Robbers' marshmallows

I have a friend who inspires me. Well, all of my friends inspire me, but this one in particular has inspired me with an increased passion for learning about anything and everything that I even have the slightest curiosity about. It's gotten to where if I wonder about anything at all I get really nerdy and excited to look it up in an encyclopedia or read about it online. It's almost always something little, but I love it. It's fun to have answers about little things I've always wondered about.

Recently my curiosity was piqued by a memory from my childhood. When my cousins came over, we liked to play Cops and Robbers in my backyard. The police station was over by the patio and the robbers' hideout was a little opening in the trees where the lowest branches made something like a little cave. Inside this tree cave, there was an abundance of this plant:

Kinda pretty, right? The seed pods, however, were our favorite part.

Every time we went to the robbers' hideout, we'd "roast marshmallows," which just meant we'd make a pile of sticks, break the seed pods off the plant,  and hold them over the "fire" while we sat and didn't say anything. The twiggy stems were perfect marshmallow-roasting sticks.

Every now and then, I've thought about those "marshmallows" and wondered what exactly they were. As it turns out, a 10 minute internet search supplied me with the pictures and a description of the plant. Because of its transluscent pods, through which you can see all its seeds, the plant is called "honesty." I thought that was pretty ironic, considering it was in the robbers' hideout. As it turns out, though, another name for it is the "money plant" or the "silver dollar plant." We were a lot richer than we thought, I guess. I just can't believe we ripped up and "burned" our money!

My parents don't live in that house anymore, but I don't remember seeing that plant in the back yard for a long time. I guess we killed honesty.

"Go on, feel it. I made dem."

My first crochet project!

And here's a special shout-out to Kathryn, who provided the beads--she made them for girls' camp and gave them to me, probably seven or eight years ago. (?!?) Call me a pack rat, but I'm just really glad to have finally found a good use for them.

If you're interested in making your own, I basically followed this pattern. I have a feeling I'm going to be making a lot more of these, and in so many colors. I'm in love.

Revised reading list and quick update

Hey readers! I've neglected my blog for a while so I have a ton of catching up to do. First of all, I've changed my mind about the 22 by 22. I am still going to read as many books as I can, but I am changing some of them on the list from popular reads to some of my ancestors' journals. A good friend of mine has been doing a lot of reading lately about his family history, and he has inspired me. So instead of Don Quixote, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Memoirs of a Geisha, I'll read the journals of Jesse Nathaniel Smith (my 7th (?) great-grandfather on my mom's side), Elias Smith (my 6th great-grandfather on my dad's side--and yes, he and Jesse N. are cousins), and Sadie Hulet Avery (my great grandma on my mom's side). I am really excited to get to know a little more about my heritage and the strong people who came before me.

So here's the revised list. I really haven't gotten very far at all. Don't make fun; employment and friends just take all my time.

And remember, I love color coding, so here's the code: 

Currently reading

Finished

Next on the list 

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (528 pages)

2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (349 pages)

3. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (200 pages)
4. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (~400 pages)
5. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (496 pages)
6. Led by Faith by Imaculee Ilibagiza (264 pages)

7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (400 pages)

8. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (160 pages)
9. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (227 pages)
10. The Great Divorce** by C.S. Lewis (144 pages)
11. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (302 pages)
12. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (320 pages)
13. Journal of Elias Smith
14. Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith
15. Journal of Sadie Hulet Avery
16. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (288 pages)
17. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (208 pages)
18. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (326 pages)
19. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (110 pages)
20. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (244 pages)
21. Yo-Yo Boing!* by Giannina Braschi (256 pages)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (339 pages)

**I found a dirt-cheap copy of this book in Spanish, so I'll actually be reading El Gran Divorico.

In other news, life is fantastic. I absolutely love my job. Even though I'm going to have the exact same schedule for the next year, the routine is not difficult or boring because everything I do is so much fun. Lately I've started being able to really get creative and write lesson plans, and that's probably my favorite thing about the job so far. Whenever I'm not busy with that, I'm spending a lot of time with some amazing friends. The Lord has really blessed me with more than I deserve. 

My parents came to town a couple of weeks ago before the family reunion that I wasn't able to go to, so it was really great to spend time with them. They joined our dinner group one night and Daddy's one-wire provided plenty of entertainment for one of my friends. (If you don't know what one-wire is, ask me and I'll tell you a couple of great stories.) We also went up to Idaho to see Uncle Glade and his family. All I can say is that I'm pretty sure his son Jared and I have some sort of mental and emotional bond. We're pretty much the same person. I love that kid (and everyone in that family) so much!

Now I've started to become a domestic goddess. I started crocheting over the weekend, and I've already made one crappy slipper and half of a really good one. (I'll post pictures once I get them finished.) I'm also buying a sewing machine this weekend and I can't wait to get started on some cool projects like making cute dresses for 6 dollars and stuff. 

This is all for now since I want to finish the slipper before I go to bed tonight, but just to get you excited, I'll tell you what you can expect in the near future:

Reflections on grocery shopping with Mama

Robbers' marshmallows

The Life and Times of Ronaldiago Weasley Cox-Gentry

At least 3 more friendlove posts

A buttload of pictures

See you soon!