Day 3: A Picture of What You Did Today

After an 8 hour day today and 15 hours in the car yesterday, we are now in Georgia for the week. This picture was taken in Topeka.

Day 2: A Picture of What You Wore Today

Some Revisions

To make this a bit more applicable to me, and since I don't care about cell phones or mp3 players, I'm going to change the schedule a bit. See below for the new and in my opinion, more exciting schedule.

Day 01 -- A picture of yourself

Day 02 – A picture of what you wore today


Day 03 – A picture of what you did today


Day 04 – A picture of where you went today

Day 05 – A picture of your morning


Day 06 – A picture that inspires you


Day 07 – A picture that makes you cry


Day 08 – A picture of yourself


Day 09 – A picture of what you had for lunch


Day 10 – A picture of what you like to do


Day 11 – A picture of your dogs

Day 12 – A picture of your favorite food
to make

Day 13 – A picture of your friends


Day 14 – A picture of your favorite flowers


Day 15 – A picture of yourself


Day 16 – A picture of your latest yarn project

Day 17 – A picture of your latest baking project

Day 18 – A picture of your room


Day 19 – A picture of your dinner


Day 20 – A picture of where you honeymooned


Day 21 – A picture that makes you think of your loved one


Day 22 – A picture of yourself


Day 23 – A picture that describes your life


Day 24 – A picture of what you did today


Day 25 – A picture that you edited


Day 26 – A picture that makes you angry


Day 27 – A picture of you more than 10 years ago


Day 28 – A picture of what your husband wore today


Day 29 – A picture of yourself


Day 30 – A picture of you and your best friend

Day 1: A Picture of Yourself

This was 2 summers ago at Ren Fest in Atlanta. I had way longer hair and was about 10lbs. lighter.

I'm Thinking of Doing This

In an effort to save my blog from my own personal woes, I'm going to give this schedule, that I found on a crafting blog of all things, a try. Feel free to follow the schedule on your own blog as well.

Day 01 -- A picture of yourself

Day 02 – A picture of what you wore today


Day 03 – A picture of what you did today


Day 04 – A picture of where you went today

Day 05 – A picture of your morning


Day 06 – A picture that inspires you


Day 07 – A picture that makes you cry


Day 08 – A picture of yourself


Day 09 – A picture of what you had for lunch


Day 10 – A picture of what you like to do


Day 11 – A picture of your favorite drink


Day 12 – A picture of your favorite food


Day 13 – A picture of your friends


Day 14 – A picture of your favorite teacher(s)


Day 15 – A picture of yourself


Day 16 – A picture of your dream cell phone


Day 17 – A picture of your mp3 player


Day 18 – A picture of your room


Day 19 – A picture of your favorite musical instrument(s)


Day 20 – A picture of where you want to honeymoon


Day 21 – A picture that makes you think of your loved one


Day 22 – A picture of yourself


Day 23 – A picture that describes your life


Day 24 – A picture of what you did today


Day 25 – A picture that you edited


Day 26 – A picture that makes you angry


Day 27 – A picture of you more than 10 years ago


Day 28 – A picture of what you wore today


Day 29 – A picture of yourself


Day 30 – A picture of you and your best friend

June Garden

It has been pretty amazing to watch the garden progress from May to June. It is finally warm in my area. In fact, I've been wondering where spring went, because the mild temperatures seemed to skip over us. In fact, lately, my hair has been super frizzy from HUMIDITY, which is a rarity in these parts. It seems to be a good preparation for the family trip to Georgia coming up in a few weeks.

Anyways, the garden. I didn't get many pictures this time around. Many things have bloomed, but even more are just on the cusp of blooming. For example, we have raspberries forming on the raspberry bush, honeysuckles on the verge of blooming, stargazer lilies, peonies, day lilies, gladioli, spicy basil, etc. We have also planted a new rose bush (lavender--my favorite!) so we're giving the other two a chance to recover from the shock of being moved to accommodate the new one. J predicts the garden to be in full bloom by August, but I suspect we will be in working order by next month.

