tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218482882024-03-07T00:09:53.797-08:00books written for girlsMusic, food and random musings from the Emerald City.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-51435935776738436142010-07-13T12:52:00.000-07:002010-07-13T12:55:25.563-07:00Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">It's been waaaay too long since I updated here, so let's jump back in...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Things I love about summer finally arriving in Seattle</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Watching our garden grow after being sad and cold for so long</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Wearing sandals!!!</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-38075011735599375282010-01-11T08:30:00.001-08:002010-01-11T08:46:20.327-08:00New year, new home<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We've been in our new place for a little over a month now and are still unpacking. Nonetheless, it feels like home already - it helped that we had houseguests right away, so the upstairs and communal areas are pretty well set up. Now it's just going through the boxes from the office and basement and deciding what to keep, donate or toss. We won't talk about the garage just yet, it's too scary out there. Instead, let's look at pictures!</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Stockings were actually hung by the chimney this year,<br />because we now have a fireplace.</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGcSA2oLNsgP2kmkD_gmmhX2S1x2i3K4UynhulojhnTV3hjPRMfFq-CntqUFbiR_gW_0LNeGYNSkfuWtRfFLnnjwQg1uU-Ebr2V9ae6WDvSPUZyELMzuDuU7bdWD5CkuIrR30/s1600-h/robot+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGcSA2oLNsgP2kmkD_gmmhX2S1x2i3K4UynhulojhnTV3hjPRMfFq-CntqUFbiR_gW_0LNeGYNSkfuWtRfFLnnjwQg1uU-Ebr2V9ae6WDvSPUZyELMzuDuU7bdWD5CkuIrR30/s320/robot+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425522760906502578" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Presents under the tree.</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfnOgR6JGs7UdCTHILM0JPq2j25Vvw401lhDXnehXkPJU2dH1yYtEzXHg-_ndvr7QCVah8cYvrRPnlbBlz-kn_PaVJaQoBU5dkBxbWk9jKaTWLWq6l95zyvEusRuD9Y9m2IWt/s1600-h/robot+069.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfnOgR6JGs7UdCTHILM0JPq2j25Vvw401lhDXnehXkPJU2dH1yYtEzXHg-_ndvr7QCVah8cYvrRPnlbBlz-kn_PaVJaQoBU5dkBxbWk9jKaTWLWq6l95zyvEusRuD9Y9m2IWt/s320/robot+069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425523260808077746" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Robot on the mantel - he's the house mascot.</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg7ep-yHqINdsVfsuRzhX7JyxyWHOHKdUKUZoGbt_Dxq7ny8jLTL1EUyAYGDWD-KsDSw5t8H12MQnUxn1DWmnOXRq98blVUgzm-UonCwFQOP3WbsPddGxJro5RJ3Hz2PVsz31/s1600-h/robot+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg7ep-yHqINdsVfsuRzhX7JyxyWHOHKdUKUZoGbt_Dxq7ny8jLTL1EUyAYGDWD-KsDSw5t8H12MQnUxn1DWmnOXRq98blVUgzm-UonCwFQOP3WbsPddGxJro5RJ3Hz2PVsz31/s320/robot+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425523729831186066" border="0" /></a>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-37791483521703261512009-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:002009-12-08T10:01:45.104-08:00Happy New Home<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">Things I love about our new house</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. DISHWASHER!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. The gigantic well-lit basement and its equally large back closet, which is our new pantry.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Enough room in the living room for my piano to be upstairs (where hopefully it won't be so neglected).</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-80746814868100678932009-11-23T07:53:00.000-08:002009-11-24T07:46:22.934-08:00Missing on Monday<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A few of the many reasons I miss my friend <a href="http://www.coloncancersucksass.blogspot.com/">Christine</a> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />1. She was the person I called about </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >everything.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />2. She was one of the few people who could match my random sense of humor.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />3. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">She accepted me, flaws and all.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-3426090225860681482009-11-15T20:05:00.001-08:002009-11-15T20:07:06.099-08:00Home Sweet Rental Home<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">Things I am looking forward to having in our new house</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Fireplace!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. A second FULL bathroom</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Big backyard with a big deck, perfect for entertaining</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-57987021204761045092009-11-12T13:34:00.000-08:002009-11-12T13:41:41.114-08:00Sunny day and Spring Hill<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Things I will order tonight at dinner</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Vegetable tasting with grilled flatbread - the flatbread is my favorite part of eating at Spring Hill, every time. Like manna from heaven.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Three course Dine Around Seattle set menu - such a good deal. I'm thinking hangar steak is in order.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Baden-powell cocktail - dry fly gin, bosc pear tonic, soda, lime, shaved ice. Perfect for this sunny fall day; I can pretend it's still summer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Check out other delightful menu options and information at </span><a href="http://www.springhillnorthwest.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">springhill.com</span><br /><br /><br /></a>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-40459028785692525252009-11-11T22:05:00.001-08:002009-11-11T22:13:31.623-08:00AFoMFT, GLEE!!! edition<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">My favorite things about GLEE (so hard to list only three)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Sue Sylvester!!!!!