my life, plain and simple*

the lesser of two evils...

2010-04-27T08:24:00.000-04:00

That's what I feel this post is. See, the last thing I want is to sound melodramatic or to worry anyone by saying that I've decided to extend my blogging break indefinitely. I'm okay. Just life, you know.

I considered just not saying anything, but I know how worried I get when any of my friends "disappear" for a couple weeks. All kinds of horrifying thoughts flood my brain. But then I'm quite the practiced worrywart.

Anyway, that's why I decided it was better to just make this post. To say good-bye. To tell you how much I love you and how much I'll miss having you in my daily life. And to thank you for being such incredible friends, such incredible people period.

Honestly, I'm sitting here with tears literally streaming down my face...I will miss you so very much.

a bit of an unplug break

2010-04-16T11:33:00.000-04:00

Spring break officially starts when Gray gets home from school/Rich gets home from work. (Max is home sick.) I believe that I shall be unplugging for the week. I shall miss you all dearly, but my to-do list is a mile long, and I plan to have some fun as well. :D

Wishing everyone a lovely, full of happy surprises, remainder of April!

blame update

2010-04-14T15:27:00.004-04:00

Let me apologize right off the top here for the ridiculously long list of books below. I really need to update the whole book acquisition/blame thing more often. Anyway, feel free, obviously, to skip it entirely. But if you're interested in who got points for what, those books are the ones with the *** in front of their titles.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. Which I already read, and loved, and babbled about a couple posts ago. This was a thank you present for doing the taxes from Rich. But he doesn't get a point. I feel like I should give a point to John Green though. It's his fault I buy his books, right?

Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson. Sequel to If You Come Softly, which I haven't even read yet. But I know I'm going to love it so I had this on my PaperbackSwap wish list, and it recently became available.

***Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay. Raise your hand if you know who gets a point for this one. Yep, Ana. She always makes a pretty safe bet. :D

Word Watching by Julian Burnside. Babylon's Ark by Lawrence Anthony. Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall. All Easter gifts from Rich.

***The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science by Julie Des Jardins. Another Easter gift from darling husband. But this one comes with a point to Eva, as she's the one who brought it to my attention, and thus had me making puppy dog eyes at Rich as I told him what a lovely gift it would make. ;)

***The Door in the Dream: Conversations With Eminent Women in Science by Elga Wasserman. Somewhat related to the last one, and also coming attached with blame. Though this time the blame goes to Ana again.

***We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I have wanted this book for a long time...ever since I read Dewey's review. I'm not sure why I never got around to buying it before, but when I saw it on the B&N buy-two-get-one-free table, well, there was no stopping me. Point for Dewey.

Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon. The Kiss: A Memoir by Kathryn Harrison. You know, because I needed to come up with two more books to justify buying We Need to Talk About Kevin. ;)

***A Cool Moonlight by Angela Johnson. *sigh* Whatever am I going to do with you and your awesome reviews, Ana?!!! Thanks goodness for PaperbackSwap...otherwise, I'd be broke as well as buried in books.

Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters. You know, I have yet to read a book by her. But I am so utterly convinced that I'm going to love absolutely everything she writes that I keep picking them up. Now I just need to start reading them!!!

Many Stones by Carolyn Coman. First ran across this book when Annie and I were studying Africa a while back, but never got around to checking PBS until now. It's a Printz Honor book, so I needed to get my hands on it sooner or later anyway.

***Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis. I know this isn't news to anyone, but Staci is an absolute sweetheart! She sent Miss Annie and I a box of books a few weeks back. Just totally out of the blue. Now as incredibly thoughtful and generous as this is, I do hope she doesn't think she can escape blame. ;) Yeah, I added this book to my wish list as soon as I read
her review...and the fact that she sent me the book doesn't relieve her of the responsibility of adding it to my TBR pile. (Sorry, Staci! And thanks again! :D)

The Broken Road by Keifer Bonvillain. Also from Staci. And it sounds really good...and really heartbreaking, and really infuriating.

Sheesh...well, this shows you how long it's been since I did my last bit of blaming...the next five books here are ones I bought with the gift card I got for my birthday (which, yeah, was nearly two months ago).

***Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. Yep, the dastardly book-pusher Ana and her review again.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali. Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte. Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman. Journal Revolution: Rise Up and Create! by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino.

Whew. And finally the books I picked up from the library this morning.
Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale. Because I loved Rapunzel's Revenge so much.

***Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser. Even though this book wasn't the easiest to get my hands on, I persevered...no way was Chris going to escape getting some blame for this one. His review made me physically *crave* it!

***La Perdida by Jessica Abel. And of course, one last point for the lovely, if dangerous, Ana...cuz yeah, like I could resist this one either. :P

at this moment...

2010-04-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

*I am elated at having finished quarterly report. We'll be starting the fourth quarter on Friday, but next week is spring break. In other words, I feel like I can actually freakin' breathe at the moment!!! I've got time to regroup and hopefully make a dent in the final quarter of the year. Will be soooooo nice to not feel like I'm constantly playing catch up. :D

*I am listening to "The High Road" by Broken Bells. Yes Chris, I am *still* more ~~or less~~ obsessed. :P

*I am fighting off thoughts of worry. Because I don't want to deal.

*I am debating curling up on the couch with my sick little boy and doing some fun reading before beginning to organize for the next quarter.

*I am ignoring that fact that there is laundry awaiting my attention.

*I am craving Granny Smith apple slices with coconut fruit dip...but will have to settle for just the apple since I don't have the fixin's for the dip.

*I am truly hoping that everyone is having a lovely, lovely week!

I read, I feel, I babble (installment 2)

2010-04-12T05:26:00.001-04:00

Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes by Gerald N. Callahan.

*sigh* I'm not quite sure what to say about this book...I just have incredibly mixed feelings about it. See, it's such an important topic. And trying to dispel the myth of two sexes, of an either/or mindset, is such an incredibly worthwhile endeavor. And this book contained so much interesting information. Seriously, I learned so much.

My favorite part of the whole book were the personal stories. But I enjoyed a lot of the book--the look at the way other cultures have viewed intersex, the look at intersex in other species, etc. Like I said, there really is a lot of interesting stuff here.

BUT. Truth be told, I wish someone else had written this book. I really hate saying that, because I could sense the author's passion for the subject in general, and his respect for intersex people specifically. And it's not the worst writing I've ever encountered, though it wasn't the best either...and honestly, I could have easily overlooked that, if not for the trouble I did have. What got to me were the author's attempts at humor. Now truth be told, I'm usually okay with lame humor. But there were times in this book when these attempts at humor crossed the line into tacky. I realize that's a very subjective judgment to make, and maybe others wouldn't feel the same way, but it really bothered me. And in the general, this clouded my reading experience.

And in the end, I'm just not sure if I recommend this book or not. Like I said, this is important stuff here. But I was left questioning his presentation. *sigh some more*

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

Now this book, I loved. Positively adored. I bought the 25th anniversary edition, which contained an intro/essay at the beginning by Cisneros. I know that sometimes it can be a dangerous thing to read the intro of a book, as some aren't wise enough to avoid spoilers. But in this case, I am so very grateful that I read it. Cisneros' essay made me fall in love with the book, and her writing, before I even began the book proper. I know it's impossible to go back and know for sure, but I honestly believe that her essay truly added to my experience with the book itself.

I have to admit that knowing this was a serious of vignettes scared me a little bit at first. But that was totally misplaced fear. This book was so lovely. It never felt the slightest bit disjointed to me. As usual, I'm having trouble putting into words how wonderful I think this little gem of a book is, but trust me I loved it. For so many reasons.

And yes, one of those reasons, is the writing. I confess that I'm not terribly "sophisticated" when it comes to an appreciation of beautiful prose. I suspect that in general I'm pretty much oblivious. I tend to get lost in stories and characters and fail to notice how the author got to me to that place. But every once in a while, someone's writing gets to me. Ray Bradbury...he definitely has a way of doing that. While I didn't fall quite so hard for her prose as I did for Mr. Bradbury's, it's still early in the game, and I can't wait to read more of her writing.

Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques, with art by Bret Blevins.

Rich used to read the Redwall books to Annie when she was younger, and now he's reading them to the boys. I'm not sure why, but they just never interested me at all. But Gray had this graphic adaptation, and back in February, when the mini-challenge for the Graphic Novels Challenge was to read a comic featuring animals, I figured this was the perfect time for me to see what Redwall was all about.

Honestly, I didn't fall head-over-heels in love. It's highly unlikely that I will dive into the novel series. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this graphic adaptation--honestly, I had a lot more fun with it than I thought I would. But my goodness, those little forest critters sure can be violent. ;)

The story was fun, but really nothing earth-shattering. But the art, oh the art--that I adored. It's beautiful, and it's expressive. Unfortunately, I couldn't find many images on-line, but here are the couple I did:

Like I said, it's unlikely that I'll ever get around to reading the novel series, but should they continue with the graphic adaptations...well, I suspect I'd slip them into my TBR pile at some point.

I read, I feel, I babble... (mini installment)

2010-04-10T20:33:00.001-04:00

Okay, I just finished this book. Just now. And if I was smart, I'd wait a bit to write this. Because maybe, just maybe I could say something coherent if I gave this some thought. Something beyond, "Go read this book! Seriously...do this now!"

Yes, right this minute I want to say, "This is the best book. Ever." Though in my head, I know that it is not *really* my favorite book of all time. But for right now, it is! At this moment, it really truly is!!!! Oh, and how I want this book high to last...

Reading this book, I wanted to be 30 years younger...and I wanted to find my way into the pages of this book. I so wanted these characters to be my friends. I loved Will. And I loved Will. I loved Jane, and Tiny, and Gideon. I loved how perfectly imperfect they all were. And how truly special and lovable and real that made them.

I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud. Not that I was ever keeping count. But you know how it is...you don't really mean to keep count, but you sort of know anyway. That is, until it happens so many times that the knowledge is not automatically available as a tally anymore. Yeah, it happened way too many times for automatic tallying in this book.

And it's a rare gift that something can be so incredibly funny...and yet say so much that really matters. I'm having a hard time boiling this book down to themes though. Yes, friendship. And love. And truth...in a myriad of permutations. And discovering a way to navigate this screwed-up, complicated, confusing, and incredibly wonderful thing we call life. But there's more to it, and I can't quite figure out how to put it into words. And really, it's this "thing" that I can't explain that made me love it the most. Oh crap. You really need to go read some reviews by people who can actually write. Actually, skip that...just go read the book!

ups and downs...or vice versa...

2010-04-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

Life is good. It is. It really, truly is. Sometimes it's harder than it ought to be to remember that. Or maybe that's just me.

Forgive me for complaining. I promise I shall embrace gratefulness again in just a moment. But first I'm just going to spew out the "not good stuff." Not that I want to focus on it...though sometimes lately I feel like I do far too much. It's more of a "Yes, crappy stuff, you do exist and I know I have to deal with you...but you are only a part of life" sort of spewing.

*I'm just so effing tired of feeling like I'm drowning. My week to get caught up. Ha! I fell further behind than ever. We have not finished our quarter yet, which I hoping to do on Wednesday. I'm now behind on laundry. I'm way behind on returning e-mail (even the fun ones from my dearest friends). There are packages sitting by the door that should already have been mailed (as in, one of them contains birthday gifts that are now going to be late).

*Gray's social anxiety. My poor baby. *sigh* And some not-at-all-easy treatment decisions to be made.

*Baker's ear infection does not appear to be getting better, so another trip to the vet is in order.

*Our car is having minor problems and must go to the garage today.

*Not-so-minor problems in the extended family.

*Had tickets to see Somaly Mam speak, but had to miss it. Not the end of the world, but I was really disappointed.

BUT, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:

*Annie had a wonderful, relaxing birthday yesterday! Nothing overly exciting...just a total goof-off day. No school. No homework or studying. No chores. She definitely deserved it. And she very much appreciated it. And she got lots of great books that I can borrow. ;)

*This little monkey wanted a hair cut, and wow, did he get a new look. Okay, I admit it--I sort of miss his messy mop of hair. But his new style is growing on me, and I'm sure the fact that he loves it so much is a big part of that.

*Cards in the mail. A cheerful spring card that make me smile every time I see it. (Thank you, Care!) A silly stickmen card that makes me laugh. (Thank you, Jean...you *always* find the most awesome cards!)

*I *finally* did the taxes yesterday!!!

*As if having the taxes done AND getting a refund weren't enough reward...my sweetheart of a husband bought me Will Grayson, Will Grayson as a thank you for doing them. He is just the best. :D And I read the first chapter in the car last evening on our way home...I'm already IN LOVE with this book! (No, I definitely did *not* need to be starting another book, but surely you can't blame me here, can you?)

*Tomorrow Annie and I go on a big thrifting outing!

*The "effing" above...what does that remind you of? Yes, yes, yes...only a month more to wait for Monsters of Men!

*Ummm...just sitting here mentioning awesome books made me pick up the first of the aforementioned awesome books and read another chapter. I couldn't stop myself. I even sort of tried. But couldn't. Which is good. Am now more in love with Will Grayson, Will Grayson than I was fifteen minutes ago.

I know there's more good stuff, but right now laundry awaits me. And ugh...about ten pages of geometry problems. (Shhh...and maybe another chapter or two.)

warning: I feel rambly today

2010-04-05T08:17:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had as lovely a weekend as we did here at the Stevens home! Our weather was positively delightful. Seriously, it's a tad unsettling just how lovely and springlike (or downright summerlike!) it's been here lately. Yesterday's egg hunt was conducted in shorts and t-shirts...usually they require winter coats and the kids are pulling eggs out of the piles of snow that have yet to melt.

Yep, I'm afraid that's best I could do. This rascal wasn't about to slow down for a second to let me get a decent picture.

For some reason these two slowed down for a second to compare loot, but still I didn't manage to get a very good shot. Suffice it to say, though, that they had a wonderful morning. :D

*****
Okay, somewhere in the midst of cajoling munchkins to rise-n-shine and making breakfast and packing lunches and starting laundry and...I seem to have lost my urge to ramble. (Go ahead and cheer if you must.)

Anyway, a few things I'm looking forward to this week:

*Miss Annie turning thirteen! And she's chosen to celebrate with a big thrift shop outing. :)

*Finishing up this quarter of school. (Please, please, please let this actually happen!)

*Finally doing the taxes. (Okay, I'm not looking forward to doing them, I'm just looking forward to having them done!)

*Making a post about a couple of reading challenges I'm joining, and passing out blame for this teetering stack of books sitting beside me.

*Maybe actually finishing a book. Hey, anything's possible, right?

So, what are you looking forward to this week? (Yep, I'm still nosy.)

bits...

2010-04-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

My baby girl is growing up. *sigh*

Actually, I'm not sighing all that much...because in reality, as much as I miss the itty bitty newborn, the precocious little toddler, the adorable little grade schooler...I totally love the on-the-brink-of-teenhood young lady that she is now.

(Though it does boggle my mind that in less than a week I will be the mother of a teenager!)

Anyway, Miss Annie is leaving the nest. The blogging nest, that is. She's made her own blogging account, and can now be found at Canvas of a Billion Suns.

Love you, Annie! Have fun in your new digs.

