Call Ariel K. Price a bookworm, and she’ll consider it a compliment.
Ariel K. Price
Ariel is an editor, writer, and reader. Her passion for words is her life’s work.
She’s also a feminist. Here’s an excerpt from her comment when she first read the post she selected for Reader’s Choice:
“This is why so many men don’t take feminism seriously: they just see a bunch of angry women who want to hurt them. As a feminist, I know it is in my best interests to show love and graciousness to men, while also fighting for my equal treatment and respect.”
Exactly. Ariel’s Reader’s Choice is:
The MOB Confronts Cattiness Against Boys
click to read The MOB Confronts Cattiness Against Boys
Eric Bostic may very well take over the city of Charlotte one day.
Eric Bostic (right) with his brothers Malcolm and Derek
I went to school with Eric. One thing I remember about him is that he always—always—had a beautiful, friendly smile on his face. Still does to this day.
Eric owns a merchant services company and his wife recently opened a medical supply business. Before that, Eric served as a Ranger and Green Beret. He knows the cost of freedom firsthand. He recognizes how important it is for a self-governed people to express their viewpoints.
A handful of everyday epistle readers and friends were asked to name their favorite posts from 2012. Receiving their responses has been like opening early Christmas gifts for me. Starting Sunday and running until the end of the year, you’ll meet this diverse group of readers and see what posts they chose.
As always, comments and sharing will be open on all selections. Look for the purple Reader’s Choice 2012 seal and join me as we revisit the posts that defined this year on the blog.
We all live off His generous bounty,
gift after gift after gift. (John 1:16 The Message)
Had I been born a decade earlier, odds are I’d have bounded into the 80s as a spry 20-something yuppie with color swatches tucked safely under my right elbow. I’d have been ready at a moment’s notice to whip out the swatches and illuminate women to their correct seasonal palette.
fuchsia
In case you don’t know, Color Me Beautiful is the most successful of all color typing books. First published in 1980, Color Me Beautiful is to color analysis what The Godfather is to mobster movies. All subsequent books advising women of their best colors owe their existence to Ms. Jackson’s four seasonal palettes. Depending on the combination of your hair and eye colors and your skin tone, you are either a Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall. The colors that make up your seasonal palette are the colors that look best on you.
Modern fashion advisors (Stacy and Clinton) try to buck the system and deviate from Ms. Jackson’s palettes. They say you can wear any color you want as long as you choose the right shade. This is America; you can wear any color you want. Some colors that aren’t in your seasonal palette may even look good on you. But you and I and Ms. Jackson aren’t interested in good; we want best.
We want to wear the colors that look best on us.
As Paula Reed writes in Style Clinic, “Find out what colors light up your face, bring out the color of your eyes, and flatter your hair and wear them—all the time.” Touché!
Ollie Jean Owen
Ms. Jackson and I have been together now for years. My mom picked up a first edition Color Me Beautiful book at a garage sale. Mom was a Bargainista before Bargainistas were cool, but that is another post. Prior to my mom, the book belonged to Ollie Jean Owen. I know this because Ollie signed the inside cover. I wonder if she read the book. Maybe color theory didn’t stick with her or she thought she’d mastered it. For whatever reason, Ollie’s copy landed in the garage sale pile. Little did she know she sold a diamond for a dollar that day. If she’s still around, I hope she’s wearing her palette.
Mom color analyzed me, a teenager, as soon as she acquired the book. I was and still am a Winter. Mine is the only palette that includes pure black and white. Orange is dead to me. My yellow is lemon. My browns are limited to chocolate so dark it looks black (also my favorite flavor at Baskin-Robbins).
Although I’ve known for close to three decades what colors I’m supposed to wear, staying within my palette has been a process. Four short years ago my closet was an overflowing mess. Nothing to Wear? by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo initiated the detox. It remains my favorite closet purging book. It’s So You! by Mary Sheehan Warren was a godsend, as wasI Don’t Have a Thing to Wear by Julie Taggart and Jackie Walker.
pick your palette
Sheehan Warren offered an updated color chart based on Ms. Jackson’s palettes. So did Garza and Lupo in their 2008 book Life in Color. But you know there ain’t nothing like the real thing.
For wardrobe color correction, I returned to Ms. Jackson’s pages.
Today I love and wear every item in my closet, and every one is in my palette. Well, almost every one. I keep a favorite mistake, purchased on a shopping trip to Chicago with my BFF. She’s a Spring. The blouse spoke to me from the rack with its vibrant reddish-orange, stained-glass design. I HAD to have it. So while my fair-faced friend bought two black dresses meant for a Winter like me, I bought a shirt that should be worn by a Spring like her.
