Sunday Spotlight 02 - Meet Caroline!
I’d like to introduce you to another great friend in this week’s Sunday Spotlight — Caroline! Known to those closest to her as Caropeep (portions of her first and last names smooshed together), she’s one of my most vivacious friends with a sure sense of self that I so admire. We met in 2010 during college sorority recruitment and have remained close ever since, despite pledging at different houses. I love her old soul, her southern accent that makes mine creep back in when we’re together, and her ability to remember the lyrics to every song released from 1996 - 2014.
Without further ado, Caroline!
About Caroline
“Hi, I’m Caroline!
I think my friends would describe me as assertive and loyal. I’m an Enneagram 8 (if you are an enneagram person) with a heavy dose of Enneagram 2 when I’m being my best self. I would describe my interests category as “modern grandma.” I love to knit, craft, collect framed insects, peruse antique shops, and go to bed exceptionally early. I met Maggie freshman year of college during recruitment (Maggie here: told ya!) and we were instantly friends. I am so grateful to now call her one of my very best and dearest friends.
Professionally, I am a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, but if I could explore a different career, I think it would revolve around crafting, making floral arrangements, attempting to paint, OR I’d be a cozy little book editor. “
Things I love:
Dogs
A book I can’t put down
Belly laughs with friends
Following rules
The holidays
Things I don’t love:
When people don’t use an Oxford comma
When people wear an Apple Watch during formal events like weddings, church, professional photos (why?!)
Being late (If you’re on time, you’re late!)
The sound your mouth makes when blowing a raspberry
Reading Recommendations
Favorite genres: Fiction, Fantasy, High Fantasy
For those that don’t know (because to me, “fantasy” and “high fantasy” sounds like I’m reading a dirty novel), “fantasy” means the stories take place on Earth (e.g. Harry Potter) and “high fantasy” means the stories take place in a fictional, non-Earth world (e.g. Lord of the Rings). The more you know!
Favorite book of all time: Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter
Pride and Prejudice: Give it to me in any form: book, tv show, movie, Bollywood film, whatever! I will love any adaptation of Elizabeth Bennet’s and Mr. Darcy’s love story. My first sexual awakening may have been when I saw Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy walking out of the lake soaking wet in the 1995 film adaptation of P&P (I must add that I did not watch this for the first time in 1995 - I repeat, I did not have my first sexual awakening at 4 years old). All that to say - love the story, love the book, love Mr. Darcy so much.
Harry Potter: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Harry Potter. I grew up with those books, went to the midnight book releases, and attended midnight movie premieres. Fun fact: Maggie and I once dressed as HP characters with our friend Mary Kat for one of those premieres. I decided to go as Lord Voldemort (Why? I’m still not sure) and was boo’d when I walked into the theater. (Maggie here: TRUE STORY! I’ve never laughed so hard. The 3 of us also had to share 2 seats, because they oversold the theater.)
Recently Read and Currently Reading: I just finished the 2nd book in The Crescent City series (high fantasy) by Sarah J. Maas and Book Lovers by Emily Henry, which was recommended to me by the one and only Mrs. Maggie’s Two Cents. Lighthearted and easy - I couldn’t put it down!
Favorite Author(s): Susanna Kearsley, Kristin Hannah, and Sarah J. Maas
Kearsley - she writes a lot of historical fiction/fantasy novels. They typically take place in some beautiful, quaint location steeped in history, and the main character will somehow get involved with the past and fall in love.
Favorite Kearsley books: The Winter Sea, The Rose Garden, and Mariana.
Hannah - I’ve read about 4 of her books and cry at the end of each one, so have tissues on hand. Both of these stories go back and forth between the present and a very important time in history (world wars, etc). Eye-opening, heart-wrenching, the works.
Favorite Hannah books: The Nightingale and Winter Garden
Maas - I’ve LOVED everything by her.
Favorite Mass books: Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses series (ACOTAR) — trust me. Great adventure, action, romance (v steamy). It’s got it all. Also, I’m pretty sure they are going to adapt ACOTAR into a tv series.
TV Show and Movie Recommendations
Favorite genres: Drama, comedy, reality, cooking, documentary
Favorite show(s) on TV right now:
Drama:
Grey’s Anatomy (up until like Season 8 or so) — This is a comfort show that I like to put on in the background.
