Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: March 2012

A photo of me:


1) Candle scents this month:
Sweet Violet. Clean Cotton. Garden Hideaway. Tulips. Sweet Honeysuckle. Buttercream. Blueberry Scone (one of my personal favorites!). Soft Blanket. Fluffy Towels. Buttercream.

2) What I am reading this month:
I am about a third of the way through "Love in the Time of Cholera." It was a little slow to take off, but now that I've gotten to know the characters, I am getting into the meat of their story. I just wish I could keep my eyes open for longer than 15 minutes when I start reading at night.

3) Top three songs I was drawn to:
"The Shape of Us," by Ian Britt. "I Loved Her First," by Heartland. "The Way You Look Tonight," by Steve Tyrell.

4) Movies I saw:
An old favorite, the Steve Martin remake of "Father of the Bride." "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets" -- The first movie was fairly entertaining and I was hoping the sequel might be as well; I was not disappointed!

5) Favorite tv moments of the month:
"Remember Me, I'm the One Who Loves You," Parenthood - Oh my heck made me cry. "A Better Human Being," Fringe - Fringe has gotten crazy good, edge-of-your-seat good, with this amazing combination of action and emotion. "Leap Year," The Middle - Made me laugh so hard! "The Weekend Vortex," The Big Bang Theory - Quite possibly one of the top three funniest episodes of an insanely hilarious tv show. "My Brother's Wedding," Parenthood - I laughed, I wept happy tears, I cried for a hurting character...because this show is just that real, and you guys? I don't know how I am supposed to wait all the way until the Autumn for more time with the Bravermans. "Reagan V. Reagan," Blue Bloods - I always enjoy Danny get all hot-headed, but Erin whipped out the claws in this episode too and the fur, it was *flying*. "Red-Handed," Once Upon a Time - I am almost always impressed with the creativity of this show, the way they weave the stories together in a way that makes you believe they have always been intertwined, but, while this was a dark episode for certain, the little details they tossed in were outstanding! Frozen Planet - We've been watching this on Discovery Channel. It's by the same people who did Planet Earth and it is just plain stunning.

6) Something yummy I made:
Spinach-Pesto Meatball Soup.

7) Restaurants where I ate:
Longhorn Steak House. Bob Evans.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Orange blossoms. I look forward to this time every year. The weather is just right for opening the house up wide and letting that fresh comfortable air inside, carrying the heavenly perfume of orange blossoms. I am not even tempted to light a candle when I can have a house smelling of orange blossoms. 2. Red grape juice. I have an eight-ounce glass each evening. 3. Being completely finished unpacking! 4. Sleeping with the door open. Let me rephrase that. There is a sliding glass door that opens onto the private patio off the master bedroom. There is a screen slider there as well. And the private patio is fenced in with a locked gate. I love having the fresh air all night and falling asleep listening to the crickets and peepers. I was unable to leave a window open all night in the apartment, so I plan to sleep this way for as long as it stays cool enough at night to do so. 5. The return of Mad Men!

9) A goal I had for this month:
Get all the holiday decorations streamlined, organized into totes and stored in the attic. Get the file cabinet in order. Finish unpacking the last of my boxes.

10) This month I looked forward to:
Orange blossoms. Baseball on the television (even if it doesn't count yet).

11) Something I want to be thankful for this month:
Friends who are beyond excited for the opportunity to celebrate with us later this year. There is no better feeling than carefully selecting a group of people--people who have supported and cheered you on from the start--and having their reactions confirm that you chose exactly right.

12) A photo I took this month:

This case of goodies is in the Germany pavilion at EPCOT, at Karamell-Kuche. It was so hard to choose just one...