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.)

a week's worth

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)

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.)

busy, but happy

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

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.)

book babble...Maxie style

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?

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. :)