*****
I've no earthly idea what we've done to deserve the unbelievably gorgeous weather we've been enjoying the past few days! Seriously, we don't usually see weather like we've had the past couple days until mid-June! The daffodils even started blooming yesterday. :) I know it won't last, but I'm so incredibly grateful to have it now.

*****
Oh my...poor Baker.

He's been wearing this pouty face ever since the kids found their Easter baskets. Yes, because he didn't get one. Every year we try explaining to him that beagles haven't traditionally been terribly kind to the rabbits of the world. But he just doesn't seem to grasp the connection between his behavior (i.e., barking like a madman chasing the bunnies out of our yard) and the Easter bunny's behavior (i.e., not hiding a basket full of goodies for him).

*****
I really need to do a blame post one of these days. My "latest acquisitions" pile is getting a tad unwieldy here, and I really need to put them away. But I can't do it now...I'm off to hide Easter eggs! Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday, whether you celebrate Easter or not!!!

a day of good stuff, alphabetically...

2010-04-02T07:41:00.001-04:00

The first day of April 2010:

*April (it's a new month...I just love new beginnings)

*art, in all its myriad forms

(untitled
artist: Gray Stevens
medium: mud on siding)

*e-mails with cottages and crafting and lots of love

*freshly brushed teeth

*giggling (both in the doing, and in the witnessing)

*gin and tonic, ice cold

*hanging clothes *in the sunshine* (yes, the *in the sunshine* is key here--I gave up using our dryer altogether several months ago, so I hang clothes nearly every day, but this is the first day of 2010 when I've had the pleasure of hanging them outside in the beautiful spring air as opposed to hanging them in basement)

*listening to the Gray hum away as he sits drawing (do all kids hum? 'cause goodness knows all three of these guys do--though it's something they really only do when they're absorbed in some other activity off by themselves)

*Seth Aaron didn't get sent home on Project Runway

without even trying, they make me laugh...

2010-04-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

Rich: Gray, could you please come back here and finish your milk?

Debi: Gray, could you please put your folder in your backpack so you don't forget it?

Rich: Gray, could you please clean up your markers?

Gray (with both sarcasm and a hint of a smile): Gray, could you please save the rainforests? Gray, could you please solve the problem of global warming?

*****
A couple nights ago, Rich and I headed out to buy goodies for the Easter baskets. Hmmm...somehow we ended up at the bookstore, with a pile of books to look at as we sat in the cafe having coffee. While sitting there, Rich's cell phone rang. We knew it had to be Annie, who was home babysitting the boys, because no one else ever calls Rich on his cell phone. But it actually turned out to be Gray. Gray, who despises the phone. Gray who, on the rare occasion that he will even attempt to talk on the phone, speaks in a tiny little whisper. And you know how when you're talking to someone who talks really softly on the phone, you sometimes repeat back everything they're saying, making sure you heard them right? Well, that's what Rich was doing. So this is what I, and undoubtedly all the people at the tables surrounding us, heard Rich say:

"Gray?...What?...He did what?...He's trying to make babies with your blanket?...He put his private parts way down deep in it?"

Okay, I know how tacky this sounds, but I have to tell you, I was laughing so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. Somehow, I'm guessing we weren't missed when we left the cafe. ;)

*****
After swimming lessons last night, the kiddos wanted popsicles. As we were sitting there at the table, I noticed Gray's tongue had been dyed the color of his shirt. Turned to Annie, and so had hers. Max--ditto.

Of course, along with making me laugh, it also reminded me just how much I need to get back to making our own, healthier versions of popsicles. ;)

**********
Before I go, I wanted to say a big thank you to my dear friend, Carl. I'm not sure if he had any idea how much I needed his recent post...but I surely did. I have to admit that for the last month I've been going through a period of severe "feel-sorry-for-myself." Spending waaaay too much time and energy on school in a desperate attempt to get caught up (which is only my self-imposed version anyway) before the quarter ends in two weeks, watching the house fall further into disarray as I do, wondering when on earth I'm ever going to get around to doing our taxes, dealing with lots of Gray's unique needs these days, Easter and Annie's birthday both on the verge of arriving, too much stress and drama in my social world...all of that has added up to the ridiculous state I've let myself wallow in lately. :(

I NEED TO SNAP OUT OF IT!!!! I seem to have forgotten what a gift it is to be alive every day. And I've let what had become a habit--noticing all the good stuff, all the beauty and wonder and silliness that makes life so precious--slip away. Well, I'm reclaiming that habit, and the joy that comes with it.

I still might not be around much for the next couple weeks--just busy, busy, busy--but I hope when I am around it will be with a smile on my face. :D

Have a beautiful, glorious April everyone!!!

I smiled when...

2010-03-25T07:03:00.000-04:00

...Rich called me with the news that he got his promotion to Associate Professor. What this means in practical terms? Well, besides a really good excuse to go out to dinner Saturday night, not a whole heck of a lot. Nonetheless, I am very happy for him!

...my dear friend Chris sent me an e-mail that offered great hope and reassurance about matters that have been troubling our family. Thank you. Yet again.

...this week's New Yorker arrived and I saw its beautiful cover. (I so wish I could have found a bigger picture to link to, or been able to get a decent photo of the magazine.) But can't you just tell how gorgeous it is? It's titled "Homage" and is by the unbelievably talented artist, Ana Juan.

...my mom could not hide the excitement in her voice about their upcoming trip. My parents leave Friday morning for a month-long road trip "out West" (in their truck camper). Hitting the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Bryce Canyon, etc., etc., etc. I would have smiled even more broadly had they invited me along. ;)

...Ana posted this Ada Lovelace Day post. Okay, I more than smiled--I got downright giddy about all that lovely women-in-science bookishness. In fact, before I even commented and thanked my dear friend Ana, I went and ordered one of those books. :P

...my daughter uttered these words totally out of nowhere on the way home from the dentist: "I love you, Mom. I think I forgot to tell you that yesterday."

Ada Lovelace Day

2010-03-24T00:32:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, my dear friends Jason and Ana were talking about Ada Lovelace Day, and trying to convince me to join in, too. Well, without question, I loved the idea of Ada Lovelace Day...but as you all know, I just can't write an eloquent post to save my life (and I felt this occasion definitely deserved a well-written post). Dilemma--do I skip participating altogether or do I write a post that surely won't do an amazing woman justice?

Well, I found a compromise.

I want to introduce you to an incredible woman of science. Audrey Stevens Niyogi. A biochemist. A member of the National Academy of Sciences (which, as the following article states, is "an honor some consider second only to the Nobel Prize"). A woman I was blessed to know personally, because she was Rich's aunt.

Audrey died just a few short weeks ago, on February 28th. And because it tells the story of Audrey and her career better than I ever could, I'm just going to link you to it here.

The picture of her...so very much like I remember her. With her arms crossed that way. I just wish you could get a better look at her beautiful smile, a smile she wore so often.

recapturing that old blogging joy

2010-03-21T21:27:00.002-04:00

I admit it--I'm a liar. I keep telling myself that if I just keep trying harder, keep trying harder, keep trying harder, I will eventually "catch up" and all these extra issues we've been dealing with as a family lately will clear up and life will find an even keel again. Ain't working.

I'm exhausted, I'm lacking joy, and it's time to shake things up.

And what a better way to liven things up than with my favorite challenge of them all, Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge. I miss Carl. I miss so many of my blogging friends. I miss the pure fun of reading challenges. I miss putting together big old lists of books that I've got no hope of actually reading. :P

Carl is one of the dearest friends I've made through blogging...and really most of my other closest friends were made because of Carl. Because of Once Upon a Time. Yes, this is the perfect time to reconnect with that old blogging joy.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to crank out tons of fun fantasy reading, but I'm going to do my best to make sure that a little piece each day is spent enjoying this challenge. Even if it's just the five minutes I manage to stay awake reading when I head to bed at night, or a few minutes here and there scattered throughout the day checking out all the wonderful reviews.

Aside from all the usual happys...connecting with friends, reading incredible books and stories, growing my wish list by leaps and bounds...this time I'm excited because the whole Stevens gang is going to participate. (This will be the first time for both Gray and Max.) And I'm excited because Rich is going to read Lord of the Rings for the first time. And I'm excited because I'm excited. :P

I'm going to shoot for Quest the First. Reading any combination of five books in the fantasy, folklore, fairy tale, mythology realms. And I really hope to participate in some short story weekends as well.

And now, let me head to my shelves and start pulling. :D

Actually my first two possibles (which are more like definites--though calling anything definite these days makes me leery) aren't on my shelves:

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. This is on my nightstand because I've already started it. I'm less than a hundred pages in, but I am in love with this book so far.

Kesterwood by DesLily. And this is actually on my computer. And I absolutely positively cannot wait to get back to this book. I actually read about a quarter of it previously...but then life got in the way and I was never able to finish it. Being on my computer, it wasn't like I could grab those couple minutes here and there waiting in line at the post office, etc. Even though I remember the story, I'm going to start over. It's just so enchanting that I want to relive it. :D

Honestly, if I manage to finish just these two books, I'll be a very happy camper. (Of course, I do hope to finish at least the five for my chosen quest.) But what the rest might be...who knows. Possibly...

The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Actually, this is another I will likely get to...because thanks to the suggestion of my dear friend Chris, I believe we're going to read this as a selection for school. Rich, Annie, and I have read a Shakespeare play aloud together each of the past three years...so this would be our fourth. And this is one I've never read before...I know, shame on me!

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin. Another one I will likely get to. Thanks to my dear friend Ana, I learned that this is another wonderful choice for school. (It's actually going to be Annie's next read after we finish our current.) I'm so very excited about this one. It is another "shame on me" instance--it will be my very first Le Guin book ever.

The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. And this one I'm going to buddy read with my sweet friend Kelly, if she hasn't totally given up on me yet. Which, btw, I wouldn't blame her for doing! ;)

The Night of Wishes by Michael Ende. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman. Really hoping to read both of these aloud to the boys.

And a "few" others that caught my eye:

*Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce
*The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess
*The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli
*Gossamer by Lois Lowry
*Lux the Poet by Martin Millar
*The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
*The Elf Realm: The Low Road by Daniel Kirk
*The Treasures of Weatherby by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
*Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon
*Water Tales by Alice Hoffman
*Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
*The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
*The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
*Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block
*The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
*Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman

And some short story sources:
*The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt
*M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
*The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury
*Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
*Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan

*****
And for no other reason than he's just so stinkin' cute, a Saw-Whet Owl. We went on a hike Friday, and I was so excited to see this little guy...I'd never seen one before. And well, owls are sort of fantastical, aren't they? :)

smile-worthy

2010-03-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

Because I just really need some smiles. :)

This guy's reading tends to be very sporadic. But he's been on a roll lately. And I just love "catching" him off by himself somewhere with his nose stuck in a book.

Cats with swords. Oh okay...cats with weapons maybe aren't the most soothing thought, but something about this photo just makes me smile anyway. From that look, I'm pretty sure he's prepared to use that sword.

SQUEEEEE...my very own UglyDoll!!!!! I'm in love. Soft, squeezable, huggable love. Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear friend...my, but your timing is impeccable! :D

And you know what else has me smiling? I think I'm really going to try to get back into this blogging thing again. Try. Starting Sunday...with the MOST FUN reading challenge of them all. :D

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

on today's to-do list (an abbreviated version)

2010-03-15T07:24:00.001-04:00

--the daily chores
--"school"
--enough school planning stuff to make me want to cry
--make laundry soap
--make granola bars
--HIT THE "MARK ALL AS READ" BUTTON, AND START OVER TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH ALL MY MUCH MISSED FRIENDS
--keep striving for that ever elusive balance

*****
And because I'm nosy: Tell me something that made you smile this weekend. :D

still trying...

2010-03-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

...to find that balance I'm so desperately craving. So far, no luck. But it's become a mission. In the meantime, I apologize again for my lack of blog reading. I assure you, it's not because I don't miss you all...but I know you understand that already. I don't think balance comes easily to anyone...if it comes at all.

And while this has nothing to do the above...guess what I saw this weekend...a robin! I kid you not. Perhaps if he sticks around for a few more days, he'll be able to see the ground, and worm-hunting will become a much easier task. It's been so incredibly warm (relatively speaking, of course) for the past week. And this week predicts highs in the 40s for every single day!

May you all have a glorious second week of March!

stuff on my mind

2010-03-03T19:52:00.001-05:00

*School's been kicking my ass the past few days. Thus, when I just took a look at the explosion in my reader, I wanted to cry. Why can't I find balance? Why, why, why, why, why am I so incapable of this?!!

*I really, really want to make this bed.

*Staci is beyond awesome. I know that's already a well-known fact, but sometimes these things just need to be repeated.

*I promised myself I would NOT check any books out at the library today. Forgot that I had put one on hold though. After one...well, what's a few more, right? (This is what came home with me: Skin: A Natural History by Nina G. Jablonski (the one I had on hold), Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes by Gerald N. Callahan, Goodbye, Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson (which I had out not long ago but didn't get around to reading), A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi).

*I sometimes send people really stupid e-mails. Sorry, Ana.

*I really need to shut up and get a few more "school things" done so I can watch Criminal Minds.

*Just overheard Max say: "Dad, you should really be ashamed of yourself!" No idea what he was talking about, but it made me giggle.

absurd amount of books finding their way into my home--a list

2010-03-01T06:51:00.002-05:00

Hmmmmm. I'm feeling an excess of guilt. The reason? The somewhat ridiculous amount of books that I've brought into this house lately.

Book buying ban? What book buying ban? *sigh*

Oh okay, truth be told, I'm not feeling nearly as much honest guilt over this as I should be. See, not only has the old book ban been purposely "forgotten" over the past month here, but I'm on track to have the lousiest reading year ever! And by "lousiest" I'm talking number-wise. Now numbers are not what matter when it comes to reading. However, they really should play a part when it comes to acquisition. I mean it would be one thing to bring 20 books into the house a month if I read 20. Heck, even if I read 15. But when I bring in 40+ books and only read 5...well, it's not hard to see the problem, is it? It's not a matter of money or anything like that, as most of these books come from PaperbackSwap or used book stores...no, it's a matter of WHERE THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PUT ALL THESE BOOKS WE KEEP BRINGING HOME?!!

Anyway, I don't want to bore anyone here, but I do sort of like having this record of the books I get and when I get them. If you are, however, interested in any blame being doled out, they'll be the books with the asterisks.

