Lipizzaners!

As a young girl, Bethany was given this book from a neighbor for whom she did some laborious work for.  She loved horses, and spent some years in riding lessons and riding.  When she saw that the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions, the White Dancing Stallions of Vienna, were coming to Everett this weekend, she was excited to be able to see them in real life, and Darrell and I were invited to accompany her!

 They also had a 1500 pound Black Parisian Dancing Horse!  It was amazing to see something so massive prance around as if he were walking on clouds!

 One could barely hear the hooves of the big stallions as they danced and pranced across the floor to classical music.  Truly an amazing sight to behold!

A Must Read

This is the first novel of Kathryn Stockett, and already being made into a movie to be out in mid August!  I am only half way through, but know this a a book I can highly recommend!  Karen M., you will love it!  Based on history, this fiction takes place in the 1960's highly racial South, basically told from the perspective of 'the Help'.  In other words, the black maids working for and raising the children of the white snobs for less than minimum wage, while their own families have to raise themselves.  Excellent reading!



Architecture

Before we ate our gourmet cupcakes, Bethany and Peter took us for a bit of a walk-about on the UW Campus. The campus is beautiful and the older buildings intriguing.  I love the artistry they boast. Bethany lives just a couple of blocks from the college.

The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming and the company was superb!

Cupcake Craze!

While visiting my daughter today in Seattle, we were introduced to one of the newest food crazes, the gourmet cupcake.  I believe the stores are called Sweet Indulgence, though do not quote me on that.  Apparently they serve up a few staple flavors, and into that mix they add a few other varieties for the day's choices.

Our selections were composed of the above very rich and delicious delicacies!

Flowers and Pepian

This has been a very cold spring, with the weather outlook promising more of the same through June.  Spring may not want to come to us, but we can bring a semblance of it to us! 

My daughter bustled in for Mother's Day with this beautiful, colorful tulip bouquet !

Laden with a plethora of blooms, this wonderful fuchsia was a gift from son Ryan! 

Nothing shouts spring more than bright yellow flowers!  Love this bouquet from Darrell :o} 

Bethany also cooked up this Guatemalan dish, Pepian, for all of us.  Made with chicken pieces, potatoes, carrots, squashes (like Guiskil) and cooked in some kind of Guatemalan sauce, it is served over rice.  It was very good! 

Roasted Asparagus with goat cheese and toasted walnuts..... YUM!!!

Bean Dip and Chips for an appetizer, and Hot Fudge Sundaes for dessert... so good!

Thanks to the family for a wonderful Mother's Day!

Little Books

While browsing my bookshelves the other day, I came upon some childrens' books that have such wonderful illustrations that I thought I would pass it on to those of you who have young 'uns around yet.  Our library carries them, and maybe yours does, too.

Jill Barklem has created this series of books, known as Brambly Hedge. Especially for those who enjoy miniature things, I believe the pictures will enchant you :-}

Bites and Pizzas (Bits and Pieces)

Another great pizza concocted by Darrell this past weekend!  Topping the pizza dough made with beer are things like spinach, yellow peppers, chicken, red onion, tomatoes, ricotta cheese, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese and Caesar Dressing.  All that is sprinkled with just a bit of cheddar cheese for color.  Maybe we should call this the Clean-Out-the-Refrigerator Pizza!  It was pretty tasty  :-}

Impressed!

Scott and Bethany L gifted me early for Mother's Day with the best gardening gloves ever!  They have too often been witnesses to gloves on me with the ends of the fingers worn completely away, since I dig with my fingers to both pull weeds and to plants starts.  Springtime brings a permanent green index finger with brown stained fingernail.  These new gloves have leather fingers and palms. Today I spent the one sunny day we will be having, working outside weeding and planting and generally giving the gloves a hard workout.  By the end of the day not only were the fingers none the worse for the wear, but my hands had stayed totally warm in the moist dirt. No need to take the fingernail brush to my nails either! Needless to say, I am very impressed and pleased with them :-)

MECHANIXWEAR  Leather Palm Gloves

Try them.....

Current Reads

I generally do not read more than one book at a time.  That works best for me in order to keep the contents straight in my mind.  That said, I currently have four books in progress.  I had five going, but finished The Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James last week. It was a fast and interesting read of the authors perspective of both Naomi and Ruth's roles in the societal culture of the time.   

Thin Places: a memoir is author Mary DeMuth's own story of her troubled childhood and her subsequent struggle to take life lessons from it and move forward with the grace of God.  Though she is an overcomer, it is a very sad reminder of the horrors that far too many children suffer in our world.

These autobiographies of George and Laura Bush are likewise interesting.  Laura's writing is very detailed and paints excellent pictures in one's mind's eye, but can get a bit long at times.  I am getting a better idea of the hugeness of the state of Texas, and the closeness in the smaller communities, such as Midland, where both she and George hail from.   G.W. is not the best of writers, but it is fascinating to read the 'behind the scenes' of the decisions he had to make as the President.

The other book I am somewhat determined to forge my way through is Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  I am not particularly enjoying the voyage, but I hear he writes from a 'God's Grace' point of view, and that one of  the two brothers portrays God's grace while the other portrays legalism.

So what have YOU been reading lately?