Onomastics: The Origin of Names

Regardless if I ever have more children or not, I am infinitely fascinated by baby names. I can see the beauty in almost all names, as long as they are not "yoonique" spellings or creative parents gone stark raving mad.

Lately, I have been focusing more on feminine names, since I am all ready fairly established in the male names that I like, but find it endlessly more difficult to narrow down monikers for darling little princesses.

Included are names and definitions: Be advised!! Do NOT say anything negative about any name, since interspersed are several of my favorites. If you want to comment POSITIVELY, I always like accolades =)

Aaliyah: Rising, Ascending

Adair: Wealthy Spear

Adrienne: From Hadria

Agatha: Virtuous and Good

Amelia: To Strive to Excel

Anastasia: Resurrection

Annabelle: Gracious and Beautiful

Antonia: Flower

Arabella: Beautiful Lion

Aria: Solo Melody

Audrey: Noble Strength

Aurelia: Golden

Aurora: Goddess of the Dawn

Ava: Like a Bird

Avalon: Apple Island

Azalea: Dry Flower

Bella: Beautiful

Belle: Beauty

Bria: From Wales

Briar: Thorny

Briony: Poisonous

Caroline: Beautiful Woman

Cassandra: She Who Entangles

Charlotte: Free

Clementine: Gentle

Cleo: To Praise, Acclaim; Glory of the Father; Inspiration

Coral: Reef

Daisy: Daisy Flower

Dalia: A Branch or Bough

Davina: Beloved

Delilah: One Who Weakened

Diantha; Divine Flower

Eirlys: Snowdrop

Eleni: Light

Ellery: Cheerful

Elora: The Lord is My Light

Eva: Giver of Life

Eve: Life

Felicia: Lucky

Fiona: White, Fair

Francesca: Free

Genevieve: Woman of the People

Greer: Watchful Guardian

Gwen: Blessed Ring

Gwendolyn: Blessed White Ring

Harlow: From the Mound of the People

Hazel: Hazel Tree

Heather: Heather Plant

Hollis: Near the Holly

Honor: Honor

Hope: Hope

Ilaria: Good Cheer

Ileana: Bright

India: From India

Isabelle: God is My Oath

Jasmine: Jasmine Flower

Josephine: God Will Increase

Joy: Happiness

Juliet: Youthful and Downy

Juniper: Berry

Kaia: Pure

Karina: Pure

Kelda: Fountain

Kiana: Living with Grace

Kinsey: King's Victory

Kiren: Strength, Ray of Light

Lana: Light

Lilah: Lilac Tree

Linden: From the Flax Hill

Liviana: White Woman

Lucia: Light

Lucille: Light

Lucy: Light

Luna: Moon

Lyra: Lyre

Lyric: Words of a Song, Lyre

Mabel: Lovable

Madeleine: Woman of Magdala

Mara: Bitter

Marilyn: From the Lake of Bitterness

Marley: From the Boundary Field

Marlowe: Lake Remains

Matilda: Battle Strength

Maxine: Greatest

Meredith: Lord

Merry: Cheerful

Mirabelle: Wondrous

Molly: Bitter

Nadia: Hope

Natalia: Born on Christmas Day

Noelia: Christmas

Norah: Honor

Olivia: Elf Army

Olympia: Mountain of the Gods

Ophelia: Help

Parker: Park Keeper

Rafaella: God Has Healed

Rhiannon: Great Queen

Rosabella: Beautiful Rose

Rosalind: Pretty Rose

Rose: Rose

Scarlett: Red, Fiery

Shiloh: His Gift

Sonia: Wise

Silvia: Forest

Sylvie: Forest

Talia: Morning Dew

Tamsin: Twin

Tatiana: Fairie Princess

Tiana: Fairy Queen

Valentina: Health

Venetia: Woman of Venice

Violet: Purple-Blue Flower

Virginia: Virginal and Pure

Vivien: Lively

Viviana: Alive

Wendy: Friend

Winifred: Peace Friend

Winter: Frosty

Zahara: Most Exquisite Flower

Zelda: Woman Warrior

The List

Boys:

Anthony Robert (Roberts, Uncle Robbie)

Called: Tony.