--Carnet De Voyage by Craig Thompson (b'day gift)
--Bayou by Jeremy Love (b'day gift)
--Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich (b'day gift)
--Essex County by Jeff Lemire (b'day gift)
--Reckonings: Contemporary Short Fiction by Native American Women edited by Hertha D. Sweet Wong, Lauren Stuart Muller, & Jana Sequoya Magdaleno (b'day gift)
--A Bitter Brew by Christine Ellen Young (b'day gift)
--***Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (b'day gift; point for Eva)
--Fables: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges (b'day gift)
--***Sounds of Your Name by Nate Powell (b'day gift; point for Chris--sorry Chris, seems a tad mean of me to be blaming a book on you that you didn't really even talk about it, but this book wouldn't have been on my wish list if it weren't for your review of Swallow Me Whole...you will forgive me, right?)
--Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin by Terry Taylor (b'day gift)
--Great Breads by Martha Rose Shulman (b'day gift)
--***Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out edited by Fawzia Afzal-Khan (paperbackswap; point for Eva as one of the many awesome-sounding books she had on her Women Unbound list)
--Luna by Julie Anne Peters (paperbackswap)
--I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson (paperbackswap)
--***Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland (paperbackswap; points for Ana and Chris--sorry guys, I know I saddled you with points a long while back for this same book when I got it out of the library, but since I didn't get to read it then and yet I still wanted it so badly you all are going to have to shoulder the blame again)
--***Polaroids from the Dead by Douglas Coupland (paperbackswap; and yet another point for Chris)
--The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (bad debi couldn't resist buy)
--A Wall in Palestine by Rene Backmann (bad debi couldn't resist buy)
--***Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley (bad debi couldn't resist buy; point to Ana)
--***I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly (bad debi couldn't resist buy--actually she had to search far and wide and was tempted to throw a party when she finally found it; point to Ana)
--***The Unwritten by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (bad debi couldn't resist buy; point to Ana)
--House of Mystery: Room & Boredom by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham (bad debi couldn't resist buy)
--Scraps: An Inspirational Field Guide to Collage by Elsebeth Gynther & Christine Clemmensen (bad debi couldn't resist buy)
--Cat Burglar Black by Richard Sala (library book)
--***Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age edited by Ariel Schrag (library book; point for Staci--how can it be that this is your first point?!!)
--After the First Death by Robert Cormier (paperbackswap; homeschool)
--***Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon (used book store; homeschool; point for Chris)
--Crank by Ellen Hopkins (used book store; homeschool)
--Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng (used book store; homeschool)
--Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954-1965 by Juan Williams (used book store; homeschool)
--Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (used book store; for Printz Project)
--Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg (used book store)
--The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle (used book store)
--The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre (used book store)
--The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (used book store)
--The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King (used book store)
--***Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Daniel Wallace (used book store; points to both Ana and Eva)
--***Notes from the Hyena's Belly by Nega Mezlekia (used book store; point for Eva)
--Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case by Catherine Crier (used book store)
--My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming (used book store)
--One Day in September by Simon Reeve (used book store)
--***Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee (just because gift; point for Chris--sorry you can't escape blame since I was definitely going to pick this book up myself after your review)

I'm thinking I need to skip the local library sales coming up over the next few weeks. :(

*****
Hmmm...I typed this post last week. No idea why I didn't post it. But, hey, it works well for today since I don't have time (after a crazy weekend culminating in Gray spending several hours in the ER last evening to get a couple stitches in the eyebrow area) to write much today.
I did squeak in, at the last minute, my read for Chris's Animals in Comics Mini-Challenge last night. Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques, with art by Bret Blevins. I'll say a few words about it next time I babble about books.

Have a wonderful first week of March everyone!!!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet friend Amanda!!!

snapshots

2010-02-27T13:40:00.008-05:00

February 26th "Good Stuff"

*****
And now, just because I love learning more about you all, I've decided to throw on a question at the end of some of my posts. Just totally random questions. Obviously, don't feel like you have to answer...I'm not trying to be nosy or anything. :)

So, what song, at this very moment, is your favorite? (I suspect for most people, it changes constantly, thus the "at this very moment.")

I read, I feel, I babble...

2010-02-25T08:29:00.000-05:00

You know what...I've given up all notions of ever being able to write anything resembling a review. I'm done with even half-hearted attempts. I've accepted the fact that I can't write a book summary, and I sure can't analyze a book to save my life. Though I very much enjoy reading others talk so beautifully about books, I just. can't. do it. And frankly, it makes me miserable when I try. But I love reading. I tend to experience books on such an emotional level, and I seem somewhat incapable of transferring it to an intellectual level. I feel like I should apologize, but what's the point in that...I am who I am. And being who I am, I'm just going to go with it...and share my experiences with reading. In which you'll probably learn nothing about the book itself. So yeah, please feel free to skip my posts...life is far too short.

So, here's what I've read over the last few weeks:

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The first time I read this book I was about 14-years-old, the second time I must have been in my early 30s, but it's only now in my mid-40s, with my third read, that I've really fallen in love with this book. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked it. A lot, even. But, and I'm not quite sure how to explain it, this time something deep inside me clicked. It may sound sort of pathetic, but I think I relate better to Holden now than I ever have in the past. Obviously there's a lot of differences...we're at drastically different points in our lives, we live in different times, etc. Yet I've never quite felt that disconnect with the world that Holden does quite so profoundly as I do now. I don't have a problem relating with people on an individual level in the way that Holden does, but when it comes to the world at large, well, I can't help but feel sad and angry and helpless. And I sort of can't help but sometimes wish for innocence.

Sheesh, I am pathetic, huh?!!

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. I asked Chris if I could just copy and paste his thoughts here, but unsurprisingly, he said "no." ;) So instead, I'm just going to take this opportunity to thank Patrick Ness for a few things...

...for going to the hard places, and making me go along.

...for characters so real that I experienced love. And I experienced hate. And often I experienced some garbled up combination of the two.

...for black and white and oh so many, many shades of gray.

...for unexpected tears.

Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson. OMG. This book is soooo cool! Seriously. So. Cool. And it reminds me so much of the travel journals I keep myself when I travel. Really, it does. Well, with a few minor exceptions, that is. Like a.) Craig Thompson is a far better writer than I am--funnier, more interesting, more insightful--that sort of thing, b.) he visits more exotic locales than I do, and c.) his travel journal is filled with tons more incredibly gorgeous drawings than mine are ('cause...well...mine have none, not even horribly drawn ones). But other than those few things, you'd really be hard pressed to tell them apart. ;)

Other random thoughts circling around in my head:
>Awww, he drew so many kitties.
>He may have killed my long-standing desire to visit Morocco. But he seriously has me wanting to visit Barcelona.
>He's sort of a wimpy traveler, just like me. ;)
>In fact, he reminds me of me in so many ways. Like this snippet: "But then once again, my CHAOS TOLERANCE is overloaded. I have trouble breathing..." Or this one: "I'm happy & sad & naive & deluded & insecure & egocentric."
>Thank you again, Ana!

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. You know, I've sat down and tried to write about this book four times now. And I just couldn't the words out. I still can't. But I wanted to at least mention it...because it's an amazing book. A powerful book. A book I wish everyone would read, though I realize most people won't, for a myriad of personal reasons.

Oh, something I did learn...I love the way Jonathan Safran Foer writes, and am now more eager (and a little less afraid) to dig into some of his fiction.

the cutest good stuff ever

2010-02-24T14:33:00.000-05:00

I was going to save up "good stuff" and just do a big post at the end of the week or something, but I just couldn't save this. It deserves a post all its own!

The Twitterbirds:

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo...but I think you can get the idea of how unfreakingbelievably adorable these sweet birdies are, can't you? And you know what, each one's beak is open just a little bit so it can hold a little message...is that not just the coolest idea?!!

And you know what, each of them represents one of the Stevens family. Can you guess who's who?

Jason, I know you're very humble and don't like to be the center of attention, but I hope like crazy you don't mind me showing these off. You might be modest, but you're also so incredibly talented. And frankly, you're also one of the best friends I could ever imagine. Thank you again. Thank you so very much.

A whole lot of good stuff represented by that one photo.

winter break good stuff

2010-02-22T07:06:00.005-05:00

Just a note on something I've learned through this exercise: When things are sucking for me personally, I still find it possible to keep my eyes open for the "good stuff." Not that it's easy, but it's definitely doable. But it's infinitely harder to look for the "good stuff" when someone I love is going through a terrible time. I'm not sure if it's some sort of unconscious guilt about finding things to be happy about when I know someone I care about is hurting. I'm not sure if somewhere deep inside I feel like I'm betraying them by finding things to smile about when I know they're not smiling. Anyway, just an observation.

Feb. 12th "Good Stuff"

*Technically, winter break doesn't start here for another hour (when the boys get home from school), but SQUEEEEEEEEE...this had to make today's good stuff list...Ana, one of the most wonderful people I've ever known, got fabulously wonderful news today!!! Yes, yes, yes...I am just giddily happy for her!!!! :D #luvana

*Darwin Day. Yes, I am married to a science geek. And yes, every year we celebrate Darwin's birthday. Annie has a friend spending the night...and you know, instead of thinking that we were total dorks, I think she actually enjoyed singing "Happy Birthday" to old Charlie.
(Oh okay, I know it was really just the cupcakes she was happy about.)

Feb. 13th "Good Stuff"

*I was incredibly productive, and accomplished so much! Well, with school stuff anyway. But don't ask me about the state of our home. ;)

Feb. 14th "Good Stuff"

*My hubby spoils me rotten. Yes indeed, he does. A gift card for books...does this man know how to make his "Valentine" happy or what? :)

*Family traditions. In this case, our heart pancakes for supper on Valentines Day. Despite the fact that for some reason, the blueberries hassled me endlessly with their sticking, thus the pancakes didn't come out all that "pretty." Oh well...they still tasted delicious.

Feb. 15th "Good Stuff"

*SQUEEEEE...more awesome news for an awesome friend!!! #luvana

Feb. 16th "Good Stuff"

*Whew. X a bazillion. It's been a tough, tense 24+ hours of worrying. My mom's best friend, a woman I've known all my life, had been having some major health problems lately (coughing up blood, severe exhaustion, etc.) but the doctors couldn't figure out what was going on. Finally it was found that she had an aortic aneurysm (it was in a spot that just hadn't been showing up on any of the scans before)...it actually broke through, but there was a wall of calcium that had kept her from bleeding out. It wasn't even something anyone in her area could handle...she was immediately sent to a leading specialist in the field. He gave her a 50-50 chance of surviving the surgery. But survive she did! And thus far, is doing well.

*Finished The Ask and the Answer. Whoa.

Feb. 17th "Good Stuff"

*Our mini at-home vacation begins! We drove the kids to my parents house, had lunch with everyone, belatedly celebrated my dad's birthday, and then Rich and I headed for home. We took the long way home so we could hit this huge antique mall. Spent a few hours antiquing, having a ball hanging out together. This little planter is my favorite purchase...I'm going to use it in my scrapbooking area to hold pencils, etc. I have no idea why it caught my eye the way it did...it's really not my normal "style"...but I am totally in love with this little deer. :)

Feb. 18th "Good Stuff"

*Oh my gosh...just everything about this day. A whole entire day with my awesome husband. Book shopping. Coffee. Hanging out. Watching a movie. Reading. Just being together, just the two of us. Heaven.

Feb. 19th "Good Stuff"

*Yet another day of relaxing. Used book stores. Art supplies. Discovering this fantastic little vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant. Finding I Kill Giants--finally. More movie time. More reading. More just being together, just the two of us. More heaven.

Feb. 20th "Good Stuff"

*Seeing the munchkins again.

*Eating Animals. Despite the fact that it's possible I will have to pull one of my hide away from the world for a few days defensive maneuvers, because I seriously lack coping skills.

Feb. 21st "Good Stuff"

*Another year in this life. A life that is blessed beyond words. With the most wonderful husband I could ever dream of. With three incredible people that call me "Mom." With the very best friends I could possibly imagine. With so very much more...

*Being married to a science geek. Yeah, I mentioned that above with the Darwin birthday party thing. More proof: Last night, he dreamed that our neighbor won a preserved coelacanth. She didn't want it, and asked Rich if he did. Well duh--no need to ask what he said to that offer, is there? Anyway, he then had to go on and explain to the neighborhood the importance of coelacanth as a transitional fossil. He so cracks me up--he thought this was an awesome dream. Now for anyone who might someday come visit, I promise you he doesn't act this way in real life. Well, not often anyway. ;)

*Said science geek husband is a wonderful cook...and he made me the most incredible manicotti for supper. Mmmmmm...

*Chris's new app. :D #luvchris

*Chatting on Twitter. Oh, how I've missed it. And oh, how I've missed my wonderful friends! Thanks to all you lovelies for an incredibly enjoyable afternoon. #luvana #luvchris #luvamanda #luvjason #luvcare

*Sooooo many awesome-sounding books for my birthday.

*The USA/Canada hockey game! Sorry Kelly. :( But you gotta admit it was a hell of a game, right? :D #luvkelly

*****
While winter break had its ups and downs (the downs coming in the form of worrying about people I love), I have to say that it was a much-needed and much-appreciated break. I hope that I'll now be able to keep up a little better with the day-to-day. Including blog reading. (Though I will be hitting that "mark as read" button and starting anew.) But if I can't keep up...well, I'm going to try to stop beating myself up over it. I got a wonderful e-mail from the wonderful Care with some very wise words. I'm going to try to remember them. Thank you, dear friend. #luvcare

I hope everyone had a glorious mid-February!

a bit of hiatus

2010-02-10T17:55:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's "good stuff" was finally finding the answer (or rather two answers) to a "question" that has been affecting us for some time. And while today, I still consider knowing the answer a good thing...I'm left feeling that the answers themselves are not. If that makes any sense whatsoever. And now we're in search of answers to all the questions those answers raised.

Yeah, I apologize for being so cryptic. I'm just not comfortable talking about it yet. Maybe after we have more answers to our new questions. I hope this doesn't sound melodramatic or anything either. I promise you this isn't the end of the world, and we'll find the answers we need if it kills us.

Anyway, in small part to this, and in large part to the fact that winter break starts on Saturday, I probably won't be around much for a little while. And hey, maybe when I get back, I'll even have some book babble or a craft project or something to share. Then again, don't be holding your breath on that one. :)

six thumbs up

2010-02-08T18:45:00.000-05:00

(None of could stick with just one thumb on this one!)

Kaspar Prince of Cats by Michael Morpurgo.

*Our favorite characters:

Max: Kaspar. He's a cat. He survived the sinking Titanic.

Gray: Kaspar, because he's an adventurous cat. And he really is the prince of cats.

Mom: Johnny Trott. What an awesome kid! He had such a tough life, but he just sucked it up and did what he needed to do to survive. And on top of that, he had such an amazingly kind heart.

*Our favorite events:

Gray: The most exciting part of the book was when the iceberg hit the Titanic. Everyone was in danger. Everyone was really brave even though it was a scary time. I also liked the part when Johnny Trott climbed up the roof to save Lizziebeth, and he had no ropes or ladders or anything.

Max: My favorite part was when Johnny Trott and Lizziebeth were climbing up the hotel. Lizziebeth was trying to save a pigeon, and Johnny Trott was trying to save Lizziebeth. My second favorite was when the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg.

Mom: My favorite part was seeing Skullface get the ax. There's just something so satisfying watching karma in action. ;) Okay, maybe that's a silly thing to pick as my favorite, but this book was so darn good, it's just hard to pick.

*Our least favorite character:

All: Skullface!

Gray: She was a grumpy, really mean lady who hated pets. Even Kaspar!

*Overall feelings:

Gray: It was a really great book! I would enjoy reading other books by this author.

Max: It's one of my favorite books ever! Thanks Chris, for getting me this book for Christmas! I want to buy you a book that's this good.

