I told you this was coming. We have the spices. We have the chicken.

And now we have chicken vindaloo.

Apparently themes are sooooo 2015. My reading as been all over the place - whatever's available at the library, whatever is at my fingertips when I've finished a book, or whatever has just arrived from Thriftbooks.com.
 
Speaking of, if you're a reader, you need to know about Thriftbooks. It features new and used books for great prices - I think the most I've ever paid for a hardback was $10 or so. If you spend $10 or more, you get free shipping, and that's not hard to do. Plus, if you sign up using my referral link, you get 15 percent off your first purchase, and I do, too. Fun, right?

Anyway. I think maybe my mishmash of books is a good thing - a bunch of different books means that perhaps I'll review something that could be helpful to each and every one of you, my loyal subscribers. So I'll continue to be random, and you just keep reading - my blog that is, and maybe a book or two if you have the time ;)
 
xoxo,
E

One question I get a lot is, "What's your favorite thing about being a writer/reporter?" Luckily, as questions go, that's an easy one: I love getting to meet new people and hear their stories. I'm always weirdly in the know. I know what buildings are going up in downtown Greenville, what new products might be coming to market, and who are the up and coming people. And I love every second of it.

So when I was assigned an article about prepared foods made in South Carolina for our March issue, well...I think we can all agree that was a good suggestion on my editor's part, no? He's obviously picked up on my quirks pretty quickly.

It's no secret that adult coloring books are all the rage, and I'm all for this trend. It's a great way to relax and de-stress by reconnecting with your childhood. I mean, I always loved to color as a kid. So when I got a chance to review Whatever is Lovely for Blogging for Books, I jumped at it.

Normally, I love winter. I LOVE blankets and being snuggly, so cold weather is a huge plus. But I've started volunteering at the Greenville Humane Society, and walking those sweet fuzzbutts in cold, windy weather has wreaked havoc on my skin and hair. Luckily, I've got backup. These hair and skin care products have been keeping me sane, so I thought I'd share.

What skin care products do you swear by in the winter?

xoxo,
E

Not intentionally, people, not intentionally. Let me be clear about that: we did not actually intend to have a vegan meal. I know I get crazy ideas sometimes, especially concerning food (God bless poor, patient B), but I am not that crazy. Honestly, we were just trying to clean out the pantry.

As I may have mentioned before, we thought we were through...and then we found two lone pork chop holdouts hiding in the back of the freezer. Ugh. As I may have mentioned, the Great Costco Pork Chop Purchase of 2014 was a bad, bad idea. We go through the giant bags of frozen chicken breasts in no time. But pork chops just aren't as versatile, and if you don't do them correctly, it's like sucking on the Pottery Barn catalogue (so says Lorelai Gilmore).

Not that I've ever sucked on the Pottery Barn catalogue, but you get the idea.

This month's assortment of books are as random as I am - that's what the holidays will do to you. Enjoy!
 
xoxo,
E

Ever since we've been back from France, we have made a real effort to only buy what groceries we need for the next 2-3 days' worth of meals. We only buy one fruit and one veg snack at a time (ie, one bag of apples and one bunch of carrots), and we don't buy any other snack fruit or veg until we've eaten those up.

Christmas was somewhat of an exception, as we bought things we don't normally keep in the house, such as crackers, to use for recipes to take to Christmas parties, but on the whole we have worked really, really hard to shop more frequently, and for fewer items.