As of late last month, we were past the last frost and could plant annuals. In addition to countless petunias, freesia, and pansies (which can be perennials here apparently) we managed to fill this pot with three types of lantana, chocolate cosmos (they really smell like chocolate!), and various other plants. They've been battered by wind quite a bit so far, but things are finally dying down and hopefully they'll have a chance to grow.

The delphinium are going nuts this year. They've come back a richer color than they were growing last year, so it has been a pleasant surprise.

I honestly didn't think we'd be successful growing food from seed. I wanted to try one kind of crop this year as an experiment, and it worked a little too well. We've been eating arugula, baby lettuce, and red bib lettuce for a while now and currently have more than we can handle. I will definitely be experimenting more next year, although we just don't have the room to experiment too much. This picture is after I cut a ton the night before.

Finally, strawberries! Meadow ate our *only* strawberry last year. This year, we've done research on how to handle the runners, and luckily we didn't have to buy new plants. The plants are well protected from the doxies this year as well.

I'll be back with a July update. I can't wait to see how the garden progresses this month!

Mega Picture Post!

I've been meaning to blog about our garden for a long time now. To be honest, there hasn't been much to blog about until recently. Our last frost date is May 15th and with projected highs in the 40s this coming week, it might be extended. We have been able to see progress with some perennials planted in the past couple of years, some bulbs, new perennials, and hardy lettuce/spinach in our very small back yard. We're even seeing things beginning to bloom in our front yard! Side note: I should let my husband, the photographer, take pictures from now on... please excuse my lack of skills with the camera!

Arugula and spinach

Chives are our only surviving herb from last year. We plan to plant some basil as well when the weather is warmer, but we don't plan on doing anything else. We cook a lot, but just didn't use the amount of fresh herbs that we thought we would last year when we bought a ton.

I loved this frog that we saw at a local nursery and my parents bought it for me when they last visited (and of course purchased one for themselves too). We filled ours with succulents purchased from the Denver Botanic Gardens spring plant sale.

For some reason, I hated phlox when I lived in Georgia, but think it blooms beautifully here (probably because it is the first thing to bloom). We have three different colors in our yard and I love seeing color in our yard even when there is snow on the ground.

This is a crappy picture, but this is a nice raised bed J made in place of a puppy sand box. There are all sorts of succulents, flowers, grasses, and one day there will be some beautiful sea holly.

This is the look at one side of the yard (why yes, we do indeed like mushrooms). There is a honeysuckle vine (not pictured), a peony bulb, a columbine plant, and a raspberry bush. And don't forget the dog who just loves to chew on wood chips...

Yet another wood chip-lovin dog... I am grateful for their sake that we don't get a lot of warm weather here. I would be panting like crazy with that coat!

This is delphinium row. We have three delphinium, (delphinia?) some plant with orange blossoms, a peony plant, (can't wait to see how it turns out!) and some gladioli bulbs popping.

Our rose bushes are coming back this year! One is doing well so far and the other is taking its sweet time. We paid an arm and a leg for these last year, so I have high hopes.

This corner of the yard comprises a clematis, some grasses, some red flowering thing that is really pretty late in the summer, emerging gladioli bulbs, emerging lily bulbs, and penstemon. I can't wait to see how these progress over the next month.

Strawberries, more spinach, and red bibb lettuce (one of these days)

We're really excited to see how the front yard progresses this year. We've planted some hosta bulbs and are seeing progress on many of the plants (almost all of their names are escaping me currently). Since our front yard is north-facing, it is taking things a lot longer to wake up, but we should see progress by the time June rolls in...

Last year we planted a ton of pansies and violas in widow boxes. Some of the seeds must have fallen below because a few have come back this year. I guess these guys can be perennials in Colorado if you're semi-lazy about your gardening!

J and I saw this plant yesterday in Denver and he was lamenting that we can never get ours to bloom. Lo and behold it is blooming this year after all.