Mom: I adored this book...I really did. It is such a little treasure. It's sweet, without being sappy. And there are certainly moments of real sadness. And moments of suspense. Characters you couldn't help fall in love with. Tender friendships. Really, I just loved it. And I especially loved reading it with my two favorite little boys.

good stuff...the Super Bowl edition

2010-02-08T07:03:00.002-05:00

February 7th "Good Stuff"

Well, duh...the Super Bowl!!!!

For many reasons:

*Best reason of all--this guy!

(Another of my favorite photos from last summer.)

I could not possibly be any happier for you, Chris!!! I really couldn't.
Seriously, I'm not sure there's anything that can make you happier than joy experienced by those you love! Savor the feeling, Chris...you deserve it! #luvchris

*New Orleans. Yeah, what an awesome city. What a bunch of strong folks. Congratulations, NOLA!

*The Colts lost!!! Sorry Colts fans, but what can I say...I just don't like them.

*This image:

How can you not get all teary looking at all that sweetness, huh?

*The game was really a good one...it wasn't totally lopsided, it wasn't just a huge defensive struggle, it was just plain fun and exciting!!!

I didn't get to watch much football this season, probably only half a dozen games. Life just gets in the way. But Rich and I still talk so fondly of those pre-kid days when we lived for Sundays during football season. Our routine was always the same...we'd go out for brunch, and then come home and drag our mattress out to the living room and watch football all day long. It was heavenly. Maybe someday life will cease to be so hectic and we can adopt that routine again. ;)

*And one final, silly little note. All the confetti flying at the end of the game...it got Lucky all riled up...he went running up to the TV to try to catch the flying bits. Goofy cat. Made us laugh.

raises hand extra high

2010-02-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that was in response to the question, "Who just totally sucks at this whole blogging thing?"

No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to come up with some sort of plan that works for me. It's not so much that I can't seem to post regularly...I probably should wait until I have something worth saying to post, which would see me posting far less often. But it's my blog, and I have the right to be as boring as I want, right? :)

No, it's the blog reading that causes me so much anxiety. Or rather, the lack of blog reading. :( No matter how hard I try, I can't keep up. There are people out there I adore whose blogs I haven't visited in weeks. And my reader doesn't contain nearly as many blogs as most peoples' do. I'm just soooo frustrated. I had high hopes for yesterday...I was going to get through half the posts in my reader, and then tackle the other half today. Yeah right. With 10+ hours buried in events leading up to WWII, a few more hours spent laundering and vacuuming and scrubbing toilets and baking brownies, a couple with the normal "kid stuff" which involved an extra kid for the entire afternoon...well, I managed to slip in just a handful of posts. *sigh*

So, do I give up blogging, at least until summer when I have a little more time? No. I don't like that solution. Do I weed my reader down even further? I seriously don't think I can...I have it at bare bones right now. Do I just keep on going as I'm going but give up on feeling bad about it? Sounds good, but who can I get to reprogram my brain wiping out the enormous chunk I use on feeling guilty.

*****
I started this day off with a major shot of happy! *hugs dear friend*
*and then hugs some more for all the sadness and grief that remain*

February 6th "Good Stuff": Yesterday, despite its typical busyness, gave me plenty of smiles.

*Okay, this picture is obviously not from yesterday. But it's one of my favorites from last year. Just look at those three boys...can't you just tell they're up to no good?!! Yep, well, there's lots more mischief to come this August!!!
"It's real! It's real! It's reeeeeeally, reeeeeeally real!!!" That's been my chant for the last 24 hours, because Chris got his airline tickets! There are just no words to describe how incredibly happy and excited I am! :D #luvchris

*Just look at all these shiny new crayons! My darling husband was out doing the grocery shopping and running some errands yesterday...and he brought these home just for me! Aren't they just bee-yoo-tee-fool?!! (And don't even try to tell me that I'm the only "grown-up" who adores crayons, because I know better!) #luvrich

*Double-decker kitties.

*Okay, so the photo isn't the greatest, but this bookcase is so cute and full of homemade charm. And guess how much it cost us? Nothing! Someone set it out for the trash! Rich saw it when he was driving Gray's friend home. We just had to clean off the snow and nail in a couple of brads to stabilize some loose shelves.

thus far today I have...

2010-02-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

*cursed the alarm clock for simply doing its job

*sighed inwardly at the grumpiness of two little boys not wanting to be rousted from their beds

*secretly smiled at the way Gray's curls are coming back as his hair grows longer

*found myself unable to stop the tears thinking about the heartbreaking loss a dear friend has suffered

*wept more tears upon reading the words of another dear friend...and found myself reminded of how differently a person can view herself from the way I view her

*counted the days until I get to see yet another dear friend...192, if I counted correctly

*fought nearly to the death with the USPS website trying to fill out and print a customs form

*completed the lecturing/discussing/assigning portion of Annie's school day

*drank too much coffee

*read several pages about the late 1930s

*washed and hung two loads of laundry (and scolded myself for letting it pile up so much)

*laughed aloud at silly kitty antics

*appreciated, though not nearly enough, how very lucky I am

a dream...or a scheme...

2010-02-03T14:23:00.000-05:00

I had quite the silly dream last night. Aren't silly dreams just plain fun? Anyway, we have this tiny room in the corner of our basement. It's supposed to be my craft room, but in actuality it is more of a "pile shit that you don't know where else to put it" sort of room. The room has this built in work surface across the one wall. In my dream, I built myself a little hideaway under this work surface. Then I gathered up a huge pile of books and some food and stashed them in there. And I wrote a note to my family saying that aliens were abducting me, but they promised to return me in one month. What I planned to do about going to the bathroom or showering or anything like that, I've no idea...you know, that's the way with dreams. But I have to admit I found this whole thing amusing...and not a wholly bad idea. ;)

I'm sure this dream arose out of my frustration at not finishing any of the staggering pile of books I have started:

--have read 81 of 326 pages in The Subtle Knife
--have read 101 of 354 pages in 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa
--have read 126 of 319 pages in Yes Means Yes!
--have read 68 of 209 pages in Monkeyluv
--have read 87 of 214 pages in The Catcher in the Rye
--have read 188 of 573 pages in The Century
--have read 17 of 78 pages in Atlas (as this is poetry, I tend to read the same pages over and over before moving on)
--have read 52 of 272 pages in The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
--have read 186 of 207 pages in Kaspar Prince of Cats
--and I have two additional books that I need to start for school before next week (The Body Book at 265 pages and Eating Animals at 267 pages) plus my book for our family book club (Seekers: The Quest Begins at 292 pages) which was supposed to be read three days ago and I haven't even started

Am I pathetic or what?!! I seem to completely lack the ability to get my act together. Hmmm...wonder if Rich and the kids would actually buy the alien abduction thing...

a week's worth

2010-02-03T06:46:00.000-05:00

In an effort to not make this the longest, most boring post on record, I've decided to just go ahead and publish the past week's good stuff. Okay, it still may be the most boring, but at least it will be a shorter version of boring. :D (And no scolding--I am not picking on myself, I am merely affirming that the minute details of my life may not make for the most gripping reading for others. #luvana)

*****
January 27th "Good Stuff"

*Gray's concert. Yes, he was nervous, but never came close to breakdown mode. So happy for him. So very, very happy for him. :) And his best friend came to watch the concert, sat right up front in the audience in front of Gray...thus there were actually a couple of awesome smiles seen from Gray during the concert! (Honestly, we didn't even expect to see his face, as lately he tends to hide behind his hair whenever he's feeling uncomfortable.) Unbelievable, in such a wonderful, wonderful way. Plus, the concert was actually very good...the kids played awesomely well! Have to admit I wasn't expecting that. ;)

*Max and his graphic novel spree. He's kicking my butt. He finished up Zelda Oracle of Seasons last night, bringing his graphic novel total for the year up to five. (May not seem like much, but believe me, it is for this reluctant reader.)

*Finishing Annie's quarterly report!!! Such a relief to have another one of those behind me.

January 28th "Good Stuff"

*Gray's school raised more than twice the money they needed to build the classroom in Kenya. But no, they're not building two classrooms. Instead, they decided that all the additional money is going to be used to build a medical dispensary at the school. Is that not just beyond awesome? I swear I tear up every time I think about it. :)

*Ordering in pizza.

January 29th "Good Stuff"

*The boys didn't have school (grading day). Oh how I love the more relaxed mornings that "no school" brings. And not having to pack lunches. I know, that's such a silly job to despise, but despise it I do. ;)

*The power of words. I received two e-mails today that brought home this point. One from Gray's teacher, one from one of my best friends in the world. Two very different subjects. But what they had in common: both were ten words or less and both positively made my day! Yep, the power of just a few perfectly chosen words. :D #luvchris

*Finally finished another book. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman. I'm ashamed to admit how little I knew about her, beyond this vague notion that she was one incredible woman. So I not only enjoyed this book a great deal, I learned a lot, too. Can't beat that, right?

January 30th "Good Stuff"

*Kitteh pictures to cheer up a sick little boy. :) #luvana

January 31st "Good Stuff"

*We finally decorated the Valentine tree!

February 1st "Good Stuff"

*Gray had a truckload of homework tonight, but he didn't fuss about it one little bit. That's one for the "miracle" category.

*We've had our Gazelle Edge for about a week now. I've done 30 minutes on it most days since...and I'm still not sick of it yet. ;)

*I finished another graphic novel--In the Small by Michael Hague. But lest you think I'm putting a dent in Max's lead in our little family graphic novel race, let me assure you that this is not so. He's finished yet another two--an Avatar book (not the movie, but the awesomely cool animated series The Last Airbender) and a reread of the Garfield Treasury that his "big brother" sent him. #luvchris

February 2nd "Good Stuff"

*I'm happy with the way my little Valentine thingies are coming out. Now if I can just finish them and mail them in time.

*Rich, knowing that I've just been blue lately, hired a babysitter (Annie :D) and took me out to dinner and then to B&N for some book shopping and coffee. Which yes, also led to new books coming home with me. That's like good stuff on top of good stuff on top of good stuff, right?

new books, blame, and good stuff (quite the uninspired title)

2010-01-26T12:07:00.000-05:00

Decided that I ought to get caught up here on the doling out of blame. My latest two trips to the bookstore need to be accounted for.

First though, the non-blame books:

The Value of Nothing by Raj Patel. I am sooooo excited to read this book...it just sounds incredible. If it lives up to its description, it sounds as if it not only addresses the failings and unfairness of our world economy, but it offers hope and ideas. And as I was just admitting to a very dear friend, as optimistic as I try to be in my own little personal life, I tend to be extremely pessimistic about the future of our world in general. So pessimistic that it can leave me hiding in depression for days at a time. So yeah, I'm all for a little hope.

Created Equal: Voices on Women's Rights by Anna Horsbrugh-Porter. Another one I'm really excited to read! Okay, I guess that's sort of a no-brainer, huh? Obviously, I really want to read these books...otherwise, I wouldn't have bought them. This isn't a long book. It appears to be more of an introduction to the state of women's rights around the globe today. Among the issues it discusses are education, violence against women, slavery, and poverty. I may have to wait to read it though...when Annie saw it, she immediately asked if she could borrow it.

The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U. I'm really tempted to blame this on poor Eva, but I guess that wouldn't be fair. See, I really wanted to get From the Land of Green Ghosts because of her review, but the bookstore just didn't have it. But I was determined to read something about Burma, so I picked up this book instead.

Nylon Road by Parsua Bashi. A graphic memoir. What can I say...you all have turned me into a graphic novel junkie...seems as if I have to get my fix every time I hit the bookstore anymore. ;) This wasn't the book I really went looking for...thanks to Ana, I really, really, really wanted to get my hands on I Kill Giants, but they didn't have it. But this book caught my eye...and then made its way home with me.

Collage Lab by Bee Shay. One of those impulse buys. One of my biggest personal goals for the year is to make more time for "playing" in my craft room. A goal, I am to the point, failing miserably to meet. This book makes a massively fun addition to my inspiration library.

And now we come to those books that I refuse to take personal responsibility for. ;) Points go to:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I have been wanting to get my hands on this soooooo badly ever since reading Carl's review! It just sounds so utterly delightful and fun. (Irrelevant side note: I was surprised to realize that this was the only novel of the whole bunch.)

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande. Yeah, no way Eva's escaping blame for this one. And somehow I suspect that blame for Better will be forthcoming as well.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Don't even have to tell you who gets the blame for this one, do I? Yep, the lovely Ana made it impossible for me to resist. And I suspect she doesn't even feel guilty about it. ;)

*****
Whatever day it is "Good Stuff"

*Annie started her latest college course last night. She's taking Arabic. And she came home just as excited as could be...chatting away, showing me the letters she's learned to write so far, talking about the course in general. Don't you love the way that enthusiasm is simply contagious?

*Last night was also the first night of Rich's evolution class for this semester. And all went well! I suppose on the surface it seems a silly thing to even worry about...we certainly haven't worried about his other classes that start this week. But yeah, because it's evolution. And there's been precedent for attracting people who don't want to learn, don't want to listen, don't want to ask questions, but simply want to be disruptive and obnoxious and threatening in an effort to promote their religious agenda. The first semester he taught this course, things were so bad that we actually worried a bit about his safety. But Rich was so happy when he got home last night, said his students seemed engaged and enthusiastic and asked really great questions...and well, it's just a relief.

*There are times when this kiddo has me wanting to pull out all my hair in frustration. And then there are times like these...yep, my heart just melts. I think I shall never tire of watching the munchkins sleep. :)

*Sooooo happy for Chris!!!! And the city of New Orleans, in general, too. :D

*I've been trying so hard the last few weeks to come up with an idea for "something," but just couldn't come up with anything I was satisfied with. But that proverbial lightbulb lit up yesterday! And I don't just like the idea, I love it! (Hopefully, it will turn out the way I envision it in my head.)

finally

2010-01-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

Sheesh, I was beginning to think that I was never going to finish another book again. :(

But now I've finished two. Two, while both being graphic novels, could not be more different from one another. Perfect example of how comics are NOT a genre.

First up, there's Four Letter Worlds, an anthology of short stories. Total impulse pick-up from the library. The unique concept really caught my eye. The book is divided into four sections: Love, Hate, Fear, and Fate. Each section contains four stories, each eight pages long, each with another four letter title.

As is the case with most any short story anthology, there were some stories that I loved more than others. Some authors amazed me with their ability to convey so much in so few pages.

The first story in the book was definitely my favorite. "Spin" by F. Clay Moore with art by Steven Griffin. Seriously, I so totally loved this story. First love and music and growing up. Very bittersweet.

But then wham, like a painful smack upside the head, came the next story "Lust." Ugh. I positively despised it. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Just crude, with nothing really to offer. Or if it did, I totally missed it.

And with those first two stories, I got my strongest reactions out of the way. There were several more stories I really enjoyed, one that I hate to admit I didn't really understanding the ending of, some were just meh, but there were no more that I truly hated. Overall, I'm glad I picked up the book...I loved that I could pick it up and read a whole story in just a few minutes.

As with the written stories, the art was quite varied. Again, I enjoyed the art in some stories more than the art in others, but this wonderful variety in style made the book quite fun all on its own. And at times the difference in the artists' styles was quite startlingly obvious, as each story ended on the left page with a new one beginning on the right.

