Project Life: Week 44

Not my greatest photography job. I was thinking I could get by with two albums, but - like you can see - this one is getting pretty full. 

Week 44 was my first full week in Madison.

A Ventage Girls' Take on Winter

Photo taken last Sunday in Chicago. 

Temperature = 14ish + Wind (aka cold)

It's easy to think friendly thoughts about winter today because the expected high temperature is 55 degrees. Not -55 degrees - actual 55 degrees. In Wisconsin. In late-January.

It doesn't get better than that, friends.

So, on this day when it's easy to be bright and shiny, I give you a special winter list.

Five Things I Actually Like About Winter

1. Needing lots of blankets on the bed.

There is something I totally love about snuggling into a bed filled with quilts and blankets. It's very peaceful.

2. Hot beverages.

Hot chocolate. Fancy coffee drinks. Tea. They all taste just a little better in cold weather. 

3. Tights.

Winter fashions, in general, are some of my favorites. Boots. Sweaters. Corduroy. Layers. Scarves. Puffy vests.

4. Big snowflakes.

Unlike Em, I'm not a big fan of snow. (Although, a year ago snow days would have made my list of favorite things about winter.) I do love the  giant, fluffy snowflakes that fall slowly. Those are pretty - from inside the warm house.

5. Television.

Cold weather and early dark nights make for great excuses for watching even more television than usual.

Hello. . .

Hello. . . new haircut. I want to grow it out. Jalin said I needed to go a little shorter to go longer - something about making things a little more even. I trust her judgment. I just need to learn how to style it.

Hello. . . very serious chocolate cravings. I have wanted nothing but chocolate all day. I caught myself daydreaming (several times) about a chocolate bar with caramel pieces in it I ate at Max Brenner almost two months ago, which - BTW - cannot be purchased online.

Hello. . . wanting to see a movie this week. Contenders include: Zero Dark Thirty or Argo.

Hello. . . serious shocker on Downton Abbey. I'm still reeling.

Hello. . . to a reminder from Katrina to think about happiness.

Meal Plan # 4

One. Chicken Rollatini with Spinach

Two. Beef and Broccoli

Three. Spinach Salad with Salmon

Four. Butternut Squash Risotto (add chicken)

Five. Pork Tenderloin (from the butcher)

Project Life: Week 43

Love how this week turned out - the colors are super fun.

I have these envelopes in every size. This is the first time I actually used one. It's filled with cards and well wishes from starting my new job.

Project Life: Week 41

I'm still working on my Project Life. I haven't given up. I have everything I need to get started with my 2013 album, and I will get started. I plan to keep plugging away at 2012, though. I'll finish. I know it.

I did figure out a little about what I have done as some motivation.

• I have 28 weeks completely done. Some of those still need to be photographed and shared here.
• I have 8 more weeks started. Many of them just need some handwritten journaling. I'll do that this weekend.
• That means I have 16 weeks to complete. I do have all the "stuff" from those weeks completely organized, marked with dates, and ready to add to my album.

Another little tidbit. . . I've made it almost all the way through 2012 and have only used the weird plaid title card one time. Oddly enough, I really like the way the plaid-inspired week came together. I mixed it with coordinating cards from my Core Kit, Studio Calico's Darling Dear, some washi tape, and a few Ormolu tags.

Remembering: Cosmopolitan

I took a lot of weekend bus trips for high school forensics. Every bus trip involved junk food and a copy of Cosmopolitan.

I didn't read the fashion and make-up articles.

I read the relationship and sex articles, and I lived for the quizzes.

A lot of what I knew about relationships and women's health came from Cosmo.

Feeling a little nostalgic, I visited their website tonight.

