Mouthwatering Art

Check out this tasty-looking art!

This 'zine is amazing... all about your lady bits! It's also beautifully illustrated.

Changes; or a tiny love letter to my blogging heroines

It seems to me that no one really knows what they’re talking about. I think this may just be a reflection of my worldview at this point in my life. At 26, I am still transitioning into adulthood in many ways. For most of my life I’ve been of the belief that most adults know what they are doing. I believed that there is a right way to do things. I believed that things stay stable and constant. Now I’m learning this is not true.

I started reading Minimalist Knitter around 2008. Robyn’s focus was clear - minimalism and knitting. These were things I was also interested in. 

A few years ago, that changed. Now her blog is She Makes Hats. Different focus than before. I thought "Well, I want to make more than hats. Is this something I'm still interested in?" She also started a second Instagram account devoted to books and reading. This is different, too. 

Since she is older than me, I felt that she was stable and her life wouldn’t change significantly. That’s not the case.

I also started reading Rowdy Kittens in 2008. Tammy was working towards a minimalist life in a tiny house. I remember when she moved into that house. And, I remember when she moved out several years later. I admired that tiny house. I thought it was a great goal and I was happy when she achieved that goal. But then, her life changed. Even recently I've observed her changing. Within two months of finally signing up for her Little Letter, she chose to end it.

I’ve been following both of these blogs for about 8 years, and I’ve seen goals and priorities change. I’ve seen both of these women grow and evolve. It has been confusing at times, especially for a younger observer, but it has also been helpful. These two women are role models for me in that way. It’s okay to change, even if your changes will be viewed and noticed and have an effect.

This perspective makes it less surprising when new bloggers I follow make sudden changes.

Last year I was very interested in capsule wardrobes. I loved reading Un-Fancy. Caroline made it both stylish and approachable. I got a lot out of that blog. Within a year of me discovering her blog, though, she chose to end it. And then, just recently, she started back up.

I started following Amanda Sandlin’s art and ideas within the last few months. I love her raw honesty and I am inspired by her. Early in 2016 she began to launch an e-course. She almost immediately canceled the course. She wrote about that decision honestly. I really related to her feelings and ideas. It was abrupt and confusing at first, but her sharing her experience was thought provoking for me.

I don’t notice these types of changes as much in my personal life. Perhaps because I see and speak to my friends and family on a regular basis, it’s less abrupt when things change. Because of this, I don’t think about my own changes as much. It’s only when I witness what appears to be an abrupt change that I really start to think about my own changes.

I don’t have to stick to my goals. I can stop. I can change my mind. I can disappoint people and I can quit.

Casey Roberts

Casey Roberts' art is awesome. I love the dreamy offbeat nature feel of his work.

I learned about his art through The Jealous Curator.

"Benga was brought to the Bronx Zoo (aka the New York Zoological Gardens) by Samuel Verner, an explorer who discovered Benga in Africa and brought him back to the United States. Once at the Zoo, Benga was displayed in a cage at a ‘Primate House’ exhibit. The floor of his cage was scattered with bones to suggest its inhabitant was a fearsome cannibal. Unlike other exhibitions of humans that occurred in this period of history, Benga was not housed with others of his own kind, but rather made to share his cage with another ‘primate’: an orangutan called Dohong."

From Science Alert

“It was insane, utterly unsustainable,” says Leary. “We tend to think of people during the Neolithic as somehow being at one with their environment, but they appear to have been just as bad as we are. They were clearing, felling, digging, and consuming their environment at an unsustainable rate in building these huge projects.”

on NationalGeographic.com

Sarah Koenig at Rutgers

Last week I had the awesome opportunity to see Sarah Koenig of Serial and This American Life speak at Rutgers. Her talk was perfect for fans of Serial and investigative journalism. She performed an abridged version of the Leakin Park episode, and then walked us through the process of investigating that part of the story.

I learned that the records released by the police were thousands of scanned pages, in no particular order, lumped together into one pdf file. Sarah and her team had to comb through the file back and forth, looking for connections and trying to discern meaning from cryptic diagrams.