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller, with beautiful art by Nicolle Rager Fuller.

I realize that most of the few people reading this have already read Ana's beautiful review, and maybe a couple of you have even read Rich's glowing review, so really, you don't need me to say much. I'll just offer you a quick few thoughts:

1.) Gorgeous!!! Nicolle Rager Fuller is one talented artist. (And for a totally irrelevant piece of info: Before reading her mini bio on the dust jacket, I didn't know that one could receive a graduate certificate in science illustration.)

2.) The book is divided into three sections: the first tells a brief version of the story of how Darwin came to write On the Origin of Species, the second and longest section is a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book, and the final section of the book talks about the breakthroughs in evolutionary theory since Darwin's time.

One of my favorite things about the book is how the second section, the adaptation itself is told mostly in Darwin's actual words, coming directly from Darwin's masterpiece itself. I really need to thank Rich for not saying, "I told you so!" I've always been quite certain that I wouldn't understand Darwin's writings. But Rich has always pretty much answered my fears with, "Piffle!" He's told me time and again that On the Origin of Species is Darwin's most accessible book (he did write to be read by the general public, after all), and that I should give it a chance. I now have to admit that he was right. :)

Still, I will confess that I likely will not be reading Darwin's original...not because I wouldn't enjoy it, as I'm now convinced I would, but just because there are so many books I simply want to read first. Sorry, babe...but hey, I did just admit in public the error of my ways, right? ;)

3.) I feel like there should be a "3"...but I can't off the top of my head figure out what it should be.

abandoned

2010-01-24T17:55:00.000-05:00

Like I need any more reasons to feel like a loser. I'm admitting temporary defeat. To both a book and to a crafty project.

The book: The Grapes of Wrath. Not because I don't like it. But because I have a feeling I would love it, if I could give it the attention it deserves. And I just haven't been able to do that thus far. Five pages here, another five there, two here, and four there...just not the way to get the most out of this book I fear. Not the way to get the most out of most books for that matter. But I really want to give this one the time it deserves. So I'm just setting it aside for now...maybe I'll be able to start it over this summer. We'll see.

The crafty project: These opera gloves. Annie saw a picture of them in the Lion Brand yarn catalog and fell in love. So when I was able to find the pattern on line, I decided to make them for her for her birthday. But they've been a real pain. And they seem to be turning out to be too big for her arms...despite the fact that I checked my gauge (something I'm usually too lazy to do). I think it's just her skinny little arms. So I'm setting them aside, too. To possibly finish when she's done growing. If she still likes them then, that is. In the meantime, I think I'll just see if I can't design some on my own for her. Again, we'll see.

*****
January 23rd/24th "Good Stuff"

*It looks like I really, truly am going to get to meet the sweet, wonderful Amanda!!! I've known this was a possibility for a couple of weeks, but I'm sort of weird--I do my absolute darnedest to not let myself get my hopes up for things. I tend to look at things from the worst case scenario side (so I can often find myself pleasantly surprised) as opposed to looking at things from the best case scenario side (and ending up disappointed). But now that we've come up with a very doable plan...well, SQUEEEEEE...I get to be giddy!!! And I sooooo love to be giddy! :D #luvamanda

*I've been extremely productive school-wise today...and that feels so good, because I really needed to be. I feel so good about my progress that I think I'll take the evening off and cheer on the Saints.

*Rich cooked Boca Burgers for dinner...yum...and it's time to go eat right now.

surprise, surprise...good stuff

2010-01-23T07:54:00.000-05:00

January 22nd "Good Stuff"

*My dad had surgery yesterday. And everything went very well. Not that problems were expected, but it's nice to have that nerve-wracking worrying over with anyway. And as happy as I am that it's over with, and I'm sure he's even happier.

*This almost seems odd to put on a list of good things. But it's something good that comes from extremely sadness. Jason's Poor Kitties Memorial Fund. He started this in response to sadness. Neil Gaiman's sweet, beautiful cat Zoe is dying. And Bookfool, a woman with a heart of gold, has been left with that heart aching as she just lost a much-loved feline friend. While not everyone reacts to the loss of a furry loved one in the same way, for so many of us it's truly a loss that defies words. But Jason invited us to say a few words about kitties who have touched our own lives. I think I will just link to this post I wrote a few years ago...as I said, this kind of loss defies words, but I tried in that post to convey what one big, beautiful, affectionate feline baby meant to this family. Especially to one little boy. And you know, it's now been 3 1/2 years since Taco died, and he is still missed daily by every one of us.
While Jason has suggested a charity to donate to, I do hope he won't mind if I donate to our wonderful local shelter instead. Max has a new buddy now, Lucky. And while Lucky could never in a bazillion years replace Taco, he is a very special new friend. And without Lollypop Farm, who kept this sweet abandoned cat alive for several months just waiting for the right person to come and love him, Max wouldn't have this very special kitty in his life now. And neither would the rest of us.

*Rich. For more reasons than I could ever list.

busy, but happy

2010-01-22T12:13:00.000-05:00

I had high hopes for 2010...that I was going to keep myself more organized and not let myself get behind on things. Yeah, not really working out that way. ;)

Does anyone else feel guilty when they can't keep up with their blog reading? Especially with the blogs of your very favorite people? *sigh* I hate it!!! I mean, in a way, it seems silly to feel guilty about it. Everybody goes through overly busy patches. I know I certainly don't feel offended or hurt when someone doesn't read my blog...so why do I worry that other people will feel that way? Just silly, I know.

On the homeschool front, I managed to get a lot of work done last weekend, but I'm afraid it just wasn't enough to make up for how unbelievably far behind I got in December. So I'm still sort of in overdrive here trying to finish up all that needs done before the end of this quarter. (The quarterly report is due next Friday.) After that, life will hopefully calm just a bit as new deadlines will be off in the distance. :) Yep, after I get that report written next week, I hope to regroup. We'll try for a little more organization then, I suppose.

Anyway, I'm not complaining. Just explaining. Hopefully, I will then be able to get my act together and make my "good stuff" lists on a daily basis, actually finish some of the many books I have going finished, catch up on what's been going on with everyone, get some creative projects finished...

*****
the last few days of "good stuff"

*Having my own personal music picker-outers who introduce me to awesomeness I would never discover on my own. Ana, I finally listened to the I Am a Bird Now CD. *hanging head in shame that it took me so long* Already I'm in love. Antony's voice is pure heaven. And I just know that I'm only going to fall more and more in love as I have a chance to better soak up the lyrics. Thank you again! #luvana #luvchris

*And also in the #luvana #luvchris category: Having friends you trust so completely that you can discuss touchy issues without fear, make awkward confessions knowing you won't be judged, and share goofy little anythings with the knowledge that they won't think you're a complete idiot.

*Feeling optimistic about getting a "new start" after this quarter is over.

*Thrifting with Rich yesterday. Damn, but I love hanging out with this guy! :D We hit three thrift stores, and found lots of great stuff, including a new coat for Gray. His winter coat was sort of falling apart (not a good thing in upstate NY), but we found him a wonderful one that looks practically brand new. And I found some great stuff for Annie. She's so awesome in that as much as she loves clothes, she never feels like she has to have new, brand-name stuff. We buy nearly all our clothes from thrift stores, and we secretly worried that someday that would start bothering Annie. Bad me...not giving her nearly enough credit.

*And speaking of Miss Annie, she got her grade from her last college course. Another A. So proud of her. Not because she's "smart"...that's the luck of the draw. But because she works hard and she tries new things even when she's nervous about them.

*The boys both gathered up their money...they didn't have much, but they scrounged up their change and whatnot and each came up with almost $5...and donated it to the Walk for Kenya fund raiser Gray's class is hosting. And Annie gave each of them $5 as well. Rich and I were of course already sponsoring both boys, and we never asked them to donate their own money; they all just did it on their own. It just makes me very happy to see that their hearts continue to be caring.

*Anticipation! It's just soooooo wonderful to have awesome things to look forward to, isn't it?!!
--Mom and Dad gave Rich and I a "coupon" for four days/three nights of babysitting in February. They've been doing this for the past several years, keeping the kids for a few days over winter break. Rich and I always have sooooooo much fun! Going wherever we want, whenever we want. Eating whatever and whenever we want. Staying up as late as we want without having to worry about the munchkins getting us up. Yes, it's positively heavenly!
--Hopefully getting to meet Amanda in May! Still working on this one, but am very hopeful. #luvamanda
--And ZOMG...the cat is already out of the bag, so I don't feel like I'll jinx it anymore by talking about it, but one of my very bestest friends in the whole freakin' wide world is coming to visit in August!!!!!! Giddy, yeah, that doesn't begin to describe how this has me feeling! And I've got a houseful of people here sharing the giddy, too! #luvchris

catching up

2010-01-19T08:29:00.000-05:00

from the last several days "Good Stuff"

*Can you see the smile behind that book? It's enormous!!! Yes, the smile is good stuff. And yes, the boy with the smile is good stuff. But you know what else is good stuff? The unbelievably sweet, incredibly thoughtful, perfectly wonderful person that put that smile there!!! Thank you again, Chris! I get all teary every time I think about you doing that for Maxidoodle. #luvchris

*And speaking of Chris, there's also this good thing totally related to him. Having one's hopes soaring! :D I am soooooooo unbelievably freakin' excited about something that I can hardly stand it!!!! But it's not a done deal, and I shouldn't be getting my hopes too high yet...but I just can't help it!!!! (I know, I know, I haven't really explained, but I've got this fear of jinxing it.) Seriously, the whole possibility of it has me floating on air... #luvchris

*I was finally cleaning up the Christmas cards we'd gotten, and I was so thrilled to see this beautiful card again. Handmade by the lovely Amanda. I can't tell you how much I love this card...it has such a calming effect on me every time I see it. In fact, I plan on framing it and hanging it in our bedroom. #luvamanda

*Overheard:
Max to Rich: Would you rather be a person, a booger, or a robot?
Pretty much a no-brainer as to how Rich answered that one, huh? ;)

*Miss Annie's "style" (even when she's trying to hide from the camera). Actually, what I love most of all is that she just trusts her own style and doesn't care what other people say. Believe me, none of her friends dress anything like her!

*It's conversation heart season!!! The time of year when I go into sugar overdose heaven.

*Another incredibly wonderful person had a birthday--Jason, I hope your day was magical! #luvjason

*Gray's teacher. She is simply the best.

*This video. It just makes me smile. :)

*Two games of BookChase with Annie. Even though she beat me both times.

*Another trip to the bookstore with my sweetie. Sans children. Coffee in the cafe. Gift cards to spend. Ahhhh...

*Fresh snow! We've had five straight days of unseasonably warm weather here, and it had done quite a number on melting our accumulated snow. Grass was visible in places...argh. But that travesty has been taken care of. (At least for a few days...as they say it's going to be really warm again later in the week.)

just taking a long weekend

2010-01-14T08:19:00.000-05:00

While I will be diligently keeping my eyes and my heart open for all the good stuff in my life over the next few days, I will be taking a break from recording them here. Rich and the boys will be leaving tomorrow to go visit Rich's mom. Annie and I have massive amounts of work to catch up on before the end of this month (due to the problems Dec. brought), so we will be staying home playing catch-up. I am going to do my best to stay off the computer (except for school-related stuff, obviously)...I'm sure I won't succeed completely, but I likely won't be here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful weekend!!!!

book babble...Maxie style

2010-01-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

So I gave in and let him have his choice of photo first. ;)

All five of us here in the Stevens household are happy to be participating in the Graphic Novels Challenge this year. Thinking that he would rather be doing about 384 other things besides reading, Max is perhaps the least enthusiastic. Or so he likes to tell us. But actions speak louder than words...Max is ahead of all of us, having completed two comics thus far. (Annie has completed her first, Rich and I are each in the midst of our firsts, and Gray hasn't yet started one.)

Here's here what Max had to say about his first two selections:

The 8th Garfield Treasury by Jim Davis

I liked Garfield the book, because I like Garfield the cat. It was a really, really, really funny book. I liked when Garfield made a snowman and put it in the fridge, and then Garfield, John, and Odie were going to eat it. And it was funny was when the lawn mower was chasing John. Garfield was watching it like it was a movie.
Garfield and John and Odie always fight. Sometimes I fight with my brother, but never with my cat.
This book was from the library, but I wish I owned it. I hope I can find more Garfield comics.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, Part Two by Akira Himekawa

This is the third Zelda graphic novel I've read, but I have a few more to go. That's good, because I like them. They are exciting, because there are warriors fighting with swords and big humungous monsters. They're trying to defeat the power of darkness. Zelda is a princess.
I like the art in these books. I wish I could draw like that.

And just a few questions:

Mom: Do you like comics?

Max: Yes. They're easier to read than big, long chapter books. But they still tell good stories. And it's fun to look at the art.

Mom: Do you sometimes like to draw your own comics?

Max: Yes, because I like drawing and making up stories.

Mom: How many more graphic novels do you think you'll read this year for the challenge?

Max: Eighty-six.

I hope he makes his goal. :D

*****
January 12th "Good Stuff"

*Waking up to find the most wonderful e-mail from the most wonderful friend! Thank you, again, Chris!

*After all my complaining yesterday about the recent insomnia problems, I ended up having the best night's sleep I've had all year!

*Our internet is decidedly slow, and frankly, just totally flaky today. My initial reaction was frustration, but then I realized it just made for the perfect excuse to stay away for the computer for the most part and get some other things done.

*Grape Nuts. :) When I went to get out the oatmeal to make Max's breakfast this morning, I saw the box of Grape Nuts...I'd totally forgotten that I'd bought them. Mmmmmmm.

*Gray survived his "performance"! Though the assembly was at the very end of the day, and he's now worried about going to school tomorrow, because he's convinced that everyone is going to make fun of him. Poor guy...I'm afraid his worrying skills rival his mother's.

*New books! Another gift card bit the dust...the books I ordered a few days ago already arrived. :D And there's points to hand out here:
--For The Beekeeper's Apprentice, there are three points to be handed out (it was one of those ganging up deals): one to Eva, one to Pat, and one to Ana.
--For Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, another point to Eva.
--For How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity, point for Amanda.
--For In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo, yet another point for Eva.

payback?

2010-01-12T08:28:00.000-05:00

If I didn't know better, I'd think I was being punished for all my whining and moaning yesterday morning. Shortly after I wrote that post, I got a call from Rich. Turns out the problem with Rich's car that we were hoping was minor, was actually major. As in a death sentence...costing way more to fix than the car is worth. Honestly, it's hard to complain...the car was ancient when we bought it, and we've had it for several years. Never in our lives have we had a new car, and really, we've been quite lucky with all the used cars we've bought.

But despite the fact that this had to be expected sooner or later, it still stung. Because what it means to practical terms is that Rich and I are going to have to postpone our trip to England. We've been saving for the past few years, planning to go this summer for our 20th anniversary. But it now looks like that's not to be. We'll have to wait until next year or maybe the year after. (One of the worst things is that it will now be much longer until I get to meet Ana. :( I can't tell you how sad this makes me.)

Anyway, today's a new day. Time just has a way of making you better able to handle your disappointments, I guess. Not that I don't still feel like crying a little.