Here are a few of the top stories:

• "Six Reasons to Sleep Naked" Reason # 1 (I know you're wondering...) is to, "air out your hoo-ha."
• "What Your Hair Says About You"  There wasn't a hairstyle even remotely close to mine. Apparently, short hair doesn't speak.
• "Seven Ways Sex Keeps You Healthy"  Oddly enough, reason 4 is, "It Keeps you healthy."
• "How to Get a Guy to Like You" Apparently, I should be spraying perfume in my hair, walking in a certain way, grazing his arm, showing some skin, and tilting my face forward when we talk.
• "Quiz: Are You Way Too Obsessed With Your Ex?" My results? Turns out Cosmo is still wise. I'm a "Better-Off-Without-Him Babe:" To you, an ex is like vending-machine candy: tempting when there's nothing better around but not worth the inevitable crash. "You're saving up for something more satisfying, which is why you turn to friends when you're lonely and don't pine much over momentos," says Marie Forleo, author of Make Every Man Want You. Still, you appreciate the relationship for what it was: a chance to figure out what you do and don't want in a partner. 

Plus, the search bar suggested I look at: birth control, long haircuts, bb creams, or date ideas.

At first, I was amazed that this was what fascinated me in high school.  Was I really that shallow?

Then, I just wondered, "When did I get so old?!"

Once I got over that (it took awhile), I wondered how I managed to become a successful adult woman despite spending my hard-earned minimum wage paycheck buying countless issues of Cosmo. How did it not destroy my views about relationships? How did it not change how I felt about my body? How did it not transform me into a total sexpot?!?

I found myself getting really judgmental about the messages the magazine sends to young women about what it means to be a woman.

At 34, I work hard to be an independent, smart, and successful person. I don't measure my worth on my appearance or relationships. I do not want to compromise who I am to have a boyfriend.

I'm so far above looking at articles about celebrity bulges or comparing the efficiencies of different forms of birth control. I'm too smart to read Cosmo.

Or am I?

It was fun to read Cosmo tonight - just like I enjoy watching the Kardashians, reading mindless romance novels, and gossiping about celebrities.

That doesn't make me less of an independent woman or lower my intellect. It makes me complex and interesting.

No apologies.

Ventage Girls: Reading is Sexy

Image shamelessly used from Brandon Peat.

Today we talk about books - specifically five books that are on the "to read" list. 

There are actually 317 books on my "To Read" shelf on GoodReads. There are cookbooks, children's books, memoirs, fiction, books about literacy, and a little bit of self-help. I went through that list to pick five to make priorities.

1. The Red Tent

One of Angie's favorites, it's been on my list of things to read for a very long time. I will make time for it in 2013.

2. Behind the Beautiful Flowers

Non-fiction about Mumbai. Totally intrigued. Something I know very little about.

3. The Round House

Every now and then I want to read something because it is beautiful writing and will give me something to think about. I can't help it. It's the English major in me. That's why this one made the list.

4. Firefly Lane

For when I want to read something completely mindless.

5. The Happiness Project

I bought a copy of this when it came out. I don't think I ever read it, though. I will soon. This is, after all, the year of "happy."

Visit my Ventage Girls for more recommendations:

Angie

Em

Katrina

Stephanie

Currents

Look! Digital Currents. They usually end up getting cut and pasted to be printed out for my Project Life. Figured I'd pretty it up this week.

Brushes: Studio Calico.
Journaling Card: Tina Aszmus

happy in 2013

Made playing with a very cool iPad app, Paper.

2012: Savor

2011: Better

I didn't get particularly far with either word. This year I want to set myself up for success.

2013: Happy

I want to notice things that make me happy. 

I want to find new things that make me happy. 

Happy will lead to awesome, right?

In January, I will just notice. Where do I see happy around me?

Ventage: Soup's On

We Ventage Girls live in cold parts, and cold parts get a little more tolerable with soup.

Here are my picks - five winter soups I would like to try.

1. Zuppa Toscana
A recipe inspired by Olive Garden compliments of Annie's Eats.

2. Italian Chicken Soup
I don't normally like chicken soup; I've been spying on this one for awhile, though.

3. Sherried Tomato Soup
This would, of course, be served with a grilled cheese sandwich.

4. Brie Mushroom Soup
A restaurant in Oshkosh had an amazing mushroom brie soup. I'm hoping this recipe (from the late, Mr. Food) is as tasty.