With the exception of that blouse, the rest of my closet sings of navy, true red, fuchsia, blue, indigo, emerald, black, and white. It’s been a good year for jewel tones. Ms. Jackson would be proud, and so would my mom.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet. Proverbs 31:21 NIV
My Yellow is also Coldplay with their strange, mesmerizing song.
What’s your best color to wear?
What’s your favorite mistake?
I love that our culture still reserves a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth. But the churning of the holiday season is a mixed bag for me, and I’m not the only one.
After I published the bah-humbug-ish post Saving Duck this past Tuesday, my best friend, my closest cousin, and my brother all contacted me within a three-hour period. These people are more dear than I deserve, so their concern could be a coincidence. Just in case, I thought I better clarify.
First, I’m okay. You’re okay. God willing, we’ll all make it through.
Second, this is not a retraction of my thoughts from my last post. The unrealistic expectations of a perfect Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s are destructive. They steal our joie de vivre and drain our bank accounts. We question our faith and our sanity.
Now I know there are a few of you who would prefer I only write about shiny, happy things. I appreciate that, and I wish I could meet your demands.
But I can’t.
It’s not my intention to be a negative Nelly. I do write about fun stuff as well from misread song lyrics to missing underwire, from discontinued lipstick to dismissed hair accessories. But to me, it wouldn’t be honest or helpful to present as if everything is sunshine and roses (or pink poinsettias) when it’s not.
Yesterday I hung out with some Christian girlfriends. One caught my attention when she said, “I don’t really like this season. I mean I like Christmas, I just don’t care for all that goes with it.”
Her courage struck a chord. One by one, every woman recounted personal stories of how painful the holidays can be. My December dread didn’t seem so abnormal after all.
The wisest of all the women shared a story from when her kids were younger. She and her husband piled their little ones in the car and drove across three states to visit a relative for Thanksgiving. The trip wasn’t a surprise visit; the relative knew they were coming. Imagine their shock to arrive just in time to stand in the driveway and wave good-bye. Grandma had made other plans to go out with friends for Thanksgiving dinner instead.
don’t be a turkey
“We laugh about it now,” said my friend. “We joke and say, ‘Remember when Grandma left us on Thanksgiving?’ But at the time, it wasn’t funny.”
This is in part why we need other people in our lives. It’s why we need to tell each other the truth. It’s why some of us write and read and comment. How good to know we’re not alone. Others have walked this road or on it with us now. Many have survived. Maybe we will, too.
Walk on, pilgrims. Walk on.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease. Lamentations 3:21-22 NLT
Today we’re linking to two recipes from one magnificent cook. It’s a double dip of deliciousness!
First, we’re cooking a famous ham sammies recipes from my friend Leah at Beyer Beware as part of our instead of hot dogs series. Second, today also happens to be Monday, the day of the week Leah posts her Hunk of Meat Mondays feature recipe. Visit Beyer Beware for Leah’s latest feature, Philly Cheese Sloppy Joes. And click this link to see the recipe details for our dish:
Leah told me these ham sammies were addictive, and she’s right. The “secret sauce” makes these babies special. A few simple steps transforms ham sandwiches from simple to super.
Nice job, Leah. Carnivores everywhere sing your praises!
famous ham sammies
For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
Might as well face it, you’re Addicted to Love and ham sandwiches…
If you make this recipe, let me know how you like it!
Posts have been flying out of here faster than a french fry out of a Happy Meal. Here’s a recap of what’s been published where, including links you may have missed.
Back on BlogHer
Lisen and I are on BlogHer this week, fearlessly discussing biotech foods (GMOs, genetically modified organisms) and California’s Prop 37. Whether you live in CA or not, this measure has huge repercussions for food, farm, and those of us who buy groceries. Please drop by to read the point-counterpoint post and add to the conversation.
Carolina on My Mind “The number one reason I’m voting for Mitt Romney can be summed up in two words: North Carolina.” That’s the opening line to my post Why Mitt Romney Has My Vote, featured today on Project Underblog. Earlier this week, Project Underblog featured my letter to Facebook founder, Dear Mr. Zuckerberg.
Mobilizing Moms Yesterday my guest post The Mommy Vote Counts appeared on Mastering Mommy Brain. I was honored to write this nonpartisan post encouraging moms to vote. Often we don’t recognize our own strength. “Mommy, your vote is wanted and it counts. Your voice needs to be heard in this conversation.” Read more in The Mommy Vote Counts.