Under the Banner of Heaven (adapted from the book of the same name) — opened my eyes to the more extreme side of the Mormon faith.
Comedy:
30 Rock, Arrested Development, The Office (duh), What We Do In the Shadows (the movie is better but the show keeps me laughing.)
Reality:
The Bachelor/Bachelorette/BIP - I’ve been known to skip seasons, depending on the lead, but this is a guilty pleasure I enjoy with my friends.
Selling Sunset - I refused to watch this for months, but got tired of not knowing all of the B-list celebrities on E!’s instagram and caved - LOVED it. Give it a shot if you haven’t already. It’s mind-blowing the amount of money in LA…
Cooking:
The Great British Baking Show — Hands down, my favorite forever and always. It’s so pleasant, unlike the drama-filled US cooking shows with unrealistic challenges. (Goes well with my grandma tendencies!) That being said, I was recently encouraged by my sister to watch Top Chef and am actually learning a lot.
Documentary:
I recently watched Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey on Netflix, and it was simultaneously terrifying and fascinating to learn about the Fundamentalist sector of the Mormon Faith.
The Rescue on Disney+ about the 2018 rescue of 12 boys in a flooded cave in Thailand.
My Octopus Teacher on Netflix — I thought it was amazing. I learned so much, gained a lot of respect for octopi, and also cried. Highly recommend!
Favorite movie(s) of all time: Lord of the Rings (extended edition if you have time), The Last of the Mohicans, and Pride and Prejudice
LOTR: The makeup and film technology has stood the test of time and it is just one of the most amazing stories.
The Last of the Mohicans: I would say I had my second sexual awakening watching Daniel Day Lewis in this film. Holy moly. And even more amazing than DDL is the film score. Some of the best music you’ll ever hear - chills every time.
Pride and Prejudice: I can just about quote every line in the Keira Knightley adaptation - “You have bewitched me body and soul.” - Mr. Darcy. And again, the film score for this movie as well 😍.
Best movie you've seen lately: Gotta go with Top Gun: Maverick. My friends will laugh because I just about threatened them to go see it. I haven’t had such an enjoyable movie theater experience in years. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. A nail biter for sure!
Cooking Recommendations (all recipes included!)
Favorite recipe: I have 4 favorite family recipes:
Chicken - Dead Chicken with the Good Skin is a super easy recipe my mom always made for me and my 3 siblings growing up. I always asked her to make the “chicken with the ‘good skin’” (we all know that’s the best part), and she always called it dead chicken. Therefore, “Dead Chicken with Good Skin” was born. You basically take a whole chicken, absolutely smother it with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, and roast it. You will eat every bit of that good skin, trust me.
Beef - One of my favorite winter-time meals is Beef Bourguignon (you have to say it with an uppity French accent or it won’t taste as good.) It’s a labor of love but so so worth it.
Casserole - My all-time favorite casserole that I have to have at both Thanksgiving and Christmas is a spinach and artichoke casserole. My sister (Madeleine) prefers the more traditional Spinach Madeleine, but trust me, mine is better. My family named it “Spinach Caroline” and we have both the Madeleine and Caroline every year. It’s a crowd-pleaser and is even better the next day and the next week, hot or cold, fresh or leftover, it is DELICIOUS.
Dessert - Baked Lemon Pudding sounds disgusting but it. is. not. Eat it hot, eat it cold, eat it room temp - delicious every time. This one is sentimental because it was also my late grandmother’s favorite. We shared a birthday, and she was one of the most fabulous women I’ve ever met. Pro tip: Use the juice of two lemons.
Favorite cookbook or food blogger: Half Baked Harvest — I know Maggie is a huge fan as well. I have yet to cook something bad from her recipes.
Favorite restaurants in your city: My favorites in Jackson, MS are Walker’s Drive-In (get the tamales and the redfish Anna). Their sister restaurant Caet (Ridgeland, MS) is also delicious. For lunch, I love Crazy Cat Eat-Up (the quiche) or Krilakis. Their greek salad with gyro meat is unreal and won’t make you feel bad for eating it!
Go-to lazy meal: Saffron rice and black beans with a heavy pour of red wine vinegar on top. I typically eat these as sides with pork tenderloin, but when I don’t have time to cook the meat I will just cook the rice (Mahatma yellow rice), heat up the black beans, and finish with red wine vinegar on top. Easy and delicious!
