Heart Shaped Rocks

I have a tendency to collect things - books, rocks, sea glass, buttons, recipes, fairy lamps, glassware, geodes ... the list goes on and on. It's a weakness of mine. My Mom and Grandma are the same way. I suppose it runs in the family ;p. 

A year ago or so I started collecting heart shaped rocks. I've always been fascinated by rocks (I think I was meant to be a geologist) and love river beds. When I was younger I created my own dam in a creek  that ran through my grandparent's property. Of course it flooded and was washed away by all the rain, but I loved the idea of having my very own swimming hole. I piled up rocks to create a dam twice more, but after a couple of weeks they'd all be washed away. I suppose it was a good lesson in the capricious will of Mother Nature. 

I had such a blast playing in that creek and to this day I still have a weakness for river beds. 

Although some people tease me about my eclectic tendencies, I enjoy being different. It doesn't take much to make me happy. The simple things in life fill me with such joy. I'm quite fond of my heart shaped rocks. It's so touching when fellow co-workers stop by my desk and proudly display a heart shaped rock they found while out and about. They then graciously offer to add it to my ever-growing collection. Such a simple thing and yet it means so much.

I miss cooking with all of my heart, which is ironic because when I was younger I hated cooking with a passion. My younger brother was much more interesting in cooking than me. He made some killer cookies and to this day is still quite a good cook. My interest in cooking didn't come about until after I returned home from Basic Training.

During my first semester of college I visited my Grandma over spring break and would spend hours sitting at her kitchen island writing down family favorites. I'm fascinated with recipes, especially unusual ones, and am constantly adding to my collection.

A few weeks ago I started writing down recipes I came across on the Internet during my free time. It's relaxing and I love the possibility of stumbling across the next family favorite. I've already written down quite a few recipes :).

As you can see, I make sure to include the date, place and where I found the recipe on the back of the index card. I imagine it'll be interesting to know that information when I'm older and my own children are interested in starting their own family cookbooks.

What are some of your favorite recipes? Do you collect anything? If so, what?