadly, they haven't made me rich, but they do give me something to look forward to at the first of every year.

Texas Caviar (my version)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 c. corn
2 (15 oz.) cans of black eyed peas
4T. olive oil
2T. red wine vinegar
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 t. salt

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl wisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and pour over bean mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Best wishes for a blessed (and prosperous) new year!!

XOXO

New Year, New Books!

You can see why it's kind of hard for me to get my favorite spot on the sofa!! 

I love January (almost as much as I love September) for the chilly evenings capped with hot chocolate, oranges that grace the kitchen table, the snow that falls lightly on the cedars (but almost never sticks very long around here) and the fires in the fireplace. I appreciate all of these things especially now that I live somewhere I can actually experience them (sorry, South Beach, it wasn't you....it was me!) But the thing I love the most about this time of year, this place I call home? You guessed it......books! Portland is a book town no matter what the temperature is (Have you ever been to Powell's? It's worth a trip to Portland just to see that city of books!) But there's something about this time of year that makes me take notice of all things literary. I can stay inside (guilt-free) and curl up in my corner of the sofa (when it's not taken by Phil), by the fire, with my stack of books. Maybe I'll read a few pages of one, then pick up another or stick with a fantastic story to the very end.

I especially like thinking about books in January because there is so much opportunity! Imagine the books I could read - fiction, non-fiction, self-help (I love self-help books, just ask JSM), cookbooks, memoirs, biographies, the Bible! I'm partial to historical fiction, but regardless of what peaks my interest I always enter any new year with ambitious plans to read many, many, many more books than the previous year. Usually, I'm behind by February, which I blame on the fact that I'm a librarian which means I work in a candy store! Not really, but when it comes to books my eyes are always bigger than the amount of time I have to read. No matter, I still can't resist setting reading goals for myself and imagining the accomplishment I will fee come December 31st when I can say "I've read 100 books!" Some years, its just 25, 10, or 15, but I always start the year with grand ideas. Of course, this year is no different except I've discovered reading challenges! 

What is a reading challenge you ask? Reading challenges aren't just for kids! Of course, they can be a competition among some readers, but a reading challenge is also an opportunity to assess your reading habits and set goals for yourself. Blogher ran this fantastic column a couple weeks ago that got me thinking about my reading challenge for this year: Blogher: Setting Reading Goals for 2013. 

Some things to think about as you contemplate your goals for 2013.....What did you read last year? Did you read things you liked? Did you balance the challenging books with easy reads? What kind of books make your heart sing? Realistically, how much time will you have to devote to reading? What's the one book you've always wanted to read? There are many considerations in setting reading goals, but never fear, no matter what your desires and interests are there's a reading challenge for you. Need a little inspiration? Check out these challenges.....

Good Reads has lots of choices for all kinds of readers.

Want to save a little money and support your local community as you read through 2013? A Reading Challenge for library users from Susan Coventry!

Are vintage children's books your heart's desire? Shelfari has a challenge for you this year!

Is reading about food almost as good as chocolate? You'll enjoy this challenge hosted by Joyfully Retired....

Some of MY picks for 2013!

 As for me, I'll be reading a variety of different books and I already have plenty of books lined up for this year.....I'll be reading these books (and then some, I hope since I signed up for 26 books this year on the Good Reads Challenge!):

Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)

A Duty to the Dead (Charles Todd)

In the Woods (Tana French)

The End of  Your Life Book Club (Will Schwalbe)

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

The Shadow of Your Smile (Mary Higgins Clark)

Bright Lights, Big Ass (Jen Lancaster)

The Homemade Pantry: 101 thing you can stop buying and start making (Alana Chernila)

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey (The Countess of Carnarvon)

Food Matters (Mark Bittman)

Happy reading!

Welcome 2013!

Out with the old....in with the new! Nothing says "welcome" more than a brand new front door mat!

Happy New Year!

I love January 1st! It is my favorite day of the year, full of intent, hope, and excitement for the year ahead. We welcomed in 2013 with the first snow of the year, a candlelight dinner of shrimp and grits, a fire in the fireplace, and 80's music on the stereo. Sadly, we were both in bed before the stroke of midnight, but, on the plus side we woke up refreshed and ready to take on the year :)

A snowy Arborvitae in our back yard!