I'm sorry to say that I had a hard time scraping up good things yesterday...I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. But last evening, I did capture one beautiful scene that just warmed my heart.

January 11th "Good Stuff"

*Max is our reluctant reader. Sometimes getting him to read his 15 minutes a night for homework is a challenge. But last night, he just got wrapped up in his book. His bedtime came and went, and we just couldn't bear to tear him away from his reading. And while he sat there, engrossed in his newest Zelda book, Aldo sat there soaking up the petting. Anytime Max stopped, she let him know. The two of them sat there like that for over an hour until Max finished his book. :)

oops...

2010-01-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

I was so busy complaining, that I forgot to post what was wonderful about yesterday.

January 10th "Good Stuff"

*Winter walks in the woods. Especially with this guy.

*The way Annie loves her new shoes (new for Christmas, that is). Though, Chris, we may need to come visit again soon...she's still pestering us for shrimp boots. :D

*Taking photos. No, I'm not a good photographer. Not that I wouldn't love to be, but that's really not the point. The simple fact is that I just love doing it!

my own worst enemy

2010-01-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the "good stuff" is good. I've found that keeping track on a daily basis really does help me...seriously, I'm amazed how much it can help my mood!

But it's sort of also brought out one of my worst traits: my habit of feeling guilty about everything. In this case, I've found that when I'm having a bad day, or when I'm really upset about something, or especially when I upset about seemingly nothing, the guilt really goes into overdrive. I find myself thinking, "Grow up, Debi. Look at all the good stuff in your life. You are so damn blessed it's frankly ridiculous. You have no right to be so upset."

But I know that in reality, denying bad feelings isn't healthy either. So I've decided to give myself one day a month to just bitch. To just let it out. To be as whiny as I can be. And let me tell you, I can be whiny.

So sticking with the theme of "my own worst enemy"...

Other things that I make myself miserable with guilt over:

*Not homeschooling the boys. Despite the fact that we constantly reevaluate their educational needs, etc. and try our damnedest to do what is best for each kiddo as an individual, I feel so guilty that Annie ends up with so much more of my time (because of school) than the boys do. And events like what happened last evening, when Gray came in and just broke down in tears, begging me to let him stay home on Tuesday so he wouldn't have to sing and dance in front of the whole school, just ratchet up that guilt a-hundredfold.

*The time I spend on the computer, despite the fact that it is my entire social life.

*Not being able to do it all...from keeping up with blog reading (contradicting the item above, so see it's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't deals)...to making everyone I love handmade cards for every occasion...to cooking three well-balanced meals a day for my family to...

And it's not only with guilt that I seem determined to make myself miserable either:

*I drive myself crazy even with the things I love. Like reading. I get sooooo frustrated over having so many books going at one time. And yet I can't seem to break the habit. (Sure, some of it can't be avoided because of school, but much of it could.)

*Sleep. I'm actually pretty darn lucky in that I'm one of those people that seem to be able to function fairly well on less than an ideal number of hours of sleep. Good thing, because since Gray was born (Gray has NEVER slept well), I'll bet I could count on my fingers the number of nights I've had more than 6 hours of sleep. And I don't think I've had a single night where I've had 6 uninterrupted hours. But it used to be okay...I seemed capable of dealing with 5 or 6 hours of sleep, even when I had to get up several times a night with Gray (or a combination of someone elses). And I think that was because I could always just drop back off to sleep immediately the second I crawled back into bed. But those days seem to have taken a hiatus. Hopefully a short hiatus. Now, I go to bed and am inevitably woken up 2 or 3 hours later, but then I can't get back to sleep. For hours. Eventually, I do...but then I have to get back up to start the day. I think I've had one night in the past week and a half when I got a total of more than 4 hours of sleep. And well, 3 1/2 hours is just not enough, even for me. So stupid brain or body or whatever it is that is doing this to me, just stop it, okay?!!!!!!

*Our house is a disaster. I know, seriously, I know that having an immaculate house is not the most important thing in life. And while I keep the bathroom clean and other essentials, for the most part I just can't keep up...there's just too many other things that are more important that demand my attention. But see, the thing is, when the house is a mess I just feel more stressed out. For the most part, it's not even a conscious realization. Until I manage to finally get things looking good again, and I notice how great I feel. (For about two hours until everything's a mess again anyway.)

*One of the worst things of all is that I'm not superwoman. I just CANNOT get caught up with homeschooling stuff. I just can't. A good week, I spend 40 hours at it. An average week, more like 60. A killer week, pushing 80. And still, I'm never caught up.

Whew. Honestly, that felt good. Though, yes, I do feel guilty for being so whiny over such little things. Hopefully it will last me until February.

and yet more of the good stuff

2010-01-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

January 9th "Good Stuff"

*The awesome project that Gray's class has come up with and has been working hard on all year to get ready to introduce to the whole school. They call it "Walk for Kenya." All the kids in the school will be wearing pedometers for one week. They made all kinds of designated courses and whatnot throughout the school. Anyway, they are trying to have all the kids' steps add up to walking from their school to the town of Maseno, Kenya. They are getting people to sponsor them so they can pay to have a classroom built in Maseno (they are working with an organization called Building Futures). Anyway, their big kick off assembly is this coming Tuesday. Gray is very nervous because his class has to sing and dance in front of the whole school...but on the other hand, it's quite obvious how very proud he is of how they're doing something to make a difference. :D

*My lovely friend Kara ~~guilting me into~~ motivating me to get back to my diet blog. Well, it's not exactly a diet blog, but sort of...and I don't know what else to call it. And I honestly can't believe I put a link there so everyone can see in numbers just how fat I am. Anyway, I'm glad to be thinking about it again. Changes need to be made.

*Okay, I am probably the only one who finds this so funny, but when I went to make a comment on Kara's most recent post on her "diet blog" the damn let's-try-to-cut-down-on-spam-by-typing-in-random-letter-codes thingie was "waffles"!!! I kid you not...is that not just an evil thing to do to people trying to lose weight?!!

*Helping Rich come up with his own 50 x 50 list. Of course, he has a few more years to finish his list than I do.

Okay, I'm back and there are probably other things that I could add to this list, but I just sort of emotionally drained myself...so I just want to add this one last thing and call this a post.

*Wonderful friends who listen to my emotional dumpings. And who still love me anyway. (Well, I hope they will anyway.) Thank you Amanda and Ana...really, thank you so much.

good stuff...a babbling version

2010-01-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

January 8th "Good Stuff"

*Finding out that the intersession class Rich is teaching doesn't meet on Fridays...I'd thought it was Mon.-Fri. Such a happy, happy surprise!!!!

*Silly me should have mentioned this before...Rich is not in the Bahamas right now. :) Okay, I honestly never begrudged him his January trips to the Bahamas. Really, I didn't. But on the other hand, I'm not going to complain that he turned down the opportunity to co-teach the marine biology class there this year. I like having him here with me. With us. And seriously, not just because I don't have to shovel the daily snow we've been getting. ;)

*And speaking of snow...I know I say it all the time, but oh how I love it! And we've really been in the typical lake effect pattern since the end of December, and this just makes me so very happy! We usually only get a couple of "big" snows (as in 18+ inches) per year, sometimes only one big snow a winter. But thanks to living so close to the Great Lakes, we do get snow most every day for a few month stretch. Not a lot of snow per day...generally one to four inches. Enough to keep things looking beautiful all the time because there's always fresh snow to cover the ugly brown stuff from the snow plows, but not enough to cause problems to people who are used to it. Yes, I do believe I am utterly spoiled. :D

*Songs that make me cry. Every single time I listen to them. Like Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens. Thank you, Ana!

*Documentaries. And the fact that I get to watch them for school so often. :) Yesterday, Annie and I watched World in the Balance: The People Paradox. (Actually a NOVA episode, I think.) So good. Also yesterday, we watched the third lecture of AIDS: Evolution of an Epidemic, a four-part lecture series by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Yeah, see, despite my bitching about all the work that homeschooling is, it really is a pretty good gig, huh?

*An added bonus to watching movies for school...I get to crochet! Watching TV is usually the only time I have to crochet and knit. And I really have very little time for watching TV. So "having" to watch it for school...well, you can't beat that, can you? :D

*This guy. Officially Lucky. Though we tend to call him Luxray. Of all the non-human animals that share the house, this guy is definitely the life of the party! (If we were including humans, it would be a tough race between Luxray and Maxidoodle.) Lux is such a character. Playful as all get out, rascally as hell...and yet so damn affectionate. Yep, we're all so grateful that this fellow came to be part of our family. Even Aldo, though she'd never admit it. (And in the wee hours of each morning, when he's woken me yet again for some pampering, I'm loathe to admit it, too.)

Sheesh, it's still morning. This babbling might just make novel length if I don't just hit "publish." Not that having a mile-long list of good stuff is a bad thing, of course. :D

just another dose

2010-01-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

January 7th "Good Stuff"

*Ordering books. With a gift card. New books = :D New books for free = :D :D :D

*Books arriving from PaperbackSwap. Come Closer by Sara Gran and Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi. Two more points for Ana.

*Reading to the boys. I love how much they love it. I know these days will pass, but I hope that time is a long way off.

*ZOMG...The Stand in graphic novel form. Must. Find. Soon.

how can love be wrong?

2010-01-07T08:59:00.000-05:00

I love the Challenge That Dare Not Speak Its Name. But why? Why are GLBT issues so important? We've been asked to answer that question this month as part of the challenge. Truthfully, I almost decided to not write a post. Not because I didn't want to, not because I didn't care, not because I don't believe that they are important. I do want to, I do care, I do believe that they are important. But the reason I almost didn't is because I seem incapable of talking about things that really matter to me in a coherent manner. I stumble over words. I can never seem to say what I feel in the eloquent fashion that others do. And this leads me to worry that I will ultimately do more harm than good. But here we go anyway, in my own possibly indecipherable jumble of words...

Gays. Lesbians. Bisexuals. Transgenders. Me. What do we all have in common? Lots of things. But for one thing, we're all people. We all dream. We all want. We all give. We all take. We all love. But NO two human beings are the same. And I feel like I want to know each and every one. I want to hear everyone's story. Obviously, I can't hear all the nearly 6.8 billion stories out there. But I still want to hear as many as I can. No, I can never truly understand what it feels like to live in someone else's skin, but stories can bring me a little bit, and sometimes a lot, closer.

But that's the bigger picture in my mind. There's another reason. A reason that pummels my heart and makes it ache beyond words. It's the story of someone real. Rich's cousin. He's gay. When he was a young man, many years ago, he told his parents that he was gay. His parents would never have anything to do with him again. His parents have both died in somewhat recent years. But in all those decades in between, nothing. Nothing. Ever.

This abandonment happened before I'd even met Rich. And when I first heard this story, I was sick. Sick. What other reaction can a person have to stories like this? It's simply unfathomable, isn't it? Unfathomable. How does a parent just say, "Get lost. You no longer exist to me."?!! How does a person bring a child into the world, raise them, claim to love them...and then decide they don't want their own child in their life anymore simply because of who they are?!!

Yes, I'm crying again. I cry every time I think about this. And sometimes I throw up. Rich's cousin and his partner have been together longer than Rich and I have, and we've been together nearly 23 years. How can that be wrong? How can love ever be wrong? Hate. Now that's wrong. Intolerance. That's wrong. Bigotry. That's wrong. But love. Love...no, definitely not.

a nice surprise

2010-01-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how much this little book took me by surprise. Why that should be so, I don't know. I mean it is a Newbery Medal winner. While I haven't had 100% good luck with the Newberys, I've certainly loved most of the ones I've read. And it's set during the Dust Bowl. This largely man-made environmental/human disaster simply fascinates me. Maybe partially because of stories of farm life in Nebraska during the Great Depression told by my father-in-law (though they mostly missed the dust storms). Probably partially because of having read The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, a book I thoroughly enjoyed. Anyway, when I think about it, I should have expected to enjoy this book...but I didn't. I didn't really expect to dislike it either, or I probably never would have read it at all. (My reason for reading it was because I needed a short literature selection to throw into our history unit before we get to The Grapes of Wrath.)

Anyway, here I am babbling away without really saying anything at all about the book. Yeah, that is my modus operandi, isn't it? So, the book. I absolutely loved it! I thought it was just a perfect little gem of a book. Told from the perspective of Billie Jo, a young teenager living in Oklahoma in the 1930s. It's written in free verse...which, had I known beforehand, might have scared me away. Glad I didn't know, because it turns out that I really loved its style. No one living through the Dust Bowl had an easy time of it, and Billie Jo's family was certainly no exception. And added to the extreme hardships of this life, Billie Jo experiences a much more personal tragedy. All of this could have led to a very depressing book, but honestly, it didn't. Sure, there was a great deal of sadness. I read much of this book in the waiting room at the kids' dentist's office, and as hard as I tried to fight back the tears, a couple of times I found a stray one sliding down my cheek. But it's one of those books that is very much about hope, about clinging to those things that bring you happiness, about perseverence, and about accepting change.

Here's a taste:

Foul as Maggoty Stew

Arley Wanderdale said
the rehearsals for Sunny of Sunnyside
shouldn't take me out of school
more than twice next week.

When I told Ma she got angry about
My missing school to play piano for some show.

Me and Daddy,
we're trying our best to please Ma,
for fear of what it might do to the baby if we don't.
I don't know why she's
so against my playing.
She says that school is important,
but I do all right in school.
I know she doesn't like the kind
of music I play,
but sometimes I think she's
just plain jealous
when I'm at the piano
and she's not.
And maybe she's a little afraid
of me going somewhere with the music
she can't follow.
Or of the music taking me
so far away one day
I'll never come home.
Whatever the reason, she said I couldn't do it.
Arley had to get somebody to take my place.

I do as she says. I go to school,
and in the afternoons I come home,
run through my chores,
do my reading and my math work at the
kitchen table
and all the while I glare at Ma's back with a scowl
foul as maggoty stew.

March 1934

January 6th "Good Stuff"

*This bumper sticker I saw on someone's car today: "Loving Kindness is my religion."

*Having a very productive morning at the library while Annie did her volunteering.

*Starting Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation...sooooo good! And graphic novels period. And the Graphic Novels Reading Challenge. And two of my bestest friends in the whole wide world who are co-hosting the challenge.

notes from the family book club

2010-01-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

Last night we finally went out (to Pizza Hut, as the boys got to choose location) for our second family book club meeting. Yes, we're about a month late. And yes, that would be entirely my fault as I'm the one who didn't start her book in a timely fashion. There is no vlog, because A.) I was just too lazy to bring the computer and B.) Gray was feeling in an especially "shy" mood and really didn't want to be on video. Instead, I brought a little journal and recorded some notes. Probably quite boring to anyone else, but I think we will enjoy them when we read back over them in the years to come.

Snippets from Family Book Club Meeting #2:

*Annie had assigned me The Golden Compass.

Annie asked me which character reminded me most of myself. After some thought, I said that it probably had to be Ma Costa, though we are definitely not alike in some ways, too. At this point, Rich told Annie that she was most like Mrs. Coulter's monkey. Not surprisingly, Annie was indignant. I'm ashamed to admit that I could not stop myself from laughing.

