Happy Easter!

It takes forever to make deviled eggs—but given the right occasion, these culinary delights are well worth the effort.

No better occasion than Easter to stand around peeling hard boiled eggs for hours on end. I generally find it therapeutic but when I start to get frustrated that it’s taking too long, my hands are freezing/burning (depending on the ice bath or how quickly the eggs have come from the boiling water), or I keep slicing up the egg whites while peeling off egg shell… I think of my Grandmother and her sister Aunt Betty who taught me how to make them and again I find my Zen. Given that I am now the designated family deviled-egg-maker, I may as well find enjoyment out of it because this honor/responsibly is not to be taken lightly.

I think Annie and Aunt Betty would be proud of my multi-colored eggs this year.

~Happy Holi~

Such brilliant traditions those Indians have. Since returning from India, I have certainly picked up some new habits—most notably the daily making of chai over the stove. Sure, I only make it once a day compared to their 8-10 times and my one cup of chai has been American-sized to equal about 3-4 of theirs… but it is fantastic: slicing and crushing all the spices, boiling the tea and milk, the smell and of course the caffeine.

I digress…. Holi—a fun holiday where you paint each other in vibrant colored powders. Kind of like a giant food fight but with harmless bright color and some water balloons. Not at all related to the Easter traditions—but you do end up looking like a human Easter egg and like Easter, the day is determined by the lunar calendar. Good times.

I was told the reason behind Holi and how it started but am unsure of the details. If someone totally unfamiliar with US traditions and holidays asked me how Halloween started and why we dress up as goblins and fairy princesses then go door to door asking for candy or threatening vandalism… I could probably produce some sort of answer. Don’t know if it would be accurate. At this point I don't know if we need a reason- we just celebrate Halloween and appreciate it for the fund and tradition of it all. Same goes for Holi.

Anyhow- I loved Holi Hai. Mita and Sumit served delicious Indian cuisine for lunch and all-in-all we had a fantastic time playing outside in the beautiful Austin sunshine. Very fun, the kiddos loved it and the powder didn’t even stain my skin! But I did get some really strange looks when I popped into Lowe’s on my way home to pick up some sweet potato vine. I quickly decided to just head back home… that maybe the general population was not ready for human sized Easter eggs.

gratitude

it makes me happy to be thankful. in fact, it's the best feeling I know.

for this reason, i LOVE writing thank you notes. i cringe a little to hear people gripe about writing them, because i hate to think that someone is missing the chance for such fulfillment.

there is nothing better than the feeling of simply overflowing with gratitude and letting some else know that they are the reason. makes me feel full, complete, and all those other wonderful ways to try to describe being content and beyond...

Poopsie

I couldn’t be any prouder of my happy little niece, Madeleine “Poopface” Shrum, weighing in at an impressive 21 lbs at 6 months. I’m doing my best as Auntie Emily to spoil her rotten… so at this past Sunday night family dinner, I introduced her to homemade icing. I started by dabbing just a tiny amount on her little lip and within seconds, she grabbed by finger with both of her hands and pulled it right into her little mouth and tugged away. This, of course, was rewarded with a spatula with icing on it which she managed to smear all over me and herself. It was awesome.

Isn't she precious?

Tyler at our back door...

Bird? What bird? I have no idea what you are talking about.

I'm sorry... did you say you wanted to pet me?

I don't know where the feathers came from... or how one got on me.

UPDATE: The birdy whose feathers appeared on my back porch is still MIA. Meanwhile, Tyler continues to be dive-bombed by blue jays in the backyard.

Incredible India - Feb 2008

Finally recovering from our trip to the far side of the globe and the 12 hour time difference... India lived up to it's alliteration. Such a unique and amazing experience: such rich culture, such vibrant and hospitable people, and such stark disparity and juxtaposition. I’ve never been surrounded by such luxury and opulence and I’ve never seen such extreme poverty and primitive living, yet they are side by side in this country.

