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 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

snapshots

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.")

the cutest good stuff ever

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

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!

good stuff...the Super Bowl edition

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*

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.

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?

surprise, surprise...good stuff

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

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. :)

oops...

 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!

and yet more of the good stuff

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

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

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.

a nice surprise

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

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

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.