After saying that I was on the verge of tears during this one particular scene, Gray said, "Mom, that's one reason you shouldn't read books--they make you cry all the time. Books don't make me cry." To this Rich replied, "Just wait 'til you're old like me, Gray--they'll make you cry, too."

*Gray had assigned Max Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

When discussing how the brothers in the book got along, Max and Gray started pretending to punch each other. I said, "Enough." And when they didn't stop, I said, "What does "enough" mean?" To which Gray answered, "Stop barking!" Followed immediately by Rich saying, "Stop licking the carpet!" Followed immediately by Annie with, "Stop dragging your butt on the floor!" Yeah, "enough" is the command for Baker to "stop!"

*Max had assigned Rich Space Chimps: Mission to Malgor.

No major revelations, but much boy giggling was heard during this discussion.

*I had assigned Annie Looking for Alaska.

Again no major revelations, partially because we were trying to be careful about what we said because we didn't want to ruin the book for Rich who has not read it yet. Annie did, however, really, really love the book. No surprise there, huh?

*Rich had assigned Gray Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Comment from Gray in the midst of discussion: "Voldemort's not so tough."

At one point Gray made some smartass remark to Rich, which I didn't catch. But Rich came back with, "Ten points from Hufflepuff, Stevens!" Gray's turn to be indignant, as he was not thrilled with having been placed in Hufflepuff.

And our new assignments were made:

*Max picked Zelda: Four Swords, Vol. 1 for Annie.
*Gray picked Seekers: The Quest Begins for me.
*Annie picked Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment for Gray.
*I picked Nation for Rich.
*Rich picked Magic Tree House: Night of the Ninjas for Max.

Hopefully our next book club meeting will take place in early February...once again, I'll likely be the weakest link.

*****
January 5th "Good Stuff"

*Max pulling a fast one on the tooth fairy! He'd lost his tooth at school yesterday, and when that happens, the nurse puts their tooth in a little tooth-shaped container thingie to bring home. Well, Max put the container under his pillow, but hid his tooth away for another day. Tooth fairy Rich grabbed the container without checking inside it, leaving the cash under the pillow. OMG, was Maxidoodle proud of himself this morning!!! I, of course, just couldn't stop laughing. :D (And yes, Max does know "who" the tooth fairy really is...but I think this only made himself prouder of his duplicity.)

*Heading out to take the kiddos to the dentist and finding that Rich had cleared all the snow from the car. As usual. He's just so darn good to me. :D

*Three kids. No cavaties.

*Books that surprise the hell out of you. (Hopefully, I'll talk about this one tomorrow.)

*Making it to the fifth day of the new year before breaking down crying about how overwhelmed I am. I know, that sounds pathetic. It sounds like a complaint. But honestly, I'm trying to be positive here. Breaking down crying is my way of just letting it out and trying to gain some equilibrium again. The fact that I made it five days into the year before needing to do it really is a good thing.

*Unbelievably adorable postcards. Thank you, Shanra! :D But you're wrong about one thing--your handwriting is just fine, my dear!

*Listening to Gray practice his violin. No, he's not very good--he just started playing a few months ago--but I love listening to him nonetheless.

a few things I take too much for granted

2010-01-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

January 4th "Good Stuff" (Today I've decided to focus on the good stuff that is there for me every single day, but that I tend to take for granted.)

*Being able to just plug in the coffee maker and hit the start button each morning, because my wonderful husband always grounds the beans and gets everything ready for me the night before. :D

*Coffee from Dean's Beans! Since discovering it, we don't drink anything else. Sooooo good. And while fair trade coffee in the stores here can tend to be expensive, this really isn't too bad at all.

*This face! I am powerless to resist it!

*A steady supply of books to read.

*Comfy pjs. Especially on frigid nights like this.

*Indoor plumbing. Especially on frigid nights like this.

blame...and a double dose of good stuff

2010-01-04T02:58:00.000-05:00

Yikes...I have to admit that I totally forgot to keep track of blame points in December. I'm going to chalk it up to illness and pure crazy busyness. I'm sorry. :( And I did acquire several books through paperbackswap and seemingly truckloads from the library. But while I don't have actual figures, I can say without question that the persons doing the most damage to my tbr pile during the last couple months of 2009 were Ana and Eva. (So, in retaliation ladies, something will be coming to add to your book piles soon!) And I've decided to keep playing my little game here...you know, because it's ever so much nicer than accepting personal responsibility for my book acquiring habits. So Blame Game 5 runs through the end of April.

January 2nd "Good Stuff"
*Little boys in giggle fits. Seriously, there is no way I can avoid laughing, too, when one of the boys goes off in a bout of giggling. Their laughter is just pure magic.

*The fact that Annie is old enough to babysit! Rich and I went out book shopping yesterday...ahhhh, all by ourselves. :D And Annie comes cheap, too...she's beyond thrilled that we pay her $2/hour. She's just started saving for an iPod Nano, so she's now trying to get us to go out and let her babysit all the time. ;)

*Shiny new books. Especially when they're bought guilt-free. I mean, book buying bans just have to take a back seat when someone generously gives you a gift card, right? (Side note: these purchases also bring with them the first points...points to both Ana and Kelly for Flora Segunda and a point to Eva for When We Were Romans.)

*Related to the previous entry: finding a book you've been looking for for ages! I literally let out a little squeal when I saw Flora Segunda in the store yesterday. Seriously, since the day that Ana and Kelly reviewed it, I've checked for it every blasted time I've been in a bookstore and no one has ever had it. Always figured one day I'd get around to ordering it on-line. But now I don't need to! :D

January 3rd "Good Stuff"
*The birthday of one of very favorite people in all of the whole entire world!!! Seriously, I think the birthdays of the people you love are so much better than one's own birthday...you get to celebrate the incredible gift that their birth has given you. And Ana, since I really don't think it's that big a secret anymore, I hope that you don't mind that I wish you a very, very, very Happy Birthday once again here in "public." You truly are one of my most treasured gifts, every single day!

*Waking up to happy e-mail! Seriously, what an awesome way to start the day!!! So thank you, Chris! Thank you, Ana! (You know what I'm talking about, right?...reading your good stuff makes me so incredibly happy!!! Seriously, happier than I can say!)

*Cold, blustery winter days. (At least when you can sit snuggly warm inside your house all day.)

yep, another dose of good stuff

2010-01-02T17:51:00.000-05:00

Quick note: While I absolutely love keeping tracking of the little doses of daily "good stuff"...it seriously seems to be keeping me in a much happier, healthier mood...I do realize that it probably does not make for the most thrilling reading material. Please, please, please don't feel like you have to read and comment every day. I promise from the bottom of my heart that I will not take it the slightest bit personally! Even from my dearest, most beloved friends. Seriously, guys, I so totally mean it!!!

January 1st "Good Stuff"
*Getting all 58 tubs (slight exaggeration) of Christmas decorations packed back up.

*Finishing my first book of the year...and having it be such an incredible one at that!

*Finishing my first creative project of the year...and loving that my design worked out. And worked out beautifully...in my opinion, anyway. :)

*A Criminal Minds marathon...allowing myself to watch two episodes is what gave me the chance to finish my little project.

first book of the year

2010-01-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah, because I'm a total cheater! I deliberately saved the last two chapters of The Golden Compass to read today, so I knew my first read of the year would be an absolute winner. What I'd like to know is why the hell no one ever told me to read it before now?!! *ducking from objects now being thrown in my direction by Annie and Ana and Rich*

It goes without saying that I now want to dive right into The Subtle Knife. And I will. But the sad fact is that I really must to get back to all the reading I need to do for school. So The Subtle Knife is likely to be slow going. *sigh*

I so wish I was able to reader faster. And that I had more time for pure pleasurable reading. It's not a matter of numbers though. Honestly, I couldn't care less how my reading stats compare to anyone else's. I don't think that most of us do. No, what gets to me is feeling the years fly by, and knowing that the number of books that I will get read in my lifetime is so finite. There are just so many books out there that I just want to read so badly.

And this can be said for so many other things, too. So many places I want to see. So many movies I'd love to watch. So many creative ideas that have popped into my head to try and still reside only on written list...

But I guess none of these things are going to happen if I'm sitting here babbling about them, are they?

Hello 2010!!!

2010-01-01T07:37:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to wish everyone a very joyous, productive, peaceful, loving 2010!!!

I must admit that I so love the optimism I always seem to feel as a new year begins. :D

*****
December 31st "Good Stuff"

OMG...yesterday was one of those days when I just felt as if I was floating on air. Extraordinarily beautiful news from a few different friends. It's not my place to share any of it, but oh my...yesterday was one of those days that I just wish I could bottle and take a swig from whenever I'm feeling down.

I so hate playing favorites...

2009-12-31T16:39:00.000-05:00

...but I'm going to try it anyway. My favorite reads of the year, that is. I wasn't even going to do a year-end wrap-up this year, but I so love reading everyone else's...and well, after all that fun, I just couldn't resist any longer. My numbers are nowhere near as large as many, but I'm not complaining. I read as much as I could, and I read a lot of books that truly touched me. What more can I ask?

Total books read: 113
--This is actually a very high number for me. But!!! While it doesn't include picture books, it does include several middle grade books that I read aloud to the boys and several non-fiction middle grade/YA books that I read for homeschooling. Also, I read a TON of graphic novels this year...and while I don't consider them any less worthwhile than a picture-free novel, they obviously are faster to read. I also should note that I read a number of books that contained more than one book, and I counted the books within the books separately (for example, I counted The Complete Polysyllabic Spree as two books because it contains both The Polysyllabic Spree and Housekeeping vs. the Dirt). Again, this makes my numbers seem larger than they really are.

The breakdown:
Adult novels: 10
YA novels: 16
Middle grade novels: 8
Fictional graphic novels: 37
Plays: 2 (I actually read an additional 4 full-length plays but they were included in a larger collection which I didn't finish, so I didn't count them)
Short story collections: 1 (that sounds like a horrible number, but I did read quite a few short stories on-line and in anthologies/collections that I haven't yet finished)
Fairy tale/folktale collections: 1
Poetry collections: 1
Adult non-fiction: 14
YA/middle grade non-fiction: 13
Essay collections: 4

Additional info:
Classics: 8
Rereads: 6
Worst reading months: July and December, each with only 4 books
Best reading month: August, with 18 books

Okay, so on to my favorites. This is so ridiculously hard, but here we go...

1 and 2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness just barely edged out Nation by Terry Pratchett. I have never had as an emotional experience reading a book as I did with TKONLG. Not even close. That being said, Nation is such a special, special book that it's hard to believe that it's not favorite read of the year.

Yeah, well now is when I sort of don't know how to choose. No real order here. Other YA novels I really loved: Missing Juan Angel by Francesca Lia Block, Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, and The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. I'm tempted to add The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins here, too, because although it didn't touch me in the way the others did, it most definitely was a compelling read that was nearly impossible to put down.

I think the only adult novel that I'd list among my favorites would be All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Without question, there were others I enjoyed, but this is the one that stands out above the others.

And I'd like to throw in The Crucible by Arthur Miller here. (The only reread to make my favorites list.)

As for middle grade fiction...what can I say, I love it! And this year's favorites would have to be The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. And I'm sort of tempted to add The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going here, too...it was such a sweet, quiet book, and I really did adore it.

I enjoyed nearly all of the non-fiction I read, but these are likely my favorites: Normal by Amy Bloom, House of Stone by Christina Lamb, and Shakespeare Wrote for Money, The Polysyllabic Spree, and Housekeeping vs. the Dirt, all by Nick Hornby (sorry, I could pick just one).

And graphic novels...oh my, these may be the hardest of all to pick my favorites from because I read sooooo many good ones! But I think I will have to say Castle Waiting by Linda Medley was my absolute favorite...it positively charmed me! And very, very, very closely following that would have to be Fables by Bill Willingham (I read books 2-6 this year). And closely following that series are The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel, Bone by Jeff Smith, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (I read books 2-5 this year), American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, and Blankets by Craig Thompson.

Other notes:
As is quite obvious, I've fallen madly in love with stories, both fiction and non-fiction, told through the medium of comics. I strongly suspect this trend of reading so many of them will continue through 2010.
I tried my first manga this year. I'm not giving up on them completely yet, but I fear they're not really for me. They seem to lack depth...but that honestly might just be the few I've read, or it might simply be me missing something.
I had a couple of surprises this year...a couple of books I enjoyed far more than I thought I was going to. That's always a wonderful thing, isn't it? While neither Dramacon Ultimate Edition by Svetlana Chmakova nor Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte made my favorites of the year list, I honestly loved them both...expecting, in the case of Dramacon, to just like it, and in the case of Jane Eyre, to possibly dislike it.

Whew...another year gone already...

*****
December 30th "Good Stuff" (I'll keep it to just one since this post is so long already)

*This view of Annie. It just totally made me smile...she just looked so sweet curled up in the chair reading. Not that it's an unusual sight, as you can find her that way on a daily basis. But I don't know, there was just something that really warmed my heart. Maybe part of it is that the view made me think of two young ladies I adore...Annie (obviously) and Eva. Why Eva? Well, first because that totally adorable headband that Annie is wearing was made by the talented Ms. Eva. And second, because Annie's reading Pride and Prejudice. Yeah, 'nuff said.

as I ramble away some more

2009-12-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

Think I need a break from geometry today. I'm not complaining, mind you...relearning geometry is not the worst thing I can imagine (though not the best thing, either, of course). But I actually sort of enjoy doing proofs. Anyway, I think I've been doing too many of them the past few days. Last night I dreamed that I was a assigned a two-column proof to "prove" that the Printz winners were deserving of their praise. Yeah, I know that makes no sense, as is the way with dreams. And, as is the way with dreams, it made perfect sense within itself. Bottom line, I think I'll switch to some Envi Sci prep today.

December 29th "Good Stuff"

*This tea. Mmmmm...heavenly. Doesn't quite edge out my all-time favorite, Hot Cinnamon Spice, but it certainly puts up a good fight. Even better good stuff--the awesome friend who sent it to me!!! (Thanks again, Chris!)

*Listening to my incredibly sweet boy chatting away on the phone with a friend. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but truly it is. Seeing the joy that Gray is experiencing in having a good friend literally brings tears to my eyes. I don't expect that he will ever be much of a social creature, and that is perfectly fine...but having one good friend can make such a difference, and I'm so very happy for Gray that he has found someone that he can be so comfortable with.

*The perfect poem. The kind that overwhelms you. The kind that is more than just an intellectual, or even an emotional experience, but that is also a full-blown physical experience. "Tulipomania" by Katrina Vandenberg was that poem for me yesterday. I will reread it, and reread it, and reread it, and it will continue to haunt me.
And this "good stuff" also came to me with the help of others--obviously Katrina Vandenberg, but also Ana who urged me skip ahead in the book to read this poem, and Chris who so sweetly gave me this beautiful book of poetry (Atlas) for Christmas. Thanks guys!