Koenig also talked about the nature of her relationship with Adnan. I don't think there's a word to describe it. She noted that she's probably spoken to Adnan more than anyone else in her life - 2 or 3 1-hour phone calls a week for about a year. She recorded over 42 hours of conversations with him in that time. It's impossible not to develop something that resembles friendship when you spend that much time talking to each other. On the other hand, Koenig pointed out, friends are the people who are in your corner, no matter what. Koenig still doesn't know if Adnan is guilty or innocent, so that definition of friendship definitely does not apply. So what are they? She doesn't know.

A funny anecdote Koenig shared involved a mysterious message that appeared on the Serial Facebook page that said "Adnan did it." It was quickly deleted and the Serial team did not comment publicly on it. Was it a hack? A secret admission from Koenig herself? What actually happened was that the web developer in charge of controlling the comments on the page was testing a filter. The filter didn't work. His test message, "Adnan did it," went live instead of being blocked.


At the end of the talk there was an opportunity for Q&A. I had strategically chosen my seat earlier in the night and was the first person to ask a question.

Once at the mic, I noted that a year ago, if you looked at the top podcasts on iTunes, you would see the work of people like Ira Glass, Jad Abumrad, Robert Krulwich... basically all men. Since Serial has gained popularity there have been several new podcasts that are hosted by women.

"Well, that's because I invented women," Koenig interrupted. This earned a huge laugh from the crowd.

After the laughs died down I finished my question, asking if she felt responsible for this sudden uptick in female-fronted podcasts.

No, she said. It turns out that Invisibilia was in the works before Serial even got started. As for the added success of Death, Sex, and Money, she attributes that to the recent popularity of reported or investigative journalism podcasts. She pointed out that there are a lot of women who work in radio journalism, so it's not because of Serial, necessarily. It's more the nature of these types of podcasts to have more women involved.


There were a few more gems from the Q&A session worth noting.

One woman accused Koenig of glossing over holes in Adnan's story. Koenig responded, saying "You know about the holes because I told you about them!"

Commenting on how police investigations can improve to prevent some of the ambiguity that came up in Adnan's case, Koenig said that police should record all interviews. It's more common now, but even as recently as last year the NYPD has conducted major interrogations without any recording.

The most heartbreaking thing I learned was that Koenig, a reporter, has spent more time on Adnan's case than his own attorney did. Whether he did commit the murder or not, that seems wrong.

The last thing I'll leave you with is something Koenig said about Adnan, but I think applies pretty universally.

"My producer heard him differently than the way I heard him. Everyone hears him differently."

Watercolor

Last night I broke out my watercolors. I had an idea in my head from my drive home and was eager to act on it. I rarely paint and my art supplies are as cheap as they come, but I felt pretty good about one of my paintings.

I'd like to get better at painting. I will hopefully paint more often this year, but I'm not sure what to do about improving beyond that. Can anyone recommend a website, youtube channel, or book that would help me learn techniques?

Lemon Cakes for a Snowy Day

Today I made Joy The Baker's lemon-drenched lemon cake. And then I ate half.


It's cold and snowy again. I've reached that point in the winter where I simultaneously believe spring is just around the corner and that it will never be warm again.

To celebrate/cope, I created a pretty fantastic Pandora station. I've been pretty pleased with today's soundtrack. It makes me feel like I'll see the sun again.

Challenge #3: Good Mornings

Each month this year I am challenging myself in a new way. Read more about this here.

Anyone who has interacted with me before noon knows I'm not a morning person. Yet, I chose a profession that has me at work by 7:30 every day. There have been far too many days where I groggily hit snooze so many times that I have to eat my breakfast in the car.

Despite my night-owl nature, I love mornings. I love the way the light comes in though my windows. I love watching the sunrise spread into daylight. Mornings are really nice.

This month I'll be working on taking advantage of my mornings. I've read about morning rituals here, here, and here recently, and these ideas have me feeling inspired.

Challenge #2: Wrap Up and Reflection

I don't know how I feel about this challenge.

