corsair magazine

I started CORSAIR Magazine in January 2009 in an effort to connect the students of my school, Whitworth University, with the culture of the city of Spokane. Students and Faculty at Whitworth often joke about the "pinecone curtain" which separates the students in their Ponderosa Pine enclave from the culture of the rest of the city, as well as the rest of the country and world. Students constantly complain that there is nothing to do in Spokane, that downtown is too far away, or that everything cost too much money. My goal was to connect students with Spokane and vice versa. Expose students to the great culture of Spokane, and in turn get them involved in it so that they too could contribute to the thriving, if small, cultural life of the second largest city in Washington state.

I set out on my quest to create CORSAIR for many reasons. After spending four years in Spokane, I had learned to love the city which had taken me in and adopted me for my brief educational stay. I started to see a side to the city which many students seemed oblivious to. I saw it as such a shame that so many students glide through that city without experiencing its culture or contributing to the life of the city. I was also aware of a sense from the city itself that Whitworth students were uncultured christian school dorks who didn't know much about art, music, or fashion, much less have any interest in such things. I knew that this was largely untrue, and sought to give the city itself a different view of Whitworth students.

I started CORSAIR over the month of January 2009, with the first issue debuting at the beginning of February. I held orientation meetings to acquire a small staff of writers and photographers and spent hours upon hours interviewing folks for articles, taking photographs, and designing the pages for the first issue. It was a labor of love. I had never spend so much time working so hard on something-- and absolutely loving every second of it. I ate, breathed, and slept magazines. The moment that first proof came off the printer's press and I held it in my hands was one of my most proud moments of my entire undergrad education.

With the exception of two or three volunteer staff writers and one photographer, I had created the entire magazine on my own, including paying for the printing, as potential advertisers wanted to see the magazine before committing buying advertisements.

Three issues of CORSAIR were produced, two monthly issues and a double issue. While I wanted to continue the magazine after graduating, all my staff left Spokane for the summer break, and I too ended up moving away mid-summer. 

ISSUE ONE

ISSUE TWO





ISSUE THREE

keep it simple

The weather has taken a turn for the colder/wetter this past week, so my outfits have been mostly consisting of jeans or thermal leggings, tshirts, and a fleece jacket.  Not so thrilling on the style front, but oh-so comfy and practical.  The color of this north face jacket matches the cape perfectly, so when I stick my arms out it almost looks like it's part of the cape!  Plus, it's a super warm layer that doesn't add a ton of bulk, which is nice.  Yesterday it was about five different kinds of weather throughout the day, so layers are a must.  Also, hats are a must for days when hair washing is skipped.  I might add a little pom pom to the top of this one.  I made a bunch of pom poms last Christmas and I think I still have a white one that would match the hat just right.

cape/courtesy of ruche :: boots/lulu e. bebe :: jeans/courtesy of modcloth

jacket + hat + mittens/courtesy of the north face :: photos by Dan

I've started getting officially super excited for the holidays.  Last night we reminisced about Christmases when we were kids, and I got so excited for this year's festivities.  I was remembering all the wonderful traditions that my family does, that I didn't even realize were traditions.  I can't wait to pull out our Christmas stuff from storage and start decorating!  I need to learn to bake the Swedish Tea Ring my Mom makes every Christmas morning.  We would always open our stockings and then go eat breakfast and then make our way back to the living room, nomming on the remains of breakfast, ready to open gifts.  I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about Christmastime with my family.  

This year I'm pretty sure we'll be able to have a Christmas tree!  Of course, the amount of ornaments we have only fills an 18 inch tree, so I'll have to come up with some fun DIY ornaments.  I've seen a bunch of fun ones on Pinterest.  Plus, there are always things like popcorn garlands that are cheap and easy to make.  I don't think I've ever made a popcorn garland, actually!  I'm sure Pinterest is going to explode with Christmas soon, so I doubt I'll have any lack of ideas to draw from.  Do you have any fun Christmas traditions or DIY decorations you like to make?

bertha's kitchen // chunky pumpkin soup

My blog is turning into outfits and soup.  I grew up with soup that came out of a can, so lately I've been pretty excited about making soup from scratch.  Canned soup is just fine, but I love the process of making soup.  It makes me feel a bit like a wizard concocting a potion, tossing in this spice and that veggie.  And a good soup can be so filling.

I've been tending towards soups that are more smooth, pureed, and creamy, but I like that this one is more chunky.  I've altered this recipe a bit from my Grandma's original recipe, adding a few more spices and such, just to breathe new life into it.  Most pumpkin recipes that I eat this time of year are more on the sweet end of the spectrum, but pumpkin is such a great savory flavor as well.  Plus, it gives a nice thick texture to the soup that I really liked.  This recipe is really easy, quick, and straightforward, so if you're new to making soup from scratch, this would be a great beginning recipe!

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1.5 cans pumpkin puree

1 cup chopped carrots

1.5 cups chopped celery

1.5 cups water

2 cloves garlic, minced

dash of seasoning salt

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sriracha

Combine all in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.  Turn to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Tastes delicious with some crusty bread toasted with cheese on top!  According to my Grandma's notes, this soup freezes well, so you can make a bunch and save it for later!  That is, if you don't eat it all right away.

Musana Jewelry Giveaway

I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I think I'm going to a Friendsgiving tonight, so I have to figure out what to bring.  I'm pretty sure I'm signed up for mashed potatoes and the Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes I made last year were a big hit, so I'll probably make those again.  I'm still not sure what I'm gonna bring to our family Thanksgiving though.  I should probably figure that out.  Speaking of Thanksgiving, I might just wear this zig zag dress.  It's got the mandatory elastic waistband, but it's also a bit more fancy.  Fancy and comfy, perfect combo.  
Do you guys have any fun plans for the holiday weekend?  Making any delicious dishes for Thanksgiving dinner?  Most of my recent Thanksgivings have been pretty low key, but I'd love to have a big Thanksgiving dinner party with lots of friends and family. Maybe next year!  

top(dress) courtesy of modcloth :: skirt/thrifted :: necklace/courtesy of musana jewelry belt/target :: shoes/payless :: photos by Dan

Today's giveaway is from Musana Jewelry, who kindly sent me the necklace I'm wearing in this outfit.  Musana Jewelry is a venture designed to bring stability to impoverished Ugandan mothers by selling their hand-made jewelry.  Musana Jewelry has a dual mission targeting two vulnerable populations in Uganda: Uneducated mothers (especially widows and those who are HIV positive), and street children.

100% of profits return to artisans in Uganda and are helping them pull out of extreme poverty.  Musana supporting women by giving them a job through the jewelry project, providing them with a steady income, financial and literacy classes, a savings and loan group, and an education stipend for their children!

Today you can enter to win a Simba Sands necklace, shown above!  To enter, just follow the instructions below!  Open to US entries only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

goodbye old friends

Yesterday we had our bikes stolen from our front porch. They aren't worth very much money (sorry thieves!), but I did love my bike a lot. I was remembering today how we had some of our engagement photos taken with those bikes, so I thought I'd share my favorites from the set.

It's really off putting and unsettling to imagine someone on my front porch, which is literally two feet from our bedroom window, cutting our lock and taking them.  It feels like such an invasion of my personal space, like they were inside our home, even though they were out on the porch.  We're keeping an eye out on Craigslist and such, but I'm not planning on seeing either of them ever again.  We had some good times cruising around Tacoma on those little black bikes.  I hope whoever owns them now loves riding them as much as we did.

photos by Arrow & Apple