I've also completed a few yarn projects!

This is my husband with the knit scarf I made him. It took forever, but I think I get the whole knit/purl thing.

This is my first big crochet project, an adult-sized granny square blanket for the house. I made the squares and found a joining method online. It is a very delicate blanket, which is not what I was intending, but I think it was fine for my first go.

Finally, I tried my hand at some dog sweaters! These were fun and easy, but I can't seem to get my real dogs to model them, so I had to get Pound Puppy to model for me.

Sorry I haven't been around much this year. I kind of vaguely referred to some stuff in an earlier post, but I will try to update more as my garden grows and I craft more.

While You Were Out...

What happens when my co-worker and I leave the office for an out-of-state conference...

Lately...

I was lucky enough to have a five day weekend starting last Thursday. I had worked the previous weekend and am generally over full time hours anyways (unless we're on call for reference, we generally make up our own schedule, which usually gets out of hand with meetings, programming, etc.) so I had the time. It has been a great 5 days of catching up on reading, baking, and trying new things.

For example:

I read: I finally finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, which came highly recommended. It was really good, but I don't think I was fully present for that read. I also read about 150 pages of Villette (less than 100 pages to go and loving it!) and also finished A Wrinkle in Time, which is one of my favorite books. I've decided to re-read all of L'Engle's children's books this year. My current read is The Ladies of Grace Adieu (short stories) by Susanna Clarke.

I baked/cooked: cookies and cream mini-cheesecakes, homemade doughnuts, Lobster Colorado, etc. All were very good, but now that I'm sitting in a canola-oil smelly house right now, I'm kind of regretting the doughnuts.

I tried: cross-country skiing. This was my first time skiing... ever. My parents never took me as a kid, and I was not about to learn how to downhill ski with 3 year olds skiing circles around me. I figured that even level skiing would be a bit easier (knowing full and well that it is quite a workout). We went with some friends who do this often, but who are also relaxed about the sport. I fell twice going downhill (and once going uphill) but finally got used to the weight distribution and gliding towards the end. Having special tracks in the snow helped a ton and being in Wyoming at the time didn't hurt either. It wasn't crowded at all. We all spent some time in Laramie after the skiing, which was cool, since our friends had previously lived there. We went two days ago, and I'm still sore... ouch!

Today, the library is closed for President's Day, so I'm trying to cook for the week, make sure the house can survive the upcoming work week, and catch up on my knitting. These next few weeks (okay, through the first part of April) are going to be immensely crazy. I will update when I can.

Mission 101 Update

Wow... time has flown by! Let's just say I have about a year and 2 months left to complete by 101 goals. I thought of this recently because I've taken up knitting (which I shall blog about later) and realized that I haven't written about it in a while. So see any updates below.

Like a good librarian, I've coded the list.

BOLD=completed goals

Italics= in progress

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.The Criteria:Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Start Date: July 18th, 2008
End Date: April 15th, 2011

Creativity:

1. Experiment with food design and making food look pretty.
2. Pick up some form of sewing or knitting and have one project completed. (embroidery projects)
3. Draw and paint again .
4. Ask Jon to teach me basic photography techniques.
5. Ask Jon to teach me basic Photoshop techniques.
6. Make something with the bulk of dried lavender I accidentally bought last year. (Jon is working on sachets with our new sewing machine).

Financial:

7. Establish a ROTH-IRA to supplement any retirement earned through an employer. (Haven't started, although both Jon and I are contributing maximum amounts to our accounts)
8. Start contributing to a cause... likely something to help animals and people who help animals (Humane Society or some ASPCA.) (Colorado dachshund rescue)
9. Make an effort to tithe more.
10. Continue to pay bills in full and on time.
11. Continue to stay credit card debt free (neither Jon nor I have ever been in cc debt) and continue to only use cards for what we can afford.
12. Pay off Wonda, my car.
13. Get Jon a new car/truck, and only after my car is paid in full to avoid two car payments.
14. Prioritize major purchases for the house and only purchase another major item when the item of higher priority is paid in full.
15. Only dip into high interest savings either in a dire emergency or to use towards school.
16. Continue to contribute any small amount to the high interest travel fund.
17. Stay insured for health and dental even if unemployed.
18. Do not impulse buy books because they'll likely be donated within the year anyways.

