New smashed pennies!

I went to Spokane and Coeur d'Alene with my wonderful former roommate this weekend. We both love smashed pennies, so I made sure to look up where we could find them on the trip.

I ended up getting 2 - I'm well on my way to having 10 new ones by the end of the list.

The first is of the world's largest Radio Flyer we saw in Riverfront Park in Spokane (sadly there was no garbage goat penny). The second, pictured twice as it's double-sided, is of Tremors, a roller coaster at Silverwood amusement park. I do like a good double-sided penny. It saves you from having to get more than one if you want the location or a logo.

Wooo pennies!

I already messed up.

I had every intention of posting yesterday, the last day of week 6 of my list. And as per item 82 of my list, blogging once for each week of my list is what's required.

But I forgot.

Technically, I've already failed on item 82.

However, if I've learned anything while doing these lists, it's that you have to help yourself succeed sometimes. Maybe you weren't able to complete a goal up to your original imagined standards, but completing it at all is more than you would have done without the goal.

You also can't be too lenient, because then what's the point of the list at all? But it's important to give yourself breaks.

So for now, I'm calling it good as long as I blog twice in week 7. You gotta be nice to yourself.

Melon Tea Panna Cotta

Aw heck, you guys, I made the BEST panna cotta.

Based off this recipe, I changed it to an herbal tea, cuz that's my style. Melon and cream are excellent together, so I went with a Golden Honey Dew. I think other teas could also be great.

I also changed the method of gelatin incorporation, because heating the gelatin as she asks you to do can have disastrous results. Please follow the instructions of master David Lebovitz instead: recipe here.

So this is the first time I've really experimented with adding my own flavors and I'm ecstatic that it worked so well. I have to make 8 more panna cotta recipes for my list, and perhaps I'll do some more experimenting. :)

Until then!

Newbery Award Winners, Part 1

For item 24 for of my list, I'm reading an Newbery Award or Honor book for each year since I've been born. I decided to go ahead and knock these out now. They're short books generally, and they're lovely reads.

So far I've read:

• (1988) Lincoln, A Photobiography
• (1989) Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
• (1990) Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
• (1991) Maniac Magee
• (1992) Nothing But the Truth
• (1993) Missing May
• (1994) Dragon's Gate
• (1995) The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
• (1996) The Great Fire
• (1997) The Moorchild
• (1998) Lily's Crossing
• (1999) A Long Way From Chicago
• (2000) Bud, Not Buddy
  

I think my favorites so far have been Joyful Noise, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, and The Moorchild. Great stuff!

I'm up to age 13, and I'm reading Hope Was Here. I've read a lot of the nominees and winners already, but it's great to catch the ones I haven't. I feel like this should be a lifelong goal - to always read the nominees and winner for each year. Kids' books are just so great!