Podcast & Audiobook Recommendations
Favorite podcast: Last Podcast on the Left is very informative and entertaining, but prepare for some uncouth language and comments.
Favorite audiobook: My go-to listen is the Harry Potter series. Jim Dale reads the books and completely transforms the story with his soothing voice. If I ever feel sad or homesick, I’ll be listening to Jim Dale as he sweeps me away to Hogwarts.
If you don’t have the Libby app, what are you doing? It’s free and all you have to do is get a library card in your city, put in your card info, and you have free access to books and audiobooks! You might have to wait to rent, just like at a real library, but it has been a game changer for me. Jackson’s library is sub-par and does not have a lot of e-books and audiobooks to rent, so I got my little brother (who lives in Orlando, FL) to get a library card there. Now I have so many books available. You can input as many library cards from as many cities as you like, too!
10 Favorite Things
1. Custom Pet Portrait: Until last November, the one thing I couldn’t live without was my precious frenchie, Geoff. Somehow I have managed to survive since he went to Heaven, but in the event of a fire, his portrait would probably be the first thing I grab. 100% worth immortalizing your pet with a portrait — will always be one of my most treasured items.
2. My pillow: It’s like a million years old, made with real goose feathers, and probably has an ungodly amount of bacteria from years of love, but I’ll never give it up. I always bring my own pillow when traveling, because there’s nothing worse than a fat, firm pillow (no offense to firm pillow lovers) when you’re away from home. Pro tip: always use a bright or patterned pillowcase so you don’t leave it behind in a hotel bed. That would be tragic.
3. Chapstick
I have my car chopstick, purse chapstick, bedside table chapstick, etc. If you are looking to up your chapstick game, try Buxom’s Power-Full Plump Lip Balm. Gives you a little color, feels amazing, and one stick lasts forever (I got mine on Amazon and now have 2 colors).
4. My iPad/kindle: My iPad is ancient, and I only use it to stream tv shows and movies, but it goes everywhere with me. I was late to the kindle party because I felt like I was cheating on physical books, but it’s been great. So easy to throw in your purse or bag, doesn’t cramp your hand when holding, easier to read in bed or on vacation, and the battery lasts forever. I still buy the physical copies of certain books, but the kindle was a solid purchase.
5. Planner
I love a custom, fun planner, and I get a new one every year. There’s something about a beautiful, customized planner just makes me insanely happy, and I’m using an Erin Condren one this year. Also, important to have nice, colorful pens.
6. Fizzy water: My friends get on to me for my lack of hydration, but I consider la croix, bubbly, and topo chico to be water. I mean it’s called sparkling WATER, but I truly subsist off of black coffee and a fizzy water or two every day. Switching to fizzy water actually helped me break my Diet Coke addiction, so yay for positive lifestyle changes! Also, I love to top off wine and cocktails with fizzy water during the summer.
7. Nightgown and slippers: As I've gotten older I've started upping my night-time, wind-down game. Something I truly enjoy is wearing a comfortable nightgown and slippers. Favorite nightgowns: Lake Pajamas Pima short sleeve nightgown, PJ Harlow satin nightgown, and Cososa cotton nightgown on Amazon (very grand millennial, but v affordable and comfy). I’m currently loving Birdies slippers. They are so cute that I have even worn them out of the house as shoes. They make me feel a little bougie, and I like it.
For some reason, I am really not into normal looking travel coffee cups. I want one that looks and feels like a mug but keeps my coffee piping hot for hours and hours, so I have to have a handle. My favorite one that doesn’t break the bank is the s|m mugs that you can find at target and Amazon. If my coffee is less than scalding, I don’t like it.
9. A good aesthetician. It ain’t cheap, but boy is skincare important. About 4 years ago I started seeing an aesthetician about every 8 weeks. Since then my skin has transformed, truly. Skincare is so so important as we age, and my aesthetician helped me find products for my specific skin type and educated me in skin health. My goal is to age gracefully and to take care of my face now before it’s too late! In my eyes, the cost has been so worth it! This is where I remind you to wear your damn sunscreen!
10. Audiobooks: I am always listening to a book-on-tape. The Libby app (mentioned above) has really changed the audiobook game for me and I feel like I have “read” so many more books since getting the app. You can also rent books from the app to your kindle for free. I like to put on an audiobook when exercising, doing chores, crafting, driving, getting ready, really just all the time.