Last month I had a sense of accomplishment when it was all over. I knew I had a achieved  my goal. This month... I'm not sure what success looks like. I don't know how to measure my success. Do I feel better about myself? Maybe a little bit. Do I feel like I achieved something? No. It wasn't a well thought out challenge and I regret that a little.

Do I regret choosing this challenge, though?

No.

I really needed this challenge. These first two months of 2015 have been hectic, stressful, and pretty depressing. Work is busy, my friends and colleagues have been going through a rough time, I had to skip a family vacation, and the record low temperatures have been confining me inside most days. It's really easy to only notice the bad stuff when life looks like this.

I feel better now, though, than I did on February 1st. And I chalk that up at least partly to my challenge.

I refused to let myself wallow. This has always been a weakness for me, so starting to break out of this habit has been a big improvement. Most of the time it's as simple as telling myself "no" and finding a new focus for my attention.

I sought out positive social interactions. Jesse and I went to the range at Fort Dix with some friends for Valentines day. I met up with my friends Kim and Sam for some Galentine's beer sampling and Chipotle. I spent a day building a snowtube run in my parents' front yard with my mom, dad, and brother. Yvonne and I are working to get out of our post-college social slump together. These small, novel social interactions are exactly what my introverted self needs.

I started taking better care of myself. I was getting lazy and eating copious amounts of sugar as the days got colder. This month I took steps to reverse that. I've been snacking on carrots and just started going to the gym again. I feel significantly better already.


I am not confining these changes to this month. Much in the way that January was a reset button for my spending habit, February was a chance to reset my relationship with myself. I hope to continue these changes through the year and beyond.



Now, on to next month: Develop a morning ritual.

Traveling with a Tiny Wardrobe

Traveling is a part of my job during the colder months. I usually end up in places like Boston and DC. When we travel, it's often by Amtrak or bus. This means that I'm responsible for lugging whatever I pack on and off trains, subways, and buses.


In the past I've overpacked for trips. I'm a planner at heart, so uncertainty makes me anxious.

What if it rains?

What if it's hot?

What if a zebra attacks?

Some of these things do happen.

So when I pack for trips I tend to err on the side of "just-in-case."


Since beginning my challenge, though, I've reflected on what I actually wear on my usual trips compared to what I bring. Not surprisingly, I don't need all that much.

Now I try to plan my outfits ahead of time and bring items that are easily interchangeable. This is made even easier as my wardrobe is curated with this same focus.

On my last trip 3 day trip I brought:

• 1 pair of jean leggings
• 1 wool long sleeve
• 1 cotton long sleeve
• 1 knit top
• 1 black tank top
• 1 black short sleeve
• 1 dark gray button-down
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 fleece
• Assorted socks and undergarments

You know what's crazy? I didn't even wear all of it!

Do you usually over or under pack? Has it changed at all recently?

Homemade Deodorant

I’ve been playing around with natural alternatives to antiperspirant for almost two years now. I’ve always been a little on the sweatier side, so your everyday deodorants don’t really do the job. Salt crystals didn’t do much for me and tea tree oil was a little too harsh and expensive.

So when a fellow counselor at the farm led a homemade deodorant workshop during our training week, I eagerly jumped at the chance. It was simple to make and we all had fun choosing essential oils to scent our final products. Since farm camp is my excuse to get my hippie on (my leg hair was glorious last summer), I was able to test my new concoction over the course of several weeks of limited showers and high activity.

It worked better than anything I’ve ever used before.

At the end of the day, my armpits didn’t smell terrible. There was a faint sweatiness to them, but that’s understandable when you haven’t showered in a few days and you were mucking a barn all morning. I felt drier, too.

Now that I’m back in the real world, I’m still using this recipe. 

Homemade Deodorant

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• Several drops of essential oil

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight jar.

Adjustments and considerations

• If you have sensitive skin, decrease the amount of baking soda and increase the amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder. 
• I used tea tree oil to scent my batch as well provide anti-microbial properties. Cinnamon and lavender are good options, too. You can use any scent you prefer as long as it is safe to use on skin.
• Make sure you wash this off at the end of the day. The baking soda can be harsh on your skin if left on too long. As long as I shower or clean my armpits once a day, I'm fine.