</span> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">(self-explanatory)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Kurt - so confident, adorable and generally thoughtful, especially toward his dad. One of the sweetest characters on TV.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Puck and Quinn - such a better match than Finn and Quinn, plus their names don't have that annoying rhyme going on.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-15281648635753603392009-11-10T08:34:00.000-08:002009-11-10T08:37:20.004-08:00Some days are bad, but today is really really good<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;">Awesome Things I Get To Do Today</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Pose for new headshots</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. See </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Coco Before Chanel</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> at Harvard Exit</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Happy Hour at Poppy</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-15427661316625674022009-11-09T10:01:00.000-08:002009-11-09T10:06:45.932-08:00Monday moving misery<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Things I Hate About Moving</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Packing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Going through junk in the basement.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Catching up on overdue shredding of documents - so boring.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-85876689429679984732009-11-06T08:44:00.001-08:002009-11-06T08:51:12.787-08:00Off the wagon<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Wow, that was fast! Yesterday got so busy that I forgot to post. Oh well, I'll still keep posting </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">almost </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">every day this month...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Things I Love To Snack On In The Fall</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Roasted pumpkin seeds. Last year we roasted a batch with garam masala and they were the best yet, although I'm still a fan of plain old salt and olive oil. Think I might make some today.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Steamed cider. I am NOT a fan of apple juice - ick- but I really like hot apple cider in October and November.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Stove-popped popcorn. It doesn't take any longer than the microwave and it tastes way better, plus it's fun to watch the tin foil puff up as the kernels pop.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-24458849710060379702009-11-04T12:01:00.000-08:002009-11-04T12:11:27.380-08:00Fall film wish list<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Movies I Want To See But Probably Won't Get To For A While Because We're Moving</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/">Precious</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - this looks amazing. Heartbreaking too.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - Wes Anderson + stop-motion animation = YES.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1131729/">Pirate Radio</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> -"A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960's." The plot summary doesn't sound too exciting, but it looks like a really fun movie...</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-16740174477662535342009-11-03T11:07:00.000-08:002009-11-03T11:48:25.490-08:00Favorite fall foods<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hard to list only three, but here goes:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Foraged mushrooms! Matsutake, King Bolete, Lobster and my all-time favorite - chanterelles.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Cameo apples</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Lacinato kale (available year-round, but it tastes better in the fall)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What are your favorite fall foods?</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-26193135731155993872009-11-02T10:29:00.000-08:002009-11-02T11:37:54.345-08:00Autumn leaves<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Things I Love About Autumn</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Crunching my feet in leaves on the sidewalk (and it's been a good fall so there are lots!)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Soup.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Getting to wear my favorite woolly scarves.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-2990361862249507932009-11-01T21:34:00.000-08:002009-11-01T22:04:45.648-08:00The Start of Three Things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3OH-SwHWESA6oHr5M6Bg-W9VrpvsFQXzo-pf0R0K18PmCOTQsk1ax5LCY0PgMndcFAY4MoyK6jcCcXmoBiLi4ENTFtBnarkqGQsVHXJBv3d-RQA9O9qbWA-VTFpVpOHbES_2/s1600-h/nablo1109.120x200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3OH-SwHWESA6oHr5M6Bg-W9VrpvsFQXzo-pf0R0K18PmCOTQsk1ax5LCY0PgMndcFAY4MoyK6jcCcXmoBiLi4ENTFtBnarkqGQsVHXJBv3d-RQA9O9qbWA-VTFpVpOHbES_2/s320/nablo1109.120x200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399377691332226530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's been waaayyy too long since I was blogging regularly, so I decided to use <a href="http://www.nablopomo.com/">NaBloPoMo</a> as a good kick in the pants to help me get started. While I'm easing back into things, I've devised a handy gimmick to guarantee one post a day for the next month - it's my own version of Three Things. Every day I'll post three things: three movies I want to see, three excellent winter squashes, three pictures I took that day. Let's get going!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since I'm recovering from the flu, today's three things are:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Things I Was Grateful For While I Was Delirious With Fever</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. My awesome husband, who made me homemade wonton soup, fed me NyQuil, bought me magazines, and put in a fresh DVD every time I asked.