Food:

19. Bake at least one confection per week, excepting vacations.
20. Grow an herb garden.
21. Bake bread more often and learn how to hand knead.
22. Better icing technique and piping skills.
23. Attempt a fancy pastry like a napoleon or an eclair.

24. Focus more on cooking.
25. Get used to high altitude baking.
26. Bake a soufflé (stole this one from Amanda.)
27. Start getting milk products from a dairy delivery service instead of the grocery store.
28. Learn how to cook an authentic foreign dish.

Fun Times:

29. Get a dog and successfully train and socialize it.
30. Get a bike and use it.
31. Host some form of a get-together once per quarter.
32. Have board/card game nights as much as possible.
33. Watch all Doctor Who DVDs available on Netflix.
34. Go see a drum corps show if they come to Denver at any point, since I haven't been to one in a while.
35. Watch one watered down horror movie with Jon... during the day time... when it's sunny.
36. Watch the original Star Wars trilogy.
37. Attend some sort of theater event.
38. Go to at least one festival (food, Renaissance, etc.)

Health/Environment:

39. Pick up an activity/hobby that requires exercise and/or being outside.
40.Walk as much as possible.
41. Join a club of some sort in Fort Collins to meet new people.
42. Make an effort to get out more.
43. Do not commute to any job more than 30 minutes, unless our financial independence relies on it. School would be an exception.
44. Continue using reusable bags at grocery stores.
45. Eliminate coffee to very special occasions and drink only tea for caffeine needs.
46. Drink only one soda per week. (I'm actually off of sodas completely now... thank goodness)
47. Replace all lamp bulbs with energy efficient ones.
48. Get a physical once every 3 years.
49. Go to the dermatologist every other year.
50. Wear sunscreen when exposed to the sun for long periods of time.
51. Learn to ski (I've never tried.)
52. Eat red meat at the most twice per week, preferably less. (I really need to work on this one)
53. Eat at least 3 servings of fruit/vegetables per day.
54. Start stretching and become limber again.
55. Learn how to shoot a gun.


Home/Organizing:

56. Never leave dishes unwashed.
57. Plant flowers and bushes around the house and maintain them to become a better gardener.
58. Decorate tastefully for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
59. Do not decorate for Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving (yeah, I might fail at this one.)
60. Devise a storage system for kitchen items.
61. Dog-proof the house.
62. Put up dry wall in the garage and devise an organized system for Jon's stuff.
63. At least make plans to have the basement refinished so Jon can have his office/man cave.
64. Get a bedroom set.
65. Establish the guest room.
66. Make a set and realistic house cleaning schedule and stick to it.

Learning/Career:

67. Consider schooling for possible new paths and try to avoid student loans to finance education.
68. Pick up French and Italian again, or learn Spanish, as it is more practical.
69. Read at least 3 history texts, mainly in European history (one on England, one on France, and one on Eastern Europe.)
70. Take a business or entrepreneur course if switching careers.
71. Re-read The Elements of Style by Strunk and White since I'm awful at grammar and writing, as well as other grammar books.
72. Have at least a part time job by October, whether it be as a librarian or something else.
73. Vote in 2008 election.

Personal:

74. Get married and change my last name.
75. Make an effort to start my marriage off on the right foot by establishing alone time, us time, and keeping communication open.
76. Establish a living will.
77. Consider pregnancy or adoption by the age of 29 (having a child by 30.)
78. Be less private about my relationship with God, but do not overstep boundaries and do not rub religion in people's faces.
79. Attend church more often.
80. Get to know the in-laws better, as well as my own family.
81. Learn how to drive a stick shift.
82. Have my hair cut at least 5 inches sometime after the wedding.
83. Make an effort to be more social and pursue quality friendships.