Insta-Life

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 14, 2015 at 4:23pm PST

I'm graceful and coordinated like my mom

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 15, 2015 at 1:01pm PST

It's @teejaypineapple!

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 15, 2015 at 1:06pm PST

Ein!

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 15, 2015 at 2:34pm PST

This is how you sled

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 16, 2015 at 2:33pm PST

Chocolate-orange tart. I have no idea how to transport this to work.

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 17, 2015 at 6:51pm PST

Reading Deadlines

A few weeks ago I came across a fantastic list of books for women on Ev'Yan's blog. I almost immediately shared the list with a few of my close friends, including Ann. On her suggestion, I organized a small book club.

We are set to meet early in March to discuss Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I've never been part of a book club before, let alone run one. What do I do?

Right now I'm struggling with focusing on this book. It's denser than I had anticipated, and very long, too. I find it interesting, but it doesn't effortlessly hold my attention. Reading it requires active concentration. I find it too easy to put the book down and pick up my phone or a fiction book. But I have a deadline to read this by, and I don't want to miss it.

Do you have any advice for how to read a book like this?

Challenge #2: Update

Each month this year I am challenging myself in a new way. Read more about this here.

I know this isn't going to happen in one month.

I'm not going to wake up on March 1st and say "That's it! I'm much better now. I feel valuable and worthy. I really think I'm great."

I'd like to think that I'll be better off on March 1st than I was on February 1st, though. I hope that I'll have developed some positive habits to help me continue to improve throughout the year.

So far, I've been focusing on three things in particular:

1. Eating better. Specifically, having veggies as snacks when I'm feeling a little hungry. I'm also trying to cut down on my candy consumption. If I want something sweet, I try to make sure it's of high quality and will be satisfying.
2. Stopping negative thoughts. I mentioned this last week, too. Simply put, when I start to get stuck on a negative thought, I actively work to redirect my thoughts. No major breakthroughs, yet, but I hope to see a little progress over the next two weeks.
3. Approaching relationships from a place of love. My hope is that by avoiding things like complaints and unnecessary criticism I will improve my relationships and my own state of mind. I want to surround myself with loving, positive people and like attracts like, right?

How is your month going?

Chocolate Espresso Cinnamon Rolls

Do you like delicious things?

I knew it!


I made these cinnamon rolls on my snow day last week. They were easy, fairly quick, and turned out so so amazing!

I made a few tweaks to my batch based on another cinnamon roll recipe Joy wrote. I omitted the chocolate chips to emphasize the cinnamon-ness. I was also out of regular milk, so I used buttermilk to make the glaze.


Check out the recipe on Joy the Baker.


Let me know in the comments if you try it!

Insta-Life

A wild @alix_elise has appeared!

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 7, 2015 at 8:00am PST

#Boston before the snow

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 9, 2015 at 4:51pm PST

#timehop then and now

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 10, 2015 at 8:02pm PST

Planning a treat for work next week...

A photo posted by Christa (@thenchsaid) on Feb 11, 2015 at 6:18pm PST

Blogs I Love

I'm getting into the theme of the month and spreading the love around. I've mentioned almost all of these blogs before, but here they are gathered into a nice little list for you.

This is my friend Alix. She doesn't have a blog (yet?)

My sister-in-law Kait blogs about med school, travel, quilting, and cooking. I don't think she sleeps.

Emily shares original recipes and kitchen tutorials. Tasty stuff!

Ann started her blog to  tackle 52 weeks of challenges. Now she's expanding her scope to chronicle her life and interests, too.

I've been following Tammy's blog for over 7 years. She's one of my biggest inspirations.

When I'm looking for a recipe I usually start with Joy's website. I also love her cookbook.

One of my inspirations for downsizing my wardrobe and simplifying my life is Erin's blog.

I love what Jillian does to thrift store finds!

A Beautiful Mess is  my go-to for craft inspiration.

Susannah writes with openness and honesty, and I appreciate that. I also like her tattoos a lot.

Robyn shares knitting patterns and snapshots of her life.




What blogs do you love? Do you have a blog of your own? Share it below!