Monthly Reading Inventory: February

February has been a busy month, but I did manage to read two books. Both would be considered historical fiction/romance, and I found myself totally immersed in both and had to make myself stop reading in order to get a good night's sleep. In the case of the second book, I actually dreamed about it and had what us bookworms like to call a book hangover once I finished it. Keep reading for my reviews.

From a Paris Balcony is the story of Sarah West, a curator for a Boston art museum, as she tries to get her life back on track in the wake of her parents' deaths and her divorce. Sarah decides to go to Paris to uncover the truth about her ancestor, Louisa's death. The book switches between present day and the mid-1890s, and is told from the perspective of both Sarah and Louisa, whose lives seem to parallel each other at least romantically. In the end, Sarah does learn the truth about Louisa's death and finds herself in a new relationship with artist, Laurent Chartier. I was left wanting more in terms of that relationship and felt like the book ended too soon in that regard, but otherwise I highly recommend.

Historic romance is probably my favorite genre, and The Memory of Us is one of the best books I've read in that genre in a long time. This is a love story if ever there was one. Julianne Westcott and Kyle McCarthy meet while Julianne is secretly visiting her twin brother who's been institutionalized since birth. They fall in love but think they can't be together because Kyle is studying to be a Catholic priest, but when Kyle's father falls deathly ill and Julianne nurses him until he dies, Kyle realizes he's meant to be with her. There's just one problem: Julianne's family disapproves of their relationship. They get married in secret and start a life together but war and a terrible accident rips them apart. Twenty years later, they're reunited. In her debut novel, Camille Di Maio beautifully blends memory with present day. I had to make myself put this one down to sleep and found myself counting down the hours until work ended and I would get to pick it back up. It's that good. Seriously. If you haven't added it to your reading list, you should.

Monday Motivation

What a fashionable way of saying your actions matter. Don't be a flip flop.

Happy Monday!

5 Things I Shared This Week

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. Here are 5 things I shared this past week on my social media accounts.

-This side-by-side "Call Me Maybe" lip sync video.
-CUTE! A fifth grader asked his local police department for help with his math homework.
-This interview with Christina Ricci on why she made "Z: The Beginning of Everything."
-FUNNY! The president of Iceland said if he could ban anything it would be pineapple on pizza.
-This advice from therapists on how to take care of yourself while being politically active.

If you'd like to follow along, you can find links to all my social media accounts in the nav bar at the top of this page.

Newsroom Fashion: Chevron Dress

I saw this dress in the window of a store I rarely go in, mostly because it caters to teenagers, and couldn't resist checking it out. I expected the quality to reflect the price - cheap, but I was pleasantly surprised. The material is thick enough to not be see-through or wrinkle easily, which is a major plus since I spend most of my day sitting at a desk. I decided to keep things seasonally appropriate with ankle boots (It's too warm here for anything more) and added a thick belt to at least make it look like I have a waist (I don't).

Details:
Dress: recent Rue21 (note: the attached necklace is removable)
Boots: recent Belk
Belt: new Target
Sunglasses: new Target

What I Want My Daughter to Know About Feminism

A letter to my daughter about feminism:

I hope one day these words I've written will no longer apply, but until then I hope to instill in you these important, fundamental beliefs.

To be female is to be feminist, even though many women will adamantly say that they are not a feminist. To them I say being a female but not be a feminist is ignorant. It's like saying, "I'm a woman and I don't want to be on an equal playing field as men."

It is equally as ignorant to say that women have the same rights as men in this country. While that may be technically true -women can vote, own their own business, and run for office after all - women and men are not on equal ground when it comes to almost anything. Women make on average 75% of what a man makes doing the same job; only 25 companies in the Fortune 500 are run by women, which is an improvement from 20 years ago when that number was zero; and only 105 of the 535 members of the 114th Congress are women.

Just because you, personally, don't feel oppressed as a woman, doesn't mean that inequality doesn't exist for hundreds, thousands, even millions of women elsewhere. I, personally, have not felt oppressed as a woman, but then again I haven't been denied a job or promotion based on my gender; and I haven't been personally affected by movements to limit access to birth control or the right to get an abortion. But growing up I did feel that oppression when my grandparents let my brother and male cousin go outside to play but I was expected to stay inside and do housework with my grandmother all because I was a girl. It's actions like those that cause little girls to think of themselves differently and to believe that they can only do "girly" things, but let me tell you something, baby girl. Just because men and women use the bathroom differently doesn't mean they should be treated differently.