Reading:

84. Read 100 classic novels that I have not previously read.
85. Read one book outside of my comfort zone.
86. Read and complete a Tolstoy novel (Anna Karenina was a failure for me.)
87. Read all current and past Printz, Newbery, and Caldecott Medal Winners.
88. Attempt the Lord of the Rings trilogy again.

Travel:

89. Visit at least 10 national parks that neither Jon nor I have previously visited. (We have a lot to do though since we've only been to one so far)
90. See New Zealand.
91. Visit at least 2 of the 4 states I have left to see in the U.S. (Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, Idaho.)
92. Get back to Europe, preferably England again, but I wouldn't complain if I visited Prague, Greece, or Italy either.
93. Camp at least once per year.
94. Go to Dinosaur monument.
95. Take the Colorado Train
96. Drive through Independence Pass.
97. Take Jon to Devil's Tower and Little Bighorn.
98. Renew passport (can't travel internationally without it!)
99. Find a good and safe place to board the dog(s) when traveling.
100. Go home at least once a year.
101. Visit the Northeast again during summer.

Faux-Reos

These are yummy.

And yes, a glass of milk is required for their consumption.

Homemade Bagels

Forget grocery store bagels because they don't taste that great, and definitely forget speciality store bagels because they're too pricey! Making your own bagels is surprisingly easy and the taste and texture are wonderful!

I've been trying to make all of my own bread products since I moved to Colorado. At times, it has proven difficult for me because baking in higher altitudes can be tricky. Add the boiling component of bagels, and I was pretty darn intimidated. I decided to go with the simplest recipe possible, which meant I was using white bread flour, not whole wheat flour (I've had issues in the past).

I'd love to do a step-by-step, like PW but I just don't have time time to chronicle recipes (I actually started this blog Saturday morning and had to put off finishing it because I was busy *EDIT* Although now that I have posted the blog, it says that it's Saturday at 9:53am... believe me, it's Sunday evening). I used my favorite baking handbook's recipe which can also be found here.

I think they took me three hours from start to finish. I had ordered online the one ingredient I hadn't heard of previously, so if you ever decide to make these be sure to get/search for this ingredient ahead of time.

Here is my final product.

Uggh, I couldn't get the above picture to turn (I still haven't figured out my Mac)

They were exactly like bagels should be (although maybe not as pretty)... they had shiny, chewy crusts and soft middles. As for the taste? I had three out of the 8 and J ate 5. I made them Thursday and they were gone by Saturday morning. These were true winners. I think I will make them again soon!

2010 Goals-- Organization!

Why don't we take a stroll in my left-brained/task-oriented mind? I'm sure it won't be a complete surprise to most of my readers, who seem to share the same mentality. I read far too many bloggers with the same sentiments!

2009 definitely got away from me. It wasn't the best year and it wasn't the worst either. I didn't lose any family members, although I did lose one that was as good as family (a blog post for another time). I did find myself extremely stressed for the majority of the year though, which put a damper on my personal life and homemaking.

I'm hoping a few tries at good old organization (January is National Organization Month after all) to get me through what is panning out to be a similar year to 2009. So how will this plan for organization make my life better?

1. Reading

I think I mentioned in earlier posts that 2009 was just a blah reading year for me. There were some real gems, but nothing like what I had experienced in previous years. I think my main problem last year was that I was trying to read too much at one time. There were many months where I had five books going at once because I didn't want to spend months on one long classic. I've tried this before and it just makes me frustrated.

In 2010, I'm going to try to do something different. I still want to read classics, no matter how long they are. So, instead of reading classics and modern fiction and nonfiction at the same time, I will read 50 pages of a classic in between other books. So far, I've read 100 pages of Villette which I LOVE so far and am reading my third book for completion for the year. I also want a better variety of fiction reads this year, since I'm no longer working with one particular age group in my profession. So, I'll switch from reading an adult work to a J-Fic work and back to my favorite teen works. All three have a veritable place in literature (it really bothers me when people allude that children's and YA novels are sub-par in any way) and I'm hoping that I can gain a better understanding of all three this year. I may read less classics overall this year, but I think I will have a better understanding of each classic that I do complete.