5. Beer Cheese Soup
This choice is inspired by an amazing beer cheese soup from Minocqua Brewery.

I can't wait to see what the other Ventage Girls are simmering:
Angie
Em
Katrina
Stephanie

Hello,

Hello, winter television. Return of Downton Abbey. Return of Girls.

Hello, trashy romance. I've developed a bit of an addiction, actually, spurred by recommendations from friends. Love Unscripted and Love Left Behind have been on my bookshelf. It's getting out of hand.

Hello, decorating. I just painted a great leaning mirror (red) and picked up an ottoman. Next steps, painting a futon frame, getting a new cover (grey), and picking out some great pillows.

Hello, happy - my word for 2013. More about that another time.

Hello, plans. Very much looking forward to two January weekends filled with fun. Book of Mormon and a Badger hockey game.

Meal Plan # 3

Meal 1. Mushroom & Leek Risotto (with Italian porketta)

Meal 2. Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Winter Chopped Salad)

Meal 3. Beef Barbocoa

Meal 4. Turkey Sloppy Joe (with sweet potato tator tots)

Meal 5. Salmon and Melting Cherry Tomatoes (with Spinach with Feta & Pine Nuts)

Five Awesome Things About Katrina

One. Katrina has an uncanny knack for quoting Grey's Anatomy and not the crappy, current Grey's of present - the Grey's of long ago. Katrina knows the right line for every situation.

Two. Katrina is a learner. Since I've known her, she's taught herself about photography, yoga, meditation, juicing, and social media as a marketing tool. This girl decides she wants to know about something, does the work to learn, and takes some action based on what she knows.

Three. Katrina wants to be better. She's searching for kale-filled ways to be healthier, happier, and more at peace. And, she doesn't just search. More than anyone I have ever known, Katrina does the work. 

Four. Katrina makes time for the people she cares about. She makes time for Skype dates and crazy travel adventures and encouraging emails and happy packages. 

Five. Katrina appreciates about details. Whether it is cooking meals for her family, simplifying her home, making her Project Life, or traveling - Katrina cultivates and notices beautiful details. 

Happiest of birthdays to you, dear friend. I do wish I was there to celebrate with you.

Currents

I got a bunch of compliments about my outfit today. 

Apparently, it was colorful.

Time: 8:21 P.M. (Wishing I was already asleep)
Location: bed
Watching: nothing at the moment - just finished Newsroom (season 1)
Eating: cough drops
Drinking: all sorts of beer Rob insisted I try (he's visiting)
Feeling: anxious
Thinking:  that my skin looks about as great as it did when I was 13
Wanting: to feel happy and satisfied
Needing: a better morning routine
Making: a pile of things to mail tomorrow
Loving: new lipglosses from Fresh

Ventage Tuesday: To Do in 2013

I have a love-hate relationship with new years. I want to feel bright and shiny. I want to embrace the idea of a clean start, a new page, a blank slate, a chance to be a better me.

I get over-whelmed, though. 

Maybe it's the all possibilities. Maybe it's the chance that I will fuck it all up. Again. Maybe it's the pressure to confess my flaws and make detailed plans to improve upon them. Maybe it's all the talk of healthy eating and fitness - you know how I feel about those.

Today all I can handle is planning to do a few things in 2013 that I know I will love. Nothing serious. Nothing detailed. Just things I know will make me all sorts of happies.

1. Eat cheese.
I will nibble my way through this list: 10 WI Cheese to Try in 2013.

2. Make macarons.
My summer list from 2011 included making macarons. I didn't do it then, and I haven't done it since. I will do it this year, though.

3. Ventage meet-up.
That's right, girls. Katrina. Stephanie. Em. Angie. Me. We will have a meet-up some time in 2013. That's all five of us. Together. It doesn't even matter where. It just needs to involve a giant group hug. Maybe a few giant group hugs.

4. Go to the movies.
At least once a month. Maybe I'll even see all the Oscar nominees.

5. Try new restaurants.
I live in a new place. I haven't found a favorite Chinese dish or the pizza I love. I will eat at a new place at least once a month.

Welcome, 2013. May I fill you with things that make me happy.

May my friends fill you with things that make them happy.
Angie.
Emily.
Katrina.
Stephanie.