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. The comedic stylings of Jason Segal (Freaks and Geeks + HIMYM season 2)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Gatorade Fruit Punch - an excellent way to stave off dehydration</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-67219749240206543062009-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:002009-10-25T08:33:56.232-07:00MAD Paperball<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />New York's <a href="http://www.madmuseum.org/">Museum of Art and Design</a> held its first annual Paperball last Wednesday and it looks like it was quite the event! The </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.madmuseum.org/DO/Calendar/200910/%7E/media/PDFs/Paperball_Auction_Catalogue.ashx">sale catalogue</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> features 47 works of paper art, nearly half of which are dresses and all of which are astoundingly creative. I want one of each and a lovely large house to showcase them in. Just as amazing were the paper centerpieces and elaborate table settings, finished off with a paper flower (I'm guessing party favor). You can see these along with photos of partygoers - including a few who sported paper dresses and accessories - at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madmuseum/sets/72157622474103201/show">MAD's Flickr site</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4017494376_625c848f0e.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Photo by Alejandro Benchimol / MAD at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madmuseum/sets/72157622474103201/">MAD's Flickr site</a></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-17555891753520154902009-10-13T08:40:00.000-07:002009-10-25T08:33:56.245-07:00Green + orange<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNMshOy1iIjgwWBDQlx7bHb3eKjfxPZYilgSA1UyxW_tnMdy0jyz0oLL3OWn7HePSczT3bZsSXjKJDZ695FSrSBcVxy500AXT-T3YbttGXeh9mCciRYl5NatSp8b3tIq-tW0H/s1600-h/Secret+Garden+081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNMshOy1iIjgwWBDQlx7bHb3eKjfxPZYilgSA1UyxW_tnMdy0jyz0oLL3OWn7HePSczT3bZsSXjKJDZ695FSrSBcVxy500AXT-T3YbttGXeh9mCciRYl5NatSp8b3tIq-tW0H/s400/Secret+Garden+081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392106110263892578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Larry's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and provided the perfect opportunity to use this beautiful paper I got over a year ago, I think from Paper Source in Bellevue. The ribbon is </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.mayarts.com/store/iridescent-two-tone/product/af-38x50y-solidtwo-tone/">May Arts</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (not sure if this color-way is still available), and I don't remember where I got it - probably Nancy's Sewing Basket in Queen Anne or Lucca in Ballard. This might look like a fancy bow but was really just a way for me to avoid cutting ribbon so the gift recipient can reuse it; when I have extra ribbon length I just tie another bow, and another, until I have the right length on the ends. Then they have a nice long piece to use again, and it looks pretty cute too!</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-72550938809605841272008-12-27T22:34:00.000-08:002008-12-27T23:37:42.375-08:00Top Ten Albums of 2008<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This list may not be as representative as years past, because I was so busy this year I didn't listen to as much new music as usual. Also, once Fleet Foxes' Sun Giant EP and self-titled album came out, that was pretty much all I listened to for 3 months straight or so. (Did I mention I love them? Oh, I did? Like </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://bookswrittenforgirls.blogspot.com/2007/09/weekends-away.html">here</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://bookswrittenforgirls.blogspot.com/2007/12/top-ten-albums-of-2007.html">here</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://bookswrittenforgirls.blogspot.com/2008/01/fleet-foxes-signed-to-sub-pop.html">here</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">? Okay then.) </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But we still managed to visit Sonic Boom on a regular basis and I did eventually listen to more than one band. We also made it to a fair amount of shows and I'm not gonna lie: how much I love their live performance definitely colors how I feel about a band's album (in fact, there may have to be a special top ten list just for awesome shows). But enough chitchat! On with the list:<br /><br />Top Ten Albums of 2008<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Fleet Foxes</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Fleet Foxes</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Grand Archives</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, The Grand Archives</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Volume 1</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, She & Him</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Blame It On Gravity</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Old 97s</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >We Brave Bee Stings And All</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Keep Your Eyes Ahead</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, The Helio Sequence</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Mingle</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, The Saturday Knights</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Glistening Pleasure</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">9. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >This Gift</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Sons & Daughters</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">10. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Narrow Stairs</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Death Cab for Cutie</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Special Award: </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Just A Little Lovin'</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, Shelby Lynne</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since it only contains one new song, I don't feel right putting</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">this Dusty Springfield</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> tribute album on the top 10 list. That said, I can't recommend this album strongly enough. Lynne's version of "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" alone is reason to get your hands on it. </span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-59360139902985166992008-12-24T12:54:00.000-08:002008-12-27T22:35:08.536-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like (a white) Christmas...<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Seattle has been shut down for a week now due to a very rare massive snowfall. Fighting cabin fever, making snowmen, baking, catching up on DVR recordings and complaining about the city's pathetic response to snow and ice have become popular pastimes all over town. We've gotten out a few times this week to go shopping, visit friends within walking distance and play in the snow, and I thought I'd share a few favorite photos...</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Winterberries on 41st and Midvale; the poor tree was so weighed down with snow that I'm not sure it will spring back up when this is all gone. But it definitely makes for a pretty picture:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgv9EyV5fNvaaKJZZjnJPUkL5rc7bnBvscscWGSo9tL71XsXVIZspD0elRNZNqWUcSrtwVHmm1LPkPYVE5BvEOKW64yWiyPCljtrGKIXthZPdQhrwI23-1f5FxUd__DQLdN_f/s1600-h/winterberries.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgv9EyV5fNvaaKJZZjnJPUkL5rc7bnBvscscWGSo9tL71XsXVIZspD0elRNZNqWUcSrtwVHmm1LPkPYVE5BvEOKW64yWiyPCljtrGKIXthZPdQhrwI23-1f5FxUd__DQLdN_f/s400/winterberries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283465725970215346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">View down one of the many snowy streets in our neighborhood:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXUqOpbj0hDo82_z_2WjTNf87mcnEJl66mrB_-AdBfpwlFl69l7lJjE0ukZPAlcWTJrDD5O7SjA28blI2qg-OWFalfBnr2HKvwqKN_KWbI9nkfVGtr7K47PFZSGtfnLUSCmv3/s1600-h/street_view.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXUqOpbj0hDo82_z_2WjTNf87mcnEJl66mrB_-AdBfpwlFl69l7lJjE0ukZPAlcWTJrDD5O7SjA28blI2qg-OWFalfBnr2HKvwqKN_KWbI9nkfVGtr7K47PFZSGtfnLUSCmv3/s400/street_view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283467265348107874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">With even the main roads not getting plowed often enough, you can imagine how treacherous local streets have gotten. Many residents have made their own "street closed" and "do not enter" signs like this one, duct-taped to someone's trash can:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlhJRL8p7Ct0_bU6OcolX3dI3uRHStr9TjY_-o7CGCUGq0PBXsuLwO_1DCqZyiDH1cxQRs61i8pw5cRimsiAG_CeHVx9dRudKdlrxKVDKq-L79PjI7iUMoRwiLejAJF8IcX1G/s1600-h/street_closed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlhJRL8p7Ct0_bU6OcolX3dI3uRHStr9TjY_-o7CGCUGq0PBXsuLwO_1DCqZyiDH1cxQRs61i8pw5cRimsiAG_CeHVx9dRudKdlrxKVDKq-L79PjI7iUMoRwiLejAJF8IcX1G/s400/street_closed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283467489355537058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Someone (or more than one) made a snowman smack in the middle of 45th and Stone Way; the baristas from a nearby Starbucks gave it some character:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsyrNZGh3W7I8G111G4kRXiS6xu_9uN7jlfU4wbZ8MnQOmLwezAi8-vWBlK4b-wrwJiOAJsE91rgnTYaxQyu4lqqxqizRDz6qje5PHsbZXTyPcKGXy7eo9uqJxQwUzRHWYCum/s1600-h/stoneway_snowman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsyrNZGh3W7I8G111G4kRXiS6xu_9uN7jlfU4wbZ8MnQOmLwezAi8-vWBlK4b-wrwJiOAJsE91rgnTYaxQyu4lqqxqizRDz6qje5PHsbZXTyPcKGXy7eo9uqJxQwUzRHWYCum/s400/stoneway_snowman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283468073184584674" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As for indoor entertainment, yesterday Larry made a chocolate layer cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. It looked so delicious that Zach wanted a bite too:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvapmrs9xIbTYZqVHqbdjHsvzUvBYQ-8k9sTGIFbvZ6Dfl43bzvfYnFRk9m_4adt3hApIuUfxjdZXwUn79osDv1WSpmVy6A4_7ByDFE5tL3a8kmaf1RWTMCzd7KcqeGq_7qwQ/s1600-h/letthemeatcake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvapmrs9xIbTYZqVHqbdjHsvzUvBYQ-8k9sTGIFbvZ6Dfl43bzvfYnFRk9m_4adt3hApIuUfxjdZXwUn79osDv1WSpmVy6A4_7ByDFE5tL3a8kmaf1RWTMCzd7KcqeGq_7qwQ/s400/letthemeatcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283468597775895730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We were supposed to go to a friend's house for Christmas Eve dinner but the roads are a little too dicey. It's going to be a quiet Christmas at home, just us and the kitties. Roast chicken for dinner with some red potatoes and zucchini, and that fantastic chocolate cake for dessert.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvbx36lkJ6W0Lbp5m2yMPdDBIsYcfTFR8MQpivPkRgIWA7ADeI6YfZpA4zSvk1YhA23O0Sya94-jl5fhDTgQio70vu_ViK9A7mOxfJthY6l2qgkZKfNdR-M82jKkpcpmUlYR6/s1600-h/ochristmastree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvbx36lkJ6W0Lbp5m2yMPdDBIsYcfTFR8MQpivPkRgIWA7ADeI6YfZpA4zSvk1YhA23O0Sya94-jl5fhDTgQio70vu_ViK9A7mOxfJthY6l2qgkZKfNdR-M82jKkpcpmUlYR6/s400/ochristmastree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283468925654993010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Hope you have a wonderful holiday!</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-72103641302010067212008-12-18T23:30:00.000-08:002008-12-27T22:35:14.121-08:00Forks and Knives (La Fete)<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >The summer went by in a flash, fall came and went even faster, and suddenly it's the week before Christmas. Am I getting older or is time moving more quickly? Or maybe it's just that this year has been one of the busiest yet...I'll try to catch up on the past 6 months over the next few posts.