30 Years, 30 Books

So, I've gone from the girl who thinks she doesn't have much time to read to the girl who once again can't get enough of books. And I was thinking this morning, "Hey! I'm turning 30 this year! Sounds like a good time to take stock of my life. And so I have devised a plan to re-read 30 of my most favorite fiction pieces from over the years--or, at least, the books I count among my favorites--and give short reviews here. Part of this project is to revise this list if need be; see if my tastes have changed, etc. A couple of these titles I've read so recently that I'll count them as being read for the purposes of this list. One title--My Antonia--I'm still reading, but I love it so much I'm not sure it matters how it ends. Here we go:

30 Years, 30 Books (in a loosely ranked order)

1. Middlemarch, George Eliot

2. Persuasion, Jane Austen

3. A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway

4. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

5. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

6. Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen

7. The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo

8. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

9. Charlotte's Web, E.B. White

10. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

11. Catherine, Called Birdy, Karen Cushman

12. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway

13. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

14. Les Miserables (abridged), Victor Hugo

15. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

16. The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged), Alexandre Dumas

17. My Antonia, Willa Cather

18. North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell

19. Light in August, William Faulkner

20. Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

21. Anne of Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery

22. Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery

23. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry

24. The BFG, Roald Dahl

25. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare

26. Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech

27. Hamlet, William Shakespeare

28. The Odyssey, Homer

29. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor

30. The Green Mile, Stephen King

An excellent list, no? I have a strong feeling I've left out something very important from the children's/ YA category (it's not Harry Potter, though I love that series dearly). If you can help me think of it, or if you have any remarks at all, be sure to leave me a comment! I LOVE comments!

Strawberries 'n Cream Cobbler

Every now and then, out of the cobwebby regions of my cranium, a recipe comes to me almost fully formed. Today was just such a day:

I like to buy my fruit at Costco. Usually the quality and price are way better than our local grocery stores'. Of course, that also means buying Costco-sized packages--and all those strawberries are difficult to eat for a family of four before they go bad. Today, these beauties were on their last leg, so I knew I was going to have to bake them up into something yummy. I got to thinking about how I've been wanting peach cobbler lately, but peaches aren't here yet--and then I remembered my strawberries. And this recipe. And inspiration struck. Truly, I JUST finished eating my piece and it was so good I needed to pass it along.

Strawberries 'n Cream Cobbler

3 c. sliced strawberries

1/2 c. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 c. butter, room temperature

1 egg, slightly beaten

Spray a pie plate or a 9x9 pan and add strawberries. Mix whole milk with vanilla until well blended, then pour over top strawberries. Set pan aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift well. Add egg and butter, and combine with a pastry blender until the mixtures resembles crumbles. Distribute evenly over top of strawberries. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes until the cobbler begins to brown and the dish gives off a lovely fragrance. Cool a bit on a wire rack, but definitely try it while it's still warm.

Bathroom Spruce 3/2012

Remember this project? Well, the same lady who put up that awful wallpaper also put up some truly hideous stuff in the master bath as well.

Right? Who thinks like that??? You can't tell, because we took the switch plates off, but she had actually wallpapered those, too. The further we get into redecorating projects around here, the more my mind reels about this home's former inhabitants. I have visions of Aunt Bethany from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation bringing jell-o with cat food in it. Of course, in ten years, someone could look at what we've done and think the same thing.

But I sincerely hope we haven't done anything that is going to cause the next dwellers as much frustration. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: don't wallpaper anything, anywhere, ever. Because as sure as the sun shines, there will be a day when that style of paper goes the way of all flesh, and you will curse the day you were born, trying to remove it. It's a messy, smelly, laborious, life-sucking endeavor that you will escape alive and well only if you remember reading The Grapes of Wrath and realize that, in fact, you are lucky to have a roof over your head at all, wallpapered or not.

In any case, we have finished--finally--almost unscathed, and here's what we've got to show for ourselves:

Here's what we did:

*Removed offensive wallpaper

*Removed old-lady handle outside the shower

*Primed & Painted (you can find our exact color by going to Home Depot & asking for "Wills Color," no apostrophe--the guy working the paint counter named it after him)

*Made countless trips to Lowe's/Home Depot

*Replaced bathroom hardware with a set that matches

I think I'm even more pleased with this than I was with the entryway/bathroom project. Sigh. Things I still need to do:

*Find new pulls/knobs for the drawers/cabinets/door

*DIY Mirror frame Seriously, do you ever feel like Pinterest has changed your life? It has certainly brought mine to a new level of efficiency, organization, and experimentation.

