Happy Independence Day!

 I love berries. Now that summer is here, I eat them every chance I get. The 4th of July is a perfect day to let them shine because the are also so patriotic. Enjoy the beautiful day and celebrate our great freedoms today!

From the city of brotherly love

Going Grey

Remember that green accent wall in my kitchen? It's not easy being a green wall...especially when you are injured and the paint they patch you with turns out to be NOT the same green. Woah, weird! Why would I have a can of different green paint sitting in my closet?  Well, at this point, my husband confessed that he never really liked the original color of green and especially detested the new color of the patch green. He would rather have grey. Hmm...hey, I happened to have a pint of grey paint in my closet too, except I know why I had that. It was supposed to be for my mother's remodeled basement but never got used.
I had to consider it for a day, but I slowly let go of my attachment to the green wall. Our wall then became grey. Ben was very impressed with my painting skills. I finally found something in the home improvement I knew more about than he did!! He wouldn't let me paint green stalks and white flowers in the corner on the wall, though. humph. Kimi would have like that. After I had stared at it a day or two, I decided I really liked grey. I liked it so much that I wanted to paint the adjacent wall grey too! And so it is, that our dining area is updated and lovely. Hooray!

Hawaii

I frequently get the itch to travel...to take a respite and explore something new. I would go on vacation every couple months if I could. Whenever I get the question "what would you do if you had $10,000?" the answer is always "Travel"!  I also LOVE having a hot new travel partner who is so sweet to always take care of all the luggage, let me use his frequent flier miles and got us a great discounts on the hotel :)

 Ben and I finally found a little time between work schedules and school to take a week off. Ben has traveled a lot but had never been to Hawaii, and I have a brother that lives there with his adorable family.

We spent a couple days in Waikiki in a beach hotel amongst all the tourists. The Japanese food and Hawaiian ceviche there were amazing, Pearl Harbor was interesting, and the beaches were crowded. Then we headed over to the North Shore to stay with my brother.

There we got to see much more of the gorgeous nature that covers the island. Spending an afternoon on a sandy beach with only a few other people, boogie boarding, and watching the little girls play in the sand was much more our style.

We saw the beautiful botanical gardens and waterfall, ate fresh shrimp right from the water, had "Shave Ice" as well as some macadamian nut pancakes at the Hukilau Cafe. yum! We ended the week on a breezy beach watching the sun slowly set over the big waves as the last lingering surfers made their way back to shore.

These girls were as cute as can be...how can you resist those big brown eyes and little hands when they want you to hold them??

Graduation for Kimi

My little sister graduated last week. I was so proud. Maybe it's the big sister in me. Maybe it's because she calls me her second mama sometimes. Maybe because I used to call her my clone because she always wanted to do the same things I did when we were younger.  I love that girl. I love her creativity, the artist in her that sees things differently, the overly-caring spirit and love she has toward everyone, and her silly sense of humor. I love how dedicated she is to her wiener dog and that she learns many life and psychology lessons from her. She is one that doesn't realize how beautiful she is. She tries so hard to make everyone happy and is selfless in so many ways. She always bring random humor to keep us laughing. Her imagination is unparalleled, which is probably why she is the favorite aunt for our nieces and nephews. She'd be my favorite aunt too...
    She graduated in psychology with a minor in art form the University of Utah so she can go on to become an art therapist. That's totally her personality. I didn't get to go to the ceremony because it was during work and we were crazy busy, but I threw her a family party that evening. I made lots of fun food, and forgot to take pictures of that, let alone the party. oh well. She thinks we spoil her...how can you not when she is so deliciously fun?
Congratulations Kimi!!!! I love you.

Remembering Grandma

   As I pulled out the iron to touch up a pillow case that came out of the wash a bit too wrinkled, I caught myself thinking about my Grandma DeLaMare. I chuckled as I decided that was exactly something I might have teased her for doing years ago. She was the epitome of "proper" to me. Her Victorian style home decor, complete with lace tablecloths, doillies and covers on the arms of her armchairs, was always dusted and clean. She would decorate each month by putting out her assortment of ceramic pieces appropriate for each holiday and dressing the stone goose on her doorstep. She taught me to write a proper thank-you note. She reminded me how address people correctly and politely. She would rebuke me if I dared to wear slacks instead of a skirt to a baby shower at her home or on a Sunday. I remember her exclaiming how shocked she was that women don't always wear nylons with a dress  to church. Almost every time I came to visit, she would steer me in the kitchen and show me her oven to make sure I knew how clean it was, because I told her once as a 5 yr old that her oven was dirty. She collected enough of 2 kinds of formal china so she would have enough place settings for her entire family (around 50 people) to eat on for Sunday dinner or other events. I got a thoughtful note in a birthday card every year that would arrive on the right day or just before...never late.
   And then I got thinking...that sounds a lot like my mom, too. My, she is a lot like her mother. And really, that's not a bad thing.
   But, oh, I am beginning to see myself as well. And not just because I iron pillowcases. The one thing I was adamant about having on my wedding registry was china. Not just because I was told to get it (like my friends that haven't used theirs in 10 yrs since they got married), but because I wanted it and knew I would use it. I love to cook and entertain with food, just like my grandma. I like to make things look nice and composed. I dress up to go out to a concert or dinner, or wedding receptions (when I see so many people there in jeans or shorts). I write thank-you cards and put personal messages in them.
   What would the world be like if we didn't have grandmas and moms to remind us of etiquette,  courtesy and respect. Dismal, rude and uncouth, I would venture to guess.  I am so glad that some of her has rubbed off on me. I miss her tonight.

Colonoscopy

My poor little blog. I admit to neglecting you while I spent way more time with my soup blog, even though some days I get more visitors here than I do there.  Lol. But, I feel like cooking is more exciting that my life right now. Probably the most interesting thing that has happened to me in the last month has been a colonoscopy. I am all for preventative screening and going under anesthesia for unpleasant experiences but I responded all wrong. You all don't want to hear me complain about my ailments and weird body...so you'll have to be content knowing that I am content with my less-than-exciting routine of: going to work every day, coming home to a wonderful, albeit busy, husband. I still cook a lot, read books and cooking magazines, clean, buy food, watch cooking shows, try to gather visiting teaching reports for 2 weeks out of every month and sing in the shower.