Anthony: General; Flower

Robert: Bright Fame

Benjamin Reilly

Called: Ben, Benji

Benjamin: Son of My Right Hand

Reilly: Son of Roghallach

Cornelius Marvin (Papa)

Called: Neil, Corey

Cornelius: Horn

Marvin: Great Lord

Corran Kenneth (Ken)

Called: Corran

Corran: Spear

Kenneth: Handsome

Eli Christopher (Jarrod)

Called: Eli

Eli: Height

Christopher: Bears Christ

Jonas Mason (Pawpaw)

Called: Joe, Joss, Jonas

Jonas: A dove

Mason: Stone Smith

Keiran Daniel (Danny)

Called: Keiran

Keiran: Dark One

Daniel: God is My Judge

Leander Hawthorne (Andie, Andrew)

Called: Lee

Leander: Lion Man

Hawthorne: Thorny

Malcolm Cole (Great Grandpapa)

Called: Mal

Malcolm: Follower of St. Columbus

Cole: Cole Black

Girls:

Amelia Claire

Called: Amy, Mia, Lia, Mel

Amelia: Strives to Excel

Claire: Illustrious

Arabella Anne (Pat)

Called: Ara, Belle, Bella

Arabella: Beautiful Lion

Anne: Beautiful and Gracious

Arista Roxanne (Amber, Great-Great Grandma)

Called: Arista, Ari

Arista: Constellation

Roxanne: Dawn

Caraway Sara (Sara)

Called: Cara, Care-Bear

Caraway: Spicy

Sara: Princess

Clementine Erika (Erika)

Called: Clem, Clemmie

Clementine: Merciful

Erika: Always Ruler

Eve Madeleine

Called: Evie

Eve: Breath of Life

Madeleine: Woman of Magdala

Kelda Christine (Jarrod)

Called: Kelda, Kelly

Kelda: Fountain

Christine: Bears Christ

Marley Elaine (Granny)

Called: Marley

Marley: From the Boundary Field

Elaine: Light

Cynthia Marlowe (Aunt Cindy)

Called: Marlowe

Cynthia: From Kinthos

Marlowe: Lake Remains

Parker Elisabeth (Grandma Wearden, Nana)

Called: Parker

Parker: Park Keeper

Elisabeth: God Is My Oath

Winifred Barbara (Grandma)

Called: Winnie

Winifred: Peace Friend

Barbara: Stranger; Foreigner

Emerald Renae (Shelley, Andra)

Gabriel Lynn (Rhonda, Michael)

Books I Want

I have decided that I would like to have complete collections of certain books, since it is always nice to have a goals.

I. All Jude Deveraux Books--I all ready own 9--including:

1. The Enchanted Land (1978)
2. Casa Grande (1982) *
3. Remembrance (1994)
4. An Angel for Emily (1998)
5. The Blessing (1998)
6. Temptation (2000)
7. The Mulberry Tree (2002)
8. Wild Orchids (2003)*
9. Secrets (2008)
10. The Black Lyon (1980)
11. The Maiden (1988)
12. The Velvet Promise (1981)
13. Highland Velvet (1982)
14. Velvet Song (1983)
15. Velvet Angel (1983)
16. The Heiress (1995)
17. The Raider (1987)
18. Mountain Laurel (1990)
19. Eternity (1992)
20. The Duchess (1991)
21. The Temptress (1986)
22. Wishes (1989)
23. The Awakening (1988)
24. The Invitation (1994)
25. The Princess (1987)
26. A Knight in Shining Armor (1989)
27. High Tide (1999)
28. Holly (2003)
29. Forever... (2002)
30. Forever and Always (2003)
31. Always... (2004)
32. Someone to Love (2007)*
33. Twin of Fire (1985)
34. Twin of Ice (1985)
35. Sweet Liar (1992)*
36. Holly (2003)
37. The Matchmakers (1994)
38. Carolina Isle (2000)
39. Just Curious (1995)
40. Sweetbriar (1983)
41. Counterfeit Lady (1984)*
42. Lost Lady (1985)
43. River Lady (1985)
44. The Taming (1989)
45. The Conquest (1991)
46. Legend (1996)
47. The Teacher (1997)
48. The Summerhouse (2001)
49. Return to Summerhouse (2008)*
50. Lavender Morning (2009)
51. Days of Gold (2009)
52. Scarlet Nights (2010)
53. The Scent of Jasmine (2010)
54. The Invitation (1984)
55. A Holiday of Love
56. A Gift of Love
57. Upon a Midnight Clear
58. Simple Gifts
59. A Season in the Highlands

Tune in next time for more!!

