the lesser of two evils...

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

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

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...

*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)

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)

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

...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

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

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

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)

--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

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

still trying...

...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

*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

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. :(

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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

February 26th "Good Stuff"














































































































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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.")