Jules was visiting my parents this weekend, so I got to spend a couple hours with her.

I love being an auntie.

I love this picture of Jules and her Grandpop.

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This holiday also had a trip to VA, where my all of my cousins were in for Christmas. At the instigation of Ben, we made the Lithuanian cookie Krusties (pronounced, at least by my family, christies)

The recipe is fairly simple:

Krusties
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
2 sticks butter
6 cups flour
1 shot whiskey/rum
pinch cardamom

1 large can crisco, for frying

Mix together all the ingredients in a mixer. Wrap in waxed paper or place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make, heat solid fat (Crisco or lard) in large frying pan. You’ll need an inch or two of hot oil.

You’ll also want to line most of your work areas with newspaper, or used wrapping paper, or anything else that absorbs oil and sugar, and makes clean up easier.

Find aprons for everyone–this can get messy! We rolled out our batches of dough on floured waxed paper.

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I had a nice Christmas, especially since I was unexpectedly able to spend part of it with Jules.

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This weekend we visited Jules, and I have to say I think I got some really good pictures. YAY!

Today would have been Grandmom’s 94th birthday.

Today I am going to eat apple pie (her favorite) and emulate her, by being kind to everyone, especially when I don’t want to.

I miss you Grandmom.

So Jules wasn’t the only one who had fun at the park Saturday.

Did I instigate any of this silliness?

Maybe. But not all of it. Some happened all on its own.

To escape the insanity of the WVU-LSU game, we went to Parkersburg to visit my brother and family.

I, of course, took a ridiculous number of pictures of Jules. I also learned a lesson, which is make sure you haven’t accidentally bumped your camera and changed a setting. What I thought were going to be some of my favorite pictures didn’t turn out.

But I can’t complain, because I did get some pictures I like very much.

with Jules!

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Yeah. I’m a geek. And an easily amused one at that.

UPDATED! Now with more charred goodness!
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You’re welcome.

>

I have a set on Flick with a LOT more pictures of who she was, and what she meant to us.

Sorry about the unannounced disappearance. My grandmother ended up in the hospital, with what was determined to be a flare up of her ulcerative colitis. So I spent four days hanging out in the hospital, and then helping her in her return to home. She’d lost a lot of strength, so she needed a fair amount of help. Luckily, she has a home health aide who is wonderful.

The hardest part of the entire week were her comments about how she was tired of living and didn’t understand why she was still around. After this week, I understand her exhaustion with life, but hearing that still pains me.

So I hope you’ll forgive me my absence, but I’m fully aware this may happen again.

Or it is when I get to spend it with Jules.

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Here are some of my favorite pictures from yesterday.

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Nothing like spending time with a happy (though slightly sick) baby to make life look better.

Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Gravity still works. Imagine that.
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Because I know you all want to see ‘em.

Michael says, “SMILE or ELSE!”

“I’m SMILING! I’m SMILING!”

I took a lot of pictures today.

Like 700.

Out of that there were 50 I thought were pretty good that I uploaded to Flickr.

These are some of my favorites of those:

CHICKEN DANCE! (Yes, Jules loves the Chicken Dance.)

Jules and Holly. Holly is an extremely anti-social husky, however, she seems to have completely taken to Jules (notice that Brian still doesn’t trust Holly 100% yet.)

Angry Baby is Angry.