Archives for December 2018

Monthly Favorites | December

December 31, 2018 filed under: my so-called life

1. I usually don’t drink Baileys Irish Cream* (or much of any alcohol for that matter) throughout the year, but it’s a special treat I’ve come to enjoy for New Year’s Eve.

2. I made homemade Semmelknödel* (bread dumplings) for the first time (stale bread rolls are somehow hard to come by in the US, but I figured that stuffing would be a good alternative) and they turned out great. Can’t wait to make them again!

3. It’s that time of the year when J’s always hot and I’m always cold and so this fuzzy blanket* is currently my best friend and it goes where I go.

4. In an effort to use up all the makeup I have lying around (which really isn’t that much at all), I rekindled my love for the Loreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation*. Applied with a brush, it’s actually quite good and long-lasting.

5. I got lucky during my Christmas shopping with J and scored these new boots*! They’re actually comfortable and came at a great sales’ price.

6. I’ve tried to transition from regular (2%) milk to a milk alternative for my morning coffee, but I had a really hard time finding something that could match the creaminess of regular milk. Almond milk and coconut milk are not creamy enough and have too much of a distinct taste, but I think Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Soy milk* is the winner. I can hardly feel a difference in texture and it’s only a minor taste adjustment. Win-win.

7. Christmas cards. Do I sound like a broken record? So be it, but it’s no secret that Christmas cards make me the happiest in December.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

Currently | December

December 27, 2018 filed under: my so-called life

LOVING | the absolutely awesome Boston Red Sox mug that I got through the #secretsantamugswap2018 (and I am hoping to share all the other mugs what were exchanged soon!)

ENJOYING | all the Christmas lights and decorations in our neighborhood.

EATING | Christmas cookies. I am on a serious sugar-overload this week. (I usually don’t eat that many sweets, but I am making an exception, because hey, it’s Christmas.)

DRINKING | pots, and pots of tea.

WATCHING | holiday movies. I have been opting for more not-so-conventional movies this year. I watched “Family Man”, “Fred Claus”, and a handful of holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel (thanks to my friend Tanja – ha!) as well as a Classic that is always played in Germany for Christmas (“Sissi”).

READING | Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot.

HOPING | that you all had some good times with your family and friends over the holidays, and

WISHING | I could have hugged some of mine.

FEELING FRUSTRATED | by the government shutdown and the fact that hard-working federal employees pay the price for the dysfunction in the White House, but also

TRYING TO BE THANKFUL | for an extended Christmas holiday and the fact that J and I will be ok through this shutdown (others are not that lucky).

What’s going on with you currently?

December Link Love

December 21, 2018 filed under: link love

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Around the Interwebs

Why you can’t forgive someone.

How to document your personal possessions in case of an emergency. If you do have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, you do want to do this.

How I Quit Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon

I think of myself as pretty tech-savvy, but this iPhone cursor trick must be (relatively) new.

This is how Americans define their dream job.

Around the blogosphere

How to talk to someone when you suspect they have a problem

When the holidays are hard.

Craftiness

2019 new year printable planner

More 2019 printable calendars

DIY dried orange garland

For my runner friends

How to get out of your running slump. I needed to read this because I might have been in a slump recently.

Why I run even though I dread it

Best post run stretches for IT bands and hips.

Deliciousness

I’ve been meaning to make potato pancakes (aka latkes) forever.

I made (a variation of) this tortellini with sausage and kale soup and you should too.

Ham and pea soup, anyone? This looks so soothing!

Share a good link with me in the comments!

Who I am (at the moment)

December 17, 2018 filed under: about me, Who I am

I realize, I haven’t written a ‘who I am (at the moment)’ post in a long, long time. I originally stole this idea from Kerri (who is also still doing these posts occasionally!) a long time ago, because I thought it was such a good way to check in with yourself every once in a while. If you’re not letting the ball drop on it, that is. My last ‘Who I am’ post is from almost two years ago. But who cares. I am picking up where I left off.

I am …

… a little bit of a Christmas grinch this year, and you guys, I am NOT usually a Christmas grinch. I love the holidays season. I honestly don’t know what happened this year. Here we are, a week away from Christmas, and my holiday spirit is barely above ZERO on the holiday meter. Maybe it’s the fact that we had so much going on the last few weeks, or that we’re again not traveling for the holidays, or that I won’t really take much time off, or SOMETHING, but this is very unusual for me, to say the least. I am still holding out hope though this will change in the next few days or so.

… missing our house a bit (not going to lie), but also trying to make this first Christmas at our new place something special.

… cold a lot. J thinks I have a circulation problem. I think it’s just damn freakin’ cold. Where is floor heating when you need it?

… happy that I got almost all of my Christmas organizing out of the way this weekend. I know I can get shit done when I buckle down, but I definitely have done better in previous years and there is still a bit more stuff I need to do, but I guess we’ll all live.

… still running regularly, (or should I say, again running regularly) but I am not sticking to a training plan right now and so I am winging it a bit when it comes to distance and effort. I am just making sure that I keep showing up, however unorganized it might be right now. I’ll soon have to pick a new goal to train for, for sure. At least I have some new running trails to explore.