Day 7: Chicken....Stuff

Tonight, I made...well, lets be honest--I reached into the cabinet and cooked with whatever I came up with.

Main course was chicken, mushrooms, and onions sauteed in butter, seasoned with onion and garlic powder, as well as herbs de Provence. I put that over some angel hair pasta--the ronzoni smart pasta, which is enriched with all these vitamins.

I also made Brussels sprouts, corn, and garlic bread.

The interesting story was the appetizer--in the spirit of adventure, we bought a can of smoked oyster, though that whole phrase offends our delicate sensibilities. So, I put those on a plate with some cheese and crackers, to await Michael's return home from work.

These oysters are most reminiscent of rat brains, and they smell like formaldehyde. Michael comments that they more closely resemble cat testicles. Either way, not something that I am looking forward to putting in my mouth. Mike, with much apprehension, tosses one down. Eyes widen in surprise, and he comments, "It's actually kind of good...much better than I thought."

I am blown away--Mike is sitting here telling me he LIKES it. Slowly he saunters over to the other counter, assuring me that the taste was more pleasant than he expected. Gung-ho, I bounce over to try it....and catch Mike swilling whiskey and coke around in his mouth to remove the flavor.

Oh, fuck you, Mike, lol.

He just wanted to take me down with him. I did end up relenting--I swallowed it whole, with a good deal of salsa, and it still churned my stomach.

Overall, I was not impressed, but Mike choked it down. The kids pretty much avoided it all together, except for the bed. The entree was not bad, it was just nothing to write home to mom about. The sprouts got a little over done and so bitter, and corn is corn--who can mess that up? I will try again tomorrow to make a more satisfactory dish.

Day 6: Simon and Garfunkel Assist with Dinner

It has been quite a while since I have written--I spent the last two weeks with my family, and with Eeva out of commission, I had no laptop on which to convey my many adventures (including Moroccan spiced beef, Spanish rice, and roasted squash and zucchini--yum!!). But I will write of those, as well as my many literary adventures, when I find myself with more time.

This entry is about dinner last night, my first night home.

I had mostly been assistant to my mom's cooking, at the mercy of the man voted Most Pickiest Eater Alive for the last 5 years running (my father), so I was looking forward to dictating exactly when, what, how, why, and where we ate.

Though my last entry was about pork loin, this one is as well--I saw them in the freezer and thought it sounded tasty, even though only Michael out of the four of was were really hungry. They were really thick cuts of meat--each piece about the length of my hand, but....I don't have a body part that accurately translates to pork width, but you get the idea.

The problem arose, however, that I needed to make this quickly, because we needed to eat and put the babies to sleep and get to bed ourselves, and I hadn't the foggiest idea of what to do with it. My first thought was to rub olive oil on it, sprinkle it with some as of yet undetermined spices, and bake it. But upon investigation, my husband had used ALL of my expensive extra-virgin olive oil to fry chicken.

Righty-oh, then.

I paw through my spice cabinet, my hand alighting on the Thyme. I had a vague memory of using thyme with pork before, so I choose it. But somehow, I don't figure that it is enough...

Thyme...thyme...what goes with thyme?

As some of you are now guessing, my mind wanders to "parsley, sage, and rosemary, of course!".

I don't like rosemary, and I have no parsley, so I put sage and thyme, as well as some salt and pepper on them. First, I broil them for a few minutes on each side, but the middle of each piece had been frozen, so we're now just warm and pink. I don't eat pink pork.

In the end, I cut all the pieces in half so they are thinner, and finish broiling them. The frozen aspect actually aided dinner, because normally broiling them that long would have left them dried out, but they were just moist enough.

Mike asked for cheesy mashed potatoes and broccoli with cheese. =sigh= In the spirit of compromise, I steam broccoli/cauliflower mix and put melted Velveeta on just his. The mashed potatoes I sprinkle with crumbled bacon and shredded cojack cheese (also just his). We try asparagus again, this time just cooked with butter, salt, and pepper, though I give the kids green beans instead.

In the end--the pork was a little over-seasoned. Not horribly, and with the mild flavor of the mashed potatoes, I think it worked well. The asparagus was delicious, though Mike insists I feed it to him just to punish him. Everyone seemed satisfied =)

Day 5: Spartan Pork Loin

So, I defrosted pork loin this morning with the intention of making slow-cooked, spicy pork wraps later today.