<br /><br />The biggest reason I haven't blogged since June is that we got married in September, so summer was pretty much a blur of wedding planning and preparations. We had a weekend of events so that our families could meet and we'd have plenty of time to spend with everyone, and it was definitely the best part of 2008 for me. The day before the wedding it poured buckets of rain, but our unpredictable Seattle weather came through and by ceremony time we had a gorgeous, sunny day complete with dramatic clouds - perfect for photos!<br /><br />Our photographer, <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen</a>, was AMAZING. She had so many great ideas for fun photos and was also open to any and all crazy ideas we had. Before the ceremony we went to the Ballard Sunday Market for some photos with our favorite vendors. A crazy idea, yes, but one that was perfect for us - the farmers market is such a huge part of our life that we wanted to include it. What came out of that trip were some of my favorite photos and an appreciation for Della's eye - who else would have looked at a parking lot wall (one that I had never noticed in 3 years of weekly trips to the market) and foreseen something so lovely?<br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/LarryKristen-wall.jpg" /><br /><br />Della's fun and laid-back attitude made our perfect day that much better. If you're looking for a wedding photographer (or a photographer for any occasion) I highly recommend her! All the photos you see in this post were taken by her, and if you want to see more of her handiwork you can view the <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/Sept21/">slideshow</a> she created for us.<br /><br />The aforementioned perfectly cloudy sunny day, at Gas Works Park:<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/Ceremony.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />Group photo time!<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/Woo.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />We met the wonderful <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mozomusic">MoZo</a> at Seattle Counseling Services' ICON gala, but it turned out we had been enjoying their music at the Ballard Sunday Market for some time without knowing it was them! Moe and Aimee played our cocktail hour and their mix of bluegrass and Americana really livened up the atmosphere. A perfect way to start the evening. (Am I saying "perfect" too much? Too bad. It was!)<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/AimeeZoeMoe.jpg" /><br /><br />Rather than bore you with the menu details, I'll just let you read it below. I do have to say that it was a superb meal and my only regret is that I didn't get to finish my pork belly or doughnuts - I was busy socializing instead of eating. My waist probably thanked me but my taste buds were sad. Our super-cool "ramerliang" logo was designed by our good friends Kristine and Bob at <a href="http://www.lynchdesigngroup.com/index.htm">Lynch Design Group</a>; they also did our save-the-dates, invitations, programs and custom mailing labels. (Considering that Larry and I met at Kristine and Bob's stationery store, it was a no-brainer to ask them to design our wedding stationery!)<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/menu.jpg" /><br /><br />My placesetting - <a href="http://www.tomdouglas.com/ballroom/index.html">Palace Ballroom</a> was awesome and set out all the favors for us. In fact, they did ALL of the set up; we just had to provide clear instructions and get the supplies to them ahead of time. They even printed the menus and table cards for us. We couldn't have asked for a better venue or service (or food). If you're looking for a venue for your next event, give them a call and ask for Alexis - best event planner ever!<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/Placesetting.jpg" /><br /><br />Here's what the space looked like when we walked in from cocktail hour - they had it curtained off until dinner time, so it was really fun to see the room open up and watch everyone find their table and seats. We had 8 tables with 8 seats each - maybe the numbers brought extra luck, because everyone seemed to have a great time and get along with their tablemates!<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/palaceballroom.jpg" /><br /><br />A highlight of the evening, for me at least, was when we caved to peer pressure and had a first dance (which we hadn't intended to do, since dancing isn't something we've ever done together). I'm so glad we did - it was nice to have a few quiet moments on the dance floor while "our song" played. Of course we had to be a little bit silly - and now I have photographic evidence of my husband dancing!<br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/LarryKristen-dancing.jpg" /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-73597122802218761452008-06-22T23:00:00.000-07:002008-12-27T22:35:41.042-08:00Late night adventures in the kitchen<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Inspired by Mark Bittman's </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18mini.html?ref=dining">article</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> on Mexican popsicles in Wednesday's New York Times, we decided to make our own variation on Thursday night. We had three limes in need of juicing, as well as a pint of strawberries from the Wallingford farmers market that were super ripe and ready to eat, so we settled on...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Strawberry-lime paletas</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Clean and hull a pint of strawberries and juice 1-2 limes, depending on size. Set the juice aside.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/chopping.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Pop the strawberries in the blender and puree</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Before...</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/blender.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">...and after.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/blended.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Add one cup of milk and blend.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/halfway.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Sea Breeze Farm on Vashon Island sells real, raw milk at the local farmers markets, and it's the only white milk I've ever willingly drank straight up. So, so delicious and perfect for our paletas. You don't have to use raw milk for these, but I recommend using whole milk.