… obsessed with some of the new recipes I’ve been trying. I am planning to share couple of them in the coming weeks, because if I print them out and they make it into my permanent recipe folder, that’s always a good sign. On that note, what are you making for Christmas dinner?

… annoyed and digusted by politics (what else is new?) and I am once again not-so-patiently waiting for what will happen when the federal funding deadline runs out at the end of the week. Government shutdown over Christmas, anyone?

Who are you at the moment?

A wish list

December 13, 2018 filed under: holidays, lists!, love

I love all the gift guides and wish lists that are popping up around the blogosphere around this time. I love browsing for ideas and seeing what’s on other people’s wish list.

I’ve never officially done a Holiday Gift Guide on this blog before, but I have shared Christmas wish lists in the past and I thought I’d do that again this year.

J and I haven’t really exchanged gifts in the past, or it’s something that we both wanted (like new iPhones) or an experience that we decided to “give each other for Christmas”. In all honesty, we would have done it either way, but for some reason declaring it Christmas gifts always has a bit more magic to it, doesn’t it?

Christmas is by no means all about the gifts (although it might often seem that way), and I feel that the most important thing about the holidays is spending time with family and friends (if that’s possible), but I personally also love the gift-giving. I wish I was someone who would completely forego the Christmas shopping madness, but I also have to admit that I love shopping for small gifts for my family and friends around this time of year and I equally enjoy putting a little wish list together for myself.

Although for me, it is more about the gesture and thoughtfulness behind the gift than the actual monetary value.

My biggest wish – as always – would be to go home for the holidays, but since this won’t be happening (for the fifth year in a row – womp, womp!), I am going to fill my holiday season with all the holiday cheer I can get my hands on. Sharing a little wish list of pretty (and functional!) things that would be lovely to have is one way to do this. Some of them are totally reasonable and maybe in my future budget, some are just things that caught my eye, but which I probably won’t get (right now or ever). Some might be a gift inspiration for you. Who knows?

1. Ogio Purse // 2. Food Storage Containers // 3. Seafoam Letterboard //
4. Running hoodie // 5. Herschel coin purse // 6. Resistence bands //
7. Lotta from Stockholm Pandora Black Chelsea Boots // 8. Giftcards //
9. Kitchenaid Glas Bowl // 10. Hydro Flask //

1. I randomly came across this Ogio Purse online and it had really good reviews and I’ve been looking for a casual, yet nice looking cross-body bag.

2. I’ve been looking to replace some of my plastic containers with glass container and these food storage containers have great reviews and are air-tight and leak-proof.

3. Can you believe I am one of the few (?) people who don’t have a letterboard yet? Well, this seafoam letterboard caught my eye, because it’s such a pretty color.

4. Baby, it’s cold outside and I think I could use another warm running hoodie.

5. I have a small coin purse that holds some cards and cash, which I use for travel, but it’s slowly but surely falling apart and this Herschel coin purse looks like a great replacement.

6. I’ve been thinking about investing in some resistence bands to use for some strength training at home.

7. These Lotta from Stockholm Pandora Black Chelsea Boots caught my eye on Instagram and since I had to sadly return the boots that I got last year in Germany (the sole came off prematurely), I’ve been looking for a replacement.

8. Giftcards are always a good idea if you don’t know what to get someone for Christmas. I used to think that gift cards are a cop-out, but they actually beat any random gift that was bought just in order to have something in hand.

9. There is a new Kitchenaid model that comes with a hobnail bowl and I am so in love. Unfortunately, the hobnail bowl doesn’t seem to be available by iteself (and I already own the Kitchenaid mixer), so I am opting for a glass bowl for my wish list instead.

10. I’ve been thinking about replacing some of my Nalgene bottles with a stainless steel bottles and the Hydro Flask looks like it would be a great choice.

What’s on your wish list? Did you publish your own? (Leave me a link to it in the comments!)

TotR | Show us your race bling

December 11, 2018 filed under: linkup, running

This week, I am linking up with Erika, Patty and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run again. I am running *pun intended* a little low on inspiration and sharing my race bling with you is just the topic I need to get me writing again.

I set out to run three half-marathons this year, which I did. I also threw in a 10k and I am a sucker for the medals (more than the t-shirts, unless they fit good and have a great design – the SF Marathon usually has this part DOWN!).

I wish I had more bling to show, but I am picky about which races I sign up for. Sign-up fees aren’t cheap and I also like to space out races to train and recover properly.

I ran four races this year:

+ The American River Parkway Half Marathon – Sacramento, CA – April
+ The 10k Davis Moo-nlight Run – Davis, CA – July

+ The (1st) SF Half Marathon – SF, CA – July
+ The Urban Cow Half Marathon – Sacramento, CA – October

The American River Parkway Half Marathon was my first race this year. I needed to put something on the calendar to get started on my goal to run three half marathons and it turned out to be a great pick to start off my race year. It’s a beautiful race course along the American River here in Sacramento and I am so glad I decided to run it. I had a great race and the medal was personalized and pretty cool!