Just because you weren't born with a penis doesn't mean you are any less capable. In fact, you are just as capable as any man in whatever you set your mind to. Maybe more so. But it is important that you understand how much harder you may have to work to achieve the same levels of success that men do.

It's also important that you understand the emphasis other people will put on the way you look. But whether you choose to dress up or down or a combination of both, make sure you're dressing in a way that you like. And while the way you dress, fix your hair and do your makeup (if you so choose to wear it) will make a big difference in how you're treated, don't you ever let someone convince you that the way you dress or fix your hair or do your makeup could ever be the reason why a man makes unwanted sexual advances on you.

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly - you don't have to be a hardcore, man-hating member of a women's march to be feminist. It's enough to simply believe that women deserve to be afforded the same opportunities and successes as their male counterparts.

Monday Motivation

You know the saying "this is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, it's true, especially if you're unhappy with any part of your life. There's no time like today to make a positive change. So what are you waiting for? This is only the beginning...

Happy Monday!

5 Things I Shared This Week

It's been a whirlwind of a week and weekend. Here are five of my favorite things from the interwebs that I shared on my various platforms.

• American Girl debuts its first-ever boy doll.
• The Washington Post's memo to Donald Trump on warring with "the media."
• Ashton Kutcher blows kiss to Sen. McCain at hearing on child sex trafficking.
• This pop-up Hello Kitty grocery store in Hong Kong.
• This study that proves eating well matters more than working out.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Newsroom Fashion: Last Chance at Winter

This may very well be the last time I wear a sweater for awhile. We've had a very mild winter, and it looks like Spring is going to make an early appearance despite what all those groundhogs said. This has been one of my most favorite sweater purchases. I love the print, the weight it just right and it's easy to dress up or down. It's technically supposed to be 3/4 length sleeves, but on me they're regular length, even in the petite sizing. I linked to it below (Bonus: it's on major sale right now!). My skirt and boots are both old, but I linked to similar options below.

Details:
Sweater (recent): Liz Claiborne
Skirt (old): The Limited (similar)
Boots (old): Target (similar, similar)

How I Met My Valentine

When it comes to Valentine's Day, my husband and I don't really "celebrate." This year, we arranged a night without our daughter over the weekend and then did nothing. But in the spirit of the holiday, I thought I'd share the story of how we met seven years ago.

I had been working at the station for about three months on the overnight shift, living at home with my parents, and generally not having a social life. I'd been single for awhile and wanted to meet someone new, but that's kind of hard when your schedule is literally the complete opposite of most everybody else. My friend recommended Plenty of Fish, so I filled out the profile questionnaire, set up the parameters of who I was interested in meeting, and uploaded a profile picture.

After a few dead-end chats with guys who were only interested in one thing, I decided to take matters into my own hands and started looking through the profiles of men with whom I'd been "matched." When I got to Chris' I was instantly interested, but couldn't muster up the nerve to send a message. I actually got my mom to come help me figure out what to send, and - no joke - as we were crafting a message, one popped up from him.

We chatted online for awhile getting to know each other. Then we exchanged phone numbers and texted back and forth and even had a few phone calls. Our first date was on January 26, 2010, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Happy Valentine's Day! How did you meet your significant other?

Monday Motivation

All too often we rely on other people or on material things to determine our happiness when the key to long-lived happiness lies solely in ourselves. So this week I challenge you to change your thinking and stop putting your happiness into the hands of someone other than yourself. Take charge of your happiness and your life. It's not up to anyone else.

Happy Monday!

5 Things I Shared This Week

This was the theme of my week. I had all these plans to publish two blog posts, but life got in the way. So here's some of the stuff I've been reading, liking and sharing this week.

• This fun, easy Valentine's craft you can do at home with your kids.
• This Pope-approved trick to beating stress. 
• These Valentine's every Alabamian will love.
• Arianna Huffington's advice on how to get out of the cycle of outrage in Trump's world.
• Darren Knight's Southern Momma videos, especially this one.

Have a great weekend!

Monday Motivation

You are enough. Don't limit yourself by thinking anything less.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Casual Friday

So it's been awhile, huh? Our weather has been crazy all over the place lately, and I've been swamped for like the past month working on awards submissions for the station, but enough with the excuses. After a particularly long week, I took full advantage of casual Friday with my favorite "mom" jeans, comfy loafers and floral bomber jacket.

Details:

Jacket: ShoeDazzle (similar, similar)

Shirt: Target

Jeans: Kohls

Shoes: Payless (similar, similar)