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/sea_breeze.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">4. Add 1/4 cup sugar and blend again.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/sugar.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">5. Add lime juice to taste - 3 tablespoons was perfect for us.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/lime_juice.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">6. Get your popsicle mold ready, along with something to pour the puree.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/pouring.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">7. Pour it in and you're ready to freeze.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/pre_freeze.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">8. Find some room in your freezer and freeze the popsicles overnight.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/freezing.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">9. Enjoy, either traditionally like me or in your own special way like Larry.</span><br /><img style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/yum.jpg" />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-18272777734417011222008-05-26T09:23:00.000-07:002008-12-27T22:35:41.042-08:00Grow your own...<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Vegetables, of course. What did you think I meant?<br /><br />We went a little crazy this year at the Seattle Tilth Plant Sale and brought home what we thought were about 60 plant starts, but discovered yesterday that several start containers actually held 4 starts. More spinach for us! Our usual combination of store-bought planters and recycled kitty litter buckets was no match for all the plants we had, so we built a raised vegetable bed in the backyard. It took a few days, but it's all planted now and I can't wait to eat fresh salads and veggies all summer long. I just hope the squirrels and rabbits don't get them first!<br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/veg_bed.jpg" /><br />This picture skips ahead a few steps in the process. Before we started, Larry sketched out the design and then we went to Home Depot for the wood. They'll cut it for you there so you can make the bed any size you like. We chose 5 x 5 - in hindsight we could have gone larger but that would have required even more soil, and this is a good manageable size.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/dirt_dump.jpg" /><br />We needed at least 25 cubic feet of soil and wound up with 27: 18 feet of organic top soil, 6 feet of organic compost, and 3 feet of organic steer-gro manure. We layered it in - 3 bags of soil, one bag of compost, one bag of manure. (Yes, the flies did hang around for a while.)<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/larry_rake.jpg" /><br />After we put in each set of layers, we raked it to mix. We also put in some fish bone fertilizer after the first round, just to make the soil extra rich.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/halfway_done.jpg" /><br />Once the soil is in and mixed, you're ready to plant! We started with lettuces, since we have a ton. Here you can see we've planted arugula, buttercrunch, merlot, romaine, radicchio, and summer spinach.<br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/all_done.jpg" /><br />Here's the finished bed. On the other half we planted bok choy, napa cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/back_yard.jpg" /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Here's the rest of the garden - like those classy kitty litter buckets? Hey, this is Seattle and we like to recycle. Just drill yourself 7 or so holes in the bottom, rinse it thoroughly and you have a great container for tomatoes, peppers or chard (which is what you see below). There are also some kale, onions and endive that we started from seed in the winter - they're just now starting to thrive.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/back_porch.jpg" /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >And the back porch. In the back, broccoli and brussels sprouts started from </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >seed - they take forever to mature, it seems. Then we have sorrel (the tall leafy one), kale, and more peppers, and strawberries on the left.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://kristenramer.hypermart.net/blog_photos/tri_star.jpg" /><br />With all those flowers blooming, maybe we'll actually get to eat some strawberries this summer!<br /></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-85777025103562490312008-05-16T23:02:00.000-07:002008-12-27T22:35:48.759-08:00Inspiration in ice cream<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just got home from Molly Moon's, the new ice cream shop in Wallingford where we went for a celebratory scoop after the show. I'm quite sure that Molly Moon's is destined to be my new favorite indulgence. With flavors like Scout Mint (with crushed Thin Mint cookies), Balsamic Strawberry, Honey Lavender and Cardamom, there's bound to be a flavor for every palate, and every day of the week. They also have homemade waffle cones - ours were so fresh and warm that they melted the bottom scoop of ice cream. And did I mention that the ingredients are organic and locally sourced? So many things to love already, but let's get to the point and talk about how it tasted...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'll just say that we stopped talking entirely because our mouths were constantly full.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's what we had:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Balsamic Strawberry - just the right amount of acid to balance out the cream, and little bits of strawberry throughout</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Salted Caramel - perfection, although it tasted a little too salty coming right after the strawberry (but was awesome a few bites later), so maybe best to order it alone or with a more natural pairing like Chocolate or Vivace Coffee</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Vivace Coffee - I'm not a huge fan of coffee ice cream, but this could win me over; Larry loved it</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Update:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We went again 2 days later (I can see this becoming a problem - it's almost <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> conveniently located) and would have gone again this afternoon but the line was out the door. Will try again tonight, but in the meantime...