*Find some funky oversized art for the large blank wall above the tub. But I really haven't found anything I'm crazy about yet (that doesn't come from anthro and cost thousands of dollars)

*Find some funky decorative accents.

... and Jack makes 5!!!!

This is Jack:

Don't see anyone? Funny. Neither do I. But according to W, he lives in our pantry and apparently hangs out with the Peanuts gang, because sometimes while Jack is at school, W hangs out with Snoopy and Woodstock instead. W goes to visit Jack while we are making dinner together. W and Jack have lots of adventures throughout the day. W props up his arms cartoon-style, yells "To the rescue!!!" and takes off running. It's my favorite thing he does right now. Love him, love him.

Jane Austen Is My Homegirl a.k.a. Top 5 (okay, 6) Signs I've Fallen into Regency-era Psychosis

Every now and then, I get a little caught up in the wonder that is Jane Austen: her life, her work, her influence on various aspects of our modern world. I feverishly read her novels, watch BBC mini-series, and (nerd alert!) write essays in my head or (even bigger nerd alert) compose passionate speeches on "Why Jane Austen Is the Greatest Writer in the History of the Novel," all for the large and important academic conferences... that take place inside my head. I have loved and admired the merits of many other novel-writers, but I always come back to Jane. She stands alone. I love her. And no doubt she would find in my effusions something to poke fun at. It's what she does.

This time around, I've fallen into the obsession rather deeply. Yesterday I think I crossed over to the dark side of the Austenian world, a mere step away from reading fan fiction (yuck). I suppose composing fan fiction is worse. Anyway, I stumbled across these gems, and I'm here to share them with like-minded Austenites:

1. Jane Austen's Fight Club. You won't be sorry.

2. Jane Austen-themed things from Cafe Press.

3. Ideas for hosting a Jane party (I am SO doing this, probably for her birthday this year).

4. Marvel's comic book versions of some of her novels--this cover is nothing short of pure brilliance. It. Is. Perfect.

5. Why wasn't I asked to contribute???? Must acquire this. I wonder if the e-book is available...

6. I also daydream about wearing clothes from the Regency period. But since that is never going to happen, I daydream about decorating with paintings of girls in Regency dresses. Lovely, no?

Am I alone in my need for nerd-dom? Why do YOU love Jane Austen? What do YOU nerd-out about?

Ada, 8 months

This girl. I tell you, I am so in love with her. This past month her personality has really started to come out and I am totally digging her. She is inspiring. I think this age, in general, is inspiring. Here these tiny ones are, trying to do much more than their little bodies can handle, but giving up never seems to be an option. They fall down, and try again, again, again. I find that so moving. Anyway, if there is one word I could pick to suit her, it would be tenacious. She is interested in everything, and you can see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to figure out how to accomplish her goal. She does not give up. Of course, that means I must be vigilant at all times, but I so love her spirit of wanting to conquer the world that it's worth it to me. I remember W being the same way. Her latest (and, I think, most accurate) nickname is Ada Adventure.

Case in point: The other night she was snuggling with me and Chris on the couch. She noticed W's monkey backpack up on a shelf, staring down at her:

She took it as a challenge and engaged in a shrieking fight. It was hilarious.

Here's what Miss Adventure has been up to lately:

*Pulls self up to stand. She learned this just a few days ago and has lost no time in perfecting her ability. She's already starting to let go to see if she can stand on her own. If you help her stand, she tries to walk.

*Doing great with solid foods. Doesn't seem to care for stone fruits; I think they're too acidic for her. Wants to try whatever you may be eating.

*New nicknames: Ada Adventure, Ada Ada Sweet Potata, Ada Potata, etc.

*Says "Uh-oh!" all day long while exploring.

*Loves cords (yikes)

*Starting to become shy of strangers

*Puts everything in her mouth

*Makes W laugh

(P.S. We do get people asking how to say her name; I thought it was a common enough name that people would just know. Anyhow, if you are one of the curious, it's pronounced Ay-duh, emphasis on the first syllable. Rhymes with the thug pronunciation of "hater" ;) So, now you know.)