How on earth am I keeping track of this? Well, on my sidebar, I have a list of books completed for the year (2 so far). I've been doing this since 2007, but I just thought I would point out that it is there. I also have my Goodreads account where I can rate books. Finally, I have a spreadsheet that I keep for personal uses where I can color code reads to make sure that I am staying "well-rounded."

2. Crafting

J and I are both hoping to be a bit more crafty this year. I don't do much beyond embroidering. I prefer to stay in the kitchen. But this Christmas blessed us with a brand new sewing machine. A couple of years back I mistakenly bought dried lavender in BULK. It was funny at the time, but for a long time we had no clue what to do with it. J knows how to use the sewing machine (and I'm hoping to channel my very talented late grandmother to learn things myself as well) so one of these days we'll plan to make drawer sachets out of the lavender. Let me know if you want one because we'll be able to make plenty! Our ultimate goals with the sewing machine? A duvet cover (with hand embroidery embellishments) and modern curtains.

I'm working on a few projects right now... they're all stitching. One is going to be a VERY late xmas present, one a birthday present, and one is stitching names on stockings for our dogs. Maybe one of these days I'll try crocheting again or knitting since I haven't had much luck with crocheting (Ashley, I wish you lived here to teach me).

3. In the kitchen

My parents were very generous this Christmas and decided to gift us a freezer for our basement. I have been lusting after one for a while so this was a perfect gift. J wasn't so sure at first until we spoke with friends of ours who could really speak for its money-saving goodness. When we finally went to purchase one, we found a damaged (no lock) version of the largest model the store had for over $200 off of the normal price. We decided to go for it and save the money for our parents!

I immediately checked out all of the freezer cooking books we have at work and have managed to moderately fill up that sucker. Since we got the freezer, we've only gone out to eat once! I truly think going out to eat was preventing us from saving more money and was also pretty bad for our health. I already notice a difference in my figure because we eat much less processed foods and I feel 5 times better. After an exhausting 10 hour day at work, I can come home and cook a meal that I have already prepared instead of doing all of the planning and preparing that goes with starting something from scratch. I'm hoping to get a lot out of my freezer this year and put the money we save in savings!

I'm hoping all of these attempts at organization in 2010 help clear my mind and make for a more pleasant general well-being. I'll be sure to update as the year progresses.

En Zid

New Zealand was a wonderful honeymoon and well worth the year long wait.

Christmas Fun

Thanks Ms. Ashley for our scarves!

Opening stockings...

So Behind...

Yes, I am very behind on my updating. I promise to put something (New Zealandish) on the blog this weekend. I also need to update on a fabulous new reading challenge I've taken on for 2010.

But for now, I leave you with this...

Stitching Fun

Here are some stitching projects I've been working on lately...

All except the bib are for a male co-worker. Yes, I'm giving a guy tea towels for his birthday... at least they all have things he enjoys on them! I have no clue who the bib is for. I had some left over bibs from when a local friend had her baby in July and I wanted something to stitch... something Holiday-themed.

I won't be around much until Christmas time. We leave the country for two weeks this Saturday and I have one heck of a week ahead of me before I can even dream of late spring weather instead of fall (feels like winter here) and driving on the left hand side of the road.

I look forward to reading lots of interesting blogs when we get back!

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Originally Published In: 1954

Read in: October 2009

Poor Piggy. Lord of the Flies is an interesting study in human nature. This was one of the many books I missed out on in high school. I recall my friend Susan mentioning reading the book and I always thought it had something to do with corn (maybe Children of the Corn?). My interest was sparked this year when I realized that a lot of my patrons read and like the book. It was also mentioned on this show which I thought I wouldn't like, but ended up a follower anyway.