Then I realized that I was having a spicy pork wrap--also known as a Freebird's monster carnitas burrito--for lunch. And I cannot do that twice in one day, it's sheer madness!!

I called in a phone-a-friend to Dylan (the chef, and very good cook). He suggested I mix rosemary and garlic powder in some olive oil, rub it on the pork, and bake it at three-hundred degrees. There is no way I am going to remember that, so I have to come up with a clever way to...

My idiotic mind grabs for "300" the movie about the Spartan army. I think (and giggle quite a lot to myself) "This. Is. PORRRRKKKK LOOOIIIINNNN!!!!!" It was ridiculous, but I called it Spartan Pork all day. Which sounds filthy--shame on you!

I made a bed of rice to put it on--nothing fancy, just instant rice tonight. Tonight, I take another stab at the asparagus, and I also make mixed veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) with a light cheese/butter sauce. The asparagus I cooked in the oven, for...I suppose for the sake of experimentation.

The end result: Pork was a little overcooked, because I am always wicked overly cautious about undercooked pork. Rice was fine for what it was for. Asparagus was much more bland than last time, and therefore more palatable. And the veggies were delicious. Mike didn't eat all his rice, but to be fair, I made bunches--I'm thinking of re-purposing it in a chicken stir fry tomorrow night. Gabriel gobbled the whole meal up, and Emerald ate the rice and some of the meat.

All in all, I am kind of proud of myself for what I consider a culinary win. Mayhaps the presence of Evan Williams and Burnett helped ;)

Twin of Fire

Jude Deveraux is hands down one of my favorite authors ever.

I mean, of course there is also Jodi Picoult, Laura Wattenburg, and J.K. Rowling (I appear to favor female writers--but in comics, all my favorites are men, so I guess it evens out). Those four women, I will read anything that has their names on it.

Jude Deveraux is who I tend to go to when my romantic soul needs satisfaction--today, I re-read "Twin of Fire", one of two companion books (the other being "Twin of Ice").

Basically, it's about a woman in the late 1800's that becomes a doctor and is facing all the prejudice and ridicule therein. She goes home for her twin sister's wedding, and finds that she super hates Houston's (her sister) fiance Dr. Leander Westfield. She tries to prove to her sister what a wretched man he is, which leads her to pretend that she is Houston and go out alone with Lee, where they end up having sex.

It actually turns out all right in the end--Houston is in love with another man, and they get married in a big double wedding, and Blair and Leander open a women's clinic together and work side by side...

My romantic side was more than placated by this story, even if my inner self rebels at the thought of a woman knowingly falling in love and sleeping with her sister's intended. I mean, Houston had planned on marrying Lee since she was 6 years old--to her, this was as important as becoming a doctor had been to Blair, even if Houston was not in love with the man. It was a goal she had set for herself and she wanted to see it through to the end.

But, that didn't keep me from enjoying the story--Deveraux utilizes several literary elements that make me twinge occassionally, but they are for the good of the story, and it really does work out for the best--it makes the characters more lovable, more engrossing.

Day 4: Stuffed Chicken

Today was tediously long, and I wanted to make a dinner that might possibly salvage it.

I had two chocolates for breakfast because I spent the whole morning fighting a losing battle with the burgundy carpet from hell. Lunch was delicious--carnitas on flour tortillas, with colby-jack cheese, mashed avocado, and Salsa Verde--but caused a great deal of tummy ache and migraine (possibly unrelated migraine).

So, dinner had to be awesome.

First, I sliced up the mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil roll for an appetizer. Quick, simple, and looked quite nice on the plate. Gabe gobbled them up, but Emerald was not interested. She seems to be wary of everything I hand her now-a-days.

Then, I put the stuffed chicken into the oven--two were stuffed with spinach and artichoke Alfredo, and two were stuffed with a wild rice mixture. I have them set to be done about 20 minutes after six, plenty of time for Mike to come home, shower, sit down with his appetizer, and for me to set up plates.

Next, I brush the garlic tandoori naan with olive oil to be put in the oven and warmed (per the suggestion on the packaging). Since Mike would be trying something so foreign, I went ahead and made broccoli and cheese (a favorite of his) to ease the blow. Finally, some steamed spinach later, and we are ready to go.

