Legacy

Ruthy is one of the finest women I know. She loves dancing, Agatha Christie novels, Shirley Temple, I Love Lucy, and sweets. And especially she loves her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

I have hundreds of memories with this beautiful, wonderful woman. People like her deserve to have a legacy. And that is why I'm learning how to make her dinner rolls. It's a small thing, but our family can think of her every time we eat them. Also, I try to imitate her puttering and humming around the kitchen. Picturing that always makes me smile.

I have her delicious recipe but am struggling with the execution of it. Any tips for handling doughs and breads? I need to make my grandma proud.

"A room without books is like a body without a soul" - Cicero

One of my earliest memories is of a trip to California when I was three. I remember having lots of fun but getting very homesick toward the end. When we walked into the house I remember being so excited. I said hello to everything (you know how clever little kids think they are--"hello TV! hello couch! hello kitchen!"). But these were only on my way to saying hello to my most prized possession--my books. I opened my book cabinet and pulled out an armful. My books!

Funny how things have changed so much. And yet they haven't. But it's been a few months since I've read something that really captivates me. I always struggle to pick out new books because they may be boring or racy or violent or too sappy. How can I know without taking a risk? I don't like risks. So I try to work purely off recommendations. Any ideas?

Cousin Love

My cousin came to dinner tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. It reminded me of this gem:



This was taken on our stairs our last Christmas before we left Albuquerque. We LOVED getting together and I'm so glad that we still do.

Here's a more recent (and less dorky) one of just the girls minus Jill (not sure where she is?):



I think this one was taken our last Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa. I miss our old house in Abq. I really miss my grandparents' house in Abq. And I miss my grandpa terribly. And I'm so glad my cousins are around to talk about him with me.

Remember when Grandpa and Jill decided to sew Grandma a swimming suit out of Kleenex? Glad they didn't follow through on that one.

A Fave and Anticipated Fave

99 times out of 100 I recommend homemade snacks/treats over store-bought. One exception is this:


Heaven on earth. No joke. I love most dark chocolate, but nothing I've ever tried is like Ghiradelli. Definitely one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

Nestle chocolate chips and Bakers chocolate squares are great and I use them regularly. But if I want/can afford to splurge, I use Ghiradelli.

Another soon-to-be favorite is Julie and Julia. I am so excited to see this movie! From the trailer I can tell Meryl Streep will make an EXCELLENT Julia Child. And I fully expect to see all kinds of delicious foods I can make, and not buy (like the above). Mmmm . . . I only wish the movie was in 3D . . .

How He Looks to Me

I am not a fan of overly lovey-dovey posts. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad to hear that people (especially married people) like each other. I just don't need to hear about it dripping in mushiness. Hopefully I will avoid that here. If not, please promptly bring it to my attention.

Pioneer Woman (one of the few blogs I follow without a personal connection to the blogger) posted about a picture that she felt exemplified her husband. Ryan has many traits I appreciate, but what I love most is his silliness. When we met, he tried hard to act cool. But he soon realized he didn't need to. I know nothing of being "cool" and thus wouldn't be impressed by it. He will probably leave me if he sees this picture. Luckily for me, I don't think he reads my blog.

And the Desert Shall Rejoice, and Blossom as the Rose

Life is a little rough out in the desert. I'm reminded every time I get into my sweltering car and the thermometer reads 120. I tried to grow some marigolds and they fried. It was horrifying to see them die so quickly, even when planted inches away from the drip system. Experiences like that may be discouraging, but I appreciate this even more:



We have two of these bushes, and I think they're some kind of desert sage. Even though they're not my favorite, I LOVE when they look like that.

California Trip

I've been so bad about blogging lately. It's like writing in my journal . . . I wait and wait until I have so much to say it overwhelms me. Anyway, thanks to the flu scare in May, we got a screaming deal on a cruise. We'd never been on a cruise together, so it was a great adventure. We loved it.

First we spent a couple of days in San Diego. We went to the zoo where Ryan was tragically attacked by a gorilla. The little girl may never recover from the trauma.



We went to Seaport Village for dinner that next. The food was okay but the view was awesome. We sat outside even though it was chilly so that we could enjoy the sound of the waves and view of Coronado Island. We decided to go back and wander around Seaport Village again the next day before our ship left port.





The next day we took an incredible tour of Catalina Island. We rode on a unimoger, which means loosely "one of a kind vehicle" in German. It wasn't that fast but had incredible torque. So we were able to venture over some pretty rough terrain to get to some gorgeous views. Like this:



An especially this:



Because of the Swine Flu, they canceled our day in Mexico, so the other two days were "out to sea" days. We had a blast on the ship too, but we didn't take many pictures. I didn't want a reminder of such gluttony. One night was more formal, so we did actually take a picture of that.



May was an extremely hectic month for us, so we were mostly just so glad to get away for a week! It was definitely a good break.