Rewind!

We went to the Space Needle yesterday.  That's right, after living here for for nearly nine years, I've finally gone to the Space Needle.  We took the monorail and everything.  It went like this: we met Michael's Aunt Marie and his cousin Janet, who happen to be in town from Brooklyn and Idaho, respectively, downtown for lunch.  We all had fish tacos/fish and chips and such, and Aunt Marie asked if we wanted to go to the Space Needle with them.  Michael, sadly, declined because he had to get back to work, but Emilia and I both yelled, 'Yes, please!'  It was a New Year's resolution this year, after all -- not to mention the fact that Emilia periodically begs to go, 'Maybe we should go to the Space Needle sometime, Mama!'  But what really sold me was that it was a sunny sunny sunshiny day (albeit fricking freezing).  And so we went.  And now I can cross it off of our list of things to do.

Anyway, I appear to have teetered toward that dangerous realm of not blogging at all anymore ever again so long as I live, and what can I say for myself?  Not much.  We've been so busy doing this and that and some more of this, that it makes it quite difficult to sit still sometimes.  (Yet when I do sit still, I can't manage to actually BE STILL ALREADY!  I've been driving myself bat-shit crazy, which is never very pleasant, for the record.)  I've had so many great ideas for posts, and I've let them all slip away, including some rather fantastic dinners, books, sundry fascinating tidbits, and who knows what else.  But before I let this month go for good, I will give you a brief list of how we (I) have been keeping ourselves (myself) busy.  Hmmm, where shall we start?

Watched Downton Abbey on PBS and will happily proclaim that it is the best thing we've seen on the telly in ages.  That Julian Fellowes is marvelous, is he not? * Finally finished reading David Copperfield.  Holy shit that book is long.  And Emilia, whom I gave updates to throughout, thinks the dog Jip in the book is simply spiffing.  She loves that he was placed on the dinner table at night and would walk around eating what he'd like from David and Dora's plates.  In fact, she has started asking me to tell her the story of Jip during breakfast. *  My fancy-pants of a husband was quoted in Los Angeles magazine this month and his article was published in the Gonzaga Law Review.  I've not known whether to be ridiculously proud or to trip him next time he walks down the hallway.  Currently leaning toward the latter. * My beloved Grandma Aileen, who gave me my middle name, died.  She was 84.  She used to call me Peanuts when I was small, and it was her house that had the beautiful lemon trees that will stay in my mind for as long as I live.  And I can never see a jar of Pacquins lotion without thinking of her.  My grandparents are all gone, and it makes me feel so sad.  And my tactic of 'I can't think about that now, I'll think about it tomorrow' à la Scarlet O'Hara (which I usually rely upon), is not working with this. I flew to California with my sister for her funeral last week.  My dad met us at the airport, and the three of us were inseparable until we got back on the plane to go home.  (Which, by the way, I flew home first class.  Well, la-di-da.  I suppose that is one bonus of using 62,500 frequent flyier miles for a last minute ticket to California.)  Grandma was buried next to Grandpa Lloyd and my little brother David.  It nearly broke my heart in half when we got to the cemetery and saw that David's grave was covered up with a great mound of dirt.  I haven't seen his grave is over twenty years.  And because I was upset, my dad drove back the next day and took a picture of his grave, all cleaned up and pretty, and sent it to me. He also sent a picture of the old house we used to live in on Union Street. *  My mom went in for horrific back surgery and has worried the daylights out of all of us, which in turn has made us worry about David. Worrying about parents is for the birds, I say.  But there it is. * I bought a pair of Uggs.  Er, I mean I bought another pair of Uggs.  Seriously, I loathe those shoes.  They are a scourge to footwear, beyond hideous, and anyone wearing them ought to be ashamed of themselves.  I own three pairs. 

* Michael was in St. Louis for Valentine's Day.  So Emilia and I spent the day getting her hair cut, going to Trophy Cupcakes, and having a power outage.  That evening we sat on the couch with our flashlights and perusing the Boden/MiniBoden catalogs ('Oh, that would be so pretty for you, Mama!' and 'Would I look like a beauty in this dress, Mama?'), and having South African vegetable soup for dinner. * I read the book Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.  It was magnificent.  I loved it and was sad when it was over. * Cooked a Vietnamese noodle soup by Rocco Dispirito in this month's Food & Wine magazine.  Divine. * Made a chunky tomato soup (from the same issue) that is also divine.  Potato 'croutons' go on the top of the soup and I could probably eat them all day. *  Have finally mastered éclairs.  Straight up. * Emilia has taken to trying to floss with her spaghetti during dinner. * Read a ridiculous article in the British tabloids about 'Skinny Gwynnie' and how she has gone all skeletal-chic.  The male author said that being skinny and in shape (like Gwyneth Paltrow) makes you look like a control freak and failing in sensuality.  I am taking this to heart as I've not gone running in nearly a month, and have eaten a gazillion éclairs (which are so good that it is completely worth it, by the way.)  Meanwhile, I would not cry too much if I looked like Skinny Gwynnie. * Emilia got a box of the most gorgeous clothes in the mail, courtesy Grandma and Grandpa, including a beret.  The girl will not be parted from it.  (Thank goodness she looks smashing in it, is all I have to say.)  As for the rest, I keep trying to tuck it away for next season, but she keeps telling me that her tummy is reallyreally cold and she needs to wear a beautiful sweater to warm it up.  Twerp. * Yesterday Emilia locked Governor in her room. Two screw-drivers, a straight pin, much muttered profanity, texted pictures of a pulled-apart-lock to Michael, and forty minutes later, he was freed.  Then an hour later flames shot out the back of my hair dryer.  I threw the thing and it left burn marks on the bathroom counter.  According to Emilia mama yelled, 'Aaaah!' and then 'Just great!' * It's been snowing and I hate it. * Just started reading The Hangman's Daughter.  It's quite fantastic and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  But I am hating the fact that everytime I sit down to read I am so incredibly tired and can't seem to settle down. *   

As for the rest of the month, Monday is Emilia's third birthday.  She has requested a Ghost Pleasing Chocolate Cake and pasta with Neapolitan meatballs for dinner.  Talk about a girl after my own heart.