That's when I notice my phone has a message--Mike is going to be late home.

Which means all the food is going to get ready at the wrong time, and I have the choice of

1) cooling it all off and warming it up when he gets home;

or 2) trying to keep it warm AND edible, when he may not be home for hours.

Luckily, he was only about 20 minutes late, and that gave me time to improve on a couple of the dishes--

the broccoli cheese got some Parmesan Romano mix sprinkled on top, which gave it a nice diversity of flavors and textures,

and the spinach got a little salt and pepper. After a thought, I added a splash of lime juice--generally, I would be more accepting of lemon juice, but since I am a big fan of Mexican food, lime juice tends to be more readily available in my household.

The end result: the chicken was juicy and flavorful, if just a little cold; the naan was absolutely wonderful, though next time I may allow it to crisp up a bit more; the broccoli and spinach were the best yet...and the appetizer was kind of a big flop. It had a weird texture, and it just didn't wow anyone besides Gabriel. Maybe he is more refined than we are, who knows.

All in all, the meal was tasty, but also quite rich with all the sauces and cheeses and butter and oil. Next time, I may try to add some more contrasting tastes =)

Desert Island?

Stolen Shamelessly from Dylan (and mildly adjusted so I was able to find 5 of each category).

Andie’s All Time, Top 5 Movies:
Memoirs of a Geisha

Nightmare Before Christmas

Titanic

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Edward Scissorhands

Andie's All Time, Top 5 TV Shows:
House

Scrubs

The Simpsons

M*A*S*H

Desperate Housewives

Andie's All Time, Top 5 Bands:
Queen

Led Zeppelin
Dave Matthews Band
Fall Out Boy

Alabama

Andie's All Time, Top 5 Books:

The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenburg

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

October Sky by Homer Hickham

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Remembrance by Jude Deveraux

Sardine to Look Up ;)

I can't take credit for that post--that's all "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Regardless, it is post-snack time in the Wearden household, and on today's menu--Sardines!!

The idea of sardines offends Michael and me from the beginning. I was expecting to open the can and see something Tales from the Crypt-esque, disgusting little slimy fish with their dead eyes staring back at you...even the aforementioned movie "Cloudy" declares sardines "Super Gross". So, needless to say there was a great deal of trepidation to this snack.

That's what makes it so deliciously fun!

I researched different ways that one could eat a sardine, and picked a couple of ideas that appealed most to me.

The first was a Tapas recipe from the Tapas application on my iPhone. Technically, I noticed later, it was for anchovies, but I had gotten a lot of positive feedback on the forums I read about frying the sardines. So, I beat an egg, peppered some flour, and breaded and fried the sardines in--you guessed it--olive oil.

The second was smashed into a kind of flaky mush and spread on crackers, by far the most touted method. We used the Ritz chips from earlier--those delicious crispy, salty cracker-like chip. Some held just sardines, while others I smeared a bit of garlic herb cheese spread leftover from lunch. I had no hot sauce (condiments suggested included hot sauce, fancy mustard, ketchup and oregano, or salt, pepper, and olive oil), so, after a good deal of waffling, I spooned a bit of Salsa Verde onto a couple of the crackers, with and without the cheese spread.

My first reaction when I opened the can was that it didn't look at all gross--it just looked like fish, and it smelled a little like tuna. Because I had gotten the boneless skinless variety, there were no revolting little heads to stare at me, which made the experience easier. Michael, however, walked into the kitchen saying how badly it reeked.

He is notably more apprehensive than I am.

When I bring in the plate, I am starting to feel a little wary as well. Michael is obviously not crazy about trying this, and his nervousness is casting some doubts in my mind as well. The cats, meanwhile, are gleefully licking the excess juices from the sardines that I had poured on top of their cat food.

We both liked the fried sardines, but with the mild Salsa Verde was hands down my favorite--it is much better with that little spice. The flavor is reminiscent of tuna to both of us.

What really surprised us was Emerald--she had opted out of the lunch I had made for her, and she was starting to get quite peckish, so she stole a chunk of fried fish from our plate. We thought she would just spit it straight out, but she looked surprised and said "mmm...that's good!" and continued to eat the three pieces left.

Gabriel took a single bite, but he was too distracted to finish much.

So, all in all: not my most favoritest favorite, BUT with Salsa Verde, I am more than willing to try it again =)