We saw such proper and pious people, covered up and no of displays of affection; then such lack of dignity with men openly and commonly relieving themselves on sidewalks and roadways. In the middle of a densely populated metropolitan area, just in front of a large estate and a fancy iron gate would be a make-shift mini-village with shelters made of branches, tarps, and the most impressive of all: houses made purely of cow dung. The craftsmanship, I assure you, is remarkable.

There is no better way to describe the traffic than “organized chaos.” Sure, there are lines on the road, but good luck funding anyone staying within them. Really the middle line is quite meaningless. It’s like a constant game of Chicken with the horns constantly sounding and high beams constantly flashing. In fact, painted on the back of many vehicles is encouragement “Horn Please” and “Use Dipper at Night” is emblazoned in a lovely and bright script. Beyond that, any type of transportation you can image shares the roadway. Cars, trucks, motorized and manpowered rickshaws, bikes, wooden carts drawn by horses, donkeys, ox, camels, or goats, tractors, pedestrians all share any given road at any given speed all day long. And yes, we were in a traffic jam caused by a wandering cow.

How fortunate were we to not only see this country and see it’s prized jewels, but to participate in the traditions, rituals and ceremonies surrounding a week-long wedding celebration. As one of the Aunties put it, there is no better way to show your joy for a wedding than to add color. And so it seems that everything we did some how tied back to this theme. From the detailed and meaningful designs of the Mehndi (or Henna, as we call it in the States) to the intricate and lavish clothing and jewelry that adorned the ladies: the brighter the better.

This trip will hold a special place in my memory. I suppose most vacations and travels do—but this one was exceptionally unique.

I’ll add some pictures once I figure out how…

Below is a link to some favorites:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UZOWLhu1bNQ

Cupcakes and Cocktails

Happy Valentines Day. A good time was had by all!

Home Sweet Home

I really should thank Lottie and Jess for this blog. Their requests for updates on the house during the renovation and pictures when we were finished got me to thinking about starting a blog of our own. Ah… the ability to give updates without spamming friends who would really rather not have their inbox crammed with the semi-depressing epic otherwise known as the trials and tribulations of remodeling and adding-on. Nice thought.

Not that anyone in the midst of a move-out-of-your-house, down-to-the-studs, add-a-historically-correct-second-story, oh, and go ahead and redo-all-the-plumbing-not-because-you-planned-to-but-why-the-hell-not-at-this-point kind of renovation has the time to type updates. If they can, bless them, because I sure couldn’t.

So anyhow… here are some pics of the casa: in-progress and complete. We didn’t get many (if any) before pictures. I would much prefer friends come visit than just email some pics but since that’s not always possible… this will just have to suffice until I can get them to sit with me at the kitchen table.

So holla to Lottie, Jess, the law school crew and all the others who so patiently and caringly asked for updates. Thank you for the all the support. Sorry it took me a bit to kick start this thing… Glad you didn’t have to wait a year to see the house. Come back to see us soon.

The front of our little bungalow before and after... hopefully still quaint, just a little more roomy

The back of the house before and after

The only picture I have of the kitchen before. There really wasn't much more to the kitchen than this - and this is as far back of an angle you could get because it was so freakin' tiny.

And a few pics of my favorite room in the house after:

And it only took me a year of being in the house before getting these online :)

Barbeque & Roses

Great time last weekend in East Texas: Got to see our old stompin grounds, high five the Judge on his bday AND five years on the bench, then we even got to see the Hulls who we miss so much.

...And that darling Reagan is as precious as I remember him! Some favorites:

Georgia on my mind

You know when you get to see old friends you haven't seen in a while and you pick up right where you left off and you leave happier than before with some more great memories and the content feeling that you have been blessed with life-long friends?? Makes me smile.

Fantastic time this weekend with Miss Em, Kipper and little Georgia. Looking forward to the next get together!