Three Recent Reads

1. Fairy Tale Interrupted By Rosemarie Terenzio
I was really thrown off by the title of this book when I first came across it.  I had no clue what it was about. I thought maybe it was a fictional love story.  But then I read the bio, and found it was written by the personal assistant and friend of JFK Jr and his wife Carolyn, and covered the five years before their tragic deaths in a plane crash. This book is not scandalous at all, nothing in it could become tabloid fodder, and it does not read like a book from someone who is trying to cash in on their relationship with a celebrity. This is just a story of what it was like to be best friends and an employee of a man and wife who just happened to be American Royalty. I loved reading about the stress that went into planning their secret Georgia wedding, and I cried when she wrote about finding out she had lost her two best friends in a plane crash. Plus, I'm kind of obsessed with the cover photo of JFK Jr, Carolyn, and their dog Friday. Beautiful just beautiful. 

 2. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
I have read several books by Joshilyn Jackson, and because I love her style oh so much, I pre-ordered this book months before it came out. Which was a really bad idea, because amazon does not charge you for a pre-order until a book actually is available. And since I have the memory span of a fly,  and our bank account occasionally gets as low as 10 cents, I am really lucky this book did not bounce our bank account when it released. This book is a mystery about a household of women who find the bones of a baby buried under a tree in their yard. I realize that sounds incredibly morbid, but it is not really that morbid I promise! What I love most about this book is it is not just a mystery, it really dives deep into the thoughts and the lives of the three, Southern, women characters involved (the author even writes some from the perspective of a stroke victim).  It is just a really touching novel and a interesting mystery that is not answered to the very end. 

3. A Tree Grows Brooklyn by Betty Smith
 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is of course, a classic. Although I had heard of this book, and I had seen it sitting on my mother's bookshelf, I had no clue what it was about. A few weeks ago, I was browsing audio books on iTunes, so I could find something to listen to on my way to work, to keep L.A. traffic from stealing my soul. Not only did it keep traffic from stealing my soul, it kept me entertained too! I fell in love with the detailed descriptions of Brooklyn life in the 1910's, and I related to Francey Nolan's conflicting feelings of love & shame toward her father. In a way, I think I would have liked to have been Francey Nolan. This book is just the perfect mixture of sadness and hopefulness.  

Song of the Day: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something

Wine Tasting in Temecula Valley

Adam's friend from high school, Mike, came into town last week to spend a little time with us and take in the sights, of course. Mike really wanted to go Wine Tasting, and that is on my California Bucket List, so we piled into the car and drove down to Temecula (which is Southern California's Wine Country).

I've drank some wine in the past, but honestly I knew absolutely nothing about wine before going. So I was a little intimidated at the first winery, when picking wines to taste. At first, I was jumping around randomly from wine to wine. But soon I learned that you are supposed to go from the whites, to the reds, to the desert wines. And along the way I learned my personal tastes. I prefer white wines to red wines, and just like with food, I love the DESSERT wines!

We went to four wineries (Callaway, Churon, Weins, and Leoness). I felt A-OK after visits to the first two wineries, but after the third I felt a little "floaty" and the floor seemed uneven. And by the time we left the fourth, I was ready to nap all the way home. But no naps for me, because we grabbed some delicious dinner at this authentic Italian restaurant, Francesco's. I died over their Lobster Ravioli. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't lick the plate.

Wine Country was so Beautiful! Now I just want to go back during the growing season to see the grapes on the vine.

Song of the Day:  Pictures of You by The Cure

Life Recently According to my iPhone

 A Beautiful Sunset in Manhattan Beach.

 Cafe Marmalade.

 Strawberry, Banana, and Blueberry French Toast @ Cafe Marmalade.

 Marilyn Monroe's Grave site. (Note the Lipstick, People Kiss It).

 A quick Starbuck's Run.

 One of the Last Paper's I Will Ever Write. (3 weeks till I get my Masters!)

My tutoring client's dog Chico. Usually he is sweet, but he recently bit the heck out of my wrist when I was leaving.

A bad case of finger tendentious I got by strenuously opening my car door? So random.

This post was linked up over at A {Little} Dash of Ash.