In July, I ran the 10k Davis Moo-nlight Run with my friend Susi. It’s a night race, it was hot and I was totally just running this for fun with my friend. We had a great time and the medal is pretty cool, because it glows in the dark! The race is the final race in Part One of the NorCal Tour de FIT series, four races over the course of 6 months (that’s why the medal looks so weirdly piece-of-pie-shaped this year, because if you run all four races, which I didn’t, the four medals interlock into one super-sized medal).

Running the San Francisco Half Marathon has become somewhat of a tradition, as I participated for the third year in a row. It’s a good excuse to spend a weekend in the City and you can’t really beat running the streets of San Francisco.

I finished my race year by running the Urban Cow Half Marathon. I had planned to run this race (which is literally in my ‘backyard’) for the last two years, but it hadn’t worked out in the past. This year I finally made it happen and I managed to finish my race year with a personal best. So yeah, I was pretty excited about that.

Even though the half marathons feel like bigger accomplishments for me, I think I liked the Davis Moo-nlight Run medal best. It just such a cool theme with the running cows and the glow-in-the-dark bling.

Did you like your race bling this year? Are you fond of the medals?

What I read in November

December 7, 2018 filed under: books

Man, it’s slow-going on the reading front. I had high hopes for November (what with a long holiday weekend and all), but between moving and work-related stuff, I didn’t get as much reading done as I had hoped. It’s now very unlikely that I will hit my reading goal for the year (60 books), even though I was getting pretty close (on book 50, as of right now). It’s okay, I am not going to be hard on myself, I am reading for fun after all.

I read the following two books in November, which were both just “okay” (as you can see from my ratings).

America: the Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges (★★★☆☆)

This book was… weird. I was super-intrigued, even though equally depressed, by the first part of the book, but then Hodges went off on weird tangents and I found it hard to follow at times. There are lengthy chapters on pornography, gambling, drugs, hate, and poverty and I agree that these are all parts of a declining culture, but his outlook is pretty grim and he doesn’t really offer much hope. He is pretty convinced of America’s downfal in the next 20 years and isn’t shy to say so. I’d love to hear your thoughts, if you read the book already.

Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino (★★★☆☆)

Gah, this book was so frustrating. I really like Carlino’s writing style and I wanted to read something ‘lighter’ after the depressing, non-fiction book above, but as in one of her previous book, Carlino left me with a lot of eye-rolling. I mean, is this real life? (Apparently not – it’s fiction!) Because, man, do things work out for some people.

The plot of this story strangely reminded me of “Me before you“, which I actually loved, but in this book, there is way too much “priviledge”, too much “I try hard to fuck it up and win anyway”-kinda stuff going on. I am all for a good love story, which is what I was expecting and in the beginning I thought “oh, this book might be just what I was hoping for”, but then halfway through it really all fell apart. The last few chapters were just “too much”, even for someone who likes happy endings.

What did you read in November? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.

Hello December

December 5, 2018 filed under: about me

Just wow. Can you believe we’re 4 weeks away from yet another new year? I don’t know where the time went. I feel like it was just February a few weeks ago, but * poof* and the whole year flew by.

On Sunday, we got out our Christmas decorations, put up the tree (with lights, no ornaments yet!) and set up the advent wreath. I love this time of year and J and I have vowed that because last year’s holiday season and Christmas was so shitty, because we were both sick, we would make up for it this year.

We started December with our first Christmas movie, Love Actually. This is one of my favorites and I won’t promise that we won’t watch it another, oh, 2-5x times before the month is over.

Things I am looking forward to this month:

★ Mailing some holiday cards. Sending out cards might be my most favorite thing about the holidays. There is nothing better than getting a real letter in the mail.

★ Sending out some gifts. I always think that I’d like to celebrate Christmas without the gift-giving, but then again, I really like to buy small gifts for people for the holidays. It doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive, just a small little gesture of appreciation.

★ Baking some Christmas cookies. It’s part of the holiday season for me and everyone deserves some damn Christmas cookies if you ask me. One of these days, I am going to buy a “~~meat~~ cookie dough grinder” and make authentic German Spritz cookies.

★ Donate for a good cause. I always try to do this every year and I do have money set aside in my budget for this. It’s a small gesture with a huge impact on the less fortunate.

★ Watch Christmas movies. As mentioned above, we started early and I am planning to see many more. Any suggestions (besides the usual ‘must-see’ movies – The Holiday, Home Alone, The Family Stone, National Lampoon’s Christmas, Elf)?

★ We now live in a part of town that is famous for its holiday decorations. There are a couple of blocks that go all out and people come from everywhere to check out the Christmas lights. We only live a short walk away this time (which is nice, because you can’t really park anywhere close) and it’ll be nice to go and walk around. Do you decorate your house?

Things I am not-so-much looking forward to this month:

★ We are – again – not traveling to Germany for the holidays. There were times when I thought it unfathomable to not see my family for Christmas, but it’s become sort of the norm in the last few years (because there were other times in the year where I wanted to go to be present for certain events). While I enjoy a quiet and cozy Christmas at home, what I really want to do is spend the holidays with family.

What’s on your ‘to-do’ (and ‘to-enjoy’!) list the next two weeks?