The story takes place on a remote island. A plane crashes leaving only British school children as survivors. No adults. The survivors must find a way to summon outside help and also create a society of their own. Ralph, a blonde-haired boy is the first elected leader. His right hand man is a chubby boy named Piggy (although he doesn't want to be called that) who is constantly picked on even in this new situation. He wants the boys to have fun, build shelter, and build a fire to summon help. Jack, whose choir boy group becomes the hunters of the pack, becomes Ralph's main adversary. Jack and his pack of hunters become increasingly insane when a corpse on the island is mistaken as a beast, resulting and crazy rituals and even more serious occurrences.

I liked this book, although I expected to like it more than I did. The book is very allegorical, so I think I would have understood all of its nuances had I read it in a class rather than on my own. Overall, I'm glad I read it and now I can understand all of those pop culture references to the book!

Book Review: The Monk

Author: Matthew Lewis

Originally Published: 1796

Read in: September and October 2009

The Monk is a creepy reminder of the capacity for evil in humans. The story describes the downfall of a prominent Spanish monk named Ambrosio at the hands of Satan. This is Gothic literature at its best and most detailed.

Ambrosio begins his descent when a woman named Matilda disguised as another monk, tempts him. As an instrument of Satan, she encourages him to commit horrible acts throughout the book, of which I will spare the reader because you all should read this yourselves!

There are many diversions (for example, the bleeding nun) in the book, which honestly slowed my reading of this book, but it's usually my preference to stick with the main story. Overall, I was justifiably appalled by the main story (in a good way because I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Gothic literature). I often felt like Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey while reading the story because I had trouble walking into dark rooms after reading the book. It was a great fall early evening read.

I'm happy about finishing this book before Halloween because I was able to complete this year's R.I.P Challenge. This was also a Classics Challenge read. Both challenges end on the 31st, so I'm just in the nick of time. Thanks to the hosts for encouraging people to read read read!

Fulfilling a Childhood Dream : Cherry Clafouti

Anybody who was friends with me growing up knows my mom is a super baker. It was inevitable that her love of baking would transfer to me. I started baking hard-core in college with easy recipes that became more elaborate and refined as I got older.

My mom feels that in order to gain a love of cooking and baking, you have to start young. I don't know if this is true, although I do plan to bake and cook with my kids. I have many distinct memories of standing on a stool and staring at my reflection in the stand mixer, stirring when allowed, and waiting to lick the whisk or paddle depending on what was being created. I remember looking on with envy during Christmas season when my mom would make spritz cookies with the cookie press (Way later I learned that my mom gets very frustrated making cookies with a press... the humidity in Georgia makes for many repeats. When I lived with my parents for two years before moving to Colorado, I would be the spritz maker in her place).

So, naturally, I received cookbooks in addition to fiction as presents when I was a kid. I think it was my 5th birthday when I received Yum yum! I'll be my own cook by Monique Felix. It is an obscure (I think) illustrated kid's cookbook and is obviously translated from French. I remember fantasizing about making all of these fabulous recipes. In reality, I think we made only one thing from the book... the directions were vague and we often had our own recipes for many of the dishes. Regardless, I still covet this book because who doesn't like reminiscing about a good childhood?

I generally like to bake something on my days off and today I decided to fulfill one of my Yum yum! dreams by baking a Cherry Clafouti. I was perusing through one of my favorite baking books, when I came across the recipe I would use. I had some sour cherries left over from spring baking, so I decided to make use of them after some major pumpkin overload over the past few weeks.

So here are a couple pictures of the Yum yum! recipe. Notice how I circled the recipe in the right hand corner because I wanted to make it.

Also pictured is the final product before baking... illustrated.

Here is my final KAF creation. I had to make the custard-y version in a 9in. pan because my only 10 in. pan is a springform, and the batter would leak through...

I'm too lazy to type in the recipe, but here is another KAF recipe that I bet is just as good.