Song of the Day: Specks by Matt Pond PA

New Recipe Every Month of 2012: Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo

In my quest to fulfill my New Year's Resolution of cooking one new recipe every month in 2012, I decided to make Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo based on this recipe from KevinandAmanda.com for February. I love her recipes because even when they are kind of complicated, they way she writes the steps, and her beautiful pictures simplify everything!  Especially since I'm just a novice cook!

This one definitely is one of the most complicated recipes I've ever made. First of all, umm I'm not sure if I've ever even eaten gumbo, I have never cooked anything but minute rice, never cooked any shrimp, and dealing with two skillets and one pot all at the same time? COMPLICATED.

I cooked this for my mother and stepfather while they were here on a business trip, and I got to cook in a kitchen that wouldn't be mistaken for a closet like mine! Oh, the luxury. Surprisingly, I pulled it off with no mishaps along the way! And my mom and stepfather enjoyed it a lot, so I guess I can call this a success.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with myself. Two recipes down, ten to go!

Song of the Day: To Be Surprised by Sandre Lerche

Weekend at the Museum

This weekend we took a little road trip down to the NAT (Natural History Museum) in San Diego to check out the Titanic Artifact Exhibit. I love history, and the Sinking of the Titanic is one of the things I've spent a lot of time reading about and researching on my own (I'm such a dweeb). 

Some of the best bits of the museum were seeing the recreations of the the first class and third class bedrooms, being able to feel a iceberg replica that is the same temperature of the waters the night the ship went down (miserably cold just to touch for a second), and all the stuff they were able to bring up from the ocean floor (how was that stuff even preserved)!

What was really cool is at the beginning of the exhibit, they give you a boarding pass with the name and information of a real passenger on the ship, and at the end of the tour you see if you survived or not. I was Mrs. Wilhelm Strom (Elna Matilda Persson) a third class passenger traveling with my daughter and brother. I did not survive. Adam was Mr. Frank Thomas Andrew, a second class passenger, who didn't survive either.

I couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit (sadness), but I did take some pictures of/around the museum with my shiny, new, fancy DSLR camera. Yay, for no longer having to depend on my little, dinky digital camera all the time (Thanks, Mom).

Song of the Day: Part of Me by Katy Perry

Valentine's Day Via Instagram

We had the best Valentine's Day over here at the Manor, and I was completely spoiled. When I first woke up, I saw a chocolate rose in a Packer's glass (lol) and a really sweet card on the coffee table. Although I had to laugh because the front of the card said something about all the years of parenting we did together, and how our kids had moved on now and it was just the two of us again? Apparently, Adam had only skimmed the front of the card, and had read the inside, because that totally didn't apply. And maybe I should have been mad about that, but it was too funny to be mad about. I guess it really is the thought that counts?

I gave him a special Valentine's card that I had gotten off Etsy that was in the style of Dr. Who!! Which is a kind of geeky, British, Sci-fi series that Adam has gotten me addicted to this year. Of course, I wrote a really sweet message as well. And inside the card, I had hidden a Game Stop Gift Card.

After the exchange, Adam surprised me by making me pancakes. Which everyone knows is my favorite thing ever! Plus, he never cooks, and he has certainly never made pancakes. He even had bought me my favorite toppings: Strawberries, Chocolate Chips, and Macadamia Nuts.  I didn't even try to choose which ones to use, I just piled all those suckers on there together. They were delicious.

Later that day, I brought in some of the cutest cupcakes for the teenagers I work with and all around it was just a fantastic love day. I hope everyone felt the love from someone on Tuesday. Be it a husband, a child, a parent, lover, or friend!

Song of the Day: Moon River by Audrey Hepburn

Scenes from Manhattan (Beach)

This Weekend We:

Stayed in a Beautiful Three Bedroom Beach House Mere Inches from the Beach (that my mother and stepfather rented for a two week visit)

Played Midnight Badminton on the Beach

Walked 1.7 miles to, and 1.7 miles back for the Best Pancakes I've Ever Had in My Life (Pancakes Just May Be My Favorite Thing Ever)

Got my Butt Handed to Me in a Game of Checkers

Jumped in the Frigid Ocean in All of Our Clothes (which seemingly scared some little girls)

Flew a Transformers Themed Kite

& Watched Some of the Most Beautiful Sunsets Ever

 

 

Yeah, it was a fabulous weekend.

Song of the Day: Smooth Criminal by Glee Cast