Shrimp and Grits from January 2013 issue of Southern Living. This pacific northwest girl just can't let the Southern Living subscription go!

My wish for the new year and the world and the light by which we ate our New Years Eve dinner.

This year, I plan to focus on the things that are important to me: my career as a librarian, my husband, and my free time (which there isn't a lot of!) It may require that I give up some volunteer work, but it's important to me to focus on things that bring me joy and contentment (reading, spinning, church, and keeping house) and this requires a re-evaluation of how I spend my time. I am very excited to have been asked to be a small group leader in my church's new series titled "Faith Formation". I look forward to hosting this small group, getting to know more people in my congregation, and hopefully incorporating some daily contemplation. I can't make any guarantees about my ability to "lead" the group, but I promise to do my best!

I'm also looking forward to our "Year of Dates"! I gave JSM an unusual Christmas present this year which was a basket full of envelopes. Not really.....it was a year of dates! I got the idea on Pinterest, but I tailored it to our unique situation. We don't have a lot of time together given our work schedules and dinners out seem to take place because we have no other option. So I decided to make the most of it. I planned and partially (or fully) funded a date for each month of 2013. The idea is that these "dates" are one of three things: a place JSM has been wanting to go, an activity we can do together, or something free that doesn't cost any money. Since I took a lot of time to think about what would be fun and meaningful for us I am really excited for JSM to open each envelope which he will do on the first day of each month! We'll then put it on the calendar and we'll have something to look forward to each month. Yay! I'll keep you posted on our fun....

On a final note, as I was cleaning out our files in preparation for the new year, I came across a list JSM and I created back in 2011. It was a list of 50 in 50 (50 things in 50, days, months, years....whatever!) It was something we wrote down on the back of an envelope at a Mexican restaurant ( I remember that vividly!) and we promptly came home and forgot about it. As I glanced down the list I was relieved to see we had accomplished some of these things. In order to remember what's on that list, I share it here with you and look forward to crossing off a few more in 2013. It's fun to see how far we've come and how many things we have yet to do. A few of these things have been chosen for a date, but Shhhh! Don't tell JSM:

McNally Wish List

Remove 3 trees from the backyard

Grow our own pumpkins

Repaint and redecorate the master bedroom 

Build a home office in the den

Paint and decorate the half bath

Clean out and organize the garage

Repaint the house and/or front door

Find a church and attend for 3-6 months

Buy a 4-wheel drive vehicle

Plan landscaping for the front yard

Create a will

Update life insurance for KLM and JSM

Create a living will

Go on the Shanghai Tunnel Tour

Go to Peacock Lane at Christmas

Go to a square dance

Go to the Saturday Market

Go to the Japanese Garden

Swim in a river

Ride the tram from OHSU in PDX

Go to the race track track

Gamble at a local casino

Attend a Trailblazers game

Attend a Seahawks game

See the Mariners play the Red Sox in Seattle

Visit Mt. St. Helens on a day trip

Go on an overnight camping trip – maybe a yurt?

Go to Vancouver, BC for 3 days

Eat cart food from 10 different carts

Go snow-shoeing

Go on a Central WA wine tour

Visit some wineries in Oregon

See a concert in The Gorge

Oregon Symphony at the Schnitz

Go to Bend, OR

Go to San Francisco

Eat our only own veggies for a month

Get chickens

Keep bees

Adopt a sister from women for women

Spend a wintry night at Timberline Lodge

Plant a tribute garden (Grandma, Ed, Noni, etc.)

Ride a roller coaster

Sing Karaoke

Play trivia at a bar

Get pregnant (amended to: adopt a baby)

Run a 5K (KLM)

Bowl  a 200 (JSM)

Shoot a 76 or better at golf (JSM)

Read War and Peace (KLM)

Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity

Cook a meal at Ronald McDonald House

Set up a home library

Get bikes.....and ride them!

Make a batch of our own soap

Spend a weekend at Cedar Brook Lodge in Seattle

Frame KLM's Master Degree