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">CARDAMOM!!!!! I think it may be my new all-time favorite ice cream flavor. Refreshing and completely satisfying in an almost savory manner. Sooooooooo good, you have to try it!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chocolate - pure chocolate goodness without being too rich</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Raspberry Sorbet - like eating mashed up frozen raspberries, seriously delicious. Not sure if it's a seasonal offering, but I could picture eating this in the middle of winter for a taste of summer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Visit the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.mollymoonicecream.com/index.html">website</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for more details. </span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.mollymoonicecream.com/images/MmicLogo.gif" />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-11295231339786561462008-03-31T23:33:00.000-07:002008-12-27T22:36:19.713-08:00An Old-Fashioned Girl<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Illness, work craziness, and wasting time on Facebook have kept me from blogging. Must try to do better...I'll pick up where I left off with Miss Polly Milton.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once I read </span><em style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">An Old-Fashioned Girl</em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, I forgot about all the other Alcott books and just kept rereading it; in fact, I still read it at least once a year. I probably love it so much because Polly becomes a music teacher; I remember wanting to live in a cozy apartment like hers with a cat and a piano (apparently I was 13 going on 70). Anyways, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >An Old-Fashioned Girl</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> follows the friendship between sweet country girl Polly Milton and the wealthy Shaw family, in particular their daughter Fanny. Polly comes for a lengthy visit to the city when she's young, I believe around 12 or so. At first she's not treated very well because she dresses simply and doesn't want to flirt with the boys at school. But in the end she wins over the Shaw family and their circle of acquaintances. She teaches them to be happy with their lives regardless of how much money they have and to take pleasure in living an honest life. And of course there are plenty of fun childhood adventures to be had along the way, but I don't want to give away too many details...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Polly comes back to town as a young adult and sets up her apartment for teaching piano and voice lessons, and continues to be a positive influence in nearly everyone's life. You'd think this would get annoying, since Polly (and Alcott's writing style) can be kind of preachy, but it doesn't really; it's just a perfect piece of escapism literature for a rainy day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Probably the most random thing I remember about</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > An Old-Fashioned Girl</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> is that it's where I first learned about macaroons:<br /><br /> "The hour was soon over; and when Fan had taken a music lesson in another room, while Polly looked on, it was time for recess. The younger girls walked up and down the court, arm in arm, eating bread and butter; others stayed in the school-room to read and gossip; but Belle, Trix, and Fanny went to lunch at a fashionable ice-cream saloon near by, and Polly meekly followed, not daring to hint at the ginger-bread grandma had put in her pocket for luncheon. So the honest, brown cookies crumbled away in obscurity, while Polly tried to satisfy her hearty appetite on one ice and three macaroons."<br /><br />Now I grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska, and though there may have been macaroons in the midwest, I certainly never saw any as a child. This "one ice and three macaroons" business was all very exotic to me. These days I'd be totally content to eat macaroons for lunch, but I don't think three would be nearly enough!<br /><br />But back to the review: if Beth was your favorite character from <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Women</span>, if you enjoy reading about what young girls wore to balls back in the day, if you fantasize about tiny pre-war apartments with cats and birds and whistling teakettles, give <span style="font-style: italic;">An Old-Fashioned Girl</span> a try. Much like those "honest, brown cookies" of gingerbread, it's pure literary comfort food.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Now this might be enough for lunch...</span><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pierreherme.com/img/prd/FR/z_251.jpg" /><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >macaroons available from <a href="http://www.pierreherme.com/e-gourmandises/familly.cgi?id=29&cwsid=6343phAC194316ph9864335">Pierre Herme</a></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-34643936891636428132008-02-19T00:14:00.000-08:002008-12-27T22:36:19.714-08:00Books actually written for girls<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had our friends Erma and Lance over last night for a belated Chinese New Year dinner, and Erma asked how I came up with the name for my blog, since I don't seem to ever write about books written for girls. The name was taken from a </span><a href="http://www.camera-obscura.net/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Camera Obscura</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> song that I like a lot, but given the blog's name it's not surprising that I get a lot of hits looking for...wait for it...books written for girls. So I've decided to start a regular feature on my favorite books for girls, and we'll start with one of the classics - Louisa May Alcott.