She's A Betty

Currently Enjoying: Wordpress, Polka Dots, & a Bialetti Moka Pot

Above: Wordpress.org; Old Navy polka dot sweater; Bialetti 3-cup moka pot.

Hi everyone! Hope 2012 is treating you well (or at least better than 2011, my goodness). Here are some things I'm liking right now, and think you might too:

• First, I broke down & bought the Old Navy polka dot sweater that's been featured all over blogs & Pinterest. I haven't received it yet, but I'll post a mini-review when it arrives. So cute.

UPDATE: I returned the sweater. It's cute in person, and good quality for Old Navy, but the print makes you look significantly wider/bigger up top. I'm short & curvy, so this just wasn't the best look for me. Two bloggers who make it look good, though: Mix & Match Fashion & Petite Little Girl.

• Second, I recently discovered moka pot coffee, aka "espresso for poor people." Of course, it's not real espresso, but it's still intense and good. I'm using a Bialetti 3-cup moka pot & LavAzza Qualità Oro ground coffee.

• Finally, I'm currently setting up self-hosted Wordpress sites for several clients. In doing so, I've realized that I'm ready to transfer my blogs to Wordpress. Typepad has been great all these years, but I need something more customizable & functional. I want jQuery slideshows and responsive site design like everybody else!

Switching services isn't the easiest process, though, and most of my blogging energy & time over the next two months will be spent on behind-the-scenes stuff. I will post once a week on each blog, and hope to finish migrating both blogs by mid-March. Also, I will be cleaning up old content as I go, probably deleting or at least combining many of the pre-2009 postings. So much of that content was shopping-related, and has little to no value now (dead links, unavailable products, etc.).  

What are you guys currently enjoying?

Christmas 2011 Recap

A Christmas that started off inauspiciously, with stress and empty pockets, ended up being one of the best ones in recent memory. This was the first Christmas in four years where I didn't have to work Christmas Eve, or the week after; everyone was in a good mood and liked their presents. Here's how we celebrated (clockwise from top left):

• Watched holiday movies while working on this Thomas Kinkade Christmas Wreath puzzle (50 cents at the thrift store).
• Ate gingerbread (made with Betty Crocker mix and Target cookie cutters).
• Rented Bachelor Mother, which was even better than I remembered {film still via Livin' Vintage; rent it for $2.99 On Demand}. David Niven and Ginger Rogers are just magic together, and the script's so clever. In my opinion, it's aged better than many so-called "classic" screwball comedies.
• Saw Arthur Christmas, the latest movie by Aardman Studios (Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep). My teen brother & I saw it in mid-December, and had the theater to ourselves. We don't always find the same things funny, but we both laughed ourselves silly, especially at naughty Grandpa.
• Drank Crispin Honey Crisp Hard Apple Cider, another good & cheap holiday tipple.
• Also: Bought a bunch of snacks (chips, crackers, cookies, things we normally try to restrict), and made a giant batch of paella on Friday, and nibbled on both through the weekend. Watched the first episode of Rosemary & Thyme, a cozy British mystery series with a gardening theme (Season 1 is available for streaming on Netflix).

How about you guys? What made your holiday break special (or at least bearable)?

Pinterest Holiday Boards

I had planned on doing a Winter Holiday special here, similar to Halloween Week, but...eh. I'm feeling stressed and Grinch-y this year. Christmas shopping & prep, the luminary ceremony at my grandmother's grave, a major home clean out, and one big end-of-the-year freelance project (which I'm still working on) consumed the last few weeks, and I have miles to go before I sleep. 

I did save up lots of great holiday post ideas at Pinterest, though, in anticipation of that holiday special, and it would be a waste not to share them with you. Here are a few favorite finds, from my Winter Holidays board:

Source: refinery29.com via Renee on Pinterest Source: amazon.com via Renee on Pinterest Source: myrecipes.com via Renee on Pinterest

Source: trissalicious.com via Renee on Pinterest Source: us.asos.com via Renee on Pinterest

Clockwise from top left (click images for links):

• a peppermint-inspired manicure from Refinery 29
• a chewy turrón recipe
• plaid tights
• a peppermint martini
• Bachelor Mother, a classic comedy set during the holiday season

There are a lot more goodies (over 300 pins) on my two Pinterest holiday boards, Winter Holidays and Holiday Gifts & Wrapping Ideas, and I hope you'll click over. I also hope to do more holiday posting next week, once my big project wraps up.

Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Decoration Inspiration

My family and I spent Thanksgiving week in Williamsburg, VA. It was a great trip, and since the Christmas season apparently starts in late November, Colonial Williamsburg was already decked with holiday wreaths and garlands. Below are some of my favorites:

A stunning apple wreath & garland...

...a simple doorway garland with rope & leather wreaths... 

...and another eye-catching garland bunch, which includes a pineapple and a hedge apple.

Aren't they lovely? It's amazing to me how festive and Christmas-y they look, all without ornaments, ribbons, or lights. Hope you find them as inspiring as I do!

Recipe: Black Bean Soup

I've been looking to add more stew recipes to my arsenal, and recently had success with this modified Rachel Ray black bean soup recipe. It's simple & hearty, and can easily be vegetarian.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans (I like Goya brand)
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 tsps ancho chili powder (optional)
salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce (I recommend Tapatío or Cholula)
3 1/2 cups less-sodium, low-fat chicken or vegetable broth 
1 (15-ounce) can diced stewed tomatoes
1/2 lime, juiced
2 to 3 scallions, chopped

Preparation

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil to the pot, then add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaf. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, then add the red pepper. Drain 2 cans of black beans and the can of pinto beans, and add them. Mash the remaining, undrained can of black beans with a fork, and add to the pot along with the coriander, ancho chili powder, salt and pepper, hot sauce, broth, and tomatoes. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes over low heat. Add the lime juice, and remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve with scallions and sliced crusty bread.

NaNoWriMo 2011: Are You Doing It?

Photo by Rainer Tenhunen.

For those who've never heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), it's simple: NaNoWriMo is a free event where participants try to complete 50,000 words of a novel in one calendar month (November).

I'm doing it this year, and I'm excited. Even though I already write professionally, it's too easy to get swept up in immediately gratifying projects like paying freelance work and blogging, and thus avoid the long-term slog of writing a book. In the words of Tom Spurgeon:

There is, however, a distressing trend culture-wide for a lot of people to aim low, to be perfectly satisfied with delighting the 40 people that follow you closely on Facebook with your clever remarks as opposed to finishing that novel. (link)

Pretty much.

My personal goal for NaNoWriMo is 1000 words a day, for a final word count of 30,000. If I hit 50,000, so much the better, but I'll be satisfied with the lower number (I'm not a wordy writer, and have a Thanksgiving road trip and other paying & side writing projects coming up). Also, while blogging here will continue as usual, and I won't bore you with novel updates, I will be posting writing inspiration & advice each Monday.

So...are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?

Last Minute Halloween Links

A big thanks to all the people who linked or pinned my Halloween posts! My traffic tripled last week, and while it's a temporary boost, it's encouraged me to keep blogging (and to do Halloween Week posting next year). Here are some last minute Halloween links I thought you'd enjoy: 

• Present & Correct has a fun Halloween contest.

• Nightmares Fear Factory's Flickr photostream features photo upon photo of terrified haunted house goers. I laughed until I hurt.

• Here are two favorite Halloween songs (YouTube links): Screamin' Jay Hawkins "I Put A Spell On You" & Gnarls Barkley's "Boogie Monster."

• From Daily Candy, a Best Horror Movies list, and from Time Magazine, the Top 10 Haunted-House Movies. 

• From TresSugar: How to Dress as Your Favorite '90s Girl for Halloween.

And some nice, non-Halloween blogger news I've been waiting to squeeze in: 

• I planned on posting about For Me, For You's fundraiser (her boyfriend has cancer, and as freelancers, neither have health insurance). But I didn't need to. Because within one week they met their fundraising goal AND he was approved (after some struggles) for Medi-Cal. 

• Joy had a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Have a great Halloween!

Book-a-Month Giveaway: Mary Anne Saves the Day & The Girl With the Silver Eyes

This giveaway is closed.

First, a big thank you to those who entered last month's giveaway! The winner (chosen by random.org) is Carla.

I'm giving away something a little different this time. Instead of one new book, the winner will get two nostalgic favorites from the 1980s. More details below the fold.