Love to North Dakota
My blogging sister Katie Pinke had a little surprise this past week. Her blog’s URL was mistakenly listed as expired and sold to someone else! Her blog of five years disappeared. Fifty hours and mountains of frustration later, her blog was restored with a new URL—just in time to launch a new series North Dakota November. Please go by and give Katie some blogging love at ThePinkePost.com. I’m so glad she’s back online.
keep calm
Polar Opposites
A special thank you to those of you who subscribe. I appreciate you sticking with me through a WordPress glitch that temporarily stopped email updates. For those of you who don’t subscribe yet, it’s easy and free. As a bonus, you get to catch my misspells and typos before I do. For example, the emailed version of Should Christians Vote?instructed voters to go to the poles on November 6th rather than to the polls… Now wouldn’t that be a hoot?
That’s all the news that’s fit to blog today. Rest up this weekend. Next week promises to be a doozie!
The Lord gives strength to His people;
the Lord blesses His people with peace. Psalm 29:11 NIV
It happened when I guest posted with the cowboy blogger. It happened when I guest posted with the baseball blogger. And today it’s happening again as I’m guest posting with the mommy blogger.
Dana of Mastering Mommy Brain
I’ve written a post I think must be my very favorite so far—and I have to let it go to debut on someone else’s site!
I’m verklempt. But I can think of no better place for my little post to be today than on my friend Dana’s all-things-motherhood blog Mastering Mommy Brain.
Fly and be free, little post. Go spread your wings and do your work to bring courage to the mommies out there, left and right. They are true super heroes. Little do they know their own strength to direct the future of our country.
The quest for easy and delicious recipes continues. Today we’re cooking Southern comfort food in a crockpot. There are so many things right with that last sentence, I don’t know where to begin.
Our recipe comes from Justine at A Half-Baked Life. Justine writes stories of luxurious prose and caps them off with delicious recipes. Genius. Click the link for today’s recipe details and to enjoy the exquisite writing that goes with it:
If you have a crockpot, you can totally do this. I cannot believe how easy it was and how complex the flavors. The “kick” Justine adds sets these greens apart. This dish makes a great meal or unexpected side to accompany an entrée. It’s the perfect earthy and warm recipe for cold autumn evenings.
Thank you, Justine at A Half-Baked Life, for bringing this savory recipe to us. Bon appétit!
For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
Alison Krauss & Union Station with The Lucky One. Greens are lucky, right?
If you make this recipe, let me know how you like it!
The results were fabulous. If you like Mexican food, you’ll love this recipe. It’s more sophisticated than tacos, but still simple to make. I served it with chips and queso, fresh tomato, shredded lettuce, salsa, and more sour cream (of course!).
You can easily alter the recipe with another meat like ground turkey, diced chicken, or steak. You can also bake it with lower fat cheese and leave out the sour cream, as Nancy suggests, for a low fat version. For more spice, turn up the heat with your favorite seasonings and peppers.
Thank you, Nancy at The Wife of a Dairyman, for a new favorite. Bon appétit!
For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
I’m just an American citizen who discovered she, like every other American citizen, has a voice with which to speak about issues that matter to her.
Notice I didn’t say I discovered my opinions. I wrote about controversial topics like Food, Inc., Roe v. Wade, and Chick-fil-A before the election stage was set. My views have been formed by my beliefs, experiences, and observations. Same as yours have been. I simply began to voice my views more formally and in good faith that civil discourse would rule the day.
My sharing has been met with applause in some camps and disdain in others. There have been retweets and hate tweets. I’ve been unfriended and blocked. I’ve picked up a subscriber or two along the way.
Funny thing is, all this posting and dialoguing takes place outside the context of real life.
My closest friends see me as a person, not a 600-word opinion. We don’t hold identical beliefs. Do I love them any less? Of course not. What kind of friend would I be if I did? Two of my best friends don’t even read my blogs. Another nearly stopped reading once she realized we see things oh-so differently.
These women humble me and keep me real.
Perhaps I am the neighbor who offered a coat and waited with her for the fire truck when her preschoolers locked her out of the house in the snow. I am the postpartum disaster who fell asleep on her living room couch while she rocked my infant son. I am the wardrobe coach who commandeered the dressing room as we shopped for clothes for her to wear when she returned to work. Or the lady who lunched beside her and spoke freely of losing loved ones to disease. Or the nomad who lost her spaghetti colander in the move.
At the end of the day, at then end of the election, regardless of who wins or loses the White House, we will all be left with each other. Does that mean we stop voicing our opinions? Stop talking about issues in order to preserve the peace?
Silence is certainly a strategy. But as my husband told me, your friends love you for who you are. You are free to speak with respect and without fear in their presence and they in yours.
They love you none the less.
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs 17:17 NLT
One Thing Remains by Kristian Stanfill. Reminds me of true unfailing love.
Is it better not to speak to preserve the peace or to speak trusting your friendships will hold fast?