<br /><br />Back in September I wrote about our visit to </span><a href="http://bookswrittenforgirls.blogspot.com/2007/09/good-times-never-seemed-so-good.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Boston</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and Concord, where we toured </span><a href="http://www.louisamayalcott.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Orchard House</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. I won't go into Louisa May's history since there are so many great resources online and elsewhere; let's just get to the good stuff. Keep in mind I'm going off of my memory here, so if I've remembered something incorrectly feel free to politely remind me. (Marmee wouldn't have it any other way!)<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Women-Illus-Childrens-Library/dp/0517221160/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203412213&sr=1-7"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Little Women</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> is probably the best-known of all Alcott's works, and was based on her own upbringing in Concord. Set during the Civil War, it tells the story of the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) and their many adventures. They often get into scrapes in their daily lives, but usually learn a valuable lesson from them, and also through advice given by their mother Marmee and the guidebooks she gives them(most likely <em>Pilgrim's Progress</em>). There's also a handsome neighbor boy, Laurie that I think every girl who reads the book falls for at some point. A true classic.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Men-Louisa-May-Alcott/dp/1406954365/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203412322&sr=1-2"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Little Men</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> is the follow-up to <em>Little Women</em>. It tells the story of Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer (who she marries at the end of <em>Little Women</em>), and the school for boys that they open together. Again, the students learn to correct their faults and become productive members of society, after having their fair share of struggles. Not quite as fun as the first book, but still highly satisfying since the characters from <em>Little Women</em> all drop in.<br /><br />I have to admit that I don't remember reading </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Bantam-Classics-Louisa-Alcott/dp/0553214497/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203412408&sr=1-2"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Jo's Boys</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, so technically I shouldn't include it in my favorites. It's considered the final book in the <em>Little Women</em> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Louisa-May-Alcott-Library-America/dp/1931082731/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203412520&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">trilogy</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, though, so if you're looking for a great birthday gift why not get all three?<br /><br />There are three more Alcott books that I'd like to include, but I think they need their own post - I have a lot to say about Miss Polly Milton.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21848288.post-82060138106768614262008-02-09T16:50:00.000-08:002008-02-09T17:20:58.436-08:00Notes from a caucus<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We went to our district caucus this afternoon to participate in the democratic process and support our candidate. Also, we knew if we didn't go today then our vote wouldn't count; although there are still county/city resolutions to vote on in the primary and the Republican nominees are chosen in the primary, the Democrats choose presidential nominees at the caucus. I don't usually talk politics on my blog, but I suppose I've outed myself as a Democrat by talking about the caucus. Oh well!<br /><br />The turnout at our caucus (at Hamilton Middle School) was HUGE. I caucused in 2004 and all of the precincts fit into the main auditorium; we then split up by precinct into classrooms. When we arrived today, there wasn't nearly enough room for everyone in the auditorium. Instead, we were sent to the west gym where our precinct and 2 others were meeting; other precincts were spread throughout the school. In 2004 there were maybe 30 people in my precinct at the caucus - today there were over 100. Between our precinct and the 2 others, the west gym was packed. It looked like all of the other rooms were full too; it seems like people are definitely excited about voting this year, which is pretty cool. Living on the west coast, it often seems like the news channels are calling the winner before we've even made it to the voting booth, so it's nice to feel like our votes count this time.<br /><br />I'm not sure how the rest of our district turned out, but in the west gym there was a total of 19 delegates for Obama and 3 for Clinton. In our precinct there were 106 people present. At the second tally, 12 were for Clinton and 94 were for Obama; the delegates were split 1 for Clinton, 6 for Obama. The other 2 precincts were split Clinton 1, Obama 6 and Clinton 1, Obama 7. The Obama love definitely seemed to be flowing. Granted, our neighborhood is one of the most liberal in the state, so we'll have to wait until tonight to see how the rest of Washington thinks, or even the rest of Seattle for that matter. But it certainly looks like Obama could be the big winner today.<br /><br />Click </span><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004173955_webcitizenreports09.html#6"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for dispatches from other caucuses around the state (though mostly in the Seattle area).</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376164775622860495noreply@blogger.com0