When I decided the other day to record the "good stuff" daily, I assumed that I would just list one thing per day. But I guess this is part of the beauty of the exercise...in making the effort to notice the happy things that daily life brings, I'm finding that my days are overflowing in them...

another day of good stuff

2009-12-29T11:03:00.000-05:00

December 28th "Good Stuff"

*I have to admit that one of things I pouted heavily about on Christmas was the weather. After two weeks of temps not hitting 30 degrees, we finally get a warm-up...on Christmas eve. :( While there was still snow on the ground for Christmas, it reached nearly 40 degrees and rained. By Saturday, the snow had been melted and washed away. Call me spoiled, but when patches of grass dare show their faces during winter proper, it leaves me feeling unsettled. I like my winters white, white, white. And yesterday, my equilibrium was restored. :D I woke up to a beautiful white lawn again, and the forecast has snow every day for the next week. Things are back to normal, and I am a happy gal.

*Christmas cards! Do you all get a such a thrill when a Christmas card arrives in your mailbox? Thank you to two wonderful friends--Care and Kelly--for putting such a huge smile on my face yesterday!!!

*Rich was feeling so good yesterday that he was craving food from our favorite Mexican restaurant (actually the only decent Mexican restaurant around). I, of course, was happy to oblige his cravings!

Yes, it feels so good to remember what an incredibly lucky woman I am...

getting an early start

2009-12-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

Part of my New Year's resolution was to appreciate more, the big and the little things that make life so incredibly wonderful. I decided yesterday that one way to help me do that might be to record daily at least one "good stuff" item from that day. And well, this blog is just the easiest place to do that. So if I'm posting something else on any particular day, I'll just tack on my "good stuff" at the end. And of course, it's not yet 2010, but there's no point in waiting, is there?

December 27th "Good Stuff"
*Rich was feeling better! Not 100%, but definitely much, much better. :D

*French toast for lunch. Yum. And being told by Annie that I'm the best French toast maker in the world. (She's obviously not had much made by others.)

*Guilt-free book buying (thank you, dear brother of mine!).

And already today has given me plenty to smile about, too.

out of whack, but looking forward to a new year

2009-12-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

Warning: I am about to whine. I will try to get it out of the way as quickly and painlessly as possible, but whining it will be. And then, I shall get on to the good stuff.

I have never been so anxious to say good-bye to the month of December as I am this year. Isn't that pathetic?!! I hate that I feel that way...I don't like feeling like such a cranky old grump. :( Usually, December is my favorite time of the year...always hectic, but manageable. This year nothing seemed manageable. The month started with the flu. Totally knocked me out for days...and I usually refuse to let anything stop me. (In fact, it refuses to totally release it's grip on me even now...the chest pain and coughing seem determined to hang on.) Anyway, this set me back immensely on holiday preps. I spent the next few weeks in overdrive. Then last Saturday, we headed to my parents for our annual get-together with some extended family. We left Annie there to spend some time with her grandparents. The next few days I really went crazy, trying to finish up some gifts I was making, finish up the wrapping, cleaning the house, preparing beds, and mostly cooking, cooking, cooking. Because my parents and my brother always come up and spend a few days with us over Christmas. They were due to arrive late Thursday morning. On the verge of collapse Wednesday night, but finally feeling that I had my act together for the following few days, Rich, the boys, and I sat down to watch A Christmas Story. And about halfway through, Rich said, "I feel like my face is on fire. I think I have a fever." Sure enough, 102.8 degrees. Yes, he had somehow managed to come down with the flu. So, I immediately had to call my parents and let them know. We worked it out that they would just drive up in the morning and drop off Annie, and then head back home. So I then spent the next hour or so taking everything out from under the tree and digging out and packing up all the presents for my parents and brother. Spent the next morning, dividing up all the food I'd been making for the past three days so I could send half of it home with them. Spent a good deal of time simply in tears because I was on the verge of exhaustion from being sick for so long and working so hard, just to have it all seem to be for nothing. And this is why I just want December to go the hell away.

BUT.

I've really had sooooooo much to smile about this month, too. I really, truly have. And so much of has been because of the incredible friends I have made through blogging. Honestly, I've cried tears of pure joy on more than one occasion this month due to the unbelievably thoughtful, generous, loving words and actions of friends that I'm not sure I even deserve. You all know who you are. And I so hope you all know how very much I love you.

And ZOMG, was I spoiled with gifts! Rich and I had agreed to cut back...but I don't think he listened. ;) (Granted, some of the books came from the library book sale, but still!) And oh my goodness, the lovely gifts I received from friends...my heart nearly burst.

Here's a picture of all the goodies that will make my reading life even more delightful:

Not only did I get this amazing stack of books and so much money in gift cards that I feel almost guilty about it, but I got beautiful bookmarks, some of them handmade, tea and chocolate to savor as I read, the most beautiful and comfy handmade slippers imaginable, and the most special handmade Calpurnia doll that this world has ever seen.

This is far more spoilage than any one person needs, I know. And yet, I received even more...some crafty supplies, office supplies, and a gorgeous framed photo that I fell in love with the first time I saw it (from the talented photographer herself).

You know, bottom line, as cranky and ugly as I've felt much of this month, I was inundated in love. And thus, my new year's resolution, a few days early:

Make every day a good day! (Okay, so I totally stole this from Annie...it was her New Year's resolution back when she was four years old. Smart kid!) Treasure the little things (and the big things) that make life so beautiful. Remember that the not-so-good stuff is a part of life (and truly it's an important part in helping me see how honestly blessed I am). Never miss an opportunity to say, "I love you," and never miss an opportunity to show it through actions. Be appreciative. Live.

arrrgh...where did the time go?!!!

2009-12-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that Christmas Eve is one week away. That's the day I need to be done with everything, as my family will be arriving on my doorstep late that morning. I have NEVER been this unprepared at this point in time ever before. I haven't finished making, let alone sending, cards. I haven't finished shopping. I have a list of fifteen gifts--mostly small--yet to be made (obviously, some are not going to happen). I haven't begun to make a dent in my wrapping. I haven't finished the baking. I haven't made a menu, let alone a grocery list, for the days when we'll have guests. Hell, I haven't even finished decorating the house!

But for all my bitching, I'm honestly in very good spirits! All those things that need done above...at least, they're fun things, right? And Christmas music playing makes things even cheerier. And last night we got another 5 inches of snow overnight, and it is still coming down, and it is looking positively lovely outside. So, while I may be frazzled (like 98% of the population right now), I'm happy.

Feeling bad mostly that I just can't keep up with reading blogs right now, etc. And feeling extremely sad for a wonderful friend, who had a devastating disappointment this week. Wishing like crazy I had time to read...

Yeah, but overall, who am I to complain, right? I've got a wonderful life!

challenge heaven

2009-12-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, despite the fact that I have emphatically declared myself "not a book blogger," I am, of course, still a reader. And being a reader, I am obviously still allowed to participate in reading challenges, right? Of course, I'm right! See, the thing is most of the coolest reading challenges out there are hosted by friends anyway. Since they are the coolest people, it just goes to follow that they would have the coolest challenges, doesn't it? :D Eva is co-hosting the Women Unbound Challenge, Amanda is hosting the GLBT Challenge, Carl will be hosting the Sci Fi Experience, Once Upon a Time, and RIP Challenges again, hopefully Trish will be hosting the Non-Fiction Five again, and now Ana and Chris are hosting the Graphic Novels Challenge! I tell you, life does not get any better than this!!!! I am sooooooo excited about this one! In fact, I think that all five of us here in the Stevens household shall be participating. :D

And just look at this awesomely cool button:

Heck, that's reason enough to join. :D

I can't believe that it's only been two years since I started reading graphic novels. And at this point, I don't think I could live without them. It is a medium of storytelling that I find so satisfying in so many ways. And to think, that if not for blogging, I may never have picked one up. Dewey, and Ana, and Chris, and Carl...these are the people who really introduced me to the world of comics...and no "thank you" could ever be big enough for that.

The challenge has various levels of participation...the lowest being just three books (hence, I think even reluctant reader Max can handle this one). But I'm shooting for the highest, which, at ten books, shouldn't pose a problem even for me. (If I counted correctly, I've read 40 even so far this year...that's more than I'd even realized.)

We don't have to make a list ahead of time, but I just can't resist making a list for anything, so here's some that I will likely read (this list is chosen merely because they happen to be in our house at the moment...I've a feeling blogger would kick me out for using too much space if I tried to post a list of all the graphic novels I WANT to read).

Currently out from the library:
*The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
*Life Sucks by Jessica Abel and Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece
*A Distant Soil: The Gathering by Colleen Doran
*A Distant Soil II: The Ascendant by Colleen Doran
*Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by Jean-Philippe Stassen
*Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
*Notes for a War Story by Gipi

Already on my shelves:
*Black Hole by Charles Burns
*Mijeong by Buyn Byung-Jun
*The Dreaming (vols. 1 and 2) by Queenie Chan
*Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
*Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
*A Midnight Opera (vols. 1-3) by Hans Steinbach
*Nightmares & Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time... by Serena Valentino
*The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess
*Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days) by Bill Willingham
*Fables: Wolves by Billingham
*Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
*The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
*Palestine by Joe Sacco
*The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier

To borrow from Rich:
*Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller
*Dracula adapted by Michael Mucci, Ben Caldwell, and Bill Halliar
*The Vietnam War: A Graphic History by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and Wayne Vansant

To borrow from Annie:
*Fruits Basket (vols. 1-3) by Natsuki Takaya
*Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne by Arina Tanemura

To borrow from Gray:
*Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
*Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques

*****
It hasn't been a very big reading month for me so far...only four books so far (and one of them shouldn't really count as a book). This makes me so sad. :( And it's not that everyone else seems to get so much more read than I do. It's more that I get to thinking about how finite life is...and oh my, so many books are going to go left unread. *sigh*

My first read of December would make an excellent choice for the Graphic Novels Challenge! Blankets by Craig Thompson. I picked it up from the library simply because Dewey had mentioned how much she loved it. (That's a good enough reason to read any book, if you ask me.) Oh my god, I loved this book! Sort of a story of first love. Of a painful childhood. Of questioning one's religious beliefs. Seriously, it was just such a wonderful read.

Next, I finished Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture by Katha Pollitt. Great book for the Women Unbound Challenge, btw. Great book, period. (But I should say straight out that it's likely not a book everyone would enjoy, especially if your worldview differs from hers...she is decidedly liberal.) This book is a collection of her essays from The Nation, covering the second half of the 1990s. But despite the fact that these essays are often about events long past, so often the ideas are still extremely relevant in today's world. Pollitt has a wonderfully strong voice--she definitely doesn't hold back. She is a master of sarcasm, and at times had me laughing out loud. A few times, she had me in tears as well. Mostly, she had me feeling outraged at the injustice in the world. Intelligent, compassionate, and not afraid to call 'em as she sees 'em. Thanks again, Ana, for introducing me to her! (Ana's reviews of Reasonable Creatures and Virginity or Death! can be found here and here, respectively.)

Next up was The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar. Another graphic novel. And I have Amanda to thank for this one, because this review left me utterly intrigued. So, did I enjoy this book? Yeah, I can honestly say that I did. Though I found it utterly odd! But what did I expect from a book about a young woman who falls in love with Imhotep IV, who at the time of the novel has been a mummy for thousands of years. My biggest complaint is that it just seemed to end too abruptly. Oh, and I did very much love the art in this one! A sample:

And my most recent read--And All Through the House by Ed McBain. This was a mini-book--it wasn't a novel, or even a novella, but more of a short story in book form. It was a total impulse grab from the library. Thought a nice little Christmas story might be fun. And while it wasn't completely terrible or anything, I really could have lived without it. Just totally forgettable, if you know what I mean. Despite the fact that it was only forty short pages, I really wish I'd spent the time on something else.

traditions

2009-12-11T11:29:00.000-05:00

We are a family of traditions. Nothing big and fancy, mind you...we're not big, fancy people. (Well, depending on how you look at that...in one sense, I am definitely pretty big.) Anyway, traditions. We've got 'em for all times of the year, but the Christmas holiday definitely has more than its fair share. From advent "calendars" (though honestly there's nothing really calendar-y about the ones my mom fills for the kids) to hot chocolate in special Santa mugs to reading Christmas books together throughout the season. And tons more.

Every year, my parents and my brother come and spend a few days with us over Christmas. And with that there are lots more traditions. From our big Christmas Eve dinner to pasta (lasagna, cavatini, etc.) on Christmas evening. From playing poker to Christmas music playing continuously. Of course, there's stockings on Christmas morning. But there's also mittens on Christmas Eve. Mittens, as in large crocheted mittens filled with goodies like a stocking. (And thanks to Chris, I know realize they can double as oven mitts. :D) Also on Christmas eve, everyone gets two other gifts--some kind of munchy and something to "do" (like a puzzle book or something). And the kids always get new pajamas. (I used to make them, but I think this is the third year in a row that they're getting store bought ones...I know, what a slacker.)

But I think the favorite Christmas eve tradition of all is the "bags"! Bags, that's what they're known as. Everyone gets one...I make them for my parents and my brother and my mom makes them for us. And what are they? Bags full of wrapped crap. Seriously. Everything in them must be obtained without cost. So they are full of free samples, junk that comes in the mail, freebies you get when order something else, etc. All of us are on the lookout constantly throughout the year for goodies for the "bags"...it's a true family effort, the collecting. One of the things my dad is getting this year is a huge pack of "interesting" travel pamphlets that we gathered from rest areas all along the way during our vacation this past summer. Sometimes, as in that case, they're just plain stupid. Sometimes they're actually useful...like my mom is getting a green polo shirt this year, because Rich gets one each year for coaching Annie's soccer team (and seriously, how many green polo shirts does one person need, right?). Sometimes, we go out of our way to collect these freebies, like me sending away for a Depends sample (which I needed when I read Jason's comments yesterday!) or my brother sending away for a video explaining the benefits of the DR Chipper. (They hassled him for three years afterward, hoping he was actually going to buy one.) I'm guessing this probably sounds utterly ridiculous to others, but I tell you we all end up with seriously sore stomachs from laughing so hard by the time we finish up the opening. It is a true family favorite around here.

What about you...what are some of your silliest traditions?

(And by the way, if you have any good ideas for freebies, I'm always on the lookout.)

shiny and new

2009-12-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

Oooh, my first post on my new everyday blog...something about shiny and new that just makes me a bit giddy! :D Of course, it also feels a bit "pressure-filled"...like I need to make it really spectacular or something. But a.) I don't do spectacular, and b.) a big part of the reason I started afresh was to get rid of the pressure.

Hear that Debra Anne--NO PRESSURE. You are hereby ordered to be yourself, in all your boring glory!

Awww...I really like this feeling. :D

*****

So, what's on the agenda for today?

*getting at least 10 more Christmas cards made and ready to mail (I really need to learn the art of mass production, instead of trying to make so many "different" cards)

Here's the first one of the day.

*wrap gifts for final two boxes that need mailed, and get boxes ready to mail (I'm somewhat mortified that I don't have all boxes mailed already, but hopefully there's still plenty of time)

*wrap at least ten gifts for under our tree (I love wrapping presents!)

Here's the first one of the day. I love simple raffia ribbon. And using photo corners to paste on simple gift tags.

*finish Subject To Debate, an awesome collection of essays by Katha Pollitt (I can't thank Ana enough for introducing her to me!)

*make list of what I'm baking this year (usually I have several things baked and in the freezer by now *sigh*)

*enjoy the beautiful snow falling

Okay, off to conquer...